News

JANUARY

January 8-18

A series of devastating wildfires strikes Southern California, fueled by drought, low humidity, and extreme Santa Ana winds reaching 100 mph. The Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades cause the most damage, destroying over 18,000 structures and burning more than 57,000 acres. Evacuations exceed 200,000 people, with fatalities reported in the dozens.

One of the great things about a car is the freedom it offers. With a valid driver’s license, registration, and gas in the tank, you’re good to go - anywhere you want, at any time of the day or night, with no questions asked. Enjoy this freedom now - because that could eventually change if federal regulators approve technology that prevents or limits driving when impairment is detected. And if it decides in the middle of a trip that you’re not up to driving, the car will pull to the side of the road and stop in its tracks. And there’s nothing at all to do about that.

Emotion gripped the assemblage. Wide-eyed with awe, everyone watched the Gaon and Tzaddik, HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, shlita, walk into the hall of the White Shul in Far Rockaway, arm-in-arm with the Nasi of Dirshu Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita. It was just a harbinger of what was to come in a night full of spiritual and emotional highlights that brought together some five hundred members of the Far Rockaway-Five Towns communities.

Inside the Oval Office last week, a small circle of rabbanim and communal leaders sat with President Donald Trump, marking a Pesach gathering that felt less like a formal reception and more like a significant pivot in Washington’s relationship with the frum community.