Dear Matzav Inbox,
It is often said that “no one truly understands another’s struggles until they’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
Nowhere is this more true than in the life of a rosh hamossad. Running a school is not just a responsibility. It is an all-consuming mission that eats up every corner of one’s life—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Yet, despite the Herculean effort it requires, the rosh hamosad is so often treated as a convenient punching bag for every complaint, grievance, and unmet expectation within the school system.
Let me pull back the curtain for a moment and explore what it truly means to shoulder the leadership of a mosad chinuch.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister vowed Tuesday that her country would not be intimidated by Russia’s new nuclear deterrent policy,

A recent survey by Rasmussen Reports indicates that Americans under the age of 40 are becoming increasingly less religious.
According to the findings, only 48 percent of younger Americans identify as religious, with just 17 percent describing themselves as “very religious.”
“The number of under-40 adults who are Very Religious has declined from 20 percent two years ago. By comparison, 81 percent of those 65 and older consider themselves religious, including 35 percent who are Very Religious,” the report noted.
The survey also revealed a gender divide, with 61 percent of men identifying as religious compared to 57 percent of women. Women under 40 were the most likely demographic to say they are “not at all religious.”

A man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbings of three people in random attacks across Manhattan, police said Tuesday. Ramon Rivera, 51, was taken into custody after he was found with blood on his clothes and the two kitchen knives, authorities said. He awaited arraignment Tuesday. A message seeking comment was left with an attorney who represented him in a prior case. “Three New Yorkers. Unprovoked attacks that left us searching for answers on how something like this could happen,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Investigators were working to understand what propelled the rampage, which happened within 2 1/2 hours Monday. “No words exchanged. No property taken.

“Telling your wife your needs and wants” is a complete waste of time for married men who want happiness and I’ll tell you why. So many marriage experts claim they have the secret to a happy marriage and that it all comes down to communication, boundaries and bringing in more money. They tell you to help out more at home, talk about the past, go together to a marriage professional but never stop to take inventory of whether ANY of these methods are actually WORKING in creating happiness and joy! I am not saying those strategies don’t work at all, but they are the long… slow… painful way of having a happy home.

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision on a treasury secretary is about far more than whose name will be printed on America’s money. The choice of how to fill his highest-profile outstanding Cabinet selection will be the clearest indication yet of how he intends to wield import tariffs in his new administration. The leading candidates for the role have expressed differing perspectives on how Trump should use the protectionist trade policies that he put front and center in his campaign for the White House, while Trump himself has offered seemingly contradictory views. Billionaire investor Scott Bessent, considered a leading candidate, has talked up tariffs as a negotiating ploy.

Speaking nearly two weeks after the U.S. election, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu delivered sharp criticism of the Biden administration’s decisions and guidance during pivotal moments in Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Addressing the Knesset plenum on Monday, Netanyahu remarked, “The US had reservations and suggested that we not enter Gaza. It had reservations about entering Gaza City, Khan Younis, and, most critically, strongly opposed entry into Rafah.”
American officials had publicly called on Israel to carefully tailor its operations in Rafah to minimize harm to civilians.

The IDF announced that a military reservist was killed and three other soldiers were seriously injured in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning. The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. First Class (Res.) Omer Moshe Gaeldor hy”d, 30, a member of the Golani Brigade’s logistics unit from Yerushalayim. According to an initial IDF investigation, the incident occurred during a logistics supply operation in southern Lebanon. A drone, armed with explosives and launched by Hezbollah, struck the soldiers, killing Gaeldor and wounding the others. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)  

The chairman of Degel HaTorah, MK Moshe Gafni, Deputy Minister Uri Maklev, and MK Yaakov Asher met last night with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
The meeting was an attempt to restart the process of formulating the Draft Law following the appointment of the new Defense Minister.
The demand was to advance the law quickly. The representatives primarily sought to understand from the new Defense Minister, Yisroel Katz, where things are headed, given the importance of presenting the security establishment’s position on the law—a goal that was not achieved during Gallant’s tenure.
Katz committed to managing the issue in a professional and collaborative manner.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that Israel’s approach to addressing Iran’s nuclear program will be reevaluated in coordination with the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Netanyahu indicated that Israel’s ability to act against Iran would be revisited once Trump assumes office in January. Addressing concerns over recent Iranian ballistic missile attacks, Netanyahu clarified that Israel’s decision to refrain from targeting certain Iranian sites was not due to pressure from the United States. He stressed, according to the Knesset readout, that the decision was independent of any ultimatum from Washington.

The East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD) announced a surprising $30 million budget surplus during Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, sparking calls for accountability and reforms in financial oversight, Monsey Scoop reported. This discovery, confirmed by an independent audit conducted by EFPR Group, contrasts sharply with earlier warnings of a $30 to $40 million deficit projected for the summer of 2024. The audit, which reviewed the district’s finances for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, found that financial statements complied with generally accepted accounting principles. The unexpected surplus comes on the heels of concerns raised by a state-appointed monitor last year, who predicted a severe fiscal shortfall.

The missile that hit the border of Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan on Monday evening caused panic and destruction, with missile shrapnel fragments, some still on fire, falling from the skies and falling on a commercial area. Although the IDF initially reported that the fragments that fell were from an interceptor missile, the police district chief later contradicted the report, saying that the missile itself hit the area. The Ramat Gan municipality also said that a missile had struck the area. The missile was an Iranian Fateh-110 surface-to-surface ballistic missile that can carry a high-explosive warhead of up to 500 kilograms.

The U.K. government hit Iran with new sanctions Monday for sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the war against Ukraine. The Foreign Office said it will freeze assets for Iran’s national airline and its state-owned shipping company that helped transfer weapons. It will also sanction the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 that delivered the missiles from Iran. “Iran’s attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the U.N. Security Council.

President Joe Biden appealed to G20 leaders on Monday to ramp up efforts in pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
As his term comes to a close, Biden committed to continuing his efforts to secure an agreement before Donald Trump takes office.
“I ask everyone here to increase their pressure on Hamas, which is currently refusing this deal,” Biden stated during his opening remarks at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, according to the AFP news agency.
The president reiterated his appeal to Israel to take measures to reduce civilian casualties in the ongoing Gaza conflict, which began following Hamas’ horrific attacks on October 7, 2023.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A Wall Street Journal report claims that the IDF has found significant stockpiles of Russian-made weapons in Hezbollah

Sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu have suggested that he is contemplating the removal of Ronen Bar, the head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), in recent days.
As reported by the Walla news site, this consideration came to light following an incident on Saturday night when illumination bombs were fired near the Prime Minister’s private residence in Caesarea.
Since the incident, Netanyahu has reportedly been discussing the potential dismissal with his inner circle. Some of his advisors are said to be urging him to take swift action. According to these associates, the dismissal would be framed as a response to the security lapse that endangered the Prime Minister and his family.

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