Rabbi Berel Wein, The Gadol With Common Sense, Dies at 91

Rabbi Berel Wein, legendary Jewish historian, author, yeshiva founder, rabbi, and Giant Talmud Chacham, passed away Saturday in Israel at 91. Known for his extraordinary oratory and scholarship, he captivated audiences worldwide with thousands of recorded lectures on Jewish history and Torah, shared over decades via tapes, CDs, and online platforms.

Born in Chicago, Rabbi Wein led Congregation Bais Torah and founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Monsey, New York, before moving to Jerusalem in 1997 to serve as rabbi of Beit Knesset Hanassi. He also transformed kosher supervision in North America through his leadership of the OU’s Kashrut Division, leaving a global impact on Jewish life.

Renowned for bridging generations, Rabbi Wein was personally connected to pre-Holocaust rabbinic leaders. He famously recounted meeting Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe—despite being an anti-Zionist while Rabbi Wein was pro-Zionist—and described him as one of the greatest minds and tzadikim he had ever encountered.

His funeral will be held Sunday at Beit Knesset Hanassi in Jerusalem, with burial on the Mount of Olives.

 

Growing Wave of Jewish Voters Rally Behind Antisemite Mamdani for NYC Mayor

 

With early voting kicking off in just over two months, Zohran Mamdani’s grip on Jewish voters remains firm despite his antisemitic positions that have drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel groups.

New polling data by Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions shows Mamdani maintaining his lead among Jewish voters citywide (43%) compared to 26% for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and 15% for incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.

Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens and a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has often been at odds with pro-Israel institutions. He has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and declined to affirm Israel’s status as a Jewish state. His positions that have drawn sharp criticism from both Republican and centrist Democratic circles who have accused him of crossing into antisemitic rhetoric, pointing to his past hesitation to condemn chants like “globalize the intifada.”

Mamdani has consistently denied those claims, arguing that his critique is aimed at Israeli government policy, not Jews or Judaism. Nevertheless, he appears to be gaining ground among Jewish voters, especially the younger generation.

Many seem drawn to his progressive platform, which includes a proposed Department of Community Safety to address violence without expanding police power, and increased funding to fight hate crimes citywide. Among Jewish voters aged 18 to 44, support for Mamdani jumps to 67%.

Meanwhile citywide Mamdani remains the clear front-runner in a fractured race. The poll has him at 50% overall, compared to 22% for Cuomo, 13% for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and just 7% for Adams, who is running as an independent.

Though once a vocal supporter of defunding the police, Mamdani has since softened his stance in recent months—particularly after a deadly shooting at a Midtown office building. He now says he supports maintaining NYPD staffing levels while investing heavily in non-police solutions to public safety.

Palestinians from Gaza Enter U.S. Under Trump Administration Despite Official Ban

 

In a development raising serious national security questions, video footage shows Palestinians—claiming to be refugees from Gaza—arriving in the United States this month through San Francisco and Houston, Texas. Their travel was reportedly facilitated by an organization called “Heal Palestine”, despite the Trump administration’s stated policy against accepting Palestinian refugees.

The videos—obtained by Loomer Unleashed—depict Palestinian families disembarking from flights, some waving Palestinian flags, chanting pro-Hamas slogans, and even performing the “Hamas terror whistle” inside Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Another clip shows arrivals at San Francisco International Airport on August 6, 2025, via a Qatar Airways flight.

This has ignited a firestorm of questions:

• How did individuals from a Hamas-controlled territory obtain U.S. visas?

• Did the State Department under Marco Rubio’s leadership approve this?

• Which officials signed off on visas for people from a recognized terror hot zone?

• Why are governors Gavin Newsom and Greg Abbott allowing Palestinian arrivals in California and Texas?

Critics point out that 95% of Gazans voted for Hamas in the last election, accusing U.S. officials of enabling a security breach by permitting entry from a region synonymous with terrorism.

In less than a week: Second unvaccinated toddler dies of measles

 

The Ministry of Health on Saturday announced that a second toddler has died of measles. The child, a boy aged 1.5 years, from Beit Shemesh contracted measles and was admitted to the emergency department at a Jerusalem hospital after several days of illness at home. He had not received the measles vaccine, as part of the routine immunization schedule.

At the hospital, staff worked to revive the infant, who was evacuated while undergoing CPR. However, they were unsuccessful and were forced to declare his death.

The Ministry noted that earlier this week another unvaccinated toddler died from measles complications after being connected to an ECMO machine for several weeks.

Since the outbreak began in Israel about in April, as of Thursday, August 14, 2025, a total of 526 measles cases have been diagnosed, with 209 currently active. However, the disproportionate percentage of hospitalized patients indicates a much wider outbreak than reported: as a rule, developed countries see nine hospitalizations and one death per 1,000 measles cases.

Most of the recent cases have been recorded in the Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh areas, with the practically all of hospitalized patients being unvaccinated children.

As of Thursday, 19 children remain hospitalized, all under the age of six. Two are in intensive care, one of whom is still on ECMO. On Wednesday, an unvaccinated two-year-old died of measles, despite extensive efforts to save his life.

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness characterized by fever, general malaise, runny nose, and rash, and can cause severe and life-threatening complications.

The routine vaccination schedule recommended by the Health Ministry includes two doses: one at age one and another in first grade. Due to the outbreak, the Ministry has instructed that the second dose be given earlier in high-infection areas. To further protect infants in outbreak areas (Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and Bnei Brak), an additional, early, dose is recommended for babies aged 6-12 months.

The Health Ministry urged: "If you feel unwell, avoid attending crowded events. In case of need, coordinate your arrival at a clinic or emergency room and inform the medical staff. Vaccination saves lives."

Appointments for measles vaccines can be made through the Health Ministry's hotline, *5400 or through your health fund.

Chardedie Rabbis Join NK Massive Hafganos Outside Beit Lid Prison Comparing the "well fed" Draft Dodgers to the hostages!

 

Outside they displayed the photos of the Well Fed draft dodgers on yellow chairs, comparing this to the hostage situation. 

What chutzpah!! 

Why haven't any of those who participated in this fiasco, ever make a Hafgana in support of the hostages? To show unity and Achdus!

You can be sure if even one hostage was from Bnei-Brak they would have been there in a heartbeat! 

Is it any wonder the Moshiach refuses to come?

Thousands of Bnei Torah converged Thursday night outside the Beit Lid military prison, protesting the continued imprisonment of yeshiva bochurim who refused to bow to the government’s renewed draft decrees.

DIN: It seems that all their Torah is not helping, they now have to shut their gemarras and go to Hafaganas! 

The demonstration, called for and attended by HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a, came at the climax of a week of demonstrations against the army’s escalating campaign to drag bochurim away from the daled amos shel halacha and into the barracks. Rav Landau had personally visited two of the imprisoned bochurim last week, telling them, “The entire olam haTorah stands behind you. Be strong, and hold firm.”

DIN: This is a lie, no one is being dragged out, they are being arrested for nor registering for the draft! 

"daled amos shel halacha?" Don't make me laugh! We are all learning, and even the well-fed draft dodgers are learning in prison! And don't they bark" We will die and won't enlist?" Then what's so bad of being in prison?

Groups from Peleg Yerushalmi, Slonim chassidim, and other kehillos broke through police barricades before being pushed back by riot units. Some burned and tore up draft orders, while others sang and danced while shouting cries of “Gevalt!” and “We won’t give up even one bochur!”

Banners and shouts from the crowd made clear the protest’s purpose: “No quotas, no sanctions!” and “Free the hostages!” — a reference not to captives in Gaza, but to the imprisoned bochurim.

DIN: "Free the hostages" those well-fed draft dodgers are "hostages?" how perverted is this? 

So mainstream charediem are now joining Peleg which is really the Neturei Karta in suits! 

Which I was saying for years on this blog, that they are really all one! 

Some protesters even appealed to President Trump to “save us from the State of Israel” and its draft decrees.

DIN: So now the RBS"O and all the Torah that they learned can't save them, but the goy will!

The protest comes after the IDF issued 54,000 draft notices in July alone, following a High Court ruling striking down long-standing deferments for lomdei Torah. Around 80,000 bochurim between 18 and 24 are officially “draft-eligible,” but gedolim warn that any form of enlistment is a spiritual gezeirah that would uproot their way of life.

DIN: A "gezeirah?????" How sick is this, who believes this crap? 

Everyone who wants to learn, can learn! Walk in any Beis Medrish and everyone is learning, I don't see the Government cracking down on learning! This is a blood libel on the government and no one is buying it! 

"uproot their way of life.?" They can now join Hesder and there are two brand new Charedie battalians that have no women and meals are strictly kosher!

MK Moshe Gafni declared earlier in the day that the campaign “is reminiscent of the Romans who sought to prevent Am Yisroel from learning Torah. We will fight with all our strength.”

DIN: Moshe Gafni is a liar from when he was still in his mother's stomach! No One is preventing "Am Yisrael" from learning Torah, this is an unmitigated lie, and to compare this to the Romans, shows you that he is not a serious guy at all, he is a sick deranged meshiginar! 

 MK Meir Porush warned that the situation could deteriorate into a “civil war” if the government pushes forward without protecting the Torah world.

DIN: Meir Porush is an opportunist and comes from a family that made all their money from the Zionist Israeli Government, he is a clown with a beard!  

So let me ask Mr Porush, how will you fight in a civil war? How about training Charediem in the IDF. 

Local residents complained of nightly marches, shofar blasts, and shouting in the streets. By 10:30 p.m., as the first crowd dispersed, new groups — including more Slonim chassidim — arrived, reigniting confrontations with police into the late hours.

The government insists it needs 12,000 more soldiers immediately, citing the ongoing war in Gaza and security challenges.

‘New York Times’ Erases One of the Ancient Jewish Temples in Jerusalem

This is why it is vital to support those going up to Har Habyit, even if you are personally against it! 

 A controversial article in The New York Times, which discusses the artistic pursuits of a terrorist freed from Israeli prison, appears to deny one of the ancient Jewish temples in Jerusalem.

The article about convicted terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi notes “a provocative visit by an Israeli leader, accompanied by hundreds of police officers, to a major mosque complex in Jerusalem that is built on the site of an ancient Jewish temple.”

The Times doesn’t say why it was so provocative for Ariel Sharon to visit the most holy site for Jews in 2000. An article about that visit, to which the paper links in the new piece, states that “the complex, known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, contains Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, sacred shrines of Islam. It is revered by Jews as the site of the First and Second Temples as well as the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac.”

JNS sought comment from the Times about whether the new article reflects the paper’s editorial view that only the first Jewish Temple or only the second Jewish Temple stood on the site in Jerusalem.

The Associated Press style guide, which many journalists see as the discipline’s “bible,” notes in its entry for the “Temple Mount” that the site is “the walled, elevated area in Jerusalem’s Old City that was the site of the ancient Jewish temples.”

A 2005 Times article stated that “Jews believe that the site, also known as the Temple Mount, housed the second temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.” The Washington Post reported in a 2023 article that “in Jewish tradition, the Temple Mount is the site where the First and Second Temples once stood,” appearing to equate that Jewish view with Muslim’s belief that the site is “the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.”

“There is zero debate that two temples stood in that place in scholarly literature. Mohammed’s ascent ‘happens’ from there only because it is the Temple site,” Lawrence Schiffman, professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University, told JNS in 2023.

“The story about Muhammad going on a miraculous horse all the way from Arabia to Jerusalem and ascending to heaven is a religious belief. It’s like saying that Jacob prayed there,” Schiffman told JNS. “They are trying to be neutral, but that confuses the facts.”

At the time, Steven Fine, professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva University and director of its Center for Israel Studies, and a founding editor of the Jewish art and visual culture journal Images, told JNS that “it is an historical fact that the Jewish temples were built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.”

“Archaeological evidence for the Temple rebuilt after the return from the Babylonian captivity and continuing until 66 C.E. is not contested,” he said. There is scarce archaeological evidence of the First Temple, since the site was rebuilt in subsequent centuries, “and also because Muslim authorities do not allow scientific excavation of the site,” Fine told JNS in 2023.

“Literary sources, however, are ample,” he said at the time. “No historian doubts the presence of an Israelite Temple on Mount Zion in biblical times.”

HonestReporting, a nonprofit watchdog, stated of the new Times article that “there is a double standard in how much of the media treats terrorism—one set of rules for most perpetrators, another for those who are Palestinian and whose victims are Israeli Jews.”

“Time and again, some of the most brutal attacks on civilians are presented with a kind of reverence, as though sadistic violence were simply part of a noble struggle,” the nonprofit stated. “When Israeli Jews are murdered in their homes or on their way to work, the narrative bends toward portraying the killer as a ‘resister of occupation.’”

The Times profile of “convicted murderer Zakaria Zubeidi is a textbook example,” HonestReporting stated. “Zubeidi, a veteran commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades with decades of terrorist activity to his name, was freed in a hostage-for-prisoners swap with Hamas, having been jailed for his role in two West Bank shooting attacks in 2018 and 2019.”

Reporter Calls Jasmine Crockett a ‘fake ghetto hoodrat’ at her Townhall Meeting

 

I confronted Jasmine Crockett at a townhall for being a fake hoodrat. pic.twitter.com/ilezQ6Kcl7

— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) August 15, 2025

Zera Shimshon Parshat Ekeb

 

Israel alarmed: intel points to China aiding Iran’s missile rebuild; nuclear repairs on hold

Western intelligence indicates Iran is prioritizing a rapid restoration of its ground-to-ground missile force after the June war, with possible Chinese assistance—a prospect Israel calls “very troubling.” 

Jerusalem says it has delivered “clear messages” to Beijing; 

China has not confirmed any role. 

The analysis suggests Tehran is first replenishing air defenses and ballistic capabilities to secure a direct, sovereign deterrent—especially after Hezbollah’s limited posture—while nuclear-site repairs are, for now, secondary. 

Russian help is uncertain, and European services reportedly see deepening Iran–China coordination on missiles—potentially a strategic shift that could reset regional deterrence.

The Secret Behind the Survival of the Jewish People