Friday January 16 News Updates Lakewood

 Friday, January 16, 2026 / כ״ז טבת תשפ״ו

ערב שבת פרשת וארא מברכים חודש שבט

Candle lighting 4:39 pm

Shkiah/Sunset 4:57 pm

Rosh chodesh Shevat is on Monday

Molad js Sunday evening, 6 minutes and 11 chalakim after 3:00 pm 

Weather: 34° Sunny. Tonight low 27°

Shabbos day: 41° cloudy with occasional rain showers. Chance of rain 60%

Sunday chance of snow less than an inch

This shabbos marks the 18th yartzeit of Rav Shmuel Berenbaum zatzal also the Yartzeit of Rav Elya Meir Bloch zatza and Rav Yankel Cohen zatzal of Telz.

- Off shabbos this week welcome home yeshiva bochurim

Eggs at bingo .79  cents, gas at  $2.65 average 

- REPORTER: "Did Arab and Israeli officials convince you to not strike Iran?"

PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself. You had yesterday scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn't hang anyone. They canceled the hangings. That had a big impact"

-Trump: Great Meeting on Healthcare this morning! The Federal Government money must be paid, not to the Insurance Companies, but directly to THE PEOPLE! GREAT HEALTHCARE will be provided at a substantially reduced cost

- Unfortunately there's a lot of chatter on social media spreading hate and false information about the frum communities in NY and NJ targeted by false misconceptions, including claims that residents avoid legal marriage, abuse tax exemptions, or caused the collapse of public schools. As is pointed out  In reality, marriages are legal, tax-exempt religious properties are limited and publicly documented, and school funding problems stem from New Jersey’s flawed funding formula, not community wrongdoing. following the fraud in MInnesota theres those using it to go after other communities. Some self appointmed journalists agitators are canvassing the  frum towns and harassing residents videoing them with questions to post online. This was already done in K with a video that was online with over 5 million views since yesterday  and they are going to other towns including Lakewood.

- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills today which seek to modernize the Charter School Program Act of 1995, establishing new transparency requirements and creating greater state oversight of charter schools and their management organizations.

- Trump: I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you! DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

- Trump: In Minnesota, the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals. The Governor and Mayor don’t know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS! If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY! President DJT

- Badatz calls for yom tefilla: This Sunday Erev Rosh chodesh Yom Kippur koton, the Badatz Yerushalayim is calling for a yom tefilah due to the many people who are sick with illnesses  including parents of young children who tragically passed away R"L and other tragedies including the gezeiras Hagiyus on the bnei hayeshivos.

- Admor Toldos Tzvi of Spinka will spend Shabbos in Lakewood at the B"M 424 15th st

- Admor M'Nadvorna will spend shabbos in Jackson.

- Rav Reuven Leuchter will spend shabbos in Lakewood 

- Gourmet Glatt Jackson now accepting EBT.

- Yeshiva week mid winter break begins for the modern Orthodox  and day schools. The r

Term is a substitute for the American holiday week from December 25 to New Years.

- Last night President Trump has granted full clemency parson to a 58  yr old yid from Williamsburg. After nearly 22 months served of a 62-month sentence, he returned home. The decision was conveyed directly from the White House to Rabbi Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Organization, following years of dedicated advocacy. The Prosecutor's originally asked for 18 months a d the judge sentenced for 62.

- BDE: After days of searching, the body of 17-year-old  bochur Moshe Ludmir, Z"L from Beitar Illit, was found. He was swept away in a flash flood in a stream near Modi’in Illit. Rescue forces conducted extensive search efforts for 4 days. The Levaya was held erev shabbos in Yerushalayim.

- US special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested on Thursday that the Trump administration prefers a diplomatic resolution, rather than a military one, to the ongoing tensions with Iran, sparked by the regime’s deadly violence against protesters.

- Last night, the Lakewood Township Committee held its monthly meeting, which lasted approximately five minutes and was conducted virtually. There were no ordinances to vote on and no public comments. Officials made no mention of the state takeover of the Lakewood Board of Education or anything else.

The deputy mayor defended the online-only format, noting that Committeeman Isaac Ackerman was able to participate while in Israel, where it was midnight. Critics, however, argue that the lack of an in-person meeting is disrespectful to township residents and denies the public in New Jersey’s fourth-largest municipality the opportunity to engage directly with their elected officials. By contrast, neighboring towns such as Jackson, Howell, and Toms River continue to hold in-person meetings that are open to and attended by the public.

- PSA: All township residents can apply for the Lakewood shuttle bus liason project offering up to $300k. Faanews reports Once the RFP was issued by the Lakewood Development Corporation as a fair-and-open competitive process, eligibility became public by law. Internal expectations do not control the outcome; the written RFP does. Any Lakewood resident who believes they are capable of serving as a liaison may apply. See the proposal for application HERE must be in by Feb 2.

-  APP reports The New Jersey Department of Education’s plan to take control of the township's debt-ridden school district appears to include the hiring of a new superintendent, half a dozen new administrators and the potential appointment of three more school board members, officials revealed.And if a state takeover occurs, the troubled district could be in for a long haul based on history with no guarantee of success, experts agree.

-At  the Toms River Township Council meeting, Mayor Daniel Rodrick criticized council-backed proposals, accusing the council majority of promoting political patronage over public need. He singled out a plan to create a new municipal position for a political operative tied to the council majority, arguing the role was unnecessary, undefined, and would cost taxpayers about $126,000 annually.

- 11 Federal Law Enforcement Vehicles Vandalized Overnight at  Minnesota Hotel!

 amid anti-ICE protests 

 The Moetzes  of Agudas Yisroel decision against the current Giyus draft law that includes sanctions and quotas