“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Aron Bielski the youngest and last surviving of the Bielski partisan brothers dies at 98


 Aron Bielski, also known as Aron Bell, the youngest and last surviving of the Bielski brothers, died recently, on September 22, 2025.

He was a key member of the Bielski partisans, who rescued over 1,250 Jews during World War II by living and fighting in the forests of Belarus.

Aron joined his brothers in forming the largest armed group of Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust, creating a community in the forests that provided sanctuary and protection for over 1,200 Jews.
After the war, Aron immigrated to the U.S. and changed his name to Aron Bell. He settled in Florida, where he dedicated himself to educating others about the dangers of hate and antisemitism.

Aron Bell was 98 years old at the time of his passing on September 22, 2025.
May his memory forever be a blessing

Two weeks before: How the Mossad assessed Hamas

Channel 12 News reporter Omri Maniv revealed on Saturday night that just two weeks before Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7, 2023, the Mossad issued a detailed position paper assessing that Hamas was not seeking a military confrontation with Israel.

The document stated, “It is evident that Hamas’s leadership in Gaza does not seek a military confrontation with Israel at this time, though it is not deterred from one should it be forced upon them.”

It further noted that “the broader interest of Hamas’s leadership in Gaza is to avoid escalation.”

In response to the report, the Mossad clarified: 

“The division of responsibilities among intelligence agencies, as defined by the political echelon since 2005, established, among other things, that the Mossad is not responsible for strategic warnings regarding military moves in the Palestinian arena. Consequently, the weight of the aforementioned document in decision-making processes was minimal to negligible. It should be noted that, in accordance with this definition, the Mossad did not operationally engage in the Gaza Strip - neither in intelligence gathering, agent operations, nor the execution of special operations.”

 

Chareidie Israeli babies are dying From Measles

 

A 1.5-year-old toddler from the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem was evacuated on Thursday morning in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, after contracting measles. Sadly, he was later pronounced dead.

The toddler has been identified as Yonatan Wisky z”l, son of Rabbi Rafael Shmuel Wisky, a member of the Breslov Hasidic community in Mea Shearim.

According to B’Chadrei Chareidim, emergency medical teams from United Hatzalah performed CPR on the child, who had reportedly lost consciousness at home after becoming infected with measles.

Avremi Rozovski, Yehuda Fahima, and Yaakov Bulag, United Hatzalah medics who were first on the scene, said:

“We performed resuscitation efforts with the help of a United Hatzalah physician. He was then transported in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital while CPR was ongoing. The family told us the child had contracted measles and lost consciousness this morning. United Hatzalah’s trauma support teams also responded due to the nature of the incident.”

David Levi and Pini Weiss, volunteers from ZAKA’s emergency response team, added:

“When we arrived, we saw a 15-month-old toddler with measles, without pulse and not breathing. According to the family, he had not woken up from his sleep. Together with other medics and MDA paramedics, we immediately began advanced resuscitation efforts, including chest compressions and ventilation. He was evacuated by MDA’s mobile intensive care unit in critical condition to the trauma room at Hadassah Mount Scopus.”

B’Chadrei Chareidim also reports that the child’s father was in Uman for Rosh Hashanah and received the devastating news there.

The Israeli Ministry of Health confirmed that this is the fifth death from measles since the outbreak began, all of them children under the age of 2.5 years who had not been vaccinated. 

Three of the fatalities occurred this week alone, all in Jerusalem. During Rosh Hashana a one-year-old girl who had been on an Ecmo machine in Hadassah hospital passed away and on Sunday another baby, also from a charedi family, passed away from the disease.

Charedi Mother Of 7 Developed Mossad Spy Systems Enabling Nasrallah’s Elimination

 


 Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated in a targeted attack a year ago on September 27, but it can now be revealed how Israel succeeded in locating him despite all the efforts to protect his whereabouts.

During the course of a covert operation, the Mossad succeeded in planting microphones, a miniature camera, and an HF transmitter in the air conditioner remotes located in Nasrallah’s bunker.

The technological capabilities used in the operation were the product of developments by the Weapons Systems Department at the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the intelligence units and the Air Force, and with the defense companies Rafael and Elbit. The technology, which was completed in 2022, was intended to cope with penetration and accuracy challenges at varying depths, and was particularly essential for operations in Lebanon and even for thwarting the Iranian nuclear project.

The aim of the development was to ensure that the munitions would hit with maximum precision, even in rocky ground conditions, since a deviation of a single meter could lead to missing the target. The emplacement of the devices by Mossad agents was the key to the success of the operation and to the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah.

A female officer from the Intelligence Corps’ technological unit was responsible for developing the system, a charedi woman who enlisted in the service and is a mother of seven children.

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Israeli Seminaries Abandoning Girls for Sukkot



  Letter to the editor!

Seminaries Must Stop Abandoning Girls for Sukkot 

 The travesty that girls’ seminaries committed 30 years ago when my own daughters went to seminary, which I hoped they would have corrected when my granddaughter entered seminary last month, seems to still be alive and well!

 I am referring to the fact that seminaries start only a few weeks before the Yomim Noraim, before the girls even have time to make contacts, yet the girls are expected to place themselves for Sukkot on their own! They are literally thrown out of their dorms! 

 A girl told my granddaughter that she never felt homeless before and now she feels homeless, having to find a place to stay for Sukkos! 

The dorm is closed for the whole Yom Tov, so there is not even the possibility for the girls to stay in and the seminary to provide meals. 

If the seminary wants the girls to come before the Yomim Noraim, they should be responsible for them. Otherwise, seminary should start after the Yomim Tovim. 

 All this, for the mere cost of $30,000+. 

 This causes some parents to come for Yom Tov, adding to the cost of the seminary year. And the way Yom Kippur comes out this year, it necessitates people to come for two-and-a-half weeks, something that many working parents simply cannot do. 

 When will seminaries stop this travesty and when will parents unite and refuse to send their girls, only to have to fend for themselves, making the transition to seminary that much harder. 

 Enough is enough!!! 

 Name Withheld Upon Request

Iran Calling Israeli Citizens ...Don't Pick Up!

 ⚠️ *Police Spokesperson’s Unit:*


In recent hours, hundreds of citizens have reported to the Israel Police emergency hotline (100) that they received phone calls from unfamiliar numbers in which a caller attempted to recruit them to an Iranian organization.

The calls are coming from numbers beginning with:
03-6817***
03-3067***

These calls are intended to cause public alarm during wartime and reflect efforts by Iranian intelligence operatives to recruit Israeli citizens in Israel and abroad for intelligence collection and terrorist activity.

If you receive such a call:
- Report immediately to the Israel Police emergency hotline (100).
- Block the number.
- If you answered the call, do not press any numbers or respond to instructions.

We call on the public to remain alert, report any suspicious incidents to the police emergency hotline, and avoid any form of cooperation with hostile elements.

*The Israel Police, together with other security agencies, is actively addressing these incidents and will continue to work to detect and disrupt acts of terrorism and espionage, and to bring all those involved to justice.*

Weekend News Summary

 

False Alarm in Eilat Sirens sounded as Shabbat began, later confirmed by the IDF as a false alarm 

Hamas Responds to Netanyahu:Called his UN remarks “demonization” and rejected his Gaza governance plan, though Hamas leaders have previously urged global attacks on Jews 

 Trump on Gaza Talks: Said negotiations on hostages and a ceasefire are “intensive” and Hamas knows the terms, while Israel has not yet responded 

 Israel–UAE Meeting: Netanyahu held a rare public meeting in New York with the UAE foreign minister since the Abraham Accords 

 Iran Sanctions: UN snapback sanctions on Iran take effect tonight; Iran recalled its ambassadors from Germany, Britain, and France for consultations 

 Iranian Espionage Attempt: Hundreds of Israelis reported suspicious calls attempting to recruit them as spies for Iran  

Beirut Tensions: IDF drones flew over Beirut during Hezbollah’s commemoration of Nasrallah’s elimination 

 Gaza Evacuations: Israeli defense officials estimate 780,000 Gazans have evacuated southward, leaving about 250,000 still in Gaza City 

 New Zealand: FM Winston Peters told the UNGA his country will not recognize a Palestinian state while Hamas controls Gaza and the war continues 

QR code displayed on Netanyahu' suit has been scanned more than one million times, leading to a site documenting the October 7 atrocities. About 30% of the scans originated in Iran and Gaza.

 




  Israel’s public diplomacy campaign continues as Netanyahu’s UN speech is now circulating with Arabic dubbing. 
The QR code displayed on his suit has been scanned more than one million times, leading to a site documenting the October 7 atrocities. About 30% of the scans originated in Iran and Gaza.

Orthodox Rabbis Affirm Female Status of Educator Talia Sarah Avrahami

                                                                                                               

On Sept 7, 2023 we posted a story about Talia Avrahami, below is an update!

Rabbi Professor Avraham Steinberg, MD – director of the Medical Ethics Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and a leading halakhic authority – has authored a formal responsum (psak) affirming the female halakhic status of Mrs. Talia Sarah Avrahami.

In his ruling, dated 21 July 2025, Rabbi Dr. Steinberg defined Mrs. Avrahami’s case as a partial androginos (intersex condition) and concluded unequivocally: “therefore, her halachic status is female.” He issued this determination after reviewing Mrs. Avrahami’s complete medical documentation.

On 25 August 2025, Rabbi Asher Weiss, one of the generation’s foremost halakhic decisors (poskim ), affirmed the ruling by stating, “I agree with the conclusion of Rabbi Steinberg: Mrs. Talia Avrahami is a woman in every respect.”
Mrs. Avrahami said in a statement for this release:

“What matters to me most is that my husband, my daughter, and I can now live in peace without labels that never belonged to me and free from harassment. I am grateful to our generation’s leaders (gedolim) who affirmed my status as a woman, and I pray to serve Hashem with dignity as an ordinary Jewish woman.”

This ruling resolves earlier public misunderstanding by affirming Mrs. Avrahami’s female status. It has been recognized and accepted by leading Torah authorities (poskim) across the world, reflecting a broad contemporary consensus.

About Talia S. Avrahami Talia S. Avrahami is an Israeli-American educator in the New York City Department of Education and a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at St. John’s University at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/talia-avrahami.
She also writes regularly for The Times of Israel, focusing on halakhic clarity and compassion in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Media Contact: avrahami.press@aol.com

A redacted copy of Rabbi Dr. Avraham Steinberg’s responsum is available at https://tinyurl.com/femaleruling for verification.

Private medical information has been removed to protect confidentiality; the halakhic ruling and relevant context remain visible.

 

The James Comey I knew at the FBI fully deserves whatever is in store

The Justice Department’s announcement that former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding is all but a fait accompli.

Pious, sanctimonious self-righteousness and hypocritical moralizing had long ago cost him his professional reputation. With charges of perjury and obstruction, Comey could face imprisonment. If that comes to pass, his tattered legacy will earn yet another stain.

More tragically, the narcissistic leader, who was relieved of his duties by President Donald Trump soon into his first term, will continue to damage the agency I love and served for a quarter of a century. And that makes me — and many others in my ranks — weary, saddened and angry. 

Based on my own observations and those of my colleagues at the bureau, it was clear from the start that Comey was hellbent on altering FBI culture.

In the first of his five sermonizing books, 2018’s “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” the former director mused about his initial meeting with employees at FBI headquarters in 2013.

He describes placing himself atop a stool, sans suit jacket, but with a blue shirt and tie.

Tradition had long held that FBI directors wore dark suits and white shirts — keeping their jackets on while addressing employees in order to project proper image.

Yet per Comey, proudly resplendent in his blue shirt: “I thought that shirt color was one early, small way to set a different tone.”

Sadly, for so many of us at the bureau, Comey’s conduct and actions impacted far more than fashion at our agency.