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Dear Matzav Inbox,

I am writing out of deep frustration, sadness, and genuine concern, asking—no, begging—for someone to finally explain the decision by frum publications to erase women from their pages.

Not blur. Not minimize. Erase.

This policy has become so normalized that many no longer stop to question it, but it is nothing short of absurd. Half of Klal Yisroel has been rendered invisible, and we are expected to accept this as if it were a natural extension of Torah values, rather than a social choice that quietly metastasized into dogma.

Let’s be clear: This is not mandated by halacha. There is no source that requires the total removal of women’s faces from newspapers, magazines, or public discourse. This is not tznius as defined by Chazal or poskim. It is a chumrah that somehow hardened into policy, enforced by editors afraid of backlash and advertisers afraid of phone calls.

And the price is being paid by our daughters.

We raise girls to be thoughtful, capable, idealistic, and committed to Torah life—and then we show them a world in which women do not exist. No role models. No achievers. No leaders. No images of women who contribute, build, create, teach, save lives, run chesed organizations, educate generations, or carry communities on their shoulders.

We tell girls they matter, but the pages they read say otherwise.

We tell them they are essential to Klal Yisroel, but the media that shapes their worldview treats them like a liability that must be cropped out. What message do we think that sends? That their presence is a problem? That visibility itself is shameful? That the safest version of a frum woman is one who cannot be seen?

This is not chinuch. It is abdication of responsibility.

Ironically, the same publications that claim to be protecting tznius are creating a vacuum—one where young girls must look elsewhere to find anyone to admire. If they cannot see women within their own value system, they will inevitably seek representation outside of it. We should not be shocked when they do.

And let’s address the unspoken truth: This policy does not elevate men either. It infantilizes the public, implying that a respectful photograph of a woman—fully modest, dignified, appropriate—is somehow beyond the capacity of frum readers to process without moral collapse. That assumption is not flattering to anyone.

A Torah society is not one that pretends women don’t exist. It is one that knows how to see women properly.

Policies born of fear rarely age well.

I am not asking for sensationalism. I am not asking for modernity for its own sake. I am asking for honesty, balance, and courage. I am asking editors to take responsibility for the culture they are shaping and the children who are absorbing it.

Explain the decision. Defend it openly, if you can. And if you cannot, have the integrity to reconsider it.

Our daughters deserve to be seen. Our community deserves better than silence dressed up as piety.

Sincerely,
A deeply concerned reader

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Ukraine’s leadership is pressing for long-term international security assurances as part of ongoing efforts to end Russia’s invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelensky revealing that Washington is currently proposing a 15-year guarantee under the latest draft framework.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelensky said the proposal was discussed during a meeting the previous day with President Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The Ukrainian leader explained that he urged Trump to consider a far longer commitment, potentially stretching decades into the future.

“I raised this issue with the president. I told him that our war is still going on, and it has been almost 15 years,” Zelensky said.

“Therefore, we would really like the guarantees to be longer. I told him that we would very much like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years. And that would then be a historic decision by President Trump.”

According to Zelensky, Trump did not dismiss the idea outright and responded that he would “think about” the request.

Details of the proposed guarantees have not been publicly released, but Zelensky said they would involve oversight mechanisms to detect cease-fire violations and some form of involvement by the United States and European countries. He stressed that a tangible international role would be central to any credible arrangement.

“I believe that the presence of international troops is a real security guarantee, it is a strengthening of the security guarantees that our partners are already offering us,” the Ukrainian leader said Monday.

A report published last week by The Post said a separate 20-point outline under discussion includes provisions for a coordinated military response by the US, NATO, and other European nations if Russia resumes its offensive.

Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of NATO forces operating inside Ukraine. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, told the Tass news agency on Sunday that any such deployment would be viewed as “a legitimate target.”

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump were expected to hold a conversation in the near future. He added there was no indication that Putin planned to speak with Zelensky anytime soon.

European leaders are also weighing their roles. French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies would gather in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s concrete contributions” to the proposed security framework. It remained unclear whether the United States would send a representative to that meeting.

Zelensky underscored that robust guarantees are essential for Ukraine to lift martial law, which has been in force since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held while martial law remains in effect, forcing the postponement of presidential and parliamentary votes originally scheduled for 2024.

“Without security guarantees, this war has not really ended,” he said Monday. “We cannot recognize that it has ended.”

Following Sunday’s discussions, Trump said he would consider traveling to Ukraine to persuade lawmakers to support a proposal that would turn the eastern Donbas region into an internationally supervised, demilitarized free economic zone.

“I think the land — you’re talking about — some of that land has been taken [by Russia],” said the US president, adding: “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months — and you’re better off making a deal now.”

Russian forces currently control most of the Luhansk region and roughly 70 percent of Donetsk, the two territories that make up the Donbas.

Under Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution, any change to the country’s borders must be approved through a nationwide referendum. Such a vote cannot take place until a cease-fire has been in effect for at least 60 days — a condition the Kremlin has given no indication it is prepared to accept.

{Matzav.com}

Robots have long been seen as a bad bet for Silicon Valley investors — too complicated, capital-intensive and “boring, honestly,” says venture capitalist Modar Alaoui. But the commercial boom in artificial intelligence has lit a spark under long-simmering visions to build humanoid robots that can move their mechanical bodies like humans and do things that […]

Police are asking the public to help identify a robbery suspect accused of forcibly taking “play money” from a 10-year-old in Borough Park.

Ahmed al-Ahmed, the man credited with disarming one of the terrorists during the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, has given an interview to CBS News, recounting the moments he confronted the terrorist and helped stop the attack.

A rock-hewn mikveh from the time of the Second Beis Hamikdash was uncovered during excavations beneath the Kosel Plaza in Yerushalayim. The mikveh was found beneath a destruction layer dating back around 2,000 years, providing new insight into the events surrounding the Churban of Yerushalayim at that time.

China’s Foreign Ministry responded to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland by stating: “China firmly supports Somalia’s sovereignty, reunification, and territorial integrity.”

Entering Shechem to daven at Kever Yosef will now be permitted during daylight hours, following an agreement involving Defense Minister Israel Katz, MK Zvi Sukkot, and the head of the Settlement Division. Until now, visits to the site were allowed only at night. This marks the first time in about 25 years that daytime entry […]

The Iranian rial slid to 1.43–1.45 million per U.S. dollar, plunging about 7% amid new U.S. sanctions, surging inflation, and limited foreign inflows. Video from Tehran’s bazaars shows shopkeepers shutting their stores in protest, chanting “Don’t be afraid, we are all together” and “Shut it down.”

Israeli Supreme Court President Yitzchok Amit on Sunday issued a temporary order delaying the election for Tel Aviv’s chief rabbi by approximately one month, following petitions filed by members of the Tel Aviv City Council.

The ruling postpones the vote that had been scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (17 Teves 5786), as determined by the city’s rabbinical election committee. The committee is chaired by retired dayan Rav Yaakov Zamir, a former member of Israel’s Supreme Rabbinical Court.

The petitions argued that the Ministry of Religious Services appointed representatives of the minister to the electoral body without consulting the city council, in alleged violation of legal requirements. According to the petitioners, this deprived elected council members of their lawful influence over the composition of the electoral forum and, by extension, over the identity of the rabbi to be chosen.

In his decision, Justice Amit indicated that postponing the election would allow time for the city council to present its position regarding the minister’s representatives on the electoral body, addressing the procedural concerns raised in the petitions.

The race for Tel Aviv’s chief rabbinate includes Rav Zavdiel Cohen, the city’s av beis din, who has received backing from the former chief rabbis as well as political support from the Shas party and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.

Also expected to enter the race is Rav Tzvi Yehuda Lau, son of former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, who currently serves as the rov of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood in Tel Aviv.

The court’s temporary order leaves the future timetable of the election dependent on further legal review and potential adjustments to the selection process of the electoral body.

{Matzav.com}

A Gazan man living in a tent damaged by severe weather says the Hamas-run Gaza City municipality is demanding he pay 2,000 shekels in monthly rent. “We didn’t die from the war, and now Hamas wants to kill us through oppression and injustice,” he said.

Clashes erupted during a pre-dawn anti-ISIS operation by Turkish police near Elmalık in northwest Turkey, leaving three officers dead and eight wounded. Six suspected terrorists were killed, and fighting is still ongoing.

BREAKING: Hamas has announced that its military spokesperson, Abu Obaida, was killed in an Israeli airstrike carried out in August, formally confirming his death months after the attack.

Immediately upon landing in the US, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu met in Florida with Tali, who joined the Prime Minister’s flight, and Itzik, the parents of fallen hostage Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili, of blessed memory. During the emotional meeting, the Prime Minister’s wife offered her support to Ran’s parents, and Prime Minister […]

BNEI BRAK UNDER WATER: Heavy rainfall over the past several hours has caused flooding across multiple streets in the city of Bnei Brak, leading to significant traffic disruptions and property damage. Flooding was reported in several areas, with unusually large amounts of water accumulating in certain locations and rendering roads difficult or impossible to pass. […]

WATCH: China showcases drone swarms, drone motherships, robotic dogs, and armed humanoid robots in “Justice Mission 2025” drills simulating an assault on Taiwan to deter independence.

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid announced on Monday that his party will file a petition tomorrow to the High Court against what he described as “the theft of more than one billion shekels from the citizens of Israel.” “Yesh Atid will petition the High Court tomorrow against the theft of more than one billion shekels […]

Hopes for progress toward normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia appear to be dimming once again, as senior voices in Riyadh issued sharp criticism following Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland.

According to Israeli media reports, Saudi officials conveyed growing dissatisfaction with Israel’s diplomatic conduct, describing the move as yet another step that distances the two sides from a potential normalization agreement. Relations between Yerushalayim and Riyadh, which had shown signs of cautious engagement in the past, have recently cooled, with the Saudis repeatedly raising conditions and voicing disappointment over Israel’s actions.

A senior Saudi source, quoted by N12, said that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland sparked angry reactions across the Arab world and sent a negative signal to the Gulf kingdom. “Israel’s recognition of Somaliland pushes normalization with Riyadh further away and isolates Israel even more in the region,” the source said.

The same official pointed to domestic Israeli politics as an additional destabilizing factor, arguing that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s desire to remain in office is exacerbating regional tensions. “Netanyahu’s pursuit of another term only intensifies the regional upheaval,” the source claimed. “It creates confusion both inside Israel and throughout the broader Middle East.”

The Saudi official went further, posing a pointed rhetorical challenge to Jerusalem’s leadership. “How would Netanyahu react if Saudi Arabia were to support Palestinian liberation movements in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, or Lebanese liberation movements in southern Lebanon?” the source asked. “Would he see that as a declaration of war? And after all that, is he still talking about normalization? It’s madness.”

{Matzav.com}

An act of disturbing vandalism was recorded overnight outside the main Beit Yosef shul in Givatayim, after an unidentified individual was caught on security cameras tearing tefillin, siddurim, and talleisim and scattering the ripped items on the ground near the shul entrance.

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the shul was open at the time and was not broken into, and no structural damage was caused.

In an unusual detail, the suspect did not take the tashmishei kedusha from inside the building. Instead, security footage shows the man arriving on an electric scooter, carrying the religious items with him, vandalizing them outside the shul, and then throwing the torn remains onto the floor near the entrance.

The incident took place at the Beit Yosef shul on Gilboa Street in Givatayim and was fully documented by the shul’s surveillance cameras. The footage shows the unidentified man calmly approaching the area and carrying out the act before leaving the scene.

Rav Shlomo Batzri, the rov and a son of the mekubal Rav Dovid Batzri, expressed deep pain over the incident. “Our community is a place of great unity and ahavas Yisroel,” he said. “Only recently, members of the ‘Brothers in Arms’ organization held a bar mitzvah here. The shul is constantly involved in kiruv rechokim, and it is shocking that something like this could be done in such a horrific manner. We are examining the circumstances and trying to understand what led to this.”

The motive behind the act remains unclear.

{Matzav.com}

A day that had already been marked by major transportation disruptions in and around Bnei Brak took an unexpected turn Sunday night, when a citywide power outage plunged multiple wedding celebrations into darkness. Hours earlier, protests organized by the Peleg had caused severe traffic congestion on the main roads leading into the city, complicating access for residents and guests alike.

As the evening weddings reached their height, electricity suddenly cut out across the city center, leaving large banquet halls without lighting or sound. Festive scenes were instantly replaced by darkness, forcing families and guests to improvise with cellphone flashlights in an effort to keep the simcha going.

Video footage from the halls showed expansive spaces almost entirely blacked out, with small beams of light flickering between tables. Guests were seen moving cautiously through the halls, trying to preserve some sense of celebration under difficult circumstances. The music came to a sudden halt, and the lively atmosphere gave way to an uneasy quiet.

Musicians and event staff were visibly shaken by the sudden shutdown. Yehuda Galili, a well-known keyboardist and Kol Chai Music broadcaster who was attending one of the weddings, was filmed standing beside his silent instruments in disbelief. Asked during a live radio broadcast how he was feeling, Galili said, “I’m in shock,” as those nearby explained, “Power outage, the whole area is shut down.”

{Matzav.com}