At the state ceremony held Wednesday evening at Yad Vashem to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli President Isaac Herzog used his address to issue a heartfelt call for unity, warning that the internal fractures within Israeli society are becoming dangerously deep. “I call upon you from the bottom of my heart: Let us unite together, the entire House of Israel,” Herzog implored. “Let us turn these days – the Ten Holy Days – from now until Independence Day, into a moment of National responsibility. Let us lower the flames. Let us mend our hearts.”

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa told a US congressman that he is interested in normalizing relations with Israel, Bloomberg New reported. Al-Sharaa conveyed the remarks to Republican Congressman Cory Mills, while setting conditions for the move, which were not detailed in the report. Mills and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN)  traveled to Syria on Friday on an unofficial visit arranged by the US-based nonprofit Syrian-American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity, which is lobbying the US government to lift the sanctions imposed on the former Syrian regime. The two US lawmakers, the first to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, held talks with Al-Sharaa about economic sanctions and peace between Syria and Israel.

In a rare and stirring display, live sheep were brought into the main Bobov beis medrash in Boro Park this Chol Hamoed Pesach for a special ceremony marking the completion of Maseches Chullin by the Kinyan Torah chaburah. The centerpiece of the event was the presentation of matanos kehunah—gifts from slaughtered animals that are halachically given to kohanim—a mitzvah rarely fulfilled in modern times.
The event drew a massive crowd, so large that many attendees had to watch from an adjacent hall via live feed.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has formally submitted referrals to the Department of Justice against two individuals she says unlawfully disclosed classified information to media outlets, as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to clamp down on leaks across federal departments.
According to Gabbard, 44, one of the suspected individuals is responsible for providing classified material to the Washington Post, while the second allegedly gave sensitive documents to the New York Times.
“A third criminal referral is on its way,” Gabbard said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that this third person is believed to have also funneled classified content to the Washington Post without authorization.

Whether the threat was abusive Hamas guards, hunger, illness or Israeli strikes, there were moments during Tal Shoham’s 505 days of captivity in Gaza when he didn’t think he’d be alive the next morning. There were “many times that I separated from life and … tried to accept death,” the 40-year-old Israeli, who also holds Austrian citizenship, told The Associated Press. “There are so many ways to die there.” Shoham was one of dozens of hostages released from Gaza in February as part of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel that has since been broken. His wife, two children and three other family members were also kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, and were freed a month later. Shoham said he spent half his captivity in apartments and the rest in underground tunnels.

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services reported on Thursday morning that their forces have gained control of the massive fire that has been raging since Wednesday morning in the forest areas near Beit Shemesh, in the Jerusalem hills. Over a hundred firefighting teams, aided by aircraft,  are still working to extinguish five remaining fires. However, all residents of three yishuvim near Beit Shemesh who were evacuated on Wednesday have been allowed to return to their homes and the roads in the area were reopened to traffic. “The incident is under control,”  Fire Commissioner Eyal Caspi announced: “I toured the area and was in all areas.

HaGaon Harav Dov Landau was hospitalized on Thursday monring in  Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital for tests after suffering a fall at home overnight. The Rosh Yeshivah, 95, suffered from severe pain after the fall and was not able to attend Shacharis in the yeshivah. After arriving in the hospital, HaRav Landau underwent a series of tests and X-rays, and he remains hospitalized for medical observation for the time being. Members of his household said that the Rosh Yeshivah’s condition is good but called to the public to daven for his general well-being and a refuah sheleimah. The name for tefillah is Efraim Dov ben Devorah b’toch sha’ar cholei Yisrael. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

New Haven, CT – Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir faced a hostile reception during a visit to Yale University on Wednesday, when anti-Israel protesters threw water bottles and chanted slogans as he briefly exited a building, according to footage and statements from Ben-Gvir’s office. The incident occurred during the minister’s trip to the United States, where he was engaging in diplomatic and public engagements. Video evidence shows a group of approximately 200 protesters, some waving Palestinian flags, gathered outside the building where Ben-Gvir was located.

President Trump confirmed he was building two new flag poles on the White House lawn after the press captured him surveying the grounds Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re putting up a beautiful, almost 100-foot-tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags, top of the line,” Trump told reporters.
There are currently no freestanding flagpoles on the White House grounds, but there is an American flag flying from the top of the building.
“They needed flagpoles for 200 years. It was something I’ve often said, you know, they don’t have a flagpole per se. So we’re putting one right where you saw us, and we’re putting another one on the other side, on top of the mounds. It’s going to be two beautiful poles,” Trump added.

On the occasion of Yom Hashoah, President Donald Trump issued a powerful proclamation paying homage to the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirming America’s commitment to fighting antisemitism in all its forms.
“We honor the blessed memories of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were viciously slaughtered by the genocidal Nazi regime and their collaborators,” Trump declared, opening with a solemn tribute to those murdered by the Nazis.

NEW YORK – Sam Antar, a well-known expert on white-collar crime and the man behind the blog White Collar Fraud, believes that New York Governor Kathy Hochul will eventually replace Attorney General Letitia James due to the ongoing mortgage fraud allegations against her. In an interview on Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight, Antar, who also advises […]

We’ll always have Kikar Hashabbos but the city’s grown There’s a new iconic intersection in Yerushalayim. It’s the vibrant crossroads of Yirmiyahu and Shamgar, where the pulse of the modern city beats strongest. Here Yerushalayim’s past meets its future. Just off this famous corner, Y38, a sophisticated residential building rises.  Designed by the renowned Feigin Architects, whose portfolio includes prestigious projects like the Waldorf Astoria, Y38 challenges conventional Jerusalem architecture while paying homage to the city’s timeless character. The striking 40-unit boutique building features a distinctive façade that harmoniously blends contemporary design with Jerusalem stone, creating an immediate visual impact.

At a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony held at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Abe Foxman—who once headed the Anti-Defamation League—delivered a strong rebuke of certain policies seen under the Trump administration.
“As a [Holocaust] survivor, my antenna quivers when I see books being banned, when I see people being abducted in the streets, when I see government trying to dictate what universities should teach and whom they should teach. As a survivor who came to this country as an immigrant, I’m troubled when I hear immigrants and immigration being demonized,” Foxman said, prompting extended applause from those gathered.

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