Ah, the devious Benjamin Netanyahu! Just when we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, Israel’s slippery prime minister introduces a potential deal-breaker, in the form of insisting that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. more

Wild booze-filled nights, toga parties, and hazing are the popular images that come to mind when thinking of fraternities and sororities, especially for those not personally exposed to Greek life on American campuses. But the Jewish college fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) wants to dispel those images about its organization. more

Last night, as I got dressed for a Chabad dinner honoring my dear friends Janet and Lior Hod, I inhaled and zipped up my dress. “Hmmm, this zipper won’t break, will it?” I thought. Not willing to think I gained weight since I wore it last, even though I know I did, I chose to take a chance as I was running late. more

Close to a 100 women heard health professionals, rabbanim and yoatzot halacha (Jewish legal advisers), discuss the overlap and symbiosis between issues of women’s health and halacha (Jewish law), in a day-long seminar at the Young Israel of Woodmere. more

This Shabbat we commemorate the start of the Pesach holiday season with Parshat Hachodesh. Next Tuesday marks Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Recently, the Orthodox Union released an interesting book on this subject, “Yerach Tov: Birkat Hachodesh in Jewish Law and Liturgy,” by Rabbi Elchanan Adler of Yeshiva University. more

I recall, after my cousin Benjy Hillman was killed in the Second Lebanon War, hearing of one particular Shabbat when Benjy, a company commander in the Elite Egoz anti-terror unit, was due to go home on leave. It’s difficult to describe, to anyone who has not experienced it, just how valuable a weekend pass is in the army. more

A simple reading of the Gemara in Arakhin 16a informs us that tzaraat, a spiritual disease with a physical manifestation that is definitely not “leprosy,” could come upon a person for one of seven sins: lashon hora (slander and gossip), murder, swearing in vain, immorality, haughtiness, theft, and stinginess. Raise your hand if you might get tzaraat if such a disease were extant today. (We can all put our hands down now.) more

The Jerusalem Marathon. It’s one of the world’s toughest, but you can’t beat the view. Or the inspiration. more

One blood test can save future lives but at the same time can open up questions with Jewish legal and emotional ramifications. more

Four closed blocks of Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights were filled with joyous dancing and music on Sunday, as Yeshiva University celebrated the ordination of its largest class of rabbis. more