Friday June 26 News Updates Lakewood

 Friday, June 26, 2026 / י״א תמוז תשפ״ו ערב שבת פרשת חקת-בלק

Candle lighting 8:12 PM

Shkiah/sunset 8:30 pm

Latest shabbos of the year 

weather: 87° Cloudy skies

 Friday night 68° Cloudy skies then rain showers overnight Chance of rain 40%.

Shabbos day 78° Cloudy with showers. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Welcome home bochurim last off shabbos of the year 

Boys elementary schools off today

First yartzeit of Rav Yisroel Hersh Eidelman  ZL of MTJ

15th Yartzeit of Leiby Kletzky ZL

- Trump on the RENT FREEZE in New York City: “What [Mayor Zohran Mamdani] doesn't say is that these buildings will soon turn into ghettos and slums, and that everybody will continue leaving New York. And as this spreads throughout the country very much like an uncontrollable form of cancer. The country itself will be taken down. It will be third world… It’s not going to happen to the United States of America.” 

“Communism, really, is the past, and freedom is the future.”

- President Trump sends a massive warning to European countries considering adding a new digital services tax on U.S. companies, saying any nation that moves forward will "immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States."

- Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman will be spending shabbos in the Deal,NJ  Sephardi community.

- Lakewood's ZIP code 08701 ranked as the most populated ZIP code in New Jersey

Ocean County town tops New Jersey's most populated ZIP codes New Jersey remains the nation's most densely populated state, and new U.S. Census Bureau data shows the Garden State's population continues to grow. The state's population increased by 0.3%, rising from 9,261,699 to 9,290,841 residents. Among the findings, Lakewood's ZIP code 08701 ranked as the most populated ZIP code in New Jersey, reflecting the township's continued rapid growth.

- The planned atzeres protest by Yeshivas Mir has been cancelled as the bocur has been released from military prison 

- Grand opening Truffle Grill & Bar 604 2nd Ave Long Branch, NJ 07740 under JSOR Hashgocha.

- Old Bakery in keansburg NJ closing chef says “Bakeries are a dying breed,” “There are a lot of people not eating sweets today; everyone’s on Ozempic.”

- Politico: New Jersey lawmakers steered state money to employers, relatives and clients

Add-ons to the state budget have become an annual tradition for the Democrats who control the state Legislature.

- Hundreds packed B"M Bais Yitzchok of BMG in Lakewood last night for an atzeres tefilah on behalf of Brisk Rosh Yeshiva Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik who is in need of rachmei Shamayim. Avrohom Yehoshua Ben Ettil.

- Dozens of demonstrators gathered in Bnei Brak today, calling for Charedi men to be drafted into the IDF, in response to anti-draft protests held earlier this week. The protesters blocked traffic at the Coca-Cola Junction, but police handled the demonstration with a noticeably lighter touch than they did earlier this week, when officers used force to disperse anti-draft protests by yeshiva bochurim, drawing criticism over the apparent difference in policing.

- Update: The body of the young avreich, R' Akiva Rand z"ל, who was tragically killed in the devastating accident near Chișinău, Moldova, has been released by local authorities.

He is expected to be flown to Israel on a specially chartered private plane, likely before Shabbos, so that he can be brought to kevurah without further delay bringing a tremendous sense of relief to his family and the hundreds of chassidim who have been anxiously awaiting the news. Earlier, the Chernobyler Rebbe had issued an emotional call to Klal Yisroel to increase tefillos for the swift release of R' Akiva's body from the Moldovan authorities.

- Vaad L’Mishmeres Shatnez recommends that all rekelach, bekeshes, and of course woolen coats, regardless of brand, be properly tested and not presumed to be free of Shatnez. The belief that these garments cannot contain Shatnez is incorrect and should not be relied upon by a Torah Jew who is careful about Shatnez. Additionally, proper guidance from qualified experts is essential, and assumptions regarding kashrus—whether in food or clothing—should not replace proper verification, oversight, and adherence to the standards required of a Torah-observant consumer. 

- Trump: For all of those who like to say that Barack Hussein Obama, and his Vice President, Sleepy Joe Biden, did as many Criminal ICE removals as President Trump, the figures are just in. Number One, they included hundreds of thousands of people that never came close to getting into our Country, a difference of perhaps 50% in the numbers. We don’t include such categories but, even if we did, ICE and CBP removed many more Illegal Aliens under President Trump than under Obama — It’s not even close! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

- New Jersey American Water. A mandatory conservation notice has been issued for customers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties to reduce water usage due to ongoing drought conditions. Customers must limit all non-essential outdoor water use until further notice, including limiting outdoor watering to twice per week or less if it rains. 

- Rav Dov Landau issued a public call Thursday night urging the public not to participate in street demonstrations or protests. His remarks came just days after Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch expressed support for the nationwide protest vehicle convoy held across Israel. Rav Landau delivered the message during a gathering at his home in Bnei Brak attended by dozens of Roshei Yeshiva intended to summarize the historic fundraising trip by keren Olam HaTorah. He said "All kinds of other protests that we did not hear about from our rebbeim Zatzal in previous generations are not our way,, "Very often these protests cause serious damage to the charedi public's image. We must remember that the most important thing is dedication, and ameilus baTorah. Strengthening Limud haTorah within the bais medrash is what will help counter these decrees and difficulties." 

- Keren Olam HaTorah funds also Mizrachi yeshivos that were cut from funding. Editorial from bakehila editor Shlommo Kook "And here the details that are not known: This money is not intended only for charedi yeshivos. In the list of Torah institutions expected to suffer budget cuts, every yeshiva that refuses to cooperate with the draft law will see discriminatory enforcement, without exception. Likewise, many yeshivos of the Religious Zionist community, including Mercaz HaRav, are expected to receive significant monthly budget cuts. Great Torah scholars who attempted to draft the regulations did not ask whether the institution was charedi or knitted-kippah They saw before them Torah institutions in the Beis Medrash and acted to save them.

- Lakewood schools tried to stop New Jersey from taking it over on Wednesday.

In front of Administrative Law Judge Susan Scarola, Lakewood school board attorney Joshua Forsman sought to have the intervention halted in the first hearing related to the state Department of Education's hostile takeover of the school district. In a 30-minute session before Scarola the state Attorney General’s Office countered that the takeover effort is going by the proper procedures. APP

- More than 700 rabbis on Friday released an open letter denouncing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s speech last week that likened AIPAC to “monsters,” saying the comments endangered American Jews and demanding an apology. The rabbis hail from New York and around the US and represent a range of denominations, including Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist.

- Venezuela earthquakes toll more than doubles to 589 

- President Trump's former National Security Advisor John Bolton is pleading guilty to 1 of the 18 counts against him in his classified documents case, facing a possible 5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $2.25 million.

- A NYC board voted to freeze rents for up to two years for about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, delivering on a key piece of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda while rattling the real estate industry.

At yesterday's Lakewood Township Committee meeting, routine business was conducted, with the most noticeable change being Mayor Ray Coles' new beard. There were no public comments. The committee defended its continued use of virtual meetings, highlighting that Committeeman Menashe Miller was able to participate remotely from Germany while on military assignment.

The meeting did not address the possibility of adopting a hybrid format holding meetings in person while allowing remote participation via Zoom a model used by many neighboring municipalities. Critics argue that Lakewood's continued reliance on virtual meetings has limited public accessibility since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Summer kicks off in the  catskills at the Woodbourne Shul