The most watched primary contest this summer pulled off an upset against two-term Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who leaned hard on an anti-Israel campaign that received national attention in a presidential election year with the war in Gaza litigated among Democratic voters. Westchester County Executive George Latimer will now be representing the 16th Congressional District in Washington.

At the moment when I was writing this column, social media and traditional news outlets are focusing on Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice for running mate as she runs to succeed incumbent President Joe Biden. Had this sentence been written a year ago, let alone a week ago, it would seem preposterous to read.

Among the rites of passage in the summer for overnight campers is Visiting Day, when parents spend many hours on the road to reach campsites in the backwoods of the Catskills or Poconos. With my daughter having her first summer away from family in the distant town of Gilboa, I did not want to devote the day merely driving to see her and then returning home. Leaving very early, I had time for my own sightseeing last weekend. As we’ve done with our Chol HaMoed guides, perhaps this quick list of Catskills destinations can offer parents and grandparents their own experience with nature, if only for a day.

The story of Estee Ackerman’s rise to table tennis stardom began in West Hempstead when she was seven and her father Glenn sought to provide his children an alternative to electronics by installing a table in his basement. Since then, she’s beaten Rafael Nadal at the game at age 11, and appeared in Jewish and secular media for her refusal to play on Shabbos.