Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman from Queens and a candidate in the New York City mayoral race, is under fire for refusing to affirm Israel’s right to exist specifically as a Jewish state. In a recent debate, Mamdani said he supports Israel’s right to exist “as a state with equal rights,” but carefully avoided endorsing its identity as a Jewish nation.

President Trump dismissed any interest in reconnecting with Elon Musk on Friday, stating clearly that he had no intention of engaging in a conversation with the tech mogul, despite earlier reports that White House officials had been working to coordinate a phone call between the two.
“You mean the man who has lost his mind?” Trump told ABC News when asked about reports he was slated to call Musk at some point on Friday.
Trump further clarified that he had little desire to speak with Musk, whom he referred to as a former ally, despite believing that Musk was seeking a dialogue with him.
“I’m not particularly” interested, Trump said, emphasizing that the interest in communication was one-sided and not mutual.

The Southern Sharon Regional Council reported on Friday the tragic loss of IDF Staff Sergeant Yoav Rever, who was killed during combat operations in the southern region of the Gaza Strip.
Rever, just 19 years old, was a soldier in the elite Yahalom Unit of the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps.
“Yoav is the son of Lior and Gili Rever and the brother of Tamar and Omri. He is a graduate of the Ami Asaf School. The heart breaks, the Southern Sharon Regional Council family bows its head and shares in the mourning of the entire family, the Sde Warburg community, and the Ami Asaf School community during this unbearably difficult time. May his memory be blessed forever,” the council stated.
{Matzav.com Israel}

In a landmark development for Israel’s rabbinical court system, seven veteran dayanim were officially appointed last night to serve on the Beis Din Hagadol, the highest rabbinical court in the country. This comes just two weeks after 21 new dayanim were appointed to regional rabbinical courts, marking a sweeping reform effort across the entire system.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a strong message to Israel on Thursday, warning that the UK is prepared to escalate its response if Israel does not halt its military campaign in Gaza and ease humanitarian access, according to AFP.
The warning came after Starmer hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II in London, where both leaders reportedly shared deep concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as rising tensions in Judea and Samaria.

In the Zutchka-Amsana chassidus, grand preparations had been underway for a joyous Shabbos aufruf and festive forshpiel to celebrate the upcoming wedding of the Rebbe’s son. The chosson, Shalom Rosenbaum, a talmid of Yeshivas Mir, is set to marry the daughter of the Trisk-Tolna Rebbe of Monsey. The wedding is scheduled to take place in two weeks in the United States.

[Photos below.] The previously reported trip of Rav Azriel Auerbach, rov of Kehillas Chanichei Hayeshivos of Bayit Vegan in Yerushalayim, has officially begun with his departure from Eretz Yisroel and arrival in the United States, where he is scheduled to address the fourth Adirei HaTorah gathering, to be held in Pennsylvania.
Rav Auerbach’s close talmidim escorted him to the Pateh Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport to bid him tzeischem l’shalom.
On the American side, a group of supporters waited at Newark Liberty International Airport in the early hours of the morning to greet the senior posek.

Israel has provided reassurances to the Trump administration that it will not carry out a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities without a clear signal from President Trump that diplomatic efforts with Tehran have ended, according to two Israeli officials familiar with the matter, as reported by Axios.
This message appears to have eased anxieties among U.S. officials, who were increasingly worried that Israel might act unilaterally while American diplomats continue to engage in sensitive discussions with Iran.
President Trump said last week that he had warned Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu not to launch any attack during the negotiations, though he added that his position “could change with a phone call” if he concludes the talks are going nowhere.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed strong condemnation on Thursday following the Trump administration’s imposition of sanctions on four of its judges.
In an official statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed the penalties, which affect Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.
Among the four, two were responsible for approving arrest warrants issued last November for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The other two were involved in authorizing an investigation by the ICC into alleged misconduct by American forces in Afghanistan.

With five minutes to spare in the two-hour New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate, which NBC carried on Wednesday night, the candidates were asked what their first foreign trip would be as mayor.
“Given the hostility and the antisemitism that has been shown in New York, I would go to Israel,” said Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who is trying to make a comeback and who recently scored the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance’s endorsement.