MASSIVE TURNOUT: 50,000 Pack Kosel For Selichos; More Than 350,000 Attend Since Start Of Elul

 

More than 50,000 people packed the Kosel plaza overnight for the fourth major Selichos gathering of Elul, as extraordinary crowds continue to stream to the Kosel ahead of the Yamim Noraim.

According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, more than 350,000 mispallelim have already participated in Selichos at the Kosel since the beginning of Elul — despite the month only reaching its halfway point.

The Foundation said this year’s crowds have been significantly larger than usual, with thousands arriving at the Kosel each night and tens of thousands attending the major organized gatherings.

The next major Selichos gathering at the Kosel is scheduled for Motzei Shabbos, 16 Elul, August 29, at 12:15 a.m., with tens of thousands again expected to attend.

QATAR MONEY: Millions Funneled To Arab Israeli Organization Through London Foundation

 

Millions of shekels originating from Qatar have flowed to an Israeli nonprofit in Haifa through a British foundation, allowing the funds to be officially recorded in Israel as donations from England without Qatar appearing in the organization’s filings, according to an investigation by Shomrim published by Ynet.

The investigation found that the Arab Culture Association in Haifa received NIS 17.8 million in foreign donations between 2020 and 2025, accounting for more than 95% of its income. The overwhelming majority reportedly came from the London-based Galilee Foundation, whose own funding largely originates in Qatar.

Ground Zero 9/11 Ceremony Organizers Deny Trump to Speak, a Sitting President

 

President Trump is not expected to attend the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero in New York next month and will instead commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, where he will be permitted to deliver remarks, according to multiple reports.

Trump’s team had signaled in recent weeks that the president, a native New Yorker, planned to attend the annual memorial at the World Trade Center site and conducted advance visits there. Officials familiar with the discussions told The New York Times that Trump wanted to speak at the ceremony. Organizers refused.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has barred politicians from giving speeches at the site since 2012, a policy intended to keep the ceremony nonpartisan and focused on the victims. Elected officials routinely attend, but the speaking is left to family members who read the names of those killed. The program includes six moments of silence marking the times the planes struck, the towers fell, the Pentagon was hit and United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Trump is now expected to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon, which was also attacked on Sept. 11. He delivered remarks there last year. Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House at Ground Zero.

White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Trump, “as a proud New Yorker,” has spoken about watching the attacks unfold. “On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the President will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans,” Kelly said.

Travel logistics also factored into the change, according to the Times. Trump is scheduled to leave the following day for Doonbeg, Ireland, where the Irish Open will be held near his golf course. Departing from the New York area would cause far greater road and air disruptions than leaving from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Trump last attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024. Before the Pentagon appearance, he is expected to attend a midterm political convention in Texas on Sept. 9 and 10. Among those expected in Manhattan are former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

The 25th anniversary ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 11.

8-month-old Yitzchok Rosenberg Killed by Car while walking. Mother & Sister in Serious Condition

 

From a reader:

Enough feel-good idiocy

The feel-good idiots made the Monsey girl tragedy about “forgiveness” instead of eradicating any vestiges of aggressive driving in unzereh residential neighborhoods.
Can we learn the lesson now and do the proper safety hishtadlus, or will the feel-good idiots hijack the topic again and we will wait for the next victims c”v?

 An 8-month-old boy died Friday after a vehicle struck him, his mother and his sister outside NPGS, a kosher supermarket on West County Line Road in Jackson, according to local Jewish community news outlets.

The boy was identified as Yitzchok Rosenberg, who was critically injured in the crash and later pronounced dead at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

The crash occurred in the parking lot of NPGS at 2080 W. County Line Road, near the Jackson-Lakewood border. NPGS is a kosher supermarket serving the local Jewish community.

According to initial reports, a vehicle struck the mother and her two children as it was leaving the shopping center. Emergency crews responded to the scene, and a mass-casualty incident was declared because of the number and severity of the injuries.

Yitzchok was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Despite efforts to save him, he died from his injuries.

His mother, Golda Chana, and his sister, Rochel, were also seriously injured and transported to the hospital. Community reports said the mother underwent emergency surgery

The family had initially been the subject of an urgent communitywide call for prayers as emergency personnel worked at the scene and doctors treated the victims.

Yitzchok was identified for prayers as Yitzchok ben Golda Chana. His mother was identified as Golda Chana bas Leah Shaindel, and his sister as Rochel bas Golda Chana.

The circumstances of the crash remained under investigation Friday. Initial reports about how the vehicle struck the family had not been independently confirmed by police.

The death sent shock waves through the Jewish communities of Jackson and nearby Lakewood, where residents had followed updates on the family’s condition throughout the day.

Zera Shimshon PARASHAT KI TAVO

 

Unbelievable! 12 countries condemn Israel over UNRWA center evacuation in Jerusalem Which was a Den for Terrorists

 

12 countries, including eight European Union members, have criticized Israel over its decision to begin dismantling a UNRWA vocational training center in Kafr Aqab, an area of eastern Jerusalem.

The statement was issued Thursday by Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All 12 countries serve on UNRWA’s Advisory Commission.

They described Israel’s entry into and seizure of the facility as “unlawful" and reaffirmed their support for the UN agency for "Palestinian refugees".

The countries called for “immediate and full compliance with the UN obligations allowing UNRWA to carry out its mandated activities without interference," while urging Israel to “halt all disruptions" to the agency’s operations.

The joint condemnation followed an operation earlier this week involving the IDF, Israel Police and Jerusalem Municipality to evacuate the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, in northern Jerusalem.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed the operation, saying Israeli authorities were acting in accordance with legislation targeting UNRWA.

New poll delivers blow to left as Winter’s party gains ground

 

A new poll published Thursday evening on Israel’s Channel 14 reveals challenging numbers for Israel’s left-wing bloc while showing a notable debut for Ofer Winter’s newly launched political party.

Just three days after announcing the formation of “Amcha Yisrael” (Your People Israel), retired Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter has achieved a significant milestone: his party crosses the electoral threshold for the first time, securing four Knesset seats in the survey. (Other recent polls have credited Winter with six or even seven mandates.)

The shift marks a dramatic change from Channel 14’s initial poll conducted immediately after Winter announced his entry into politics, which showed “Amcha Yisrael” earning only 2.1% of the vote, below the 3.25% threshold required for Knesset representation. Within days of the party’s official launch, Winter has now entered the parliamentary picture, reshaping the distribution of seats.

According to the complete survey results, Likud leads with 31 seats. Yesh Atid, the centrist party led by Yair Lapid, receives 23 mandates, while the ultra-Orthodox Shas party takes 10 and the Democrats secure 9.

United Torah Judaism (representing Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox parties), Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), and the Joint List each win 7 seats. Yisrael Beiteinu earns 6 mandates, Ra’am (an Arab Islamist party) gets 5, while Religious Zionism and Winter’s “Amcha Yisrael” close the list with 4 seats each.

Several parties fall short of the electoral threshold, including Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party at 1.7%, Beit Zioni-Miluimnikim (a reservists’ party led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel) at 1.1%, Blue and White at 0.4%, HaAchdut at 0.3%, and Noam at 0.3%.

When divided into political blocs, the right-wing camp reaches 63 seats, a governing majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The left-wing bloc stands at 45 mandates, while Arab parties collectively hold 12 seats.

Charedie "Pay for Slay Program": New Fund to Provide NIS 1,000 a Day to Families of Bnei Torah Held in Military Prison

 

Charedie steal Arab "Pay for Slay" idea and apply this to their own! 

A new program known as “Prison 1000” is being established to assist the families of Bnei Torah detained by Israeli military authorities. The initiative will provide NIS 1,000 for every full day an eligible individual remains in military prison.

The fund was created with the guidance of leading dayanim and poskim as arrests of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim over draft evasion have ramped up. Its goal is to ensure that the financial strain of an arrest does not fall entirely on the family. Assistance may be used for legal fees, transportation and prison visits, as well as income lost when family members must take time off from work.

Participants will pay a maximum of NIS 1 per day when an eligible arrest takes place, along with a NIS 3 monthly administrative fee. As more people join the program, the daily cost per participant is expected to decline.

The initiative is overseen by several dayanim, including HaGaon HaRav Naftali Nussbaum Shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Tufik Abiezri Shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Meir Stern Shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Eliyahu Pozna Shlit”a and HaGaon HaRav Tzvi Braverman Shlit”a.

The committee has sole authority to determine who qualifies for assistance and how funds are distributed.

The program applies only to unexpected arrests. Individuals who knowingly expose themselves to arrest, such as by voluntarily reporting to draft offices or police stations or attempting to cross an airport or other border crossing, are excluded from coverage.

Chareidi communities, yeshivos and kollelim are now joining the initiative, with institutions signing up together to extend coverage to their bochurim and avreichim.

Don’t Be a Golem

 

by EMAILIM BATORAH

:friedmanmoishe771@101211442.mailchimpapp.com Among serious historians — Jewish and non‑Jewish, frum and non‑frum — the famous story of the Golem of Prague is universally regarded as a legend with no pre‑19th‑century evidence. Neither the Maharal nor his talmidim ever mention such an event, and no contemporary source records it. 1. The First Appearance: A Novel by a Maskil  The earliest known reference to a “Golem of Prague” appears not in any Jewish manuscript, but in 1837, in a fictional novel by the Maskil, Berthold Auerbach, Spinoza: Ein Historischer Roman. In a satirical depiction of Spinoza’s חרם, Auerbach has Spinoza declare that he does not believe in the Golem of Prague — and in the novel, this disbelief is presented as the reason for his חרם. Auerbach’s intent was transparent: to mock frum Yidden by portraying them as people who place someone in חרם for rejecting fairy tales. These few lines are the first recorded mention of a Prague Golem in history.   2. R. Yidel Rosenberg, a bestselling novelist The legend gained traction only decades later through R. Yidel Rosenberg z”l, a respected Rav in Łódź and Warsaw who later served in Toronto and Montreal. Rosenberg was a תלמיד חכם— he translated the זהר into לשון קדש — but he also wrote popular Yiddish novels*. Rosenberg claimed to have discovered manuscripts written by R. Yitzchak Katz zt”l, the Maharal’s son‑in‑law, in the “Great Library of Metz.” This library, however, never existed. One of these alleged manuscripts described the creation of the Golem in elaborate detail. In 1908/1909, Rosenberg published this “manuscript” as נפלאות מהר"ל, and it was this ספר — not any earlier tradition — that popularized the Golem story among Jews and eventually among non‑Jews. To bolster credibility, Rosenberg asserted that the נודע ביהודה believed in the Golem and even invented a dramatic tale of the Noda B’Yehuda climbing into the attic to view the deactivated Golem**. No such story appears anywhere in the writings of the נודע ביהודה or his descendants. . 3. The Immediate Pushback: R. Mendel Eckstein (1909) Within a year of Rosenberg’s publication, R. Mendel Eckstein z”l released a ספר titled ספר יצירה, in which he systematically refuted Rosenberg’s work and labeled it a fabrication. He presented 25 proofs demonstrating that the manuscript could not be authentic — including halachic contradictions and historical impossibilities. One of his most compelling proofs: The manuscript refers to a talmid named “Tosfos Yom Tov.” But in the era of R. Yitzchak Katz, no such sefer existed, and R. Yom Tov Lipman Heller was not known by that title. The name “Tosfos Yom Tov” became common only after his פירוש was printed — long after the Maharal’s lifetime. It is impossible that R. Yitzchak Katz would have used that term. Eckstein also noted halachic impossibilities in Rosenberg’s description of how the Golem was created and decommissioned — procedures inconsistent with the actual Sefer Yetzirah tradition. *His grandson, Mordechai Richler, was one of the most famous Canadian novelists. ** The Rebbe Rayatz Zt"l (Frierdiker Lubavitcher Rebbe)  climbed up the attic. He never claimed to have seen the Golem there, but some Chasidim claim that he did.

Entire Neturei Karta Family goes off the derech

 Now this isn't "stam" a Neturei Karta Family! This family of 8 was from the "Cream of the Crop" of the Neturei Karta living in the most extremist places in Israel, Beit Shemesh Bet! 

They were influential and leaders! The lady illustrated and wrote dozens of children books that was according to her, embedded with the most vile hatred against the State that one can imagine! Her husband orchestrated all the protests, stopping traffic, and putting everything in their path on fire.

She says that Satmar is mild compared to the group she belonged to. 

Her children are now serving in the IDF and she is proud of her children and now loves her country! 

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