As the new month of Elul begins, I, like many others, begin the process of soul-searching and introspection that prepares me for the Yomim No’raim—the Days of Awe—of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I, like many others, go through the requisite atonement by saying s’lichot daily, heeding the sounds of the Shofar during Shacharit, saying Vidduy, and asking for others’ forgiveness directly. more

August 26 NY Mets Jewish Heritage Day 1:10 P.M. METS vs. ASTROS • Join the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY and the Mets at Citi Field for Jewish Heritage Day. • Pre-game programming to include musical entertainment celebrating Jewish-American culture. • Enjoy Glatt kosher food available at select stands located on the Field & Promenade Level concourses. • Groups that purchase 25 or more tickets will receive a scoreboard greeting. Visit www.mets.com/jcrc for more information and to purchase tickets. more

Let’s get this straight - the summer isn’t over yet, not today nor tomorrow. It doesn’t end when the kids return home from camp or when you begin back to school shopping. It doesn’t stop with school orientations or Rosh Hashanah preparations. more

That dreaded word “exercise.” Most people decide to hit the gym, run outdoors, or swim, once May rolls around, to get into shape for the summer. Though I’m a member of a local gym, have a top notch treadmill I inherited (thanks, Robbie Rothenberg), and a swimming pool in my backyard, I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t been to the gym, or on the treadmill since May and I’ve only done laps about three times this summer. more

With a batting average of .415, on base percent of .642 and an ERA of 3.2, you’d say this player is heading for the big leagues. He is, but he’s also heading to 4th grade…at HALB. At just 4’8” Jacob Steinmetz, 9, of Woodmere, has played baseball locally since he was in kindergarten. more

The Hewlett Lawrence Soccer Club (HLSC) has established a partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to ensure a positive, character-building experience for all youth athletes in HLSC programs. PCA, a Stanford University-based non-profit organization, conducts workshops for coaches, organizational leaders, and parents involved in schools and sports organizations serving five-to-18-year-old athletes. more

The technology used at school and at home by young people may be more expensive and sophisticated than in the past, but kids are still kids. That means you need to help your children make the most of their devices and protect their gear. more

With this difficult economic climate, there’s a lot of talk about taxes and spending policy; what I have always taught my children is that the single most important thing to understand about taxes is that taxes are choices – they’re tradeoffs. All you need to do to prove this is to take a look at your pay stub at the end of the week. more

It starts Sunday night in Tampa; 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories will gather together to nominate their choice for President of the United States at the 40th Republican National Convention. more

As the Republican and Democratic conventions draw near, the news media expends more of its time on election-related coverage. The focus is either on gaffes made by Vice President Biden, the fiscal policies and the fitness regimen of Mitt Romney’s choice for VP, Representative Paul Ryan, and the campaign battles between the two presidential candidates. more