Opinion

On Wednesday, February 9, a pile of bags on a platform bench at the 21^st Street-Van Alst subway station was cordoned off by police tape as there was a body of a homeless woman beneath the baggage and blankets. Audrey Lumer, 63, was a graduate of an art school and once lived on Utopia Parkway at her father’s house until a rent dispute in 2018 resulted in her eviction. Likely on account of her mental state, she refused assistance and found shelter in the subway system.

Congressman (Dem.) Levin wants Israel at its most populated midsection to be narrower than the Bronx. Did he ever meet the neighbors?

A Michigan congressman is complaining that he is being subjected to “ad hominem attacks” because his pro-Palestinian positions have been criticized. But there’s nothing ad hominem about pointing out that this congressman wants to reduce Israel to a size that will be barely one-third the width of his own congressional district.

Sitting in our ulpan class last week, we suddenly heard a commotion outside. Looking out the window, we saw people blocking traffic while singing and holding signs proclaiming asserting their right to “freedom.”

Last May, Hamas terrorists in Gaza launched more than 3,000 rockets at Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome system shot down more than 90% of them, averting large-scale casualties. The Iron Dome may soon be more necessary than ever. More than 500 of the 535 members of the House of Representatives and the United States Senate from both parties support US funding for the Iron Dome.

By the time this column is published and read, Russian military forces may have already entered sovereign Ukrainian territory.  This action has been precipitated by months of troop buildups and movements on the border between the two nations, and allegations that the Russian government has been attempting to plant false flag attacks to justify their course of action.  However, should a foreign international war really concern Americans, or is this a conflict the United States should stay out of?

In a surprise announcement, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy lifted mask mandates on students and teachers, effective the second week of March.  With this move, the state joins a myriad of Western European countries moving to return to a semblance of normalcy for the first time in two years.  The question that New Yorkers should be asking is: Will Governor Kathy Hochul follow suit?