Saturday, February 14, 2026
Severe dust storm pushes Jerusalem, Tel Aviv to top of global pollution index
Widespread dust blanketed Israel on Saturday, reducing visibility in most of the country and sending Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to the top of the global pollution index.
Air quality surveyors ranked Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as the world’s most polluted cities, with pollutant levels— specifically fine particles —exceeding “hazardous” levels in many parts of Israel.
Air quality monitoring site IQAir listed the Israeli cities above Almaty, Kazakhstan; Lahore, Pakistan and Kolkata, India.
The Health Ministry recommended that populations sensitive to dust —people with heart or lung conditions, the elderly, children, and pregnant women — avoid strenuous outdoor activity.
Other health recommendations included closing windows, wearing a mask—even indoors —and running an air purifier.
Environmental Protection Agency monitoring stations recorded a severe drop in quality starting around 3 a.m. as strong winds brought in clouds of dust from North Africa and the Sahara.
Israel drone supplier booted from Brooklyn Navy Yard Soon After Satmar's Mamzarani Took Office
A New York City-based drone manufacturer supplying technology to Israel was recently evicted from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York Post reported.
The move comes just six weeks after Zohran Mamdani, a vocal pro-Palestinian, was sworn in as mayor of New York City.
The decision to not renew the lease of Easy Aerial, a company that has long been embroiled in political debates due to its ties with Israeli defense operations, was made by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC). The BNYDC, which oversees the 300-acre industrial complex, has board members appointed by the mayor. Councilman Lincoln Restler, a member of the city council representing Brooklyn, publicly celebrated the eviction, claiming that the public asset should not be used to support businesses that produce weapons used in warfare.
Easy Aerial’s operations at the Brooklyn Navy Yard have long drawn protests, mainly from groups like “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard," which have called for the eviction of tenants involved in the defense sector, particularly those linked to Israel. In their protests, the groups pressured City Hall to take action, despite the company’s positive impact on local employment.
State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, a strong advocate for Israel, expressed concerns about the economic implications of this decision. He criticized the move, suggesting that chasing out companies like Easy Aerial over political differences could harm the local economy and drive away jobs.
Under the previous administration of Mayor Eric Adams, a staunch supporter of Israel, Easy Aerial was celebrated for its role in providing high-tech solutions for both the Israeli Defense Forces and US federal agencies. The company had even been involved in major security operations such as monitoring the Super Bowl and border security.
In addition to supporting Israel, Easy Aerial has a longstanding relationship with the US Air Force, working to monitor activity along the Mexican border. Despite its diverse clientele, its ties to Israel have made it a target for local activists.
Mamdani's office has not commented directly on the political ramifications of the eviction.
A BNYDC spokesperson Claire Holmes claimed to the New York Post that the non-renewal was “for business reasons related to operational and campus compliance matters. Like any landlord, we evaluate renewals based on adherence to lease terms and campus policies."
Pres Herzog "Craps" on Trump taking his sweet time on his decision whether to pardon Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that President Isaac Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
Trump has been calling for Netanyahu to be pardoned since June 2025, but Monday was the first time he attacked Herzog for not granting one to the premier.
The comments came a day after Trump met Netanyahu in the White House.
Friday, February 13, 2026
Poll: Smotrich gains strength, coalition soars to 66 seats
A Channel 14 poll published on Thursday evening presents an updated picture of the seat distribution and prime ministerial preferences, assuming elections were held today. The data shows a slight strengthening of the right-wing bloc, led by Likud, which now holds 66 seats.
According to the poll, the Likud Party receives 35 seats. The Joint List, following the merger of the Arab parties, stands at 13 seats, making it the second-largest party. Naftali Bennett’s party, Shas, and the Democrats each drop one seat compared to last week, with 10 seats each.
United Torah Judaism maintains its strength with 9 seats, while Yisrael Beytenu remains at 8 seats. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party gains two seats, bringing it to 8. Otzma Yehudit receives 7 seats, the Religious Zionist Party rises by one seat to 5, and Yesh Atid increases to 5 seats, compared to 4 in the previous poll. Blue and White does not cross the electoral threshold.
In terms of blocs, the coalition bloc wins 66 seats, the opposition bloc stands at 41 seats, and the Arab parties earn 13 seats.
Regarding the prime ministerial race, Benjamin Netanyahu leads with 57%, gaining strength after his visit to Washington. Naftali Bennett follows with 19%, Gadi Eisenkot has 13%, Yair Lapid holds 5%, Avigdor Liberman has 4%, and Benny Gantz has 2%.
Only in Israel! Bus driver keeps his passengers waiting while he gets some Chulent!
הפרגוד: קו 404 הגיע לבני ברק בשעה 02:00 ולטענת הנוסע המצלם הנהג וויתר על המסלול כדי ללכת לאכול טשולנט. pic.twitter.com/oIIIxfkPH7
— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) February 13, 2026
The Parliament of the United Kingdom voted against opening an investigation into child rape scandals, saying it could harm the image of Muslim communities.
Overwhelming vote. Britain has fallen and it can't get up. https://t.co/mUmUrY3YB1
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) February 13, 2026
Satmar Mamzarani's New York Opens Attacks Against Jews
Horrific attack. When are New Yorkers going to wake up and realize this is exactly what Mamdani wanted? https://t.co/6P1309YjFs
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) February 13, 2026
FJJ -LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Wool Coat
VS Puffed Coat
It's from a Yeshivishe Lady who laments the fact that the "Oilom Ha'Torah" is no longer wearing Wool Coats and instead choose to wear Puffed Coats!
I'm not kidding! I did think that it must be a prank, but this back and forth in the Letters to the Editor responding to this crazed sicko has been going on for weeks!
This week she responds holding on to her bizarre rant about puffed coats!
Now this may very well be a prank, but either way, this is a microcosm on what is the thought process of Chardeim and their "Mesorah"!
Dear Editor
After reading the passionate responses to my letter about wool vs puffer coats, I want to apologize. Clearly, I did not do a good job explaining my position. I’m sorry. Hopefully I can clear things up.
The most common response was that wool coats “aren’t warm enough.” Give me a break. Our parents and grandparents wore wool in far colder climates than ours, and they survived just fine. Is it less convenient to wear traditional coats in this harsh winter weather? Maybe.
But sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to uphold a higher ideal
We’ve seen this play out before.
The Haskalah did not begin overnight with open rejection of Shabbos, kashrus, or tsnius. It began with small “reasonable” adjustments to mesorah (like shortening the mechitzah), each one justified as harmless and practical.
We are fortunate that so-called “radical” yiddin stood firm against these “reasonable” adjustments and kept true to their mesorah. If not for them, where would we be today?
As I said before, “it’s just a coat” is never just a coat. When external standards erode in the name of convenience, standards of behavior soon follow. A person cannot remain firm internally when the externals change with the direction of the wind. Many of us have seen this happen to people we grew up with, or maybe even to ourselves. Pause for a moment and think. You’ll see that I’m right. Putting on a wool coat is a visible declaration that you are part of a mesorah that outlasts the immediate, here-and-now. The fact that it’s less convenient is even more of a reason to make the switch.
When a man carries himself with this clarity and conviction, it radiates outward: it steadies his marriage, and it earns the respect of his children. I urge everyone to think this over before jumping on the attack bandwagon.
Mesorah Defende
The harms of eating too much sugar
I’d like to commend Rochelle Rothman for highlighting the harms of eating too much sugar.
While mentioning weight gain, mood swings/irritability, fatigue/ low energy, cravings, high blood pressure, acne/premature wrinkling, joint pain, sleep troubles, digestive problems, brain fog and gum disease and cavities, there are several more health issues strongly associated with sugar consumption.
1. 100 grams (3 oz.) reduces immune response by 50% for up to six hours, increasing the incidence of autoimmune diseases and cancer. It promotes tumor cell growth; cancer cells actually feed on sugar!
2. Excess sugar is stored as fat, which often gets deposited in the abdominal area. That’s an indicator of insulin resistance, which leads to elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, and increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.
3. Also increased is the risk of stroke, aneurysm, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, thyroid issues, and more, including male hair loss.
4. Mental health patients consumed 200% more sugar than others, studies show. When sugar was removed from prison diets, there was a 90% reduction in prisoner violence. Keep that in mind if you’d like to see your kids fighting less (or focusing better.
5. Sugar causes cellular aging, which leads to shorter lifespans. DNA repair is turned off, leading to inflammation, which is at the root of all chronic disease and aging.
6. Alzheimer’s is sometimes called Type III diabetes; brain cells become insulin resistant and are starved of energy. Many such patients have seen remarkable improvement and even reversal of their conditions with a keto-type diet.
7. Excess sugar disrupts cells that keep the colon and gut healthy, which is crucial for the optimal health of body and mind and disease prevention.
The new and much improved food pyramid recommends no added sugar for good reason. According to researchers, sugar is a toxin; no studies have ever shown any benefit whatsoever from consuming it.
Artificial sweeteners are not the answer; they come with their own set of health risks, and in any case will not help with weight loss.
What is very concerning is that sugar is highly addictive, and we are giving our children a lot of it – in school and elsewhere. Sugary and highly processed foods make up 80 to 90% of our kids’ (and sometimes even our) diets, displacing the nutrient rich whole foods needed for optimal health. (What’s the likelihood that they will be able to switch to a healthier diet if and when they develop health problems when they’ve become addicted to sugary and processed foods?)
We parents and mechanchim (and well meaning candymen) are putting them at unnecessary risk of the chronic diseases and mental health issues listed in Mrs. Rothman’s article We can do better.
Calling All High School Educators!
The ZEI Fellowship is a professional learning experience designed to help teachers deepen their understanding of Israel and Zionism, gain meaningful classroom resources, and connect with a thoughtful community of educators.✨ Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort.
What’s included:
✈️ Fully funded summer intensive in Israel (July 6–10)
📚 Engaging Zionism curriculum and classroom resources
🎓 Mentorship from experienced ZEI educators
👥 A network of passionate, like-minded teachers
🏆 Year-round professional development with Kadima Coaching
💸 $3,600 stipend
💪 Build confidence, add depth, and bring meaningful Israel education into your classroom.
🗓 Applications close March 1, 2026
Limited spots available for high school educators.
🔗 Apply here: https://bit.ly/4asuipA
Thursday, February 12, 2026
US to Expand Passport Revocations for Parents Who Owe Child Support
While passport revocations for unpaid child support of more than $2,500 have been permitted under 1996 federal legislation, the State Department had in the past acted only when someone applied to renew their travel document or sought other consular services. In other words, enforcement depended on the person approaching the department for assistance.
Starting soon, however, the department will begin to revoke passports on its own initiative based on data shared with it by the Health and Human Services Department, according to the U.S. officials familiar with the plan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the change has not yet been publicly announced.
The number of people who could be affected was not immediately clear, but it is believed to be in the thousands. Because of the potentially large universe of those owing child support who currently hold passports, the State Department will make the change in tiers, the officials said.
The first group to be affected will be passport holders who owe more than $100,000 in past-due child support, the officials said. One of the officials said fewer than 500 people meet that threshold and could avoid having their passport revoked if they enter into a payment plan with HHS after being notified of the pending revocation.
The official acknowledged, though, that if and when the threshold is lowered to a smaller past-due amount, the number of those affected will rise significantly. The official could not say when any further changes would take effect or estimate how many people might then lose their passports.
Since the Passport Denial Program began with the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the initiative has taken in nearly $621 million in past-due child support payments, with nine collections of more than $300,000, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement at the Department of Health and Human Services.
HHS did not respond to questions about how many people are in arrears, instead referring the AP to the State Department. The State Department did not immediately respond to a query about the move.
People Wondering Why Rav Landau Needs Notes for a Simple Message??
People wonder why a Gadol would need written notes for such a simple message, and the reason is straightforward: most people don’t understand what’s actually happening.
Why would a Rosh Yeshiva, someone who knows Kol HaTorah Kula, require notes to deliver a message that even a young child could articulate? The answer is simple—he is relying entirely on the information provided to him by those around him. As far as I know, Rav Landau doesn’t follow the news and isn’t on social media. Everything he hears comes through his handlers, the askanim who filter and frame the information he receives.
A clear example took place in 2023, six months after October 7th, during the Beit Shemesh mayoral election. Certain Charedi factions were determined to remove Dr. Aliza Bloch, a Shomeret Torah U’mitzvot, and put forward their own candidate, Shmuel Greenberg—who, ironically, they later turned against to the point that he now requires heavy security just to leave his home.
To rally support, they rented a stadium—despite previously insisting that entering such a venue was forbidden—and managed to gather nearly 4,000 people for a Degel HaTorah event. On a Motzei Shabbos, they brought the elderly Rav Landau from Bnei Brak so he could address the crowd. I was there.
Rav Landau spoke for about five minutes, reading from notes. And what was the message?
He declared that this municipal election constituted a “Milchemes Mitzvah.” Therefore, he said, eligible bochurim should close their Gemaras and vote. If they were learning outside Beit Shemesh, Degel would provide buses so they could travel back and forth—a trip that would involve at least five hours of missed learning—all because this was supposedly a “Milchemes Mitzvah.”
This took place during a period of daily IDF casualties, constant sirens and runs to shelters, only months after October 7th. Yet according to this logic, the events of October 7th were not a Milchemes Mitzvah, but voting in a local mayoral race was. It’s hard to make sense of that.
And this brings us back to the original question: why did Rav Landau need notes for a five‑minute speech?
Because he was reading what others prepared for him. That’s the entire point.
The ones mocking Rav Landau are the Chareidim themselves who are afraid what he would say if he didn't have the notes! They think that he is basically a "dummy" and so they feed him crapola and hay and place it in a note for him to read!
זו תורה וזו שכרה
CNN Black reporters Believe Blacks are too Dumb to have Voter ID
Scott Jennings ignites CHAOS on CNN when he asks “how” the SAVE Act strips voting rights from people of color.
— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 12, 2026
ALENCIA JOHNSON: “[Trump] is championing a bill that would take voting rights away from a lot of black people in this country.”
JENNINGS: “Wait, what voting rights is… pic.twitter.com/MDW4YMV4Bd
UN Secretary-General António Guterres Congratulates Iran on Anniversary Of Iran Islamic Revolution
This is vile and disgusting.
— Goldie Ghamari | گلسا قمری 🇮🇷 (@gghamari) February 11, 2026
This is the equivalent of congratulating the Nazis on the anniversary of them taking over Germany.
Shame on the UN.
DEFUND THE UN pic.twitter.com/cTVdV8Giwi
Renting your life: The hidden tax of the digital cloud
If you ask your grandma what a cloud is, she will tell you that it’s a white and fluffy thing in the sky. In the tech world, too, the cloud is a great concept: You can upload your pictures to a big cloud castle in the sky that keeps them nice and safe. Always there, ready for you whenever and wherever you need it.
I love to rely on the cloud. It gives peace of mind to believe that someone is taking care of my most personal information, without having to worry about backing up a disk.
When we start using a cloud, we click accept and start using its convenience for free, but one day, we receive a ransom note (an email) saying that our storage is full. Either we keep paying monthly to keep both the space and the access to our data available. Or we don’t pay, and our access to our most sensitive and valuable data gets restricted. We don’t just lose the service of storing our images, we lose the access to our memories, our records, our work… The bubble pops and we understand the reality of the cloud: It’s huge warehouses, somewhere far away, in a cold place that will keep the computers from overheating.
Eventually, we pay and start renting our life back. The only way we can access our own data is through a middleman and a monthly fee. The relationship between us and the company changes. Suddenly, they are holding our personal data, and we have to pay our way back.
By uploading our photos to the cloud, we are handing over the sovereignty of our data to a company. Google, Amazon and Microsoft (“the big three”) currently hold around 63% of the market share of cloud infrastructure, and when we use them, we trust them blindly.
These companies are not just “renting out” their storage space for normal consumers. When we use clouds, they double tax us. They earn from our subscription fees, and also from using our data to improve their algorithms, their AI models, etc. (Some companies say that they “anonymize” personal data, but there is no way of knowing.) Their business improves, and they earn even more. In Scott Galloway’s Book “The Four,” he argues that the big tech companies “[…] are in a race to become the operating system for our lives. The prize? A frictionless existence that we pay for with our data, our privacy, and eventually, our agency.”
In November 2025, Amazon and Google announced that their cloud services were starting an Interconnect partnership. It was marketed as a victory for “multi-cloud” convenience, but by linking their infrastructures, these giants have ensured that our data stays within their combined ecosystems. The partnership will make it even harder for us to track who really has access to our data and to withdraw it.
We can argue that clouds are similar to banks. They keep our valuables safe, and they use them for their own investments, right?
In October, an eight-hour outage of the Amazon Cloud services (AWS) affected more than 17 million users across more than 60 countries, according to Ookla Research, costing companies across the US millions of dollars.If banks lose your money, you are protected through deposit insurance.When data gets lost by a cloud, there’s no way to recover it – it’s gone.If we want to switch banks, we can close our account and go to another one.
But “data gravity” prevents us from simply exiting the cloud. As the amount of our data on the cloud grows, it pulls us deeper into the company’s convenient ecosystem. From there, it’s a spiral. The more data you have, the more convenient the cloud is and the harder it is to leave.Removing your data becomes a technical difficulty.
This data concentration on a few tech giants has given them more power than some countries have. They can change the terms of service and raise prices. We, the users, have nowhere else to go, because when it comes to handling digital data, there aren’t enough laws to protect us. We might think that we know how to use these tools, but we can only see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how the companies use our data.
In December 2025, Time magazine named “Architects of AI” as the person of the year. If we want to keep using advanced tech in 2026, we need to look further than convenience. We need to find solutions that we believe in, to escape the spider web of data. By installing a home cloud — storage we control — we can take back the power from the companies and return to being the true owners of our data. We can take back our sovereignty over our own digital life.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Charedie Torah Leaders Quiet While One of Their Own The Stoliner Rebbe is Under Attack!
DIN: The article below I copied and pasted from Mazav.com! Know that they are a bunch of liars!
They write at the end of the article:
"Across the chassidic world and beyond, strong condemnations were voiced over what many described as a severe affront to kavod haTorah."
This last two lines is a unfiltered unmitigated lie! I have not read in any Chardeie publication that anyone condemned this !
An extremist was detained after allegedly planning to spray pepper spray at the Stoliner Rebbe, according to sources on Monday, following a separate incident earlier in the day in which radical protesters publicly harassed the rebbe.
Journalist Yoeli Brim reported that a zealot was apprehended while carrying pepper spray that he intended to use against the Stoliner Rebbe. According to the report, police later released the suspect and did not confiscate the pepper spray.
Earlier in the morning, a group of extremists from the fringes of the chareidi community confronted and humiliated the Stoliner Rebbe as he arrived in the Gush Shemonim area to attend a bris for the son of one of his chassidim.
The protesters, who oppose the Rebbe’s involvement in efforts to arrange adapted military service frameworks for the chareidi public, lay in wait for him and vandalized his vehicle by throwing eggs, ketchup, and other objects at it.
The Rebbe himself was not harmed in the attack, though visible damage was caused to his car, as seen in the photo above obtained by Matzav.com.
Despite the incident, the Rebbe instructed his chassidim—consistent with his long-standing approach over decades—to remain silent and not respond in any way to the provocations.
Across the chassidic world and beyond, strong condemnations were voiced over what many described as a severe affront to kavod haTorah.
I am one of the 'idiots' who say Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut
DIN: Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the former Israel Chief Sefardi Rabbi, stated that people who recite Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) are idiots. Without going into this debate, I just want to point out that Rav Yosef is not the sharpest blade in the drawer and people shouldn't get all worked up about what he says!
In Yiddish there is a great expression and its impossible to translate:
ער איז נישט א גרויסיר חכם אין נישט א קליינער נער
by Tzvi Fishman
I am an idiot. Why am I an idiot? Because I recite the Hallel prayer of thanksgiving on Israel Independence Day. Why does that make me an idiot?
According to a report published in Israel National News, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef stated that people who recite Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) are idiots. (The correct translation is "are stupid," ed] The article reported remarks which Rabbi Yosef made concerning the aggressive opposition of the Israel Police toward haredim during protests against the drafting of yeshiva students.
At the end of his remarks against the police and the Israel Government, the former Israel Chief Sefardi Rabbi and a spiritual leader of the Shas Party criticized the practice of saying the Hallel prayer on Israel's Independence Day, saying,
"We are in exile. How can you say Hallel on Independence Day? One of the Mizrachi people (i.e. Religious Zionists, ed.) told me he says Hallel on Independence Day. What is there to say Hallel on Independence Day for? For the beatings from the police? For the arrests? For the mixed swimming pools? For the mixed beaches? For the secular education? They tell me 'No, we have a country.' Idiots."
While it is not pleasant to be called stupid, I am in good company.
Shin Bet Escorts Reporter Off Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Plane in Last-Minute Security Move
An unusual incident took place today (Tuesday) at the airport when Nick Kolyohin, an Israeli-Russian independent journalist, was removed from Prime Minister Netanyahu's flight, which was headed to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Kolyohin, who was part of the press delegation invited to visit the White House, was preparing to board the "Wing of Zion" plane but was detained and removed just minutes before takeoff.
The journalist, who immigrated to Israel as a child and served in the IDF, claims that the decision to remove him was made solely by security officials, and that he was not given any information about the reason for his removal from the plane, even though his participation had been previously approved.
The Prime Minister's Office stated: "The security authorities decided not to approve the journalist’s participation in the flight due to security considerations, but we cannot provide further details at this stage."
The Shin Bet stated: "According to its mandate and duties under the law, the service is responsible, among other things, for securing the Prime Minister. As part of this, decisions are made to minimize risks to the Prime Minister and the information surrounding him. Naturally, it is not possible to address the reasons behind individual decisions."
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