A major political crisis is brewing within Israel’s governing coalition as the chareidi parties intensify demands for a new draft law that will secure the status of yeshiva students without imposing any penalties or sanctions. In response to the government’s failure to advance such legislation, Yahadus HaTorah is expected to boycott votes in the Knesset and its committees, an unprecedented move that could soon be joined by Shas.

The olam haTorah v’haChassidus mourns the petirah of R’ Avrohom Shmuel Spalter z”l, a beloved Chossid, yerei Shomayim, and anav, who was niftar on Tuesday, 24 Nissan, at the age of 93. R’ Shmuel was born in Lancut, Poland, into a family of Bluzhover Chassidim. His early life was marked by unimaginable yesurim during the churban Europe. His mother was murdered al kiddush Hashem by the Nazis, ym”sh, and he fled with his father to Soviet Russia. There, his father passed away, and he was placed in a Communist orphanage, far from any semblance of Torah or Yiddishkeit. After the war, he was reunited with his great-uncle, R’ Mordechai Gershon Spalter, the dayan of Sonik, who adopted him and raised him with warmth and dedication.

YWN regrets to inform you of the tragic petirah of Rabbi Menachem (Mendy) Raitport z”l, who was niftar on Tuesday in a devastating car accident while traveling on I-95 in Georgia. He was just 57 years old. Rabbi Raitport, a longtime resident of Crown Heights, was returning home from Florida with one of his sons when the accident occurred. Miraculously, his son escaped serious injury. Born, raised, and educated in Brooklyn, Rabbi Raitport was a respected figure in the Lubavitch community, known not only for his yiras Shamayim and devotion to Torah and mitzvos, but also for his deep expertise in halacha, especially in the intricate laws of shechita.

In a critical meeting held Tuesday evening in Yerushalayim, two senior roshei yeshiva, Rav Dov Landau and Rav Avraham Salim, came together to discuss the fate of bnei yeshiva and the future of the Chok HaGiyus (draft law). The private, in-depth discussion marked a significant step toward forging a unified chareidi front amid rising tensions over the stalled legislative process.
Rav Dov Landau, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, met with Rav Salim, member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, to coordinate positions ahead of what is shaping up to be a fierce political and ideological battle over the law that determines the military exemption for yeshiva students.

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Fatah, chaired a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee in Ramallah on Tuesday, which discussed, among other issues, the situation in the Gaza Strip.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Fatah Central Committee warned of “the dangerous plans of the occupation to reoccupy the Gaza Strip and divide it to force our people to emigrate.”
The statement from Fatah emphasized that such a move is rejected by Palestinians, Arabs, and the international community, and will not succeed due to the steadfastness and attachment of the Palestinian people to their land and homeland.

Elon Musk informed Tesla shareholders on Tuesday that he plans to substantially reduce the amount of time he spends working on federal government matters starting next month, allowing him to refocus on his role at Tesla.
“Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” the CEO said during Tesla’s earnings call, as reported by Business Insider.
He explained that much of the foundational work for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has already been completed, and therefore his involvement in President Trump’s government streamlining project will decrease significantly beginning in May.

A federal judge agreed Tuesday to block the Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America, the 83-year-old international news service created by Congress. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the administration illegally required Voice of America to cease operations for the first time since its World War II-era inception. Attorneys for Voice of America employees and contractors asked the judge to restore its ability to broadcast at the same level before President Donald Trump moved to slash its funding. Lamberth mostly agreed, ordering the administration to restore Voice of America and two of the independent broadcast networks operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media — Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks — until the lawsuits are settled.

Elkana Federman, the chief of security at the Nova music festival, who was wounded in the October 7 massacre, filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Moriah District Police in Jerusalem against ousted Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who has refused to leave his position even after the government unanimously voted to dismiss him. In the complaint, Federman stated that Bar knew in advance about Hamas’s plan but did not act to prevent it, thereby abetting the murder of his fellow security guards and the wounds he himself incurred during the massacre.

The H-1B visa has long been a highly coveted employment visa for foreign citizens with specialized skills to live and work in the U.S., and recent requests from the Trump administration have put greater attention on the program. The requests for more information from people applying for or renewing H-1B visas come amid heightened tensions over immigration as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on his vow of mass deportations of people in the country illegally. Much of Trump’s agenda has been focused on arresting people in the country illegally or reversing Biden-era temporary deportation protections.