On the second day of the Six Day War, a bloody battle took place on Ammunition Hill; Israeli paratroopers had to take that position from the Jordanians on their way to the Old City. At one point in the battle, the commander told Eitan Na`ava, z”l, to jump out of the trenches and to cover from above. Eitan did not hesitate, although he realized well what that meant.... more

The media will tell you that Israelis have voted, the election is over and Bibi Netanyahu has been reelected by a small margin to his third term as prime minister---100% true and 100% useless. In Israel, the election is just one part of the political process: as of today the politics truly begin. more

This week the Hasidic community in Brooklyn exploded with the news that Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed youth counselor, was convicted on 59 counts of sexual molestation of a young girl whom he had been counseling. He was sentenced to a staggering 103 years in the state penitentiary. Weberman had been counseling this young teen, although he had no license and no professional training and no legal right to counsel this young victim. more

A United States federal court is fining Russia $50,000 a day for refusing to return what is known in Chabad circles as the “Rebbe’s library,” in a long running case pitting Agudas Chasidei Chabad of the United States against Russia. more

Jan 25 Young Israel of Long Beach Tu B’Shevat Sedar Friday night Carlebach Kabbalos Shabbos at 5:00 p.m. followed by a community-wide Tu B’Shevat Sedar based on the teachings of the Kabbalah. Join us for an evening of great food, exotic fruits and wines with guest lecturer, Rabbi Yanay. Rabbi Yanay is a lecturer and mentor for the Beth Medrash Gohova of Lakewood New Jersey and also gives weekly Torah classes in the Tri-State area. Advanced reservations are necessary and must be made by contacting Rivka Bohan at (516) 749-9099 or via email Rbohan@darchei.org $20 adult (15 yrs +, $10 per child , 4 yrs and under FREE, $180 sponsor Young Israel of Long Beach is located at 120 Long Beach Road more

Saving a life in Jewish law is given very special consideration. According to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, whose 30th yahrtzeit is this Friday, in his “Handbook of Jewish Thought” states that, “When life is endangered, all religious laws may be totally disregarded.” more

Until you take a real up close look at Samaria, it will remain an occupied territory of a fringe group of Jewish settlers trying to displace Palestinians and stymie the peace process. That is until you actually go there and see the region up close, talk to the people who live there and understand the size, demography and conditions the people live under. Is it a perfect situation? By no means it is not, but is it the obstacle to peace and the bane of the Palestinian existence? Hardly! more

So here we are, last week in January. It’s kind of odd that I’m here in New York. For as long as I can remember, during the Yeshiva winter break, I’ve always been away. Wait, I take that back, there was one time back in the 90s when we stayed home and took day trips with the kids, it almost seemed like an experiment, to see if the children (and parents, I guess), years down the line, would have any long standing psychological effects from having to actually remain at home. So far, we all seem to have no symptoms…but we all have funny memories of vacations past. more

It is hard to imagine, looking down at the windswept desert floor far below, what it must have been like 2000 years ago, to be a Jewish rebel soldier atop the isolated fortress of Masada. What kept you going, as you gazed down at the might of three Roman Legions, bent on your destruction? more

In this most dramatic of Torah portions, the opening pesukim (verses) read like storyboards of a film’s opening sequence of images around the locale where it is set. The people turn from going straight along the Mediterranean coast towards the Red Sea. Moshe is arranging the transfer of Yosef’s bones. They travel from Sukkos (first stop 12:37). We then see the people during the day being led by the Pillar of Clouds. In the dark of night, the Pillar of Fire provides the necessary light and protection. more