Featuring Gershon Distenfeld Photographed at the David Beyda Studio on December 31st 2020

On the World Series of Poker:

I play as a hobby ... I never expected to be thrown into the limelight like I recently

One of the great joys of living on the Upper West Side is the potential for celebrity spotting. Pre-pandemic, when more people were in the city, it was fairly common not only to run into friends but also celebs while walking and shopping. As The Jewish Link is now expanding its reach to this side of the Hudson, I thought I would share with

As Jews, we pride ourselves on keeping our Jewish identity alive despite the diaspora. No matter where we were strewn, we kept the central tenets of Judaism. Today, we have settled in major countries and have built communities that are driven to impart the Jewish identity to the next generations. Over the past few decades, the focal point

COVID-19 has radically reshaped how we approach nearly all aspects of day-to-day life. Elections and the campaigns that accompany them have likewise been heavily impacted over the course of this year, and we have witnessed fundamental changes that will remain beyond our current circumstances. In 2020, we not only had to navigate the

As someone who uses words for a living, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to say anything these days, in fear of offending someone. But I don’t complain (about that). After all, our very ability to use words is a gift that Hashem gave us. Isn’t that what makes us better than the animals?

Not

The Jewish Link recently published a “Letter to the Editor” concerning tallit-related protocols in certain shuls. The letter regaled readers with a tale involving a persnickety “yekkishe” (German-style) synagogue with a penchant for authoritarianism. As the story goes, a visitor was davening on Shabbat morning and started to remove

“Are YOU one of tomorrow’s leaders? Do you have what it takes to set the tone for the next generation? Is the latest research about leadership all you need to know to reach your potential?” Shoshana Morgan’s eyes grew wider and wider as she read the questions on the flyer. It was as if someone was reading her mind! “Yes, yes and

Dear Shayna B.,

My family is invited to our neighbor’s bar mitzvah but I do not want to go! The bar mitzvah boy has always been nasty to me but he puts on a friendly face when he is with adults. The problem is I always spend Shabbat with my family and this is going to be a hard situation to get out of. What would you do, Shayna?