A massive fire broke out in the early morning hours of Shabbos in the Satmar Beis Medrash on Rechov Yonah in the Geulah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Nine firefighting crew worked for hours to quell the flames, which spread to the two adjacent buildings, a Talmud Torah and a shul. Baruch Hashem, there were no injuries but the buildings sustained heavy damage and are now in danger of collapse. The firefighters rescued eight Sifrei Torah from the Beis Medrash and hundreds of Sifrei Kodesh and tefillin. At least two Sifrei Torah were damaged but Baruch Hashem were not burned. It is not yet clear what caused the fire. A special investigative team was established to examine the circumstances of the incident. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

South African university student Klaas Mokgomole had just landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after a nine-hour flight from Johannesburg and desperately needed a bathroom. Approaching an airline official – hoping he understood English – Mokgomole asked him: “Can you please show me to the blacks-only restroom?” Shocked by his question, the official responded that there was certainly no such bathroom in the airport but pointed the way to the nearest men’s bathroom. . Now it was Mokgomole’s turn to be shocked. He proceeded to enter the bathroom and saw the evidence with his own eyes. Contrary to what he had been told in South Africa, Jews and Arabs were using the same bathroom and no one objected when he – with his black skin – walked in.

A baby was named after the kedoshim Asher and Yaakov Paley, h’yd at a bris in the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem this week, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. The terrible tragedy touched the hearts of Reb Baruch Elkaslassy and his wife, and they decided to name their son after the kedoshim. Elkaslassy told B’Chadrei: “The attack was on Friday, when Yaakov, z’l, was murdered. His brother Asher, z’l, was niftar on Shabbos, and our baby was born on Sunday. The tragedy touched our hearts and the least we could do was help commemorate them by calling our son by their names (first names only).” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The IDF on Wednesday evening published head camera footage of the hours-long counterterrorism operation in Shechem on Wednesday morning, in which 10 terrorists were killed and over 100 Arabs were wounded. The video shows Israeli security forces under heavy fire from terrorists while making their way through the alleys of the Old City of Shechem toward the home of the wanted suspects. A fierce gun battle broke out between Israeli security forces, some of whom were disguised as Palestinians carrying prayer rugs – with rifles hidden inside – and Palestinian terrorists.

A Hatzolah member who made international headlines last month for providing emergency medical care to a fellow passenger on a Florida-bound flight found himself the center of attention once again, this time being recognized for his efforts by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. As previously reported on The Yeshiva World, Naftoli Schischa was on a JetBlue flight from New York to Fort Lauderdale when a passenger fainted in the aisle.  A member of Williamsburg, Rockland and South Florida Hatzalah, Schischa used his training to stabilize the woman, his actions averting the need for an emergency landing.  The story broke on Fox News and spread rapidly, thrusting the reluctant Schischa into the media spotlight.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday in response to the rockets fired into Israel earlier in the night. The rockets came as Israeli security forces were on high alert for an escalation in the wake of a major counterterrorism operation in Shechem on Wednesday morning. The IDF spokesperson said: “IAF fighter jets struck both a weapons manufacturing site and military compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization, located in central and northern Gaza.

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell found herself cornered and forced to apologize after she baselessly claimed that Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t want the history of slavery being taught in Florida classrooms. During an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris last Friday, Mitchell asked why DeSantis didn’t “slavery or the aftermath of slavery” to be taught. The vice president of course didn’t correct her. “Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about Black history and the Black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?” Mitchell asked.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has ignited controversy by advocating for the division of the United States into two separate nations, one “red” and the other “blue,” amid claims of an impending civil war. Greene, known for her far-right views, appeared on Fox News on Tuesday to defend her position, with host Sean Hannity questioning her on how such division could be healed without a split. While Greene stated that she doesn’t want a civil war, she argued that the nation was moving in that direction and action must be taken. “The last thing I ever want to see in America is a civil war. No one wants that — at least everyone I know would never want that — but it’s going that direction, and we have to do something about it,” she said.

Thousands of Israelis protested against the judicial reform and the “end of democracy” outside the Knesset on Monday night. However, various videos published on social media of protestors being interviewed showed that many of them had no idea of what the judicial reform entails. One teenage protester told Kan News that the laws dictate that “the government will decide who’s in the Knesset and whoever opposes the laws they propose will go to jail.” Additionally, a video posted by Chareidi journalist Ariel Elharar showed that not all the participants in the protest were even “authentic” protesters. Elharar wrote: “Yesterday at the offices of Refuah and Simcha [a chessed organization] in Jerusalem, the Arab janitor didn’t show up.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday described the federal response to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a “betrayal” as visited the village amid mounting frustration from residents and local leaders more than two weeks after the disaster. Trump, wearing his trademark red “Make America Great Again” cap and an overcoat, said the community needs “answers and results,” not excuses. He spoke at a firehouse roughly half a mile from where more than three dozen freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — came off the tracks near the Pennsylvania state line. “In too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal,” Trump said. He appeared with Sen.