This summer, those heading upstate on Thursday evenings can now daven Mincha in comfort, thanks to the relocation of a popular minyan site to an air-conditioned indoor facility.
For the first time, the well-known Tefilas Mordche Mincha Area will be operating inside the Marketplace shopping center in Spring Valley, just moments from exit 14 on the New York State Thruway. Starting today, June 26, and continuing weekly through August 28, minyanim will be held every Thursday in a newly designated area within the mall. Visitors can use the mall’s first entrance for quickest access, with clear signage directing them to the minyan.

A widely accepted assumption in recent years has been that any child diagnosed by medical professionals as a “special needs” child is automatically considered a shoteh (halachically exempt from mitzvos). That belief has now been directly challenged by a significant new ruling from one of the leading poskim, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein.
In a detailed conversation with Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Goldknopf, director of the P’tachiyah organization, who sought halachic guidance on various matters related to children with special needs, Rav Zilberstein addressed a critical question: Who is truly considered a shoteh according to halacha?

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz shared in a conversation with Channel 13 that Israel was prepared to carry out an assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but circumstances never allowed it.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said, continuing, “We wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no operational opportunity.”
When pressed on whether Israel had coordinated with the United States in seeking approval for such a strike, Katz made it clear: “We don’t need permission for these things.”
{Matzav.com Israel}

Conagra Brands, the parent company of Duncan Hines, Slim Jim and other brands, is the latest big food company to say it’s discontinuing the use of artificial dyes. In a statement released Wednesday – the same day as a similar statement from Nestle – Chicago-based Conagra said it will remove artificial colors from its frozen foods by the end of this year. Conagra’s frozen brands include Marie Callender’s, Healthy Choice and Birds Eye. Conagra said it won’t offer products containing artificial colors to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, and it will work to discontinue artificial dyes across its entire portfolio by the end of 2027. Kraft Heinz and General Mills made similar pledges earlier this month.

In a moment reminiscent of the aftermath of the Gulf War, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, together with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, will hold a festive Rosh Chodesh ateres tefillah at the Kosel tomorrow, Friday, Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, June 27, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.
The event is being organized as an expression of gratitude to Hashem following the miraculous outcomes of Operation Am KeLavi, Israel’s recent military campaign. In addition to the standard Rosh Chodesh tefillos, the gathering will include special kappitlach of Tehillim to acknowledge the Divine kindnesses experienced during the war.

The victory of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday sparked an immediate and intense reaction from conservative figures across the country.
Outside of the five boroughs, many on the political right reacted with fury, with some commentators zeroing in on Mamdani’s Muslim faith as a central theme in their criticism.
“New York City has fallen,” wrote Donald Trump Jr., quoting another post that said, “I’m old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared an AI-generated image that portrayed the Statue of Liberty cloaked in a black burka, adding the caption: “This hits hard.”

As historic events indicate, we are approaching the days of Moshiach, stage by stage. The Toldos Aharon Rebbe has decided to begin preparing for the days after Moshiach’s arrival. Under the Rebbe’s initiative, the chassidus recently established a kollel exclusively for Kohanim, where Bnei Aharon will study all the halachos pertaining to Avodas HaKohanim in the Beis Hamikdash, Kikar H’Shabbat reported. The initiative of the Rebbe, who is himself a Kohen and known for his longing for the speedy rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdah, recently expressed that—’כי הנה ימים באים—we clearly see that we’re at the time of Ikvesa d’Meshicha and the third Beis Hamikdash will be built soon in our days.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s attorney, Amit Hadad, conducted secret negotiations with retired Supreme Court President Aharon Barak to end Netanyahu’s Case 4000 trial, Channel 12 News reported on Thursday evening. A secret meeting took place at retired President Barak’s home in Tel Aviv regarding mediation between the prosecution and the defense to bring the Netanyahu trial to an end. “I offered my services again,” Barak told Channel 12, referring to his support for a plea deal in 2022, which also began with secret contacts between him and Netanyahu. This time, Aharon Barak himself was intended to be the mediator. According to the law, a retired judge who has been trained to do so can mediate between the parties in a criminal trial.