Police officers in helmets streamed into Columbia University Wednesday evening to remove a group of mask-clad protesters who staged a Pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the school’s main library. Videos shared on social media show a long line of NYPD officers entering the library hours after dozens of protesters pushed their way past campus security officers, raced into the building and then hung Palestinian flags and other banners on bookshelves in an ornate reading room. Some protesters also appear to have scrawled “Columbia will burn” across framed pictures. Other videos show campus security officers barring another group of protesters from entering the library, with both sides shoving to try and force the other group aside.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
This week, as we study the parshiyos of Acharei Mos and Kedoshim, we are reminded of our sacred task as Jews navigating a turbulent world.
Parshas Kedoshim begins with a brief introduction: Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells Moshe to gather all of Klal Yisroel and instruct them to be kedoshim. The word kedoshim is commonly translated as “holy,” and the implication of the commandment is that we must all strive for holiness.
But what does it mean to be holy? What is expected of us?

When it comes to Medicaid, Rep. Juan Ciscomani is telling fellow Republicans he won’t support steep cuts that could hit thousands of residents in his Arizona district — “my neighbors, people my kids go to school with” — who depend on it. Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the liberal-leaning “blue dot” of Omaha, Nebraska, is trying to protect several Biden-era green energy tax breaks. He’s warning colleagues that “you can’t pull the rug out from under” businesses that have already sunk millions of dollars into renewable developments in Nebraska and beyond. And for Republican Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, it’s simple: “No Salt. No Deal.

Russia and Ukraine both reported attacks on their forces on the first day of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the anniversary of the World War II victory with a parade in Moscow. Russian bombs struck northeast Ukraine in the opening hours of the ceasefire, killing at least one civilian, while artillery assaults took place across the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Ukrainian officials said, although with less intensity than in the previous 24 hours. The unilateral ceasefire coincides with Russia’s biggest secular holiday, the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Kyiv has pressed for a longer-term ceasefire. Putin on Thursday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin.

Relations between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appear to have hit a new low, with sources close to Trump confirming to Yisrael Hayom that the president has grown deeply frustrated with his Israeli counterpart. What began as quiet tension has escalated into open diplomatic coldness. Just days after reports surfaced of Netanyahu’s dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of regional affairs, insiders from Trump’s inner circle now reveal that the feeling is mutual — and intensifying. According to two senior figures who spoke in closed-door discussions reported by Yisrael Hayom, Trump has “run out of patience” and has resolved to forge ahead with his Middle East agenda without waiting for Israel to fall in line.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has a close personal relationship with Jackie Eshel, a former senior Mossad official who is one of the prominent prosecution witnesses in Case 1000 [one of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cases], i24NEWS reported on Tuesday evening. According to the report, the connection between the two was not reported to key figures in the case, including the prosecution team and attorneys, and was not brought to the attention of the defense or the court. On Thursday, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli sent a strongly worded letter to Baharav-Miara, in which he raised a series of serious allegations regarding this conflict of interest, among others, that, he says, prevents her from handling matters related to Netanyahu’s cases and the Shin Bet.

The United States and Britain are expected to announce a trade deal on Thursday that will lower the burden of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and deliver a political victory for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that a deal due to be announced at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) will be a “full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.” It’s the first bilateral trade deal announced since Trump began slapping tariffs on U.S. trading partners. He said: “Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!” Starmer’s office said the prime minister would give an “update” about U.S. trade talks later Thursday. “As you know, talks with the U.S.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced Wednesday evening that his government is engaging in indirect discussions with Israel. He explained that the goal of these talks is to “calm the situation and prevent loss of control.”
He delivered the remarks during a press conference held alongside French President Emmanuel Macron during his official visit to Paris.
Al-Sharaa’s comments confirmed details first reported by Reuters, which revealed that the United Arab Emirates is facilitating the dialogue between Damascus and Jerusalem. According to three individuals with knowledge of the process, the discussions are centered around matters of security, intelligence sharing, and efforts to build mutual trust.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to the Houthi rebels in Yemen and to their sponsor Iran, stating that Israel “must be capab

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman May 8, 2025 The chamber fell silent as he began to speak.

The young man who was killed in a boat accident off the coast of Eilat on Wednesday evening was Levi Yitzchak Leizerowitz, z’l, a 21-year-old resident of Tiveria. The niftar, a member of the Breslov community in Tiveria, is survived by his parents, his wife, and a one-year-old daughter. As a teen, he attended the Migdal Ohr institutions of HaGaon HaRav Dovid Grossman in Migdal HaEmek. He grew very close to HaRav Grossman and maintained a close relationship with him. Nine others were injured in the incident, two moderately and seven lightly. The police said that the boat overturned after it made a sharp turn at high speed, causing all 12 passengers to be thrown in the water. A witness said that none of the passengers were wearing life jackets and some fell under the boat’s engine.

The Iranians arrested over the weekend in the UK were planning on carrying out a large terror attack at the Israeli embassy in London, The Times reported on Wednesday. The police have refused to comment on the details of the case, but according to the report, “it is understood the embassy was the main target.” “Dan Jarvis, the security minister, refused to give details of the immigration status of the suspects citing the continuing police inquiry,” the report added. The suspects were reportedly “hours away” from carrying out the attack before being arrested. Authorities said that the suspects’ plots were “some of the biggest counter-state threats” the UK has seen in recent years.

Israeli security forces overnight Wednesday arrested the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack on Wednesday evening at a checkpoint near Jenin, in the Shomron. Following the attack, the terrorist fled the scene, and IDF and police forces launched a manhunt. Eventually, with the aid of precise Shin Bet intelligence, the forces located the terrorist hiding in his home in the Arab village of Barta’a. They surrounded his home, and he eventually surrendered to the forces. The condition of the two IDF reservists injured in the attack, who were initially listed as being in moderate condition, later deteriorated and they are both now in serious condition. They were evacuated by helicopter from the scene of the attack to the hospital.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once urged the Obama administration to scrutinize an audio recording believed to contain the sound of his father’s 1968 assassination, suggesting it captured more shots than the firearm used by the convicted shooter was capable of firing.
The appeal was made in a letter Kennedy Jr. sent in September 2012 to then-Attorney General Eric Holder. That correspondence was among a large batch of documents released Wednesday by the National Archives, which pertain to the government’s investigation into the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation designating Thursday as a day for the United States to celebrate victory in World War II as countries in Europe already do. Cities from London to Moscow are holding parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world observes Thursday’s 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, when Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, including the U.S. Here’s what to know about Trump’s plans: What is Trump doing and why? The Republican president is designating specific days for the U.S. to celebrate being on the winning side in World War I and World War II. He complained in recent social media posts that Americans don’t spend enough time celebrating those achievements, which he said wouldn’t have been possible without the U.S.

Today, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA) met with senior leaders of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to discuss ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish communities across the United States as part of its two-day Mission to Washington. The meeting included Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy Aaron Reitz, and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Leo Terrell.

Pages