Amid the growing tensions in the Middle East, the NYPD is on high alert, especially with Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight. Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD officials held a briefing to let New Yorkers know about stepped up security measures in the coming days. Adams said New Yorkers can expect to see more NYPD officers in uniform at key locations. The NYPD says it has increased patrols around synagogues and other sensitive locations. Officials tell YWN security protocols will remain in effect beyond the holidays as the NYPD continues to monitor potential threats. Additionally, a security update and message for Rosh Hashanah was provided to YWN by NYPD Deputy Chief Richie Taylor, Commanding Officer, Community Affairs. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

This evening we begin Rosh Hashana and the three week Yom Tov season.  For most of us, it is a time of joy and celebration.  But for too many families, it is a time of tremendous stress. We have all experienced the impact of inflation on the cost of household items the past few years.  Now imagine what that has meant for families that couldn’t make ends meet even before inflation sent prices skyrocketing, Bobbie’s Place is still the only store with no price tags and no cash register.  Its prices don’t change.  But what has changed is the increasing number of families turning to Bobbie’s Place for help, and the increased prices they have to pay for the clothing they provide.

All of Klal Yisrael is davening for the safety of IDF soldiers who entered Lebanon overnight Monday to continue Israel’s mission to decimate Hezbollah and protect the residents of Israel. Before entering southern Lebanon, the commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, Capt. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Makamel, recited a tefilla for Siyata Dishmaya and blew the shofar. The 7th Brigade, the oldest armored brigade in the IDF, is part of the Northern Command and operates Merkava Mark IV tanks. It is part of the elite 98th Division which was transferred from Gaza to lead the incursion into Lebanon. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In the shadow of the launch of a ground operation in Lebanon Monday, thousands of Jews gathered at the Kosel for Selichos on Monday night. The crowd recited emotional tefillos for the welfare and safety of the soldiers and Klal Yisrael as a new phase of the battle against its enemies begins shortly before the start of the new year. Tens of thousands of mispallelim from throughout the country were expected to arrive at the Kosel on Tuesday night, Erev Rosh Hashanah, for the recital of Selichos and Hataras Nedarim, beginning at midnight. However, following the rocket fire in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning and the Home Front Command’s subsequent announcement about tightened restrictions in Jerusalem and other areas, the Selichos ceremony was canceled. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

As security concerns are increasing with the rise of anti-Semitism, the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, FJCC hosted a pre holiday meeting that gave representatives of Flatbush shuls and yeshivas an opportunity to speak directly to NYPD commanders.

The IDF says that troops have launched a full-scale ground operation in southern Lebanon, deploying the 36th Division, which includes soldiers from the Golani Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 6th Infantry Brigade, and other forces. These units are now actively participating in localized, precise raids on Hezbollah targets, a campaign that began on Monday. Backed by the Israeli Air Force and the 282nd Artillery Brigade, IDF soldiers have been engaging Hezbollah terrorists in close-quarters combat while systematically dismantling the terror group’s attack infrastructure. The 98th Division is also continuing its targeted operations across several regions in southern Lebanon.

Former President Trump cast the blame on Iran’s attack on Israel on President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, saying the administration’s policies have enriched the Islamic Republic. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made Iran rich in a very short period of three and a half years,” Trump told supporters in Waunakee, Wisconsin. “They have $300 billion now. They’re rich. I mean, they pay 6 billion every time they have, if they have somebody that was kidnaped, it’s always $6 billion.”   Trump previously criticized the Biden administration for issuing a sanctions waiver in September 2023, which allowed $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds to be transferred from South Korea to Qatar as part of a deal to free five detained Americans in Iran.

Iran made a “big mistake tonight,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem shortly after an Iranian missile attack, “and it will pay for it.” The strike on Israel earlier in the evening “failed,” he says. “It was thwarted thanks to Israel’s air defense system, which is the most advanced in the world,” says the prime minister, thanking the US for its support as well. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies,” says Netanyahu.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States was “fully supportive” of Israel after Iran’s ballistic missile attacks, describing Tehran’s assault as “defeated and ineffective.” “At my direction, the United State military actively supported the defense of Israel, and we’re still assessing the impact,” Biden said. “But, based on what we know, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. “This is a testament to Israeli military capability and the U.S. military,” he continued. “It’s also a testament to intensive planning between the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against the brazen attack. “Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel,” Biden added.

Following Tuesday’s massive ballistic missile attack, in which not a single Israeli was killed (but 1 Palestinian and reportedly 5 Iranian soldiers were killed, the latter when a missile exploded during launch) Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei took to social media, posting a threatening message alongside an illustration of a large underground weapons cache. “Victory comes from Allah and it is close,” Khamenei wrote.