Thursday December 25 News Updates Lakewood

 Weather: 48° partly cloudy this afternoon

No transportation today. Box stores  closed

Updated weather:  Burlington, Camden and Ocean counties - Winter weather advisory from 3 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations between 1 and 3 inches and ice accumulations around a light glaze

- A delegation of Chemed personnel met with the Sanzer Rebbe in EY to discuss the possibility of opening a hospital in Lakewood, inspired by the Rebbe’s founding of Laniado Hospital in Netanya.

-A messy winter storm remains on track to hit New Jersey starting Friday afternoon with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected across much of the state and an increased chance of sleet.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for 16 counties expected to see the highest snowfall totals. The heaviest snowfall is expected Friday night, with rates potentially exceeding 1 inch per hour. South of I-195, including Ocean, Burlington and Camden counties, the forecast becomes more uncertain.

These areas remain under a winter storm watch but may see more mixing with sleet and possibly freezing rain, which would reduce total snow accumulations from the current 4 to 6 inches in the forecast.

- Update: The new proposed Belzer community is in Walden, NY off rt 52 in Orange county 20 minutes from Bloominburg and 25 minutes from Ellinville.

- Giyus: Demonstrations of solidarity are taking place outside Prison 10 for a Sephardi bochur who was arrested last night after his parents took him home to Be’er Sheva when he was not feeling well in yeshiva. Additional protests are being held in Jerusalem in front of light rail stations.

- TAG has approved a new Tesla internet-blocking solution developed by CSO Radio, which disables LTE and Wi-Fi while keeping the vehicle fully functional and allowing system updates. The reversible modification costs $275,

- Someone has won the 1.8 billion dollar Powerball jackpot with the winning ticket sold in Arkansas. The winning numbers were 4-25-31-52-59 and 19  New Jersey had nine third-prize Powerball winners, eight worth $50,000 and one worth $100,000. The locations where those tickets were sold has not yet been revealed.

- While  Lakewood area boys elementary schools have already announced their opening dates for the upcoming school year, girls’ schools have yet to make any announcements. Due to the unusual calendar this year with Labor Day falling a week before Rosh Hashanah girls could end up with nearly three weeks off starting from Rosh Chodesh Elul. This situation is creating a nightmare for parents, who are facing added childcare challenges and the extra expense of arranging interim day camps after summer camp ends.

- Rachmastrivka Lakewood has announced the purchase of the property at 613 Prospect Street for the construction of their new school building.

- New Belz yishuv in the tri state area there is already hope that within two to three years it will be possible to establish the new “Kiryat Belz USA,” when the first hundreds of apartments will be ready to accommodate Belz Chasidim and many others as well. It encompasses a gigantic area of more than twelve hundred acres of land, with another fifteen hundred acres under contract. in order to ensure maximum success, the location is being kept hidden from public view for now

- Tonight The Breslov Shteeble in Jackson will host Rav Asher Zelig Margulios who will speak on Likutei Maharan at 340 Leesville Jackson  9:00 pm

- Extending PATH train service to Newark Airport will be delayed for at least 10 years after it was left out of the new capital plan to cover higher costs to replace the aging airport monorail system.

- Giyus: The Chasidishe Moetzes of Agudas Yisroel in EY is expected to convene this  Sunday  afternoon at Moshav Ora with the Admor of Vizhnitz

- The Stoliner Rebbe addressed smartphone use, acknowledging that technology is now unavoidable but insisting on strict safeguards and filtering. He rejected total bans as unrealistic, comparing devices to other necessary but potentially dangerous tools, while stressing that technology is not a religious necessity and must be used with responsibility and restraint.

- Toms River MUA commissioners voted to continue receiving full taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits despite working about one hour per month. The benefits, included in the 2026 budget, have drawn criticism from Mayor Dan Rodrick, who called the arrangement political patronage and vowed to end it. In nearby Lakewood, MUA commissioners who are politically appointed and connected receive about $15,000 in annual compensation plus full health benefits for roughly the same one hour of work per month.

- Zohran Mamdani disclosed that his transition team raised $3.7 million ahead of his Jan. 1 inauguration, far more than recent New York City mayors raised before taking office.

- Thousands of people are expected to gather today on the banks of the Delaware River in Titusville, New Jersey and Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania for the 73rd annual reenactment of General George Washington’s daring crossing of the river on the night of December 25, 1776.

- Russian strategic bombers approached Britain, prompting NATO to scramble fighter jets in response, The Mirror reports. The Russian Ministry of Defense called it a “routine flight” over neutral waters in the Barents and Norwegian Seas.

- Last week, the Boro Park Matzah Bakery on 14th Avenue in Brooklyn was destroyed by a fire that took firefighters seven hours to extinguish. The bakery’s owner, R’ Chaim Brown, a Vizhnitz chassid, stood across the street, distributing flyers and declaring “Ein Od Milvado” emphasizing that everything Hashem does is for the good. Despite the financial loss, he explained that the fire was an act of Hashem and promised to hang a large sign proclaiming the same message to the community. Which he did this week.