Greystones, Ireland – In a bid to protect their children’s innocence and prolong childhood, parents in the coastal town of Greystones have come together to support a voluntary ban on smartphones for kids until they reach their teen years. The ban, which has garnered widespread support, aims to reduce anxiety and exposure to adult materials often associated with smartphone usage. Parents’ associations in the district’s eight primary schools, catering to children aged 4 to 12, have the option to opt into the ban, extending its enforcement beyond school premises to the children’s homes. Although some parents have chosen not to participate, enough have joined in to make a meaningful difference, according to Rachel Harper, a primary school principal who spearheaded the initiative.

In a rare event, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar visited HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, z’tl at the end of March, and as YWN reported at the time, the meeting was held in secrecy and no photos or videos were published. The meeting took place in the wake of the unprecedented protest in Bnei Brak by supposedly anti-judicial reform protesters, whose rhetoric had begun taking on a decidedly anti-Chareidi slant. Bar decided to visit the Rosh Yeshivah, z’tl in order to establish a connection with the leader of the Chareidi sector to try to thwart potential issues in light of the sensitive times. A video of the meeting was publicized on Sunday for the first time.

A ten-week-old infant from Jerusalem passed away from whooping cough about three weeks ago. According to the Health Ministry, the baby developed symptoms of the disease at five weeks old and was hospitalized two weeks later. The baby’s mother wasn’t vaccinated during pregnancy. The Health Ministry’s recommendation is that pregnant women be vaccinated against the disease in their third trimester. In a Health Ministry notice about the case to the health funds, it stated that starting in February “cases of pertussis (whooping cough) among babies and toddlers have been reported and the number is on the rise.

The shiva for the Gadol HaDor, Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, z’tl has ended. On Monday, the Rosh Yeshivah’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and close talmidim davened at the kever at the Ponevezh Beis HaChayim in Bnei Brak. Many azkaros and hespedim for the Rosh Yeshivah, z’tl, are taking place this week. Rosh Yeshivas Shabodka HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch is scheduled to deliver the main hesped at an azkarah at Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim on Monday as well as at an azkarah in Telzstone. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Rosh Yeshivas Rashbi, HaGaon HaRav Meir Tzvi Bergman, who received a rare p’sak that he can speak at the Adirei HaTorah event despite the fact that he was sitting shiva for his son, displayed his tremendous Ahavas Yisrael during his speech, expressing his concern for those struggling with shidduchim. The Rosh Yeshivah especially learned and practiced English to be able to convey an eitzah from his father-in-law, the Avi Ezri, z’tl. At the end of his speech, HaRav Bergman said, first in Yiddish and then in English: “There’s something on my heart – the matzav in Klal Yisrael of the number of girls struggling with shidduchim is heartbreaking. I would like to give over something to help from my father-in-law, HaGaon HaRav Shach, zt’l.

More than 25,000 Lomdei and Tomchei Torah streamed to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Sunday to participate in a historic Maamad Hatorah and Kiddush Shem Shamayim. The event, the second from the monumental Adirei Hatorah initiative spearheaded by philanthropist R’ Lazer Scheiner, was attended by numerous Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva, including Rav Dov Landau shlit”a and Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman shlit”a, who received a psak allowing him to attend despite the petirah of his, R’ Ezriel zt”l, this past Thursday. At the request of the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva, a live stream was not provided. Full video of the event with thousands of photos will be published by YWN on Monday – thanks to more than 10 YWN photographers stationed around the arena. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched a direct attack against Donald Trump on Saturday, ripping into the former president for congratulating North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un upon his country’s appointment to the World Health Organization’s executive board. Trump later directly congratulated KJU over the undeserved honor. Asked by reporters for his take on Trump’s congratulations, DeSantis said he was “surprised to see that.” “I think, one, Kim Jong Un is a murderous dictator. They just imprisoned for life a family, including an infant, which is just outrageous. And then, the World Health Organization is a bankrupt organization. Like, Kim Jong Un is bad, but then joining that?

The secret meeting of Mossad and Italian intelligence agents on an Italian boat that capsized last week was part of an operation to thwart Iran’s efforts to obtain advanced unconventional weapons, the Italian La Reppublica newspaper reported on Friday. The agents were posing as tourists celebrating a birthday aboard a boat, which they boarded in Slovenia and then sailed to Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. The party/meeting ended in tragedy when the boat capsized amid stormy weather, leading to the death of four people, including a retired Israeli Mossad agent, two Italian intelligence agents, and the Russian wife of the captain.

The New York Police Department stated that it has closed the complaint filed by a left-wing protester who used her megaphone to harass Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, one of the architects of the Israeli government judicial reform plan, as he walked to his hotel on Madison Ave. According to the NYPD, the woman claimed that the Rothman acted violently by grabbing her megaphone but she had no visible injuries. Rothman said: “A small group of violent protesters attacked me and my wife as we walked in New York late at night. They blocked our way, stepped on my wife Chana’s foot, and cursed us, including death wishes.

Former Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev, who protested outside the home of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, zt’l, leading to the Chareidi boycott of Angel Bakery due to Bar-Lev’s new position as the head of Angel’s board, paid a shiva visit to the Rosh Yeshivah’s sons on Sunday. Bar-Lev was accompanied by Yaron Angel, one of the owners of the bakery. Both of them presented letters of apology to the Rosh HaYeshivah’s sons. Bar-Lev’s letter states: “First of all, I want to express my deepest consolations for the Rav’s petirah. I know what a great leader HaRav Edelstein, zt’l was, that he was moser his life for the fulfillment of Torah in Eretz Yisrael in modesty and pleasantness. The Rav loved each person without compromising on his positions and was zocheh to long life and thousands of talmidim.