Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, the Chief Rabbi of Iran Davened Mincha and Maariv and read Megillas Esther this evening at the site believed to be the kever of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan, Iran. Young Iranian yeshiva students travelled with with Rabbi Gerami to the Kever. Attached video footage taken for YWN shows the Rabbi and his students, some of whom are training to become rabbinical judges and rabbis, danceing outside the Kever before Mincha. After Mincha, they Davened maariv, followed by Kreiyas Megillah in a nearby Shul next to the Kever. They then broke their fast, and began the journey back to Tehran. Despite geopolitical tensions, the Iranian regime continues to preserve the kever due to its historical significance.

President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler has been removed from talks regarding the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, The Jewish Insider reported. The report cited Republican sources who said that some are demanding that he be removed entirely from the Trump administration. “It’s like he’s in Never Never Land,” one senator said. Boehler faced a strong backlash following his interviews with CNN and other US and Israeli media outlets on Sunday, during which he defended his direct talks with the Hamas terror group. Boehler not only spoke directly with Hamas but made extremely controversial statements, saying that the Hamas terrorists he met “don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us.

The Israeli Air Force attacked an Islamic Jihad terror organization in Damascus at noon on Thursday. The target of the attack were Islamic Jihad commanders who were planning attacks against IDF forces on the northern border and in the buffer zone. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed the attack. “There will be no immunity for Islamic terror against Israel, not in Damascus and not anywhere else,” he said. “Wherever terrorist activity is organized against Israel, the leader of radical Islam, Julani, will find the Air Force planes hovering over him and attacking terrorist targets. We will not allow Syria to become a threat to the State of Israel.” The attack follows a series of IDF attacks in Syria since the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.

Hundreds of mispallelim, accompanied by the IDF, entered Kever Yosef in Shechem on Wednesday night, ahead of Taanis Esther and Purim, as part of the regular visits arranged by the Shomron Regional Council and approved by the IDF. Yossi Dagan, the head of the Shomron Council, called for the restoration of full Israeli control over Kever Yosef. “There is no real reason to continue this absurdity, that a site that is supposed to be under full Israeli control, even according to the cursed Oslo Accords, has remained abandoned for over 24 years – one of the most kodesh places for the Jewish nation,” he said. “I call on the government to act to restore the permanent presence at the site, to correct the disgrace and allow every Jew to daven in this kodesh place without fear.

In a special shailos and teshuvos ahead of Purim, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein issued guidelines on the obligation to be careful about drinking too much wine on Purim, especially this year when Purim falls out on Erev Shabbos. At the end of his lengthy remarks about the pitfalls of drinking more wine than Chazal recommended, HaRav Zilberstein issued a surprising p’sak, saying that it’s a special mitzvah this year to refrain from getting drunk.

In just a few hours, Jewish communities will erupt in celebration. The streets will fill with laughter, the sounds of joyous singing and lechaims shared among friends and family. Purim is a day of joy, but for too many people, it is something else entirely. It is a day of isolation, of suffering in plain sight while the world around them dances. It is for these people—the ones who feel invisible in their pain—that we at YWN feel compelled to speak up right now. For many months now, the growing mental health crisis in our community has been something we wanted to write about but held back. Each time we considered addressing the issue, another suicide had just occurred. Out of respect for the grieving families, we waited. Then, another suicide happened. So we waited again.

The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America has issued the belwo statement designating tomorrow, Ta’anis Esther, as a Yom Tefila for the hostages, with special focus on bnei yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel. Similar statements have been issued by the Moatzos Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel and of Degel HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel. Agudas Yisroel also took the opportunity to request special tefilos on behalf of Shmuel ben Ita Etil, Rosh Yeshivas Philadelphia, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Horav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlita. The Rosh Hayeshiva’s condition has improved, but he still needs our tefilos.

WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE AUTOPEN CONTROLLED THE PRESIDENCY: A new report has raised eyebrows in Washington, claiming that President Joe Biden may have used an autopen—a machine that replicates a person’s signature—to sign certain legislation, rather than putting pen to paper himself. The controversy erupted after discrepancies were spotted in Biden’s signature on official documents, with some appearing too uniform to be handwritten. The White House has not denied the allegations but insists that using an autopen is a longstanding practice among U.S. presidents for routine paperwork. Critics, however, argue it’s a sign of disengagement from a president who has faced growing questions about his leadership as his term nears its end.

Speaking on Monday, Trump emphasized that “no one is expelling anyone from Gaza,” pushing back against claims of forced population transfers as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to dominate headlines. Trump’s latest remarks, were made as Ireland’s Prime Minister Michael Martin was in the Oval Office REPORTER: What about the president’s plan to expel Palestinians out of Gaza? TRUMP: Nobody is expelling any Palestinians. Who are you with? REPORTER: I’m with Voice of America, sir. TRUMP: Oh, no wonder. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

El Al has reported its 2024 profits, and it’s staggering – 4.7 times higher than in 2023. The airline’s $3.4 billion revenue in 2024 marks a 37% surge, fueled by soaring ticket prices and a near-monopoly on flights to and from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. As international airlines suspended operations, citing security concerns, El Al became the lifeline connecting Israel to the world. However, with that dominance came fierce criticism, as desperate travelers faced skyrocketing fares, limited availability, and accusations that the airline was exploiting the crisis for profit. With most foreign carriers grounded, demand for El Al flights exploded. Many Israelis, fearing cancellations by foreign airlines, chose El Al regardless of price, leading to a 14% average fare increase.