New Proposal by Rav Dovid Leibel and the Stoliner Rebbe Seeks Way Out of the Draft Crisis

 Against the backdrop of mounting tension over Israel’s draft law and growing anxiety about the future of the Torah world, a new framework has been put forward that aims to defuse the crisis. The initiative is being advanced by the Rav Dovid Leibel, president of the Achvas Torah communities, together with the Stoliner Rebbe.

The emerging plan is designed to extricate the chareidi public from what supporters describe as a legal and political deadlock, while preserving the foundational principle of Toraso umnaso. Its architects argue that the current impasse stems from a lack of clear differentiation between full time yeshiva students and those who are formally registered but do not actually learn.

At the heart of the proposal is a rejection of any system of enlistment quotas or numerical targets. According to the plan, no fixed draft goals would be imposed on the yeshiva world, thereby shielding bona fide Torah learners from sanctions or coercive measures.

In parallel, the framework calls for what is described as airtight and meaningful oversight. Under this model, military authorities would conduct thorough and consistent verification to ensure that anyone listed as a yeshiva student is indeed attending and learning on a regular basis.

Those found not to meet the criteria of Toraso umnaso—and who also do not enlist—would face firm consequences. The proposal envisions enhanced enforcement, including significant economic penalties and additional sanctions, directed specifically at individuals who are neither learning nor serving.

Proponents of the initiative say its logic is straightforward: 

there is no realistic way to defend draft evasion by individuals who are not part of the yeshiva system in practice. They contend that genuine enforcement would remove thousands of non-learning registrants from the rolls, thereby addressing the army’s manpower needs without harming authentic yeshiva students.

The outline has already drawn notable interest from reserve soldiers’ organizations as well as figures within the Religious Zionist community, who view it as a practical avenue for increasing enlistment among those not engaged in full-time Torah study, while leaving the core of the Torah world intact.

Highest alert ...Iran activates ‘missile cities’ as Iran Burns

 Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the “brave people of Iran” on Saturday as the supreme leader placed the country’s security services on its highest alert as protesters continue to burn Tehran — while fears grow that the death toll has climbed to more than 200.

At least 65 people, including 50 protesters and 15 security personnel, have been killed as of Jan. 9, according to the Iranian rights group HRANA, but fears are growing that the true toll could be much higher.

A doctor told TIME that at least 217 protester deaths have been recorded across just six hospitals in Tehran — “most by live ammunition.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the Revolutionary Guard Corp to activate “missile cities,” or giant underground caches of ballistic weapons, sources told The Telegraph.

“The IRGC’s underground missile cities – which were deliberately kept intact during the 12-day war – are all on high alert,” the insider said, adding that any intervention by the US could trigger an “apocalyptic” war.

The IRGC warned the public Saturday that safeguarding security was a “red line,” and the military vowed to protect public property.

Jewish bakery owners flooded with support after pro-Palestine union demands they cut ties with Israel

 A massive crowd of Israel supporters swarmed a popular Jewish bakery Friday to stand in solidarity with its owners after a group of employees demanded it cut its ties with the Jewish State.

The line for Breads Bakery’s Upper West Side outpost stretched down the block on Broadway, with some hungry crusaders wrapping themselves in the Israeli flag as they waited for hours.

“We’re pushing back quietly and with Jewish dignity against anti-Zionism and a hate moment,” said Elisha Fine, 34, one of the dozens who purchased a baked good at the store said in a show of good faith.

Fine admitted he rarely visits the Big Apple’s biggest Jewish bakery chain, but felt compelled to show support the day after The Post reported on the newly formed “Breaking Breads Union.”

Instead of just usual union complaints about working conditions and pay, the employees also insisted that the owners stop supporting Israel.

The list of demands from the union — which is made up of about a third of the bakery’s workers — included “an end to this company’s support of the genocide happening in Palestine.”

The bakery’s management has denied the “genocide” claims, saying “Breads Bakery is built on love and genuine care for our team. We make babka; we don’t engage in politics.” Breads has in the past baked for Jewish events, including a fund raiser that sent money from challah sales to Israel after the Oct. 7 terror attack.

Many people who showed up Friday — some wearing stickers that said Zionist — wanted to return that support to the bakers.

“That strikes me a lot like entryism: the way that people end up walking to a place and then try to change the culture dramatically,” said Fine, a born-and-raised Manhattan Jew.

“We’re perfectly fine with them having a union, but it’s not okay to make Israel politics a part of that.”

Fine, who runs a pro-Jewish art Instagram, encouraged other “open Zionists” to swarm the bakery’s Upper West Side location in a show of support for Jewish New York.

“To see this, it’s awful because I’m born and bred here. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Leonor Katz, 71, told The Post, calling the union’s demands “very upsetting.”

Avi Mendelson, 31, showed up to the bakery for the first time ever after hearing about the union, stating he felt a shift in support for Jewish New Yorkers after Oct. 7, and is worried about what the Mamdani administration will bring.

“I don’t feel as confident for the well-being of the Jewish community as I felt with our previous mayor,” Mendelson said.

Breaking Breads Union did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Remembering the Rambam 822 years since his passing

There is a lot to write about the Rambam z"l, but it's "kedei" to learn what the Rambam would think of a society that refuses to work and instead has a policy that everyone must sit and learn! 

משנה תורה, הלכות תלמוד תורה ג׳ 

כָּל הַמֵּשִׂים עַל לִבּוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וְיִתְפַּרְנֵס מִן הַצְּדָקָה הֲרֵי זֶה חִלֵּל

 אֶת הַשֵּׁם וּבִזָּה אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְכִבָּה מֵאוֹר הַדָּת וְגָרַם רָעָה לְעַצְמוֹ וְנָטַל חַיָּיו מִן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. 

לְפִי שֶׁאָסוּר לֵהָנוֹת מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה.

 אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (משנה אבות ד ה) "כָּל הַנֶּהֱנֶה מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה נָטַל חַיָּיו מִן הָעוֹלָם". 

וְעוֹד צִוּוּ וְאָמְרוּ (משנה אבות ד ה) "אַל תַּעֲשֵׂם עֲטָרָה לְהִתְגַּדֵּל בָּהֶן וְלֹא קַרְדֹּם לַחְפֹּר בָּהֶן".

 וְעוֹד צִוּוּ וְאָמְרוּ (משנה אבות א י) "אֱהֹב אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה וּשְׂנָא אֶת הָרַבָּנוּת", (משנה אבות ב ב) "וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן".

 וְסוֹף אָדָם זֶה שֶׁיְּהֵא מְלַסְטֵם אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת

Anyone who sets it in his heart to engage only in Torah study and not work, and to support himself through charity — this person profanes the Name, disgraces the Torah, extinguishes the light of religion, brings harm upon himself, and forfeits his share in the World to Come.

For it is forbidden to derive benefit from words of Torah in this world.

The Sages said (Avot 4:5): “Anyone who benefits from words of Torah removes his life from the world.”

They also commanded and said (Avot 4:5): “Do not make them (the words of Torah) a crown with which to magnify yourself, nor a spade with which to dig.”

And they further commanded and said (Avot 1:10): “Love work and hate authority,” and (Avot 2:2): “Any Torah that is not accompanied by work will ultimately cease and leads to sin.”

And the end of such a person is that he will become a burden upon others.

Zera Shimshon Parshat Shemot

 

Letter a Mother wrote to her son a 1,000 years ago found... could have been written yesterday

 

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A post shared by Ariella- Jerusalem Tour Guide (@ariellabattzion)

Yerushalyim Yeshiva Bochrim Have NOT learned their lesson and came out to throw rocks on the buses again today!

 

Gali Baharav‑Miara expected to block pardon for Netanyahu

 

 Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is expected to announce that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon is unlawful, according to a report on Channel 13 News on Wednesday evening.

The emerging legal opinion will argue that granting a pardon while legal proceedings are still ongoing does not comply with statutory requirements or existing case law.

‘Same Recklessness’: Meron Victim’s Brother Links Tragedy to Jerusalem Protest Death

 

 A man whose brother was killed in Israel’s deadliest civilian disaster says the fatal bus incident at a Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox protest reflects the same pattern of recklessness that led to the 2021 Meron tragedy.

Speaking to Arutz 7 (Israel National News) hours after the deadly ramming at a protest against military conscription, Yisrael Diskind — whose brother Simcha Bunim Diskind died in the Meron crush — said the two tragedies are “directly connected” by what he called systemic irresponsibility among protest organizers and community power brokers.

The Jerusalem incident left 14-year-old Yosef Eizental dead and several others injured.

“This was an unnecessary death,” Diskind said. “A child should never return home in a coffin — not from Meron and not from a protest. When that happens, it’s because of the same reckless people who organize events without taking responsibility and then rush to blame the state and the police.”

‘The same pattern of failure’

Diskind said police had designated a safe area for the demonstration, but organizers failed to keep protesters within it, allowing chaos to spill into active traffic zones.

“The police are not babysitters,” he said. “They cannot chase every hot-headed young person through the streets. The organizers must take responsibility — not shift blame afterward.”

He urged protest leaders to publicly apologize to the Eizental family and to commit to ensuring that future demonstrations are conducted safely.

“They should go to the family’s home, repent, apologize and promise that no other parents will ever have to sit shiva because of their negligence,” Diskind said.

Warning over incitement

Diskind also said the tragedy comes amid what he described as dangerous public incitement against Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community.

“There is a climate where people feel it’s permissible to harm Haredim,” he said. “My own brother served more than 300 days in reserve duty, and still people shouted ‘parasite’ at him in the street. That kind of hatred poisons everything.”

He called on national leaders to separate legitimate debate over conscription from attacks on individuals.

“Nothing — no anger, no frustration — justifies hatred toward a person because he is Haredi,” Diskind said.

Call for accountability

Diskind placed responsibility not only on protest organizers but on what he called unelected power brokers within the ultra-Orthodox community who shape decisions behind the scenes.

“They dictate the tone in the street, pressure lawmakers and disappear when disaster strikes,” he said.

The death of Eizental has reopened painful wounds from the Meron disaster, where 45 people were killed in a crowd crush during a religious gathering in 2021.

“If we don’t learn from Meron,” Diskind told Arutz 7, “we will keep burying children.”

Mahmoud Haqiqat, the police chief who led the brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters Assassinated

 

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Mahmoud Haqiqat, the police chief who led the brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters, just got GOT.

Assassinated in broad daylight.

This is the man who hunted down freedom-seeking Iranians in cold blood.

And now? He’s gone.

The Islamic Republic is rotting… pic.twitter.com/RviniTfYVn

— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) January 7, 2026

Thanks to the declassification of documents It is now 100% Proven that Hussain Obama attempted to overthrow the United States government in 2016..

 

“Now, nearly ten years later, thanks to the declassification of documents by the Director of National Intelligence, @DNIGabbard, the truth...

...Barack Hussein Obama attempted to overthrow the United States government in 2016..
pic.twitter.com/FtOZnO8F3u

— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) January 7, 2026

Some are now blaming Rav Aharon Feldman for this horrific tragedy

by Harry Maryles
 As must have been the case for anyone who became aware of this tragedy, my first reaction was one of profound sadness. Yosef Eizental, a 14-year-old Charedi boy, was killed after being run down by a city bus in Jerusalem during a recent protest by members of his community against the draft. A frustrated bus driver drove through a large crowd that was blocking the street and struck and killed young Yosef. I cannot begin to imagine what his parents are feeling right now.

This young man was simply acting on the directives of his religious leaders. Many of whom have engaged in truly over-the-top and deeply disturbing exaggerations about the supposed ‘evils’ of the IDF.

My sadness, however, quickly gave way to anger. Anger at those who are ultimately to blame for this tragedy (beyond the bus driver himself).

I don’t know whether any specific Charedi religious leader or group of leaders explicitly called for this protest. But it would not surprise me if they did since they have done so in the past. But even if they did not directly call for it, they certainly inspired it through their constant and vile anti-IDF and anti-government rhetoric.

One thing seems certain: they did not urge restraint, nor did they call for the protest to be halted once it began. They likely took pride in the fact that so many of their young protégés participated in what they viewed as a ‘just’ cause. Even though many non-Charedi religious leaders believe that cause is anything but just.

That said, they are certainly entitled to their opinion. As religious leaders – publicly addressing what they view as a religious issue is surely seen as an obligation to speak out forcefully on a matter they feel so strongly about, especially given the immense influence they wield.

But with the power to motivate tens of thousands of young students to act - comes responsibility. Responsibility that must be shared when the consequences turn tragic. And that is clearly the case here.

Of course, the primary fault lies with the bus driver, who panicked as a chaotic crowd began attacking his bus while fires were being set in the street around his bus. He is rightly being charged with manslaughter. There is no excuse for driving at an unsafe speed through a street packed with people. He had to know that someone would almost certainly be hurt or killed.

But the responsibility does not rest with him alone. It must be shared by the religious leaders who either told their young students to protest or inspired them to do so. And who failed to stop them.

Responsibility is even greater for those leaders whose opposition is uncompromisingly hardcore. Like those who oppose IDF service even in units specifically designed for Charedim who do not study Torah full-time—an option currently under consideration by the Knesset.

Although details are still being negotiated, that legislation has become more or less acceptable to key Charedi religious leaders. According to one estimate I saw this legislation could eventually result in approximately 23,000 Charedi recruits as the IDF expands specialized Charedi units like the Chashmonaim Brigades.

If that is the case, then this protest was clearly not endorsed by the Charedi leaders currently negotiating the legislation. They are, however, surely endorsed or at least encouraged by religious hardliners who reject even these units - citing anecdotal reports that the promises made to Charedi recruits have not been fully honored.

When Rav Aharon Feldman, a member of the Agudah Moetzes, opposes even these units based on unsubstantiated anecdotal claims, he wields enormous influence—at least over American students who are drawn into protests like the one in which Yosef was killed.

In my view, that places a measure of responsibility on him as well. Of course, he had nothing directly to do with this specific protest, and most of the protesters were likely Israeli. But Rav Feldman was echoing and reinforcing the rhetoric of Israeli religious leaders who inspired it. Instead of speaking out against such protests, he likely supported them - seeing them as a matter of kavod haTorah.

Except that in this case, a young innocent boy, inspired by that rhetoric, lost his life.

I am certain that Rav Feldman feels genuine regret over what happened and has surely expressed sympathy to the family. I have no doubt about that. But the real question is whether he and his counterparts in Israel - will take any responsibility at all. More importantly, will they engage in a cheshbon hanefesh, the soul-searching that a tragedy like this demands? And will that soul-searching lead them to put an end to the kind of harsh rhetoric that could inspire future mass protests like this and put even more young lives in danger?

I sure hope so.

Beit Shemesh Hits New Aliyah Record

Beit Shemesh Municipality's Absorption Committee met and reviewed the activities of 2025 and presented the goals for the coming year.

2025 was another record year for the city's immigration intake, with 870 new immigrants being absorbed in Beit Shemesh during the year. In total, since 1989, approximately 30,000 immigrants have made their home in the city, a figure that positions Beit Shemesh as one of the leading cities in Israel in immigration intake. Community Division Director Moran Yitzhak noted that new immigrants are attracted by the city's supportive community and vibrant mix of cultures.

Mayor Shmuel Greenberg intends to set up a new branch of "Beit HaOleh" in Ramat Beit Shemesh A. The move is intended to provide a response to the accelerated urban development and make the services of the absorption department accessible to the neighborhood's residents, while continuing the activity in the existing building.

In addition, it was decided to create a community representatives forum, which will consist of representatives from the city's immigrant communities and will serve as a permanent channel for conveying needs, initiatives and challenges from the field. The forum is expected to convene for quarterly work meetings, and the first meeting is scheduled for February 2026.

City Council member and head of the absorption portfolio, Yona Kaufman, said "We focus absorption activity on in-depth programs in the areas of education, service and connection to the community. Successful absorption does not end with initial service, but rather in creating true acclimatization and a long-term sense of belonging in the city."

What do Chardeie Bochrum do When one of them gets killed in a Protest? ........Dance!!!!!!!!

 

ההפגנה בירושלים הסתיימה עם ריקודים למרות האסון

 

Why Satmar Joined Leftist Liberal Jews to Back an avowed Antisemite!

 Not in the Name of Judaism – A Last True Alarm for New York Jews

Don't pretend to be surprised. Don't play the "we didn't know" game.

You all knew very well who Zoharan of Madani was.

He didn't hide it. It did not soften. He didn't dress up.

He used blatant anti-Zionism, anti-Semitic rhetoric under the guise of "human rights," and open hatred for any Jew who dared to defend himself without apologizing.

When he talks about Netanyahu's arrest, he is not talking about sections of the law.

He's talking about a symbol.

Netanyahu, in the eyes of Israel-haters, is not an individual. He plays the new Jew: The sovereign Jew.The Fighting Jew. The Jew who refuses to be a professional victim.

The Jew who doesn't give the other cheek to the one who slaps him.

And that's exactly the reason for hate!

The Leadership Failure of New York Jewry

New York Jewry is suffering from a severe leadership crisis.

And in this vacuum, a distorted and dangerous connection was created:

Parts of anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Judaism, led by the Satmar Hasidism, along with radical progressive Jews within the Democratic Party, found themselves a political ally in the form of Mamadani.

Yes, we will write the names explicitly:

 the two brothers, the Satmar Rebbis'  joined together in a rare connection with liberal Jews from the extreme progressive left, because they both lead a consistent line of opposition to Zionism, each for their own reasons. And for this reason, they supported Mamadani together.

This may be their theological position, but it is not a defense of reality. Because this is where fatal confusion occurs:  Anyone who thinks that Jewish anti-Zionism and anti-Semitic anti-Zionism are the same is not naïve. He is blind.

The Lesson Learned in Jerusalem — and Forgotten in New York

We will tell you a true, well-documented historical story; 

This is not a parable, nor a fairy tale.

 In the 1920s and 1930s, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, turned to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld zt"l, one of the leaders of the Old Yishuv.

Husseini was not an "innocent Palestinian nationalist." He was an outspoken supporter of Nazi Germany, an ideological partner of Hitler, and an active supporter of preventing the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, and his declared ambition was to eliminate the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel and the entire East, as part of a radical anti-Semitic worldview.

He offered Rabbi Sonnenfeld cooperation:

Ultra-Orthodox and Muslims together against a Jewish state.

Rabbi Sonnenfeld answered him with a sentence that should be engraved in stone:

"I oppose Zionism because I love the people of Israel. You oppose Zionism because you hate the people of Israel. We will never be able to stand on the same side."

This sharp distinction was understood by an eighty-year-old rabbi in Jerusalem.

That distinction has been erased today by Jewish leaders in New York.

The deterioration has already begun.The choice of Mamadani is not a theory. It's a reality.

Signing orders. "Technical" changes.Discrimination is wrapped up in legal language.

It won't come with a scream! It will come in a drip.

Like in Egypt. As with Pharaoh.

Step by step.

Because hatred has patience, and a hostile regime has time.

An unambiguous call

The Jews of New York!!!  Don't fight for comfort.

fight for your very existence as free Jews.

 Get organized. Take to the streets. A million Jews!!! No excuses, no fake banners.

Yes!! Your true place is in the Land of Israel.

But as long as you're there (USA), you can't abandon the house.

Hacham was also punished for his negligence.

And to Madani we say this simply:

If even one hair is touched of any Jew in New York, the moral and historical responsibility will be written in your name.

A final word to the Satmar Hasidim:

Don't count on miracles. Don't dream about last-minute rescue trains.

History doesn't repeat itself, it punishes.

Your position today is not "zeal for the sake of Heaven." It is a disgrace to Judaism. It is a shame for you and your leaders, who in the name of hatred of Zionism ignore hatred of Jews.

Don't wait for Kristallnacht.

It always comes after years of silence.

Now is the time to choose a side.

—-

Written by: @Yaacov Harrar