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NEW YORK NEWS

 Sayfullo Saipov, the terrorist who killed eight people in 2017 by driving a truck down the Hudson River bike path, was convicted of murder charges by a federal jury. The attack, the deadliest terrorist attack in NYC since 9/11, could come with the death penalty.  The 34-year-old Uzbek native said after his arrest that he was inspired to carry out the attack by Islamic State videos he watched on his phone, and that he chose a truck to inflict maximum damage against civilians. If Saipov is given the death penalty for his crimes, he will be the first to receive the sentence during the Biden administration.  Biden campaigned against capital punishment. Saipov was found guilty of all 28 counts he faced. They included eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering activity — one for each victim killed — and one count of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle causing death. Those all carry a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment. He was also convicted of one count of providing material support to a terrorist organization, ISIS, which carries a maximum life sentence, and 18 attempted murder counts.

What has poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen accomplished that he is considered one of Israel’s adopted sons - so much so that a street was named after him in Be’er Sheva immediately after his death in 2016?

Recap: Libby brings Sabrina home. She’s all nervous about how to make her happy. At night, Sabrina is crying for Marnie. Libby assumes that Marnie is Sabrina’s mother. She has trouble calming her.

Thelma “Toby” Geschwind a”h, Toiba Hena bas Moshe haLevi (u’Braina Rivkah), was a woman of valor – a true eishes chayil – who lived a life of dreams realized. Known for her bountiful acts of chesed in Jamaica Estates, and later in West Hempstead, Toby and her unselfish heart of gold were an exemplary role model for others, putting her family needs first, then those of her friends, all preceding her own. The essence of Toby’s life was defined by the translation of her Hebrew name Tovah, good. She persevered from a burdensome early life, losing three brothers at a young age and her mother when she was just 13, becoming the maternal figure to her seven-year-old brother and to her two older brothers. She was brought up by her aunt Anne a”h, establishing a bond with cousins Tena and Debra, whom she always considered her sisters.

NEW YORK NEWS

 A plane crash near Westchester County airport claimed the lives of two Jewish residents of Cleveland.  Boruch Taub and Binyamin Chafetz were aboard a single-engine Beechcraft A36 when they declared an emergency due to low oil pressure.  The flight left JFK shortly before 5:00 but quickly ran into trouble when they discovered they could not climb as instructed by the air traffic controller.  Westchester County Executive George Latimer reported that Chafetz texted his wife right before the crash: “I don’t think any of us want to contemplate what it would be like to know your life is about to end, and you are going to speak to the people you love the most. And try to say something to them to summarize the life you’ve had together. That is what last night was about,” Latimer said.

Yeshiva University undergraduates spent a week this January traveling throughout Morocco visiting Jewish heritage cites, building cultural bridges with Muslim university students, and expanding their leadership horizons. Jews – al-Yahud al-Maghariba – have lived in Morocco for two thousand years, from about 70 BCE. After the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and then Portugal only years later, many Spanish Jews found refuge and built new lives in cities throughout Morocco, creating an impressive Jewish tapestry of immigrants. In Fez, Maimonides wrote his major works. In Rabat, Marrakesh and even in the Atlas Mountains, Jews lived and worked. Casablanca today has the largest Jewish community in Morocco with synagogues, community centers, and Jewish schools. Close to 100 YU graduates come from Morocco.