Thousands of Israelis traveling to the Kever of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) in Ukraine ahead of Rosh Hashanah next month will not be permitted to connect through Moldova and will be rerouted via Romania and Poland instead, a trip organizer said on Sunday.
The annual Yamim Noraim journey, which is taking place despite the Russo-Ukrainian War, is being made even more difficult due to a decision by Moldovan authorities last week not to allow Israeli charter flights to land in their country after months of negotiations on the issue.
Tens of thousands of mostly Chassidic Jews from Israel, the US and other countries make the trek to Uman every year ahead of Rosh Hashanah, to spend the start of the new year at Rabbi Nachman’s Kever.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of R’ Yitzchok (Itchie) Selengut z”l. He was in his 90s.
R’ Itchie, a longtime resident of Boro Park, Brooklyn, was a distinguished talmid of two of the greatest Torah giants of the previous generation. R’ Itchie learned at Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, under Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, and at Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim on the Lower East Side under Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l. His years of immersion in Torah produced an individual of profound Torah knowledge and sterling middos.

With great sadness, Matzav.com reports the petirah of the Skulener Rebbe, Rav Yeshaya Yaakov Portugal zt”l, of Boro Park, at the age of 68.
The rebbe, known for his extraordinary tzidkus and yiras Shomayim, was a beacon of Torah, chessed, and avodas Hashem, leading his Chassidim with unwavering devotion.
Rav Yeshaya Yaakov, formerly of Montreal, Canada, assumed the mantle of Skulener leadership following the petirah of his father, the Skulener Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Avrohom Portugal zt”l, over five years ago. He was the oldest son of Rav Yisroel Avrohom and a grandson of the Skulener Rebbe Rav Eliezer Zusia Portugal.

In this episode of “Inside the Agudah,” Rabbi Yossie Charner, Agudath Israel’s Director of Congressional Affairs, sits with Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger, Agudath Israel’s Director of Torah Initiatives, to discuss his work on behalf of the frum community. Rabbi Charner is responsible for representing the interests of the Orthodox Jewish community in Washington, D.C. His role includes advocating for policies that align with the values and needs of the Torah community, and engaging with lawmakers and government officials on key legislative matters. Rabbi Charner works to build relationships with members of Congress, providing them with information and perspectives that influence decision-making on both local and national levels.

The Satmar Chassidus is planning an anti-Zionist rally in the coming weeks in the tri-state area.
The rally, sources say, is expected to feature the participation of both Satmar communities, the one led in Williamsburg by Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum and the one led in Kiryas Yoel led by Rav Aharon Teitelbaum.
Those familiar with the event say that Satmar is making concerted efforts to get members of other Chassidishe groups as well as those in the Litvishe yeshiva community to participate. Efforts have been made to procure Metlife Stadium for the event, but it is not clear that they’ll have enough participants to warrant such a venue or if the venue is available.

A Pakistani national, whom Canadian authorities arrested on Wednesday, planned to carry out an ISIS-styled, mass shooting terror attack against Jews in New York, the U.S. Justice Department alleged on Friday.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, who also answers to Shahzeb Jadoon, “attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, N.Y.,” per the complaint.
Khan allegedly distributed ISIS videos and literature and expressed support for ISIS on social media and via encrypted messages. Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is a U.S.-designated terror organization.

The levayah of Hagaon Rav Avrohom Ausband zt”l, rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni of Riverdale, will take place today at 10:45 a.m. ET at the yeshiva in Riverdale, NY. You can watch the levayah live here on Matzav.com below.
To listen to the levayah, call 712-432-4305, 612-398-0330, 712-432-4305 or 712-432-1923.
WATCH:

It is with tremendous sadness that Matzav.com the sudden and shocking petirah of Hagaon Rav Avrohom Ausband zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni in Riverdale.
Rav Ausband was one of America’s gedolei roshei yeshiva, a towering figure in the world of Torah, known for his unwavering dedication to his talmidim and the preservation of the mesorah of Telz.
Born into a family steeped in Torah, Rav Avrohom was a son of Rav Eizik Ausband zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Telz Cleveland.

Rav Avraham Binyamin Zilberberg, Rosh Yeshiva of Gur in Hatzor and a member of the chassidus’s chinuch committee, whose name was mentioned recently in reports that he was in negotiations with the IDF to reach an agreement on the drafting issue, whereby 250 would join the police force, and the rest would receive exemptions, clarified in a dramatic letter that this never happened and that he does not have the authority to deal with this matter.

Last Friday, Satmar community marked the 45th anniversary of the petirah of the Divrei Yoel zt”l. The commemoration, led by the current Satmar Rebbe Rav Aharon Teitelbaum and attended by thousands of Chassidim, included a poignant address on a pressing local issue: the soaring cost of housing, Arutz Sheva reports.
In recent years, the village of Kiryas Yoel, a hub for many Chassidishe families in New York, has witnessed a dramatic surge in real estate prices. Just five years ago, the cost per square meter was $1,800, but it has now skyrocketed to $6,000—representing an increase of roughly 400 percent.