(By: Rabbi Zvi Gluck) I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Amudim has spent months working around the clock with various government agencies, to allow yeshiva and seminary students return to their studies in Israel. Baruch Hashem, the efforts were successful, but just like that, all that we have accomplished is potentially at risk.  As a result of the actions of the few who have created an unbelievable Chillul Hashem, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is strongly considering requiring all students to go through the standard process. This can take weeks, if not months, just to get a visa appointment. In case you think this isn’t a big deal, let me point out that there are over 14,000 yeshiva and seminary students and kollel couples learning in Israel each year.

The Bennett-Lapid government intends to establish a state commission to change the religious status quo, Yisrael Hayom reported on Wednesday. Despite the fact that Yamina promised that the religious status quo would remain unchanged by the new government, the commission will consider changes in issues of kashrus, giyur, and public Shemiras Shabbos. The commission will be established by the Religious Affairs Ministry, headed by Yamina MK Matan Kahana.

Liberal comedian Jon Stewart is under fire from the left for making an impassioned argument in favor of the Wuhan lab-leak theory during his Monday night appearance on “The Late Show.” Stewart shocked Stephen Colbert’s audience when he suggested it isn’t far-fetched to believe that the coronavirus pandemic originated from a Chinese coronavirus lab, comparing it to an “outbreak of chocolaty goodness near Hershey, Pennsylvania.” Making an appearance CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday—the show’s first episode with a live studio audience since the pandemic upended production in March 2020—Stewart pointed the finger at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as he discussed the origins of the virus, which has gripped much of the world since early 2020.

U.S. reporters and producers were aggressively pushed and shoved by Russian security officials Wednesday at the start of the highly-anticipated meeting in Geneva between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, denying the press full access to what was expected to be a short press availability before the hours-long summit. Inside the room, Biden and Putin were seated with a small wooden table in between them, and a large globe was just behind the table. Large U.S. and Russian flags were erected on each side of the globe. Organizers at Wednesday’s summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for what’s normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S.

An IDF soldier was lightly injured on Wednesday morning when a terrorist attempted to carry out a ramming and stabbing attack in an area northeast of Jerusalem. A female terrorist drove to an area next to the Palestinian town of Hizma and attempted to ram into several IDF soldiers who were guarding workers at the separation fence. She then exited the car armed with a knife. The soldiers opened fire and killed her. She was later identified as a 29-year-old from Abu Dis. צה"ל על ניסיון הפיגוע סמוך לכפר חיזמא: המחבלת הגיעה ברכבה וניסתה לדרוס לוחמים שאבטחו עבודות הנדסיות. לאחר מכן, יצאה מרכבה עם סכין שלופה. הלוחמים הגיבו בירי לעבר המחבלת ונטרלו אותה.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the decision of the Finance Committee last year to deny tax benefits to Christian messianic missionary organizations. The decision was unanimously approved by the entire Knesset, including the opposition, but nevertheless, the Supreme Court approved the appeal of the messianic organizaiton, which in essence means that Israeli citizens are forced to pay for some of the costs of missionary organizations out of their own pockets. Even Yair Lapid, who was the head of the opposition at the time, attended the committee meeting to support the vote against missionary organizations.

Israeli forces launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, early Wednesday morning, the first offensive since a new coalition government took power, coming just weeks after an 11-day conflict with the terrorist enclave. Blasts were heard at multiple locations in Gaza around 1:00am local time on Wednesday. The IDF confirmed launching the airstrikes, and said it was in response to over two dozen fires in southern Israel caused by incendiary devices and terror balloons launched from Gaza. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

HaGaon Chacham Shalom Cohen, the Nasi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, has instructed the Shas MKs not to cooperate with the Bennett-Lapid government, even for the purpose of establishing budgets for mosdos chinuch. “It’s forbidden under any circumstances to cooperate with those destroyers of religion and partners to this evil government,” HaRav Cohen instructed the members of Shas. “Whoever turns to them and receives assistance through them is causing a chillul Hashem and no bracha will rest on him.” “There’s no need to turn to them,” HaRav Cohen added. “Hakadosh Baruch Hu will make sure that nothing will be lacking.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Southwest Airlines passengers across the country are still experiencing some delays because of computer problems. On Tuesday, there were reports of outages affecting the airline’s check-in counter at multiple airports. More than 1,500 flights were delayed on Monday, according to the flight tracking service, FlightAware. On Tuesday, nearly 500 Southwest flights were cancelled and more than 700 Southwest flights were delayed, according to FlightAware. “We are aware of the technical issues, and are working hard to get everything back on track. Thank you for your patience,” Southwest Airlines repliedd to customers on social media.

Israel is no longer requiring masks indoors, lifting one of its last coronavirus restrictions following a highly successful vaccination campaign. The restriction was lifted on Tuesday, though people will still be required to wear masks on airplanes and on their way to quarantine. Unvaccinated individuals must wear masks in nursing homes and other long-term health facilities. Israel has vaccinated around 85% of its adult population, allowing schools and businesses to fully reopen. There are only a few dozen active patients in the country of more than 9 million. Authorities have been cautious about welcoming visitors, however, because of concerns over new variants. Israel welcomed its first tour group late last month.