News

At the height of the pandemic, when hosting guests for Shabbos posed a health risk, many families in West Hempstead socialized outdoors at Halls Pond Park. Now that shuls have reopened and the mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim can be practiced again, the park remains an afternoon favorite among residents. But in a town where the budget and staffing are tight, trash accumulates in the park, detracting from its natural beauty.

The new City Council District lines released this week offer empowerment to some communities and political movements, but also worry Jewish activists who fear the dilution of their power as a voting bloc effective in defeating leftist candidates.

Among the charitable bike races of the summer, Tour De Simcha offers the most challenges, with a 65-mile route that loops around the grounds of Camp Simcha in the Catskills, with mountaintop views and meanders on the tight gorge of the Delaware River. The rewarding feeling comes at the end, when participants are greeted by the cheering campers and their counselors.

Among my neighbors, Marc and Ariella Goldhammer have an open door, with strollers parked outside on many Shabbos afternoons. Since their arrival in West Hempstead, their home has become a magnet of hospitality. Sadly, this past week, it was a home of mourning after Ariella’s brother, David Moshe Henoch, 18, died in a scuba diving accident in Florida this past Sunday.

On the week when President Joe Biden traveled to Israel and Saudi Arabia to affirm this country’s relations with Israel, revive funding to the Palestinians, and secure favorable rates for oil from the Saudis, the Jewish community of West Hempstead was united in its support for Jews in Yehudah and Shomron.

While hundreds of laws are passed in Albany every year, amendments to the New York State Constitution are rare. Yet, that is just what was proposed by New York legislators last week in an “extraordinary session,” and its results could have significantly weakened religious freedom in the state.