Lawrence Bernstein (name changed) was born to Holocaust survivors in the East Tremont Section of the Bronx in 1951; the family davened by Rabbi Moshe Bick Zt”l on East 169th Street. Lawrence knocked on my door on Erev Pesach minutes before I was about to sell the Chometz. Larry was obviously a not-a-regular and I had no time on such a busy day to ‘chap a schmooze’. He said he was here to “sell me his hoometz."
When the news arrived, it was unclear as to the severity of the situation. The boys were teenagers; and teenagers sometimes disappear for a few hours. However, as time continued to pass it became apparent that something was very wrong. And then the official announcement: three of our boys, our sons, our pride and joy, had been abducted by those who want to kill
The 28th of Iyar, is the day when in 1967 the city of Yerushalayim was liberated and reunited. The Kosel HaMa’aravi was returned to Jewish hands and for the first time in almost 2000 years, Jews were granted by Hashem total free access to the Western Wall. For the first time in almost 2000 years, any Jew of any affiliation could approach the Wall at any time of the day or night; on any day of the calendar; in
The decision to open a new organization or introduce a novel program can be very exciting. Those of us in the Torah service community are driven to give, to educate and to inspire, and oftentimes look for new ways by which we can engage others. Yet, any new endeavor comes with risks, not the least of which is fiscal and logistical viability.
Tal Fortgang, a white, Jewish, Princeton freshman has written an essay, "Why I’ll Never Apologize for My White Male Privilege" which has caused quite a stir. He was objecting to "Check your privilege" as a reprimand: As a white male, he is where he is because he was born into privileges that do not apply to others. What Tal was objecting to was using "check your privilege" as a way "to strike down opinions
As I write these words it would be very easy for me to join the club. Which club is that? The club which is enraptured and captivated by the excitement of Lag B’Omer as hundreds of thousands of frum Jews from all segments of Jewry are seemingly sharing a rare moment of unified celebration. The estimates are that over half a million people will celebrate in Meron at the tomb of Rav Shimon Ben Yochai.
On Sunday, I had the privilege of attending a meeting with Jews of different opinions and beliefs (you can see a write up about it here) in Monsey, New York. Some are referring to the meeting as “A Groundbreaking Meeting”; maybe for some it was. However, personally for me it was more of “Bread-breaking meeting” as I had the pleasant opportunity to meet and talk and "break-bread" (there was a really tasty and free catered
Pesach ended the other night and the immediate, desperate reaction from Jews worldwide was Cookie Monster-esque. ”Chametz!” (Not sure if anyone also broke into the “C is for chametz” refrain, but it wouldn’t shock me if they did.) Lest the reader think that I am some cave-dwelling hermit that subsists on potato starch and macaroons all year ‘round, allow me to share that I also love a good slice of pizza, particularly
“I’m telling you. People come and go in this Forest, and they say, ‘It’s only Eeyore, so it doesn’t count.’ They walk to and fro saying, ‘Ha ha!’ But do they know anything about A? They don’t. It’s just three sticks to them. But to the Educated – mark this, little Piglet- to the Educated, not meaning Poohs and Piglets, it’s a great and glorious A.” –Eeyore, summarized from The House at Pooh Corner (chapter 5) I read this years ago and could never get it out of my mind.
Today is the Yahrtzeit of Sarah Schenirer (July 15, 1883-March 1, 1935); in fact she passed away in Adar Aleph as 1935 was a leap year. Sarah Schenirer was really an amazing individual. Although she lived only 51 years and never had any children, she literally impacted the lives of thousands of women and men!
