News

Recap: A blizzard started up while Akiva and Betzalel were in Mount McKinley National Park with Joe and the dog sled. Things are really going wrong. Akiva trips and hurts his ankle. Akiva is worried that his parents won’t be able to fly in from Seattle for his bar mitzvah because of the snow. He also hopes their Zeidy isn’t worried about them. Joe goes out to gather firewood because there’s a pack of wolves outside.

NEW YORK NEWS

 Columbia University has decided to cancel its university-wide commencement ceremony scheduled for May 15, citing security concerns amidst ongoing disruptive and violent protests, particularly related to anti-Israel demonstrations. Instead, the university will hold smaller-scale, school-based celebrations, where students will be honored individually alongside their peers.

This week’s parshah is a powerful exhortation to live a life of k’dushah. Haftaras K’doshim links the rejection of k’dushah to Galus. If we Yidden fall into error – G-d forbid – then we are ejected from our Holy Land and thrown into the mouth of the lion.

Jerusalem has numerous streets whose names are connected to nearby historical sites. Ir David, the City of David, was the capital of Jerusalem when King David reigned almost three thousand years ago. The charming Givat Chananya community offers panoramic views of the Old City and Ir David, and therefore many of its streets are named for King David’s relatives, including ancestors Obed and Yishai, wife Batsheva and sister Tzruya.

Daniel Kravitz, the owner of a secondhand furniture shop in Denver, was taken aback by the customer who entered his store. The young man was dressed like a hoodlum, with a shaved head and bare arms covered with tattoos, including the venomous message, “Kill Jews!” It was clear he was a neo-Nazi.

Drawing upon its experience supporting people through trauma, Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services is providing vital guidance to 4,000 displaced families with preschool children returning to their homes in the Gaza-area communities invaded last October 7.