by Rabbi Yair Hoffman There is a very significant part of Yi

The Women of the Wall group created a provocation on Wednesday morning, Rosh Chodesh Sivan, by trying to violate the law by bringing a Sefer Torah into the Kosel plaza. Members of the group argued with the usher, who upheld the law and refused to allow them entry. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated: “This morning, a group of approximately 14 women and men from the Women of the Wall organization arrived to demonstrate at the entrance gates to the Kosel with a Sefer Torah raised high, desecrating the Sefer Torah and delaying hundreds of mispallelim and mispallelot who were waiting to enter the area for Rosh Chodesh tefillos. “This group did not respond to requests from the police and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation ushers to refrain from [disturbing the public].

IDF fighter jets attacked the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday morning. The attack comes after the Houthis launched numerous missiles at Israel over the past week, which were all intercepted by missile defense systems, b’chasdei Hashem. Minutes after reports of the attack were published, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed that Israel carried out the strikes and revealed the name of the operation. “Air Force planes attacked Houthi terror targets at the Sanaa airport and destroyed the Houthis’ last remaining plane as part of Operation Golden Jewel,” he said.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman Scientists discover a light-focusing design that reveals Hashem’s Wonders The

Welfare Minister Ya’akov Margi slammed the politicization of the recruitment of Chareidim in a fiery speech at the Sderot Conference for Society and Education in Be’er Sheva on Tuesday. “I served in the army, my two children served in the army, and my eldest son has been in continuous reserve duty since October 7th,” Margi said, adding that lawmakers are cynically using the issue of Chareidi enlistment for political purposes. “It’s possible to resolve this crisis if you remove the political slant from the equation. Don’t buy tall tales, don’t buy headlines and slogans.” “Those who oppose the law don’t really want to enlist Chareidim.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer is urging both the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to investigate what he describes as a “coordinated series of governmental actions” targeting the Chasidic Jewish community in Linden, NJ. The letter comes on the heels of Agudath Israel representatives meeting with Justice Department officials earlier this month to discuss the repeated discrimination Chasidic Jews have been subjected to in Linden, as well as the advocacy group’s public slamming of Linden’s discrimination. Gottheimer’s letter cites a range of zoning changes, enforcement policies, and public meeting practices that disproportionately and adversely impact Orthodox Jewish families living in the area.

A new, highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, linked to a significant spike in hospitalizations in China, has been detected in the United States, raising concerns among health officials. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the variant has been identified in multiple states, including New York, California, Washington, Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii, primarily among international travelers arriving from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. The strain, first noted in the U.S. in March 2025, is now showing signs of local spread, with cases reported in communities across the country.

Sarah Milgrim, one of two Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot last week in an anti-Israel ambush in Washington, D.C., was remembered Tuesday during a private funeral in the Kansas community where she grew up. Milgrim, a 26-year-old from the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas, was leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum alongside 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky on May 21 when they were shot to death. A suspect, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was arrested and shouted “Free Palestine” as he was led away. Charging documents said he later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.” Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring before the shooting and was planning to propose to Milgrim in the coming days, those who knew the couple have said.

A quiet but concerning development has surfaced that may significantly impact one of the most recognizable elements of traditional Orthodox Jewish attire: the black felt hat. For over 40 years, a Spanish company—Fernandez y Roche, based in Seville, Spain—has supplied tens of thousands of black hats annually to yeshiva bochurim, avreichim, and balabatim in communities across America. These hats, worn daily by bnei Torah from the age of bar mitzvah and onward, are not merely a garment, but a statement of identity and dignity. But that longstanding partnership is now at risk. Due to newly imposed trade tariffs by the U.S. government on European goods, including imported felt hats, Fernandez y Roche has been hit with a 10% import fee, with a looming possibility of an additional 50% tariff.

In response to the tragic helicopter crash on April 10 that claimed the lives of a Spanish family of five and their pilot, U.S. Reps.  Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) have introduced the bipartisan “Improving Helicopter Safety Act.” The proposed legislation aims to prohibit all non-essential helicopter flights—including those for tourism, recreation, and luxury commuting—within a 20-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty. Essential flights, such as those for emergency services, law enforcement, news coverage, and research, would still be permitted. If enacted, the bill would take effect 60 days after being signed into law.