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Each year, ahead of the Celebrate Israel Parade, Jewish New Yorkers find different ways to pay tribute to the Holy Land. This year, after three long years without outdoor festivities, I opted to raise a glass with two gentlemen who play a vital role in Israeli politics. As I entered Mike’s Bistro in Manhattan two weeks ago, I was welcomed by the warm embrace of Gild Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The handshake of the former Minister of the Knesset for the Likud party set the tone for the evening at the Israel Heritage Foundation’s (IHF) Yom HaAtzmaut celebratory dinner.

BIRTHS

Rafi and Malkie Allman on the birth of a daughter. Mazal tov to the grandparents Eliezer and Gitti Allman and Hillel and Ellen Kaminsky, and to the great-grandparents Bobbi Antosofsky, Ruth Kaminsky, and Mel and Debbie Adler.

Over 16,000 attendees unite in day of celebration, culminating in the YU Ishay Ribo Concert

As the future leaders of the Jewish people, YU’s graduates of 2022 were launched into their new stage of life in a celebration on May 26 at Arthur Ashe Stadium at USTA in Queens reflecting the values and significance of their YU education.  

Someone once asked the Kotzker Rebbe, “Where is Hashem to be found?” He responded, “Where is G-d to be found? In the place where He is given entry!”

Jamie Geller, former HBO and CNN producer, celebrity chef, and current chief media officer at Aish Global, will be hosting Daily Giving’s upcoming Women’s Unity Concert. The concert is completely free and will begin streaming online on Sunday, June 12 at 8 p.m. It will be available then and afterward to all who register at www.dailygiving.org/concert.

The Met Council on Jewish Poverty hosted, for the first time since the pandemic, their annual Legislative Breakfast ahead of the Celebrate Israel Parade. The breakfast highlighted Met Council’s “Hate Has No Home Here” initiative, which was launched in 2021 to combat the proliferation of hate crimes in New York City. The event was emceed by CNN’s Sonia Moghe. Met Council runs America’s largest kosher food bank. During the pandemic, they distributed over 40.1 million pounds of food to over 210 organizations across New York, including 20 Halal food pantries.