by Rabbi Yair Hoffman When most women (and many men) see a mouse scurrying across the kitchen floor, the typical response is a shriek followed by a jump onto the nearest chair.

The Lakewood community is once again plunged into mourning with the heartbreaking news that Refoel Faham z”l, one of the survivors of Friday morning’s horrific car crash, has tragically succumbed to his injuries. Refoel z”l had been critically injured in the devastating accident that occurred on Hope Chapel Road near New Central Avenue.  Hatzolah paramedics rushed him to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery and received intensive medical care for over 18 hours. Despite the valiant efforts of the medical team, Refoel was niftar shortly before the onset of Shabbos. The accident, which unfolded early Friday morning, involved a Toyota Sienna carrying five bochurim.

An antisemitic poster seen at Humboldt University in Berlin on Friday caused a furor of outrage in Germany, Kan News reported. The poster featured a picture of Yaron Lischinsky, who was murdered last week in the shooting attack outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, with an inverted red triangle – a symbol associated with Hamas supporters – above his head, and the words “Make Zionists Afraid.” Armin Laschet, a senior member of the ruling Christian Democratic party and chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, strongly condemned the incident: “The overt antisemitism at Humboldt University in Berlin is unacceptable. Yaron Lischinsky, who was murdered in New York, was at an event supporting the citizens of Gaza.

A court in El Salvador has granted the request of Israel’s State Prosecution to extradite Lev Tahor leader Elazer Rompler to Israel to face serious charges of child abuse, Kan News reported on Thursday. Rompler, who fled Guatemala after local authorities raided the cult’s complex, was arrested in El Salvador in January as he attempted to enter the country, unaware that an international arrest warrant had been issued against him by Interpol at Israel’s request. Israel filed an extradition request for Rompler to El Salvador in February. Rompler fled Israel in 2020 after being indicted for severe child abuse while serving as a principal of the Lev Tahor school in Canada. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

The IDF has deployed all infantry and armored brigades into Gaza in a significant expansion of the operation, Kan News reported on Motzei Shabbos. The Paratroopers Brigade, which entered the Strip in the past day, was the last to enter, joining the Golani, Givati, Nachal, Kfir, Commando, 7th, 188th, and 401st Armored Brigades, along with several reserve brigades. Sources in the Southern Command told Army Radio that military operations are being carried out very gradually, with the use of massive engineering equipment – including bulldozers and D9s – to neutralize booby traps and explosives planted by Hamas throughout the area.

A frightening scene unfolded early Friday morning at approximately 5:00AM, when a large fire broke out at a Jewish home on Fort Worth Place while the family was fast asleep. The blaze, which reportedly began outside the residence, quickly spread and engulfed parts of the home before smoke detectors awakened the occupants. Fire departments from across the region—including South Blooming Grove, Salisbury Mills, Monroe, Washingtonville, Woodbury, Chester, and Vails Gate—responded swiftly and worked together to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring houses. Kiryas Joel Hatzolah and Blooming Grove EMS arrived to provide medical support, and Bechasdei Hashem, no serious injuries were reported.

The Orthodox Union (OU), one of the most recognized kosher certifying agencies worldwide, has announced that it is no longer certifying any Beech-Nut brand baby food products. The change in certification status is effective immediately. In a kashrus advisory released Friday, the OU emphasized that while some Beech-Nut baby food items on store shelves still bear the OU symbol and remain certified kosher, products without the OU symbol are no longer under OU supervision. Due to overlapping inventory, both certified and non-certified Beech-Nut products may currently be found side by side in the marketplace. Consumers are urged to carefully check each package for the presence of the OU symbol before purchase or consumption.

The Ulster County EMS Council awarded Catskills Hatzalah a citation for successfully saving a child’s life in Ulster County this past summer. Also awarded was Joel Gold, the law enforcement liaison for Catskills Hatzalah, who was honored with an award in recognition of building interagency partnerships and ensuring smooth coordination between Hatzalah, law enforcement, and other emergency services. These awards reflect the continued strong working relationships Catskills Hatzalah maintains across the region to ensure it is ready and prepared to help the community in any emergency.   (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The fifth round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, which commenced Friday at the Omani Embassy in Rome, appears unlikely to produce a breakthrough agreement, according to a CNN report citing two Iranian sources. The Iranian sources told CNN that Tehran’s participation in this round is primarily to “gauge Washington’s latest stance rather than pursue a potential breakthrough.” They expressed growing doubts about U.S. sincerity, saying, “The media statements and negotiating behavior of the United States has widely disappointed policy-making circles in Tehran.” The sources pointed to the U.S. insistence on zero uranium enrichment as a major sticking point, arguing that Washington’s position—knowing Iran will not accept such terms—suggests the U.S.

In the wake of the deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum that claimed the lives of two Israeli Embassy staffers, a coalition of over 40 Jewish organizations is urging the U.S. government to allocate $1 billion to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to bolster security at Jewish institutions nationwide. The coalition, including major groups like the Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the Orthodox Union, issued a joint statement describing the shooting as a “direct consequence of rising antisemitic incitement” on college campuses, at city council meetings, and across social media platforms.