NEW YORK (VINnews/Akiva Lehman) — Dear Reader,  When speaking out to those close to me, I just get ridiculed. I am seen as an immature little boy who thinks that having a girlfriend would make everything better. Life would be rosy from then on. They assume I don’t understand the seriousness of marriage and the […]

ALBANY (VINnews) — NY State Democrats have cancelled a bill that would have examined the quality of Holocaust education in public schools. Several days before Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 28, Assembly Democrats have killed the legislation, possibly due to pressure from teachers. Committee Chair Helene Weinstein said the decision followed communication from the state […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Lebanese groom who was exposed after his marriage to a Jewish girl from New York’s Syrian community has now arrived in Israel – and is determined to rehabilitate himself. Elia Hawila, who was initially thought to be Jewish, then exposed as a South Lebanese Muslim named Ali who had masqueraded as […]

Billionaire Elon Musk has reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for approximately $44 billion, the company said. The outspoken Tesla CEO, the world’s wealthiest person, has said he wants to buy Twitter because he thinks it’s not living up to its potential as a platform for “free speech.” He says it needs to be transformed […]

The story of Eliya Haliwa, who was exposed as a Lebanese non-Jew after marrying a Syrian Jewish girl from Brooklyn last October, took a dramatic twist earlier this month when it was revealed that he is actually Jewish. After undoing giyur l’chumrah, Haliwa embarked on a trip to Israel, arriving before Pesach. He says that he intends to settle in Israel permanently, although he still needs to travel back to New York to tie up some loose ends. At this point, he also does not yet have Israeli citizenship. Haliwa is still hoping that his wife will reconcile with him and join him in Israel. Haliwa is being assisted by Chizky Sivak, the deputy chairman of the Emek Chefer (Hefer Valley) Regional Council in central Israel, who found Haliwa a place to stay in Netanya.

BALTIMORE (VINnews) — Multiple shots were fired outside one of the main Shuls in the Jewish area of Baltimore on Monday. According to the Baltimore Scoop, the incident started out as a targeted robbery of a motorbike, but quickly spiraled out of control. According to footage released by the Baltimore Scoop, a man is seen […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Foreign Minister Yair Lapid reiterated Sunday Israel’s commitment to maintaining the current status quo on the Temple Mount, which prevents Jews and Christians from worshiping at the holy site. Lapid also blamed Palestinian terror groups for the rising violence at the Mount, which has become the symbol of the conflict between Israel […]

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com Sefirah, for many people has begun. Sefirah, among other things, is a period of mourning for the students of Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud (Yevamos 62b) tells us that 12,000 pairs of Rabbi Akiva’s students died on account of the fact that they did not extend honor to one another. […]

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com In lieu of the Shloshim of the passing of the Sar HaTorah, HaGaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky zatzal’s family and close students visited the gravesite earlier today on isru chag.  As is known, Rav Chaim passed away on Shushan Purim the 5th of Adar Sheini. He was buried in the […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe may be starting a new trend of shorter, less expensive shtreimels. Several months ago, the Rebbe asked his Chassidim to refrain from wearing tall shtreimels, which have become more popular of late. The Rebbe called for shtreimels to be limited to 13 cm in height and to […]