News

New York News

 Hate crime reports in New York have surged by 69% since 2019, driven primarily by a significant rise in antisemitism, according to a report by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

I heard the following story from Dovid and Chaya Stein. Their story began several years ago, when they moved into their new apartment in Israel. Their neighbors were all friendly and lovely people. As time went on, several neighbors wished to expand their apartments.

It is hard for people to mourn the loss of a parental relationship when they are overwhelmed by negative memories and feelings.  Psychotherapy can be helpful in these situations.  Parent-child relationships, like all relationships, are never perfect. Although experiences such as shock, denial, and acceptance are common to the mourning process, mourning unfolds in a particular way for each person. The job of a therapist doing grief counseling is to help people navigate this personal and arduous journey. 

New York News

 Powerhouse Arena, a Brooklyn bookstore, came under fire after a manager canceled a Jewish author’s book launch event due to the moderator’s pro-Israel views. The event, meant to feature author Joshua Leifer and Rabbi Andy Bachman, was abruptly canceled by the manager, Hannah Hayes, who stated, “we don’t want a Zionist on our stage.”

Recap: Aida’s friend Stella confides that she’s going to be in an international music contest. Aida suspects that if her best friend leaves Syria, she will escape and not come back. It’s so terrible for Jews in Syria. This could put Stella’s family at risk.

I heard an amazing, inspiring story recently from a friend of mine named Kalman. I had heard parts of his story before, but this past Shabbos he spoke about it at our shul’s kidush, which he sponsored as his yearly seudas hoda’a. He spoke and gave thanks to Hashem for all He has done for him. He was celebrating the anniversary of his rebirth.