Terror Hits Australia
On Sunday, as we were all preparing our menoros for the first night of Chanukah, we were shaken by the terrible news of the massacre in Australia. Although the purpose of this column is to report on events in Eretz Yisroel, an incident such as this one has direct repercussions on Jews everywhere on the world, including Eretz Yisroel, and it is certainly appropriate to discuss it here. After all, all Jews are one.
Given Australia’s location and time zone, the terror attack at a Chanukah party organized by Chabad on the first night of Chanukah took place when it was still morning in Israel, and the media had many hours left in the day to cover it in great detail. As of this writing, we know that at least 15 people were murdered and many others were injured. Videos captured during the attack show the two murderous terrorists firing at the crowd of participants in the party for a long time. The terrorists can be seen standing on a bridge and firing repeatedly with two machine guns; if I am not mistaken, a third gun was on the ground beside them, and one of the terrorists picked it up when his weapon ran out of ammunition. The two black-clad terrorists were able to conduct an undisturbed shooting spree for a long time, which explains the large number of fatalities and casualties. It was reported very quickly that one of the fatalities was the Chabad shaliach, Rav Eli Schlanger.
Official statements in Israel condemned the terrorists and the Australian government, while offering consolation and encouragement to the Jewish community and Chabad. The Australian government was berated as it has been repeatedly warned about the dangerous wave of antisemitism and hatred in the country, but those warnings were ignored. President Yitzchok Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar released a strongly worded statement: “The murderous attack in Sydney was expected…. We warned the Australian government countless times that it wasn’t taking adequate steps. The Australian government needs to wake up now.”
At an event in Dimona, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke out against the Australian leaders as well. “I wrote a letter to the prime minister of Australia several months ago,” Netanyahu said. “I told him that their policies were fueling the flames of antisemitism and encouraging the hatred of Jews that is spreading in the Australian streets…. Today, we saw evil in its lowest form…”
In short, we received a stark reminder several hours before Chanukah of the implacable hatred harbored by the nations of the world for the eternal people. Once again, we have seen that we must give thanks to Hashem every day for His unseen miracles and for the fact that He fights our battles.
Hamas Second-in-Command Eliminated
On Shabbos, an Israeli air force jet fired a missile at a car moving through the area west of Gaza City. The car exploded and four Hamas leaders were killed, including Raad Saad, who is considered today (after the many previous eliminations) to be the second highest ranking figure in Hamas. The leader of Hamas today (for now) is Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who presumably fears for his life.
The bombing that took Saad’s life was executed by an unmanned aircraft that fired a small missile at his car. Israel announced after the operation, “Saad was one of the architects of the October 7 massacre and was working on rehabilitating the terror organization, planning and executing attacks against Israel, and rebuilding an offensive force, in blatant violation of the rules of the ceasefire and Hamas’s commitment to honor President Trump’s plan. Instead of promoting demilitarization, he was busy rearming the group for additional acts of terror.”
This was clearly an outstanding accomplishment on the part of Israeli intelligence. These murderous terror leaders hardly ever emerge from their hiding places, and the successful strike on Saad makes it clear that Israel was tracking him at every moment and knew exactly when he emerged from hiding and the nature of the vehicle in which he was traveling. The decision to eliminate him must have been made in a matter of seconds. The IDF and Shin Bet spokesmen announced in a joint statement, “Saad was leading the rebuilding of Hamas’s forces, and his elimination is a significant blow to the organization’s ability to rebuild its power. He was responsible for the production of various weapons for Hamas’s military wing in advance of October 7, and later for rehabilitating its mechanisms for weapons production. He was culpable for the deaths of many soldiers killed by explosive devices, and he was a leading figure in Hamas’s military wing in recent months. He was directly responsible for the Hamas terror group’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Mere hours before the elimination, two IDF reservists were lightly wounded by an explosive device near the yellow line in Khan Yunis. An Israeli official reported that the explosion that injured the soldiers was another factor leading to the decision to eliminate Saad. Hamas published a predictable message after the attack, accusing Israel of bombing a “civilian vehicle” and of “blatant violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement included in President Trump’s plan.” Israel, however, asserts that Hamas is the party responsible for violating the agreement.
The Last Remaining Hostage: Police Officer Ran Gvili
Speaking of violations of the agreement, this is the right time and place to mention Ran Gvili, the Israeli police officer whose body is the only one still being held in Gaza. Despite the fact that Hamas promised to return all the hostages, both living and dead, within 72 hours of signing the ceasefire agreement, Gvili’s body has been held in Gaza for much longer. The Hamas terror group claims that it has been making every possible effort to locate Gvili’s body, but that anyone with knowledge of the deceased hostage’s whereabouts was already killed by the IDF. This sounds like a flimsy excuse, and Israel hasn’t accepted it. In fact, the Israelis suspect that Hamas is deliberately holding on to Gvili’s body as a bargaining chip and a means of tormenting Israel in the future.
Ran Gvili’s story is one of heroism. Gvili joined the police force in April 2021. On October 7, 2023, he was in his home in the settlement of Meitar in the south, suffering from a broken shoulder. Despite his injuries, when he heard about the Hamas invasion in the Gaza envelope, Gvili left his home and headed to the area. When he arrived, he joined an IDF officer who had likewise arrived at the scene on his own initiative, and the two men began fighting the terrorists. When the wounded victims from the Nova festival began showing up, Gvili and his companion risked their lives to treat the victims. Their next stop was Kibbutz Alumim, which was under attack from the terrorists, where Ran was severely wounded. Despite his injuries, he managed to continue fighting and killed fourteen terrorists before he was abducted. He was taken into captivity with severe injuries, and the IDF later discovered that he was murdered in captivity. His family was informed of his death in January 2024.
Ran Gvili’s mother recently addressed the Tikva Forum. Acknowledging that the family appreciated the gestures of solidarity they had received, she spoke about the heightened emotions evoked by their agonizing wait. “Suddenly, everyone is coming home, and we wonder when our turn will come. It is a truly terrible feeling; we fear that we will remain alone.” In the past, Mrs. Gvili expressed the hope that Ran was still alive and asked everyone to daven for him. Now, we are all davening for his body to return to Israel and for him to receive a proper Jewish burial.
Netanyahu Meets with Chareidi MKs
In some ways, it seems petty to set these matters aside and return to discussing politics, but we have no choice but to turn our attention to the latest political events as well. The most newsworthy political development of the past week was probably Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with the Knesset members of United Torah Judaism on Thursday. Nothing new emerged from that meeting. The chareidi legislators vented their frustrations, complaining about the lack of progress on the draft bill and protesting the ongoing crisis. At the same time, they were well aware that Netanyahu is powerless to do anything against the Supreme Court, which is presently calling the shots. At this time, both the Supreme Court and the attorney general are doing everything in their power, including using some underhanded tactics, to harm the country’s Torah learners. If anyone suspects that their true agenda is to topple Netanyahu’s government, I would have to say that there are ample grounds for those suspicions.
The chareidi media reported that the legislators from UTJ had a stormy meeting with the prime minister and expressed deep frustration with the government’s handling of issues of concern to the chareidi public. However, it isn’t clear if there was any practical benefit from their meeting. “A senior figure in UTJ who was present for the meeting described the atmosphere as tense and angry,” one media outlet reported. “The Knesset members spoke with anger. According to that official, representatives of the party told Netanyahu that it will be difficult for them, both on a communal level and for political reasons, to continue fully supporting the coalition as long as it doesn’t have any real achievements for the chareidi community. ‘We told Bibi that we have no way to help him in the election campaign,’ they said. ‘There is nothing that emerged from this government that benefited the chareidim.’”
Some leaked reports about the meeting emerged from Netanyahu’s inner circle as well, but while it was natural for it to be a highly charged discussion, the reports made it sound as if there was very little discord. Netanyahu reportedly spoke about the difficulties involved in passing the draft law, while emphasizing that he would fight for the law’s passage and would not allow the members of the Likud party to skip the vote in the Knesset. He also repeated his request for the chareidim to support the law and claimed that he has no personal interest in an early election, and that he is confident that the draft law and the state budget will pass the vote in the Knesset.
Misyavnim in Our Days
This week, I read an opinion piece titled “For Shame.” The writer is a product of the religious Zionist community, and his hatred for Torah learners saturates every line of the article, which begins with the deplorable sentence, “We look at the draft law that they are trying to pass in the Knesset, and we are ashamed.” The writer somehow sees fit to invoke the struggles of the soldiers currently serving in the IDF, the wounded and fallen soldiers, and all the bereaved families in the country to lambast the chareidi community. This says more about the person who wrote the article than about the community it discusses. How did he develop such passionate hatred for the Torah world? One could easily refute all of his arguments, but there is no sense in responding to a person who is driven by such fierce animosity. One cannot appease a person who is blinded by his rage and who speaks out of madness.
There is one line in his diatribe, however, that cannot be met with silence. Like many others, this writer insists that the chareidi community should have enlisted in droves on the day after the October 7 massacre, when the IDF was suffering from a serious shortage of manpower. Perhaps there is no way to effectively respond to someone who doesn’t recognize the fact that Torah learning shields the nation from harm, but this particular argument is utterly absurd. The events of that infamous day should have been the clearest proof that the key to winning a battle does not lie in the number of soldiers in the army; instead, it is the volume of spiritual zechuyos that determines the outcome of the war. Contrary to his argument, I would say that on October 8, 2023, the country should have filled the benches of yeshivos and botei medrash everywhere.
Budget Cuts Spread to Americans Learning in Israel
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s obsessive war against Torah learning has yielded yet another poisonous fruit. You will certainly recall that the Supreme Court struck down the previous draft law and ruled that all students in yeshivos and kollelim are considered criminals and draft dodgers. The court later took this further by ruling that these bochurim and yungeleit should be arrested for their refusal to join the army, and then it ruled that the government should not continue funding their institutions. For the chareidi community, there is nothing to do in response to these moves other than to weep in silence. This week, the attorney general’s office came up with yet another idea: They ordered the Ministry of Education to reduce the planned increase in the budget for foreign students. How did they explain this? Very simple: “There is a concern that the money will be used to circumvent the ban on funding yeshiva students who evade the draft.” That is, the extra shekels earmarked by the government for funding American yeshiva students in Israel might be used for Israeli students instead, and therefore the funding for Americans must be cut as well.
Given that this topic will surely be of interest to any American parent with a child learning in Israel, I will go into some detail. According to government regulations, foreign students learning in Israeli yeshivos are technically entitled to 60 percent of the funding provided for Israeli students. Thus, if a yeshiva gedolah receives 400 shekels a month in government funding for every Israeli student, it is entitled to 240 shekels a month for every foreign student. In recent times, however, it has become the accepted practice to increase the percentage every year. Last year, the government provided 85 percent of the funding for Israeli students for all foreign students (a total of 340 shekels per month in our example). This year, the Ministry of Education initially decided to increase the funding for foreign students to 100 percent of the sum provided for Israeli students, essentially providing equal funding for both. Due to opposition from the attorney general, however, the director of the Finance Ministry’s department for Torah institutions, Amos Tziada, suggested recalculating the funding for foreign students at 95 percent of the rate for Israeli students.
Technically, there is no legal basis for the attorney general’s move. The Supreme Court’s ruling against government funding for yeshivos should not apply to talmidim from abroad, who aren’t subject to the Israeli draft and therefore should not be considered criminals. However, on November 19, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on the subject of “enforcing the draft requirement against chareidi youths who evade the draft.” In this ruling, the court gave the government 45 days to come up with an enforcement policy to impose the draft on yeshiva students that would be “effective, equal, and proportionate.” The court added, “If the policy creates alternative channels for funding, it cannot be seen as effective and fulfilling the required criteria.” The Reform movement pounced on this clause and wrote to the attorney general, arguing that by increasing the funding for students from abroad, the Ministry of Education was circumventing the prohibition to provide funding for Israeli students. And the attorney general’s office seems to have accepted this argument, given their order to the Education Ministry to call off the increase in funding that they had planned. The attorney general’s deputy, Gil Limon, wrote, “The concern that the funding will be used for draft evaders stems from the fact that the funds are given to the institutions themselves, not to the students. Therefore, there is no clear separation in the accounts between the funding provided for foreign students and its use by the institution for stipends provided for other students.”
Limon’s letter did not pass in silence. Attorney Shmuel Maklev wrote a letter to Limon on behalf of an organization of yeshiva administrators, arguing that the cancelation of funds for foreign students was a grievous injustice and that the Supreme Court’s ruling never extended that far. Even though the court ruled that government funding should be stripped from yeshivos, this was meant to apply only to the funding for students who are legally required to enlist in the IDF; the verdict has no bearing on students from abroad. I read the letter, which makes a solid argument with the utmost clarity. Nevertheless, I would venture to guess that it will not have the slightest impact on Gil Limon or the attorney general.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Dismissal of Attorney General
On Sunday, an expanded panel of Supreme Court justices issued a ruling on the petitions against the dismissal of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Can you guess what they decided? The judges unanimously accepted the petitions and ruled that the attorney general will remain in her position. The court explained that the new mechanism that the government established for her dismissal, which allowed the recommendation to come from a committee of government ministers rather than the professional committee for the appointment of an attorney general, is null and void. As a result, the decision to fire the attorney general using that mechanism was automatically voided as well. The judges’ ruling was relatively brief, spanning only 29 pages, which is perhaps surprising for a verdict of such major import. The court heard the petitions two weeks ago in a hearing that was open to the media, but the government did not bother sending representatives. This verdict was the court’s retaliation for the snub.
Chief Justice Yitzchok Amit—who is not recognized by the government as chief justice of the Supreme Court—wrote in his ruling, “One cannot ignore the fact that the decision was approved hastily, within just four days after it was first published by the minister of justice, including only two working days. It was not accompanied by organized administrative work to establish a legal or factual basis appropriate for the unique nature of the issue under discussion, it was not preceded by organized consultations with the relevant professional bodies, and the professional opinion of the government’s legal department was not sought.” Amit seemed to imply that the attorney general’s dismissal was overturned due to procedural problems. He concluded his ruling, “The outcome of this ruling is clear. The attorney general continues holding her position lawfully, the dismissal is null and void, and any unilateral action taken to change her position, her authority, or her manner of work by implementing the decision to dismiss her will be a violation of this court’s ruling, with all that that entails.”
Despite the tone of finality in Amit’s verdict, the story is far from over. Justice Minister Yariv Levin wrote in response, “If anyone thought that there are conservative justices on the Supreme Court, this morning’s ruling proves that there are only activists and radical activists on the court…. There is no other court in the world that would force a government to retain an attorney general whom it does not trust and who was dismissed by a unanimous decision of all the members of the cabinet. The issuing of this ruling at this time, when a heavy cloud of suspicion hangs over the dismissed attorney general, is yet another part of the supreme effort of the Supreme Court justices to harm the investigation and to rescue Advocate Baharav-Miara.” Of course, this was a reference to the investigation into the military advocate general, which has the potential to entangle the attorney general herself. “The government must categorically reject this unlawful interference with its authority,” Levin added, “and it must uphold its right to work with an attorney general whom it trusts and who will help it implement its policies.”
A Glimpse into Chanukah in Captivity
There is much more to report. For one thing, Storm Byron, which hit Israel this week, was preceded by a flurry of ominous warnings from the government and weather service. We were cautioned to stay in our homes, to reinforce the hot water tanks on our roofs, and to make sure our homes were equipped with provisions, but in the end, the storm passed almost without incident. In Yerushalayim, at least, we experienced nothing more than the usual winter rains. And if the storm felled trees or caused damage of any kind in some areas, I can guarantee you that the local authorities were surprised as usual.
This week, the country also reeled from the release of a video showing several hostages celebrating Chanukah in captivity in Gaza. Last Thursday, the army released some new videos that were recovered in its operations in Gaza. This particular video shows six hostages lighting Chanukah candles in captivity, the same six who were later murdered together: Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino. The bodies of all six hostages were recovered by the IDF in September 2024 from a tunnel in the southern Gaza strip. It is believed that the hostages were brutally murdered by their captors shortly before the Israeli forces could reach them. The newly released video sent waves of emotion rippling through the nation.
In other news, the Women of the Wall are busy stirring up trouble once again. This time, they have renewed their demand to remove the mechitzah from the Kosel, and they are angry with the Kosel staff for checking to verify that they aren’t smuggling sifrei Torah into the women’s davening area.
Gedolim Urge Hasmodah on Chanukah
An letter was written by gedolim in advance of Chanukah, which is essentially used as a quasi-vacation in Israel. The letter emphasizes the importance and benefit of learning Torah with great intensity at this holy time of year, a period that is conducive to spiritual elevation and to earning the merits for Divine salvation. The gedolim made a point of calling on the public to devote special attention to learning Torah during the long winter nights and to add more hours of learning specifically on Friday nights and motzoei Shabbos.
“During the times of the Chashmonaim,” the letter states, “there was special siyata d’shmaya leading to the annulment of the decree against Torah learning, and the people merited learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos as a result of their self-sacrifice. The Ramchal famously states, ‘When a tikkun was effected and a great light radiated at a specific time, whenever that period of time returns, a light will shine that is similar to the first light, and the impact of that tikkun will be renewed in the recipients.’ Therefore, the influence of Torah and mitzvos returns every year on Chanukah, and it is a more auspicious time than the rest of the year for success in Torah learning and the complete observance of the mitzvos.” The letter continues, “Since the Jewish people received a great salvation on Chanukah, for the decree against them was annulled and it became possible to engage in Torah learning, there is an even greater obligation to learn Torah at this time. As the Shelah states, ‘These holy days are even more conducive for hasmodah in Torah than other days.’ Therefore, it is imperative to take even greater care to avoid laxity in Torah learning at this holy time. It is a shame to waste even a single moment that can be put to use for Torah during this time.”
The gedolim’s letter goes on to mention the draft crisis: “This is certainly true this year, when many people wish to disturb the Torah learning of bnei Torah. This must not be allowed to happen. We must add to our zechuyos and learn additional hours on Chanukah. The Torah institutions should continue studying as is necessary, and in the botei medrash of our sacred communities, everyone should redouble his involvement in Torah learning and add time to it, rather than the reverse, for all these decrees will be annulled in that merit. As we know, the rosh yeshiva Rav Gershon Edelstein worked hard for many years with enormous dedication to promote additional learning on Chanukah in the yeshivos. Of course, it is appropriate for our yeshivos to hold learning sedorim on the long Friday nights for bochurim and yungeleit during the winter zman, not only on Chanukah, and on Fridays and the long motzoei Shabbos nights.”
A Daunting Dream
In conclusion, let me offer you some food for thought. Last Wednesday, as usual, Rav Binyomin Finkel delivered a shmuess to the packed main bais medrash of the Mir yeshiva. In light of Yaakov Avinu’s refusal to derive benefit from Lovon’s property, his shmuess dealt with the imperative of caution regarding financial matters, the challenge of wealth, and the benefits of poverty.
“Rav Chaim Todros, one of the tzaddikim of the Shaare Chesed neighborhood of Yerushalayim and a close friend of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rav Sholom Schwadron, once entered the shul in Shaare Chesed and asked three of the mispallelim to perform hatovas chalom for him,” Rav Binyomin related. “They asked him to divulge the details of the dream that disturbed him, but he proceeded to recite the text of hatovas chalom, and they performed the procedure along with him. When they had finished, they pleaded with him again to reveal what had happened in his dream, and Rav Chaim relented. ‘I dreamed that I became rich!’ he revealed.” For this great tzaddik, material wealth was the stuff of nightmares.
Let me add two stories that were told about Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, whose yahrtzeit was marked at the beginning of this week as large crowds converged on his kever in Bnei Brak. A talmid chochom from the Movshovitz family once told Rav Shteinman that he had visited Rav Gershon Edelstein, who is a member of that family, and Rav Gershon told him that he was descended from illustrious tzaddikim. (Rebbetzin Miriam Edelstein, the wife of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Edelstein, was the daughter of Rav Mordechai Shlomo Movshovitz.) Rav Shteinman replied, “There is something even more important than who your grandfather was: What kind of person will your children’s grandfather be?”
Rav Chizkiyohu Yosef Mishkovsky, a close associate of Rav Shteinman, related, “When a kiruv school first opened in Yerushalayim, they had to fight major battles against the public school system for every child they recruited. With Rav Shteinman’s encouragement, Lev L’Achim took responsibility for the project and managed to transfer almost an entire class of girls, with only one exception, into the new school. When the kiruv activists, led by Rav Uri Zohar, went to report to Rav Shteinman about their success, he said, ‘Very nice, but why did you give up on that girl?’ Rav Shteinman was pacified only when they promised to return to the girl’s parents and renew their efforts to persuade them to give her a religious education. He was unwilling to give up even a single soul.”
