As bar mitzvah chesed projects go, Gavriel Katz is putting his best foot forward. For his chesed project, Gavriel decided to collect gently worn shoes that have been sitting in closets just taking up space. He plans to send these shoes off and sell them to third-world countries and then give the proceeds to the Mendel Balk Yachad Center in

After two years of COVID-induced isolation, community Chanukah events are back in full force. Chabad centers throughout the area are putting finishing touches to planned celebrations. Rabbi Shmuel Konikov, Chabad Englewood, said this year it is especially important to come together.

“In temple times after the shmita year, it is the Hakhel

The largest Jewish wedding in the history of the Arabian Gulf took place in the United Arab Emirate’s capital of Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with 1,500 invited guests.

Rabbi Levi Duchman, the first rabbi to serve in the UAE, opened the doors of his wedding to Lea Hadad to turn the event into a

Daylight savings has arrived. I’m not a fan of darkness. While exploring ways to light up the nights, my husband and I have been brainstorming and creating new music platforms, radio shows and special events.

So many musicians have been hard at work, thankfully. Eli Levin put out a beautiful version of “Lech Lecha,” a timely song close to our

And a good time was had by all … We sure hope everyone had a magical and musical month of Holy Days. Every time I hear people say “Welcome back to the real world,” LOL, I wonder which world is real.

We cherish the break from the internet and social media. Undistracted family time wins

For me, any opportunity to be in Israel is a cause of great personal simcha. My desire to spend more time in Eretz Yisroel is strong; unfortunately it isn’t always matched by the financial means to realize those dreams.

A more universal simcha, of course, is the wedding of

(The Jerusalem Post) Invited for a meal in the sukkah? You can’t come empty-handed!

Here are some creative and original gift ideas to keep everyone in the holiday spirit.

Seal It With a Kiss

These special days are filled with potential. It’s basically a time of expression, and what better way to do so than with musical accompaniment? The first night of Selichot in the “Thank You Hashem” shul, Five Towns, was ablaze with song. Spiritual music stirs the soul, contagious to all those nearby or even afar.

In “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” a popular novel and video adaptation, decades of drama and trauma begin in pre-state Israel, when the matriarch of the Sephardic Armoza family refuses to let her son marry “that Ashkenazi.” Times have changed. Marriages between Jews of divergent cultural backgrounds are common today.

Summer nights are winding down as we head into my fave season of all: autumn—back to school and back to Yom Tov. My, how things have changed. My, how we have grown. We’ve lost some classic music stars while new ones have come on the scene. Ah, the cycle of life. Thank you Hashem!

I never

When Ezra Nussbaum was 8 years old, his parents surprised him with a birthday party featuring magician Seth Dale. Ever since watching the act and bombarding Dale with questions after, Nussbaum dreamed of being a magician and over the past few years, it has become a reality. Now a rising 12th grader at Marsha Stern

Music. Energy. Dancing. Moving your feet to the beat is at the heart of many bar/bat mitzvah and wedding celebrations. But the style and the steps vary depending on the simcha, crowd and community.

Bar and bat mitzvah parties today are all about nonstop action that combines performance