Thursday May 15 News Updates Lakewood

Weather: 71° Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. Chance of rain 40%.

Tonight  59°Rain showers early, then fog developing overnight. Chance of rain 50%.

- Historic NJ Transit strike begins tonight, halting all trains across N.J.

NJ Transit has about 350,000 daily riders, including 100,000 that depend on the trains.

The agency’s contingency plan is to move rail commuters to buses, but only about 20,000 of the daily rail commuters could be accommodated through bus routes. The plan won’t go into effect until Monday, leaving commuters to fend for themselves on Friday.

- FBI director Kash Patel: We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.

- Secretary Kristi Noem: Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS  Trump. 

DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.

- Former FBI Director James Comey 

 posted this on his Instagram 2 hours ago, with the caption “cool shell formation on my beach walk”. It’s a pic of shells in the form of “86 47”.

anyone who knows anything 86 is commonly used as slang to “end” or “kiII”

Obviously 47 is representative of the 47th President This is a call for the assassination of President Trump by the former FBI Director!

- Over 76,000 have already gone up Mt Miron as of 3:00am tonight according to authorities.

- New Jersey’s Interim US Attorney Alina Habba shows up to court to prosecute Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. In court, Ras Baraka, the Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey defense team contested his arrest and declined to take a plea deal while arguing that the government has not provided enough evidence to prove that he was lawfully arrested. 

- Minhag Hayeshiva is not to say tachnun today erev Lag Baomer

- Potential NJ transit strike tonight NJ Transit and a locomotive engineer’s union are still negotiating with less than a day until a strike deadline. Due to a potential strike, NJ TRANSIT strongly advises all train customers to complete their travels and arrive at their final destination by 11:59 PM on Thursday, May 15, 2025.

Evergreen Shabbos party hunt today from 4pm - 8pm   

- Tonight shloshim and divrei zikaron for Rebbetzin Rochel Gross a”h 9:00pm, at Bnos Bais  Yaakov 155 North Oberlin Avenue, Lakewood, NJ. for Men and women are invited. 

- Lakewood Cheder ads ŕabbonim to the vaad Hachinuch, Harav Uren Reich Shlita, Harav Henoch Shachar Shlita, and Harav Nosson Stein Shlita. This comes after the board has let go of older long time menahlim and brought in outside mechanchim.

- An Iranian official tells Reuters: We have not received a written proposal from the US to resolve the nuclear dispute. Iran will only transfer highly enriched uranium from its territory if the US lifts sanctions in a verified and effective manner.

- Petition to Stop Bill A5460 – Protect NJ Solar Customers and Clean Energy Incentives that will cause a financial loss of thousands of dollars annually to local families for the next 5 years sign HERE

- Trump in Qatar on Iran: It doesn't take 30 pages for this, just one sentence "They can't have nuclear weapons." I really hope they do it in a nice way and that we don't have to reach violence the world has never seen before..

- Khal Machzikei Hadaas in Antwerp notifies the community they are working in the best of their ability on all fronts following the confiscation of milah knives from mohallim and ask everyone do daven as we only have Hashem to count on 

- Agudah chairman's take: Former Governor Andrew Cuomo visited my office this week, part of his campaign for New York City mayor. The conversation was candid and raw. Our community has not forgotten the way we were singled out during the dark days of Covid, and we didn’t mince words in telling him how betrayed we had felt during his tenure. Sometimes, the role of shtadlanus involves swallowing old hurts for the good of the klal, as unsatisfying as it might feel. Rabbi Shimon was forced into hiding because of his fierce criticism of the Roman government (Shabbos 33b), yet after coming out of the me’arah, the same Rabbi Shimon was sent to Rome to petition on behalf of his people (Meilah 17b). In galus, he learned, there is a process of how we do battle.

- Rain totals • Jackson - 1.34 inches, Brick - 1.32 inches, Toms River - 1.30 inches, Lakewood  - 1.22 inches

- Regarding shaving and haircuts Thursday night when Lag Baomer falls on on Friday as this year. The Rema (Orach Chaim 493:2) states that the minhag Ashkenaz one must wait until Lag B’Omer itself and should not take a haircut on the preceding evening. The Mishnah Berurah (493:11)  brings Elya Rabba and others, who permit haircuts beginning the night of Lag B’Omer, but the minhag haolam is to wait until the morning like the rema unless there's a wedding contact your LOR 

  ויש מאחרונים שמקילין להסתפר מבערב [מי"ט וא"ר] וסיים א"ר דמ"מ לענין נשואין לא ראיתי מקילין כ"א ביום ל"ג בעומר בעצמו ולא בלילה שלפניו אכן כשחל ל"ג בעומר בע"ש והוא לו שעת הדחק לעשות ביום אפשר שיש להקל לו לעשות בלילה שלפניו: