In advance of this year’s hilula of the Tanna Rav Shimon bar Yochai, several leading gedolei Yisroel from the Sephardic community have issued a powerful letter urging the public to avoid traveling to Meron close to Shabbos.
The letter, signed by Rav Yitzchak Yosef, Rav Moshe Tzadka, Chacham Nissim Ben Shimon, and Rav Shlomo Machpoud, declares that visiting Meron in the days surrounding Lag Ba’omer—either before or after—is to be treated as equivalent to visiting on the actual day of the hilula.

In an emotional address, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum of Satmar issued a call to his chassidim living in Williamsburg to leave the increasingly unaffordable neighborhood and move to Kiryas Yoel in Monroe, where housing is cheaper and the chareidi atmosphere is stronger.
Speaking during the inauguration of a new yeshiva ketanah building in Williamsburg, the Rebbe delivered what he described as daas Torah and plain common sense. “In the past, there weren’t enough housing options in Kiryas Yoel,” he acknowledged, “but today there are multiple new projects underway, with affordable prices. There is now room for the entire kehilla to relocate there.”

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yechezkel Shraga Dovid Halpern zt”l, who served as the Rav of the Sanzer Beis Medrash in the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim. He was 59 years old.
Rav Halpern passed away at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after battling illness.
Born in London, Rav Halpern came from an illustrious rabbinic dynasty. His father, Rav Yitzchok Aryeh Leibush Halpern, is the Gaavad of Radomishla, and his grandfather, Rav Elchonon Halperin, served as the Gaavad of Radomishla in Golders Green.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Aryeh Zak z”l, a longtime resident of Lakewood, NJ renowned for his deep ahavas haTorah, his boundless generosity, and his lifelong dedication to spreading Torah through the seforim he cherished and sold.

A remarkable story has been making waves across the chareidi world centering around a mysterious note received by a young yungerman from the Yenuka, the renowned gaon Rav Shlomo Yehuda Be’eri. The note, now revealed, is prompting widespread discussion and awe.

Despite growing frustration among the general public over the lack of answers regarding tickets and transportation to Meron for Lag Ba’omer, preparations on the ground are already well underway ahead of the hilula of Rav Shimon bar Yochai.
Photographer A. Eisenbach traveled to Meron early and captured striking images of the fully prepared “Area 89” compound, one of the primary sites of the annual gathering.
This year, Area 89 will host a series of major lighting ceremonies. Among them will be the renowned mashpia Rav Elimelech Biderman, as well as various admorim and rabbanim.

At a major press conference held Wednesday at “Compound 89” in Meron, officials presented the comprehensive operational plan for the upcoming hilula of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai on Lag BaOmer 5785. Leading the announcement were Minister of Yerushalayim Affairs and Jewish Tradition Meir Porush, Northern District Police Commander Chief Superintendent Meir Eliyahu, Hilula Project Coordinator Yossi Deutsch, along with senior figures from the Ministry of Yerushalayim Affairs, including Director-General Shimon Alboum and Deputy Director and Head of the Meron Division Chaim Rosenshtein.

Despite recently undergoing a medical procedure, Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim, displayed remarkable mesirus nefesh by delivering his weekly shmuess to talmidim via a live Zoom broadcast from his hospital room.

On Tuesday night, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the military’s Human Resources Directorate to significantly ramp up efforts to conscript chareidim in light of the expanding Gaza ground operation and the broader demands of the ongoing war.
Since the summer of 2024, the IDF has issued 24,000 draft notices aimed at tens of thousands of eligible chareidi men. However, only a small percentage have responded positively and agreed to enlist.