YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of HaRav Meir Reuven Berkowitz ZATZAL, the Rov of Whispering Pines in Lakewood, after a lengthy illness. The Levaya will be at his Shul at 12:00PM, and the Kevura in Kiryas Yoel. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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Rabbi Shea Deitsch, a Chabad shaliach who manages the Sha’arei Tzedek center in Moscow was a bulwark of support for the Issachar family from the time Naama was arrested last erev Pesach. He visited Naama every week in prison, brought her kosher food and parsha sheets for Shabbos and most importantly, provided constant words of encouragement to Naama and her family. He was such an important source of encouragement for the Issachar family that they dubbed him “the malach.” In a special interview with COL, he spoke about his experiences.  “I remember the day that we got the message about her arrest,” Rabbi Deitsch said. “My wife and I went to the prison on erev Pesach – we visited her, encouraged her and brought her kosher food.

Following an exposé by the investigative program Uvda on Israeli television revealing IDF intelligence officers using special agents for non-military operations, including being sent to a village in Judea and Samaria to buy techina for a gift, the officers in question were severely reprimanded. IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi accepted the recommendations of the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman, and stripped a lieutenant colonel of his rank for using an Arab undercover agent to deliver techina as a gift to a senior officer. The officer initiated the operation and also was not completely honest during his investigation and will be discharged from the IDF.

Standing before lawmakers in the grand-domed Capitol where his impeachment trial is still underway, President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will declare the state of the union s trong, even when it is bitterly divided as he asks Americans for a second term. After becoming just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached, Trump will try to move forward, aides say, offering an optimistic message that stresses economic growth in his annual address before Congress. But the impeachment drama will hang over him as he stands before the very lawmakers who have voted to remove him from office — and those who are expected to acquit him Wednesday when the Senate trial comes to a close.

The Health Ministry has set up a special booth in Ben Gurion Airport to check passengers entering the country who have been in China in the past 14 days, or those who came into contact with them, for symptoms related to the Coronavirus. The booth will be staffed by MDA personnel. The booth is the latest step taken by the Ministry to prevent the virus from coming to Israel. Bulletins distributed in the airport call on certain passengers to come to the booth where MDA staffers proceed to ask the passengers a series of questions and provide a checkup that has been predetermined by the Health Ministry.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri made a statement on Sunday at a campaign launch party for Shas, that claimed that Yisrael Beitenu party chairman Avidgor Lieberman has cut a deal with the Blue and White party. According to the claim, Lieberman has agreed to help form a left-wing government after the March 2nd Knesset election with the Blue and White party that would see the Arab Joint-List Arab party in the government. The accusation came as Deri explained that this is what Lieberman meant by his recent comments where he stated that he has a plan to prevent Israel from heading to a fourth election. “So now Lieberman is telling the truth this time.

Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility Sunday for last year’s deadly shooting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola by an aviation student from Saudi Arabia. The shooter, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was a member of the Saudi Air Force in training at the base. He opened fire inside a classroom at the base on Dec. 6, killing three people and wounding two sheriff’s deputies before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, released a video claiming the attack. SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks messaging by militant groups, reported the claim. AQAP has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch and has attempted to carry out attacks on the U.S. mainland.

The IDF launched a drill simulating multi-front combat on Sunday morning, according to the IDF spokesperson. The four-day drill will take place through Wednesday and involve the participation of all military units, including representatives from the IDF Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, the Northern and Southern Command as well as the intelligence and cyber defense units. The focus of the drill is assessing and improving communication between military units as well as joint planning of military operations. The drill was planned in advance and was not launched in response to recent tension due to the unveiling of the “Deal of the Century,” the IDF said.

A Palestinian Arab brandishing a knife was apprehended by Israeli soldiers near Highway 60 by the Efrat North intersection on Sunday evening. The incident took place just after 5:00 p.m. when an 18-and-a-half-year-old approached a group of soldiers while holding an exposed knife in his hand. Soldiers, who saw the young man approaching with the knife ordered him to stop and drop his weapon while they aimed their guns at him. One soldier from the lookout radioed for backup and security forces as well as the police, and emergency medical forces from MDA and United Hatzalah in the area were dispatched to the scene. The Palestinian man saw the weapons and adhered to the soldiers’ orders and dropped the knife. He was taken into custody and brought in for questioning.

As the U.S. steps up its response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security is warning airline passengers that their flights may wind up rerouted if officials discover mid-flight that someone onboard has been in China in the last 14 days. That guidance was included in a notice released by the department Sunday as new travel restrictions officially go into effect for flights commencing after 5 p.m. EDT. Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. They eight are: John F.