An arsonist broke into the shul of the former Rishon L’Tzion, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, in the Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood of Jerusalem and set it on fire in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning. Before fleeing the scene, he also sprayed crosses and other Christian symbols on the buildings next to the shul. Security camera footage shows the arsonist entering the shul around 3 a.m., approaching the Aron Kodesh and lighting the fire. The fire caused extensive damage to the shul, HaRav Yosef’s office and his magnificent chair, as well as his sefarim and those of his illustrious father, HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl. Firefighters who were called to the scene brought the fire under control. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Iranian state-controlled media and affiliated news organizations asserted today that Tehran had successfully acquired a massive cache of highly classified Israeli intelligence, supposedly including details about Israel’s defense systems and nuclear infrastructure. No proof was presented to substantiate these claims.
State television announced, “Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” emphasizing the alleged magnitude of the haul.
The announcement was echoed by Hezbollah-aligned al-Mayadeen and the semi-official Iranian outlet Tasnim, though none of the reports offered any specifics about the contents or origin of the purported documents.

As Adirei Hatorah puts the final touches on its massive maamad hatorah taking place on Sunday night, a team of 15 Lakewood Alerts reporters and editors has assembled to bring you live coverage of the evening’s events. Providing photos and videos, real-time updates, and key moments from every inch of the Wells Fargo Center, Lakewood Alerts is the ONLY media outlet offering comprehensive, blanket coverage of the most momentous gathering of the year – for the fourth year! Don’t miss a moment of the historic maamad! Follow Lakewood Alerts’ coverage by clicking here!

Wildfires forced a further 1,000 people to flee their homes in Manitoba, one of two Canadian provinces under a state of emergency that has led to thousands of evacuations. The town of Snow Lake, Manitoba, issued a mandatory evacuation order for its residents Friday as a large wildfire threatens the area. That fire, which has now grown to more than 3,000 square kilometers (1,058 square miles, or over twice the size of Los Angeles), has already forced out all 5,000 residents of the nearby city of Flin Flon and a thousand more in surrounding cottages and homes. When the Snow Lake evacuees are added in, Manitoba has about 19,000 displaced from their homes. There are 27 total fires in the province of Manitoba, eight of them out of control.

As President Donald Trump’s administration targets states and local governments for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities, lawmakers in some Democratic-led states are intensifying their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting such cooperation. In California alone, more than a dozen pro-immigrant bills passed either the Assembly or Senate this week, including one prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration officials into nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant. Other state measures have sought to protect immigrants in housing, employment and police encounters, even as Trump’s administration has ramped up arrests as part of his plan for mass deportations. In Connecticut, legislation pending before Democratic Gov.

Russian attacks targeting the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least four people and wounded more than two dozen others on Saturday, officials said, as hopes for peace dimmed further. The first wave on Ukraine’s second-largest city was a large Russian drone-and-missile attack in the early hours. It killed at least three people and wounded 21 others, according to local officials. In the afternoon, Russia dropped aerial bombs on the city center, killing at least one person and wounding five more, Kharkiv’s mayor said. The warring sides also accused each other of trying to sabotage a planned prisoner exchange, nearly a week after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia.

Thousands gathered Thursday night at Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo in Rishon L’Tzion for the inauguration of the world’s largest and most ornate Aron Kodesh and the dedication of a new, exceptionally small Sefer Torah.
The celebration began with the writing of the final letters of the Sefer Torah at the home of Rabbi Moshe Buchris in Rishon L’Tzion. From there, a majestic procession made its way through the streets, which came to a standstill as throngs of locals joined.

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