In his May 7 remarks upon receiving an award for fighting genocide, President Barack Obama explained why he is not fighting genocide. He didn’t mean it to sound quite that way, of course. But that was the indisputable meaning of his words. more

With the recent collapse of the U.S.-brokered peace negotiations, the Palestinian leadership has embarked on a broad plan of unilateral action to gain recognition of a Palestinian state and to isolate Israel internationally. Couple those developments with the Palestinian Fatah movement’s unity pact with the terrorist group Hamas, and Israel is facing a complex new reality. more

Math anxiety can easily undermine the hard work students have put in throughout the year, lowering their scores on standardized tests and jeopardizing their chances to take advanced classes or enroll in the schools of their choice. But reducing math anxiety, a well-documented phenomenon, can prevent this. more

THURSDAY MAY 15 LUNCH & LEARN with Rabbi Shalom Ax- elrod of YI Woodmere. Traditions Restaurant, 302 Central Ave., Lawrence. 12:30-1:30 pm. $12 lunch. Alan Stern 516-398-3094. more

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Vice President German Zacharyev says that world Jewry should make the 26th of Iyar on the Hebrew calendar an annual celebration of the liberation of European Jews by Soviet forces at the end of the Second World War. more

The current issue of Yeshiva University’s Alumni Today begins with the following: “Rabbi Hershel Billet ‘71 YC was a pre-med major on the day he sat in a shiur taught by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, that changed the course of his life. more

Springtime, sunny days, spring showers. And gardening. I love spring and all the shrubs and flowers that come to life after a winter’s rest. Last year after “Sandy” visited, my backyard needed some serious renovations. more

January 6, 1944. Snow on the ground; bitter cold; the sun hides behind the dark grey clouds over the harsh landscape of Auschwitz. Four gallows; four nooses, swaying in the wind. The members of the SonderKommando (special units) were responsible for removing the bodies from the gas chambers and burning them in the infamous crematoria. more

The final chapter of the book of Vayikra delves into the topic of Endowments and Valuations, essentially answering the question of what value humans, animals and properties have if a person makes a pledge to the Mishkan based on the value of another human being, etc. more

The following notice was distributed on Tuesday by shuls in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway. It has been brought to our attention that there were two very recent incidents in our neighborhood involving our children and strangers. more