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Last week, five red heifers arrived by airplane in Israel (Israel365news, September 16, 2022). The one-year-old female calves were bred and raised on a ranch in Texas, solely for the purpose of producing red heifers that could be used in purification rituals in Jerusalem. To meet Jewish rabbinical standards, the cows must have no more than two non-red hairs, must not have been used for any work, and must have no blemishes—including no brands or ears punctured by tagging.

With Russian gas constraints increasing, Germany is turning to America for its liquified natural gas (LNG) (German Foreign Policy, September 8, 2022). By 2030, European LNG imports from the U.S. are forecast to exceed all the natural gas ever imported from Russia. With the Ukraine war at their doorstep, Germany continues to rely on the U.S. and NATO for military support. The closing of the Russian market has made Germany economically dependent on the U.S. market, as well.

The area of the Fertile Crescent and “the cradle of civilization,” known for its rich crops and orchards, is drying up (The Guardian, September 7, 2022). The Fertile Crescent runs from the Holy Land, along the Mediterranean Sea, and eastward along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Last Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96, after serving as the sovereign of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for 70 years. In the words of former British prime minister Boris Johnson, the queen was “a changeless human reference point in British life” (Time, September 9, 2022).

Every monarch has a public face put forward to unify the nation, as well as a private heart shaped by personal joys and sorrows. King Charles III has ascended to the British throne at 73 years of age—47 years older than Queen Elizabeth II was at the time of her ascension. Unlike his mother, who began her rule in her twenties, Charles has already spent a lifetime shaped by sadness that will color his service as King.