Monday, February 16, 2026
Rav in Petach Tikva Arrested in middle of giving a shiur.
The Rabbi known in his community of Petah Tikva was arrested yesterday in front of all his students - following a police complaint filed by his sister-in-law claiming that he raped her from the age of 14 to the age of 20:
The rabbi does not deny the relationship between them, and even admitted that he got her pregnant at the age of 20 - the event that ended their relationship, but claims that everything was in agreement and only when she was there In a gear.
She claimed - everything was rape and all this happened when she was a minor, and he was an adult.
She claims it was a rape that lasted 7 years, but her sister who married the same rabbi-doesn't believe it was rape. Although the complaint was first filed yesterday, there is documentation of a rabbinical court procedure years ago, that did not lead to results and was closed in the middle of the hearings.
The suspect's lawyer expressed anger at the conduct of the police officers
"Why arrest him in front of all the students when it's about a sleeping event".
The court determined that there is a suspicion that links the suspect to the actions and in order to prevent disruption of investigation procedures his arrest was extended for 4 days to allow the investigation to continue
Extremist Modesty as the New Normal
I wonder what my younger self would think - if suddenly transported to the world in which we live today.
My parents were religious Jews who grew up in pre-Holocaust Europe. The religious values they absorbed stayed with them for life. I was raised according to those standards in post-Holocaust America. Although the world of European Jewry and American Jewry could not have been further apart culturally, the primary tenets of observant Judaism did not diminish in the slightest. Shabbos, kashrus, family purity laws (mikvah) were strictly observed, and Torah study was considered paramount.
But for my parents, living in the New World meant adapting to those parts of the culture that did not contradict halacha in particular and Torah values in general. So we owned a TV and occasionally went to a movie as a family. In short, we led a pretty normal American Jewish life without abandoning observance or Jewish values in any way.
It wasn’t only my family that lived that way. The acknowledged head of the Orthodox community in the city where we lived – Toledo - was Rabbi Nechemia Katz, who was also Rav Moshe Feinstein’s brother-in-law. Rabbi Katz was my father’s posek, deciding difficult questions of Jewish law. Our families were good friends, and we would often go to the beach together. (Yes, you read that correctly.) What may be little known is that Rav Moshe used to visit his brother-in-law in Toledo on occasion. That is how I met Rav Moshe. One year when I came home for Shabbos Chanukah (from Telshe) my father and I walked over to meet him on Friday night.
This, in a nutshell, is what life was like for Orthodox Jews in America back then (early 1960s).
The idea of mixed-gender seating in any arena (other than a shul) was not an issue. It was as normal as apple pie. Men and women were often seated together in various forums, such as concerts or banquets. No one gave it a second thought.
Fast forward to today. The following was published in Arutz Sheva:
Beit Shemesh Israel’s Most Family-Oriented City
Israel’s Most Family-Oriented City: 72% Couples With Children and an Average of 5.06 People per Family in Beit Shemesh
In honor of Family Day 2026, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics published new data placing Beit Shemesh at the forefront nationwide in terms of family structure, household size, and employment.
According to the report, among Israel’s large cities, Beit Shemesh leads in the percentage of families consisting of a couple with children under age 17 — 72.3%, compared to a national average of just 47.1%. This is the highest figure in the country in this category.
The city also sets a national record in family size, with an average of 5.06 people per household — the highest among all major cities, compared to a national average of 3.71. For comparison, the average stands at 4.26 in Jerusalem and 4.78 in Bnei Brak.
At the same time, the percentage of single-parent families with children under 17 in the city is notably low, standing at just 3.4%, compared to 5.9% nationally, 8.3% in Ramat Gan, 8.5% in Tel Aviv, and 10.3% in Bat Yam.
Employment data also highlights a strong showing: 89% of households in Beit Shemesh include employed members — the highest rate among cities with more than 100,000 residents. For comparison, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and Ramat Gan stand at 81.3%, while Haifa is at 71.8%.
Nationally, the report shows that 92% of children in Israel grow up with two parents, and 94% of couples are married. Within the demographic structure of Beit Shemesh — where a clear majority of families are couples with children — these figures further underscore the city’s distinctly family-oriented character.
Mayor Shmuel Greenberg said: "The data reinforces what we see on the ground every day — Beit Shemesh is a young city. A city of families. The demographic growth and unique communal structure require us to continue investing in infrastructure, education, employment, and community spaces to ensure a high quality of life for all residents."
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Ex Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchok Yosef Criticizes Bnei-Tora Rioters Calls for their Expulsion from Community but Just 6 Months ago he called for Chareidm to Fight the police
Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef also sharply criticized those who participated in the disturbance, calling for them to be expelled from the Haredi community.
In a statement, Yosef said the rioters had desecrated the name of Heaven and that their conduct did not reflect Torah values. “The ways of the Torah of Israel are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace; there is no place for such behavior among us,” he said, urging that those involved be denounced and cast out from the community.
See this what he said just 6 months ago!👇👇
Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, condemns today’s mob attack against two female soldiers in Bnei Brak as “entirely contrary to the way of the Torah.”
Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, condemns today’s mob attack against two female soldiers in Bnei Brak as “entirely contrary to the way of the Torah.”
He also argues that such behavior harms the Haredi community and its efforts to exempt yeshiva students from military conscription.
More on the Massive Chillul Hashem by Bnei-Torah in Bnei Brak, they even burned Tefillin Belonging to a Police Officer
HORRIBLE: Teffilin and a siddur belonging to a police officer were burned by protesters in Bnei Brak after they set his motorcycle on fire.
Rioters in Bnei Brak have set fire to an Israel Police motorcycle used to keep the community safe from terrorism and crime.
Important update from Israeli Police International Spokesperson LT Dean Elsdunne on the disorder in Beni Brak today.
DISTURBING: In Bnei Brak, a protester was filmed pushing a stroller with a small child inside as he moved quickly toward Israel Police officers who were deploying stun grenades to disperse violent demonstrators.
Video from the scene shows the man advancing directly toward the security forces, placing the stroller at the front as officers worked to push back rioters.
The unrest began earlier in the day after ultra-Orthodox protesters confronted IDF soldiers in the area. Clashes have continued into the evening, prompting Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue a strong condemnation of the violence.
Bnei Torah of Bnei-Brak Chase 2 Female Soldiers almost killing them!
זו תורה וזו שכרה
Two female IDF soldiers are chased by a mob of Haredi men in Bnei Brak before they are extracted by polic
The servciewomen serve with the Education Corps, and were in the ultra-Orthodox city as part of a home visit to one of their soldiers. They are not with the Military Police, contrary to some claims.Footage circulating on social media shows the two women running as they are escorted by police, as a large crowd of men chases after them.
Trash cans are knocked over as the rioting group follows the women through the street in the Haredi-majority city. The crowd also overturned a police car.
Police say in statement that the situation is now under control after the two soldiers were extracted from the area.
Police say 12 rioters have been arrested in Bnei Brak.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir "strongly condemns" the attack on two servicewomen in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak earlier today.
In a statement, the IDF says Zamir views the incident "gravely" and "strongly condemns the assault on IDF soldiers who were carrying out a military mission" in the city.
"Any harm to IDF soldiers carried out by Israeli civilians is a serious crossing of a red line and action must be taken against the attackers with a firm hand," the statement says.
Chazon Ish Bio for Teenagers Contains Hate Against Other Jews and Against Other Gedoilei Yisrael
What is it with certain Charedi biographies that they feel the need to tear others down in order to elevate their own figures? I’ve spoken about this before, and unfortunately it keeps repeating itself.
In this particular biography, they go so far as to denigrate Jews who wear kippot serugot, essentially labeling them as resha’im.
Think about that: they are calling fully observant, Shomrei Torah U’mitzvot, “evil.” This is what they choose to teach children and teenagers.
Worse yet, the book mocks and belittles Harav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook זצ״ל, portraying him as one of the “four sons” at the Seder table — and not in a flattering way. Anyone with even minimal knowledge of Torah history knows how absurd this is. Rav Elyashiv זצ״ל himself referred to Rav Kook as one of the greatest gedolim of his generation and would regularly attend his shalosh seudos. The Sulam, the great commentator on the Zohar, described Rav Kook as a towering Talmid chacham. Harav Kook z"l was the mesader kiddushin for both Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z"l and Harav Eliyashiv z"l!
Yet this biography specifically geared towards teenagers chooses to erase all of that and instead drip its pages with disdain and hate against other Jews. The entire portrayal of the Chazon Ish is framed through a lens of negativity toward other Jews — a tone that feels like pure sinat chinam rather than genuine biography. Is the Chazon Ish a bigger tzaddik because his autobiographer denigrated hundreds of thousands of Dati Leumi Jews??
They are producing a generation of haters!
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