At least 18 people were shot in less than 24 hours across New York City as a two week long spike in gun violence across the city continued. Police said a total of 70 people were shot this week, compared to 26 the same week last year. New York City police officers are trying to push back on a rash of shootings heating up on this summer weekend. Commissioner Dermot Shea says the city’s homicide rate has hit a five-year high and the amount of people shot so far this year has jumped 42% compared to the same period last year. He said there were 100 shootings in the city in the month of May. This is happening as city government debates whether to slash the department’s budget by up to $1 billion to reallocate funding to youth outreach and other education programs. (AP)

A federal judge on Friday issued an injunction blocking New York from enforcing restrictions on outdoor religious gatherings, and from limiting indoor religious gatherings any further than any other industry that is part of Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan. The ruling is a major win for religious organizations that argued they were being treated unfairly by the state’s response to the coronavirus — and a win for officials in Washington who suggested the state was being easier on protesters than priests. Judge Gary Sharpe, in a 38-page ruling from Albany, enjoined Gov. Andrew Cuomo, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Letitia James from enforcing some of the capacity and other rules put in place by executive order in the wake of COVID-19.

The jewish community is still reeling from the horrific tragedy that occurred last week, when Reb Shlomo Birnhak Z”L was killed in a car accident along with his father-in-law, Reb Aryeh Shmuel Deutsch Z”L and his sister-in-law Tziporah Deutsch A”H. The accident occurred at around 4:30PM last Monday, when the family’s van left the roadway and and slammed into a tree. Several of the occupants had to be extricated by members of the Hillcrest and New City Fire Departments. All of the occupants were transported to either Nyack Hospital or Westchester Medical Center by Hatzolah and Spring Hill Ambulance. As was previously reported, Reb Shlomo Z”L’s wife was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, however she gave birth to a healthy baby boy the next morning.

A chilling story was told by Rav Eliyahu Keller of Givat Shaul in Yerushalayim in the Yated Hashavua about the kevurah of his father, z’tl. Three years ago, Rav Eliyahu’s father, Rav Avraham Moshe Keller, made Aliyah from Argentina at age 79, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Rav Keller made his home at the Shomrei Hachamos senior living center where he became known for his love of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. He was never seen without the sefer, learning out of it every day and teaching others from it. A month and a half ago, Rav Keller was niftar at the age of 87 from the coronavirus. Due to the pandemic, his levaya – which took place at the Shamgar funeral home on the day he was niftar per Yerushalmi minhag – was held with very few people present, at 1 a.m. in the morning.

Following Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel’s civilian infrastructure by its attempt to hack into Israel’s water system to raise the chlorine to dangerous levels, the National Cyber Directorate took responsibility for protecting Israel’s water system, Channel 12 News reported on Monday. The report added an intriguing detail about the protection of Israel’s water system – the “employment” of dozens of fish in ensuring the safety of Israel’s water supply. Twelve aquariums filled with drinking water at the Eshkol water purification site in Be’er Sheva each house several fish who happily swim around as fish do. The fish are closely monitored 24/7 to ensure they stay happy and healthy.

André Trigano, 94, has held public office for almost 50 years. But that isn’t enough for the ambitious Jewish mayor of the French town of Pamiers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. If he has it his way, he’ll serve for another seven-year term, until he’s 101. That’s how old he’ll be if he wins his campaign for re-election as mayor on June 28 and serves out the entire fixed-term. “I hope I am not going to have to apologize again for not being dead,” Trigan recently said in an interview with BBC. Trigano has lived a fascinating life. He was born to immigrant Algerian Jewish parents in Paris in 1925 and was 15 when the Nazis occupied the city during World War II.

Greater New York Black Lives Matter president Hawk Newsome joined “The Story” Wednesday to discuss the direction of the movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody and the subsequent demonstrations across the country, many of which have sparked destruction and violence. “You … have said that violence is sometimes necessary in these situations,” host Martha MacCallum told Newsome. “What exactly is it that you hope to achieve through violence?” “Wow, it’s interesting that you would pose that question like that,” Newsome responded, “because this country is built upon violence. What was the American Revolution, what’s our diplomacy across the globe? “We go in and we blow up countries and we replace their leaders with leaders who we like.

The Israel Aviation Authority released a statement on Thursday that the ban of non-Israeli citizens from entering Israel has been extended until August 1. Any non-citizens who arrive in Israel will be placed on a flight back to their country of origin. Travelers bearing special permits from the Israeli government for exceptional cases will be allowed to enter. The ban has been extended due to the alarming rise of coronavirus cases in Israel in recent days. Israeli citizens arriving in Israel are required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Israel’s Health Ministry officials are concerned about the high rate of morbidity in Chareidi areas, with data showing that 20% of the active coronavirus patients are from Chareidi communities, with the infection rate in Chareidi areas much higher than other areas of the country, Kan News reported on Wednesday morning. The IDF’s Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center conducted a comprehensive study and analysis of the morbidity data for the five Chareidi cities of Bnei Brak, Elad, Beitar Illit, Modiin Illit and Beit Shemesh “following the high rate of infection rates in the Chareidi sector in the past week.” According to the report, about 14% of the new coronavirus cases diagnosed this week were from the above-mentioned cities.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Mrs Marta Schron A”H, the wife of Reb Ruby Schron. She was 75. Mrs Schron suffered from an illness which took a rapid turn for the worse this week, and was Niftar on Wednesday night at Maimonides Hospital, leaving her friends and family shocked and in mourning. Mrs Schron (nee Schraub), was an East-Sider, having grown up in the same apartment building – just two doors away from the Late Posek Hador, Hagaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein. She married Reb Ruby Schron, and settled in Flatbush, where their lives revolved around the Mirrer Yeshiva, and were extremely close to the Roshei Yeshiva and Magidei Shiurim. The family became a fixture in the Yeshiva, with R’ Ruby and Marta A”H davening there for more than a half a century.