During his visit to Los Angeles this week, Harav Shaul Alter, Rosh Yeshiva of Pnei Menachem in Eretz Yisroel, delivered a powerful and deeply resonant message on the Torah’s approach to raising children—especially those who have strayed from the path of Yiddishkeit. In response to a question about wayward children, Rav Shaul emphasized that love must be the foundation of any approach. “First of all, love them,” he declared unequivocally. “I say this since I’ve heard that there’s a disagreement about this. But it would appear to be clear that everyone should agree on this—that when a child falls by the wayside, we need to love him.” Rav Shaul expressed astonishment that anyone would dispute this fundamental principle.

The NYPD is gearing up for a pro-Palestinian protest scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight across from Brooklyn Square, at 14th Avenue and 37th Street in Boro Park. The demonstration was initially planned for another location but was moved due to security concerns after Palestinian protestors threatened to “flood” the area. The location was kept a secret, until former DEMOCRAT New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind revealed the new location on social media, saying he looks forward to attending. Hikind is a former member of the Jewish Defense League (JDL). Heshy Tischler also took to social media, calling the protest “illegal” and urging people to show up in response. Tischler himself has led multiple unauthorized protests in the past.

Israelis and Jews around the world breathed a sigh of relief after US President Donald Trump was elected as the next president. Upon entering office, Trump immediately implemented a number of of pro-Israel measures, lifting the arms embargo Biden imposed on Israel, restoring sanctions on the ICC, and lifting sanctions on Israeli settlers. Trump then shocked the world, including Israel, by demanding that Palestinians in Gaza be resettled. But of course, Am Yisrael can only trust Hashem and ‘לב מלכים ושרים ביד ה’.

For the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a group of Syrian Jews from the United States has traveled to Damascus, visiting the historic Jewish cemetery in the city’s Jewish Quarter, as well as the Kever of Rav Chaim Vital, the well-known 16th-century Mekubal and Talmid of the Arizal. According to reports, the delegation’s visit marks a significant milestone, as no such trip has taken place since Ahmad al-Sharaa assumed power in Syria. The group documented their journey, highlighting the preservation of these Jewish sites despite decades of turmoil in the region. Damascus once had a thriving Jewish community, but nearly all of its members fled in the late 20th century due to persecution and instability.

In a devastating announcement on Tuesday, Hamas declared that the youngest hostages of the October 7 attack—Kfir and Ariel Bibas, just 2 and 5 years old—along with their mother, Shiri, are dead. Their bodies, the terror group stated, will be returned to Israel this week. The news has sent shockwaves across Israel and the world. Kfir, snatched from his home at just 9 months old, never knew freedom. He spent his first and last birthday in captivity, a stolen childhood lost to unimaginable cruelty. His older brother Ariel and mother Shiri shared his fate, their lives ending in the darkness of Hamas’ grip. Israel has not officially confirmed their deaths but has expressed “grave concerns” over their well-being.

This past Motzoei Shabbos Khal Torah Utefilla of New City celebrated the Hachtarah of their esteemed and beloved Mara D’asra, Harav Binyamin Steinberg Shlita. The Shul was founded about seven years ago by a handful of Bnei Torah who moved out to New City, a few miles north of Monsey. As the Minyan grew to include many respected talmidei chachomim, magidei shiur, kollel yungerleit, and baalei batim bnei Torah, it became apparent that the Kehillah would require a true Gadol, a Muram Me’am, to serve as their Rav. After months of searching and researching, the tzibbur found what they were seeking; Harav Binyamin Steinberg Shlita of Besonhurst, a true talmud chacham who spent many decades toiling in the daled amos shel halacha. Rav Binyamin grew up in a home of Torah and Rabbanus.

US President Donald Trump on Monday night shared a video of freed hostage Agam Berger thanking him for her release and asking him to work toward the release of all the hostages remaining in Gaza. Trump posted and pinned the video on his Truth Social platform. He did not add any comments. On Monday, Berger requested that Israelis take on a small kaballah or mitzvah as a zechus for the release of the hostages. She called for unity, saying that when she was in captivity, “the enemy rejoiced when they saw strife among us.”   (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In a swift and coordinated effort, two suspects with extensive criminal histories were arrested early Monday morning at 14th Avenue and 65th Street In Boro Park. The arrests, made around 4:00 AM, were carried out by the NYPD with crucial assistance from Boro Park Shomrim volunteers. The NYPD and Shomrim recovered stolen mail, including checks, as well as glue traps used by the suspects to fish mail out of boxes. Further investigation uncovered that one of the suspects had three open warrants and a staggering 30 prior felony arrests. Law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation into the extent of the mail theft operation. Residents are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

CBS journalist Margaret Brennan faced swift backlash Sunday after making an outrageous and historically inaccurate claim that free speech was “weaponized” to enable the Holocaust. The comment came during a heated exchange with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Face the Nation, in which Brennan displayed a shocking lack of understanding of Nazi Germany. The controversy erupted as Rubio defended Vice President JD Vance, who had criticized European censorship in a fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference. Brennan, however, suggested that free speech had been used as a tool for genocide in Nazi Germany—a claim so factually absurd that even seasoned political figures were stunned.

A simple roadside rescue turned into a remarkable friendship and a beautiful Kiddush Hashem, as Rabbi Avi Sharfman of Baltimore and AAA technician Jerome Belton found an unexpected connection on a snowy day in Maryland. In January, Rabbi Sharfman, a chaplain for LifeBridge Health, was on his way to provide spiritual care for a dying man in hospice when his car got stuck in a snowbank. He called AAA, which dispatched Jerome Belton, a tow truck driver with a warm smile and a helping hand. “Jerome gets out of the truck and, with his big smile, says, ‘I’ve got you,’” Sharfman told WBAL. Belton immediately sprang into action, working quickly to free the rabbi’s car. “It was like I had wings on my back,” Belton said.