The Pentagon has decided to send home the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, a move that will reduce American firepower in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran. The decision, announced Thursday by the acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, came one day after Air Force B-52 bombers flew nonstop from the United States to the Persian Gulf in a show of force that military officials said was intended to caution Iran against carrying out attacks against U.S. forces or interests. Sending the aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, home to the U.S. West Coast would seem at odds with the idea that a show of force is needed to deter Iran.

United Torah Judaism MK Yisrael Eichler tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, ten days after receiving his first vaccination dose. A statement from his office said that “he is feeling well, b’siyata dishmaya.” Eichler was vaccinated last Monday and began developing symptoms of the coronavirus on Tuesday of this week. On Tuesday, Eichler had a meeting with Deputy Minister Meir Porush and a number of askanim from Belz and Shlomei Emunim, including Elad Mayor Yisrael Porush, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yossi Deitch, Jerusalem City Council member Michel Halberstam and Beitar Mayor Meir Rubinstein. They will all be required to enter quarantine. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Republican Sen. David Perdue was forced into quarantine Thursday in the home stretch of Georgia’s high-stakes Senate runoffs, disclosing just five days before the election that he had been exposed to a campaign worker infected with the coronavirus. Perdue’s campaign did not say how long he plans to stay in quarantine, but guidelines of the federal Centers for Disease Control say those exposed to the virus can resume normal activities after seven days if they have a negative test result. It’s bad timing for Perdue and fellow Republicans heading into critical runoffs that will determine control of the Senate. Following the CDC’s guidance would keep Perdue in isolation for the remainder of the campaign, including a planned Georgia rally Monday with President Donald Trump.

The Morocco-Israel peace deal is not only advancing ties between Israel and Morocco but is also warming up relations between the local Jewish community and the Moroccan government. A historic meeting was held on Wednesday in Casablanca in the Moroccan Supreme Court between the Justice Minister and other senior legal officials and dayanim of the Jewish community. The Justice Minister inquired about the Jewish Batei Din and the legal needs of the Jewish community and promised to do whatever he can to assist the Jewish Batei Din in Casablanca.

On Thursday night, new year’s eve according to the Gregorian calendar,  thousands of police officers were deployed around Israel in order to break up illegal New Year’s Eve parties. All such parties are considered illegal this year as the country is still in lockdown. According to Channel 13 news, Israeli police have asked the general public to report on their neighbors to the authorities if anyone sees other people hosting gatherings. According to the rules of the lockdown, no single person is allowed to be inside the residence of another, and no pubs, bars, or restaurants are allowed to be open.

Former Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang appears to be nearing an announcement to run for mayor of New York City. A video posted to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon appeared to show Yang shooting footage for an announcement to run for the top spot of the big Apple. In the video, Yang – who turns 46 in January – states to the camera, “I’m Andrew Yang, and I’m running for Mayor of New York City!” In an interesting twist, Yang can be heard saying at the end of the take, “Can we dig it?

The Trump administration is pushing for another Muslim country to agree to a normalization deal with Israel in the remaining three weeks of US President Donald Trump’s term in office, a source in Trump’s administration said on Wednesday, according to a Jerusalem Post report. “We’re working very hard on making it happen,” the source said. The report was confirmed by another Trump administration source as well. Sources in Jerusalem and the US have mentioned the countries of Pakistan, Oman, Indonesia, Mauritania, and Niger as candidates for the next normalization deal with Israel. There have also been persistent reports of a possible normalization deal with Saudi Arabia. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A great friend of the Jewish community in Brooklyn is leaving his position as NYPD Executive Officer of Patrol Boro Brooklyn South. After 41 years of dedicated service to the NYPD and the people of NYC, Deputy Chief Charles Scholl has departed the job he loved so much, to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Chief Scholl has spent his time with the NYPD patrolling the streets of Brooklyn and has received over 60 departmental recognitions. Throughout his illustrious career he not only enforced the law, but has made life long connections with the people in the communities he served. He is the epitome of what a leader and an NYPD officer should be.

An ambitious goal of vaccinating 1 million New York City residents against COVID-19 in January was set Thursday by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who noted that meeting the target would require outside cooperation and the city dramatically increasing access. “We need to go into overdrive now,” the mayor said at his regular briefing. “We need every day to speed up and reach more and more people.” The city has vaccinated 88,000 people since vaccines first became available Dec. 14, working at a pace that would leave the city far short of the goal for next month. Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said officials want to double citywide access points to at least 250 sites, including hospitals, community health centers and urgent care clinics.

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 5,253 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours on Thursday morning, the third day in a row that over 5,000 new daily virus cases were recorded, with tests showing a 5.5% positivity rate. There are currently 42,402 active virus cases, with 639 seriously ill patients, of whom 165 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 3,314. Israel’s coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash said on Wednesday evening that the current nationwide lockdown will not be effective in adequately reducing the infection rate, saying that the restrictions need to be tightened considerably. “There is a big question mark about the effectiveness of the lockdown and we will probably have to recommend tightening it the coming days,” he said.