Indoor dining restrictions will be reinstated in New York City on Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Only takeout orders and outdoor dining will be allowed. Nearly 1,700 patients are hospitalized in the city with the coronavirus, triple the number a month ago. The government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, spoke with Cuomo by livestream this week, noting he expects hospitalizations to keep increasing until mid-January. Cuomo’s order came despite opposition from the restaurant industry, which warned of holiday season layoffs as the federal government hasn’t passed additional COVID-19 relief.

Jersey City paused Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of an anti-Semitic attack that killed a police officer and three people in a Jewish grocery store. The ceremony was held at the cemetery where Police Detective Joseph Seals was shot and killed on Dec. 10, 2019, during a chance meeting with assailants David Anderson and Francine Graham. Seals had gone to meet an informant when, authorities have speculated, he may have stopped the U-Haul van Anderson and Graham were driving because it fit the description of a vehicle connected to the slaying of a livery car driver a few days earlier. Seals “chose to meet the informant here by himself, because he thought it would be beneficial in getting more information and helping the broader community,” Mayor Steven Fulop said.

Jewish Americans from a variety of branches of the faith are celebrating Hanukkah with smaller-than-usual gatherings this year, in hopes of keeping the year-end holiday safe but still joyful as coronavirus cases spike across the country. Many Jewish Americans are already accustomed to more intimate celebrations of a holiday focused more on the home than on the synagogue, including Haredim or ultra-Orthodox communities. So the recent successful Supreme Court challenge to New York restrictions on in-person worship by some Orthodox groups won’t mean much as far as their Hanukkah plans.

A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation. “This is a light at the end of the long tunnel of this pandemic,” declared Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and over.

Sources close to the Saudi royal family, who was said to be embarrassed and angered by leaks of the secret meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on November 22, expressed their dismay to Israeli media channels. According to reports, the sources said that “Israel must understand that Saudi Arabia is not like other countries in the region” and that the leak decreased chances of furthering diplomatic relations between the two countries in the near future because “leaks of this nature harm the development of this endeavor.” Riyadh was said to be angered that the meeting was leaked to the media less than 24 hours after it took place.

President Trump announced on Thursday that Morocco has agreed to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. The Moroccan agreement is part of a deal that includes US recognition of disputed territory of Western Sahara as part of Morocco, Axios reported. According to the report, negotiations on the deal began two years ago and intensified in the last few months. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Avi Berkowitz conducted the negotiations with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East! — Donald J.

Due to the many medical emergencies and tragedies resulting from laxity around candles and kitchen safety on Chanukah, United Hatzalah of Israel issued a number of safety tips for families to implement in order to avoid situations in which family members, especially young children suffer injuries or worse on the holiday. The recommendations of the organization are as follows: Fire safety: Use a special location and apparatus to light the candles. Many times fires occur due to the use of makeshift menorahs. Please use a proper stable menorah and stable table or shelf and avoid proximity to any flammable items, including remaining oil or other candles, as well as drapes, curtains, books, or clothing.

Lawyers for plaintiffs against Eliezer Berland, who is accused of exploitation and fraud, sent a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and Jerusalem District Attorney Danny Wittman, demanding that they refuse to accept a plea bargain, which they claim is preposterous. The lawyers, Yaakov Shaklar and Stav Halperin are considering appealing any such plea bargain in the High Court of Justice. It has previously been reported that Berland’s attorneys are attempting to get a plea bargain from the prosecution for Berland to serve less prison time, in spite of the severity of his crimes.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of HaRav Tzvi Elimelech Eckstein ZT”L, a Rebbe for more than 50 years in Mirrer Yeshiva in Flatbush. He was 79. The Niftar contracted COVID-19 around two weeks ago and was hospitalized a few days later. His condition turned critical until he was Niftar early Thursday morning. He was a Talmid of Hagaon HaRav Aharon Kreiser ZATZAL before going to RJJ and then the Mirrer Yeshiva, where he learned under HaRav Shmuel Brudny, HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum and the Mashgiach, HaRav Hersh Feldman. HaRav Eckstein was a Magid Shiur and an assistant Menahel for more than 50 years at the Mirrer Yesiva, where he was Mechanech thousands of Bochrim over the years. His entire life revolved around the Yeshiva, walking through the doors each day for decades.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of HaGaon HaRav Gedalia Dov Schwartz ZATZAL, longtime Posek in Chicago. He was 95. He served as the Rosh Bais Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council and was a Rov and Posek in Chicago for over 30 years. The Niftar served as the Rosh Av Bais Din of both the Beth Din of America and the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) as well as the Rosh Bais Din National Beth Din of the Rabbinical Council of America. Rav Schwartz was one of Hatzalah Chicago’s Rabbinic Advisory Board Members. He gave the founders his Bracha to start up when others felt unsure if Chicago needed a Hatzalah. Hatzalah has so far responded to over 8,200 calls for service and many lives have been saved.