April 19 Yom Hashoah Commemoration – “Rising from the Ashes” Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union is the guest speaker who will discuss “The Mesirat Nefesh of Jews During The Most Horrific Times.” more

The first chapter and a half that begins Parshat Eikev contains what we might describe as the opposite formula of the “Tokhachot/Rebukes” that appear in Bechukotai and Ki Tavo. In those cases, an ideal is put forth, which is subsequently dwarfed by the enormity of the rebuke which follows it. In our parsha, the ideal eclipses the possible bad. more

Chanukah, the time of year when it’s actually acceptable to eat foods prepared in oil, gamble and expect gifts every night for eight nights. more

Today is a very special day. Today I celebrate my 55th birthday. I will no longer be called for reserve duty. From basic training when I was eighteen years old until today, 27 years have passed, nine of them in the service of my country. Nine years? Officers serve 45 days each year in the reserves. I am retiring as a lieutenant colonel. I decided to walk through Yerushalayim. I wanted to see the sights, smell the scents, listen to the sounds of the city as a civilian. more

Leonard Nimoy says there is a “strong strain of Judaism” in everything he does — including his famous on-screen hand gestures. Best known for his character Mr. Spock in the “Star Trek” television show and movies, most recently in his cameo as Spock Prime in this year’s blockbuster “Star Trek Into Darkness,” Nimoy’s Vulcan hand gesture comes from an experience he had at synagogue when he was eight years old. more

Yosef is sent by his father to Shechem with a few tasks. Rabbi Mordechai Breuer divided Yosef’s mission to his brothers: See how they are, how the sheep are, and return to me with the update. As his brothers are no longer in Shechem, only the first is partially achieved, and Yosef never returns after he is sold to Egypt. more

In Cedarhurst, Central Avenue is quiet, the parking lots mostly empty, as snow turns to an icy late-morning mix. Looking for coffee in Cedarhurst? Crawfords is closed; Cravings is open (and theres on wait!). more

THURSDAY MAY 22 LUNCH & LEARN with Rabbi Shalom Axelrod of YI Woodmere. Traditions Restaurant, 302 Central Ave., Lawrence. 12:30-1:30 pm. $12 lunch. Alan Stern 516-398-3094. KABBALAT HATORAH in Modern Times, with Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt. 9 pm. DRS High School. 700 Ibsen St., Woodmere. 516-733-0299. more

“You know what’s worse than being stabbed 13 times? Being stabbed 14 times. It can always be worse.” In 2010, Kay Wilson, a Jerusalem tour guide who had emigrated from London, was brutally attacked by a terrorist in the Jerusalem Forest. After being stabbed 13 times, she fooled her attacker into thinking that she had passed on, and he left her for dead. more

After recently advancing in the legislative process, a controversial bill to ban free print newspapers in Israel has reignited a debate in the country about … more