Thursday January 8 News Updates Lakewood

Weather: 51° Lots of sunshine

Soaking rain in weekend forecast with an inch of rain over shabbos 

- Trump says the United States will be conducting land strikes against the cartels. “We are gonna start now, hitting land, about the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico."

- Horrific attack yesterday on a school bus in New Jersey carrying young children from a Yeshiva in Paramus: a rock the size of a baseball was hurled at the bus on the NJ Turnpike, smashing a window and fracturing the skull of an 8 year old girl.

The third grader underwent surgery and in serious condition. The bus was full of kids returning from a school trip. 

State Police are investigating; there 

Please daven for גילה ברכה בת מיכל אילנה.

 A police investigation is ongoing.

-  A bipartisan group of 17 House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a measure restoring health insurance subsidies that had expired, despite opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The three-year extension passed 230–196 in the House but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, where a similar bill failed in December. Senators from both parties are reportedly nearing a compromise

- Trump's threat to Iran: I made it clear to them that if they start killing people, we will hit them very hard

- President Trump announced plans to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to lower rates and make homeownership more affordable, citing his previous decision to keep Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public

-This shabbos the MDY Daf Yomi shabbaton at the Double Tree hotel, Stamford CT with the magid shiur R Eli Stefansky the program is sold out

- Tehran has erupted, with massive crowds torching regime buildings as the Islamic regime appears to be losing control. Amid a near-total internet shutdown, Elon Musk reportedly activated free Starlink access across Iran to help keep the country connected despite government restrictions.

- Giyus: Reporter for i24 news says there's pressure from within Netanyahu circle to pull the Giyus law Ofer Golan, a close advisor to Netanyahu, urged him to hold off on the Charedi recruitment law, worried that with the strong opposition it might not pass and hurt Likud politically.

-The Lakewood Fire Department responded to a second-alarm fire at the Ocean County Northern Recycling Plant this afternoon on New Hampshire avenue. A rubbish fire inside a one-story building burned through the roof, causing significant damage.

- Police are investigating a bomb threat at a Lakewood car dealership on Rt 88, prompting evacuations. K9 units are sweeping the scene; no injuries reported.

- The U.S. Senate passed a war powers resolution 52–47 to block President Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without Congressional approval, with five Republicans joining Democrats in support. Trump sharply criticized the five GOP senators, saying they “should never be elected to office again” and claiming the vote undermines national security and presidential authority.

- Tens of thousands marched in Tehran today, chanting slogans such as “Long live the King,” “Death to Khamenei,” and “This is the final battle. Pahlavi will return.”Reports indicate the Iranian government is deploying IRGC ground forces to major cities tonight, replacing the usual Basij police presence.

-A sheriff’s vehicle was involved in a car accident today on Central Avenue in Lakewood Hatzolah responded to the scene to treat a patient.

- Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani announced “2‑Care,” a program providing free child care for 2‑year‑olds in New York City. The city will work with home-based providers to implement the plan, starting in high-need neighborhoods and expanding citywide over time.

- Iran’s Crown Prince Pahlavi Reza son of the shah has been invited to attend and speak at the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at Mar a Lago next Tuesday. Will most likely meet with President Trump.

- At the Lakewood Planning Board meeting Tuesday night, members reappointed Chairman Moshe Neiman to another term. Board member Mr. Bruce Stern was elected vice chairman. Justin Francebaum also rejoined the board after previously stepping down when he moved out of the district to Jackson

- Giyus: A senior Shas official: "Netanyahu promised us that the Conscription Law would pass, he is doing everything to pass the law, we believe we will succeed in passing the law even before the budget."

- Admor Vizhnitz Lakewood/Yerushalayim will head out to Desert Hot Springs, CA for the coming few weeks

- Large protest forming in Minneapolis as the city has closed schools for the remainder of the week. 

- Giyus: A bochur from Ponovezh was arrested by military police

- The Lakewood Board of Education is seeking bids for the sale of the Ella G. Clarke School at 455 Manetta Ave. and the Lakewood Early Childhood Center at 100 Linden Ave. Bids will be accepted at 200 Ramsey Ave. on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., when they will be publicly opened.  Minimum bids are $37.5 million for the Ella G. Clarke School and $15 million for the Lakewood Early Childhood Center. Bids must meet or exceed these amounts to be considered.

- BDE: Petirah of Mrs. Baila Landman a”h (Nee Moller) wife of R' Moshe, She was in her 20s.  daughter of R’ Avraham Shimon and Mrs. Devorah Moller of Chicago.  The levaya today at 11:30 AM Thursday morning at  Lakewood chapel with Kevurah  in Clifton, NJ. zoom link here  passcode 121765 

- The Lakewood Board of Education held its reorganization meeting yesterday, during which the board voted to appoint Moshe Bender as president.

- Giyus: A Bank of Israel representative said today at the Giyus law discussions that drafting 7,500 Charedim per year would result in 9 billion shekels in annual savings. According to the law’s own targets, drafting 8,160 Charedim over a year and a half would save the state around 10 billion shekels which breaks down to only about 6.3 billion shekels per year.

- The can can sale is going on in shoprite this week,  Fishville samples and tasting today at GG Jackson 

- The Yerushalayim District Court ruled that the bus driver who fatally struck a 14 year old bochur Yosef Eisenthal Z"L and injured several others on Tuesday will be transferred to house arrest. The driver, Fakhri Khatib (50) of East Jerusalem, will remain in custody until tomorrow to allow police to appeal the decision.

- Megyn Kelly on the Tucker Carlson Show, responding to demands that she publicly denounce conspiracy theorists and antisemites: "I'd rather die than do that. Now that they've made that the stakes on my friendship with them, I really won't do ill never do it now."

- AI rabbi: An Instagram and TikTok account claiming to feature Rabbi Menachem Goldberg has gained ~100,000 followers since Dec. 29, promoting books like “The Five Pillars” and “Rabbi’s Blueprint.” Videos show a bearded man in a black hat delivering vague platitudes about “abundance” and “renewal,” often in backgrounds that appear inconsistent with authentic shuls, including open, unattended Torahs and nonsensical Hebrew. Some viewers are duped, while others question the account’s authenticity.

- President Trump said the U.S. expects to maintain a long-term governing role in Venezuela following the Jan. 3 arrest of Nicolás Maduro. He emphasized plans to rebuild the country’s oil industry profitably and provide economic support, saying U.S. influence could last “much longer” than a year.

- Russia has reportedly begun urgently evacuating embassy staff and their families from Israel, with three flights in the past 24 hours returning personnel to Russia. Reports suggest the move may be linked to advance warnings about regional security, though no official explanation has been provided.

-  The maspidim at the levayah of Rav Uri Loupoliansky zt”l:

Rav Ezriel  Aurbach, Rav Binyomin Rimer, Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein, Rav Dovid Lau; the Mayor of Yerushalayim, Moshe Lion; Rav Moshe Cohen of Yad Sarah; and his bechor, Rosh Yeshivas Mitzad, Rav Yitzchok Loupoliansky.

Letter from Sloniner rebbe regarding Giyus to reject any law with sanctions and quotas and oppose a law that does not exempt yeshiva students.

Israeli papers report on the Moetzes meeting