I once received a story via email from an anonymous author: Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback. One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell helplessly in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen appearance. more

There is a “huge outbreak” of lice in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, a local pediatrician told The Jewish Star this week. “It’s the whole area, it’s the entire neighborhood.” more

With the conclusion of the Torah reading cycle of Bereishis, this week’s essay will be devoted to a presentation of several contrasting styles of commentary. Utilizing their own words, this will demonstrate how the same biblical segment can be made to be viewed from variant perspectives thus demonstrating the unique plurality of methods of midrash and p’shat in our religious tradition. more

Today, the spreading Congressional sentiment on defunding the Palestinian Authority escalated to a formal resolution in the House of Representatives. Some fifteen cosponsors, led by Representatives Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), have officially presented their resolution to defund the PA based on two violations of American law: the unity with Hamas and the recently-publicized program of monthly salaries paid to Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons via the PA’s Ministry of Prisoners. more

With a major influx of new students in its early childhood division this year, HAFTR creatively reorganized existing space, with the pre-school division filling the kindergarten building and the kindergarten classes moved into the lower school building in Lawrence. more

Every evening, silence reigns in the Khanke refugee camp near the Kurdish city of Dohuk in northern Iraq. Winter has already arrived, bringing with it rain, mud, and cold. more

In perhaps the most widely debated address ever given by a foreign leader to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described a “fateful crossroads” on the Iranian nuclear … more

After  we’ve celebrated Shavuot and commemorated our receiving of Torah, it’s worth remembering that it almost didn’t transpire. In tractate Shabbat 88b, many of the famous … more

Chanukah’s oily treat more

A press conference called by Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky to discuss a bill that he was sponsoring in the Assembly was interrupted by an operative from Christopher McGrath’s campaign. Kaminsky, … more