In a special and rare event this week, Rav Moshe Sternbuch personally fulfilled the mitzvah of Reishis HaGez—the Torah obligation to give the first shearing of wool from one’s sheep to a kohein.
The wool was given to the mekubal Rav Gamliel HaKohen Rabinowitz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Shaar HaShamayim.
The event was held at Rav Sternbuch’s home.

During an unscheduled trip to Beit Shemesh on Thursday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his wife, Ayala, found themselves in the middle of a tense incident.
As reported by the minister’s office, while driving through the area, Ben-Gvir spotted graffiti on several walls featuring imagery of PLO flags. He promptly stopped to alert law enforcement about the defacement.
Soon after, a number of demonstrators believed to be affiliated with or sympathetic to Neturei Karta gathered near the location. They began shouting accusations and insults at the minister, including “Zionist,” “murderer,” “you support army conscription,” and “go away.”

Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich held a meeting on Thursday in Yerushalayim with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, welcoming him at the Finance Ministry headquarters.
Their conversation centered around boosting the financial cooperation between the United States and Israel. They explored how to expand joint efforts in areas such as technological innovation, infrastructure development, and continued support for settlement growth.
“The State of Israel has no better friend than you. You share our way, faith, and values. We expect the ties between Jerusalem and Washington and the economic and diplomatic alliance between Israel and the US to get stronger,” Smotrich told Huckabee.

New Jersey Transit is teetering on the edge of a major disruption as its locomotive engineers threaten to walk off the job as early as Friday, putting tens of thousands of riders in limbo.
Contract negotiations between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have stalled over wage disputes. If talks collapse, this could mark the agency’s first rail strike in more than four decades. NJ Transit, which facilitates over 925,000 weekday trips, has already begun urging passengers to work from home in anticipation of possible chaos.

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Tom Homan, known for his hardline stance on immigration, pushed back this week against a warning issued by a prominent progressive lawmaker, instead offering a stern caution of his own: Know the law — and don’t break it.
Speaking on CNN, Homan was unfazed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s declaration that any attempt by immigration authorities to touch lawmakers protesting at the migrant detention site in Newark would lead to trouble.
“You can’t intimidate me. Come on, give me a break,” Homan said on CNN.
Ocasio-Cortez had warned that the Department of Homeland Security would face serious consequences if it took action against Democratic members of Congress. But Homan dismissed that, stating she misunderstood the legal boundaries.

Amid a troubling surge in measles cases throughout the country, Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Rav Kalman Ber and Rav Dovid Yosef, released a strong statement imploring the public to get vaccinated without delay.
“Recently, there has been an outbreak of measles, posing a serious threat to many — endangering the lives of children, adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems. According to leading medical experts in Israel and worldwide, vaccination is the response to this disease,” the rabbis wrote.
They stressed the importance of following the protocols and instructions of medical professionals and the national healthcare system.
“We call on the public in Israel to fully cooperate with all medical authorities and to follow their guidance,” they urged.

Schneider Children’s Medical Center announced on Thursday that the infant delivered after the tragic shooting attack near Peduel is currently in serious but stable condition.
The baby was born during a life-saving emergency procedure performed after terrorists ambushed Tze’ela Gez as she was heading to the hospital to deliver. She was later pronounced dead at Beilinson Hospital, where doctors were unable to save her life.
Her husband, Hananel, who was with her in the car and suffered only minor wounds, received treatment in Beilinson’s trauma ward and has since been discharged, according to hospital representatives.

President Donald Trump expressed his interest on Thursday in having the United States take a proactive role in post-war Gaza, suggesting a bold vision for the territory following the conflict. He proposed transforming Gaza into what he described as a “freedom zone,” with the U.S. playing a significant role in shaping its future.
“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good: Make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved,” he stated during remarks delivered in Doha, Qatar.
Trump elaborated on his vision by emphasizing that the U.S. could bring positive change to the region. “I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen. Put people in homes where they can be safe,” he said.

President Donald Trump on Thursday called on the Supreme Court to bring an end to what he described as the abuse of birthright citizenship, arguing that the original intent of the law was to safeguard the children of slaves — not to grant citizenship to the children of foreign nationals visiting the United States.
“Big case today in the United States Supreme Court,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Birthright Citizenship was not meant for people taking vacations to become permanent citizens of the United States of America, and bringing their families with them, all the time laughing at the ‘SUCKERS’ that we are!”