A Memorable Visit To A Very Different Hospital

Posted on: July 1st, 2009

As a congregational rabbi, I often see people in hospitals and other health care facilities. While each building may look different, the actual differences are rather minute. It was my privilege recently to visit a hospital that is a definite exception to that rule.

Seminar Sheds Light On Bottled Up Jewish Problem

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

An all-day conference on body image and eating disorders in the Jewish community took place on Sunday, June 7, in Manhattan. Co-sponsored by the Renfrew Center Foundation and the Orthodox Union's Department of Community Services, the conference boasted a stellar cast of speakers and experts, who spoke urgently of the need to address the growing epidemic of Orthodox Jewish men and women with eating disorders.

Seminar Sheds Light On Bottled Up Jewish Problem

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

An all-day conference on body image and eating disorders in the Jewish community took place on Sunday, June 7, in Manhattan. Co-sponsored by the Renfrew Center Foundation and the Orthodox Union's Department of Community Services, the conference boasted a stellar cast of speakers and experts, who spoke urgently of the need to address the growing epidemic of Orthodox Jewish men and women with eating disorders.

New Site Aims For ‘One Million Refuah Shleimahs’

Posted on: June 1st, 2009

Almost every American Orthodox Jew who owns a computer either checks or knows about OnlySimchas.com. If Naftali Mark, a young Flatbush financial representative, has his druthers, the same will one day be true about www.Refuahs.org.

Sound Advice For Troubled Times

Posted on: May 20th, 2009

The 10th Annual Rebbetzin's Conference sponsored by the Task Force on Families and Children at Risk, which took place last week, was one of the best ever. Rebbetzins come from far and wide to participate in this yearly program and leave with newfound strength.

A Mom Like No Other

Posted on: May 13th, 2009

Remembering Rebbetzin Lillian Chomsky On Her First Yahrzeit

New Caribbean Synagogue Joins One Of The Oldest In The Hemisphere

Posted on: May 13th, 2009

WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO---It's not everyday, or every year, or every decade, or even every century, that a beautifully-designed, 180-seat, air-conditioned synagogue rises in the Caribbean, let alone a modern Orthodox one.

Pesach In Thailand

Posted on: May 6th, 2009

It isn't often a person from West Bloomfield, Mich., shares a PassoverSeder in Thailand with someone from Sydney, Australia, but that's exactly what I did this year.

YMB/Alliance: Educational Breakthrough In Brooklyn

Posted on: May 6th, 2009

While in Paris last March celebrating his wedding anniversary, Jacques Baghdadi set in motion another kind of shidduch. Like many in the community, frustrated with the high cost of yeshivas in Brooklyn, he knocked on the door of Alliance Israelite Universelle, an organization with 150 years of experience providing high-quality, affordable Jewish education worldwide.

Alone And Not Alone

Posted on: May 6th, 2009

Remembering My Dear Wife, Rebbetzin Lillian Chomsky, On Her First Yahrzeit                                    Alone and not alone am I,   Little till now did I know why.   Of the various menus that life does serve,   Not all do we accept, or feel we deserve.   Especially is the loss of a beloved difficult to bear,   A source [...]

Lamed Vavniks Who Aren’t Afraid to Get Their Hands Dirty

Posted on: April 29th, 2009

Rabbi Mendy Rosenberg, a Viznitzer chassid, stands outside his Williamsburg tire shop in rain, sun, sleet and snow, repairing flat tires and replacing old worn ones. Located in an area that was once an industrial area, the shop seems to be out of place on an island sandwiched between towering new building complexes, part of Williamsburg's building boom to accommodate the ever growing Chassidic population.

Yizkor – Remember Your Pledge

Posted on: April 22nd, 2009

The shul was packed for Yizkor service. For Mr. Reuven Black this year was particularly poignant; it marked the tenth Yahrzeit of his father, who had passed away shortly after Pesach. He had decided to do something special in memory of his father.

Yizkor – Remember Your Pledge

Posted on: April 22nd, 2009

The shul was packed for Yizkor service. For Mr. Reuven Black this year was particularly poignant; it marked the tenth Yahrzeit of his father, who had passed away shortly after Pesach. He had decided to do something special in memory of his father.

Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue (Deut. 16:18-20)

Posted on: April 14th, 2009

As the freight train rumbles down the tracks running along East Cary Street in the historic Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia, it passes by a former tobacco warehouse. Parked conspicuously in front of the massive building stands a train car that once carried a different kind of freight. Step inside and you discover you're in a cattle car used to transport Jews to the death camps that sprang up like poisonous mushrooms, throughout the European landscape. This is your entr?e to the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue (Deut. 16:18-20)

Posted on: April 14th, 2009

As the freight train rumbles down the tracks running along East Cary Street in the historic Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia, it passes by a former tobacco warehouse. Parked conspicuously in front of the massive building stands a train car that once carried a different kind of freight. Step inside and you discover you're in a cattle car used to transport Jews to the death camps that sprang up like poisonous mushrooms, throughout the European landscape. This is your entrée to the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Honoring One’s Parents (A Modern-Day Doma Ben Nesina)

Posted on: April 7th, 2009

There is hardly a Jewish child who has not been taught the story in the Talmud (Kiddushin 31a) of Doma Ben Nesina. He was the son of a jeweler who refused to wake up his sleeping father when representatives of the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) came knocking on his door, wishing to buy certain precious stones for the Kohen Hagadol's breastplate (urim v'tumim).

Gush Katif Envoy Returns From U.S. Visit

Posted on: April 1st, 2009

Three-and-a-half years ago, the Israeli government expelled 8,800 Israeli residents from Gush Katif and destroyed their homes. Despite the residents' sadness and anger, they thought the worst was behind them; that they would have a chance, should they desire it, to start anew in communities and homes the government promised to provide them.

Torah Zoo Comes To Boro Park

Posted on: March 26th, 2009

Have you ever wondered what a real korban Pesach looked like, or what the original appearance was of the kosher and non-kosher animals mentioned in Parshas Shemini? One need not travel far from home to get a glimpse of Torah wildlife. Preserved animals provided by renowned taxidermists are now on display at the Torah Zoo, an adjunct branch of The Living Torah Museum located at 1601 41st Street in Boro Park, in Brooklyn, New York.

All Dolled Up For The Holidays

Posted on: March 26th, 2009

"My mother always made the Jewish holidays lots of fun when we were growing up, so is it any wonder I started my own Judaica business?"

All Dolled Up For The Holidays

Posted on: March 26th, 2009

"My mother always made the Jewish holidays lots of fun when we were growing up, so is it any wonder I started my own Judaica business?"