Around the 35-second mark, he is seen engaging the terrorists before they open fire and shoot him in the leg.
The video then shows Hamas terrorists just yards from his position moments earlier, followed by Israeli forces evacuating him to an ambulance.
The celebrated Torah luminary and first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (1865-1935) is recognized as being among the most important Jewish thinkers of all time. His writings reflect the mystic's search for underlying unity in all aspects of life and the world, and his unique personality similarly united a rare combination of talents and gifts.He was the undisputed leader of Religious Zionism, defining the Jewish People and the Land of Israel as entities with specific commandments in the Torah of Israel, a construct known as Torat Eretz Yisrael.
Rav Kook was a prominent rabbinical authority and active public leader, but at the same time a deeply religious mystic. He was both Talmudic scholar and poet, original thinker and saintly tzaddik.
Read his prescient words, a heartfelt call to today's Diaspora Jews - written a century ago:
The Land of Israel, Come to the Land of Israel, everyone.
Let us sound this rallying cry clearly, without pause.
Come to Eretz Yisrael. Beloved brethren, save your souls. The souls of your future generations, of our entire nation. Save it from desolation and waste, from decay and humiliation. Save it from evil and impurity, from the sorrow and distress to which it is subject in all the countries of other nations, without distinction.
Come to Eretz Yisrael. Let us call out in a resounding, thunderous voice, in a voice that sets off a storm and enflames the heaven and earth, a voice that penetrates all chambers of the heart.
Escape for your lives and come to the Land of Israel. It is the voice of God that is calling us. His hand is outstretched to us; His spirit, which we have in our hearts, is gathering us together, He is encouraging us, and He is compelling all of us to sound this great rallying cry:
@TuckerCarlson criticized @benshapiro for traveling to Israel because that's not "America First."
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) December 7, 2025
Now he's buying a home in Qatar because "I'm an American and can go wherever I want."
Someone should tell Tucker that Ben also has an American passport. https://t.co/Hkaq4OHFzU
Ireland starves in a horrific famine in 1847: Jewish communities around the world mobilize donations to help feed the people of Ireland. From New York to London, from Montefiore to Rothschild, Jews help feed to the people of Ireland.
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) December 7, 2025
The Jewish state is attacked in the worst… pic.twitter.com/cCFMWyb4x6
The airline says the suspension applies regardless of routing and will remain in place "until further notice," though it is working on a solution to restore eligible shipments.
.@SecRubio needs to release a statement. The money hungry ambassador to Turkey @USAMBTurkiye who is only in his position because he’s a rich billionaire (he has zero foreign policy background) just said Israel isn’t a democracy, and that monarchy is the best form of government.… https://t.co/8IO1VkeC2m
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 7, 2025
Chassidim and Yeshivish circles often criticize Chilonim relentlessly, sometimes even going so far as to deny their Jewishness altogether.
One prominent leader of a major Chassidus even questioned Chabad’s campaign to encourage secular Jews to put on tefillin, offering the twisted logic that such efforts are futile since they have “hirhurim.” It sounds absurd, but I’ve seen people on my own blog defending this childish sevarah.
And yet, when one of their own makes far more outrageous claims, the silence is deafening. Reb Mendele Viznitzer — who himself once referred to his own role as a “shvantz,” a tail — has followers who treat him as immortal, even divine.
If he calls himself a “shvantz,” who am I to argue?
The irony is glaring. The very Chilonim whom these groups disparage do not worship avoda zara. But within their own ranks, they tolerate and even celebrate behavior that borders on idolatry.
Jewish-American actor and comedian Michael Rapaport shared his journey of reconnecting to Judaism, writing: “It charges me up and connects me to my identity.”
The Jewish-American actor posted a photo of himself laying tefillin on Sunday, along with a heartfelt message about his spiritual growth over the past two years.
"I started wrapping tefillin about two years ago," Rapaport wrote on X. "I didn’t grow up doing it. I didn’t grow up understanding it. And to be totally honest, when I’d see guys in NYC doing it on the street or outside a bagel shop or in the park, I thought it looked weird. I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand the beauty or the meaning."
He continued: "But now? Now when I wrap tefillin, especially first thing in the morning, it hits me in my chest. It centers me. It charges me. It makes me feel focused, grounded, and armed - not with weapons, but with purpose, discipline, and identity."
Rapaport added, “It’s not just a ritual - it’s how I talk to G-d. It’s how I talk to my people. It’s how I talk to myself. And I love it. I really love it.”
He concluded by describing the powerful feeling after prayer: “I feel like a superhero when I walk out the house after praying. Not invincible - but connected.”
He ended the post with the words: “Am Yisrael Chai”
Rabbi Rabinowitz arrived in the US last week for his granddaughter's wedding, which took place on Tuesday in Williamsburg. On the night of the wedding, he began feeling unwell, and after dancing the traditional "Mitzvah Tanz" dance with the bride, he went to rest.
On Friday night, he was hospitalized after contracting a virus and passed away the following morning, during the week of the "sheva brachot" celebrations.
Rabbi Rabinowitz was known for his precision in prayer, and he taught the Belz Rebbe grammar methods. As a result, the Belz community began praying according to precise pronunciation using the "Avodat Hashem" prayer book.
Rabbi Rabinowitz suffered the loss of his son, Rabbi Yosef, and his daughter during his lifetime.
The funeral took place on Saturday night at the Belz synagogue on 43rd Street in Borough Park. His coffin was flown to Israel, and the funeral procession will leave Sunday night at 10:00p.m. from the Sanhedria funeral home in Jerusalem, passing through the Belz Great Synagogue in Kiryat Belz, and will continue to the "Kahal Mahzikei Dat" section of Mount Hamenuchot, where he will be buried.
A senior Egyptian official stated Sunday evening that the joint declaration issued by eight Arab and Islamic states supporting the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip was the result of a coordinated diplomatic initiative led by Egypt.
The declaration was formulated following the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to Qatar and after a series of consultations he held on the matter.
According to the official, Egypt and Qatar - the primary mediators of the ceasefire agreement - have expressed growing concern in recent days over the potential collapse of the American plan, citing Israeli measures such as opening the Rafah crossing in only one direction and delaying the full withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip.
The official added that the timing of the declaration was not coincidental, as it precedes the anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He warned that this meeting could lead to changes or a new interpretation of the agreement’s clauses - a move that might contradict the understandings reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in October.
The official emphasized that the purpose of the joint declaration is “to block the path to new American-Israeli understandings that could reshape the second phase of the agreement, contrary to the understandings achieved through Egyptian and Qatari mediation.”
President Trump unleashed on Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) after the congressman, freshly pardoned on federal bribery and corruption charges, announced he would seek reelection as a Democrat.
Cuellar, 70, had faced sweeping allegations — including bribery, money laundering, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent — stemming from what prosecutors said was $600,000 in payments funneled through shell companies tied to Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil enterprise and a Mexican bank. The Biden-era Justice Department accused Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, of concealing the funds through “sham consulting contracts” and corporations that performed “little to no legitimate work.”
Trump issued the rare, unconditional pardon last Wednesday, but within hours Cuellar declared he would run again in Texas’ 28th District — one of the most vulnerable Democratic seats in the country.
“Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again… as a Democrat,” Trump wrote in an extended Truth Social tirade. “Such a lack of LOYALTY… next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”
 |
| Shvut Ra’anan |
In recent days, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee headed by Likud MK Boaz Bismuth has been the scene of a sharp public outcry which has gained the attention of all national media outlets.
As Bismuth discusses the explosive issue of a draft deferral bill for yeshiva students (and for others who are not part of the charedi quotas required by the bill), numerous elements have protested the bill’s exemption and lenient demands from the charedi community.
In particular, a young religious lawyer named Shvut Ra’anan, a leader of the “Reservists” party, was unstinting in her criticism of the bill, claiming that it states that “Your blood (charedim) is bluer than ours” and that other sectors are bearing the brunt of the charedi isolationism.
In response, the Shas party launched a harsh and unprecedented attack against the religious activists who are leading the campaign against the draft bill. In an editorial published in the party’s newspaper it was written, among other things: “At the forefront of those raising the raucous voices stand people wearing kippot, but the messages coming from their mouths are far more repulsive and sickening than those of any adversary from other sectors.”
The party further claimed: “The poisonous and horrific statements being heard these days in the general media, led by women wearing head coverings who speak in the name of the Torah against those who toil in Torah, are unprecedented in their brazenness. They have no fear whatsoever of the severe spiritual pitfalls awaiting their husbands and sons, those who keep Torah and mitzvot, if they serve in the army.”
In even sharper language they added that these religious activists “stand in arrogant insolence as the modern-day heirs of Dathan and Abiram. They are not willing to tolerate even a single Torah student.”
Shas claimed further: “This is the same intense hatred that characterized Akiva before he became Rabbi Akiva — ‘Give me a Torah scholar and I will bite him like a donkey.’”
“They now orchestrate the bonfire of incitement. They pour oil and fuel onto the flames of hatred bursting out in public,” the editorial said.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded: “To all those in Shas who disgrace the sons of Religious Zionism (and to all those who support this in silence): You will not be granted forgiveness, not in this world and not in the next,until you walk past the hundreds of graves of the holy fallen soldiers from Religious Zionism, who combined Torah and arms in their lives and in their deaths. You will go past each grave one by one and ask forgiveness for degrading them and their wives (‘women who do not understand the spiritual dangers their husbands face’).”
“And by the way,” Bennett added, “regarding the citation about Rabbi Akiva: Rabbi Akiva, even as a rabbi, served as the armor-bearer of Bar Kokhba in his war against the Romans. I am certain he would be ashamed of you for saying such things.”
Former minister Yoaz Hendel commented: “A government that relies on such a party will never be able to fix anything here. A party that denies the basics.”
Former minister Matan Kahana wrote in response: “Aryeh Deri calls Religious Zionism the heirs of Dathan and Abiram. Shame has disappeared. We need a coalition of servants!”
Levi Aron, 49, was serving a sentence of 40 years to life at the Wende Correctional Facility for the 2011 killing that shocked the Jewish community in the United States and abroad. According to the Department of Corrections, Aron had been admitted to an outside hospital, and officials noted that his death was expected. The family therefore did not request an autopsy. He had previously been hospitalized in August due to an undisclosed medical condition.
Aron pleaded guilty to abducting Kletzky in July 2011 after the young boy became lost while walking home alone from summer camp for the first time. Aron, then working in a hardware store, drugged and murdered him, later dismembering his body. Most of Kletzky’s remains were found in a dumpster, while his feet were discovered inside Aron’s freezer.
The murder prompted an outpouring of grief across the Jewish community in Brooklyn and beyond, with thousands joining the search efforts during the hours Leiby was missing. His death led to an intense communal response, including calls for improved child safety measures and initiatives to assist families in crisis.
The exact cause of Aron’s death was not immediately released. In 2017, his 29-year-old brother was also found dead inside Aron’s home.
Some 200 high-profile actors and musicians, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Nixon, Sir Ian McKellen, Paul Simon, Sting and Brian Eno, have called for pressure on Israel to release the former Fatah terrorist leader, Marwan Barghouti, from prison.
Barghouti, 66, consistently comes top of opinion polls asking Palestinian Arabs who they want to replace 90-year-old Mahmoud Abbas as head of the Palestinian Authority.
Now these celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon, describing Barghouti as a “powerful symbol of unity and a longtime advocate for freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people” and claiming that he has been “illegally held by Israel” for more than two decades.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio this week introduced the “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025.” The text of the bill states that maintaining foreign citizenship as a U.S. citizen “could create conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”
Jewish advocacy organizations told Newsweek that questioning Americans’ allegiance based on dual nationality is troubling, saying it revives harmful “dual loyalty” accusations that have historically been used to marginalize Jews.
Moreno’s bill comes at a time when some in the MAGA movement have become increasingly critical of Israel over its military actions in Gaza and pushed for the U.S. to stop sending aid, breaking with the Republican Party’s decades-long approach to the U.S. ally.
Others have gone further, with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson calling for U.S. citizens who serve in the Israeli Defense Forces or any another foreign army to be stripped of their U.S. citizenship.
In this week’s parsha, the Torah describes a mysterious and pivotal moment:
וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר
“And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.”
Rashi explains that this “man” was none other than the Saar shel Eisav — the spiritual force or angel representing Esau.
וּפֵרְשׁוּ רַזִ"לִ שֶׁהוּא שָׂרוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו
The Gemara in Chullin (91a) offers a fascinating debate about how this angel appeared to Yaakov:
Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says he appeared as a goy, a pagan.
Rav Shmuel bar Achai, quoting Rava bar Ulla, says he appeared as a talmid chacham, a Torah scholar.
This contrast is striking. What could it mean that the angel of Esau — the embodiment of spiritual opposition — looked like a Torah scholar?
I’d like to suggest a deeper explanation.
Yaakov was on his way to Eretz Yisrael — making Aliyah, returning to the land of his fathers. At that vulnerable moment, the Saar of Eisav came to stop him.
According to Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani, the angel appeared as a non-Jew, arguing that Eretz Yisrael is not holy because it’s inhabited by goyim. This mirrors the mindset of some Jews in Chutz La’Aretz today who claim that since the land was built by Zionists or secular Jews, it lacks holiness. The Satan whispers: “It’s dangerous there. Goyim want to kill Jews. Stay in exile.”
But Rav Shmuel bar Achai’s view is even more subtle — and perhaps more dangerous. He says the angel appeared as a Torah scholar. In this version, the Satan doesn’t use fear or foreignness. He uses Torah itself. He tells Yaakov: “Aliyah isn’t a mitzvah from the Torah. It’s only rabbinic. There are halachic reasons to stay in Chutz La’Aretz.”
This is the spiritual struggle of our generation. The resistance to Aliyah isn’t always external. Sometimes, it comes cloaked in Torah arguments, dressed in piety, and spoken in the language of halacha.
Yaakov’s wrestling match wasn’t just physical — it was ideological. And it continues today.
An extraordinary story and example of halachic adherence unfolded in Bnei Brak on Thursday when a student at the Slabodka Kollel returned a sum of 150,000 shekels in cash to the woman who sold him an apartment.
The Hod Hasharon resident recently sold the apartment, which had been used by her ill brother and returned to her after he passed away, to the haredi student. During renovation work in the apartment, a substantial amount of money was found well hidden in one of the walls.
The discovery raised a complex halachic question: Does the money belong to the brother, who saved it and didn't mention it in the will, or does it belong to the new owner of the apartment according to the Talmudic principle of unknowing forfeiture (Yei’ush shelo mida'at)?
The conundrum was brought to Rabbi Yehuda Silman, who ruled that, according to halacha, the full amount should be returned to the previous owner, who was unaware of the cash's existence. On Thursday, a special ceremony was held at the Rabbi's home, during which the money was returned to the woman, in the presence of the student's peers and relatives.
The woman, who is not religious, was moved to tears by the honesty and pondered aloud: "Why don't they report such good things in the media?"
Rabbi Silman blessed the student that, in the merit of his good deed, he should receive abundant blessings in his home and sons and daughters who follow in the path of Torah and mitzvot.
According to the CRC, many widely purchased beers remain entirely kosher and present no kashrus issues whatsoever. Among the brands listed as acceptable are Blue Moon, Corona, Carlsberg, Coors, Heineken, Keystone, Miller, Modelo, Samuel Adams, and Stella Artois. The CRC notes that this is only a partial list and that additional brands will be evaluated and publicized once verified information is obtained.
The CRC explains that standard, unflavored beers continue to be permissible, as the traditional brewing process of water, hops, barley, and yeast remains intact for many major manufacturers. At the same time, the CRC emphasizes that beers containing added flavors should be consumed only when bearing reliable kosher certification. For those seeking higher kashrus standards, the CRC points to beers produced under constant supervision, such as Yamiltz under its own certification and Nesher under the Badatz Eidah Chareidis.
The CRC’s policy stands in sharp contrast to the direction being taken by the Orthodox Union (OU), which recently announced a major policy overhaul set to take effect on January 1. In a letter to mashgichim and food-service operators, the OU stated that the beer industry has changed dramatically, to the point that the old assumption—that unflavored beer requires no certification—can no longer be relied upon. The explosion of craft breweries, the widespread use of unexpected additives, barrel-aging techniques involving wine or spirits, and the sharing of equipment with flavored or potentially non-kosher products have, in the OU’s view, introduced too much uncertainty into the beer market. Even beers that appear to be “plain” may include post-fermentation additives that do not appear on labels.
As a result, the OU will now require that only beers with proper kosher certification be permitted in OU-supervised establishments. Craft beers will need visible certification or written confirmation, while national brands already operating under kosher oversight will remain acceptable. The OU is distributing a list of nearly one thousand certified breweries to mashgichim around the country.
While the CRC affirms that many mainstream beers remain perfectly acceptable without certification, the OU is moving to a stricter model that treats beer with far greater scrutiny than in past decades. The two agencies, operating from different assessments of the industry landscape, have reached divergent conclusions on how to best safeguard the kashrus standards of the tzibbur.
Satmar Chassidim visiting Israel are learning that if they want to feel safe they need to hang out with the Zionists!
A charedi tourist from the US who accidentally entered the PA-held town of Shechem was nearly lynched by angry youths before being rescued by Palestinian police and transferred to the IDF.
Chaim Hersh Goldberger, a prominent Satmar chasid from Kiryas Joel, had taken a tour guide to show him and his wife around Samaria. The guide took him to Shilo, the site of the Mishkan in ancient times, and then to Har Gerizim where he went to the lookout point on Shechem and continued to the Samaritan neighborhood. The guide did not have Waze or any other navigating device and after a short while the couple found themselves entering the town of Shechem, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and is off limits for Israelis.
Goldberger described how his car was being filmed by young Arabs who were trying to gather a group to attack the car. After a few nerve-wracking moments, the guide tried to contact the IDF, who in turn contacted the Palestinian Police. Goldberger said he was impressed by the professional conduct of the PA police, who managed to fend off the youths and accompany him out of Shechem towards the IDF positions.
When he reached the IDF, they thought that he was one of the Breslov chasidim who often try to illegally enter Shechem without security coordination in order to visit the tomb of Yosef. Goldberger explained that he had been visiting the Samaritan village and had mistakenly driven into Shechem.
A dramatic ruling was issued Wednesday night by the Beis Din Tzedek of Bnei Brak regarding the Satmar–Meron guesthouse dispute, in which local guesthouse owners sued the Satmar community and the producer R’ Yaakov Chaim Miller for not informing them in advance that Satmar planned to spend Shabbos in Meron.
The dispute began after Miller began secretly booking all of the available local guesthouses but not disclosing that the goal was for Satmar chasidim arriving from abroad to accompany the Rebbe for a Shabbos. The guesthouse owners claimed that this constituted a deception and that the prices would have been different for an organized group arriving from abroad.
The issue, which was first reported on the B’Chadrei Chareidim website, was widely discussed in batei midrash and kollelim across Israel and around the world.
At the end of the hearing, the Beis Din stated orally that the deal could not and would not be canceled, and that the plaintiffs’ claims had no halachic basis.
In the dramatic written ruling, the Beis Din rejected the plaintiffs’ arguments one by one, ultimately stating the following:
“There is no flaw in the conduct of the community and the defendants. There is no reason to expect the public or its administrators to publicize their plans and thereby cause an increase in market prices, especially when such disclosure usually leads to unfair price hikes. They are entitled to act wisely to obtain lodging at reasonable prices.”
Rabbinic advocate Rabbi Chaim Gerlitz, who represented the Satmar community and the production company, summarized the matter from his perspective in a conversation with B’Chadrei Chareidim:
“From the outset, the plaintiffs attempted to create an uproar over nothing, to the point that the matter was already publicized in the media as if my client had carried out some sort of ‘sting operation,’ Heaven forbid.”
“My client and its director, R’ Yaakov Chaim Miller, well-known from the major events they have produced in the Charedi community over the past two decades, are recognized as a symbol of integrity and fairness. Unfortunately, some attempted through various publications to cast aspersions on their work.”
“However, the honorable Beis Din stated its position clearly and decisively, determining that there was no flaw whatsoever in their conduct and even found it appropriate to praise their prudent management.”
JUST IN:@TuckerCarlson has just been added to the speakers list for the upcoming Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar this week.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 4, 2025
This comes as many people have noticed Tucker Carlson @TuckerCarlson has been promoting Islam extensively and has been downplaying the threat of Islamic… https://t.co/bfDstuI0mi pic.twitter.com/Hddmswq0iN
The development comes 10 days after a federal judge dismissed the original charges against her.
He had a fur coat that he stole from Nimrad, he had 400 followers and he wanted to kill his brother!
Megyn Kelly once represented something rare in American media. She was the lawyer-turned-anchor who confronted Donald Trump with fierce resolve, exposing hypocrisy when everyone else trembled. She built her brand on saying what others were afraid to say. She presented herself as the last adult in the room – the uncompromising defender of free expression and common sense.
But something has changed. Not in one dramatic collapse, but through a slow, humiliating slide: from calling out lies to protecting the people who spread them, from demanding moral clarity to digging her heels into tribal right-wing loyalty. The Megyn Kelly who once made a living tearing hypocrisy apart has become one of its most effective new shields.
🚨 HOLLYWOOD’S NEW ROLE: “FREE THE TERRORIST” 🚨
Over 200 celebrities, many of them signing out of pure social pressure, have joined a global campaign to release Marwan Barghouti. Actors spend their lives pretending to be other people…You’d think they could at least pretend to be informed citizens before they start acting like activists. Let’s review who they’re supporting: MARWAN BARGHOUTI, CONVICTED FOR: • 5 counts of murder • 1 count of attempted murder • Organizing and financing deadly terror attacks during the Second Intifada • Direct leadership role supporting the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades • Attacks targeting Israeli civilians in restaurants, on highways, and in communities • involvement in attacks that killed a Greek Orthodox monk • Membership in a terrorist organization Israel’s courts convicted him, not for “resistance”, but for murder. Murder of civilians. Ordinary people. Families. But sure… Hollywood has spoken. Another “cause” to latch onto without reading even a single brief. If these celebrities feel so strongly, maybe they should take responsibility for what they’re campaigning for. You want him freed? → Fine. You house him. You take responsibility. But Israel isn’t paying the price again.
