In a poignant tribute to one of the youngest victims of the October 7 Hamas-led massacre, the Academy of the Hebrew Language has officially renamed a species of butterfly in honor of four-year-old Ariel Bibas. The butterfly, previously known in Hebrew as Kitmit Yerushalayim (Orange Yerushalayim), will now be called Kitmit Ariel (Orange Ariel), commemorating the child who, along with his mother and baby brother, was murdered after being taken hostage. The Academy announced the name change on Friday, noting that the new designation carries deep symbolic meaning. The name “Ariel” is one of the 70 poetic names for Yerushalayim, thus maintaining a connection to the original name while creating a lasting memorial.

In a high-stakes Oval Office meeting on Monday that spanned diplomacy, defense, and economic reform, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump announced a sweeping commitment to deepen U.S.-Israel ties—starting with trade and extending into negotiations with Iran, the Gaza war, and the broader Middle East. Netanyahu began with a bold pledge: Israel will eliminate all trade barriers with the United States, a move he said would also “eliminate the trade deficit.” “Israel can serve as a model for other countries that strive to do the same,” Netanyahu said, expressing support for Trump’s broader tariff policies.

Bochurim, young couples, and families across the U.S. are scrambling to find flights back to Eretz Yisroel following Pesach—and many are finding themselves stuck. With El Al flights virtually booked solid on all the prime travel dates, travelers are facing mounting difficulty in securing affordable and direct options to return to yeshiva and their homes. YWN has received multiple reports of travelers resorting to creative—and often complicated—workarounds, including multi-stop itineraries through various European and Middle Eastern countries. Alarmingly, some of these itineraries pass through destinations known to be less than friendly to Jewish passengers, posing potential concerns for safety and comfort, particularly for visibly frum travelers.

During their meeting this afternoon at the Oval Office, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu once again expressed strong support for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed initiative to relocate Gazans during the rebuilding phase of the territory.
Netanyahu emphasized that civilians in Gaza were being “locked” inside the war-torn enclave and prevented from leaving, even as violence continued to rage. “We didn’t lock them in,” he said.
“We are not holding them in,” he reiterated, stressing that Israel was not the party restricting the movement of Gazan civilians.
He drew comparisons to other war-torn regions, such as Ukraine and Syria, where populations were able to escape the fighting and seek refuge elsewhere.

New York State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein introduced legislation at the State Legislature that would amend a discriminatory NYC Department of Sanitation regulation that unfairly penalizes New York City’s Jewish community. Last year, the NYC Department of Sanitation enacted a rule requiring residents to place their trash on the curb after 8:00 PM in an effort to combat the city’s rat problem. However, this rigid policy ignores the needs of religious New Yorkers who are prohibited from handling trash on Shabbos. As a result, many residents have been subjected to steep fines of $50-$300 simply for observing their faith. “This policy is unacceptable and must come to end,” declared Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein.

Millions of shekels will be distributed by Kupat Ha’ir on Erev Pesach this year, bez”H. Millions of shekels will arrive in different ways to needy families throughout Eretz Yisrael. Millions of shekels that you – you!! – gave, that you participated in; and the money that you gave to tzedakah will be yours forever. These merits can never be taken away from you. Do you know what it means to distribute tens of millions of shekels? Part of them are given as food vouchers. And there are those who receive boxes of chicken and fish straight to their door. Many others receive generous shopping vouchers. And more than all the above – families who receive special support for the Yom Tov. Money, in an envelope. All these branches cost a phenomenal amount.

Shortly before he was forced to resign, the nation’s top vaccine regulator says he refused to grant Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s team unrestricted access to a tightly held vaccine safety database, fearing that the information might be manipulated or even deleted. In an interview with The Associated Press, former Food and Drug Administration vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks discussed his efforts to “make nice” with Kennedy and address his longstanding concerns about vaccine safety, including by developing a “vaccine transparency action plan.” Marks agreed to give Kennedy’s associates the ability to read thousands of reports of potential vaccine-related issues sent to the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS.

President Trump: “The reason we are not talking about tariffs with Russia is because we are not doing business essentially with Russia.”