This past weekend, several Five Towns and Far Rockaway area shuls played host to several speaking engagements sponsored by Panim el Panim. The Israeli education organization, which effective September 2011, became the official provider of Torah education for the Israel Defense Forces, is proud to have connected tens of thousands of secular Israelis with their Jewish roots. more

2012 has thus far brought a lot of activity to Israel that could be indicative of the year it is expected to have.  The growing internal strife that has become very public between the religious right and most others to the left of them is threatening the foundation of Israel’s society.  In addition to the social difficulties it poses, the squeeze of the widening financial burden on those who produce income and those who rely on the State for services is taking its toll on the patience of the general society. more

As some people know, (and the “some” mainly consisting of my wife and children), I have become slightly obsessed with a new workout called Spinning. So much so, that I have recently completed the certification needed for becoming a licensed Spinning instructor and I now teach several classes at the gyms in our neighborhood. Spinning entails a series of exercises on a stationary bike meant to simulate a cycling ride in order to maintain proper form and training during the off hours of cycling.  Focus, endurance, musicality and even spirituality come into play while engaging in Spin. more

At the end of Super Bowl XLII, when Tom Brady’s final heave fell incomplete, and it became apparent that the impossible had actually happened, Giant Nation celebrated its third Super Bowl title in just over twenty years. more

This week HAFTR had the pleasure of hosting the 25th annual Scott Satran basketball tournament. The HAFTR Invitational Scott Satran Memorial Tournament is a bittersweet occasion. It brings together students from eight different yeshiva high schools to commemorate a HAFTR alumnus, Scott Satran, who passed away 25 years ago from cancer at the age of 20. Every year this event bonds the HAFTR community and seven other schools together in remembrance. more

Every time the United States considers a political or military confrontation with a foreign hostile nation, the liberal caveat is often emphasized that “we have no beef with the people of ___ - all we want to do is see this rogue regime ousted.” more

Jan 14 North Shore Hebrew Academy PTA Fundraiser The North Shore Hebrew Academy PTA is hosting a fundraiser at Temple Emanuel in Great Neck, located at 150 Hicks Lane, at 8:30 p.m. Come see … more

Initially overwhelmed, then inspired by a visit to the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem a few years ago, Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway eighth-grader Emily Goldstein began to think how she could incorporate the Holocaust into her bat mitzvah project. The exhibits at Yad Vashem, the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, moved Goldstein, who loves to cook, to compile a cookbook that is comprised of stories and recipes from Holocaust survivors. more

In the past ten years kosher food has taken a tremendous step forward, not just in the restaurant scene but in the home as well. Shabbat tables all over the country have been transformed from landing pads for distinctively classic kosher items like potato kugel and matzo ball soup into a place where culinary experimentation is brought to fruition. more

9/11 was a life-changing day for many people.  But it was especially the case for Robin and Avi Schreiber. Prior to their marriage they agreed to make Aliyah “some day.”  more