An amazing launch of the Mendel Balk Yachad Center (MBYC) Thursday Mishmar Program.

Over the past two Thursday nights, I have participated in a unique program that I must share with our readers: The Thursday night Mishmar Program at the Teaneck-based Mendel

As voting has already begun, I wanted to share some of my personal insights into the slates I am supporting as part of Teaneck municipal elections this fall. With early in-person voting already going on and with thousands who have already voted and more early voting this Sunday at Teaneck's Rodda Center, there is no reason why we can’t

Now that the Yamim Tovim are behind us and, hopefully, our sukkahs have been put away and the Yom Tov leftovers are long gone, I am sure many of us have been looking forward to getting back to our regular work, school, shul and learning schedules. We are also now entering the fall event season and many of our community’s

When I first learned late this summer that my brother was gravely ill and declining, I briefly hesitated to call my rabbis and friends because they already do so much for me and my family, on a daily and weekly basis. But then I knew I needed them urgently and would be needing more from them imminently. I made the calls and got

As mail-in voting has already begun, I wanted to share some of my personal insights into the slates I am supporting as part of Teaneck municipal elections this fall. Early in-person voting will also commence at the Rodda Center in Votee Park beginning October 29. Additionally with one day town-wide voting on November 8, there is no reason

I write this piece with just over 24 hours remaining until Kol Nidrei and of course, we are on deadline, as we often seem to be during these shorter weeks with the Yamim Noraim and Sukkot coming around. Due to the timing of Yom Kippur last Tuesday night and Wednesday (our usual deadline times), this week’s Sukkot edition required us to go

This past month, the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County (RCBC), in collaboration with 14 community schools in Bergen County, has been engaging in a communal cheshbon hanefesh, a self-reflection, so to speak, regarding device usage, through its initiative “Living Connected.” While noting they are not advocating for the elimination of

I started writing this piece with the stirring sounds and music of Eitan Katz and Simcha Leiner still resounding in my ears as I began the first night of selichot with a beautiful multi-shul pre-selichot kumzitz with Eitan Katz as the main attraction. That packed event, a joint venture between Teaneck’s Keter Torah and

There was a lot of hype centered around the New York Jewish community this week, beginning with Sunday, September 11th’s New York Times cover story above-the-fold investigative feature about failures of New York’s yeshiva system, which brimmed with commentary from those who have left their religious communities. The timing of the

Almost every summer, except the recent COVID summers, my wife and I have enjoyed going away  for Shabbat to visit old friends in various communities throughout the tri-state area. Over the past few weeks, we have spent weekends at Beaver Lake in the Catskills, in the Five Towns (Woodmere) and, this past Shabbat, at the Jersey Shore in

On page 56 this week, we are pleased to present a new column based in dialogue, launched by the Rabbinical Council of America and Barkai, envisioned by Teaneck's Rabbi Chaim Strauchler of Rinat Yisrael, and Israel's Rabbi David Fine, founder and dean of the Barkai Center for Practical Rabbinics and Community Development.

In the month since our eldest and only daughter’s wedding, I have been struggling to write a nice and uplifting post-wedding piece to publish in this space. It is not a case of writer’s block or the summer blues or because I am more distracted than I typically would be … that’s not it at all. Nor is it due, God forbid, to