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New York News

 Thousands of F train riders in New York City’s subway system experienced a harrowing ordeal when they were stuck in sweltering tunnels for hours due to a massive power outage. The incident, occurring during peak commuting hours, left passengers without air conditioning, light, or communication, leading to cramped conditions and significant discomfort. Emergency services, including the FDNY, were involved in evacuating riders through service tunnels, a process that was both time-consuming and chaotic. Social media was flooded with accounts from frustrated commuters, highlighting not only the immediate distress but also raising broader concerns about the aging infrastructure of the NYC subway system. This event underscored the urgent need for investment in maintenance and upgrades to prevent such disruptions in the future.

There was a simple woman who would go to shul infrequently. She came to shul the week of parshas Vayeishev. She listened to the Torah reading and heard the story of Yosef being sold by his brothers to the Yishmaelim and being brought down to Egypt. She became very emotional, and began to cry hysterically, her heart going out to poor Yosef. It took a while for the other ladies to calm her down. The next time she came to shul (besides for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur) was the following year, parshas Vayeishev. Once again, she heard the story of Yosef being sold, but didn’t react as she had the previous year. They asked her, “What changed from the previous year?” She answered, “If he’s fool enough to go back there and be sold again, I have no pity on him!”

While I love white wines and specifically the whites from Recanati in northern Israel, this season we at the Jewish Link Wine Guide tried many of Recanati’s portfolio of red wines to consider pairing them with meat-and-potato-based winter dishes and to provide concrete recommendations for Israeli wines to give as gifts during this holiday season.  

Recap: Aliza’s mother announces her engagement to Dalya’s father. Aliza is devastated and Dalya is also unhappy.

New York News

 Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran, was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man, following a high-profile trial that drew national attention. Penny had restrained Neely in a chokehold on a New York City subway after Neely reportedly made threatening remarks toward passengers. Jurors deliberated for nearly a week, deadlocking on the more serious manslaughter charge before ultimately acquitting Penny of the lesser charge, which carried a maximum sentence of four years.

Finding the ideal holiday destination can sometimes be difficult, add to that the need to have access to kosher food, and this can make options quite limited, but Ben Robbins, the owner of Bespoke Kosher Travel, wants to change this. Through his company, Ben aims to take the stress out of holiday planning, and change not only the way that Jewish people travel, but also where they can travel to.