Gafni has declared that he prefers Lapid, Gantz and Bennett to Netanyahu:
Degel HaTorah Chairman Moshe Gafni is very angry at the conduct of Netanyahu and the coalition, which will return from a hiatus without significant progress with the conscription law and the suspension of ultra-Orthodox education budgets.
Gafni said the following sentence in closed conversations:
"We are like slaves of the Likud! We will not accept it anymore."
This week harsh countermeasures will be decided
Meanwhile Smotrich told Gafni - you are in exile and represent a small minority in ultra-Orthodox society. Start respecting the rabbis of Religious Zionism
An unusual incident that transpired at a spring fair at the Haifa Port Terminal on Passover set off an uproar on social media: a young haredi man came with his family, gave the owners of the stands the price of all the beer and pizzas (which are "chametz" and forbidden on Passover) at the stands, and demanded it all be destroyed in front of him.
According to a video making its rounds on social media and published by Walla, the haredi man paid those running the bar 83,200 shekels, made them sign a commitment not to sell chametz at all during the holiday, and personally oversaw that the beer was poured down the drain and that the pizza was thrown into a dumpster, where it was burned.
A video of the incident was sent around on haredi messaging groups with the headline "destroying the chametz."
Many at the fair criticized the move. Assaf Danieli, 43, from Ramat Meir, who came to the fair with his family, complained: "When we returned from sailing, the bartender refused to sell me wine because they were busy spilling out the beer. He told me that something crazy happened, pointed at a haredi guy, and said that he bought all the beer, some 30 kegs, and demanded that they spill it out."
Danieli added furiously: "In principle, I think it's stunning that someone is investing nearly a hundred thousand shekels to save me from my own free will, when that money could actually save people for real. After all, anyone who wanted to drink beer and eat pizza did so a short distance away."
The organizers of the event chose not to address the claims: "This is a totally private event," the organizer, Asaf Ben-David, stated. The Haifa Municipality and Haifa Port stressed that the event was not connected to them."
Tempo Beer Industries, the producer of Goldstar Beer, which sponsored the venue, commented: "Goldstar Beer provides an annual sponsorship to the Haifa Terminal, which hosted the spring fair this year. We have no control over the Terminal's events, and this was not a sponsorship for the aforementioned event. If we had been aware of the event ahead of time, we would have worked for the removal of Goldstar from the invitation as a sponsor."
Islamic Jihad terrorist Iyad Jaradat was sentenced to life imprisonment for dispatching the terrorists who infiltrated Moshav Gadish in 2003 and opened fire, murdering Eli Biton, H’yd, and wounding four others.
Jaradat’s “life imprisonment” ended earlier this year when he was released to his hometown of Jenin. In an interview immediately after his release, he publicly praised the Nukhba terrorists who carried out the October 7 massacre.
Channel 14 published a video of another interview with Jaradat published last month, during which he described his imprisonment.
The interviewer asked: “Before October 7, how was it in prison, honestly?”
Jaradat: “There was respect, there were understandings [between us and the Israeli guards]. Ben-Gvir said that the prisons were like summer camps. Perhaps some would say that’s an exaggeration. Whoever wants to gets angry should get angry but they truly were like summer camps.”
“Not all, but everything was available. Our relationship with the Prison Services, the officers, managers, and police – it was as if we were one family.”
One of the first things that Ben-Gvir accomplished when he entered his position was to strip security prisons of all amenities.
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| Dr. Yitzhar Hess |
DIN: I'm not surprised. Chareidim in Israel are a bunch of naive, ignorant sheep led by crooked askanim! Rav Landau was duped by his handlers who were bribed by the Reform.In Beit Shemesh Rav Landau declared a "milchemes" mitzva" in the local mayoral elections that ran against a Shomeret Torah Umotzvois, his "milchemes mitzva" won and it turned out to be a disaster!
Anyone familiar with the World Zionist Organization knows there have been significant struggles between the Conservative Movement and the charedi faction, ever since the latter—Eretz HaKodesh, led by Rabbi Pesach Lerner—joined the WZO in the last elections.
However, it turns out that the peak of the struggle remained behind the scenes, far from the glaring spotlight. It actually involves direct interference in the election by the Conservative Movement—through one of its leaders, Dr. Yizhar Hess, who serves as the deputy chairman of the WZO, a member of its executive board, and a board member of the movement’s organization.
A Kikar Hashabat investigation reveals why a few weeks ago, bulletin boards in charedi neighborhoods across Israel were suddenly covered with wall posters and street ads strongly warning against participating in or voting for Zionist institutions. This is currently a live issue among Diaspora Jewry and under discussion among senior rabbis (Gedolei Yisrael).
On one side, Rabbi Dov Landau firmly opposed voting. On the other, “Eretz HaKodesh” presents support from the late Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, of blessed memory, along with other rabbis in Israel and the U.S. who supported voting in the previous elections.
The posters, plastered around Jerusalem, were actually funded by the Conservative Movement. This is particularly unusual, given that the WZO elections aren’t widely discussed in Israeli media, and most of the Haredi public is unaware of the details—especially since the matter mainly concerns Diaspora Jews.
The Kikar HaShabbat investigation reveals that the “Merkaz Olami” association—an organization managing the Conservative Movement’s activities within the WZO—funded the printing and distribution of these posters.
As evidenced by an invoice obtained by Kikar Hashabbat, “Merkaz Olami” transferred tens of thousands of shekels for a round of street ad placement against participating in the Zionist elections.
According to a charedi source in the WZO, “Despite their attempts to hide their involvement, the Conservative Movement views ‘Eretz HaKodesh,’ which represents the religious public in the WZO, as a political and ideological enemy and is trying to weaken it. They aimed to sway public opinion in the charedi world to harm Eretz HaKodesh and prevent its success in the U.S. elections.”
Beyond the shock and the audacity to speak in the names of Gedolei Yisrael and use their names on posters, the path they chose raises legal questions, possibly even slander violations and more.
It’s also clear they attempted to conceal their involvement. Dr. Yizhar Hess himself retweeted the posters, as if expressing solidarity with Eretz HaKodesh in the face of attacks—despite the fact that the posters were funded by the very organization he sits on the board of and helps lead.
Kikar HaShabbat also revealed that these posters are just the tip of a years-long influence campaign, in which the Conservative Movement has sought to sway key figures in the charedi public in order to damage Eretz HaKodesh.
Sources say the movement’s representatives approached charedi journalists, offering them large sums to promote anti-voting messages—falsely attributing them to the words of leading rabbis.
Most of these journalists declined once they understood the real identity of the backers.
One senior figure in the charedi media (whose name remains confidential) told Kikar HaShabbat:
“A well-known insider approached me some time ago with a vague, high-paying offer to join a campaign aimed at damaging Eretz HaKodesh through ads, media pieces, and social media. The strategy was to implant the notion that Eretz HaKodesh is trying to inject Zionism into the charedi sector, and to stoke opposition among more extreme factions.”
After a thorough investigation, he realized the campaign was entirely operated by the Conservative Movement, whose goal was to remove Eretz HaKodesh to further their own agenda in Israel. He declined to participate, despite the tempting offer.
Another prominent source in the charedi PR world added that major players in mainstream Israeli media were also involved, using their connections to recruit charedi journalists for the long-term campaign against Eretz HaKodesh.
This wasn’t an isolated incident, but rather a structured and calculated campaign that may have crossed the line legally—potentially involving libel, illegal NGO funding, and election law violations.
Kikar HaShabbat reached out for responses from the Conservative Movement’s Merkaz Olami, Dr. Yizhar Hess (who declined to comment in a private conversation), and Eretz HaKodesh. As of now, no responses have been received, and they will be published if and when they are.
Horror video of the incident then showed the diver further out at sea, thrashing around during the bloody attack as the water quickly turned red.
An eyewitness told Channel 12 News: 'I saw the diver in the depths of the water, he shouted, 'I'm bitten, I'm bitten' and waved his hands in the air. After a few minutes, sharks bit him - and suddenly he disappeared.'
Shark attacks in the Mediterranean are extremely rare, with 50 recorded since 1900, and only 11 fatal.
The Hadera Municipality Coastal Department said it was 'conducting searches by jet ski to locate the diver and will continue to update as developments occur.
'We urge the public traveling in the area to avoid entering the water and contact with the sharks,' it added.
A call was received by Magen David Adom's 101 dispatch center in the Sharon region at around 3:02pm to an incident at Olga Beach.
Police and rescue workers have been deployed to the scene, with the police saying in a statement that no casualties had yet been located.
Israel Police said: 'A short time ago, officers from the Hadera Police Station and the Maritime Police were dispatched to the Hadera stream following reports from citizens who claimed they saw a shark attacking a diver in the water.
'Forces are en route, but no casualties have been located so far.'
Footage uploaded to social media has also shown helicopters scanning the waters for the missing diver.
Following the incident, the police have closed the beach to swimmers until further notice.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has reacted to the shark attack by saying it called on the state four years ago to regulate behaviour in waters sharks visit.
It said: 'Every winter, a unique phenomenon occurs in Israel in which sharks and rays gather at the outlet of the warm waters of the power stations.
'In the case of such a fascinating and public-attracting phenomenon, it would be appropriate to take conservation and safety measures for the public, but over the years, chaos has developed in the area.'
'I started recording and saw they were sharks. They got within 164 to 328ft of the shoreline, which caused panic among swimmers.
'Still, some tried to approach them despite the lifeguard’s clear orders to get out of the water. The sharks moved from south to north, did a sort of "dance", and eventually disappeared.'
It comes after a tourist was killed in a shark attack at a popular Red Sea holiday resort in Egypt in December.
The injured man was taken to hospital in Port Ghalib, around 30 miles north of Marsa Alam, the Egyptian ministry said at the time.
The ministry said the attack occurred in deep water outside the designated swimming zone near the jetties in northern Marsa Alam, adding that swimming out from the jetties was prohibited and the jetties would be closed for two days.
An EU official was also mauled to death by a shark at a luxury Egyptian resort last year.
Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, from Rome, had been snorkeling at a beach located in front of the glamorous Red Sea Sataya Resort on the coast of Marsa Alam, before the attack.
The tourist, who worked at the European External Action Service, the diplomatic service of the European Union, was in the sea alongside his friend Giuseppe Fappani, 69, as they celebrated Di Gioia's birthday.
But the trip took a horrific turn when the pair were approached by a tiger shark in the Egyptian waters, while they swam just 50metres from the beach in an area where the resort's jetty allows tourists to access beyond the coral reef.
In 2023, a Russian man was heard screaming 'papa' as he was mauled to death by a shark in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.
Tourists watched in horror from the shore as the beast wounded the man before dragging him under the water. His distraught girlfriend managed to escape.
The tourist - believed to be 23 - was on a long stay in Egypt. He was named in Russia by Baza news outlet as Vladimir Popov, and had moved to the resort with his father.
His father watched the fatal attack in horror, which was also filmed from the shore.
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| Mayor Greenberg |
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday aged 88
Over the past year, the Pope repeatedly criticized Israel during its war against Hamas, accusing it of crimes, genocide, and bombing children
The Pontiff spent his final hours with faithful, emerging to bless thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday after briefly meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced that Francis had died at 7.35am local time (5.35am GMT) in a statement.
Francis had only recently left hospital under 'protected discharge' after suffering an infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs earlier this year.
The Conclave - where cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to choose a successor - will not happen for at least 15 days.
Francis's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica during an official mourning period, and then - in contrast to most of his predecessors - he will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome's Esquilino neighbourhood.
Francis just yesterday greeted the Catholic faithful who had gathered to see him at St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. He delivered his 'Urbi et Orbi' benediction from a balcony overlooking the square following mass to mark the high holiday.
On his way to the basilica, Francis met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family. The Vatican said the encounter was 'brief' and lasted a few minutes.
Francis became the first pope from outside Europe in 1,300 years when he was chosen to replace the retiring Pope Benedict XVI.
Despite several previous health issues and reduced mobility caused in part by his advancing years and expanding waistline, Francis had kept up a busy schedule until his final weeks.
In September 2024, he carried out a 12-day tour across south-east Asia and Oceania that included visits to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, will be remembered for his comparatively liberal attitudes on some subjects that made him both popular and controversial.
He expressed tolerance towards divorcees, allowed priests to bless same-sex couples under certain circumstances, and put concern for the environment at the heart of his papacy.
And he said in 2023 that transgender people could be baptised as long as it did not cause a scandal or 'confusion'.
But he did stand firm on the subject of abortion. In a text signed by Francis that was released by the Vatican last year, terminations were described as 'an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense'.
Steve Witkoff, the real estate tycoon turned international negotiator, has become the subject of controversy with some conservatives attacking him and others rushing out to defend him.
“In a world left in chaos thanks to Joe Biden, Steve Witkoff is the diplomat America needs right now,” Sen. Jim Banks claimed.
Tucker Carlson hailed Witkoff as “the most effective American diplomat in a generation.”
But Witkoff, whatever his flaws, is far more honest than his PR men on X or Capitol Hill, and has never denied that he was just implementing the policies of the Biden administration.
In Jan, at Mar-a-Lago, Witkoff stated that
“the Biden administration is the tip of the spear” in the Hamas negotiations. Biden has “got a solid team, and I appreciated that they’re allowing us to be collaborative.”
“I think Steve Witkoff has been a terrific partner in this,” Secretary of State Blinken praised him on MSNBC.
Much later, Witkoff told Tucker, “When I first got in and I was talking to Brett McGurk, who was the envoy on behalf of Biden, he was a smart guy.”
“He said to me, ‘This is where I want to get to, Steve.’ And so when I went in there, I went in with the imprimatur of the president.”
“Steve became a close partner of mine, I think it’s safe to say a friend,” McGurk told PBS.
Whose deal was it really?
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| Vicious antisemite Amy Spitalnick |
In an era already plagued by rising antisemitism and deepening divisions, one might expect Jewish institutions—particularly those with long-standing reputations for community advocacy and religious leadership—to be at the forefront of defending their people against hate.
Instead, in what can only be described as a catastrophic moral failure, the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements have chosen appeasement over protection, rhetoric over reality, and leftist politics over Jewish survival. Their recent alliance with pro-Hamas sympathizers marks a moment of profound betrayal—one that will be remembered as a dark chapter in the history of American Jewish life.
As Daniel Greenfield of Front Page Mag reported,
Amy Spitalnick—formerly of J Street and now head of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)—has taken pride in leading a coalition of left-wing Jewish organizations that includes the Union for Reform Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism, and prominent Reconstructionist groups. Together, they signed onto a letter that not only undermines Jewish safety on campus but extends a grotesque olive branch to individuals and groups who have openly incited violence against Jews, particularly in the wake of the October 7th Hamas massacre.
Rep. Jamie Raskin threatened foreign leaders who “facilitated authoritarianism in our country” by currying favor with President Trump on issues like deportation, saying that Democrats will not “look kindly” on his supporters when they “come back to power.”
Referencing El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele specifically, Raskin (D-Md.), 62, suggested that Dems should keep score of foreign leaders who brownnose Trump, 78, during his second term.
“Implicit in it should be the idea that if and when we come back to power — and we will — we are not going to look kindly upon people who … facilitated authoritarianism in our country,” Raskin told “Pod Save America” host Tommy Vietor in an episode that dropped Saturday.
Vietor had told Raskin that a Latin American policy expert suggested to him that Democrats should “threaten to take action against any foreign government that participates in the extraordinary rendition of American citizens.”
Trump has tapped into warpowers under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to rapidly deport alleged gangbangers outside of traditional deportation channels to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) mega prison.
So far, those deportations have pertained to illegal immigrants, but Trump has publicly mused about exploring the legality of shipping extremely violent criminals who are US citizens to foreign countries.
Raskin praised the concept of putting foreign countries on notice and called for cutting off foreign aid to El Salvador in response to its cooperation with the Trump administration’s deportations of alleged gangbangers via warpowers.
“The whole idea that Bukele doesn’t have any power to return an American prisoner who was sent to him under an agreement where he’s getting paid $6 million by America is ridiculous,” Raskin contended. “He’s our legal agent in this dubious arrangement they created. Of course, he’s got the power to return them.”
Last week, Bukele met with Trump in the White House, becoming the first Latin American leader to do so, and claimed that he lacked the power to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US, calling questions about returning him “preposterous.”
Abrego Garcia, 29, a citizen of El Salvador, had illegally entered the US in 2011, and was blocked from being deported back home in a 2019 court decision due to gang threats against him.
The Trump administration deported him to El Salvador last month in what its attorneys initially described as an “error.” Top officials have since defended his deportation and alleged that he’s had ties to MS-13, something his attorneys and family deny.
Raskin added that his party needs to engage “in far more work of transnational Democrat solidarity” to try and “prevent the spread of lawlessness and the fascist chaos that’s been unleashed against us.”
Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Trump in Congress.
He had previously been a top defender of Hunter Biden from GOP-backed inquiries into the scandal-scarred first son.
A former constitutional law professor, Raskin argued that “we’re living in something like a gangster state right now” under Trump.
“We have to stop that, obviously, to prevent a slide into complete dictatorship,” Raskin said of the administration’s use of foreign prison systems.
“Donald Trump is a convicted criminal. Could he be sent off to a foreign prison?,” he mused.
“We’ve got to become the leaders of a nationwide popular movement to arrest the descent into fascism in America,” he argued before pivoting to slamming tech guru Elon Musk’s kindred spirits in Silicon Valley.
“These people really believe that democracy is defunct. They say we live in a constitutional America.”
Two students of well-known yeshivas were arrested on Sunday at Ben Gurion Airport while attempting to leave Israel due to stay of exit orders issued against them after they failed to report to the IDF recruitment center.
The men were taken to the IDF's Tel Hashomer Camp, where a hearing is expected to be held on the matter.
The "Lemaancha" organization, which assists yeshiva students with draft-related issues, reported that details of the case were immediately brought to the senior haredi rabbis, who instructed the organization's representatives how to act.
"We are closely, sensitively, and quietly accompanying the boys following the instructions from the rabbis," the organization stated.
In light of the incident, the organization warns against trusting the Interior Ministry's online system to check if there are stay of exit orders.
"There are sometimes discrepancies between the various data systems," the organization explained. "Refrain from arriving at sensitive locations, such as the airport, without conducting an in-depth inquiry beforehand."
This is just one in a series of similar cases in the past few months in which yeshiva students were arrested for alleged draft dodging.
The Israeli film and TV star, now 77, wants to get comfortable so he can talk about one of his favorite characters from his 50-year career: Nuhem Shtisel.
If that surname sounds familiar, yes — it’s a character from the popular and internationally acclaimed series “Shtisel,” about an Israeli Haredi Orthodox family. Now, Gabay has reprised Nuhem for a prequel series titled “Kugel,” streaming in the United States exclusively on the platform Izzy.
And if kugel sounds familiar, yes — it’s referring to the Ashkenazi version of a casserole, not another surname. The new series follows Nuhem, who frequents a kugel shop in his native Antwerp years before the plot of “Shtisel,” as he and his daughter Libbi (Hadas Yaron) navigate familial and romantic struggles. Nuhem’s heart is in the right place, but the diamond dealer often finds himself at the center of financial shenanigans that threaten his place in his family and his community.
As complex as that character sounds, it didn’t take much convincing to get Gabay — who is also well known for starring in both the Israeli film “The Band’s Visit” and the Tony-winning Broadway musical based on it — on board for the poignant and wryly humorous series that, like “Shtisel,” was created by Yehonatan Indursky.
“I loved [Indursky’s] writing. I loved his plot. I loved this poetic element in all his writing — wise, human and brilliant in my opinion,” Gabay said on a recent WhatsApp call.
On April 28, Gabay will join “Shtisel” star Michael Aloni and “Kugel” producer Dikla Barkai for an exclusive New York Jewish Week conversation about the new show at Congregation Rodeph Sholom on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. For those who can make it in person, attendees will also be able to sample (what else?) some of the city’s best kugel, and even meet the stars at a VIP reception. For those who can’t make it, a livestream is available, and it will be recorded.
As a preview — a taste of the “burnt end” of the kugel, Nuhem might say — Gabay spoke with the New York Jewish Week about filming in Antwerp, playing a deeply religious Jew while living a secular life, and the state of the Israel film and TV industry since October 7, 2023.
NEW: Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (D-OR) announces she will travel to El Salvador to “demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia”, a deported Salvadoran illegal alien alleged to be a MS-13 gang member, accused by his own spouse of being a repeat wife beater, and previously… pic.twitter.com/VzEjJZPITn
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 19, 2025
Meet Anwar Faisal, dubbed Boston’s worst landlord. He owns the Iris Hotel in Brookline, an area with a large Jewish population just outside the city.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 18, 2025
After learning that a large Passover Seder was scheduled to be hosted there, he canceled it - and instead hosted a gathering for… https://t.co/9ygZTi6ryq pic.twitter.com/c2QaqYdm8z
