Rav Yonatan Markovitch, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Chief Rabbi of the Ukrainian Prison Service, paid a visit last week to Shura Base, the heart of the IDF’s casualty identification operations. His meeting with IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier General Rav Eyal Krim focused on urgent halachic dilemmas surrounding kvuras Yisrael for Jewish soldiers serving on the bloody front lines of Ukraine’s war. Since the outbreak of the war, Rav Markovitch has been at the forefront of ensuring that Jewish soldiers who fall in battle receive proper halachic burial. This is no small task. The Ukrainian army often defaults to cremation of fallen soldiers—a practice that stands in direct violation of halachah.

(AP) – There were 30,000 fewer U.S.

With tens of thousands preparing to head to Meron, Zaka will be giving children identification bracelets to assist emergency personnel in case they become lost.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones. The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight. Those limits on PFAS, which are man-made and don’t easily break down in nature, were expected to reduce their levels in drinking water for millions of people.

Apple is actively working on an advanced brain-computer interface that would make it possible to operate iPhones and iPads using only thought. This initiative is being carried out in collaboration with Synchron, a U.S.-based biotech startup specializing in neural technology.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the innovation relies on a tiny implant known as the Stentrode, which is inserted through blood vessels and placed close to the brain’s motor cortex. Outfitted with electrodes, the device is capable of detecting brain activity and converting it into digital signals.

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Russell Vought, the current director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will take on a leadership role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), succeeding billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The transition comes as Musk, who has co-led DOGE alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy since its inception, prepares to step down from his role as a special government employee. Vought, a seasoned conservative political operative and key architect of the controversial Project 2025, is tasked with locking in many of the cost-cutting and deregulatory measures initiated under Musk and Ramaswamy’s leadership.

In Sidon, a worker cutting a war remnant missile near Garbage Mountain accidentally triggered it, sending it crashing into a gas plant near Scenic Bridge. The explosion damaged the company’s office, but miraculously, no one was hurt.

A new national survey of Jewish voters reveals a striking disconnect between President Trump’s fight against antisemitism and how the majority of American Jews perceive those efforts. The poll, conducted by GBAO Strategies for the newly launched Jewish Voters Resource Center, paints a picture of growing disillusionment—not only with Trump, but also with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the direction of U.S. and Israeli policy. According to the survey of Jewish registered voters, more than half (52%) say the label “antisemitic” describes President Trump very or somewhat well.

Sen. John Kennedy: “I trust Qatar like I trust a rest stop bathroom.”