President Reuven Rivlin says the stabbing of a Jewish woman in Sweden shows need to combat anti-Semitism.
“Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger. Today’s brutal stabbing of a woman in Helsingborg, Sweden reminds us that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep today’s Jewish communities safe,” he says.
“We will combat anti-Semitism until it is eliminated and we will not stay silent in the face of such events.”
Swedish authorities have indicate that the attacker today was a Muslim man. The victim remains in critical condition after stabbed several times and left for dead.
Read more at Times of Israel.

Dear Matzav,
I’m writing this letter because I my Rav just taught me something I never knew and I wanted to pass it along.
My rav said that people have a misconception that if you miss a night of say sefira you shouldn’t bother counting anymore. In actuality, the bracha is m’drabanan and if you missed a night you lose the chance to make the bracha. (he also said that it’s a machlokes in the poskim and it’s a chiddush that we pasken this way.)
But the Rav emphasized that even though you cant make the bracha anymore the mitza to count each day is m’daraysa and applies even you miss a night.

 

Shiite Iraqi militia leader Qais Al-Khazali claimed recently that the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist organization was part of a “Zionist-American plan” to conquer Iraq.
Khazali made the comments in a speech that aired on May 4 on Iraq’s Al-Ahd TV and was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
He asserted that the victory against ISIS is almost entirely complete and that one of the goals of the war against ISIS had been to stand up to the “Zionist plan that wanted to divide Iraq and the countries of the region.”
Khazali then said that the real goal of the Zionist-America-Saudi plan is to conquer Iraq, and that there is a “greater battle” yet to be fought.

For readers who look to get their daily news from Matzav, we are now announcing an exciting new format: podcasts.
Every evening, that day’s top stories will be presented to you in audio format, similar to a radio show. You can listen to these news briefs whenever or whenever is convenient for you, on the podcast app of your choice – including Spotify.
Whether winding down after a hectic day, or getting updates during a commute, listen to Matzav’s daily news roundup every day and bring yourself up to speed in just a few minutes.

The song of the moving song was directed by Rabbi Moshe Mantas, the song’s listeners say that already from the hearing of the initial version of the song, it caused them great emotion and uplift the soul. The melody works in the hands of Eli Klein and Yitzy Berry, who are known to have brought us the passion of feeling “V’afilu B’hastara” and were behind the production of many albums, including the “L’yachado Sh’mo” by the kumzits artist Naftali Kempeh.
Also included was Pinchas Bichler, the conductor of the Malchut choir known for its name and fame. Together with the wonder boy Netanel, who contributed his voice in a moving and thrilling performance, the new song “Habeit Na” is released.

The White House is reportedly reviewing plans to deploy as many as 120,000 US troops to the Middle East in the event that Iran moves to boost its uranium enrichment or launches attacks on American targets.
The plan — which approaches the level of troop buildup prior to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 — was presented last Thursday during a meeting of defense chiefs, The New York Times reported late Monday citing more than half a dozen unnamed defense officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration.
The report said the plan was the most aggressive of several proposals presented during the Pentagon meeting on the order of hawkish US national security adviser John Bolton in light of escalating tensions with Iran.

The Health Ministry is expected to take legal action against two doctors who advised thousands of patients to not get vaccinated, according to Israel Hayom. This is the first time that the Health Ministry will have taken legal action like this against doctors.
The Health Ministry referred to the doctors’ actions as “serious negligence.” If the doctors are convicted, they may lose their license to practice medicine, according to Israel Hayom.
The decision comes as the Health Ministry continues the fight against a large measles outbreak. 4,100 cases of measles have been recorded in Israel since March 2018, according to Health Ministry statistics.

A charedi IDF soldier on Monday told his friends that Satmar chasidim bought pies of pizza for a group of soldiers, Arutz Sheva reported.
In his post, the soldier said he was on duty near the Me’aras Hamachpelah when three Satmar chasidim visiting from the US came up to the jeep he and several other soldiers were sitting in and struck up a conversation.
“They didn’t know that there are chassidish eherlich people in the army,” the soldier noted.
At the end of the conversation, the Satmar chasidim surprised the soldiers by buying them all pizza.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com}

Israel’s High Court of Justice is scheduled to discuss on Thursday a petition against a decision this week by Yerushalayim District Police commander Maj. Gen. Doron Yedid to close the Har Habayis to Jews on Yom Yerushalayim for the first time in 30 years.
Most years, the police not only allow Jewish visitors into the Har Habayis compound on Yom Yerushalayim, they expand visiting hours to accommodate the thousands of extra visitors who come to celebrate the annual holiday marking the reunification of Yerushalayim after the 1967 Six Day War.
This year, however, Yom Yerushalayim takes place on June 2, which falls during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Former leaders at the Department of Homeland Security, including then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, pushed back on a White House plan for mass arrests of migrants shortly before their ouster, according to The Washington Post.
The Trump administration had planned to arrest thousands of parents and children in 10 major U.S. cities to deter further migrants, the Post reported, citing seven current and former DHS officials. The plan involved fast-tracking immigration court cases and expanding the government’s authority to deport migrants who did not show for their hearings.
Arrests of the no-shows would involve coordinated raids of the homes and neighborhoods of parents with children, according to the Post.