Special interview with Iran’s chief rabbi

 

Rabbi Younes Lazar Hamami, one of the leaders of Iran’s Jewish community, addressed the security situation facing Jewish communities in Iran on Tuesday, expressing a surprising view of the local authorities.

He claimed that, unlike many Jewish communities around the world that require heightened security, synagogues and Jewish institutions in Iran do not need security systems or special guards, as the local police provide protection for all citizens.

During an interview with Iranian media, Hamami sharply criticized Israel, referring to it as the “Zionist regime."

He accused Israel of using allegations of antisemitism to target its opponents and silence criticism of the country.

To support his claims, he pointed to protests by Jews in countries such as the US and Britain against Israeli policies, arguing that these demonstrations prove that many Jews oppose the actions of the Israeli government.

Ger Threating Not to Vote in Elections because they hate Eliakim Stark who is a Belzer Chusid

 

The Ger hasidic movement, a dominant force within the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, is threatening to boycott the upcoming elections.

Hamodia, the newspaper representing the Ger hasidic community, has notably refrained from publishing any call by the Ger Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, to vote for the party. No official statement regarding the elections has been issued, an extremely unusual situation at such an advanced stage of the campaign, when election activities are normally in full swing.

Behind the silence lies a severe political crisis that erupted just hours before the deadline for submitting Knesset candidate lists:

 Meir Porush, a representative of the Shlomei Emunim faction, and Eliakim Stark, a representative of the Belz hasidic community, unexpectedly broke away from Agudat Yisrael and established a separate party called Torat Homat Yisrael, whose representatives occupy fourth and sixth place on the joint UTJ list.

The move was intended to secure funding proportional to their electoral strength within UTJ.

The Ger hasidic movement has struggled to accept the move and is reportedly determined to do everything possible to prevent Stark, who holds sixth place on the UTJ list, from entering the Knesset.

"As of now, we have been instructed not to engage in any election-related activity, and so far, there has been no public call from the Gerrer Rebbe. So it is not at all clear whether we will vote in the upcoming elections," a Gerrer hasid told Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.

"The goal," the hasid admitted, "is to do everything possible to keep Stark out."

If the Ger community does not vote, UTJ could potentially lose two Knesset seats.

In Belz, however, officials are dismissing the threat.

"The entire Ger hasidic movement accounts for 25,000 to 30,000 votes. Meanwhile, the natural growth in UTJ's voter base amounts to 55,000 votes. Even if they stage a work-to-rule protest, they won't manage to affect even the seventh seat," sources in the movement told Arutz Sheva.

Nevertheless, the prevailing assessment is that a compromise will ultimately be reached and Gerrer hasidim will turn out to vote for the United Torah Judaism list.

Betzalel Smotrich Always the Gentleman Refuses to Engage in Battle With Rav Landau

The entire Yeshivishe World is an uproar when Betzalel Smotrich dared say what every single frum thinking reasonable person thinks and is afraid of saying out loud, asserting "that Chareidim show ingratitude to Hashem" and questioning of "how anyone could remain Chareidi in Eretz Yisroel"

Anyone who was ever been stuck in traffic for hours and witnessed the sheer violence perpetrated by Bnei-Torah on other Jews, anyone who walked the streets in Yerushlayim seeing Bnei-Torah calling other Jews in uniform "Nazi" and witnessing with their own eyes, Bnei-Torah calling a Bas-Yisrael, someone's wife, someone's daughter or sister ... "Shiksah" , anyone that sees the utter destruction that Bnei-Torah did to the Light Rail, resulting in damage of close to a billion shekel, is questioning "how anyone could remain Chareidi in Eretz Yisroel"

Rav Landau who is quick to dish out whatever is on his mind, like calling Jewish Children in Uniform "rashaim & murderers" during the 9 days, no less, and stating with a straight face that October 7 was a war because the IDF wants to grab more land and is fighting in Gaza for "their own glory" and that October 7 was NOT a Milchemes Mitzva, yet elections are, cannot take it when someone else with a different hashkafa questions his Charedie narrative.

Rav Dov Landau responded to Betzalel Smotrich’s sane and reasonable comment on Chareidim, describing Smotrich’s words as a" Chillul Hashem" and warning that "defending Torah and those who learn it has become more critical than ever."

HaRav Landau Shlit”a made the remarks during a visit from Rabbonim from Rechasim, who came to his home and the home of HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Shlit”a to seek guidance and brachos ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, in a State that those Rabbanim don't recognize and who consider the Knesset "a gathering of meenim & apikorsim"

While saying there was no need to engage Smotrich directly, Rav Landau stressed that the attack on Torah required a forceful response.

I am not sure what a "forceful response is" but the Yated, the mouthpiece of Degel and Rav Lamdau' hinted Rav Landau was referring to physical violence. כדרכם בקודש .... and no one is surprised!

Invoking the Chazon Ish’s directive to participate in Israeli elections, he said the obligation to vote had been “doubled and redoubled” amid the current threats to Torah and the treatment of lomdei Torah “as plunder, Hashem yishmereinu.”

He called on the public to vote for United Torah Judaism, declaring, “We have nothing remaining except this Torah!”

He emphasized that everyone must vote, even if doing so involved inconvenience or personal sacrifice, and said voters should cast their ballots in their own places of residence rather than seek exemptions because of distance or logistical challenges.

Smotrich made the controversial comments earlier this week at two events. Asked why he had not responded publicly to HaRav Landau’s criticism, he said he was hesitant to argue openly with a talmid chacham.

He cautioned that his silence should not be mistaken for agreement, invoking the traditional warning to beware of the “burning coals” of Torah scholars. 

Smotrich added that he davened for HaRav Landau to do teshuvah, while maintaining that a public response was unnecessary.

He subsequently described Chareidim as ungrateful and “completely blind,” questioning how anyone could remain Chareidi today.

Comptroller Mark Levine will not invest in Israeli Bonds siding with Mamzarani/Satmar policy Against Israel

 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday welcomed Comptroller Mark Levine’s decision not to invest city funds in Israeli bonds, saying the city should not purchase bonds issued by any foreign government. 

Asked by Jacob Kornbluh about a New York Times report on Levine’s decision, Mamdani said he supported the comptroller’s move.

Lakewood Vaad Backs Cory Booker for Senate Over Republican

 

The Lakewood Vaad, a group of Orthodox Jews , has endorsed Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker and Republican Representative Christopher Smith for reelection in the November election.

The organization also supports Republican Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi for another term.

At the local level, the Vaad backs Democratic Mayor Raymond Coles and Republican Township Committeewoman Deborah Fuentes for reelection to the five member Township Committee. Coles and Fuentes face Republican Moshe Raitzik and Democrat Samantha Stokes.

For the Lakewood Board of Education, the Vaad endorses incumbents Samuel Melnik and Harriet Westbrook Goldberg. With no candidate filed for the third seat, it supports a write in campaign for incumbent Abraham Reich and urges voters to reject a related public question.

In the race for two seats on the Lakewood Board of Fire Commissioners, the group backs incumbents David Bender and Harrison Pfeffer over challenger Larry Loigman.

The Vaad holds major influence among Lakewood’s large Orthodox Jewish population and often issues bipartisan endorsements based on couple of powerful community members needs.

Ami features Rav Schach a hater of Chabad ...Crown Heights bans the magazine

 

Rav Schach mamash hated the Lubavitcher Rebbe on a personal level and went as far as to announce in public that Chabad mikvaot were pasul and children born as the result were bnei nidah. He never apologized or retracted.

To put a man like that on a cover shows that the clown Yitzy Frankfurter the editor is clueless and insensitive !

Rav Schach was a political figure who broke away from Aguda to form his own political party called Degel! He initially endorsed the disastrous Oslo Accords that bought about the intifada that murdered innocent Jews Then under pressure he backed away from supporting it.

📰 Ami Magazine will not be sold in Crown Heights stores this week following controversy over the magazine’s front-cover feature of a figure who caused significant anguish within the Chabad community in the past. Crown Heights stores have reportedly united in a decision not to carry this week’s issue.

— Shchuna News (@ch_shchuna770) October 14, 2026

Skverer Rebbe's Hochul decimated by Bruce Blakeman in Debate

 

Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman took aim at Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul, a Skverer Chassisteh claiming she is responsible for the increase in utility bills in the state and not the policies of President Donald Trump.

Bein Hazmanim is over but Chareidim refuse to go back to "learn! "

זו תורה וזו שכרה

Go out and vote! .......HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu

 

HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.

The Torah commands: “You shall surely appoint over yourself a king whom the Lord your God shall choose. From among your brothers you shall appoint a king over yourself; you may not appoint over yourself a foreigner who is not your brother" (Deuteronomy 17:15).

The Jerusalem Talmud (Sanhedrin 2:6) brings an observation made by a Samaritan to Rabbi Hezekiah: “It is not written ‘I shall appoint,’ but ‘You shall appoint.’ You must appoint him over yourselves." It does not say “I shall appoint," but rather “You shall appoint." You must appoint over yourselves a king whom God has chosen.

“A leader is not appointed over the public unless the public is first consulted."

The Gemara states (Berakhot 55a): “Rabbi Yochanan said: There are three things that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself announces, and they are famine, abundance, and a good leader."

“Rabbi Yitzchak said: A leader is not appointed over the public unless the public is first consulted, as it is stated (Exodus 35): ‘And Moses said to the Children of Israel: See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel.’

“The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘Moses, is Bezalel suitable in your eyes?’ He replied: ‘Master of the Universe, if he is suitable in Your eyes, is he not all the more so in mine?’ God said to him: ‘Nevertheless, go and tell Israel.’

“He went and said to Israel: ‘Is Bezalel suitable in your eyes?’ They said to him: ‘If he is suitable in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and in your eyes, is it not all the more so in ours?’"

Before commanding the appointment of a king, the Torah states: “When you come to the Land that the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and dwell in it, and you say, ‘I shall appoint a king over myself like all the nations around me’" (Deuteronomy 17:14)

The Netziv explains:

“It appears that this is because the government of a country differs depending on whether it is governed according to the will of a king or according to the will of the people and their representatives. There is a country that cannot tolerate the rule of a king, and there is a country that, without a king, is like a ship without a captain.

Aliza Bloch warns: Israel is on the brink of civil war

 

Dr. Aliza Bloch of the Blue and White party addressed questions about her party's chances of crossing the electoral threshold during an interview at the Arutz Sheva-Israel National News conference, warning that a victory by either political bloc could bring Israel to the brink of civil war.

Asked when Blue and White would withdraw from the race, Bloch said the question presented an opportunity to consider what truly matters and where the country is headed.

"It is clear to me that if, God forbid, either bloc wins, we will be on the brink of civil war," she said. "In many ways, I feel that Blue and White is like the child with his finger in the dike, saying: Stop, the writing is on the wall."

Bloch continued, "I am genuinely afraid. Anyone who has ever studied history knows that the possibility of the kingdom falling apart is real. I feel that we are at a crucial moment in Israel's history, and we have chosen a very specific side of history."

Asked about the failure of efforts to unite political forces, leaving Blue and White to run independently, Bloch replied, "We are alone, but strong."