The video, produced in partnership with the Jewish organization "Jews for Racial and Economic Justice," features four rabbis – three women and a transgender rabbi – expressing open support for Mamdani. Among the rabbis featured is Avi Stein, a transgender activist who left the ultra-Orthodox community, selected for the campaign as a symbol of personal transformation (which also received extensive media coverage) and an important voice in the LGBTQ+ community, in an effort to neutralize criticism surrounding Mamdani's positions on LGBTQ+ rights.

In the video, which went viral online and generated hundreds of responses, the rabbis wear campaign shirts and recite text praising Mamdani's positions on affordable housing, social justice, community safety, and protecting minority rights.

Video: The video features four rabbis expressing support for Mamdani / Credit: Usage under Israel's Intellectual Property Law Article 27(a)

Statements such as "We know Zohran will fight to make our city affordable and safe for our families and for our neighbors of all faiths and backgrounds" attempt to present Mamdani as a solidary and progressive figure. However, the video deliberately ignores significant aspects of his legacy: support for the BDS boycott movement, refusal to clearly condemn anti-Jewish slogans and anti-Israel rhetoric, alongside recurring claims of anti-LGBTQ+ positions leveled against him.

Reactions to the video were swift, and as expected, the dominant tone mixed blunt criticism with sustained mockery. Within the Jewish community, particularly among conservative rabbis, the video was described as "cringe," "cynical," and "manipulative," with criticism that Mamdani is using diverse rabbis to gain public legitimacy while failing to address the deep problems in his conduct.

Online commenters added the video was "embarrassing and bizarre," "I thought it couldn't get worse – wait for this" and "A ridiculous ad that looks like an unfunny skit. Next time, Zohran, try reaching out to the Jewish community, instead of insulting Jews by promoting fringe opinions of 3 female rabbis and a transgender rabbi."

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Yeshiva University President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman will deliver the benediction at the 60th presidential inauguration on January 20, Yeshiva University announced Tuesday, marking the first time an American-Israeli rabbi will participate in such a ceremony.

"On behalf of Yeshiva University I am deeply honored to have been asked to deliver the benediction at this momentous time," Rabbi Berman said. "As I prepare my remarks, I am inspired by the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who thousands of years ago walked through the roads of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, and proclaimed 'Blessed is the one who trusts in God.'"

Rabbi Berman plans to call for national unity around America's core values and will include a prayer for the safe return of hostages still held in Gaza, according to Yeshiva University. As the only university president participating in the ceremony, he will address the role of faith-based institutions in American higher education.

"Having Rabbi Berman deliver the benediction is a testament to his leadership and to the prominence of Yeshiva University," Ira Mitzner, Chairman of Yeshiva University's Board of Trustees said. "As the nation's flagship Jewish university, with an unwavering commitment to Torah values and academic excellence, Yeshiva University is a leading institution of higher education that is readying the next generation to contribute to society and live their most fulfilling lives."

Rabbi Berman's national influence extends beyond campus boundaries. He recently founded a coalition of over 100 university presidents united against terrorism following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and led the first-ever delegation of university presidents on the March of the Living to Auschwitz.

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Lakers star LeBron James, the second-highest scorer in NBA history, was documented on social media overnight Sunday at a religious event in New York, where he received a personal blessing from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a well-known Kabbalist.

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According to a number of reports from the event, James decided to attend the wedding of the son of businessman Jay Schottenstein, the owner of the American Eagle clothing retail chain. At the wedding, James met Pinto, who reportedly counseled him back in 2010 while James was still paying for the Miami Heat and was at a career crossroads.

A Jewish wedding.
Rabbi Pinto.
And yes, that is Lebron...

So apparently @KingJames has been meeting with R' Yishayahu Pinto all these years for getting Brachos pic.twitter.com/NxqkgiFRsn

— Afshine Emrani MD FACC (@afshineemrani) May 23, 2022

Reports at the time said that James contributed over $100,000 to Pinto's Shuva Israel organization and has remained in contact with the rabbi.

Seven years ago, Pinto was convicted on charges of bribery and interfering with justice, and was sentenced to a year in prison.

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While an ostrich egg would be a peculiar sight in a modern synagogue, Rabbi Yitzchak Ratzabi has recently written a book in which he claimed that "many synagogues in Yemen, the Land of Israel and elsewhere" used to have them as a fixture.

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In his new book on the subject, Ratzabi – a prominent figure in Israel's Yemenite community – says ostrich eggs used to be hung above the Torah ark or above the center of the synagogue on the ceiling.

There are as many as 66 explanations to the custom, Ratzabi explained. According to ancient beliefs, the female ostrich does not sit on its eggs but rather looks at them, which supposedly leads to their hatching. That is why putting an egg in the synagogue will help worshippers keep their gaze at the siddur (prayer book) because "eyesight gets its power from looking at something with the proper intent," Ratzabi said.

He also pointed out that there is a linguistic similarity between the Hebrew words "ostrich," "eye", and thus can help fight the evil eye. Another similarity is between the way the animal is spelled in Hebrew and the word for poor, thus reminding the worshippers they must give to charity.

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Ahead of the Tu B'Av (the "Jewish Day of Love" celebrated on the 15th day of Av), several prominent national-religious rabbis issued a stern rebuke of prenuptial agreements, saying such an arrangement only undermines marriage and could lead to its unraveling.

The warning was issued in response to the position taken by Tzohar Rabbinical Organization – which encourages more modern approaches to Jewish traditions.

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Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu said that "when one reads these prenuptial agreements, one understands that they push a couple to divorce. It's true that there are cases when a man refuses to grant his wife a divorce, but these are isolated incidents. We are in favor of the ketubah [religious marriage contract] that has been used for thousands of years and successfully so, not in favor of modern contracts that no one knows what they could lead to."

Rabbi Eliezer Igra, a judge on the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Israel, also spoke out against prenups.

This subject "holds a much more central place in public discourse than it should," he said in a recording obtained by Israel Hayom. 

"About 33,000 couples get married every year, and about a third, 11,000 get divorced. Only in very few cases does the husband withhold a get [religious divorce document] from his wife. The media makes it seem that many women do not receive a get."

In response, the Yad La'isha organization, which advocates on behalf of women whose husbands refuse to grant them divorce papers, said that "the purpose of the agreements is to prevent a situation in which one spouse will hold the other one captive in a marriage that has clearly died."

The organization added that it is "not about encouraging divorce, but about saving families who have become entangled in divorce proceedings," explaining that it was "all too common that gets are used to abuse the spouse by cynically exploiting Jewish law." 

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Following the swearing-in of the new, so-called "pro-change" government, Sunday, rabbis aligned with the religious Zionism movement gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City to "pray and cry out, out of fear the government will harm the state's Jewish character."

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Among the prominent religious figures in attendance were Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi David Chai Hacohen, Rabbi Tzvi Kustiner, Rabbi David Dudkevich, Rabbi David Turgeman, Rabbi Chaim Steiner, and Rabbi Elizerer Sadan.

In a statement, organizers of the event said they were "praying God does not give them [coalition members] the option of carrying out their wicked plan to weaken Judaism in the country and the settlements so that He does not give them the power to harm" kashrut, conversions, the sanctity of the family, the sanctity of the people of Israel, and Shabbat, "so that he doesn't let them abandon the Land of Israel to the Arab takeover."

Shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister-designate Yair Lapid were sworn in after a special Knesset session approved their new government in a narrow vote of 60:59.

The vote came mere hours after Netanyahu told the Knesset plenum, "If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country in our way."

Earlier, Bennett was greeted by jeers and cries of protest as he approached the Knesset plenum podium on Sunday afternoon to present the basic policies of his unity government.

Bereaved parents also spoke out against Bennett and his decision to join a government that includes left-wing parties.

Meirav Hajaj, the mother of the late Lt. Shir Hajaj, who was murdered in a car-ramming attack at the Armon Hanatziv promenade in Jerusalem in 2017, was one of a number of bereaved parents to protest the new government outside the Knesset.

"I supported Bennett. If he wanted to turn [Ra'am party leader Mansour] Abbas into a Care Bear, he should have done it before the elections and not after.

"They plan to transfer money to supporters of terrorism. This is a terrorist government. Bennett lied to us," she said.

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Kes Raphael Hadane, known as the Liqa Kahenat (High Priest) of the Beta Israel community, passed away Sunday at age 97, only a day after his wife, Alemitu. The couple, who were married 77 years, were laid to rest in Beit Shemesh.

Hadane was born in a village in the Bagmadar District of Ethiopia and was orphaned while still a child. In 1954, he began studying Hebrew and rabbinical Judaism, and was then hired by the Jewish Agency to teach Hebrew and Jewish studies. In 1976, he was ordained the "liqa kahenat" (high priest for a given region) and served as a rabbinical judge. In 1985, he made aliyah.

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When he moved to Israel, he began working on behalf of the country's Ethiopian immigrant community. Among other things, he oversaw negotiations about the rabbinate's demand that Ethiopian Jews undergo conversion, which outraged the Ethiopian immigrants, who said they were Jewish and had no need to convert. Eventually, Sephardi rabbi and spiritual leader of the Shas movement Rabbi Ovadia Yosef adopted that position.

Because of Hadane's position in the controversy, he was declared a persona non grata by members of the Ethiopian community. Later, he made another controversial decision when he recognized members of Ethiopia's Falash Mura group as part of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community and worked to bring them to Israel.

For years, Hadane presided over the memorial ceremonies honoring the Ethiopian Jews who died en route to Israel.

Hadane's children continued on the path of public service. One of his sons, Rabbi Yosef Hadane, served as chief rabbi for Ethiopian Jews in the Chief Rabbinate until 2017.

Beit Shemesh was shocked to hear of the deaths of Kes Hadane and his wife.

"For years, the couple worked on behalf of the Ethiopian community, lending their hand to any person who needed help and kindness, expecting nothing in return, and founded the wonder Ethiopian Jewish synagogue on Bar-Ilan [street]," Beit Shemesh News reported.

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"Having only heard about their landlord, Mr. Fred Trump, by name, Rabbi Wagner set out to meet him in the hopes that Mr. Trump would assist them in establishing a new facility as a Jewish community center," said the message being disseminated on Jewish WhatsApp groups in the US, parts of which were originally posted on the Beach Haven Jewish Center's website.

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"From the first meeting, a deep friendship sparked between Mr. Trump, a Lutheran land developer, and Rabbi Wagner, a Polish Jew. Their mutual love, respect, and friendship only deepened over the next 48 years. Mr. Fred Trump donated the plot of land where the synagogue was built and contributed towards the construction. He then attended the dinner every year and generously donated to the Beach Haven Jewish Center. He affectionately referred to Rabbi Wagner as 'My Rabbi' at their yearly meetings," the website said.

The message goes on: "The apartment owner continued giving financial assistance to the synagogue over the years. He was a Christian person who instilled his respect for Jews in his 14-year-old son, a wild and adventurous boy. Today, the rabbi's son clearly remembers seeing the boy at the laundromat, while he and his friends were praying the shacharit (morning prayer). The building owner taught his son the importance of responsibility. His name was Fred Trump and the boy's name was Donald Trump. As we all know, the son learned from his father how to be a faithful supporter of Israel and a generous friend of the Jews."

Attached to the fascinating story is a photograph from 1956, which shows the president's father at the synagogue's cornerstone-laying ceremony.

A confidant of President Trump confirmed the story to Israel Hayom. Although Trump is broadly accused by leftist circles in the US of being anti-Semitic, it appears that even in his childhood he was raised with an affinity toward the Jews. As a reminder, many years later, Trump's daughter, Ivanka, converted to Judaism in accordance with Jewish law. The president himself has boasted on multiple occasions about "my Jewish grandchildren."

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Justice Alex Stein, who wrote the ruling, characterized Eliyahu's comments as "threats, incitement, hateful."

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As an example, Stein quoted Eliyahu saying that "We need to try and kill anyone who raises his hand against a Jew. And he doesn't even have to kill [a Jew], only strike him or want him dead … soldier, police, and civilians have an obligation to take them out. Not 'neutralize' them or 'get them under control,' but remove them from the world."

In another case, Eliyahu, discussing the Palestinians, said, "What do we do about these wild urges about the Temple Mount … there is no one more exploitative than they are … They are given money, and they spit in your face."

Eliyahu also said in a video clip that "Wherever they [Palestinians] see Jews, they kill."

Stein said that remarks of this kind did not fall under the prerogative granted to publicly-employed rabbis, because they included "contempt and incitement that are not in line with the Torah or Jewish law."

In addition to Eliyahu's comments about Palestinians, he has also made public remarks of a political nature that violate the rules that obligate civil servants.

Referring to Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, Eliyahu said, "He has zero spine when it comes to matters of Judaism. He cannot serve as head of Habayit Hayehudi."

According to Stein, "The damage from a civil servant's crude criticism of the government's policy and system is double. First, such criticism includes a grain of anarchy. Second, public and crude criticism voiced by a civil servant against government institutions damages the public's faith in civil service."

Eliyahu said in response to the decision to have him disciplined: "This is a political court. If we were talking about freedom of speech for their people, there would be no problem showing a guillotine or the prime minister being hanged. If we're talking about rabbis or religious peope, they bend the law to eradicate this basic right. We won't stop talking. We won't stop telling the truth."

Reactions to the court's ruling came quickly.

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Leader of the National Union Party MK Bezalel Smotrich said, "In a functioning world, Chief Justice [Esther] Hayut and the High Court justices would have been disciplined dozens of times for perverting Israeli law for political purposes.

"Once again, a ruling designed only to silence people, a city rabbi, a great scholar, and a public leader is being put on trial for his opinions," Smotrich said.

The right-wing Zionist movement Im Tirzu said, "Senior legal officials, and High Court justices most of all, are in the midst of a campaign to silence anyone who wants to see Israel as the national state of the Jewish people."

LGBTQ groups and left-wing organizations, however, welcomed the court's decision.

The anti-racism group Tag Meir, which was a signatory to the petition demanding disciplinary measures for Eliyahu, said, "Rabbi Eliyahu has consistently incited against courts, leftists, Arabs, the gay community, while providing support for the radical right and the 'hilltop youth.' Today, the High Court has waved a red card at Rabbi Eliyahu and all the other rabbis who incite."

Women of the Wall said, "Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu has never missed any opportunity to criticize anyone who does not share his narrow, isolationist, and exclusionary worldview. The rabbi has also made remarks about Women of the Wall, and called on an extremist group to continue recruiting people to come to the Wall for one purpose: to disrupt the Women of the Wall from praying at the Western Wall.

"We hope the decision to try Rabbi  Eliyahu will deter other extremists from continuing to incide against entire sectors and individuals," Women of the Wall said.

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Head of the Ukrainian parliament's Israel-Ukrainian Parliamentary Friendship Committee, Alexander Kunitsky, helped advocate for the honor bestowed on Markowitz, who is also expected to receive the Ukraine's highest civilian honor, the President's Medal.

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Markowitz's son, Ariel, said that his father is "the only rabbi in the history of the Ukraine to be awarded to President's Medal, and only the fourth religious figure in history to be so honored.

"My father's grandfather was a rabbi in the Ukraine at a time when he had to hide his activity, and now my father is receiving a citation signed by the president. It's amazing," Ariel Markowitz said.

For the past 20 years, Markowitz Sr. has served as the Chabad emissary in Kiev as well as the city's chief rabbi. He has been at the forefront of extensive social and educational activity, which only increased after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We published the phone numbers of [Jewish] community [resources] and helped every citizen who reached out, without asking if they were Jewish," Ariel Markowitz said.

Currently, Markowitz has been working to find a crisis on the ban against Hassidic Jews flying to the Ukraine to mark the High Holidays at the burial site of Rabbi Nahman of Uman, an issue that has become a flashpoint in Israel and the Jewish world.

"My father helped get the Hassidim held in the Ukraine released," Ariel Markowitz said. "He was in contact with [Israeli] Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, and also spoke to whoever he needed to in order to have them allowed in. He tries to do good wherever he can."

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