It can be minimal, it can be tremendous. It can be positive, it can be negative. It can disappear after mere moments, it can last for millennia. It can be felt across the world, it can create ripples that radiate outwards ad infinitum. What is this phenomenon? It’s IMPACT. The mark something leaves is a measure of its importance and its success; as we view the impact, we can begin to appreciate the reality of what created it. Enter Yeshiva Toras Chaim of Denver. Within the walls of the Yeshiva, young men study Torah, engage in prayer, build their character and lay the foundations for a productive life as committed and knowledgeable Jews. At first glance, not something one would regard as earth-shattering. Not an institution impacting the world. Take a second look.

The backlash about the frum Jewish magazine’s publishing of an article discussing Botox is understandable. The person who wrote into YWN on Monday labeled the topic as unbecoming of a Torah-true publication, arguing that it promoted superficiality and vanity. I get it. But as someone who teaches a class of Bais Yaakov-type girls, I feel compelled to address this reaction and offer a different perspective. The article wasn’t a frivolous endorsement of cosmetic procedures—it was a reflection of the pressures and realities faced by our daughters today, particularly in the shidduch world. For many young women in the shidduch system, their future feels like a high-stakes competition.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is opening a company conference in Chicago with remarks that could set the stage for where it’s taking its artificial intelligence business. AI developers are increasingly pitching the next wave of generative AI chatbots as AI “agents” that can do more useful things on people’s behalf. But the cost of building and running AI tools is so high that more investors are questioning whether the technology’s promise is overblown.

Agudath Israel of America is bewildered at the release of an audit report indicating that the East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD) has a budgetary surplus of approximately $30 million. This finding, presented yesterday at the ERCSD Board meeting by independent auditing firm EFPR Group, LLP, diverges wildly from the $20-40 million deficit expected this summer by state-appointed monitors. The severe projected deficit had prompted the State Education Department (SED) to take the extraordinary step of substantially increasing and overriding the voted upon property tax levy on East Ramapo residents to generate needed funds. This move by SED — and specifically the communally divisive rhetoric used to justify it — was criticized by Agudath Israel and others at the time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump

The leaders of the Knesset’s chareidi factions, Degel Hatorah and Agudas Yisrael, voiced their objections to Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposal to advance the judicial reform, according to a report by Kan Reshet Bet.
The judicial reform was a central element in the formation of the current government, sparking significant backlash from the center-left. These opponents, through judicial activism, have spent years trying to limit the powers of Netanyahu’s administrations. The reform, which led to widespread protests, was paused following the October 7 massacre as Israel shifted its attention to matters of self-defense, and the protesters redirected their focus to advocating for the release of hostages.

Rabbinical representatives who inspected the Shabbos eruv after police and security officials left the impact site of a missile that fell on the border between Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan on Tuesday evening couldn’t believe their eyes. To their astonishment, the eruv that passes through the area wasn’t torn or damaged at all, remaining intact amid extensive destruction from shattered windows and glass due to the heat of the fire and debris. The missile shrapnel that fell [from an Iranian Fateh-110 surface-to-surface ballistic missile and not an interceptor missile as was initially reported], injured five people, knocked down a high-voltage power line, caused a fire, and damaged several buildings and an empty bus.

Building the current crop of artificial intelligence chatbots has relied on specialized computer chips pioneered by Nvidia, which cornered the market and made itself the poster child of the AI boom. But the same qualities that make those graphics processor chips, or GPUs, so effective at creating powerful AI systems from scratch make them less efficient at putting AI products to work. That’s opened up the AI chip industry to rivals who think they can compete with Nvidia in selling so-called AI inference chips that are more attuned to the day-to-day running of AI tools and designed to reduce some of the huge computing costs of generative AI.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, and ISA Director Ronen Bar, made a visit to the Netzarim Corridor in the heart of the Gaza Strip today.
At an observation post within the corridor, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister received updates from the Commander of the 99th Division, Yoav Broner, and Major-General Yaron Finkleman, the head of Southern Command.
The two leaders also engaged with reserve brigade commanders stationed on the Gaza coastline. The commanders discussed their operational efforts, successes, and the obstacles they face in directing the ongoing operations.