A Chicago police officer who pleaded guilty to vandalizing an elderly Jewish man’s vehicle has faced no disciplinary action, sparking outrage from the victim’s family and raising serious concerns about anti-Jewish bias in law enforcement. Officer Mohammed Khan, 35, was caught on surveillance footage smashing the side mirrors off the car of 77-year-old Rabbi Avraham Wineberg, who was visiting his granddaughter’s family in Chicago’s heavily Jewish West Rogers Park neighborhood. His family believes his car was targeted because it belonged to a Jew. The incident unfolded on March 3, 2024, when Rabbi Wineberg accidentally parked in a private handicapped spot issued to accommodate Khan’s relative.

Editor’s Note: Yeshiva World News (YWN) takes no official position in the ongoing debate regarding participation in the World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections. As always, YWN follows the guidance of its Rabbanim in determining what content to publish and which advertisements to accept. We urge our readers to do the same—seek the counsel of your Rav or Manhig and follow their direction regarding this, and any other hashkafic matter. ___________________________________ In a powerful and impassioned address at Beth Medrash Govoha’s 2025 Purim Mesiba, HaRav Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of BMG, strongly condemned any notion of joining the World Zionist Organization (WZO). “How could an ehrliche Yid think about joining the WZO?” he asked forcefully.

On Friday morning, Community Board 12 held its annual Pre-Pesach meeting, uniting key community leaders and city agencies to coordinate preparations in Boro Park ahead of and throughout Pesach. Among the main topics discussed were the safe and organized execution of Serifas Chametz, increased NYPD presence, garbage collection efficiency—particularly on Erev Pesach, and ongoing roadwork during this busy season. The meeting, spearheaded by Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein and District Manager Barry Spitzer, brought together representatives from the NYPD’s 66th Precinct, FDNY, EMS, Sanitation Department, Department of Transportation, as well as leading volunteer organizations including Hatzolah, Shomrim, Chaverim, and Misaskim.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said Sunday that President Donald Trump is right to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and strengthen border security. Sanders also conceded that Democrats had failed miserably on illegal immigration during former President Joe Biden’s tenure. Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Sanders did not mince words when host Jon Karl pressed him on the border crisis, acknowledging that illegal immigration had “exploded under Biden” and that Democrats had waited far too long to act. “Yes, should have done much better. No argument,” Sanders admitted. His remarks came as a rare instance of a high-profile progressive breaking ranks with the Democratic establishment to side with Trump on immigration enforcement—one of the defining issues of the 2024 election.

Candace Owens, a media personality with a long history of antisemitic rhetoric, weaponized an article from Ami Magazine to promote anti-Israel conspiracy theories. In a recent livestream, Owens expressed astonishment at an Ami Magazine article she claimed to have read, using it to push the narrative that Israel has long controlled American policy through blackmail and manipulation. She alleged, without evidence, that Israel and its intelligence agency, the Mossad, have systematically blackmailed powerful American families—including the Bushes, Rockefellers, and the Dulles family—to exert influence over U.S. politics, business, and media. Her “evidence” came from an article and book written by John Loftus, an Ami Magazine contributor who, sources tell YWN, makes things up on the fly.

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff acknowledged Sunday that Hamas may have “duped” him during critical ceasefire negotiations earlier this month. Witkoff, who spearheaded efforts to extend the fragile truce in Gaza, had believed that his bridge proposal—a deal that could have halted hostilities through mid-April—had been accepted by the terror group. But Hamas pulled back, shattering hopes for a prolonged ceasefire. “I thought we had an acceptable deal. I even thought we had an approval from Hamas. Maybe that’s just me getting duped,” Witkoff admitted during an interview on Fox News Sunday.

In a targeted operation, the IDF and the Shin Bet successfully struck a high-ranking Hamas terrorist operating within the Nasser Hospital compound in Gaza. The strike was the culmination of an extensive intelligence-gathering effort aimed at neutralizing a significant threat while minimizing collateral damage. According to reports emerging from Gaza, the target of the operation was Ismail Barhoum, a prominent member of Hamas’s political bureau. Barhoum was reportedly responsible for overseeing the terrorist organization’s financial operations, a critical role that funneled resources into its militant activities. His elimination marks a significant blow to Hamas’s logistical and operational capabilities.

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the immediate revocation of security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Jake Sullivan, and every member of the Biden family. The move marks a seismic shift in national security access for former high-ranking officials and sends a clear message that the era of political insiders retaining classified privileges is over. “I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information,” Trump declared.

A momentous and deeply stirring event unfolded in the hallowed town of Pshischa, Poland on Motzei Shabbos, as for the first time since the Churban of Europe, a Hachnosas Sefer Torah took place within the 400-year-old beis medrash, a remnant of the once-flourishing Yiddishe kehillah that was tragically wiped out in the Holocaust. This historic maamad was led by the Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak, a direct descendant of the heilige Yid Hakadosh, Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz, zy”a, who founded the Pshischa derech—a derech of avodas Hashem rooted in emes, penimiyus, and avodah sheb’lev.

A shocking incident unfolded when two 14-year-old boys were injured in a public garden in Kiryat Ata due to the explosion of an electronic cigarette they were using. MDA paramedics rushed to the scene, evacuating the victims to Rambam Hospital for urgent medical care. One of the teens suffered severe injuries to his upper body, requiring immediate resuscitation efforts by paramedics. After intense intervention, he was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The second boy sustained moderate injuries and was evacuated in stable condition. Additional MDA teams treated another teenager present at the scene, who had limb injuries and was also moderately wounded. He, too, was taken to Rambam Hospital, where he remains stable. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)