Eden Alexander’s grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, fought tirelessly for his release, both via diplomatic means and spiritual means, constantly davening, reciting Tehillim, and visiting the homes of Gedolim. She visited the home of HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarsky several times and the Rebbetzin spoke words of chizzuk and also told her that in one moment, Hakadosh Baruch Hu can make a neis and Eden can return. And sure enough, Eden’s release came as a shock to his parents when it was announced. On Monday, before Edan was released, she spoke to the press, during which she said: “Today is Pesach Sheini,” she said. “Edan was redeemed on Pesach Sheini.” She also opened her Sefer Tehillim and said: “This Tehillim is my weapon. I’m with my Tehillim all the time, day and night, and I daven.

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey expressed profound relief and happiness following the return of Edan Alexander, a hostage from his home state who was held by Hamas for 583 (584) days.
Taking to X to share his reaction, Booker wrote that he was “overjoyed” by the news and emphasized the urgency of freeing all the other hostages, “living or dead.” He also called for renewed efforts toward a ceasefire in Gaza and a ramp-up of humanitarian support for those affected.

Family getting up: Mincha: 7:45 pm Thursday Mincha will be at 7:30Maariv: 8:00 pm Mrs. Yaffa Chamoulian Wife Mr. Moshe Chamoulian Brother Mr. Refael Chamoulian Son Mr.

This past Motzei Shabbos, a historic Melava Malka asifa brought together nearly 350 Roshei Chaburah from Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG) in Lakewood, representing over 300 chaburos across the yeshiva’s six campuses, 21 buildings, and 22 batei medrash. These roshei chaburos, pivotal in shaping the growth of the yeshiva’s talmidim, gathered for chizzuk under the guidance of BMG’s Roshei Yeshiva. The event featured powerful divrei chizuk from Rav Avraham Birnbaum shlit”a, son of Mir Yeshiva’s late Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon Rav Shmuel Birnbaum zt”l, and son-in-law of BMG Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon Rav Yisroel Neuman shlit”a. Rav Birnbaum spoke passionately about the unique shlichus and responsibility of a Rosh Chaburah.

A well-known Sephardic rov from Netivot is working to launch a new chareidi political movement that would rival Shas on a national scale, following his success in challenging the party’s influence on the local level, according to a report aired Sunday on Israeli television.
Channel 13 reported that Rav Chaim Yosef Abergel is forming a party called “Mayim Chaim,” which will advocate for including general education in chareidi schools and support military enlistment for members of the chareidi community.
Rav Chaim Yosef Abergel is a son of Rav Yoram Abergel, a beloved figure in the Sephardic community who distanced himself from Shas in 2015.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a first-in-the-nation executive order to block the federal government from collecting personal health data related to autism, a direct rebuke to the Trump administration. Democrat Pritzker, who has been one of the more vocal critics of Trump’s second administration, signed the order last week, saying he wanted to protect “dignity, privacy, and the freedom to live without fear of surveillance or discrimination.” It came two days after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to use data maintained by the National Institutes of Health, and claims submitted for Medicare and Medicaid coverage, to determine the causes of autism.

The moment you’ve been waiting for is here—ArtScroll’s Once-a-Year Set Sale is officially on!

The U.S. government advised American travelers age 60 and older not get a chikungunya vaccine as it investigates possible side effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration posted notices late last week on the vaccine, Valneva’s Ixchiq. Chikungunya, spread by the bites of infected mosquitoes, is a debilitating tropical illness marked by fever and joint pain. About 100 to 200 cases are reported annually among U.S. travelers. Last year, the government began recommending the vaccine, which is made with weakened chikungunya virus, to U.S. adults who travel to countries where chikungunya is a problem.

The federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with directives from the White House, including President Donald Trump’s executive order decreeing male and female as two “immutable” sexes. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in response to Trump’s order has moved to drop at least seven of its own pending cases representing transgender workers alleging discrimination, and is classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority, signaling a major departure from its prior interpretation of civil rights law.

Israeli National Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday urged the Israeli government to “unleash the gates of hell” in the ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“We really need to implement what Trump told us to do,” Ben-Gvir told JNS during the faction meeting of his Otzma Yehudit Party, responding to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas during his current Mideast trip.
“He told us to unleash the gates of hell. Let’s unleash the gates of hell on them. That’s our mission,” the minister said.

The moment you’ve been waiting for is here—ArtScroll’s Once-a-Year Set Sale is officially on! Now is the perfect time to expand your personal collection, upgrade your shul’s library, or stock up on meaningful gifts that will inspire all year long. Save 25% on Over 100 Popular Sets! + FREE SHIPPING ON ALL SETS!

A year and seven months after they were evacuated in the wake of the October 7 assault, former residents of Gaza border communities up to four kilometers from the border were told not to return to their homes in the near future, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday evening. According to the report, security officials in the Gaza border area were recently told that due to the current preparations to expand the war in Gaza, the commander of the Southern Command, Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor has recommended against the return of residents to border communities at this stage. Some of these residents were slated to return to their homes at the beginning of this month, after an extended stay outside their communities since the beginning of the war.

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein joined yeshiva leaders and administrators in a meeting to thank State Senate candidate Sam Sutton for his critical contributions to a bill supporting yeshiva education. The gathering focused on the legislation’s importance, which aims to bolster and protect a proud and esteemed education system within the yeshiva community—a priority for many stakeholders. Eichenstein, participating via Zoom from Albany, emphasized Sam Sutton’s collaborative efforts that helped drive the bill’s success. Sutton’s role was a focal point of the discussion.

Released hostage Edan Alexander reunites with family members at Sourasky Hospital.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Israel’s opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, on Monday denounced the Trump administration’s plan to let aid supplies into the Gaza Strip as a “very, very negative development.”
“In my opinion, humanitarian aid—of any kind—should not have been allowed to enter since the start of the war, as long as our hostages are rotting in Hamas’s tunnels,” Liberman stated in response to a question from JNS at his party’s faction meeting at the Knesset in Yerushalayim.
“We just need to say it out loud to everyone and stand by it,” Lieberman said. “You want humanitarian aid? First, return the hostages, then we’ll talk. And therefore, for me, this is a very, very negative development.”

Join thousands of smart shoppers on TB Bargain via WhatsApp and get access to exclusive deals, hidden discounts, and daily must-have steals!

A 19-year-old from Yerushalayim has been taken into custody and formally charged with intentionally damaging vital emergency and security infrastructure in the vicinity of the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron.
The arrest took place just days ahead of the Lag Ba’omer gathering, an annual pilgrimage expected to bring in hundreds of thousands of attendees.
The indictment accuses the young man of purposefully sabotaging essential systems designed to ensure the safety of visitors making the trip to Meron.
In recent weeks, Northern District police received several reports of deliberate destruction to safety-related installations around the Meron area.

Pages