Gourmet Glatt, the popular Cedarhurst kosher supermarket was closed to shoppers on Tuesday night, with its aisles transformed into a catering hall. Candlelit tables offered chocolate samples as violists played. Between the tables, posters highlighted the cause of the evening. more

For the first time in their history, the priceless parchments uncovered in caves overlooking the Dead Sea, have arrived in America, making their premiere at Discovery Times Square exhibition center. more

In the two decades since the Madrid Conference of 1991, the Palestinian Liberation Organization has gone from a terrorist organization to an apparent peace partner, and back to a pariah, as far as the Israeli government is concerned. But on the world stage, it appears to incrementally pick up the trappings of statehood. An anthem, a flag, diplomatic immunity, UN observer status, and this week, full membership in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. more

Letters to the Editor more

Calendar for the week of Oct. 28 more

The fierce debate between Rep. Michelle Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry over using executive power to require young girls to be vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) raises a very interesting question for all Americans to ponder. If state and federal governments use their power—not to mention the law—to intervene in public health related issues, is that a “violation of liberty interest” as Bachmann called it or do we view it as a necessary measure that would be considered public good? more

Dear Aviva, My husband and I are in our late seventies and are proud grandparents. Our first grandchild just became engaged to a lovely young man. They are planning on marrying in Israel in a few months. I cannot attend, since I am responsible for taking my husband to dialysis and caring for him. Our children or grandchildren help out the few times that I am not able to take him, but all of our family will be at the wedding and I do not feel that it would be right to leave him with someone who is unfamiliar with his situation. I have been dreaming of my granddaughter’s wedding from the time that she was a very young child and cannot come to terms with this concept of not attending. more

Local news in brief more

Rabbi Shlomo of Kartin said: “If you want to raise a man from mud and filth, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching down to him a helping hand. You must go all the way down yourself, down into mud and filth. Then take hold of him with strong hands, and pull him and yourself out into the light.” more

The stage is askew and sounds of seagulls squawk at the off-Broadway Castillo Theatre, where Dan Friedman’s “The Learning Play of Rabbi Levi-Yitzhak, Son of Sara, of Berdichev,” takes the setting of a deck aboard a late 19th century steamer heading to America, with four Russian Jews representing the religious spectrum between socialism and Orthodoxy. more