Half of Israel's flagship faculties signed a War Crimes letter

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/432304

Half of the faculty audited at Israel's most prestigious research universities put their name to a document accusing the IDF of war crimes and crimes against humanity, during a war that responded to the deadliest single massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Opinion.

The Olam has just finished an audit of 2,844 faculty members across eight of Israel's leading universities, and the number we found should stop every Jew who cares about Israel mid-signature: 50.4% of them, 1,434 professors, publicly signed a letter declaring that Israel's own war in Gaza amounted to "a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity."

The Black Flag Letter "An Urgent Call to the Heads of Academia in Israel," released in May 2025 and addressed to the Association of University Heads in Israel, Israel's academic leadership. It asked those leaders to "mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza."

Trump’s Biggest Middle East Crisis Looms Not in Iran, But Among Two Allies

 https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-biggest-middle-east-crisis-looms-not-in-iran-but-among-two-allies-12361926

As President Donald Trump attempts to land a decisive blow against Iran with an intensified economic campaign, another battle is brewing on the sidelines of the six-month war that could prove even more challenging for the United States.

The feud between Israel and Turkey took a new turn last week with an Israeli strike against a Syrian airbase reportedly visited just hours earlier by a Turkish defense delegation. Israel accused Damascus of moving to violate security arrangements by inviting Ankara's military presence, while the Turkish government railed against the Israeli move as a violation of Syria's sovereignty and called for the Israeli premier's arrest on charges of genocide and other crimes.

As the war of words escalated on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an "antisemitic dictator" behind a "pathetic attempt to intimidate ⁠the leaders and soldiers of Israel," to which Erdogan's communications office soon hit back at Netanyahu’s “petty political tactics” and efforts “to present Türkiye as a new threat."

Interactions with Non-Religious Jews

 https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Interactions_with_Non-Religious_Jews#cite_note-1

The Rambam writes that the children and grandchildren of the Karaites were considered like tinokot shenishbau since he was brought up by a mistaken ideology. It is as though they were forced to accept heretical beliefs and even if they are exposed to Orthodox Jews they are still a tinok shenishba because they were brought up with those ideas.[1]Mamrim (03:03) The children of these errant people and their grandchildren whose parents led them away and they were born among these Karaities and raised according to their conception, they are considered as a children captured and raised by them. Such a child may not be eager to follow the path of mitzvot, for it is as if he was compelled not to. Even if later, he hears that he is Jewish and saw Jews and their faith, he is still considered as one who was compelled against observance, for he was raised according to their mistaken path. This applies to those who we mentioned who follow the erroneous Karaite path of their ancestors. Therefore it is appropriate to motivate them to repent and draw them to the power of the Torah with words of peace. Even though many rishonim disagree,[2] theoretically they agree for someone completely brought up with a secular upbringing but they consider that the Karaites were too exposed to Jews to say they were forced to believe their beliefs.[3]

Most poskim applied the Rambam's approach to Karaites to secular and non-religious Jews today.[4] However, not all poskim agree to this assertion,[5] especially where a non-religious Jew was raised in a non-religious home but was in the presence of an Orthodox community.[6]

Rav Elyashiv's opinion was that there is a doubt whether they are a tinok shenishba or not and we're strict for both possibilities.[7]

Rav Moshe Feinstein held that we can't apply tinok shenishba status to someone who lived near an Orthodox community and was aware of religious Jews. However, Jews who didn't know of religious Jews can be considered tinokot shenishbau.[8]

Rav Ovadia Yosef held similarly that it depends on whether they were familiar with a Torah community. In practice that could mean non-religious Israelis and "in town" Americans are not considered tinokot shenishbau.[9]

Rav Asher Weiss held that non-religious Israelis are tinokot shenishbau since they have developed a disdain for Orthodoxy because of the media.[10]

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach held that non-regiligous Israelis are not considered tinokot shenishbau.[11]

It is impossible to make a general statement for everyone and it really depends on a case by case judgement of a bet din.[12]

Concerning someone who strayed from Torah factors that are important to consider in order not to consider him a mumar are: was he abused physically or sexually by a parent or teacher and was he exposed to a critical amount of Torah learning he was exposed to.[13]

A non-religious Jew who doesn't believe in Hashem even if he is a tinok shenishba can't get an aliyah.[14]

A non-religious Jew even if is a tinok shenishba is culpable for not believing in the primary tenants of our faith.[15] Others contend with this assertion.[16]

It is forbidden to hate any Jew today even if they are a mumar and not a tinok shenishba.[17]

Astrology is not from Sinai

 Maharam Schick (E.H. #7): My opinion is that these matters of planetary motion were not received by our Sages as halacha l’Moshe m’Sinai (Divinely given on Sinai) but rather were said according to their own reasoning. In such matters which are not part of our Tradition and have no root in our Torah but rather are the result of investigation and experience – it is difficult to determine if it is actually true. There are many times when sages decided matters according to their own intellects, but later generations investigated deeper and rejected the findings of the earlier generations. Therefore all matters that are based upon experience are impossible to decide unequivocally but can only be described in terms of whether most people agree with it. That is why in Pesachim (94b), Rebbe says that, “the view of the secular sages appears to be correct.” He did not simply say that they were correct. That is because they only produced logical proofs and thus it is impossible to declare that the matter is finally resolved…. Final resolutions are only relevant concerning the laws of the Torah where we are commanded to do according to that which appears correct – “a judge can only decide based on what he sees” – and G d agrees to the decision of man. This is not so concerning investigations of nature and science.

Disagreeing with Earlier Sages

 Maharal (Be’er HaGolah #6): A book came into our hands that was written by one of our people. When it was brought to me, they told me that it contains new insights. When I saw it, I rejoiced at the opportunity - as a bridegroom meeting his bride. However, when I started reading it, my heart was torn and I became severely depressed. I cried out: “Woe are my eyes that saw such material and woe to my ears which heard such things. Cursed is the day that such words were revealed in the world.” The man who wrote this book did not understand the words of the Sages - not even one minor thing and surely the great things. He obviously was incapable of grasping their profound discussions. How could it be that he did not fear to speak about the Sages? In fact, he spoke about them as if they were his peers - men of his generations and his colleagues. Such a thing has never occurred before amongst Jews until this generation. One only has to look carefully at the past and how people spoke. One will find that the Amoraim did not dispute their predecessors the Tanaim. Similarly, we find those after the Amoraim did not dispute them. This was because each period recognized themselves their value relative to their predecessors and the predecessors were close to the level of the prophets. However, now in this lowly generation which is lowly and missing all wisdom, there arises one who dares to speak against the holy ones who preceded him by more than a thousand years and he proclaims 'look at my approach and wisdom'. And in addition he brings proof and support to his position from the works of the Kasdim and the Christians while in contrast he treats the words of the holy and authentic Sages as fraudulent and nonsense. Even worse, he actually published his views to publicize these things which in fact are more appropriately burned like the works of heretics and magic. In fact, his opinions are even worse than the latter but he printed them as if they were sacred works...

RFK Jr. once again proves his critics correct

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/26/rfk-jr-anti-vaccine-statements-prove-his-critics-correct/

As a measles outbreak kills in Pennsylvania, the HHS secretary spreads falsehoods about the MMR vaccine.

When measles starts to spread, every responsible public health official knows to stick to a clear and simple message: Vaccines are the best options for parents to protect their children. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, has responded to Pennsylvania’s deadly outbreak by doubling down on false and inflammatory statements about immunizations.

Authorities in the Keystone State reported on Tuesday that two unvaccinated people died from measles. The highly contagious viral disease is ravaging Lancaster County, where 70 people have been hospitalized and hundreds infected. So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 2,777 cases nationwide, the highest level since 1991.

A Pancreatic Cancer Revolution

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/fda-approves-daraxonrasib-pancreatic-cancer-drug-revolution-medicines-5a7ff903?mod=hp_opin_pos_5

Pancreatic cancer has long been an agonizing death sentence, but it could be commuted by novel treatments and earlier detection. That’s the hope after the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Revolution Medicines’s novel drug, daraxonrasib, which doubled survival time in a late-stage trial for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Oncologists herald the small-molecule pill as a revolution in pancreatic cancer care. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is typically bleak, with a five-year survival rate of about 3% for Stage 4. Patients fare better if their cancers are caught early (40%), but very few are.

IDF says Gaza mission canceled after religious troops refuse to serve with female paramedic

 IDF says Gaza mission canceled after religious troops refuse to serve with female paramedic

Soldiers in the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion refused to enter an armored personnel carrier in the Gaza Strip for operational activity on Tuesday night because a female paramedic was attached to the force, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

As a result, the mission was canceled, according to the army.

The incident was the latest in a series of cases of male Orthodox soldiers refusing to interact with servicewomen in the army, due to the men’s religious sensibilities. The cases play into the larger debate in Israeli society over whether Haredi men must serve in the military, and how much the IDF must do to accommodate their religious observances and strictures.

The Rotem Battalion is not an ultra-Orthodox unit, and therefore the soldiers serving there, under the IDF’s protocols, may have to serve alongside women.

Trump admin.’s childish threat of ‘economic D-Day’ is mocked by Iran as ‘improv night’

Using Reform and Conservative Synagogues: A new halakhic clarification

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/351277

 The Orthodox objection is to the organizational rejection of the ideals, but in no way do the orthodox reject the Reform or Conservative Jew.  Conflating and obscuring this distinction is a tactic of some of the less ethical members of the Reform and Conservative clergy.   The purpose of this falsehood is to rally the masses against the orthodox and to draw away attention from the organizational rejection of thousands of years of Torah-true belief. 

Rav Moshe responded with three points:

a kosher individual should not be present at a wedding in a Conservative Temple where the Rabbi will officiate. 

If, however, a kosher Rabbi will arrange the Kiddushin properly and the wedding is held at a time where people do not come to pray there – there is no prohibition technically – for there is no concern that they will suspect that he is praying there. 

However, a choshuv (important) individual should not go there even under such circumstances.  He may only go there if it is a great need and also only derech mikreh shenizdamen kain – if he happens to be nearby. 

Generally speaking, one may apply Rav Feinstein’s dictum of “nit shain” but if a Rabbi has special reason to attend a simcha there – the principles of V’ahavta larayacha kamocha would override a “nit shain.”

A False End of the ‘Two-State Solution’

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/israel-e1-land-jerusalem-palestinians-west-bank-europe-53cbba94?mod=hp_opin_pos_4

Long-proposed building in the Jerusalem suburbs isn’t the death of peace.

Our friends, the Europeans, are always on the lookout for opportunities to bash Israel. Their latest is called E1, a small area of land just east of crowded Jerusalem, where Israel has long wanted to build to connect to a nearby suburb. Plans approved in 2025 are now moving forward with construction tenders. Cue the “grave concerns.”

The U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and (honorary European) Canada published a statement last week warning of “serious breaches of international law.” Developing the E1 area, they warned, “will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.” The U.K. said it will soon impose sanctions. A Dutch boycott is set to begin next month.

Fact check: Trump keeps making stuff up about Canada

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/25/politics/fact-check-trump-canada

Throughout his on-again, off-again trade war with Canada, which has erupted again this week, Trump’s criticism of the US neighbor has been filled with lies – a remarkable variety of assertions that either wildly distort a kernel of truth or are just plain made up.

Among other things, the president has falsely claimed that the Canadian public likes the idea of becoming the 51st US state, which is overwhelmingly unpopular with the Canadian public; that Canada is one of the world’s highest-tariff countries, though it is actually low in world rankings; that Canada prohibits US banks from operating there, though more than a dozen US banks operate in Canada; that Canada doesn’t accept US agricultural exports, though Canada is the world’s second-largest purchaser of those exports; that Chinese and Russian ships are “constantly surrounding” Canada, though that never happened; and that “they don’t, essentially, have a military,” though Canada’s very-much-existent military jointly operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command with the US and fought alongside the US in Afghanistan, against ISIS in the Middle East and in various prior wars.

There’s no doubt that the Canadian economy is heavily reliant on the US, but there’s no apparent basis for Trump’s “95%” figure. In 2025, about 72% of Canadian merchandise exports went to the US – down from about 76% in 2024 and the lowest percentage since the early 1980s. Even 72% is a very large number, of course, but it’s far from the one Trump used. And the percentage fell below 70% in the first half of 2026.

Trump learns the hard way, 'incompetence has consequences'

Jewish Demons

 https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/rabinnical-monsters-maoz-kahana

In 1651 the rabbi-politician-philosopher and ex-converso Menashe ben Israel (1604-57) published Nishmat chaim—a polemic treatise proving the immorality of the soul from almost every possible aspect. The course of the discussion led the author to look into the possibility of the existence of “mixed” human-demonic hybrids: “And indeed, if, as investigation shows, it is possible for women to have sex with demons, we must ask whether they [the demons] have reproductive organs.” To investigate the issue, ben Israel reviewed the opinions of “the great Christian sage Augustine,” alongside the words of R. Simon bar Yochai, and referring also to his own lived reality: “Now, all of Germany, Alsace, and France ... know of the craft of witches … who are women who have made covenants with demons … They assemble in groups in a designated place where they dance and hop in the night, and they have intercourse with satyrs, that is, with spirits.”

As the discussion continues, Menashe embarks on a scientific description of such creatures, and questions the necessity of judicial actions against the human participants of such strange interactions, namely, the witches.

Nishmat chaim was part of an early modern process that saw an increased scholarly interest among Hebrew writers in novel intellectual regions and domains. As such, its use of intertwining scientific, demonological, and kabbalistic language closely corresponded with the literature of its age, such as Rabbi Aron Modena’s Ma‘avar Jabok (1626), or the more homiletic-theoretical works of kabbalists like Rabbi Isaia Horowitz’s Shney luchot ha-brit (1648), as well as the later, and more scientific-medical approach taken by Tuvia Ha-Cohen in his Ma‘ase Tuvia (1707), which was devoted to enriching Jewish knowledge with detailed scientific descriptions.

The fascinating nature of such mixed or magical creatures as dragons, centaurs, sirens, and the aforementioned human-demonic hybrids was a common focus of such early modern Jewish works. Science, Kabbalah, and Jewish Talmudic and medieval demonological traditions were merged together, creating a vibrant and widespread discussion. In this manner, these 17th-century works contributed to the growing place of wondrous creatures in Jewish imagination and literature. In this specific realm, Jewish interest can be seen as closely corresponding with the growing European concern with similar creatures. This interest is evident, for instance, in Francis Bacon’s influential plan for cataloging the wondrous phenomena of the natural world, and its subsequent materializations such as Joseph Glanvill’s works on magic and witchcraft. These and similar works played no small role in what might be termed the “new science” of the 17th century.