A new long-range outlook is raising alarms, warning that some of the coldest temperatures on the planet are likely to settle over the northeastern United States before December draws to a close. Climatologist Judah Cohen of MIT explained to USA Today that the chilly start to the month is merely a preview, saying, “My thinking is that the cold the first week of December is the appetizer and the main course will be in mid-December.”
According to Cohen, weather models are flagging an enormous zone of potentially record-breaking cold stretching across North America. He noted, “The most expansive region of most likely extreme cold on Earth stretches from the Canadian Plains to the U.S. East Coast in the 3rd week of December,” crediting his analysis to computer-driven atmospheric simulations.
This looming deep freeze is tied to a projected shift in the polar vortex, which appears ready to sag southward and send a torrent of Arctic air barreling across the country. Although the precise temperature plunge cannot yet be pinned down, Cohen believes the looming cold spell will surpass the already frigid conditions hitting parts of the nation this week.
Midwestern states are already struggling with daytime temperatures stuck in the teens and low 20s, with nighttime lows near zero from Illinois through Missouri. Cohen’s modeling suggests that the most intense cold air mass anywhere in the world later this month will be pointed straight at the U.S. East Coast.
Whether snow accompanies this outbreak remains uncertain, as storm development will determine how the cold manifests. But should a system materialize, the bitter temperatures will be more than sufficient to support significant winter weather.
Across the country, the season has already announced its arrival. Much of the Midwest endured a messy round of November snowfall over the weekend, triggering widespread delays and transportation headaches for travelers.
In the Northeast, the next punch arrives on Tuesday, when the region braces for its first major winter storm of the season. A developing Nor’easter is expected to spread snow from Pennsylvania through Maine, with Fox Weather predicting that parts of New York and New England could pick up as much as 8 inches, while isolated spots in New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont may receive up to a foot.
Major coastal cities—including New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia—are not expected to accumulate much, with brief morning flakes quickly giving way to a cold, steady rain lasting most of the day.
By early Wednesday, forecasters say the storm should finally be moving out, leaving the region to prepare for whatever the polar vortex has in store next.
{Matzav.com}
The Knesset Finance Committee on Monday approved a list of 95 nonprofit organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions under Section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance. The list was finalized with one notable exception: a Temple Mount advocacy group was removed at the request of MK Moshe Gafni.
Gafni, who chairs the committee and leads Degel HaTorah, asked that the organization known as the Temple Mount Administration be taken off the list until the Israel Tax Authority conducts a new and thorough examination of its activities.
Explaining why he demanded the removal, Gafni said that Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly insists that the status quo on the Temple Mount must remain unchanged. He argued that the organization’s activities contradict longstanding halachic rulings and the position of the country’s chief rabbinate, and therefore should not be granted eligibility for tax-recognized donations. He added that he wants the Tax Authority to verify that granting such approval would not violate existing law or disrupt the current status quo.
The Temple Mount Administration responded with a statement defending its work. The organization said that the past decade has seen significant positive developments on the Temple Mount, including regular morning and afternoon prayer gatherings led by prominent rabbinic figures. It said it has been a partner in these improvements through coordination with government officials and security agencies and intends to continue its efforts.
With the rest of the list approved, the Tax Authority will now decide whether the group can regain eligibility after completing its renewed review.
{Matzav.com}
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President Donald Trump used a Truth Social message on Monday to urge Israel to stay engaged with Syria diplomatically, emphasizing that Jerusalem should avoid steps that could hinder Damascus’ progress. He praised recent developments in the region, insisting that “the United States is very satisfied with the results displayed, through hard work and determination, in the country of Syria. We are doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended, which is substantial, in order to build a true and prosperous country.”
Trump highlighted what he believes has been a major boost for Damascus, noting that “One of the things that has helped them greatly was my termination of very strong and biting sanctions – I believe this was truly appreciated by Syria, its leadership, and its people!”
He followed with a direct appeal to Israel, saying that “it is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State. The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
Calling it a pivotal moment, Trump added: “This is a historic opportunity, and adds to the success, already attained, for peace in the Middle East!”
His remarks were issued shortly after a volatile stretch along the Syrian-Israeli frontier. Days earlier, Israeli forces carried out a significant raid targeting three “Jamaa Islamiya” operatives in southern Syria. According to the IDF, the mission turned into close-quarters combat, leaving three soldiers in critical condition and three more with varying injuries.
The tension escalated the following day in Beit Jinn, a Syrian town situated at the base of Mount Hermon, roughly 11 kilometers from Israel’s border. Reports indicate that IDF units entered the area—near a buffer zone monitored by Israel—with the intent of detaining a local resident. Their arrival triggered an eruption of violence, including exchanges of gunfire between troops and residents, resulting in the deaths of two Syrian civilians and injuries to others.
Throughout the confrontation, Israeli forces deployed artillery fire while Israel Air Force aircraft circled overhead, providing support as the situation unfolded. After approximately two hours of clashes, the IDF pulled back to the outskirts of the town.
{Matzav.com}As the IDF resumes arrests of yeshiva students classified as deserting or absent without leave, attorney Yoav Lalum has issued an urgent demand to the military and legal leadership, alleging that every student arrested in proactive operations over the past year has been from Sephardic communities.
In a sharply worded letter sent to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Lalum—head of the Noar K’Halacha organization—called for an immediate halt to what he described as targeted enforcement against Sephardic bnei Torah.
The renewed arrests by the Military Police have already raised tensions across the chareidi sector. Lalum warned that the data itself points to a deeply troubling pattern. “A simple review of the list of detainees who were arrested in proactive arrests by the IDF enforcement authorities reveals that almost all of the detainees arrested in the past year were specifically from the Sephardic communities,” he wrote.
He said such an outcome is impossible to justify and signals a systemic problem. “There is no way to accept such a result,” he told the Chief of Staff, adding that the situation “raises more than a suspicion that, heaven forbid, improper and illegitimate considerations are guiding the discretion of enforcement officials in the army, as they exercise their authority under the law to enforce the rules on deserters or draft evaders.”
Lalum requested full disclosure of the guidelines governing enforcement decisions and called for a comprehensive internal investigation before he proceeds with a petition to the High Court. “I am making this appeal as an exhaustion of proceedings before filing a petition,” he wrote, “with the goal that you order a full inquiry into the events that occurred and how it is possible that only Sephardic yeshiva students were arrested in proactive arrests.”
He further warned that the impact extends far beyond the arrests themselves, striking at the core of the community’s trust in the IDF and the political establishment. “It goes without saying,” Lalum wrote, “that these actions severely damage the trust of the Sephardic chareidi public in the army and in any draft law, even one agreed upon by the chareidi leadership. Just as the chareidi establishment treats Sephardic children in the education system, there is a serious concern that those who will be forced to fill the quotas will be Sephardic avreichim and bnei Torah whose life is Torah, while Ashkenazi troublemakers will receive deferments.”
Lalum ended his letter by emphasizing that the military must demonstrate transparent and equal enforcement, especially as the possibility of legal action looms. “It need not be stated,” he wrote, “that it is the duty of the IDF—as the army of the nation—to clarify and prove that there is no concern whatsoever of ethnic discrimination in its conduct regarding Sephardic chareidim.”
The IDF has not yet issued a response.
{Matzav.com}
An internal inquiry within the Shin Bet has revealed that Israel’s security service had no knowledge that the Nova music festival was scheduled to take place at the Re’im parking area on the night of October 6–7, 2023, according to a report published today by Haaretz. The oversight became evident only after the events began to unfold.
Despite the fact that a Shin Bet liaison reportedly participated in at least two coordination meetings with both police officials and the IDF in the days preceding the attack, the information about the large-scale gathering never reached senior leadership within the agency. The reason the details were not relayed upward remains unclear.
Because the event was not flagged to command staff, the Nova festival was entirely absent from the Shin Bet’s real-time situational evaluations during the night Hamas launched its assault. The lack of awareness meant that the gathering was not factored into early assessments or operational preparations.
Other sources indicated that the IDF also failed to notify the Shin Bet about the festival’s close proximity to the Gaza border. As a result, the agency’s operations center learned of the event only hours into the unfolding horror—approximately three hours after the attack had begun—when reports of multiple casualties started to pour in from the area.
A senior security official said the missing information could have been consequential. According to the source, had the agency or the broader security system been updated ahead of time—or even during the late-night hours before the massacre—it “might have influenced decision-making processes both within the Shin Bet and across the entire security establishment.”
{Matzav.com}
A moving scene unfolded in Rechovot in recent days as Mayor Matan Dil paid a special visit to the magnificent new campus of Yeshivas Maor HaTalmud, one of the leading flagship institutions of the Torah world in Eretz Yisroel.
The mayor arrived together with the city’s CEO, Dudi Ashkenazi, and the two were welcomed into the study of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.
Throughout the tour, Mayor Dil expressed deep admiration for the scale and beauty of the yeshiva’s expanded campus. Standing inside the new facilities, he remarked, “We have been privileged in the city of Rechovot to have one of the most distinguished yeshivas—a true flagship of the Torah world. We will continue working together to strengthen its institutions for the honor of the city and the honor of Torah.”
During the meeting, Rav Kook offered warm encouragement to the mayor for his steadfast efforts to uphold and strengthen the sanctity of Shabbos in the city. He praised the mayor’s dedication and urged him to continue acting on behalf of the spiritual character of Rechovot.
The rosh yeshiva then accompanied the mayor into the central beis medrash, where hundreds of talmidei chachamim were immersed in learning. The powerful sound of Torah filled the hall, leaving a strong impression on the mayor, who did not conceal his joy and excitement as he listened to the vibrant atmosphere of continuous learning.
At the conclusion of the visit, Rav Kook presented Mayor Dil with one of his sefarim and bestowed upon him a heartfelt birkas kohen.
{Matzav.com}
