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Since their arrival in West Hempstead in 2010, Rabbi Elon and Estee Soniker have grown in their roles at Congregation Anshei Shalom, as trusted sources for life events and spiritual questions. Initially under the leadership of founding Rabbi Yehuda Pearl, he was succeeded by Rabbi Soniker in 2016 as the shul continued to expand. The Soniker family was also growing. In 2022, they welcomed their seventh child, Uriel.

Touro University’s Summer Trip to Rome Connected Students to Jewish Life Past and Present

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to join a group of 25 students on Touro University’s Summer Session 2025 in Rome, a two-week experience that blended serious Torah learning with unforgettable visits to some of the world’s historic Jewish sites. What started as a chance to travel abroad while earning college credits quickly became a meaningful, guided journey of discovery about Jewish history and faith, juxtaposed against the backdrop of ancient Rome.

They were married on the same day.

They buried their husbands just weeks apart.

Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, rav of Congregation Charm Circle and CEO of Chazaq, greeted everyone on Sunday night, July 13, for the Shiv’ah Asar B’Tamuz shiurim at Havurat Yisrael, sponsored by Chazaq. He explained that Shiv’ah Asar B’Tamuz is a very sad day, marking the beginning of the Three Weeks – the mourning period that leads to Tish’ah B’Av, when both Holy Temples were destroyed.

Regular college programming may be on hiatus over the summer, but at Emet Outreach there is always an opportunity to learn and connect. Introducing “Monday Night Live,” a new weekly program that has been attracting local college students for an evening of great food, powerful Torah insights, and real community.

Parshas VaEschanan begins with Moshe Rabbeinu davening – “Va’eschanan el Hashem” – a t’filah so deep, Chazal tell us it was one of 515 pleas. Even though Moshe’s t’filah wasn’t answered in the way he hoped, we learn a powerful y’sod: no t’filah is ever lost.