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Summer vacation took on a higher meaning, when a group of young women from Emet’s Fellowship and Step It Up programs were inspired to expand on their Torah learning in Eretz Yisrael. After an intense semester at college, the students chose to explore their heritage and devote more time to Torah study. Ms. Shira Fendel, Emet’s Women’s Director, traveled to Israel to guide and unite the Emet students, some of whom were learning at Neve in Jerusalem and others who were there on vacation. She spent over a week creating memorable programming to make their experience as impactful as possible.

For the fourth year in a row, devoted friends, supporters, and alumni of Camp Sternberg joined together to raise funds to enable girls to attend camp in the summer. Their itinerary was quite challenging, as they biked, hiked, and canoed down the Delaware, yet they knew that it was for a very worthwhile cause.

The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) this week thanked President Trump for commuting the sentence of Ronen Nahmani.

Rav Noach Isaac Oelbaum, noted poseik and mara d’asra of Khal Nachlas Yitzchok in Queens, visited Camp Simcha on Sunday, August 4. Rav Oelbaum toured the campus, met with campers and staff, gave brachos, and offered words of chizuk.

With the passing of over 70 years since the events of the Holocaust, the Jewish people are at a critical juncture in their history. The events of the Holocaust are close enough that we can speak to witnesses and survivors and hear stories of horror, hope, and liberation, yet they are far enough that it is challenging for today’s generation to truly comprehend its magnitude. With tremendous foresight, Yad Vashem was established in 1952 with the goals of educating the world about the Holocaust and mining through history to create a comprehensive understanding of the world during the 1930s and 1940s. Perhaps the most important part of Yad Vashem’s mission can be explained in one word: education.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1000 traditional rabbinic leaders in matters of public policy, last week said statements of support for Rev. Al Sharpton from Senators (and Presidential candidates) Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren reflected “great insensitivity” towards the Jewish community. Following an attack on Sharpton from President Donald Trump, Harris claimed that Sharpton “has spent his life fighting for what’s right and working to improve our nation,” while Warren said he “has dedicated his life to the fight for justice for all.”