The NY Daily News began its week with a nasty opinion column by Jazz critic and progressive bigot Stanley Crouch. In only 605 words he manages to bash every conservative as some sort of liar and or nut job. more

Perhaps its because the election is over and there is no one to “pick on,” so the mainstream media is working hard to sway public opinion against Israel in its battle to stop the Hamas terrorists from firing rockets into her civilian areas. more

Thanksgiving, to me as a kid growing up, meant a day or two off from school, getting bundled and attending the Thanksgiving day parade and getting together with family and friends to stuff ourselves and give thanks for all that we had. more

There was no love lost between Yaakov and his father-in-law Lavan. Lavan criticizes Yaakov for having “stolen” his family, and Yaakov responds saying he had been cheated numerous times over a period of 20 years working for Lavan. more

Once again, Israel, which so longs for peace, is being forced to ready her children for war.... As missiles fall on the South and parts of the coastal region, and leaves are cancelled, there will be many families whose tefillot (prayers) will have special meaning and urgency this Shabbat. more

The Torah describes one interaction between Avraham and Yishmael (his banishment in chapter 21), one interaction between Avraham and Yitzchak (the “Akedah” of chapter 22), and one interaction between Yitzchak and his sons in the blessing episode of chapters 27-28. From an objective perspective, judging only the human element without the divine instructions to listen to Sarah and to take Yitzchak to a mountain, Avraham’s parenting skills don’t pass muster. more

If you would have asked me what Abir would end up doing with his life, I would have imagined him as a bouncer.... Abir, an ex-paratrooper, is one of the unsung heroes of the battle of the Chinese chicken farm, when a battalion of paratroopers in the Yom Kippur war had to take a crucial Egyptian position by running up 300 yards of open ground; most of the battalion never made it out of there. I could easily have imagined him grabbing one of the first planes out after the war, maybe to New York or Los Angeles. more

One of the results of Hurricane Sandy was the damage or destruction of some of the most valuable ritual items of our faith: Torahs, Tefillin, and Mezuzos. These sacred articles represent some of the most expensive and labor-intensive objects used by us on a daily and weekly basis. Each is vulnerable to climactic changes that can result in serious disruption in ritual observances. more

No power. No heat. No fridge or freezer. No oven. No microwave. No TV. No Internet. No phone. No cell service. No lights, washing machines or dryers. Gas lines were blocks long and ran out of gas as it was nearing my turn. A huge tree fell across my pool, my boiler broke and after the power was returned, my Sub Zero compressor blew. My thermostat in my bedroom read 43 degrees at night and I went to bed so bundled that I resembled the Michelin man. more

Dear Editor: Please share our letter of thanks to Chabad: more