On this Erev Rosh Hashanah morning of 5780/81, we would like to thank the Ribono Shel Olam for all the Chessed He has shown us since the founding of YWN and allowing us to grow into the website our vast readership have all come to trust and count on. We thank our hundreds of thousands of devoted readers across the globe for visiting YWN each day, patronizing our advertisers, and continuing to make our website grow into your #1 stop for breaking news. We started YWN more than fifteen years ago, and without your participation, we would not be entering our 16th year together. By gaining your trust over the past 15 years, YWN has been able to break every major story of interest to our readers, and has stayed far ahead of the curve.

R’ Mordechai Samet of Kiryas Joel was released from prison on Erev Rosh Hashanah, after serving 20 of his 27-year sentence. Samet was released under the new “First Step Act” law. R’ Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association who was highly influential in the passing of the law – and in securing his release – was there to greet him. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The post BORUCH MATIR ASURIM: Mordechai Samet Released Under “First Step Act” appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

The Orange County Health Department visited the main Satmar Shul in Kiryas Joel on Wednesday morning and platstered a “cease and desist order” on the building. Viral photos on social media showed a man hanging up sign up from the Health Commissioner as a NY State Trooper stood nearby. The letter can be read below, but most interesting is what appears to be a veiled threat of “criminal charges” if the social distancing rules are not adhered to.

New York City has again delayed the planned start of in-person learning for most of the more than 1 million students in its public school system. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that most elementary school students would do remote-only learning until Sept. 29. Middle and high schools would stay remote through Oct. 1. Pre-kindergarten students and some other special education students will be the only ones who resume in-person instruction on Monday, as originally planned. De Blasio and union leaders say the city needed more time to prepare for students to return to school buildings. It’s the MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER!! Every few weeks the Mayor makes some big declaration. New Yorkers rush to adjust their entire lives based on his announcement.

A heart attack patient was killed Thursday when a fire truck crashed into the ambulance that was carrying him to a Brooklyn hospital, authorities said. The crash at Myrtle and Throop avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant, involved two Fire Department vehicles happened shortly before 1:00AM. The fire truck was racing to a fire when it broadsided the ambulance, authorities said. The patient in the ambulance, a 59-year-old man who had suffered a heart attack, was pronounced dead at the hospital he was being taken to, police said. A female family member who was traveling with the patient was in critical condition at the hospital. A Fire Department spokesperson said six firefighters and two Emergency Medical Service workers were hospitalized in stable condition. The crash is under investigation.

Eli Rozenberg, a 26-year-old American living in Israel is the new owner of El Al. Eli purchased El Al on behalf of his father, New York businessman and Hatzolah Paramedic Kenny Rozenberg, and has now purchased a controlling stake in the beleaguered company from Israel’s Government Companies Authority Eli Rosenberg now holds the most amount of stock with 43 percent of the entity, making him the person with the most say in the company. The other potential buyers backed out Rozenberg recently formed the Aviation Eagles Wings company in his bid to acquire El Al and appointed former US envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt as his adviser.

New York state’s COVID-19 infection rate dropped back below 1 percent on Wednesday, after rising above 1 percent for the first time in more than a month on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Speaking from a moving boat off the coast of Long Island on Wednesday morning, Cuomo said the state’s infection rate dropped from the 1.04 percent he reported on Tuesday to 0.87 percent. Today's update on the numbers: Of the 75,087 tests reported yesterday, 652 were positive (0.87% of total). Total hospitalizations are at 483. Sadly, there were 4 COVID fatalities yesterday. pic.twitter.com/rHLqPDzkrE — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 16, 2020 (AP)

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Rebbetzin Shulamis Keller A”H, the wife of the late Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe, Hagaon HaRav Chaim Dov Keller ZATZAL. Her Petira comes just after the Shloshim was marked for the Rosh Yeshiva. The Levaya will be at 4:00PM at Bais Yaakov of Lakewood, 277 James Street To listen to the Audio Hookup, call (563) 999-1235. You can watch the Levaya below: Boruch Dayan Ha’Emmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City would have received hundreds of millions more in emergency virus aid if Congress had distributed funding based on need instead of population, the state’s chief fiscal officer said. New York City and dozens of communities in states including Florida would have received nearly $4 billion more if Congress targeted $27.6 billion in local aid to epicenters of the pandemic, according to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report being released Wednesday. The report looks at communities that had the highest share of confirmed COVID-19 cases by late August. The report comes as New York officials keep pushing for another round of pandemic aid despite congressional gridlock.

Unfortunately, the uptick in COVID-19 cases in our communities, noted in Agudath Israel of America’s recent statement regarding simchos, continues its upward trajectory. While there have been hospitalizations, boruch Hashem most of the recent cases have not been as serious as those in March and April. Theories to explain this phenomenon abound, and much remains unclear. Some medical experts see the slow rise in cases now in our community as echoing what we experienced in early March, chas v’sholom, and are concerned that we may be at the cusp of an exponential rise. Others see the past month, in isolation, as less alarming. The truth is, we do not know where this is headed. And that is exactly why we must remain vigilant.