the message that we are fortunate to live in a Medinas Chesed and owe a tremendous amount of hakarat hatov to this great country. On the most fundamental level we must serve as loyal citizens and be meticulous in our observance of the laws of the land. Ideally, we should be model citizens and our moral and ethical conduct should be beyond reproach. We have the obligation and opportunity to create a tremendous Kiddush Hashem amongst our neighbors. It was with that message in mind that a group of 15 students from Rambam Mesivta visited a veteran’s hospital in Queens New York. The students volunteered their time to visit elderly soldiers who have served our country during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. more

On December 18, Yeshiva University hosted an event in honor of past Yeshiva University Mac captains during the halftime of a basketball game between the current YU Macs and the St. Joseph College Bears at the beautiful Mac home gym on Wilf Campus. Though I have attended numerous Mac games over the past few years, this was the first time that my teammates and I were able to once again step on the court to officially represent Yeshiva University basketball. more

Inspired by the film documentary “White Wash” that tells the story of surfing through the lives of black surfers in Hawaii, Jamaica, Florida and California, Atlantic Beach residents Oran Bendelstein and Mike Urra decided to collect old, used surfboards and donate them to economically disadvantaged children in Israel. more

Dear Aviva,  I’m 20 years old and I grew up in a Modern Orthodox family. I went to Yeshiva in Israel for two years and became much more right-wing than my family. Now that I’m back, I’m finding it very difficult to adjust. I go to a local college and live at home. I have a Chavrusa and learn as much as I can when I’m not in school. more

I finally conquered a very old fear. You may find it laughable that for a long while I harbored a terror of unicellular fungi, aka, yeast, but how that fear held me back! more

On the Calendar more

I love celebrating the secular New Year and I enjoy partaking in bubbly. New Year’s, above other holidays, tends to demand a more refined beverage for toasting to the years conclusion. That is why there is more champagne purchased in the month of December than any other time of the year. But what if you don’t like champagne? Perhaps you’re not a wine drinker or you just don’t want to shell out the money required to purchase one of the better bottles of kosher champagne. What then? Luckily there is an excellent option that is delicious, affordable and more than refined enough for New Year’s Eve consumption and that option is brought to us from the most unlikely of places: a brewery. more

This week, HAFTR High School has been in a celebratory mood. From Chanukah to several impressive college acceptances, high school students have enjoyed a week of excitement and fun. more

I always look forward to. For eight days, I get more and more excited as the day continues and the next night of Chanukah approaches. While life will always have its share of dark moments, the opportunity to spend a week surrounded by close family and friends, re-telling the story of the miracle of the Jewish people’s survival, against all odds, in their battle against the mighty Greek empire, is always uplifting. more