It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter, as I feel profound concern for the spiritual direction of our collective kehilla. Week after week, I see the so-called “kosher” magazines pushing the boundaries further and further, yet no one seems to bat an eye. Our sensitivity to kedusha and Yiddishe values is being eroded in ways never seen before. These publications, which were once modest and uplifting, have become filled with content that blatantly undermines the values of tzniyus. The advertisements are disgusting, glorifying material excess and promoting a lifestyle of indulgence that stands in stark contrast to our Torah values. Sukkos editions, for instance, now stretch to 300 pages, with most of that space dedicated to outrageous and extravagant ads. Where are our values?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pointed critique of the Biden administration’s policies during a speech in the Knesset on Monday, highlighting disagreements over major decisions in Israel’s ongoing war against Iran and its proxies. Netanyahu alleged that the United States had opposed Israel’s military actions at critical junctures in the conflict. “The US had reservations and suggested that we not enter Gaza,” he said.

Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed in principle to a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with Israel, marking what a top Lebanese official described as the most serious effort yet to end the ongoing hostilities. Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, confirmed Lebanon’s written response to the proposal had been delivered to the U.S. ambassador in Beirut on Monday. He also revealed that White House envoy Amos Hochstein is traveling to Lebanon to continue discussions. Hezbollah has backed Berri as the primary negotiator for the ceasefire.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he wanted a strong and durable relationship with China Monday as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil. It was the first time a British leader has met with Xi in recent years as ties between the two countries deteriorated over security and human rights concerns and China’s support for Russia in the war in Ukraine. Starmer, who became prime minister in July after his Labour Party won a landslide election victory, is seeking to repair relations with Beijing. The last time a U.K. leader met with Xi was in 2018. “We want our relations to be consistent, durable, respectful, as we have agreed (and) avoid surprises where possible,” Starmer told Xi during a meeting on the fringes of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Activists from the right-wing Noam party erected a huge banner on a bridge over the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Monday morning featuring photos of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, with the statement: “His (chalilah) blood is on your hands.” The party explained that the sign is part of a protest against Baharav-Miara’s lack of action against the incitement and anarchy on the streets against Netanyahu, which caused the situation to escalate to the point where Israelis felt free to shoot flares at Netanyhau’s home in Caesarea on Motzei Shabbos, causing a fire. Three people suspected of shooting the flares, including a senior IDF reserve officer, were arrested following the incident and are still being held by the police.

In the aftermath of the November 5 presidential election, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed a finger at the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, suggesting its influence might have played a role in the Democratic Party’s underperformance. The New York congresswoman, known for her frequent criticism of Israel, made her remarks in a post on the social media platform X. “If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats, then they should be discussing AIPAC,” Ocasio-Cortez, commonly referred to as AOC, wrote on Sunday.

New York City on Monday issued its first drought warning in 22 years after months of little rain — and will restart the flow of drinking water from an out-of-service aqueduct as supplies run low. Dry conditions across the Northeast have been blamed for hundreds of brush fires. They had already prompted New York City and state officials to implement water-conservation protocols when Mayor Eric Adams upgraded the drought warning and temporarily halted a $2 billion aqueduct repair project that had stopped drinking water from flowing from some reservoirs in the Catskill region. Last week, a park on the northern tip of Manhattan caught fire, sending smoke billowing across the city — less than a week after a brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he is naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee to be transportation secretary, as he continues to roll out picks for his Cabinet. Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news — a prime concern for the media-focused president-elect. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, was a member of the Financial Services Committee and was chairman of the subcommittee on insurance and housing.

A Georgia appeals court on Monday canceled oral arguments that were scheduled for next month on the appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against President-elect Donald Trump. Trump and other defendants had asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments in the case, and the court had set those arguments for Dec. 5. But in a one-line order with no further explanation, the appeals court said that hearing “is hereby canceled until further order of this Court.” A Fulton County grand jury in August 2023 indicted Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally try to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season. Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. It rose further into the severe category, according to SAFAR, the country’s main environmental agency, which measures tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs. The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the capital, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays. In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit.