Israeli artist Zeev Engelmayer’s “Daily Postcard” project lays bare his emotional response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Since then, Engelmayer has drawn more than 300 images — some evoking despair and isolation, longing and grief, yet the vibrant colors and childlike figures spark a measure of joy and beauty. “I decided to center on hope,” he said, “that something beautiful could be born of something so brutal.” His “Pastoral Kibbutz,” pictured, a folk-like [...]

Happy New Year. Welcome to 2025, and the revelation of vital statistics that describe the past year’s weather and what we can expect about the year ahead. Your Shofar editor, a true weather junkie, who notes temperature highs and lows, rainfall, snowfall, wind gusts and other climate facts of only passing interest to most of the western world, has listed as favorites the websites of the World Meteorological Organization and the National Hurricane Center. And [...]