Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who sports a long track record of incendiary anti-Israel rhetoric, is now throwing her weight—and donor list—behind Zohran Mamdani’s quixotic campaign for New York City mayor. In a fundraising text blast reported by the New York Post, Tlaib rallied support for the New Yorkers for Lower Costs super PAC, a group aligned with Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist currently serving in the New York State Assembly. Both Tlaib and Mamdani are vocal advocates of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement—a campaign widely condemned as antisemitic by mainstream Jewish organizations. Mamdani, who has roots in Indian and Ugandan heritage, has made headlines in recent months for his inflammatory attacks on Israel.

A Utah man who declared himself the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler and threatened to carry out a massacre at a Manhattan synagogue has been indicted on terror charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Tuesday. Luis Ramirez, 23, was arrested on February 14 after allegedly posting a series of disturbing threats on X, including a chilling message aimed at Central Synagogue in Midtown: “The Jews killed me in my past life. If you try to kill me again today in NYC when I pull up to Shabbat, I will kill you first.” Just hours after the posts, law enforcement intercepted Ramirez as he drove toward the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey, apparently en route to the synagogue.

The community is reeling after learning of the tragic and untimely passing of Yitzchak Alishayiv Z”L (Yitzchak ben Mazal Z”L), a beloved former custodian and dear friend to many, who was murdered during a trip to Turkey. He was just 45 years old. Yitzchak, formerly the gabbai at Heichal Moshe (Vorhand Shteibel) on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was well known for his warm heart and quiet passion for wildlife photography. He had traveled to Turkey after Pesach to pursue his love of capturing animals in their natural habitat. According to reports from Turkish media, the trip ended in tragedy when Yitzchak was fatally stabbed by the host he was staying with. He was rushed to a local hospital but tragically succumbed to his injuries.

A fugitive wanted for one of New York’s most chilling unsolved murders – the killing of an Iranian-Jewish man – has been captured and returned to the city after more than eight years on the run. Michel Patrick Desalles, now 54, has been extradited from the island nation of Mauritius and charged with the brutal 2017 murder of his boss, Omid Gholian, inside a Tribeca jewelry store. Prosecutors say Desalles viciously beat Gholian hy”d, 43, inside the back room of World of Gold N Diamond at Church and Duane Streets, before tightening two zip ties around his neck, leaving him to die in a pool of blood. Hours after the savage assault, Desalles boarded a flight at JFK Airport and vanished halfway around the world. Gholian’s disappearance initially puzzled his loved ones.

Yehuda Shaffer, a lifelong Crown Heights resident and veteran Hatzalah member (CH-97), has announced his candidacy for New York City Council in District 41, a diverse area that includes Remsen Village, Brownsville, and parts of Crown Heights and East Flatbush. Shaffer, a proud Lubavitcher, brings 12 years of emergency response experience to the campaign trail and a message: it’s time for the Jewish community to take its place at the table. “Recent events have shown us that we cannot depend on others to speak up for us,” Shaffer wrote in a letter addressed to local residents. “We must stand up for ourselves—and now is that time.” With hundreds of new Lubavitch families settling in the district in recent years, Shaffer’s campaign emphasizes both representation and collaboration.

Tens of thousands of cyclists will bike through New York City tomorrow for the 47th Annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour. The first wave of riders will start at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, with subsequent waves departing at 8:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 9:50 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The tour takes participants on a 40-mile ride from Lower Manhattan, through the Bronx, over to Queens and down through Brooklyn to Staten Island. Five Boro Bike Tour street closures The route closes to vehicular traffic at 7:15 a.m. Sixth Avenue will reopen to cars at noon. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be open with significant road closures to accommodate the bike tour. Motorists should expect delays. The Staten Island-bound lower level of the bridge will be closed to vehicles from 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

In a heartwarming update, 4-year-old Pinchas Raphael ben Sara (Saada) has returned home following a miraculous recovery from a horrific car accident in Flatbush that claimed the lives of his mother and two sisters a few weeks ago. Initially listed in critical condition, Pinchas’ survival and return home on Friday afternoon, are being attributed to the fervent tefillos of Klal Yisroel, bringing joy and gratitude to the community. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The chavrusah tumult took place at BMG this week, as the summer Zman kicks off. The tumult generally last for two days, with talmidim of the yeshiva seeking out chavrusos and which chaburah they will be in. Enjoy the videos and phots below of this spectacular site!

Rent-stabilized tenants in New York City could see their monthly housing costs rise this fall, after the city’s Rent Guidelines Board voted Wednesday in favor of proposed rent increases for one- and two-year leases. The board approved a range of potential hikes: 1.75% to 4.75% for one-year leases and 4.75% to 7.75% for two-year leases. The final rates will be determined in a binding vote scheduled for June. If approved, the changes would apply to leases beginning on or after October 1. The preliminary decision comes as the board weighs how to support the financial stability of building owners while protecting tenants from cost-of-living increases. Over the past three years, the board has greenlit cumulative rent hikes totaling 9%.

In yet another explosive controversy rocking New York City’s embattled public school system, the Department of Education is under fire for distributing an official newsletter that accused Israel of committing “genocide in Gaza”—a claim that outraged Jewish educators and advocates are calling a dangerous escalation of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric within the city’s classrooms. According to a NY Post report, the inflammatory statement appeared in the spring 2025 edition of the “Teacher Career Pathways” newsletter—an internal publication bearing the logos of both the NYC Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)—which was distributed to hundreds of “master teachers” across the city’s 1,800 public schools.