Once upon a time, Achashverosh, the King of Persia, had his wife Vashti killed for failing to attend a banquet. Then he chose a beautiful Jewish woman named Esther to be his new Queen. He also … more

Theodor Adorno, the German philosopher of Jewish descent, famously called poetry after Auschwitz “barbaric.” Experts told JNS that there’s still room for humor in a post-Oct. 7 … more

Every ending is a new beginning. When we conclude each of the five books of the Torah (as we did last week) the reader leads the congregation in the refrain “chazak chazak … more

Religious women living on the frontlines in Judea and Samaria are taking up arms to defend their homes, particularly after the Oct. 7 massacre. Srugim, a news site catering to the religious … more

Twenty inspired women from Great Neck recently partnered to create a moving bat mitzvah party in Jerusalem for 22 girls, all victims of terror. The story began with survivors of the Oct. 7 Nova … more

The 13th of Adar, erev Purim, marks the 20th yahrzeit of our dear Rabbi Dr. Ephraim R. Wolf, Rav Ephraim Reuven ben Nachum Chaim, zt’l. The Modern Orthodox community in Great Neck was shaped by … more

With every day that passes, it becomes ever clearer that Western civilization is no longer civilized. Israel’s war of defense against a genocidal enemy is an inflection point in the … more

This Shabbat we will read Parashat Zachor which, according to the Shulchan Aruch, is a Torah-based mitzvah. In addition, it enables us to fulfill two of the three Taryag Mitzvot associated with … more

T here is a darkness sometimes that rages within which can overpower our very being. I had a Battalion commander, who took the first watch on the tank after a brutal day in the Lebanon war. It … more

Rabbi Daniel Rose wrote the following that will serve as the keynote to this week’s essay: “These days of Purim,” the Book of Esther says, “should be remembered and … more