Israel's divorce rate plunges by 3.9% in 2025.....Tougher sanctions on get refusals

 The directorate of Israel's rabbinical courts published its 2025 activity summary report, which recorded a 3.9% decrease in Israel's divorce rate.

In 2025, 11,093 couples divorced, compared to 11,542 in 2024.

Alongside the divorce figures, the report also notes the achievements of the special unit of the Rabbinical Courts Administration in resolving cases of women whose husbands have disappeared and who are unable to remarry under Jewish law, which succeeded in obtaining a get (divorce document) for 198 women, compared with 221 the previous year."

Regarding get refusals, over the past year, heavy sanctions were imposed on both men and women who refused divorce. 156 sanctions were imposed on 36 men who refused to give their wives a divorce, while 41 sanctions were imposed on 12 women who refused to accept a divorce. The sanctions included stay of exit orders, closure of bank accounts, credit card suspensions, limiting of check usage, and revocation of driver's licenses, among other things. Following amendments to the law, the new sanctions have proven effective against divorce refusal.

Likewise, the Supreme Court ruled on 69 petitions against the rabbinical courts, of which only six were adopted, while the rest were rejected or erased.

Regarding the verification of Jewish status, in 2025, final rulings were issued in 2,558 cases referred to the rabbinical courts, compared with 2,174 the previous year.

The Director of the Rabbinical Courts, Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, said: ‘The rabbinical courts continue to improve and become more efficient. At the top of our priorities are service to the public and an uncompromising fight against the phenomenon of refusal to grant a get. This year, the number of husbands refusing to grant a get declined by about 30%. With God’s help, we will continue this trend of improvement and greater efficiency in public service this year as well.’"

Hilarious!!! Spain Cancels Israeli Spike Deal, Later Reorders Through German Branch

In June 2025, Spain canceled a €285 million deal to purchase Spike  anti-tank missiles from the Spanish subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael, citing a need to reduce dependence on Israeli defense suppliers.

Months later, after failing to find alternatives, Madrid reportedly reordered the same Spike missiles through Eurospike, Rafael’s German-based affiliate.

Different logo, same tech. We’re everywhere. Even when you think we’re not.

 The month of Adar is meant to be a time of joy for the Jewish people — a time to dress up, to celebrate, and to remember how we were saved from a threat that once loomed over our entire nation. Yet this year, the threat we must confront feels painfully internal. What happened yesterday was not only dangerous; it was a near‑miss that could have spiraled into tragedy.

Two female IDF officers, simply doing their job and visiting a soldier under their care, were attacked by a mob of thousands — not enemies, not extremists from afar, but fellow Jews. The absurdity of it could be mistaken for a Purim skit, but the reality is sickening.

According to Yeshiva World News:

The usually quiet Chagai Street in Bnei Brak turned into a mob scene on Sunday after two female military police officers arrived in the area and rumors spread that they were distributing draft orders.

A crowd of over a thousand people quickly gathered. Police arrived to rescue the soldiers as the crowd grew. A police vehicle was overturned on HaRav Shach Street, and a police motorbike was set on fire. A burned siddur and tefillin were later found in the storage compartment of the bike, belonging to a frum officer.

Community leaders did condemn the violence. As YWN reported:

New settlement to ‘expand Jerusalem’ for first time since 1967

 A recent development agreement signed by the state and the West Bank’s Mateh Binyamin Regional Council will, once given final approval, see the establishment of a new settlement that would in practice constitute the first expansion of Jerusalem since 1967.

The proposed settlement announced earlier this month would technically be a westward expansion of the Adam settlement, which lies very close to Jerusalem’s northeast boundary. It includes plans for the construction of some 2,780 housing units in a new “neighborhood” for Adam.

But the land on which the new settlement would be built is physically separated from Adam, first by Route 437, a major traffic artery, and second by the security barrier.

Kariv said that he had written to Housing and Construction Minister Haim Katz about “the plan to expand Jerusalem over the Green Line and to de facto annex territory,” adding, “Annexation will bring about a security catastrophe.”

Mateh Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz lauded the new development, describing it as “the realization of the settlement vision” for his region.

“The new plan will allow us to build thousands of housing units, while at the same time dramatically upgrading the quality of life of the residents,” said Ganz, adding that his council is “already working on additional agreements” that will “herald dramatic change on the ground.”

Thwarted Heist Leads to Discovery of Second Bais Hsamikdash Stone Workshop

 

An attempted antiquities theft on Mount Scopus led the Israel Antiquities Authority to a hidden Second Temple-era stone workshop, where hundreds of ritual vessel fragments and production debris were discovered.

The find reveals the site’s role in supplying Jerusalem’s Jewish population and pilgrims with ritual vessels, highlighting the region’s ancient craftsmanship and religious practices.

19 year-old Hero raised her two siblings since birth and now they graduated

 

I was 19, dressed in black, listening to loud music—and suddenly responsible for two newborns.

My name is Roxy. Our dad was already gone, and my mom passed away just after giving birth. My baby sister, Charlotte, and my baby brother, Eli, had no one stepping forward. Relatives said it was too much. Two newborns. Too much responsibility. Too much sacrifice.

I signed the papers anyway.

Overnight, my world became bottles, diapers, sleepless nights, and trying to balance school and work. I learned how to mix formula half-awake at 3 a.m., how to soothe tiny cries, and how to stretch every dollar. I raised them in combat boots and band tees—but I never missed a doctor’s appointment, a school meeting, or a single milestone.

Today, Charlotte and Eli walked across the graduation stage. And when they searched the crowd and found me, smiling through tears, I knew I had made the right choice all those years ago.

Chareidim Close off Entrance to Yerushlayim and Beit Shemesh

 

No body is learning, no one to "protect the country" how much longer until someone gets himself killed! 

For those in Lakewood writing on their popular WhatsApp news chats how police are beating the protestors, I ask, have you been on one of those buses or cars for hours while a bunch of parasites sit with their Fat derrières blocking traffic? If you haven't then shut the hell up!

The Police have to start using force and everyone eligible must be drafted. 

Arabs are watching this and are seeing how easy it is to paralyze the entire country! 

HAPPENING NOW:

 The entrance to Jerusalem has been blocked.  Ultra-Orthodox protesters are demonstrating at the city’s entrance in response to the ongoing discussions over the military draft exemption law.

The Talking Points spread by Charedim that the Violent Rioters are a "Minority" or a "Handful" has been Totally Debunked

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 Look at the videos circulating across multiple media outlets. It’s impossible to deny what’s right in front of us: the rioters come from across the Charedi spectrum — Litvish/Yeshivish, Chassidish, and everything in between.

Charedi leadership can no longer hide behind the excuse of “a fringe group.” The rioters are in fact.. Bnei Brak — full stop.

Bnei Brak has become so extreme that even the cats won’t chase the rats anymore. Garbage piles up everywhere; the city feels hefker in every sense.

For the past two years, Rav Landau and Rav Hirsch encouraged the protests and watched how these protests escalated. They knew about the violence.. And they said nothing. We posted the footage repeatedly.

But now that the entire world has witnessed the chaos — the spontaneous, unplanned eruption of anger and contempt carried out by “Bnei Torah” from every faction — suddenly Rav Landau and Rav Hirsch issue statements. Not to condemn the behavior, of course. Heaven forbid they criticize their own followers.

Instead, they released a carefully worded notice advising their talmidim and the broader community not to participate in confrontations with police, warning that such involvement is dangerous and a chilul Hashem.

R' Dov Lando and R' Moshe Hillel Hirsch issued a public statement following recent clashes in Bnei Brak, strongly warning against participating in or being present at confrontations with police. In a letter directed to the talmidim of the yeshiva and the broader community, they emphasized that being involved in protests or clashes with law enforcement not only endangers personal safety but also constitutes a serious chilul Hashem.

Too little, too late.

And what triggered this riot? Two Jewish female soldiers walking through Bnei Brak. That’s it. That was enough to send hundreds and according to many estimates, thousands, of supposed yeshiva bochurim — who were meant to be learning — into the streets.

One Lakewood commentator even suggested that the IDF “shouldn’t send female officers into the heart of the Charedi community.” The absurdity of that statement speaks for itself.

A simple question exposes the flaw in that thinking: If there’s an attack, should female soldiers stay out until male soldiers arrive? Should Charedim now be barred from walking through secular neighborhoods as well?

This mindset is not just misguided — it’s dangerous.

Did Iran have anything to do with Dana Eden's murder in Greece?? Updated!

 Israeli producer Dana Eden, creator of the Apple+ series Tehran, was found dead in her hotel in Athens during the filming of the fourth season. Greek police are investigating it as a murder.

Tehran is a fictional series about an Israeli undercover agent in Iran

UPDATE!

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, Eden’s production company, Donna and Shula productions, sought to dispel rumors that the producer had been killed.

Iconic Jewish Song "My Tatty My King" Performed by Amish-Mennonite Bible school

 

The iconic Jewish song Tatty My King, a cherished classic from the Waterbury Yeshiva, was performed by an Amish-Mennonite Bible school in Calico Rock, Arkansas.pic.twitter.com/1SW16QShfV

— Awesome Jew (@Awesome_Jew_) February 15, 2026

Palestinians Sitting on Stolen Land in Bethlehem

 I see that the mayor of Bethlehem and the Palestine lobby are making their rounds in Washington DC today.

I am here to remind the mayor that in 1875 Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Kalischer bought land in Bethlehem and in 1915 Nathan Straus, founder of

@Macys

, bought large amounts of land in Bethlehem. These lands were stolen by local Palestinians who live on this stolen land to this day.

Back in the days when a Satmar Chassan sat with his kallah in the Ladies Section at his Wedding

 

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Rav in Petach Tikva Arrested in middle of giving a shiur.

 The Rabbi known in his community of Petah Tikva was arrested yesterday in front of all his students - following a police complaint filed by his sister-in-law claiming that he raped her from the age of 14 to the age of 20: 

The rabbi does not deny the relationship between them, and even admitted that he got her pregnant at the age of 20 - the event that ended their relationship, but claims that everything was in agreement and only when she was there In a gear.

 She claimed - everything was rape and all this happened when she was a minor, and he was an adult. 

She claims it was a rape that lasted 7 years, but her sister who married the same rabbi-doesn't believe it was rape. Although the complaint was first filed yesterday, there is documentation of a rabbinical court procedure years ago, that did not lead to results and was closed in the middle of the hearings. 

The suspect's lawyer expressed anger at the conduct of the police officers 

"Why arrest him in front of all the students when it's about a sleeping event". 

The court determined that there is a suspicion that links the suspect to the actions and in order to prevent disruption of investigation procedures his arrest was extended for 4 days to allow the investigation to continue

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This 5 year old pianist made everyone cry.

 

Extremist Modesty as the New Normal

 

by Harry Maryles

I wonder what my younger self would think - if suddenly transported to the world in which we live today.

My parents were religious Jews who grew up in pre-Holocaust Europe. The religious values they absorbed stayed with them for life. I was raised according to those standards in post-Holocaust America. Although the world of European Jewry and American Jewry could not have been further apart culturally, the primary tenets of observant Judaism did not diminish in the slightest. Shabbos, kashrus, family purity laws (mikvah) were strictly observed, and Torah study was considered paramount.

But for my parents, living in the New World meant adapting to those parts of the culture that did not contradict halacha in particular and Torah values in general. So we owned a TV and occasionally went to a movie as a family. In short, we led a pretty normal American Jewish life without abandoning observance or Jewish values in any way.

It wasn’t only my family that lived that way. The acknowledged head of the Orthodox community in the city where we lived – Toledo - was Rabbi Nechemia Katz, who was also Rav Moshe Feinstein’s brother-in-law. Rabbi Katz was my father’s posek, deciding difficult questions of Jewish law. Our families were good friends, and we would often go to the beach together. (Yes, you read that correctly.) What may be little known is that Rav Moshe used to visit his brother-in-law in Toledo on occasion. That is how I met Rav Moshe. One year when I came home for Shabbos Chanukah (from Telshe) my father and I walked over to meet him on Friday night.

This, in a nutshell, is what life was like for Orthodox Jews in America back then (early 1960s).

The idea of mixed-gender seating in any arena (other than a shul) was not an issue. It was as normal as apple pie. Men and women were often seated together in various forums, such as concerts or banquets. No one gave it a second thought.

Fast forward to today. The following was published in Arutz Sheva:

Beit Shemesh Israel’s Most Family-Oriented City

 Israel’s Most Family-Oriented City: 72% Couples With Children and an Average of 5.06 People per Family in Beit Shemesh

In honor of Family Day 2026, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics published new data placing Beit Shemesh at the forefront nationwide in terms of family structure, household size, and employment.

According to the report, among Israel’s large cities, Beit Shemesh leads in the percentage of families consisting of a couple with children under age 17 — 72.3%, compared to a national average of just 47.1%. This is the highest figure in the country in this category.

The city also sets a national record in family size, with an average of 5.06 people per household — the highest among all major cities, compared to a national average of 3.71. For comparison, the average stands at 4.26 in Jerusalem and 4.78 in Bnei Brak.

At the same time, the percentage of single-parent families with children under 17 in the city is notably low, standing at just 3.4%, compared to 5.9% nationally, 8.3% in Ramat Gan, 8.5% in Tel Aviv, and 10.3% in Bat Yam.

Employment data also highlights a strong showing: 89% of households in Beit Shemesh include employed members — the highest rate among cities with more than 100,000 residents. For comparison, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and Ramat Gan stand at 81.3%, while Haifa is at 71.8%.

Nationally, the report shows that 92% of children in Israel grow up with two parents, and 94% of couples are married. Within the demographic structure of Beit Shemesh — where a clear majority of families are couples with children — these figures further underscore the city’s distinctly family-oriented character.

Mayor Shmuel Greenberg said: "The data reinforces what we see on the ground every day — Beit Shemesh is a young city. A city of families. The demographic growth and unique communal structure require us to continue investing in infrastructure, education, employment, and community spaces to ensure a high quality of life for all residents."

Ex Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchok Yosef Criticizes Bnei-Tora Rioters Calls for their Expulsion from Community but Just 6 Months ago he called for Chareidm to Fight the police

Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef also sharply criticized those who participated in the disturbance, calling for them to be expelled from the Haredi community. 

 In a statement, Yosef said the rioters had desecrated the name of Heaven and that their conduct did not reflect Torah values. “The ways of the Torah of Israel are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace; there is no place for such behavior among us,” he said, urging that those involved be denounced and cast out from the community.

 See this what he said just 6 months ago!👇👇

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Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, condemns today’s mob attack against two female soldiers in Bnei Brak as “entirely contrary to the way of the Torah.” 

He also argues that such behavior harms the Haredi community and its efforts to exempt yeshiva students from military conscription.

More on the Massive Chillul Hashem by Bnei-Torah in Bnei Brak, they even burned Tefillin Belonging to a Police Officer

 HORRIBLE: Teffilin and a siddur belonging to a police officer were burned by protesters in Bnei Brak after they set his motorcycle on fire. 

Rioters in Bnei Brak have set fire to an Israel Police motorcycle used to keep the community safe from terrorism and crime.

 Important update from Israeli Police International Spokesperson LT Dean Elsdunne on the disorder in Beni Brak today.

DISTURBING: In Bnei Brak, a protester was filmed pushing a stroller with a small child inside as he moved quickly toward Israel Police officers who were deploying stun grenades to disperse violent demonstrators.

Video from the scene shows the man advancing directly toward the security forces, placing the stroller at the front as officers worked to push back rioters.

The unrest began earlier in the day after ultra-Orthodox protesters confronted IDF soldiers in the area. Clashes have continued into the evening, prompting Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue a strong condemnation of the violence.

Amonon Yitzchok Claims that "The Yenuka" is a heretic!

 

Bnei Torah of Bnei-Brak Chase 2 Female Soldiers almost killing them!

 

זו תורה וזו שכרה

Two female IDF soldiers are chased by a mob of Haredi men in Bnei Brak before they are extracted by polic

The servciewomen serve with the Education Corps, and were in the ultra-Orthodox city as part of a home visit to one of their soldiers. They are not with the Military Police, contrary to some claims.

Footage circulating on social media shows the two women running as they are escorted by police, as a large crowd of men chases after them.

Trash cans are knocked over as the rioting group follows the women through the street in the Haredi-majority city. The crowd also overturned a police car.

Police say in statement that the situation is now under control after the two soldiers were extracted from the area.

Police say 12 rioters have been arrested in Bnei Brak.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir "strongly condemns" the attack on two servicewomen in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak earlier today.

In a statement, the IDF says Zamir views the incident "gravely" and  "strongly condemns the assault on IDF soldiers who were carrying out a military mission" in the city.

"Any harm to IDF soldiers carried out by Israeli civilians is a serious crossing of a red line and action must be taken against the attackers with a firm hand," the statement says.