By Tal Ariel Yakir
The complete and extraordinary story of police officer Yaakov Biskowitz was never fully revealed until now.
As a young boy, Biskowitz became one of the few people who survived for an extended period in a death camp, participated in the revolt that led to the camp’s closure, and was the last Jew to leave Sobibor alive.
He testified at the Eichmann trial, taking the stand in police uniform and presenting the camp map he drew himself, which became the most detailed documentation of the site to date. The camp map he meticulously created contributed significantly to exposing Nazi atrocities and assisted in archaeological excavations that uncovered gas chambers and crematoria that had remained buried and hidden underground for decades.

The suburban Chicago man who admitted to fatally shooting seven people and wounding dozens of others during a 2022 Independence Day parade was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti handed down seven consecutive sentences of life in prison, as prosecutors requested, for the first-degree murder charges after hearing emotional testimony from survivors and the relatives of those killed in the shooting. “This court has absolutely no words that could adequately describe and capture the horror and pain that was inflicted on July 4th,” the judge said. Robert E.

Agudath Israel of America proudly celebrates a historic victory for parents and students across the Lone Star State as the Texas Legislature passes a landmark universal school choice bill. On Thursday, the Texas Senate voted to concur with the House and pass SB2, finally giving families the educational freedom they have been asking for. SB2 is an Education Savings Account (ESA) program that would provide parents with approximately $10,000 per student to spend on a wide range of educational expenses, including private school tuition. Students with special needs could receive up to $30,000 per year. The bill allocates one billion dollars to the program. If the number of applicants exceeds available funds, low-income (see chart here) and special education students will be prioritized.

Hod Hasharon Mayor Ami Kochavi sparked a political firestorm Wednesday night with remarks delivered during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event, where he appeared to link current Israeli actions to the potential for committing atrocities, warning of a “lust for revenge” as hostages remain in Gaza.
“Jewish morality dictates, ‘Never again’ — not just to us, but to all peoples, as an ethical and moral command on a just and healthy society,” Kochavi said during his address.
He continued by cautioning that moral clarity demands speaking out against abuses worldwide, regardless of who is responsible. “We must not be silent in the face of atrocities carried out against people of other nations in the world — even if they are carried out in our name,” he stated.

[COMMUNICATED]
URGENT CAMPAIGN FOR 3 YEAR OLD CHILD: We did everything we can. We davened. We cried. And now we’ve found a chance—a special treatment in the United States. We cannot afford it. We turn to Am Yisrael— begging you to help us save our daughter’s life. Your kindness can give her not just a surgery, but the chance to smile, and live a normal life.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The mayor of Amsterdam apologized on Thursday for the role the Dutch capital played in the persecution o

Tensions in the Trump administration erupted into a full-blown confrontation last week when Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engaged in a fiery shouting match inside the White House — within earshot of President Trump himself. According to multiple sources close to the White House, the two top officials locked horns over the future of the IRS, with Musk reportedly raising his voice and gesturing aggressively as Bessent stood his ground. “Elon was shouting and rambling, and Scott just wasn’t putting up with it,” one insider told The Post, confirming that the standoff was intense enough to draw attention from nearby staff.

The International Criminal Court’s Appeals Chamber has overturned a prior decision by a lower court that dismissed Israel’s objection to the court’s jurisdiction in a case involving the Jewish state. The appellate judges determined that the lower chamber mishandled the matter and have now returned it for reconsideration.
Israel initially challenged the court’s legal standing to preside over the case, asserting that the ICC lacked jurisdiction. That challenge was rejected by the Pre-Trial Chamber, which claimed it was premature to address the issue. In response, Israel filed an appeal.

Russia’s illegal seizure of Crimea from Ukraine 11 years ago was quick and bloodless. But Kyiv — and most of the world — never recognized Moscow’s annexation of the strategic peninsula, which is now a major focus of U.S.-led efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukraine’s president Wednesday, accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prolonging the “killing field” after he insisted he would not give up any Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, to Russia as part of a potential peace plan. “There is nothing to talk about. It is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” he said. Trump called Zelenskyy’s pushback “very harmful” to talks.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was originally slated to deliver a speech this coming Shabbos at the Young Israel of Woodmere in Long Island, New York.
Today, the shul, which boasts more than 2,500 members, announced that the event would no longer take place.
No official explanation was issued by the shul, but individuals close to the minister indicated that the rov who was supposed to host the gathering experienced a petirah in his family, which led to the cancellation.
There has not yet been any update on what alternate plans Ben Gvir may have made for his time in the United States.

President Donald Trump has once again taken aim at the radical left’s grip on America’s elite institutions, targeting Harvard University in a blistering Truth Social post on Thursday morning. Labeling Harvard an “Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution” and a direct “threat to Democracy,” Trump accused the university of admittingforeign students bent on destroying the nation while allowing “crazed lunatics” to spew “fake ANGER AND HATE” on campus. “Harvard is a Liberal mess,” Trump declared, pointing to the university’s alleged failure to curb antisemitism amid a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked campuses since 2023.

If you’re fond of basking in the sunshine, you may want to soak it up while you still can. That’s because British scientists are seriously considering giving the sun a little timeout. In an effort to cool down the planet, researchers are preparing to launch outdoor experiments designed to dim the sun. Don’t snicker – dimming the sun by reflecting light away from Earth might soon be a government-backed strategy. According to The Telegraph, the government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is expected to greenlight outdoor trials in the coming weeks, with a £50 million budget allocated to explore solar geoengineering — a set of high-tech methods aimed at dialing down the thermostat on planet Earth.

NEW YORK (AP) — When employees at Barnard College received a survey this week aski

In a bold economic initiative aimed at crippling Hamas’ financial infrastructure in Gaza, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has formally urged Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Amir Yaron to take unprecedented action: remove the legal tender designation from specific 200 Shekel banknotes.
This dramatic proposal is part of a wider strategy to disrupt Hamas’ access to liquid funds, which Sa’ar said forms the core of its operational strength in the region. He noted that billions of shekels in physical cash fuel Hamas’ activities in Gaza.

President Trump and Scott Bessent provide an update on potential trade deals with nations around the world.

POTUS: “A lot of countries want to come into the Abraham Accords… We’re going to be filling up the Abraham Accords. We’re going to be filling it up very rapidly.”

Dozens attend the levaya of Barack Tzach z”l, who was killed in a shark attack off the Israeli coast earlier this week.

Pages