Monday Tu B'shevat News Updates Lakewood

                                 ט"ו בשבט תשפ"ו

Shloshim yom kodem some begin learning Maseches megilah to finish in time for Purim.

- weather: 35° Sunny enough to clear away ice tempest will be above freezing from 12-3 pm 

Light snow is expected Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with a coating to 1 inch of snow possible in most places, especially south of Interstate 78.

Midwinter break girls schools off today

The Forward article reports on the Asifa in Lakewood last month about AI. The reporter spoke to six Lakewood rabbis and community leaders, including three who were attendance at a gathering about artificial intelligence Jan. 4.

The title is "These rabbis are making an Orthodox case against AI. Will anyone listen?

In Lakewood, a Jewish case against AI takes shape. According to the arricle The rabbis warned that AI could weaken social skills and cause emotional intelligence decline , harming real-world interactions and domestic harmony. They argued that Torah study requires a human soul and traditional effort ameilus, which AI shortcuts, making learning spiritually sterile. AI could also expose users to uncensored or inappropriate content and disrupt communal standards in homes and yeshivas. Overreliance on technology risks reducing self-sufficiency and ethical engagement, and using AI for drashos or Torah exposition was seen as blasphemous. Even as AI becomes inevitable in business and education, it creates tension between practical needs and religious principles

- Reports of a big ICE raid in Lakewood today involving some Israelis a d Mexicans according to scanner news reports.

- White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss a possible nuclear deal, sources say - Axios

- President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was not friendly with Jeffrey Epstein, claimed newly released Justice Department information shows a conspiracy involving Epstein and author Michael Wolff to harm him politically, threatened lawsuits, and denied ever visiting Epstein’s island.

- Days after a major blizzard, many NYC sidewalks remain blocked, drawing resident complaints, as the city defends its snow response and faces criticism over homeless outreach during a deadly cold snap. When 10 homeless died in NYC.

- The groundhog  Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter after emerging from a tree stump in Pennsylvania.

- LDC reorganization meeting today 4:30 pm virtual only  approving 400k for budget operating costs today is also the deadline to submit the shuttle bus liaison application for 300k paid buy the UEZ

- Lakewood Tops NJ Housing Market for investment, based on home value appreciation over the last five years. according to travel and leisure

Lakewood, NJ, is the state’s top real estate market, with home values up 97.5% over five years and a median price of $733,729. The fast-growing town, located between NYC and Philadelphia, attracts investors despite housing costs 44% above the national average. Other high-growth markets include Ventnor City, Spring Lake, Hoptatcong, and South Orange. 

  

- Giyus: Israel’s attorney general warned of major failures in enforcing the High Court ruling on drafting yeshiva students, as officials revealed over 71,000 people have ignored draft orders, about 80% of them from the chareidi community, prompting the military to announce tougher penalties.

- Jackson officials have extended the landlord registration deadline to February 4, 2026, due to municipal office closures caused by winter weather.

-Trump blasts the Grammys as unwatchable, attacks host Trevor Noah, denies ever being on Epstein Island, calls the claim false and defamatory, and threatens to sue Noah and CBS.

- Jackson: Former Police Chief Matthew Kunz will receive $2 million to settle his 2024 lawsuit that had claimed mistreatment and demands for back pay during his last nine years as chief. In a related move, the township appointed its first woman police chief, designating Captain Mary Nelson as interim chief to replace Kunz as of Sunday. APP

- At least 12 earthquakes hit the San Francisco Bay Area this morning, including a strongest 4.2-magnitude quake shortly after 7 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset that Israel is on high alert and prepared for any development, stressing that the country is closely monitoring events and ready for all scenarios.“We are alert and prepared for every development. We are following what is happening and are ready for any scenario,” Netanyahu said.

 - Chris Christie says Trump’s unpopularity in New Jersey doomed Republicans in 2025, blaming him for a 14-point loss in the governor’s race and the loss of five Assembly seats leaving the GOP at its weakest level in the state since Watergate.  

- BDE: Petirah of  Rav Shemaryahu Meltzer zt”l, Rosh Kollel of Beis Moshe and rosh yeshivah at Yeshivas Toras Simcha in rechov Sorotzkin Yerushalayim, a leading marbitz Torah for over 60 years, including Yeshivas Toras Simcha, Kollel Beis Moshe, Yeshivas Itri in Yerushalayim, and Beis Midrash LaTorah (Skokie) in Chicago Levaya this afternoon in Yerushalayim

- BDE: Petirah of Rav Tzvi Lercher zt”l, longtime MTJ rebbi and talmid of Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal the levayah took place Sunday morning in Boro Park

-BDE: Petirah of Rabbi chaim Chernoff ztl  of Brooklyn noted Kahrus expert.

- President Pezeshkian has already ordered the opening of negotiations with the U.S., which will apparently take place in Turkey.

BMG Freezer opens today

Article on  wikipidia

Upon acceptance to the yeshiva, a student must sign a document stating that he will not enter shidduchim for his first three months at the yeshiva. Students entering for the winter term can begin dating on Tu Bishvat; students entering for the summer term can begin dating on 17 Tammuz. The three month periods are known colloquially as "The Freezer." The Freezer policy is designed to minimize students' distractions during the crucial first few months of studies, allowing them to be better integrated into the yeshiva schedule and into the Yeshiva as a whole.

A loophole around the Freezer rule is that a student may continue to date a girl if he began dating her before the start of the semester.

In practice, students comply with the Freezer rule, and it is rarely violated. If a student is found to have violated the rule, the senior faculty (The Roshei Yeshiva) generally will not attend the wedding (which is considered an honor) in protest, and the student may be subject to other disciplinary measures, including suspension of the student from Yeshiva indefinitely, and preclusion from receiving Kolel stipends ($160 biweekly).