President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law a major rewrite of the rules of trade with Canada and Mexico, celebrating the fulfillment of one of his top campaign promises while declining to share the moment with Democratic lawmakers whose support was essential to getting it over the finish line. Trump said renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement was “probably the No. 1 reason that I decided to lead this crazy life that I’m leading right now.” “Today, we’re finally ending the NAFTA nightmare,” Trump said in a ceremony on the South Lawn. The event featured hundreds of business and farm leaders from around the country and scores of Republican officials. No Democratic members of Congress were on the White House guest list.

Just one day after President Donald Trump announced his Deal of the Century peace plan, Palestinian terrorists from Gaza launched a mortar shell at Israel’s southern region. The mortar exploded in an open field. The launching of the mortar caused Red Alert sirens to sound in Kibbutz Kissufim and residents rushed for cover in numerous areas in the Eshkol region. A spokesperson for the Eshkol Regional Council said that the explosion was heard after the sirens sounded and that an impact site was found in an open field somewhat distant from the Kibbutz. No one was injured in the attack and there was no report of damage. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A campaign to raise $1,000,000 is now live. After last month’s horrific attack which has left the community shattered, they have come together to continue their efforts and flourish. Unwilling to allow the ordeal to hold them back, they have come to a decision that they need to build a brand-new community center which will house the Talmud Torah, as well as the Shul and Mikvah.  The new building will allow the children to continue learning in peace away from the site where they experienced such trauma.  Watch to see the strength and resiliency of this brave community.  You can support their efforts by visiting HERE now and contribute generously to the campaign. 

According to a report in NorthJersey.com, Police in Teaneck, Bergenfield and Lakewood – all areas with large Jewish communities in New Jersey – said they have seen a spike in gun permit applications in recent weeks. Some gun ranges and gun stores are reporting a surge among Jewish clientele as well. While Teaneck typically receives 20 applications a month, the Police Department received 30 in December and 30 in the first half of January alone, Chief Glen O’Reilly said. In response, the department added another employee to process firearms permits. Bergenfield has also reported a jump in permit requests over the past month, with about 30 applications. That was double the monthly average, Lt. William Duran said.

Ami reporter Shloime Zionce recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and visited blogger and Twitter influencer Mohammed Saud at his home in the capital city of Riyadh. Zionce, a Breslover chassid who visited Saudi Arabia in his role as a journalist for Ami magazine, gave Saud, a lover of Israel, a likeness of the city of Jerusalem with the passuk אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני engraved on it – quite an ironic gift for a resident of Saudi Arabia, which still denies entry to Israeli citizens. Saud prepared snacks and drinks that he knew were kosher for Zionce and interestingly, Saud opened up his bottle of Coke and made an almost perfect birchas Shehakol before drinking it. “I hope that one day we’ll walk down the street together in Riyadh and take a direct flight to Tel Aviv,” Zionce said.

Bernie Sanders is approaching next week’s Iowa caucuses in a position to become the first major-party Jewish presidential nominee in the nation’s history. And at a time of resurgent anti-Semitism, he’s talking in more depth about how his faith shapes his broader worldview. Soon after the one-year anniversary of the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, Sanders penned a column on combating anti-Semitism that outlined how his family’s history underpins his commitment to fight bigotry.

The Central Elections Committee voted on Wednesday to disqualify Arab Joint Arab List MK Heba Yazbak for running in the upcoming elections due to her public statements supporting terrorism against Israel. Degel HaTorah joined Agudas Yisrael, Shas, the other right-wing parties, Blue & White and some members of the Labor-Gesher merger in voting for Yazbak’s disqualification after being instructed to do so by Gedolei Yisrael on Tuesday night. The vote to disqualify Yazbak was 27-7, with only Meretz and the Joint Arab List opposing the move. Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni visited the homes of Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky and Hagaon Harav Gershon Edelstein on Tuesday night to hear their final decision on whether to vote for the disqualification of Yazbak.

The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant didn’t have a recommended warning system to alert the pilot he was too close to land but it’s not clear it would have averted the crash that killed nine because the pilot may have lost control as the aircraft plunged into a fog-shrouded mountain, federal investigators said Tuesday. Pilot Ara Zobayan had been climbing out of the clouds when the aircraft banked left and began a sudden and terrifying 1,200-foot (366-meter) descent that lasted nearly a minute. “This is a pretty steep descent at high speed,” said Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board. “We know that this was a high-energy impact crash.” The aircraft was intact when it hit the ground, but the impact spread debris over more than 500 feet (150 meters).

President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” which was finally unveiled on Tuesday, holds a promise that no one will be evacuated from their home. However, as a result, 15 Israeli yishuvim will be swallowed up in a future Palestinian state, which according to the plan will only be established in four years if the Palestinian Authority accepts the plan and adheres to certain conditions. Two Chareidi yishuvim in Gush Etzion would be swallowed up in this future state: Maale Amos and Metzad. However, considering the fact that the PA is adamantly refusing to accept the “peace” plan, the residents of these 15 yishuvim probably shouldn’t start worrying yet.

It was a quiet winter morning this month when 42-year-old Eyal Zuckerman returned from shul feeling ill. He was a generally healthy man and had no major reason for concern. He laid down in bed, and asked his 12-year-old son Hillel to bring him a glass of water. The young boy returned to find his father purple and motionless. What began as a regular day began to spiral into chaos. Emergency responders were called, and Eyal’s death was announced. That was the moment everything changed. Shocked members of the Tzfat community gathered for the levaya.  It would be untrue to say that mother Chana is coping well with the loss. Left behind with 9 children, she has struggled to function with her grief.