Jerusalem, Israel - May 6, 2024 - The War Cabinet this evening (Monday, 6 May 2024), unanimously decided Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.
While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel's core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel.
The Prime Minister's Office announced this evening (Monday) that the War Cabinet voted to proceed with the military operation in Rafah following Hamas's claim that it had accepted a ceasefire deal.
"The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel will continue the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war," the Prime Minister's Office said.
At the same time, although the Hamas proposal is far from the minimum necessary for Israel, the Israeli government will send a delegation to Cairo to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel.
At the same time, the IDF confirmed that the military has begun attacking terrorist targets in Rafah in a "ta...
Rabbi Yonah Sklare is a Rosh Kollel in Baltimore, MD as well as Magid Shiur at Congregation Shomrei Emunah. His refreshingly creative approach to learning as well as his captivating presentation style, have attracted a diverse and beloved following. He lectures at numerous local institutions, including Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary, as well as out of town and online. Rabbi Sklare received semichah and his PhD in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College. He can be reached at rabbisklare@gmail.com.
The United States has voiced its opposition to the proposed Rafah offensive by Israel, expressing grave concerns about the potential humanitarian impact on the over one million Palestinians residing in the area.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller delivered the statement, emphasizing that the U.S. has yet to see a credible and implementable plan to safeguard the lives of civilians in Rafah.
Miller asserted, "The U.S. will not support the Rafah offensive currently envisioned by Israel." He underscored that the proposed offensive would exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian people and lead to a significant increase in civilian casualties.
"Such an offensive would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people," Miller remarked.
Furthermore, Mi...
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged the Columbia University Board of Trustees on Monday to remove school President Minouche Shafik from her role.
The speaker's push comes in response to Columbia’s cancellation of its main commencement ceremony, which followed weeks of protests against the university’s investments in companies perceived as helping Israel in its war against Hamas.
“Because it is abundantly clear that President Shafik would rather cede control to Hamas supporters than restore order, Columbia’s Board of Trustees should immediately remove her and appoint a new president who will,” Speaker Johnson said. “Our once great universities desperately need strong moral leadership, now more than ever.”
The univer...
Baltimore, MD – May 6, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yael and Sam Goldstein on the birth of a daughter.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - May 6, 2024 - What started here with a few tents and signs seen at Johns Hopkins University last week has now grown to upwards of 70 tents and countless signs, some saying the rhetoric is ramping up.
JHU leaders are preparing to meet with protesters to end the encampment on campus.
The student group behind the encampment says they are ready to come to the table with university leaders and talk about their proposal.
“Just because we’re pro-Palestinian doesn’t mean that we want other people to die,” one protester said. “So we’re all here. We encourage everyone from the community to come. We welcome people to actually have conversations with us. If you guys have questions, we’re more than happy to answer. And if...
The Hamas terrorist organization announced this evening (Monday) that it has decided to agree to a ceasefire proposal.
The terrorist organization's announcement states that "Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with the Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and with the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel and informed them of Hamas's agreement to the ceasefire proposal."
The announcement comes after days in which the terrorist organization dragged its feet announcing its decision on the issue.
Kan News reported that an Israeli source stated, "This is a deception by Hamas. Right now we are not taking Hamas' answer seriously. This is an answer to a one-sided Egyptian proposal. First we will receive Hamas' answer and study it."
Is...
Following a recent meeting between increasingly concerned Jews and the government agencies charged with protecting them, I approached the senior agent representing the FBI and asked him to explain their declared policy of not monitoring protests until violence or threats of violence ensue. I was dismayed by the response. The post-October 7 campus climate, where rallies extol and promote Hamas, predictably produces violence. We were not surprised by the Cornell student who rode the wave of those protests to the point of threatening online to “shoot up 104 west” (the kosher dining hall at Cornell University), to “stab” and “slit the throat” of any Jewish man he saw on campus, to rape and throw off a cliff any Jewish women he saw, to behead any Jewish babi...
Columbia University has made the decision to cancel its university-wide commencement ceremonies, citing security concerns amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests that have swept across college campuses across the United States.
While commencement ceremonies for individual schools will proceed as planned, the university has opted to cancel the larger gatherings.
"Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families. They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers," the university said in a statement.
A university official explained to NBC News that the shift in plans came after students expressed a preference for smaller, school-based celebrations, ...
Baltimore, MD - May 6, 2024 - 10:42AM - The right lane on Reisterstown Road headed northbound is closed between Fords Lane and Bancroft and between Labyrinth and Falstaff.
Baltimore, MD - May 6, 2024 - GasBuddy's recent survey reveals that gas prices in Baltimore dropped by 6.2 cents per gallon over the last week. However, compared to a month ago, prices in Baltimore are still 5.2 cents higher per gallon and 25.0 cents higher per gallon compared to a year ago.
On a national level, the average price of diesel decreased by 3.4 cents per gallon in the last week. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, attributes this decline to cooling oil prices and a weaker-than-expected jobs report, which raises concerns about gasoline demand during the upcoming summer driving season.
Despite some refinery maintenance work, oil prices falling below $80 per barrel, and seasonal factors, gasoline prices are expected to continue cooling alongside ...
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday responded to claims by Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk and an anonymous Israeli official, who alleged that Netanyahu is responsible for the impasse in talks for a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal.
In a statement, the PM's Office stressed: "The claim that Prime Minister Netanyahu, and not Hamas, torpedoed the hostage release deal is a complete lie and intentionally misleading to the public."
"The truth is the exact opposite: Hamas are the ones who torpedo every deal, by refusing to budge a millimeter from its extreme demands that any Israeli government in Israel would be unable to accept - first and foremost, that Israel completely withdraw from Gaza and end the war - something which will allow Hamas to renew i...
A Hamas delegation left the Cairo negotiations for a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal after talks reached an impasse on Sunday, two senior Hamas officials and two other officials familiar with the talks told The New York Times.
An Israeli official also confirmed to the Times that negotiations had stalled, claiming they were in "crisis."
Previously, reports had claimed that there was progress and a "positive spirit" to the talks. But Hamas' main demand is that Israel completely end the war, while Israel has explicitly said that doing so would be a disaster, promising to fully defeat Hamas and ensure that Gaza never again pose a threat to Israel's security or that of its citizens.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, claimed to the Times th...
Jerusalem, Israel - May 6, 2024 - Following is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address, this evening (Sunday, 5 May 2024), at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, to the opening ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day [translated from Hebrew except where noted:
"The Honorable President Herzog and Mrs. Herzog,
I will follow your lead and greet our most esteemed guests. First and foremost, the Holocaust survivors, who greatly inspire us all, including during this difficult war. You are living proof of the resurrection of the Jewish people after the destruction of our communities. You are true heroes.
Major Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, an admired officer in the Shaldag unit, went to battle in the Gaza Strip with the legacy of the Holocaust on his shoulders. Thi...
Jerusalem, Israel - Sunday, 5 May 2024 / 27th of Nissan, 5784 - At this hour, this time of remembrance, at the threshold of these 'Days of Awe' for Israelis - which begin tonight and will conclude on the seventy-sixth Independence Day of the State of Israel - a holy spirit descends upon the land, and silence envelops all of the House of Israel. But this is not a regular Memorial Day. This year, the State of Israel is at war. We are at war.
Two hundred and twelve days have passed since the terrible massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists, against on babies, children, and elderly, women and men. Since then, we have been in a period of ‘difficult days and heavy bloodshed.' Since then, our brothers and sisters have been held hostage by a cruel enemy, and our hearts a...
Jerusalem, Israel - May 5, 2024 - Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day is observed this year beginning on Sunday evening, May 5, 2024.
The official Israeli Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Day was held on Sunday night in Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered remarks at the Opening Ceremony.
Holocaust survivor and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau lit the Memorial Torch as he has done in past years.
Haim Noy spoke on behalf of the survivors and Yitzhak Perlmutter will recite El Maleh Rahamim, the Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs.
During the ceremony, Holoca...
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday and expressed condolences over the deaths of three IDF soldiers who were killed as a result of a mortar barrage on the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Gaza border.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a readout following the call that Austin and Gallant discussed “the ongoing hostage negotiations, humanitarian assistance efforts, and Rafah.”
“Secretary Austin expressed his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed and wounded by a rocket and mortar attack launched by Hamas out of Rafah,” added Ryder.
“The Secretary reaffirmed his commitment to the unconditional return of all hostages and stressed the need for any potential Israeli military ...
