Since Monday of last week, I have read many articles, sermons, and even listened to some lectures online about “the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.” Most people, particularly those affected, are fairly sensitive to the realities, but no one can speak for another person’s devastation. Some had no damage, some had significant damage, some lost everything. Some lost loved ones, and those who were lost are obviously gone forever. Years ago, I heard a story about the Chafetz Chaim. One year, half of Radin burned down and those who were spared helped those who lost all. They rebuilt, and a little after the rebuilding was completed, the other half of Radin burned down. more

Do we have the right to test G-d? Can we sit back and wait for G-d to give us a sign as to what we are meant to do? Or perhaps we are meant to live in somewhat of a fog, so as to preserve intact our freedom to choose and make decisions in this world? This week’s portion, Chayei Sarah, contains a fascinating story on this topic: Avraham is getting on in years, his beloved wife Sarah is now gone and buried, and it is apparently time for Yitzchak to find a wife. So he calls in his trusted servant, Eliezer, and sends him on a mission to find a suitable mate for his son. more

Harvey Schneier, the first English Principal of South Shore Yeshiva High School and English Principal for the Mesivta of Long Beach from 1972-1987 passed away on Shemini Atzeret. The Shloshim coincides with his Bar Mitzvah Parsha, Chayei Sarah. more

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man There are only four things certain since Social Progress began. That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire, And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire; -The Gods of the Copybook Headings-Rudyard Kipling During the 2008 campaign, I explained to my friend and teacher Professor Barry Rubin, that people will not realize what Barack Obama was all about until he is elected but by then it will be too late. By the end of 2009, Rubin (a traditional liberal) was agreeing with me that the presidency of Barack Obama was turning into a disaster. more

The New York State Senate Democrats picked up five seats as a result of Tuesday’s election, resulting in a 33 to 30 seat majority. The change of the balance of power unseats Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a strong advocate for Long Island and a close friend to the Five Towns Jewish Community. more

Mayor Andrew Parise declared a State of Emergency at Cedarhurst’s town board meeting Tuesday night with 100 residents attending. The main focus of the meeting was the recovery from Hurricane Sandy, noted Deputy Mayor Ben Weinstock. He reported the events of the meeting to the Jewish Star. more

Walking down Oak Drive in Far Rockaway on a sunny fall day, it’s briefly hard to remember the devastation that hurricane Sandy inflicted on this and the surrounding areas, but the upended trees and load growl of generators bring back reality. This is a community in crisis. more

“I like to look at miles as if they have personalities, First 6 miles…starter, mile 13, half way, mile 18… reminds me of a previous tune-up race, mile 26… let’s go, let’s get this done. They are literally milestones, they are all trying to tell me something,” says Elizabeth (Lizzy) Luxenberg. The 19-year-old Great Neck native, who is currently a student at NYU, is gearing up for her debut run in the New York City marathon on Sunday, November 4. Lizzy, who is running in support of Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, has raised over $8,000 for the cause. And she’s got the support of her parents, sister and the community at large. more

The small room wasn’t much to look at, with its old, tired-looking walls and cracked floor tiles. And yet, a man had died here in this room. They had been looking for him for quite some time, scouring the country and waking entire neighborhoods every time rumor had it that he was somewhere in the vicinity. To judge by the heavily armed troops that were smashing down doors in the middle of the night, he must have had a fire to him, to inspire such a determined manhunt. more

“In 1959 Shlomo Carlebach released his first album – Haneshoma Loch [Songs of My Soul], -- which was an instant hit [selling 5,000 copies the first week] and completely revolutionized Jewish music. ‘The first record caused a musical furor both in the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds,’ recalls musicologist Velvel Pasternak, the foremost authority on contemporary Jewish music in the United States. ‘Rather than the Eastern European gestalt that had characterized Jewish music up until then and with which American Jewish youth couldn’t identify, Shlomo Carlebach’s music was written in an American idiom. more