I write with disbelief regarding a policy recently introduced in a local frum school: a “Free Pass” initiative that exempts students from a final exam if they raise or donate $550 to a designated organization. Encouraging chesed and tzedakah among our children is admirable. But linking a mitzvah to an academic incentive is, at best, misguided and, at worst, a distortion of the very values we claim to uphold. Tzedakah is not a bargaining chip. It is not a ticket to privilege or a means to bypass accountability. It is one of the foundational mitzvos of a Torah life, meant to be done lishmah, out of a pure desire to help Klal Yisrael—not in exchange for skipping an exam. This policy does more than blur the lines between ruchniyus and reward—it erases them.

Amid renewed diplomatic momentum to end the Gaza war and secure the release of Israeli hostages, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has introduced a new framework aimed at achieving a ceasefire and removing Hamas from power, according to reports from Israel’s Channel 12. The proposed plan, reportedly presented during President Trump’s high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia this week, has garnered support from international mediators involved in the ongoing negotiations. Israeli officials say Witkoff, a close ally of President Trump, is “personally invested” in the effort to bring the hostages home.

Bill de Blasio, former mayor of New York City, has agreed to pay a $329,794 penalty to resolve allegations brought by the city’s ethics panel, which accused him of improperly using public money to fund his security team’s travel during his brief attempt to secure the Democratic nomination for president.
The resolution, announced Wednesday by the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, marks the largest settlement ever reached by the board. Although the original fine totaled $475,000, officials said the amount was reduced based on de Blasio’s “financial situation.”

A billboard seen tonight in the Syrian capital of Damascus, featuring U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the words, “Thank you from the heart” in Arabic and “Thank you, Saudi Arabia, United States of American” in English.

German authorities have thwarted a suspected Russian intelligence operation involving the mailing of incendiary devices, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The plot, uncovered in collaboration with Swiss law enforcement, targeted Ukraine and potentially other Western nations, raising concerns about escalating Russian sabotage efforts amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. On Tuesday, German prosecutors announced the arrests of three Ukrainian nationals—two in Germany and one in Switzerland—suspected of working for Russian intelligence. The men, identified as Anatolii H., 35, Oleksandr M., 38, and Hennadii P., 34, allegedly sent parcels equipped with GPS trackers to test delivery routes for incendiary devices.

A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn’t worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the U.S. Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January’s deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn’t even know the hotline hadn’t been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss. He said civilian controllers still have other means of communicating with their military counterparts through landlines.

On Wednesday afternoon, a heartfelt Chalakah ceremony was held at the residence of HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch. The event, marking a young boy’s first haircut, brought together family and community members to celebrate this milestone under the esteemed guidance of the revered Posek and venerated Gadol. The children will have their hair cut on Lag BaOmer.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged during a House budget hearing on Wednesday that he would “probably” vaccinate his child against measles if he had one today. The comment came in response to a direct question from Rep. Mark Pocan about whether he would choose to immunize his children for measles in the current climate. Kennedy, serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, replied, “Probably, for measles.” However, he quickly added a disclaimer: “I think if I answer that question directly that it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people and I don’t want to be doing that.”