However, on Friday, the Florida representative set a new low in American politics: attempting to assign some of the blame for the shooting of two National Guardsmen on President Donald Trump.
On CNN’s "News Central," Wasserman Schultz declared:
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Incredible! Wasserman Schultz blames Trump for DC attack
Charedim in Lakewood Throw Harav Hirsch Under the bus Because He has agreed to allow some Chareidim to be Draftred
As I often say, Charedim seem to turn more harshly on their own than on the Zionists.
Just minutes after news broke that Harav Hirsch and Rav Landau had agreed to a new conscription law, Lakewood was flooded with pashkevilim attacking Rabbi Hirsch — some even labeling him “Tamei.”
I seriously doubt this law will hold up in the Supreme Court. Still, it’s becoming clear that the “Gedoilim” are beginning to bend under pressure. Israel’s broader population is growing increasingly frustrated with the Charedi community’s refusal to serve in the IDF while continuing to receive full state benefits.
The chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Boaz Bismuth, has circulated the updated draft of the Conscription Law ahead of discussions set to begin next week.
Recruitment Targets
The law sets gradual recruitment targets:
• First year (until June 30, 2026): 8,160 recruits
• Second year: 6,840
• Third year: 7,920
• Fourth year: 8,500
• From the fifth year onward: 50% of each annual draft cohort of graduates from the ultra-Orthodox education system.
The first year is defined as a fixed period until June 30, 2026, regardless of when the law is approved, meaning the next target will apply already in about half a year.
Civil-Security Service
In a significant change from the Edelstein draft, the law allows national-civil service to be counted toward meeting the targets, but only within security-related frameworks: the Israel Police, the Prison Service, the Shin Bet, and the Mossad. Service in other civilian bodies will not be recognized.
Definition of “Haredi”
For the purpose of calculating the targets, a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) individual is defined as someone who studied for at least two years in a Haredi educational institution between the ages of 14 and 18. This definition includes dropouts who left the system at age 16.
Personal Sanctions
Personal sanctions will take immediate effect upon approval of the law and will apply to anyone who does not enlist and does not receive an exemption or deferment of service. Sanctions include:
• A ban on issuing a driver’s license until age 23 (only for those who have not yet obtained one)
• A ban on leaving the country until age 23
• Revocation of academic scholarships
• Revocation of income-tax credit points
• Ineligibility for positions designated for fair representation in the civil service
An exemptions committee will be established, headed by a reserve lieutenant colonel from the IDF Manpower Directorate, with the participation of a major and a representative of the Yeshiva Council, empowered to grant exemptions from sanctions in special cases.
Institutional Sanctions
If targets are not met, gradual institutional sanctions will take effect. In the first year, meeting 75% of the target is required to avoid sanctions; in the second and third years—80%; and from the fourth year—90%.
Sanctions include:
• Liability for full National Insurance (Bituach Leumi) payments even without income
• Revocation of public-transportation benefits
• Loss of eligibility for discounted housing programs and daycare subsidies (first year)
• Revocation of financial assistance for purchasing a home (second year)
• Revocation of the purchase-tax exemption (third year)
Additionally, government support for yeshivas for students who have received a service deferment order will be reduced in proportion to the shortfall in meeting the target.
Major Changes from the Edelstein Draft
The law eliminates the requirement for a minimum number of combat soldiers, removes the fingerprint-collection mechanism in yeshivas, keeps the exemption age at 26, and allows counting civil-security service. The IDF Chief Rabbi on the supervisory committee is replaced by a lieutenant colonel from the Manpower Directorate, and a representative of the Yeshiva Council is added.
Validity of the Law
The law will not be automatically canceled in the event of failure to meet the targets. Only after three consecutive years in which less than 85% of the annual target is met will a committee be formed to examine the reasons and submit proposals for amendments. After four consecutive years of failure, the Minister of Defense will be required to establish additional tools and incentives.
Rare footage from the tomb of the prophet Havakuk in Iran
Visitors have released striking footage from what is believed to be the tomb of Havakuk HaNavi in Tuyserkan, the fourth-largest city in Iran’s Hamadan province, near the traditional burial sites of Mordechai and Esther.
The identification is debated, as Israel also has a site in the Lower Galilee associated with Havakuk.
The Jews who filmed the scene avoided showing themselves so as not to draw the attention of local authorities.
Satmar Rebbe Meets Port Authority Officer Whose Family are Skverer Chassidim at JFK
The Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum, arrived at JFK Airport on Thursday night, where Port Authority officers were assigned to welcome him upon landing.
During the brief reception, one officer introduced himself as Officer Yanky Schmeltzer and told the Rebbe that his grandfather is from New Square. Speaking to him in the Rebbe’s native Yiddish, Schmeltzer shared the family connection, prompting the Rebbe to note that he knew the officer’s uncle — a personal and warm moment amid the formal greeting.
The Rebbe’s arrival, following a series of major community events abroad, drew interest from local Hasidic circles, some of whom gathered at the airport to observe the welcome.
Trump Declares Biden’s Autopen-Signed Documents ‘Null and Void’
President Trump on Friday declared that approximately 92% of former President Joe Biden’s executive orders and other documents signed via autopen are “hereby terminated and of no further force or effect,” escalating a partisan battle over the legitimacy of Biden’s White House actions.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Biden’s aides of illegally operating the autopen — a mechanical device that replicates a signature — without the former president’s direct involvement.f5a7ef “The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him,” Trump wrote, claiming the device was misused to enact policies without proper authorization.
Trump’s announcement comes just two days after a deadly shooting near the White House that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition, an incident the president has labeled an “act of terror” linked to lax immigration policies under Biden. The attack, which authorities are investigating as potential international terrorism, has fueled Trump’s aggressive push on border security and deportation efforts.
Friday, November 28, 2025
Qatar hosting Al Jazeera Conference that Calls Reports of Oct. 7 Massacres “False Israeli Claims”
A high-profile media conference hosted this week in Doha is openly dismissing the documented atrocities of October 7, calling accounts of Hamas’ massacre “false reports” manufactured by Israel. The event, backed and promoted by Al Jazeera and Qatari state academic institutions, is positioning itself as a counter-narrative to global coverage of Hamas’ crimes.
The two-day gathering, titled “International Media and the War on Gaza,” is being co-hosted by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, a Qatari government–funded institution. According to the conference’s own promotional materials, Western media and “some Arab outlets” are accused of adopting what the organizers call “the Israeli narrative.”
Al Jazeera’s write-up goes further, alleging that reports of Hamas terrorists burning children alive on October 7 — testimony confirmed by Israeli officials, forensic teams, survivors, and international journalists — are “false reports.”
Conference documents circulated by Al Jazeera repeatedly refer to Israel’s verified documentation of massacre victims as part of a “manufactured Israeli discourse.”
The language frames the conference’s purpose as a corrective to global reporting, explicitly suggesting that extensive footage, military bodycams, autopsies, eyewitness testimony, and forensic findings are propaganda.
This framing is not implied or debated; it is written directly into the promotional text and conference goals.
The event is entirely sponsored by Qatari institutions. Every speaker, panel description, and program agenda is being promoted under the branding of Al Jazeera and a university overseen by the Qatari government. Qatar remains Hamas’ primary financial and political patron.
While Qatar claims its international media arm is a neutral news outlet, this publicly advertised dismissal of October 7 atrocities underscores that Al Jazeera and state-linked academia are jointly advancing a narrative designed to delegitimize documented war crimes.
Far from presenting a spectrum of viewpoints, the conference literature indicates a single goal: to refute Israel’s evidence of Hamas’ crimes and cast international reporting as complicit in “false narratives.”
Attorney General Gali Baharav‑Miara Embroiled in Massive Scandal
Attorney General Gali Baharav‑Miara attempted to thwart the investigation of the disgraced Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, and personally prevented the transfer of information on the case to Lahav 433 (known as the Israeli FBI), an explosive report by 124News revealed on Thursday evening.
According to the report, what began as a personal request by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir for a sensitive police investigation escalated into direct intervention by the Attorney General and a severe command clash among senior police officials.
The incident began on October 16, 2025. Zamir’s aide, Col. Alon Laniado, contacted Lahav 433 commander Commissioner Manny Binyamin and informed him about a sensitive and urgent investigation that Zamir wanted Lahav 433 to lead. The two scheduled a meeting for Sunday morning.
Amit Segal on the Interview With the Editor of the Hebrew Yated
in a jaw-dropping interview. Let’s start with the basics: why don’t Haredim serve in the IDF? Friedman’s answer isn’t subtle, to say the least. “Those who save the state are those who learn Torah, so someone who harms Torah learners harms state security,” he says. “Mathematically, what is incorrect about that? We are preserving the Jewish people, and in this matter of preserving the Jewish people there is no equality of burden — only we contribute.” Read that again. Only they contribute. So fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran doesn’t count? “That’s not preserving the Jewish people; that’s preserving the Israeli people,” he says. Great, so Friedman thinks the IDF is pointless? Not quite. “If the yeshivas don’t study, the tanks won’t start. The planes won’t take off.” Ok, so perhaps, you’re hoping, deep down, he respects Israel’s astonishing military and intelligence capabilities. Nope. “The army has never won because of the number of soldiers,” Friedman told Weisz. “At West Point they study wars from around the whole world, but not Israel’s wars — you know why? Because the rules of war don’t apply here. There is no logic here.” But what about the fact that the IDF is missing 10,000-12,000 soldiers? Friedman isn’t rattled in the slightest. His solution for the army? “It lacks learners!” And then, citing a story of a famous rabbi from 19th century Europe, he asserts that “we need to increase study in the yeshivas even more, and then 15 elderly soldiers will win all these wars, and I believe this with complete faith.” Weisz, however, had a trick question up his sleeve — or so he thought. Israel, after all, is full of religious Zionists, Jews who are Orthodox (and often spend years learning Torah and other religious texts), yet are fully integrated into Israeli society and serve in the military just like everyone else. Indeed, according to some surveys, the number of religious Zionists in reserve IDF duty since October 7 make up almost twice their share of the population. Friedman’s response? He dismisses them as “people whose kippah on their head is merely a social identity badge, barely connected to any religious reality.” If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably gathered that Friedman isn’t exactly worried about offending others. There is one group, however, that he says the ultra-Orthodox have sworn to never offend. “We don’t go against the United States,” he told Weisz. Why? Because “we [Israel] are an American protectorate.” Still haven’t given up? Great, because I now want to address the question I’ve been asking in this newsletter: what is the Haredi business model? Right-wing Israelis have a vision for the country. So does the left. But what does the ultra-Orthodox public want? For that too, Friedman has an answer: “Yated Ne’eman, like the entire Haredi public, has always carried two passports in its suit pocket: a Jewish passport and an Israeli passport. The Jewish passport is 3,300 years old, since we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Israeli passport is 80 years old.” “As long as we weren’t asked to choose, we had two passports… But the State of Israel forced us to choose: either-or. It does not allow us today, under the current circumstances, to have both. 3,300 years ago, we chose the Jewish passport, and let there be no mistake: this is what we are fighting for.”
Well, that was a lot to take in. There is, however, a question that Friedman didn’t answer: do the Haredim reallybelieve this story that he just sold us? Some certainly do, and some most likely don’t. And while the different sects within the Haredi world will all offer varying takes on what you’ve just read, perhaps now you have a greater understanding of the anger (to put it mildly) that other Israelis feel towards the ultra-Orthodox. After all, this isn’t the musings of a fringe crank. Friedman’s worldview dominates Israel’s Haredi political parties, which control the coalition’s survival and shape draft policy, welfare budgets, and so much more. These ideas aren’t whispered in private — they are mainstream inside a community that may well be 1/3 of the country in the near future, leaving many in the Jewish state increasingly worried that they’re running out of time to stop the ship from sinking. But for those Israelis who would dare interfere with the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle, Friedman has a warning: “This way of life cannot be stopped, because the day it stops, neither we nor they will remain. There will be no state here, no people here, and the Land of Israel will lie desolate.” Truth be told, Friedman may well be right. But not for the reason he thinks.
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