By Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president, Agudath Israel of America
Upon the Yahrtzeit of the Novominsker Rebbe zt”l, today

I had the zchus, for over 35 years, to work closely with the Novominsker Rebbe ztvk’l in the vineyards of Agudas Yisroel. Many of those interactions were memorable, and I had frequent occasion to marvel at the brilliance, compassion and vision of this great leader.

But perhaps the project the Rebbe undertook that will remain with me most vividly is the very last one I had the privilege to work with him on: the letter of brocha and chizuk issued by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah earlier this week, on Monday 12 Nisan, in advance of the upcoming Yom Tov of Pesach.

Lakewood, NJ – Lakewood, an area of 26 square miles, has 217 miles of Township streets. It also has thousands upon thousands of garbage receptacles – bins that, while serving town residents, belong to the Lakewood Public Works Department, which is responsible for the maintenance and repair of Township roads and sewers, Township parks and open space, snowplowing of Township streets, leaf and brush collection, and, of course, garbage and recycling collection.

From the time that Rabbi Chaim Aryeh Zev Ginzberg was a young yeshiva bochur learning in Eretz Yisroel through today as a seasoned rov for almost 40 years, he had the merit to do what most of us just dream about. He had developed a close and personal connection to almost all of the gedolei hador of the previous generation and spent a great deal of time with many of them. He would personally ask them hundreds of contemporary shailos in all areas of halacha and hashkafah, and he immediately committed their responses in writing, often reviewing with them what he had written.

Rav Meir Mazuz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Kisei Rachamim, shared his thoughts on the Draft Law during a discussion on Wednesday night. He addressed the proposed legislation that would require yeshiva students, previously exempt from military service, to enlist.
Regarding the exemption of Torah learners from enlistment, during an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Rav Mazuz referenced former Prime Minister David Ben Gurion’s decision, noting, “Say that Torah learners are exempted from enlistment and that was Ben Gurion’s idea – he did it so that he would not be worse than Vespasian, who gave us ‘Yavne and her wise men.'”

Following a fire that ripped through the Chassidim 110 – Chabad Shul in Pomona, NY, on Wednesday morning, congregants were devastated to discover that all three of the Shul’s Sifrei Torah had been destroyed.
Congregants, with the assistance of Chaveirim volunteers, were finally given access to the Shul located at 34 Northridge Road a few hours after the fire tore through the Shul, destroying the entire building.
They discovered that the Torahs, which had been stored in a metal safe, were tragically unable to withstand the fire.
Neighbors captured the flames on video a little before 6:00 am. The fire quickly spread and engulfed much of the building.
Residents are devastated by the loss of other holy articles as well, such as Tefillin, seforim and more.

Thousands of bochurim gathered in multiple locations last week to hear divrei hisorerus before the upcoming Pesach bein hazmanim. The gatherings, sponsored by Agudas Yisroel and arranged with the help of dedicated askanim in the respective locations, included close to 3,000 talmidim in Lakewood, 1,000 in Monsey, and a hookup to Montreal, and were directed at bochurim from Bais Medrash and 11th 12th grades.
The asifos, called to prepare bochurim for bein hazmanim in the shadow of the war in Eretz Yisroel, and in light of the threat to bnei yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel, were addressed by many of the Gedolei Yisroel.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Binyomin Tzvi Kaplan zt”l. He was 68.
Rav Kaplan was a son of Rav Nosson Kaplan, author of Toras Nosson and Neizer Hakodesh, and Mrs. Chana Kaplan, née Gelernter.
He was a grandson of the famed Rav Yisroel Chaim Kaplan, rosh yeshivas Toras Chesed in Brisk and mashgiach of Bais Medrash Elyon in Monsey and son-in-law of Rav Yerucham Levovitz.
Rav Kaplan was a talmid muvhak of his rabbeim at Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, most prominently the mashgiach, Rav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel, and the rosh yeshiva, Rav Shneur Kotler.

In Reb Reuven Feinstein on the Haggadah, Rav Sholom Reuven Feinstein, the esteemed and beloved Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshiva of Staten Island, guides us through the Seder. Indeed, as we enjoy this Haggadah masterpiece, we begin to actually feel that we are sitting with the Rosh Yeshiva at his Seder table.