Fire Chief Eyal Caspi ordered the establishment of a special investigative team to examine the circumstances of last week’s fire in the Beit Shemesh area that reached the outskirts of Jerusalem. The special investigative team was established at the beginning of the fire, and one of the main conclusions was that the fire was the result of arson. “Evidence was found at the scene, supported by testimonies, which reinforce the suspicions that the fire was started by a person who was at the scene at the beginning of the fire,” the Fire and Rescue Authority spokesperson stated. The fire’s epicenter was located at the entrance to Moshav Tarom, near the access road to the chicken coops. The fire spread rapidly due to the harsh weather conditions.

Elon Musk spent years building cachet as a business titan and tech visionary, brushing aside critics and skeptics to become the richest person on the planet. But as Musk gained power in Washington in recent months, his popularity has waned, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 33% of U.S. adults have a favorable view of Musk, the chain-saw-wielding, late-night-posting, campaign-hat-wearing public face of President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government. That share is down from 41% in December. “It was a shame that he crashed and burned his reputation,” said Ernest Pereira, 27, a Democrat who works as a lab technician in North Carolina.

Family getting up: Shacharis: 8:00 am Mincha: 7:30 pm Maariv: 7:45 pm Mrs. Mindi GewirtzWife Rabbi Eli GewirtzBrother

Why not tax the millionaires? As Congress begins drafting a massive package for President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” with trillions of dollars in tax breaks and federal program cuts, it’s a question that won’t seem to go away. Trump himself has mused he’d “love” to tax wealthier Americans a little bit more, but the Republican president has also repeatedly walked it back. This week, the president dismissed a tax hike as “disruptive” when asked about it at the White House. But still it swirls.

Lali’s last chance –  Esther & Sruli were ecstatic at the birth of their only child, born after five years of yearning.  Their joy was cruelly crushed when their Lali (Leah) was diagnosed with rapidly spreading cancer when she was only three years old. Lali is four now, a brave, charming little girl. She is fighting with all her might, her parents frantically trying to both be at her side and pay for new treatments that may cure her. Her condition is worsening, the cancer is aggressive, but she has a chance if we manage to raise the money needed for advanced treatment her parents cannot afford. Sruli and Esther are desperate to save their lovely little girl, and they ask for a chance. A chance to save their young daughter.

Preparations for the upcoming Lag BaOmer celebration in Meron have reached a new milestone, as the Ministry of Yerushalayim and Jewish Tradition has completed the paving of “Derech Hillel,” a new exit path behind the Tziyon of Rav Shimon bar Yochai.
The new route, which includes stairways and safety railings, is designed to ease crowd flow and reduce congestion at the sacred site.

Border Czar Tom Homan on the completely locked down border President Trump secured in just seven weeks: “We got the most secure border in the history of this nation, and President Trump was able to accomplish that in seven weeks.”

Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, who was hospitalized on Thursday, was released this morning from Maayanei Hayeshua Medical Center and has returned to his residence on the Slabodka Yeshiva campus in Bnei Brak.
The Rosh Yeshiva had been admitted on Thursday morning and underwent surgery to repair a fractured hip.
He then remained at the hospital for Shabbos.
According to those close to him, Rav Landau continues to gain strength and is steadily recovering. He has resumed his daily learning schedule, and, with Hashem’s help, is expected to begin receiving visitors again in the coming days.
All are asked to daven for Rav Efraim Dov ben Devorah.
{Matzav.com Israel}

MOSCOW (AP) — A man suspected of killing a Russian