Smotrich says ICC prosecutor has requested warrant for his arrest; Payback time: Orders demolition of West Bank hamlet

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Tuesday that the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court in The Hague has requested an arrest warrant be issued against him.

“Yesterday, I was informed that the criminal prosecutor of the antisemitic court in The Hague submitted a request for a secret, international arrest warrant against me,” Smotrich said at a press conference he held to announce the development, and described the move as “a declaration of war.”

It was not immediately clear what charges the ICC prosecutor’s office might be seeking against the far-right minister, although a report in the Wall Street Journal last year indicated that Smotrich is being targeted by the court for the major role he has played in expanding settlements in the West Bank.

These actions are considered a violation of the Geneva Conventions by the International Court of Justice, and the ICC could therefore prosecute Smotrich for such violations as war crimes.

The Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kathleen Kingsbury behind the fake Dog rape story in the New York Times!

 Want to know who the senior editor at @nytimes  was who pushed the atrocious and undocumented dog r@pe story? 

Meet Kathleen Kingsbury, who leads the "opinion report" for the New York Times. Melissa Brodsky, prolific author of the outstanding Substack, "The Lioness Writes," did the sleuthing. 

"When she [Kingsbury] assumed control of the opinion section in 2020, three of the most prominent pro-Israel voices on the staff were gone within months. Editorial page editor James Bennet was forced out. Opinion writer Bari Weiss resigned, writing in her letter that colleagues had called her a Nazi and a racist, and that the publisher will cave to the mob, the editor will get fired or reassigned, and you will be hung out to dry. Opinion staffer Adam Rubenstein was gone too. "

Charedim will pay a heavy price for toppling the government during war time

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel strongly attacked the Charedi parties amid the conscription law crisis and the possibility of early elections.

"The Charedim are coming and trying to topple the government. Someone who is prepared to sell off the security of the state of Israel for funding, and someone who goes to Gantz and Eisenkot to threaten the Prime Minister during a war - what kind of right-wing is that?" Haskel wondered in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.

Haskel added, "The right is first and foremost about security, supporting IDF soldiers. It is first and foremost about holding on to the Land of Israel."

She was later asked if she was summoned to a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the leader of her faction, Minister Gideon Sa'ar, due to her opposition to the current conscription bill. Likud members were summoned to the Prime Minister."

She claimed that the proposed bill would "not lead to more haredi enlistment," and added that even without the law, there is an increase in haredi enlistees.

Haskel also presented a proposal to establish yeshivas on the borders to create a solution "that would both protect the yeshiva world and provide the IDF with the manpower it needs for security assignments." She further claimed that if the haredim would understand that they are not exempt from conscription, "The number of haredi soldiers would double."

She also addressed anti-conscription sentiments in the haredi sector:

 "At the moment, what we hear in Charedi society is, 'We'll die and not enlist,' it's crazy." According to Haskel, "If they do not enlist, we will die. The IDF will not have the manpower to perform its security duties."

At the conclusion of the interview, Haskel was asked if she would change her position if she were blamed for toppling the right-wing government during the war. Haskel responded that "those plans should be presented to our Charedi brothers and they should take responsibility, otherwise, they will pay a heavy price in the next elections and they won't be in the next government."

AG totally out of control: announces indictment against MK Tally Gotliv

 Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced Tuesday afternoon that she had decided to file an indictment against Likud MK Tally Gotliv.

The statement said: “It was decided to indict MK Tally Gotliv for the offense of revealing and publishing classified information in violation of the Shin Bet Law."

Just minutes earlier, Gotliv wrote on X that Baharav-Miara had informed her that the indictment had been filed.

Gotliv wrote: “Thunderous applause for Miara. She has just announced the filing of an indictment against me. As I clarified, my intention was to convince Knesset members that exposing Bressler’s partner was done within the proper framework and for the fulfillment of my role."

She added: “I have not yet received the indictment, but I trust Miara that I will soon read it through one of her mouthpieces."

Earlier this month Defense Minister Israel Katz signed the required confidentiality certificate, thereby paving the way for the attorney general to file the indictment in the case involving the exposure of the identity of the Shin Bet official, who is the partner of activist Shikma Bressler.

With the filing of the indictment, the legal battle is expected to move to the political arena. Gotliv may claim parliamentary immunity, and the issue will be decided by the Knesset Committee. Given the coalition’s majority on the committee, there is a possibility that her immunity will be upheld and the criminal proceedings blocked.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch called on coalition members to unite against removing Gotliv’s immunity.

“A dismissed political adviser who is occupied 24/7 with undermining and persecuting the government and right-wing Knesset members. I trust my colleagues on the Knesset Committee to make the right decision and approve the immunity of my colleague, MK Tally Gotliv," he said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded: “It’s time for Yariv Levin and my Likud colleagues to overcome their fear barrier מול the attorney general - reform now!"

MK Avichai Boaron, a member of the Knesset Committee, added: “The filing of an indictment against MK Tally Gotliv is part of Gali Baharav-Miara’s hunting and persecution campaign against right-wing Knesset members and their government. Therefore, as a member of the Knesset Committee, with God’s help, very soon we will vote and grant immunity to my colleague Tally and prevent her prosecution."

“We will not allow the radical left that has taken over the State Attorney’s Office and the attorney general to prosecute right-wing representatives for no wrongdoing. We must continue the correction, cleansing, and deep healing of the legal advisory system, the prosecution, and the entire judicial system. I again call on my colleagues in the government to immediately suspend the attorney general and her relevant deputies, after it became clear they lied in the Gofman High Court petition, in addition to the false affidavits submitted in the Military Advocate General petition, until the decisions of a governmental inquiry committee examining the attorney general system and its conduct," Boaron said.

MK Boaz Bismuth also called for action against Baharav-Miara.

“Attorney Miara continues her unhinged conduct against right-wing Knesset members and ministers. Now she has announced an indictment against MK Tally Gotliv. Spoiler: this fabrication will also fail. The government must resume advancing the process of her dismissal, and at the same time examine whether she is breaching public trust through her trampling of elected officials," Bismuth said.

Shevuois Message from a Holy Chayelet ...in Hebrew

 

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Alexander the Great's tomb revealed for first time: ‘unique and magnificent’

 Greek officials have unveiled the interior of a massive ancient tomb linked to Alexander the Great as archaeologists continue excavation and restoration work.

Greece’s Ministry of Culture announced the news in a statement on May 11.

The excavation centers around the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis, the ruins of an ancient Macedonian city in northern Greece, about 60 miles northeast of Thessaloniki.

Greek officials said restoration work at the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis has uncovered the site’s full enclosure for the first time, revealing the massive scale of the ancient Macedonian monument.

The enclosure, built in the fourth century B.C., measures roughly 1,630 feet in circumference. It surrounds a burial mound spanning more than 20 acres, as Cover Media reported.

Pictures released by the ministry show marble-lined passageways, elaborate architecture, and fine sculptural details that suggest the structure was built for a member of the Macedonian elite.

Greek officials have unveiled the interior of a massive ancient tomb possibly linked to Alexander the Great as archaeologists continue excavation and restoration work.

The excavation centers around the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis, the ruins of an ancient Macedonian city in northern Greece, about 60 miles northeast of Thessaloniki.

Officials removed older metal supports to make the monument’s interior fully visible, and future plans include installing the tomb’s monumental double-leaf Macedonian marble door and restoring parts of the sphinx sculptures that once guarded the entrance.

“The Kasta Tomb is a unique and magnificent Macedonian monument, which, through the completion of the work of restoring its geometry, but also revealing the entire enclosure, now clearly highlights its historical importance and its value,” Lina Mendoni, Greek minister of culture, said in a translated statement.

Amphipolis is “associated with major figures of the Kingdom of Macedon, such as the three generals of Alexander the Great, Nearchus, Hephaestion, and Laomedon, who resided in the city,” according to the Ministry of Culture’s website.

People walk along a dirt path next to the Kasta Tumulus in Amphipolis.

The enclosure, built in the fourth century B.C., measures roughly 1,630 feet in circumference.

Kasta Tumulus in Amphipolis with a massive burial mound surrounded by a curved wall.

The excavation centers around the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis, the ruins of an ancient Macedonian city in northern Greece, about 60 miles northeast of Thessaloniki.

“After Alexander’s death, the city’s garrison remained loyal to his mother Olympias and only agreed to surrender the city to Cassander, one of Alexander’s successors, on her orders,” the website notes.

“Cassander imprisoned Alexander’s wife Roxana and his son Alexander IV in Amphipolis and ordered their murder.”

Alexander the Great, who lived from 356 B.C. to 323 B.C., is known for establishing the vast Macedonian Empire across parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa as a young man.

He defeated the Persian Empire — then the dominant superpower of the ancient world — before dying at age 32 under mysterious circumstances, despite never losing a battle.

Researchers believed Kasta Tomb was “built for someone very close to Alexander the Great,” such as his mother, one of his wives, or one of his friends, National Geographic reported in 2014.

Alexander the Great fighting in the Battle of Issus, ca. 310 B.C., based on The Battle of Issus Roman Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii, Italy.

The latest excavation isn’t the only recent archaeological project tied to the legendary Macedonian ruler.

Earlier in 2026, Fox News Digital spoke with an archaeologist who helped locate a long-lost city founded by Alexander the Great after centuries of obscurity.

The city, called Alexandria on the Tigris, is located near the Persian Gulf in southern Iraq. It was founded in the fourth century B.C.

Nick Kristof’s Israel abuse claims spark civil war at New York Times: ‘I’m sick of being embarrassed’

 

A civil war has erupted inside the New York Times over Nicholas Kristof’s explosive column alleging widespread sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israeli prison guards.

Staffers at the newspaper are questioning whether some of the most incendiary claims, including an allegation that Israel trains dogs to rape Palestinian detainees, would have ever cleared the paper’s newsroom standards, according to Puck News.

The internal backlash has grown so intense that one Times journalist vented to Puck: “I am sick of being embarrassed by the Opinion section.”

Nicholas Kristof’s controversial column on alleged sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees has sparked backlash inside and outside the New York Times.

Nicholas Kristof’s controversial column on alleged sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees has sparked backlash inside and outside the New York Times.

The controversy centers on Kristof’s May 11 opinion essay, “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” which included graphic allegations from Palestinian detainees who claimed they were sexually assaulted, raped with objects and abused by Israeli prison guards, interrogators and settlers.

The column immediately ignited outrage from pro-Israel critics, sparked denunciations from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and triggered threats of a libel suit against the Times.

The Times pushed back forcefully against Netanyahu’s threat to sue the paper, with spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha saying the proposed libel action was “part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting and stifle journalism that does not fit a specific narrative.”

She added that “any such legal claim would be without merit.”

Kristof’s column included graphic allegations from Palestinians who claimed they were sexually abused while detained by Israeli authorities.

Kristof’s column included graphic allegations from Palestinians who claimed they were sexually abused while detained by Israeli authorities.

While Times leadership has publicly defended Kristof’s reporting as “rigorously and meticulously fact-checked,” Puck reported that many newsroom journalists remain privately “suspicious” of the sourcing behind some of the column’s most graphic allegations.

Pollard Drops Out Of Politics 'Overwhelmed with death threats

 

Pollard also revealed that he had recently decided against entering politics after briefly announcing plans to run for the Knesset. He said he faced significant backlash and threats from both the political left and right following his announcement.

"I got overwhelmed with death threats," Pollard said, adding that criticism from the left stemmed largely from his position that hostages should be freed "by strength, not by concession."

Addressing criticism from Netanyahu supporters, Pollard said he had repeatedly expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for efforts connected to his release from prison, while emphasizing that others had also played major roles. "There were a host of people who played very important roles in securing my release," he said, mentioning his late wife Esther, Ron Dermer, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, and Rabbi Pesach Lerner.

Much of the discussion focused on Israel’s security doctrine and regional threats. Pollard warned that Israel faces mounting dangers from Iran, Turkey, and extremist forces operating in Syria, while arguing that the Jewish state must prepare for future large-scale conflicts.

Pollard also expressed concern over growing antisemitism in Western countries, arguing that many Jews abroad still underestimate the dangers they face. He described Aliyah as both inevitable and necessary as hostility toward Jewish communities increases.

"The only safe place for a Jew is right here in the Holy Land," Pollard said, while also criticizing Israeli leaders for failing to prepare adequately for future immigration waves.

The interview also included criticism of Israeli bureaucracy and defense procurement systems, with Pollard arguing that excessive caution and delays have prevented Israel from adopting technologies and policies he believes are necessary to confront modern threats.

Concluding the discussion, Pollard explained why he ultimately decided remaining outside politics would allow him to speak more freely. "When you have this thing called party discipline, you can't speak your mind," he said. "Now it's much more liberating to be able to sit as I am now... and discuss options, to discuss what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong."

Satmerer "Shventz" Continue to Lick the Tuchis of the Mayor and Attend Mamzarani's Shevuois Party after he Posted a Nakba Day video

 

The Ramchal: How a controversial figure was rehabilitated by the Mussar movement

 

When I was about seventeen in yeshiva, I remember being stunned to learn that the Ramchal — the author of Mesilas Yesharim and Derech Hashem — was clean‑shaven. Even more shocking was discovering that he had been placed in cherem by the gedolei hador, largely because some believed he viewed himself as Moshiach. It was only later, so the story goes, that the Vilna Gaon “brought him out of mothballs,” declaring that he would not step outside into the streets of Vilna without first learning through the entire Mesilas Yesharim.

Once the initial shock wore off, my respect for the Ramchal never wavered. I filed the whole episode away in my mind and didn’t think much about it again — until recently, when I came across an article by Binyomin Z. Wolf, who writes a Substack column called Torah V’Apikorsus.

I found the article while looking up information about the Ramchal because I share a birthday — כ"ו אייר, which in the Sefirah cycle corresponds to yesod she’b’yesod — with his yahrzeit. That curiosity led me to Wolf’s piece. And although the author openly describes himself as an “apikores,” the article was surprisingly informative and genuinely fascinating.

Much of it, I knew, I knew about the plays that he wrote, and I knew that he was pariah, but I didn't know the extent of how the Gedoilim of that generation persecuted him! Read it and form your own opinion!

Last Wednesday (כ"ו אייר) was the Yarhtzeit (death anniversary) of Moshe Chaim Luzzato, the Ramchal. While Ramchal has been rehabilitated as a classic Orthodox Jewish pietist with his work, Mesilat Yesharim, read in virtually every yeshiva, he was a complicated figure. He faced bans, wrote Hebrew plays, and was involved in major controversies as a kabbalist. David Sclar, in his PhD dissertation, traces the true life of Ramchal, and uncovers fascinating details left out of Chareidi biographical sketches.

To understand the Ramchal, you have to forget the image of the stoic, elderly sage peering out from the title pages of yeshiva texts. Born in 1707 into a wealthy mercantilist family in Padua, Italy, the young Luzzatto was a brilliant, privileged polymath. Supported entirely by his family's wealth, he spent his days mastering Talmud, Kabbalah, science, and secular literature.

But beneath the surface of his academic brilliance, Luzzatto was orchestrating something much more radical.

Beit Shemesh is Approaching 200,000 Residents Amid Unprecedented Growth!

 

Beit Shemesh continues to grow at a rapid pace and is becoming one of Israel's most prominent cities. During the recent city council meeting, the Mayor said that the city is expected to surpass 200,000 residents in the coming months - a milestone that will officially place it among the largest cities in the country.

According to the data presented, the population of Beit Shemesh has already crossed the 190,000 threshold, boasting an annual growth rate that is among the highest in Israel - at approximately 6% each year. Just this past year, the city overtook Holon in the rankings of Israel's largest cities and currently sits in tenth place.

Israel’s Largest Cities: 2026 Population Estimates

1. Jerusalem: 1,180,000 residents
2. Tel Aviv: 602,000 residents
3. Haifa: 318,000 residents
4. Petah Tikva: 317,000 residents
5. Beer Sheva: 245,000 residents
6. Bnei Brak: 236,000 residents
7. Ashdod: 235,500 residents
8. Rishon LeZion: 234,000 residents
9. Netanya: 223,000 residents
10. Beit Shemesh: 200,000 residents

However, officials in Beit Shemesh emphasize: it’s not just about numbers. Transitioning into a city of over 200,000 residents is expected to impact nearly every aspect of the residents' daily lives.

One of the central focus areas is employment. The municipality is currently promoting the establishment of the new Ma'ar (Main Business District) in the southern (newer) part of the city, aiming to transform Beit Shemesh into a city with more employment centers so fewer residents will have to commute daily to Jerusalem or the Center for work.

Simultaneously, the city continues to expand with new construction plans, including future neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city. Some of these plans are already causing friction with neighboring communities, including Moshav Zanoach, due to concerns over urban sprawl and infrastructure strain.

The city also faces significant internal challenges. The rapid population growth creates traffic congestion and drives the need to expand educational institutions, public transportation, parks, and other municipal services. Plans to build office towers and bus terminals in the heart of residential neighborhoods have already drawn opposition from some residents and rabbis.

Alongside the large Haredi neighborhoods, Beit Shemesh has also been trying in recent years to strengthen its National Religious and traditional populations, with new projects in the main city, Neve Shamir, Givat Sharet, and other neighborhoods.

Beit Shemesh's transformation into a city of over 200,000 residents carries political and economic significance as well: the number of city council seats is set to increase from 27 to 31, the municipality will receive allocations for additional deputy mayor positions, and development budgets as well as senior municipal salaries are expected to grow accordingly.

In recent years, many have dubbed Beit Shemesh "Israel’s Laboratory" - a city trying to integrate diverse populations and build a unique urban model.

The big question now is whether the city will manage to keep pace with this rapid growth in terms of infrastructure and quality of life, or if this expansion will become an overwhelming burden on the municipal system.

Teachings of rabbi killed in Bondi Beach terrorist attack live on with new book: ‘A profound gift’

 

Nikki holding an etrog and lulav inside a sukkah with Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Family crying over they casket of Eli Schlanger, which is draped with a Star of David

Nikki Goldstein

He saved her life — now her mission is to save his legacy. Nikki Goldstein doesn’t remember the first time she met Rabbi Eli Schlanger in September 2022. She was comatose in a Sydney, Australia, ICU, battling pneumonia and failing lungs. Doctors didn’t think the 57-year-old would live to see the next day.

Moments after her husband and daughter lifted their bowed heads resting over wires on her hospital bed, they caught a glimpse of a whirling dervish darting past the room wearing a yarmulke.

Though Goldstein was a secular Jew who never went to synagogue, her desperate husband Rowan asked the rabbi to give his dying wife a blessing.

When Nikki Goldstein’s husband asked Rabbi Eli Schlanger to give her a blessing, he sounded the shofar in her hospital room.

Before reciting ancient prayers over her “near lifeless” body, the bearded, bespeckled young rabbi brandished a ram’s horn known as a shofar, auspiciously blown before the Jewish High Holidays.

He sounded the simple instrument considered a “spiritual wake-­up call” that “pierces the heavens” with its plaintive cry and left Goldstein’s room.  

By the next day her infection retreated as doctors brought Goldstein out of the coma, something the medical team jokingly hailed as a “miracle.”

A few days later while doing his rounds as a hospital chaplain, Schlanger walked through the recovery ward and spotted Goldstein — sitting up, talking on the phone and looking strong.

“You survived,” he said, looking “completely shocked,” Goldstein, whose new book, “Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World” (Harper Influence), comes out May 26, recalled to The Post.

Nikki Goldstein would become known as “Eli’s miracle.”

American Airlines halts New York-Tel Aviv route through early 2027

 American Airlines announced on Sunday that it would be suspending nonstop flight services from New York to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport through January 6, 2027.

“We will proactively reach ​out to ​impacted customers of this schedule adjustment, offering ​options in line with our customer-friendly schedule change policy," the airline said in an e-mailed statement.

The airline suspended operations to Israel immediately after the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.

American Airlines was to have resumed flights to Israel in March, but has repeatedly extended the suspension of flights amid regional tensions.

The airline had previously extended the suspension of service to Tel Aviv through September 7.

Last week, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced the extension of its Conflict Zone Advisory for Israeli airspace and several other nations across the Middle East and Persian Gulf, Globes reported.

The updated directive will remain in effect until at least May 27, though the agency has notably adjusted its tone regarding the current security landscape.

Major European carriers such as Wizz Air, KLM, Air France, and Air Europa are reportedly re-evaluating their scheduled resumption dates in light of the continued EASA warning.

Smotrich attacks Attorney General: ‘Very soon we will end the AG's dictatorship’

 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich today (Monday) attacked the Attorney General and the State Attorney during a discussion on the bill to split the role of the Attorney General at the Constitution Committee, sparking outrage among opposition MKs.

In his remarks, Smotrich referred to the “Sde Teiman" affair and said, 

“Almost 200 days have passed since the great blood libel carried out by Jews against IDF soldiers, and where is the Attorney General? Covering for her former colleague, the former Military Advocate General. There is no justice and no one is taking responsibility. She is sitting at home enjoying a generous pension and the rank of major general in the IDF. Almost 200 days have passed, and the public deserves answers: How is the investigation progressing? Have timelines been set? Who else was involved in this criminal leak and is receiving legal protection from the state?"

Smotrich compared the conduct of the legal system to foreign reports against IDF soldiers and criticized the harm caused to suspects in the affair.

 “Why should we complain about the lies of the New York Times, which publishes a disgraceful fake ‘investigation’ against heroic IDF soldiers, when the legal adviser to the Government of Israel lends a hand to exactly such a false libel. The lives of the heroes of Force 100 were destroyed. Families fell apart, their mental health collapsed. The time has come for everyone involved in the affair to be held accountable."

The Finance Minister went on to accuse the Attorney General of politically persecuting generals appointed to senior security positions. 

“What is the Attorney General occupied with? Persecuting Roman Gofman, a hero and outstanding IDF general appointed head of the Mossad during a critical period for Israel’s security; persecuting David Zini, another outstanding IDF general appointed head of the ISA in order to rehabilitate this extremely important organization after Ronen Bar shattered it."

The minister concluded his speech with criticism of the system’s budgeting and a promise to change the functioning of legal counsel in Israel.

 “At a time when crime and protection rackets are raging in the streets, the Attorney General and the Attorney General's Office, who head the system that was supposed to deal with this and provide us with personal security, are abandoning the citizens of Israel and investing the billions we give them in persecuting the government and the Right, thwarting every step, every plan and every appointment we make, with foolish investigations and abuse of legal process. Very soon we will restore Israel to being a democratic state and put an end to the dictatorship of the Attorney General. A state in which legal counsel advises, the government can govern, and the Knesset succeeds in legislating. That is democracy."

Smotrich sharply criticized the legal advisers in the Justice Ministry and said:

 “You are a total failure. From the Attorney General and the State Attorney down to the department heads, they all need to go home."

During the discussion, a verbal confrontation developed between bereaved brother Danny Elgart, who joined the Democrats party, and Minister Smotrich. The Knesset Guard attempted to prevent the clash and remove Elgart from the minister. Constitution Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman suspended the discussion.

Israel turning back violent flotilla from Turkey

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  held a security discussion Monday regarding the Turkish flotilla making its way to the Gaza Strip.

Following the discussion, Netanyahu is expected to authorize the IDF to take control of the vessels in order to prevent a breach of the naval blockade.

Fifty-seven vessels set sail last week from Marmaris, Turkey, carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists. They are expected to reach the Gaza Strip area Tuesday evening if they are not stopped beforehand.

The defense establishment fears that the current flotilla could be more violent than previous ones, both because of the identity of the activists and due to the involvement of IHH. The organization was behind the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010, during which activists attacked Shayetet 13 commandos with knives and clubs, seized a soldier’s weapon, and opened fire at the force.

Israel has made clear that it will not allow the vessels to breach the naval blockade, and the IDF is preparing for a physical takeover using Shayetet 13 commandos and naval forces. According to a Kan News report, a floating detention cell has been built on one of the ships, to which the activists will be transferred after their arrest if they refuse to heed the forces’ warnings and turn back at sea.

In 2010, the Mavi Marmara defied orders to turn around and dock at the Ashdod port, forcing the IDF to board the vessel - only to be attacked by Islamist extremists on board. The soldiers were pressed to open fire to save their lives.

After an investigation, Israeli authorities discovered the vessel to be carrying no humanitarian aid - in fact, no aid supplies at all - in contrary to the claimed "humanitarian" mission of the flotilla. The incident led to a fallout between Israel and Turkey.

Charles Weiss of Flatbush " Askanim Must Not Allow Mamdani To Use Them As Political Props"

 

For years, askanim and community leaders stood beside politicians at the White House, in Albany, and at City Hall. They built relationships, advocated for resources, and fought for the needs of the community. Most people understood the purpose. Government controls funding, influence, and access, and maintaining those relationships often produced real benefits for Jewish communities.

Critics occasionally mocked the optics or accused communal leaders of becoming too close to power, but most reasonable people understood that representation matters. Strong advocacy has long been an essential part of protecting and advancing communal interests.

But this moment is different.

Antisemitism is no longer hiding in the shadows. Jews are increasingly targeted under the cover of terms like “Zionists,” “anti-Israel,” and “anti-IDF.” The language may be politically sanitized, but the hostility behind it is becoming harder to ignore.

After watching Jewish neighborhoods in Manhattan, Queens, and now Midwood overwhelmed by hostile protests, masked agitators, and aggressive mobs, nobody can honestly pretend anymore that this is simply normal political activism.

What unfolded in Midwood was not peaceful “activism.” It was intimidation, chaos, and fear. Parents frantically searched for their children. Families rushed indoors. Residents felt trapped in their own neighborhood while police appeared either overwhelmed or unwilling to remove mobs marching without permits and in open violation of city law.

And afterward, City Hall said virtually nothing.

That silence was deafening.

Recent legislative battles at City Hall and now in Albany over establishing “protective distances” around shuls and yeshivas raise an obvious question: what difference does 50 feet, 100 feet, or even 1,000 feet make if aggressive mobs are still allowed to illegally march, without permits, through Jewish residential neighborhoods?

Allowing mobs to illegally march without permits and terrorize Jewish residential neighborhoods is outrageous.

Either there is law and order or there is not.

And if anyone still believes this mayor is going to offer meaningful protest or genuine concern, they simply have not been paying attention.

In the aftermath of the Midwood riots, the only notable public message from Mayor Mamdani was an incendiary tweet posted before Shabbos commemorating the “Nakba.”

Which brings us to the upcoming Jewish Heritage event at Gracie Mansion.

Year after year, these events have attracted a who’s who of community leaders, organizational representatives, askanim, and politically connected machers.

But things are different now.

There is something profoundly unsettling about watching Jewish neighborhoods overwhelmed by masked mobs and then, days later, seeing yarmulke-wearing communal representatives participate in carefully staged, feel-good photo opportunities with the same administration many believe enabled, excused, or tolerated the hostility directed at Jewish communities.

Political engagement matters. No serious person disputes that. Meetings should continue. Advocacy should continue. Relationships with government should continue.

But there is a difference between advocacy and exploitation.

Communal representatives should advocate privately and professionally for the needs of the Jewish community. They should continue fighting for security, funding, education, and protection. What they should not do is allow themselves to become political props while Jewish neighborhoods increasingly feel under siege.

At some point, the optics themselves become damaging.

Many ordinary community members no longer view these public displays as productive diplomacy. They view them as tone-deaf, humiliating, and disconnected from the fear and anger many Jewish families are currently experiencing.

And that raises a fair question:

Who exactly are these public appearances serving?

Charles Weiss
Flatbush, Brooklyn

Unreal!! Rabbi Yair Hoffman a Rav in Chutz Le'Aaretz Takes on the Israel Poisik HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu A Giant Poisik & Torah Scholar On his Stance on Opening a Shul on Har Habayit

 

I found it remarkable that Rabbi Yair Hoffmann, writing comfortably from Chutz La’Aretz, chose to challenge a towering Torah figure like HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu shlit”a — a baki be’chol haTorah kula, a widely respected posek throughout Israel, a member of the Moetzes HaRabbanut HaRashit, and the Chief Rabbi of Tzfas.

The controversy centers on Rav Eliyahu’s suggestion that Israel establish a Beis HaKnesses on Har HaBayit.

But this idea is hardly unprecedented. There was a functioning synagogue on Har HaBayit for centuries during the Byzantine period in the 5th and 6th centuries. Rabbi Berel Wein z”l even devoted an entire lecture to this historical fact. So while Rabbi Hoffmann’s “Open Letter” is written respectfully, his arguments miss the mark on several levels.

Rabbi Hoffmann offers two reasons to oppose building a shul:

1. Lifnei Iver

2. Pikuach Nefesh and the value of Jewish life

His primary concern is Pikuach Nefesh — the fear that Arabs may respond violently. But this raises an obvious question: If violence is the metric, what “provocation” triggered the October 7 massacre, the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust? The answer is clear: Arabs do not need a pretext to kill Jews. Their hatred is not conditional on Jewish actions.

More importantly, if there truly is an issur d’Oraisa of Lifnei Iver, why would one need a second argument at all? And if entering certain areas of Har HaBayit carries a potential chiyuv kareis, isn’t that alone sufficient?

The fact that Rabbi Hoffmann leans so heavily on the Pikuach Nefesh argument suggests that even he does not believe the Lifnei Iver claim stands on solid ground.

Another point, why is it that Chutz Le'aarerz Rabbanim are so concerned of Arabs rioting? We have a poisik living in Israel and he thinks we should establish a Jewish presence on the Har Habayit, despite Arab threats!

Before we get to Rabbi Hoffman's letter, I want to copy and paste some letters to Rav Hoffman, rebutting his entire premise!

I disagree and here is why

To summarize Yair Hoffman’s arguments as I understood them: A) An establishment of beis hakneses even in the mutar areas of har habais CAN cause a spillage of people to the osur areas which can cause issur koreis on the mass scale c”v. B) Doing something that the islamonazis consider unacceptable can cause loss of Jewish lives chas vesholom.

Why I disagree with both:

A) A possibility of something bad is not a reason to avoid doing something good. The obvious solution is to learn the relevant halachos and to enforce these halachos as necessary.

After all, we don’t spend an entire shabos lying in bed out of fear of violating hilchos shabos and getting issur koreis c”v — instead we learn hilchos shabos and spend our shabosim besimcha while avoiding all the isurim. Making a salad on shabos CAN violate a few avos melacha, but we make salads without violating — because we learn exactly what we are allowed and not allowed to do. We eat matza throughout Pesach even not during seder, even though there CAN be a remote possiblity that a matza is a chometz — because we are makpid on afiyas matzos and we make sure that kashrus of matzos is impeccable.

Same can and should be done on har habais. The relevant halachos can be publicized. Maps of mutar and osur areas can be publicized. Friendly rabanut-employed attendants can be stationed throughout and guide people where to go and where not to go. This is not an opportunity for issur — this is an opportunity for increasing kovod shamaim by educating yiden about mitzvois, the very definition of Kidush Hashem.

B) The islamonazis don’t need any additional reasons to try to kill us c”v. They are already doing their best at their highest capacity.

Read their homicidal koran and learn their homicidal history. Our very existence drives them mad.

Our taking back of the holiest site in Judaism is not going to make a homicidal maniac into a more homicidal maniac, same as an already pregnant woman can never become more pregnant. Some phenomena can have only two possible states — either on or off switch — and quantity is not applicable. The islamonazis homicidal switch has been turned on since the 7th century, and any stories of Jews thriving in Islamic countries have the following three explanations, in any combination: greatly exaggerated, the government was weak and needed the Jewish help in various areas, the Islamism was only nominal.

 Accuracy Matters

Rabbi Hoffman – I want to thank you for the respectful tone of your letter. I happen to strongly disagree with it, but appreciate that it is coming from a place of concern and caring, rather than being a political polemic masquerading as “Psak”.

As to the issue of danger to Jewish lives – according to Rav Shmuel, there is currently an active Mitzva of Kibush – and by its very nature, Kibush entails danger to life. There’s also his view that it is important to show ownership of ALL of Eretz Yisrael, and that that’s the greatest form of deterence from attacks over the long term – veyir’u osecha kol amei ha’aretz, veyar’u mipanecha. You and others of the Chareidi religious persuasion may disagree with Rav Shmuel on this, but your arguments will not sway Rav Shmuel – since you’re coming from a completely different religious world view on what areas of Halacha are relevant b’zman hazeh. You are arguing from a place of Chareidism, which views Galus – even while being physically present in Eretz Yisrael – as currently being the correct place for a Jew. He is coming from a place of Aschalta d’Ge’ula, where proud Jews are reclaiming their heritage here in Eretz Yisrael.

I write the above with the greatest respect

Read letter from Rav Hoffman after the break