The last few years have been painful ones for fans of the New York Mets. For sportswriter Howard Megdal, 31, the disappointment was tolerable—until his daughter was born. Wanting to spare his child the sadness of cheering on a losing team, Megdal did the only thing he could think of: he ran for general manager of the Mets. Megdal wrote a book about the experience, “Taking the Field: A Fan’s Quest to Run the Team He Loves,” which was published in May. more

Tisha B’Av is a date on the calendar most noted by observant Jews. Differently affiliated Jews generally confine their annual Jewish fasting to Yom Kippur. The concept of sadness or a connection to the darker side of our people’s history is by no means exclusive to any group. History’s enemies of the Jewish people (some of whom continue to make history now) never differentiated between how people practiced their Judaism, as much as they obsessed over the fact that Jews identified as Jews. more

A famous hasidic tale teaches: A man once went around spreading lies about the rabbi. Eventually he began to feel remorse for the wrong he had done. He went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything to make amends. The rabbi said, “Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds.” more

Dear Aviva, I recently lost my husband after a long battle with a degenerative illness. I’m relieved that he is out of pain now, but I am having a very hard time coping now. I thought the hard part was supposed to be over, but now it seems even more difficult. I’m just so alone now. I don’t have motivation to do much of anything. My kids and grandkids are really trying to tend to me, but it’s not helping. They keep telling me that I need to see someone to speak to. I’m really not interested in going for therapy because I don’t see how talking about the past can help me right now. -Woeful Widow more

Rare is the week where I don’t get a call or email from a reader asking me, “What is the best kosher restaurant in New York?” or “Where should I go if I want a good ...insert food item here.” My service was needed last week by an old friend and I immediately began going through restaurants in my head. more

This Shabbat we begin the last phase of the Torah reading cycle with the Book of Deuteronomy, Sefer Devarim, and timed to this is the recent publication of a new collection of Devarim sichos, informal talks from Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt”l, dealing with some of the deepest mystical aspects in chassidic thought translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. more

One of the most important moments before a mission, in which the right commander can make all the difference actually has very little to do with the actual mission. After all the training is done, and all the preparations are in order, the unit is ready to go, and the waiting game begins. And there is a moment, a last opportunity, for the commander to inspire his men. more

The struggle to maintain one of the world’s holiest Jewish sites remains an uphill battle of enforcement and political will. On June 14, visitors to Har Hazeitim, the Jewish cemetery atop the Mount of Olives in eastern Jerusalem, found a massive desecration of monuments in the Kolel Polin section, where the stones were broken to a degree that made the identification of a dozen deceased nearly impossible. more

Just weeks before we memorialize the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera, a news network known for its anti-Israel and anti-American slant, will be coming to Long Island on local cable networks. In contrast to efforts made by former president George W. Bush to postpone the airing of Al Jazeera English in the United States, current President Barack Obama strongly encourages its arrival on local television channels. more

On the itineraries of Jewish travelers, Croatia lacks the depth of Jewish experiences found in Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary, but in early June, four students from Touro’s Lander College for Women traveled to the 20-year-old Balkan country to visit its Jewish community, which numbers approximately 2,500, mostly in the capital city of Zagreb. more