גדולי ישראל בברכת האילנותצילום: שוקי לרר
גדולי ישראל בברכת האילנותצילום: שוקי לרר
גדולי ישראל בברכת האילנותצילום: שוקי לרר

In a scene that tore at the hearts of all in attendance, the levayah of Sarah Natasha Saada a”h and her young daughters, Dina Bracha, and Devorah Mazal, took place after midnight at Har HaMenuchos in Yerushalayim.
The three niftaros, residents of the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, tragically lost their lives in a horrific car accident on Shabbos, as was widely reported.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yitzchok Isaac Prag zt”l, who Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaTorah in Yerushalayim for more than three decades and as the rov of the Izby Shul in the Mattersdorf neighborhood. He was 92 years old and had just returned from his granddaughter’s wedding in Yerushalayim when he was niftar.
A true Yerushalmi and a scion of a distinguished rabbinic dynasty, Rav Prag descended from generations of towering Torah personalities, including Rav Moshe Nachum Wallenstein, Av Beis Din of Yerushalayim, the Nesivos, Rav Yaakov M’Lisa Loberbaum, the Chacham Tzvi, and the Shaar Efraim.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rebbetzin Hendel Kaplan a”h. She was 68.
Rebbetzin Kaplan was the wife of Hagaon Rav Nechemia Kaplan, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Shaar Hatalmud in Yerushalayim and son of Rav Boruch and Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, renowned Torah pioneers of the last century in America.
She was a daughter of Hagaon Rav Meshulam Dovid Halevi Soloveitchik and Rebbetzin Yehudis Soloveitchik.

In a new letter, the Pshvorsker Rebbe, one of the most respected chassidic rebbes in Europe, issued a strong warning against the wearing of shaitels, calling the practice a violation of das Yehudis (Jewish modesty laws).
The handwritten letter, addressed to the women of his community, was released to strengthen standards of tznius.
The letter is highly unusual, as the rebbe seldom puts his thoughts into writing.
“One of the fundamental pillars of the Torah, the splendor and dignity of the chosen nation, is the modesty of Jewish women,” the rebbe writes. “Our holy foremothers, generation after generation, sacrificed greatly for this value.”

A new chapter began this past Shabbos at Yeshivas Amalah Shel Torah of Beitar Illit, as the mantle of leadership was passed to the next generation. Rav Yisroel Feinstein, just 30 years old, was officially crowned as the successor to his father, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yosef Ze’ev Feinstein zt”l, who passed away suddenly on leil Purim at the age of 54.
Rav Ze’ev, a noted talmid chochom, founded Yeshivas Amalah Shel Torah at the age of 29 and dedicated his life to building it into one of the most esteemed chassidic yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel and beyond.
His passing left an enormous void, with countless talmidim mourning the loss of a father figure.

From Yerushalayim comes the sad news of the petirah of Mrs. Chana Rochel Weingert a”h, a renowned mechaneches and baalas chesed. She was 80.
Mrs. Weingert was a great-granddaughter of Marah d’Ar’a d’Yisrael Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld zt”l.
She was born on the 15th of Elul 80 years ago to her father, the tzaddik Rav Shmuel Kleinerman zt”l, and her mother, Mrs. Esther a”h.
Upon reaching marriageable age, she married her esteemed husband, Rav Yitzchok Weingert.

On Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan, a special Yom Kippur Katan atzeres tefillah was held at the central Gerer Shul in Arad, dedicated to davening for the safe return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Hundreds of people from the city, along with members of the Kalfon family, whose son is still held captive by the terrorists, participated in the Atzeres.
The gathering began with Mincha and the recitation of the fourth sefer of Tehillim. The attendees recited the Yud Gimmel Middos before the open aron kodesh, fervently davening for the swift and healthy return of all the hostages, including Shagav Kalfon, who has been held by Hamas since Simchas Torah 5784.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Moshe Gedalia Schwab zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Degel HaTorah and Mesivta Maamar Mordechai in Monsey. He passed away after a battle with a dreaded illness.
Rav Moshe was a son of the Tzaddik of Monsey, Rav Mordechai Menachem Schwab zt”l, mashgiach of Mesivtah Bais Shraga.
He carried on the legacy of his illustrious father with dignity, while forging his own unique path in the world of chinuch and harbotzas haTorah.

A tragic crash in Brooklyn, NY on Shabbos claimed the lives of a mother and her two young daughters after a driver, whose license had been suspended, plowed into them following a collision with an Uber. The family had been walking home from shul at the time.
The woman’s 4-year-old son was also hit in the chaos and was hospitalized in critical condition, according to police. In total, nine people suffered injuries in the devastating incident.
The deadly sequence of events began shortly after 1 p.m. near the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Quentin Road in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn. Authorities said a Toyota Camry operating as an Uber and an Audi collided, setting off the chain reaction.