Pondering the state of American Jewry
A bullet was fired into the window of Brooklyn synagogue Khal Zichron Mordechai on Shabbos afternoon (June 26, 2021). It was just before 3 PM, too late for Shacharis, and too early for Mincha, so thank God, no one was hurt. But it was scary to see the bullet hole in the window, and not …
Yair Lapid, the new alternate prime minister and head of Israel’s Foreign Ministry revealed his upcoming agenda in a handover ceremony on Monday. Lapid described his intention to focus on fixing the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. He mentioned the various streams of American Jewry: Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox, suggesting that all are of …
The Tree of Life massacre was a terrible thing: a tragedy of mammoth proportions. Not only did the entire city of Pittsburgh support the Jewish community after the horrific event, but the world took note and tried to help, however they could. That means money—lots of money—flowed into the coffers of the synagogue, which had …
New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, a Republican from Long Island, NY, on Thursday announced his intention to run for governor of New York in 2022. Zeldin, speaking of current governor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who has served in the position for the past decade, said, it’s time for Cuomo to “immediately exit stage left.” Cuomo has …
A Columbus, Ohio man has been charged with a hate crime in a federal district court after harassing his Jewish neighbors. The 65-year-old man, Douglas G. Schifer, came before US District Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Preston Deavers on a misdemeanor count of criminal interference with right to fair housing, carrying a potential sentence of up …
Abdullah “Dulla Mulla,” a Yemeni YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok star, visited a kosher grocery in a suburb of Detroit and badgered shoppers, sticking his phone in their faces and asking them to read what it says. The photo they were shown depicted a PA flag emblazoned with the words “Free Palestine.” Dulla Mulla recorded the reactions …
Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, who came from a long line of multiple Hasidic dynasties, has died, aged 90, of COVID-19. The famed Pittsburgh psychiatrist was considered a leading authority on addiction, and authored more than 60 books. Twerski, who never lost his strong Milwaukee accent, though he lived in Pittsburgh for many years, was …
A couple and their four young children, ages 1 to 8, were out together on the Upper West Side of New York, browsing the windows of a Barnes and Noble bookstore, just minding their own business, when they were confronted by an antisemite. Interestingly, the male half of the couple was the editor of the …
Menachem Zivotofsky, age 18, just became the first U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem, to be permitted to list on his passport, his country of birth as “Israel.” So ends a lengthy saga that began when the young man was born, in 2002. Before this past Friday, American born in Jerusalem could not show Israel as …
Tree of Life was a surprising attack, but now it seems Jews are attacked weekly, and sometimes daily. The latest antisemitic attacks are on a rabbi in San Diego, just outside his synagogue on October 10, and five days later, a man dressed in “Orthodox garb” in Williamsburg. It certainly isn’t helping the situation when …