Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to return to office, following his reelection. Voters gave Netanyahu 64 seats in the legislature, enough for a governing majority. The election was marked by the highest turnout since 2015, with 71.3% of eligible voters casting ballots — more than in any of the last four elections that produced stalemates or short-lived governments. AP Photo
Thousands of Chabad rabbis gathered in Brooklyn for their annual “class photo,” having traveled from all 50 states and more than a 100 countries to attend a six-day convention at the group’s headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway. As a bonus, Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport of the New Jersey shore measured each rabbi’s beard to determine which was the longest. The winner was 26 inches. Photo by Chabad of Brooklyn
For those who binge-watched the first season of “My Unorthodox Life,” the reality TV show about former Orthodox fashion mogul Julia Haart, more drama is on the way. Season 2 of the popular show will arrive on Netflix on Dec. 2. And if the pre-debut announcements are to be believed, a ton of changes have taken place since Season 1 premiered in July 2021: Several divorces, the firing of a CEO, alleged abuse, hanky-panky with [...]
Conservation work to save a structurally fragile, historic synagogue in Herat, western Afghanistan, is set to begin with the backing of the Taliban government. Yu Aw synagogue, located in the Momandha quarter of Herat’s old city, will undergo a 16-month restoration project to save it from possible collapse, local officials and the organization responsible for carrying out the works have confirmed. The project, which includes restoration of the mikvah, known as Hammam-e Mosaie, is [...]
A hundred rabbis gathered to rally for reproductive rights on Nov. 9, 2022, in St. Louis’ Memorial Park Plaza. The rabbis were part of the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly. Photo/Rabbinical Assembly
Menorah Lighting In Mitchell Park, Then Munchies At The Shul With hardly a moment to spare between tasting the turkey on Nov. 26 and lapping up latkes on Dec. 18, you’d better check now to be sure you’re prepared with Hanukkah essentials. If not, happily the shul’s Gift Shop is well supplied with candles (plain and fancy), menorahs (large and small, including those adorable children’s menorahs in choo-choo train, ballet slippers, and soccer motifs), [...]
Members of the Tikkun Olam Initiative pitched in to help CAST pack 75 Thanksgiving baskets containing whole chickens, which were purchased by the TOI, plus veggies and potatoes that will provide a feast for the charity’s clients. Also on the agenda for the TOI is the Toys for Kids project, kicking off this month. The group has positioned a barrel at the shul’s office door to collect toys so that CAST families in need can [...]
More Than I Love My Life by David Grossman, an International Booker Prize nominee, chronicles three generations of women as they travel to a barren Croatian island to reveal a secret. Here they unravel fear, love, mercy and the complex overlapping demands of romantic and parental desires. The selection will be explored at the next meeting of the Book Circle, to be held on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 4:15 p.m., on Zoom. The novel [...]
This month’s Oculus feature was inspired by Rabbi Gadi’s tour of the Magdala archaeological site in Israel, arranged by the rabbi as part of a Kristallnacht remembrance program and offered live on Zoom from the site. The photo and history were submitted to The Shofar by Saul Rosenstreich and Judith K. Weiner, members of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. The Magdala Stone is a carved block unearthed by archaeologists from a synagogue in [...]
Last Friday, I returned from Israel with a small group of our congregants. During the trip, we took our time strolling throughout the land. It was a beautiful and intimate experience I am still savoring. Those who travel to Israel for the first time often are surprised to discover how hustling and bustling it is. Serious yet buoyant. The Biblical land is hidden under many layers of highways and new high-rise buildings popping up everywhere. [...]
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