Friday, February 6, 2026
Schumer rejects offer to unfreeze $16B for Gateway tunnel Because He refuses to rename Penn Station and Dulles Airport after Trump
Cryi'n Schumer would rather the Gateway Tunnel never be built then to G-d Forbid name it after Trump!
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) rejected an offer from President Trump last month to release $16 billion in federal funds for the Gateway tunnel project in exchange for backing the renaming of New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after him.
Schumer reportedly told the president that he didn’t have the power to deliver on the unusual request, according to CNN.
The Trump administration made the ask as part of continuing talks to release funds earmarked for the massive Hudson River rail tunnel project that would connect New York and New Jersey, a source with knowledge of the discussion told The Post.
Schumer huddled with Trump at the White House on Jan. 15 to discuss the Gateway tunnel project. It’s unclear if the president made the offer to the senator during that meeting.
The Senate minority leader “emphasized the urgent need to promptly release the already-secured funds for the Gateway Program — the most important infrastructure project in the nation employing thousands of workers and vital to New York and the entire Northeast economy” during the meeting, his office said at the time.
Trump froze a combined $18 billion in funding for the Gateway tunnel and New York’s Second Avenue subway project last October – on the first day of the Schumer-led government shutdown, during which Democrats held up federal funding for a record 43 days.
New York, New Jersey and the Gateway Development Commission are suing the Trump administration over the freeze, arguing the withholding of the funds is unlawful and a breach of contract.
The funds were approved by the federal government in 2021 and construction on the tunnel began in 2023. It’s not expected to be completed until 2035.
A line of credit used to keep work going on the tunnel amid the funding freeze will run dry on Friday and construction will come to a total halt, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
“It is critical to the region, it’s critical to jobs, it’s critical to the economy. That’s why we’re fighting,” New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill told reporters Wednesday. “Let me be clear: This is a political decision by the president to cancel money that’s already in a pot being ready to be put to work.”
The prospect of renaming Penn Station after Trump first arose last April, when the Department of Transportation took over a project to renovate the transit hub and New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated she’d be fine calling it “Trump Station” when completed.
House Republicans have also previously introduced legislation that would rename Northern Virginia’s Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport.
Qatar represents the Jeffrey Epstein of world politics
U.S. President Donald Trump is an arch pragmatist. His “art of the deal" is based on beating down the other side through negotiations in which he plays a superior hand.
This approach characterizes his foreign policy. Over both Iran and Gaza, however, it’s currently threatening to derail his intention to restore respect for American power-not to mention his much-desired legacy as the world’s principal peacemaker.
At the time of writing, a negotiation process still seems to be underway between the United States and the Iranian regime as an alternative to war. Trump’s terms include the regime giving up its nuclear program, ballistic missiles and sponsorship of terrorism-a demand for nothing less than surrender, to which the regime will never agree.
If Trump attacks Iran, we’ll finally know that he realizes that deal-making among nations has its limits. The fact that he keeps being persuaded to continue with these talks, however reluctantly, has created fears that he’s being played by the world’s supreme masters of tactical concessions, delay and manipulation.
In Gaza, where Trump prevented Israel from finishing off Hamas and forced the Israelis into a negotiated ceasefire, Hamas has regrouped and strengthened, daily breaking the ceasefire by attacking Israeli troops.
“Hold Back the Forces”: Newly Revealed Documents Show How Badly Israeli Intel Botched The Oct. 7 Attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has released new internal records from the weeks leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, revealing senior defense officials repeatedly described the Gaza front as “stable” and urged restraint, even as the country stood on the brink of its deadliest security failure.
The documents, published as part of Netanyahu’s response to a state inquiry, were submitted to State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Dec. 25, 2025, and were made public on Thursday. They form part of the prime minister’s effort to shift responsibility for the Oct. 7 collapse toward Israel’s military and intelligence leadership.
Among the most striking revelations is a transcript from a Sept. 12, 2023, cabinet meeting, less than a month before the Hamas invasion. In that session, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant described the security situation in Gaza as “stable” and urged Israel to “hold back its forces” against Hamas.
Gallant, who was later fired by Netanyahu during the war, also pushed for a long-term arrangement with Hamas to preserve calm along the border.
The document shows that senior officials were convinced that deterrence and limited engagement were working and that escalation should be avoided.
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Israel can never repay its debt to the tatzpitaniyot
There are many images burned into the Israeli consciousness from October 7. One of the most painful is the fate of the IDF surveillance soldiers—the tatzpitaniyot.
Mostly eighteen and nineteen years old, these young women were tasked with watching Hamas. They saw the preparations and warned their superiors—and were promptly ignored. When Hamas stormed their bases on October 7, they paid the price for the IDF’s failure. Fifteen were murdered. Seven were kidnapped. All were eventually returned to Israel alive—except one. Corporal Noa Marciano’s body was recovered by the IDF in November 2023. An autopsy determined that she had been wounded during an IDF strike on the apartment where she was being held. Her captor was killed in the strike, and Marciano was rushed to al-Shifa Hospital. There, she encountered Muhammad al-Habil—a doctor by day, and a Hamas commander by night. Faced with a wounded Israeli hostage, he made a choice to abandon humanity. Sensitive readers may wish to skip what happened next. According to Marciano’s father, there exists a video showing the medical professional at al-Shifa deliberately killing his wounded daughter—injecting air into her veins—while she begged for her life. I recount it for one reason: yesterday, the doctor of death, Muhammad al-Habil was eliminated by an IDF strike in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire. Israel can never repay its debt to the tatzpitaniyot—for what they warned, how they were ignored, and for how they were abandoned. But the elimination of those who tormented and murdered them is the least it can do.
Mamdani health officials’ ‘oppression’ obsession: Attack Israel and Jews
This is Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s New York: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene workers are assembling on the taxpayer’s dime to attack the nation of Israel.
The grossly antisemitic “Global Oppression and Public Health Working Group,” which held its first meeting Tuesday, is an outrage that demands swift action from Mamdani — but will he?
Held in the middle of the workday at department headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, as well as remotely, the government-sponsored hate fest featured speakers who accused Israeli forces of committing “genocide’’ against Palestinians.
One presenter, Hunter College professor Weeam Hammoudeh, a committee member for the Palestine Global Mental Health Network, displayed not only vicious bias but willful ignorance of the Jewish state.
In this word salad captured on video, she proclaimed, “So Palestinian citizens of Israel are citizens but they’re not considered nationals of the state so they’re more restricted in terms of the areas that they can live in and then some jobs and other opportunities also require military service, and that creates another set of sort of disparities in outcomes.”
It’s a bald-faced lie.
Israel’s Muslim citizens not only enjoy the same civil rights, employment and wages as Jewish Israelis, they can vote and hold public office.
But speakers at this disgraceful conference neglected to mention not only these facts, they ignored the massacre of more than 1,200 Jews on Oct. 7, 2023. Not one mention was made during the more than hour-long conference of terrorists who murdered, raped, tortured and kidnapped Jews, sparking Israel’s self-defensive war in Gaza.
The name Hamas was not uttered at all.
And what does libeling another country have to do with the Health Department’s mandate to protect the health of New Yorkers from illness, from the flu to HIV?
Absolutely nothing.
Speakers, who seemed hand-picked for their hatred of Israel and contempt for the Jewish people were introduced by Sarah McKenney, a director of operations for the rapid response team at the DOHMH, and one of the organizers of the disgraceful event.
Mayor Mamdani is a longtime basher of Israel who’s surrounded himself with Jew haters and bandies about the term “genocide.’’ Lately, however, he’s vowed to protect Jewish New Yorkers from the often violent acts of antisemitism unleashed on streets, Jewish-owned businesses and synagogues throughout Gotham.
It’s time he put his money where his mouth is.
If Hizzoner wants to prove he represents all people of this city and cares if residents live or die, he’ll immediately disband this disgraceful working group and put its ringleaders on notice that their jobs are at risk if they refuse.
Be careful what you say about Israel
G-d will tolerate many things from His servants. Becoming a prosecutor of Israel is not one of them.
The Haftorah for Parshat Yitro (Isaiah 6:1-7:6 according to the Ashkenazi custom) is majestic and awe-inspiring yet also somewhat unsettling. Isaiah beholds a vision of G-d enthroned in glory, attended by Seraphim, a type of angel, who proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the entire world is filled with His glory" (6:3).
The foundations tremble. Smoke fills the Temple. Heaven itself seems to shake.
And then something unexpected happens.
Isaiah does not rejoice. He recoils.
“Woe is me, for I am undone," he cries, “for I am a man of impure lips, and I dwell among a people of impure lips" (6:5).
At that moment, one of the Seraphim flies toward him, holding a glowing coal taken from the altar, and touches Isaiah’s lips. The angel declares that his sin has been removed and his iniquity atoned for.
Why the lips? Why fire? And why this searing act at the very moment Isaiah is being called to prophesy?
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105), cites the Midrash Tanchuma and says that Isaiah was punished for indicting the Jewish people. It was acceptable for Isaiah to say, “I am a man of impure lips." What crossed the line was adding, “I dwell among a people of impure lips." That judgment, Rashi explains, was not his to make. A prophet may rebuke Israel. He may warn, exhort and admonish. But he may not speak with contempt.
And so G-d responds. Not with words, but with fire.
Speech is the instrument of prophecy, and Isaiah’s speech required correction before it could be entrusted with Divine truth. The mouth that would soon carry G-d’s message to kings and nations had first to be purified of any hint of disdain for its own people.
Belzer Tzadik Elimelech Stern Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Spying for Iran
The Jerusalem District Court on Thursday sentenced Elimelech Stern to three years in prison after he was convicted of maintaining contact with a foreign agent and conspiring to carry out threats.
The court's verdict presented evidence that Stern, operating under Iranian guidance, carried out various tasks within Israel, recruiting other citizens for national security missions in exchange for payment in digital currency.
Among the tasks Stern performed were printing security-related flyers, collecting mobile phones, and transferring money in public spaces.
Stern's initial suspicion about the identity of the agent he was working with grew more serious as the missions took on a more prominent security nature. However, he did not cooperate with the authorities and stalled legal proceedings throughout the process.
The Prosecutor's Office emphasized the severity of Stern's crimes, stressing that they posed a tangible threat to national security and disrupted civilian life.
Additionally, the Prosecutor's Office noted the broader phenomenon of foreign agents operating within Israel, under clear Iranian influence, and requested a harsh sentence to deter and prevent similar cases in the future.
The defense argued that Stern was not fully aware of the agent's intentions, but the court determined that a deterrent sentence was necessary to prevent similar actions in the future.
Satmar to set up a community in north Israel
For the first time in the history of the Chasidic movement, a group of dozens yeshiva students from the Satmar Hasidic community is leaving Bnei Brak and establishing a community on Har Yona in Nof HaGalil.
The organized move, led by yeshiva head Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Meislish, marks a shift in the settlement policy of one of Israel’s largest Hasidic groups.
At a recent conference, Rabbi Meislish acknowledged the challenge of leaving long-established residential centers, while emphasizing the potential of the move. He said that despite the difficulty of physical distance, it offers opportunities for a more balanced lifestyle, stronger family life, and calmer family-building.
Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Yozshef, CEO of the institutions, stressed that this is a planned initiative rather than a private effort. Planning for educational institutions is advanced, alongside work to establish a synagogue as a community hub.
Housing details presented included high-quality apartments with open views and an expected occupancy within about 14 months, offering a more accessible alternative to projects in Haredi urban centers.
Rabbi Eliezer Biller, the project’s entrepreneur, said the goal is to create a complete framework for community life, including education, spirituality, and family resilience.
The new community joins other Hasidic groups already established in the city, including Toldos Aharon Yitzchak, reflecting a broader trend in Hasidic housing patterns in Israel.
Dr Oz Suggests NY’s Chasidic Jews Are Behind Health Care Fraud
The Anti‑Defamation League on Wednesday condemned comments by Dr. Mehmet Oz about Hasidic Jews, sharing excerpts from a two-week-old interview with Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders.” The ADL said the remarks “fuel harmful stereotypes and discrimination” and could contribute to rising antisemitism.
In the video clips, Oz Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, was discussing healthcare fraud investigations in Minnesota and sought to illustrate that the issue is not unique to one state. However, he referenced the Hasidic community in New York in a way the ADL said was prejudicial, portraying them as “foreign, criminal, or ‘not real Americans.’”
“Casting Hasidic Jews as foreign, criminal, or ‘not real Americans’ is straight out of the antisemitic playbook,” the ADL wrote on X. “This kind of rhetoric fuels harmful stereotypes and discrimination. Falsely blaming New York’s Hasidic population directly contributes to the climate in which the city just reported a 182 % year-over-year spike in antisemitic hate crimes in January. Words matter, and public officials must do better.”
Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, former Republican Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, and self-described secular Muslim, has increasingly engaged in political commentary. While attempting to compare fraud cases across states, his remarks singled out New York’s Hasidic community, prompting criticism from advocacy groups.
Civil rights leaders have emphasized that statements from public figures about minority communities can shape social climates and influence discrimination or violence. The ADL’s action underscores how even past remarks, once widely circulated or discovered, can be scrutinized amid rising antisemitic incidents nationwide.
Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe Praises Lubavitcher Rebbe for his Rambam Initiatve but Yeshivishe News Sites Don't report on it!
The post below, I copied from VIN, an article written by Joseph Feldman, you will notice that the article focuses on the fact that the Rebbe fainted during his address to the assembled crowd. The post is accompanied by a video of the Rebbe continuing his drasha after he recovered.
What VIN did, and I have to assume it's on purpose, because I never saw anything like this on any other VIN story, they put the part where the Rebbe praises and thanks the Lubavitcher Rebbe on double speed! And Feldman of VIN, on purpose, leaves out the part that this Rambam Yoimi was initiated by none other than the Lubavitcher Rebbe! I don't think that this will bring us any closer to the geulah!
A moment of concern occurred Wednesday evening at the 45th Worldwide Siyum HaRambam when the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, Harav Shmuel Dovid Halberstam of Borough Park, fainted during his address to the assembled crowd.
The Rebbe, son of the late Sanz-Klausenberger leader Harav Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, was leading the official celebration marking the completion of the Rambam study cycle. Thousands of attendees filled the Crown Heights venue for the event, which featured multiple speakers and musical performances.
While speaking about the dedication of Jewish leaders to communities worldwide, the Rebbe became unwell and collapsed in front of the audience. Emergency responders from Hatzalah quickly assisted him, and he gradually recovered.
After stabilizing, the Rebbe returned to the stage, seated, and completed his remarks. He asked that the incident not overshadow the celebration and offered words of encouragement to those gathered.
His gabbai noted that the Rebbe rarely speaks publicly due to health concerns and that this appearance was a rare exception made in honor of the occasion. The last time he addressed a large audience was nearly a decade ago.
The Siyum HaRambam is a significant communal event, drawing participants from around the world to celebrate the completion of a cycle of Torah study.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Why would a popular Lakewood WhatsApp Group Encourage Chardeim in Israel to "protest" when 3 boys were already killed??
Note: I do not want to bash this popular site, as it is a benefit for Frum Jewish people, and serves a great purpose, but lately, one of their administrators who hates Israel, keeps making outrageous comments on news stories about the State of Israel. I don't know where this guy learned but I'll bet he was brainwashed with propaganda and now thinks that he has a license to spread this garbage on this WhatsApp group!
A fellow calling himself “Mr. B,” apparently an administrator of this Lakewood‑based WhatsApp group, has been getting bolder—and more absurd—with each outrageous comment he posts.
From the comfort of Lakewood, nearly 6,000 miles away from Eretz Yisrael, Mr. B feels perfectly entitled to spew venom at the only Jewish state in the world, home to over 7.5 million Jews.
Distance hasn’t stopped him from pouring out hostility toward a country he doesn’t live in and whose dangers he doesn’t share.
Mr. B is now openly encouraging protests in Israel—despite the fact that three teenagers were killed as a direct result of those very protests.
In the January 28 issue of Ami magazine, Attorney Dror Schussheim—the lawyer who successfully petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to block autopsies on the two babies who died in a Yerushalayim daycare—stated clearly:
“Protests don’t change a thing.”
The Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel echoed the same point, prohibiting his chassidim from attending further demonstrations because they “don’t accomplish anything” and are “dangerous.”
Mr. B, meanwhile, has no stake in any of this. He has no “dog in the race.” I wonder what he would say if, G‑d forbid, it were his child who was injured or killed. It’s easy to have a “B”ig mouth when you’re thousands of miles away, urging others to jump into the fire while your own family faces zero consequences.
I didn’t even see his post firsthand—my readers sent it to me, asking that I respond למען השם to his twisted remarks.
And what is his “proof” that “protests are the best way to get things done”?
He cites—of all people—the same Attorney General, Gali Baharav‑Miara, whose policies he otherwise despises. The irony would be comical if it weren’t so pathetic.
Channel 12 News revealed a recording from a July 2023 government meeting. In the recording, Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, appeared to justify disruptive actions during protests against the government’s proposed judicial reforms in 2023.🙈
In the recording, Baharav-Miara is heard saying that “there is no effective protest without disrupting public order,” a remark that has sparked criticism from political figures and public commentators.
Opponents accused the Attorney General of legitimizing disorder and crossing a professional line, while supporters argued that the comment reflects a broader discussion about the nature and impact of civil protest.
*Mr. B*- and that this is why the charedim protest, because everyone in Israel knows that this is one of the best ways, if not the best way to get things done around there...
Activist launches campaign to move into Singer Billie Eilish’s LA mansion after ‘stolen land’ Grammys rant
An Australian man launched a crowdfunding campaign to fly to the US and move into Billie Eilish’s $3 million Los Angeles mansion following her “no one is illegal on stolen land” rant at the Grammy Awards.
Drew Pavlou, a 24-year-old political activist and influencer, called out Eilish’s alleged virtue signaling in her anti-ICE remarks after she won Song of the Year at the 68th annual award show.
“I am flying to the USA next Friday to attempt to move into Billie Eilish’s beachside Malibu mansion,” Pavlou wrote on X on Monday, sharing a link to the now-defunct GoFundMe. “No human being is illegal on stolen land. Support my travel and filming costs here
Pavlou shared that the crowdfunding platform deleted his original fundraiser after it raised $3,000 towards his journey.
“GOFUNDME DELETED MY BILLIE EILISH FUNDRAISER THIS IS DISGUSTING AND UNFAIR,” Pavlou exclaimed. “I will look at alternative fundraising platforms.”
The campaign was deleted because the company could not “verify your connection and plan to transfer the donations to the person you’re raising money for,” according to an email shared by Pavlou.
He switched his tactics and started a new fundraiser on the GiveSendGo website, asking for roughly $2840 so he could fly to California and buy the “Birds of a Feather” singer’s $6 million Malibu home.
Elazar Vigdorovitz, a Chareidi faked a heart attack, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland — where he managed to escape from the airport
Elazar Vigdorovitz, an Israeli chareidi man suspected of serious fraud and scam offenses, has managed to escape law enforcement for the second time — most recently during his deportation from the United States to Israel.
According to a report by Avishai Grintzayg on i24NEWS, Vigdorovitz was deported from New York to Israel under escort by U.S. federal officers after being caught attempting to illegally enter the United States from Canada.
During the overnight flight, Vigdorovitz allegedly faked a heart attack, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland — where he managed to escape from the airport. Israeli police officers, who had been waiting for him at Ben Gurion Airport with an arrest warrant, were left empty-handed.
Chardeim Continue to Refuse to Have their Children Vaccinated ... Now the 14th unvaccinated Baby Dies In Jerusalem
A one-year-old baby from Jerusalem who had no underlying conditions and was not vaccinated against measles died on Wednesday due to complications of the disease, Israel’s Health Ministry announced.
The baby was pronounced dead at the emergency room at Hadassah Har HaTzofim Hospital after being evacuated from his home early in the morning. He is the 14th fatality since the outbreak of measles began. Almost all of the victims were healthy babies and toddlers who had not been vaccinated against the disease.
Early Wednesday morning, reports said that United Hatzalah volunteers carried out resuscitation efforts on a one-year-old baby who lost consciousness at his home in the Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Hatzalah volunteers Pini Weiss and Mordechai Greifer said, “When we arrived, we were handed an approximately one-year-old baby who wasn’t breathing and had no pulse after, according to family members, he did not wake up from his sleep.”
“Together with MDA EMTs and paramedics, we immediately began advanced resuscitation, including chest compressions and ventilation. While resuscitation continued, he was evacuated in critical condition by an MDA intensive care unit ambulance to Hadassah Har HaTzofim Hospital in the city.”
“We were told that the baby did not wake up from his sleep after having contracted measles a few days earlier,” Yechiel Stern and Ariel Drai, United Hatzalah emergency medical responders, said. “United Hatzalah resilience teams operated at the scene due to the nature of the incident.”
United Hatzalah volunteers noted a concerning rise in the number of children in Chareidi neighborhoods nationwide who have reached life-threatening conditions due to measles, with some tragic cases resulting in death.
CHUTZPAH!!!! Supreme Court Orders Netanyahu: Explain Why You Haven’t Fired Ben Gvir
In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court issued a conditional order on Wednesday morning to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to explain why he hasn’t dismissed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from his position.
The order was issued in response to four petitions from left-wing organizations challenging Ben Gvir’s continued tenure, which claim that he improperly interfered with police operations, including in appointment procedures and ongoing investigations.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the petitioners’ request for the issuance of a conditional order.
In an unusual move, the Supreme Court also decided to expand the panel hearing the petitions seeking Ben Gvir’s removal, which will now include nine justices — almost the full bench of the current Supreme Court.
Minister Ben Gvir responded to the Supreme Court’s decision, saying, “You have no authority. There will be no coup.”
Last Thursday, Ben Gvir submitted a request to the court, in which he demanded that it refrain from issuing a conditional order without first holding a hearing, arguing that the petitions lack any legal basis and that the court has no authority to compel a prime minister to dismiss a serving minister, especially in the absence of an indictment or a deficiency in the minister’s eligibility for the office.
He further argued that ordering the dismissal of a serving minister would set a dangerous and exceptional precedent, one that does not exist in recognized democracies, and that such a move would severely harm representative democracy and the sovereignty of the electorate.
The request submitted on Ben-Gvir’s behalf by his attorney, David Peter, emphasized that a comprehensive and detailed preliminary response had been provided on behalf of the minister, addressing every claim and even exposing serious misrepresentations by the Attorney General’s Office.
“Given the absence of any legal, factual, or jurisdictional basis, the court is asked to dismiss the petitions outright and refrain from considering the issuance of a conditional order,” the request stated. “Any attempt to issue such an order without a hearing would amount to an unprecedented legal ambush.”
4 Chasidic Yeshiva Students did a Prank making a ‘Grave Of Matisyahu’ and "Shotim" Came to Daven
Deep in the Ben Shemen pine forest near the towns of Modiin and Modiin Illit lies an ancient structure with a dome. The structure was named in Arabic Hirbet Al-Arbawi and in Hebrew Hurvat Ha’Gardi, named for one of the Hasmonean sons, Yochanan Ha’Gardi. The imposing structure and its location led scholars to wonder whether it had any connection to the Maccabees.
About 25 years ago, four yeshiva students from the Tshibin yeshiva and other chasidic yeshivos visited the structure and decided as a practical joke to set up a matzevah (headstone) and write that this is the tomb of Matityahu ben Yochanan Kohen Gadol. The four headed to Har Hamenuchos, purchased a headstone and engraved the words: Tomb of Matisyahu ben Yochanan. They added cement and a logo of the Aguda Le’Ma’an Kivrei Tzadikim (Association for preserving tombs of the righteous), a fictitious organization, and left the site.
Little did they know that people would begin to take their actions seriously. Numerous rabbis and public figures came to pray at the site, candles were lit, pictures were placed and especially on Chanukah every year, streams of people come to dance and pray at what they believe to be the tomb of the father of the Maccabees. People even began to believe that they had experienced miraculous salvations there.
Recently Mishpacha magazine decided to burst the balloon, revealing that the tomb is a fictitious creation of four young boys and has no credibility as the tomb of Matisyahu. One of the original Bochurim, Rav Shmuel Frankel, who is now in his 40s, said that “We wanted to make a tomb for tourists to com. Had we known how this would develop, its obvious we wouldn’t have done it.”
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