The Bulletin Board
Collecting Jewish History
Rabbi Marc Schneier Slams Mamdani Appointees
No one should be surprised by the ADL's report that revealed over 20% of Zohran Mamdani's transition team members hold extremist views and have ties with notoriously antisemitic organizations.
Terrorist in Bondi Chanukah Massacre Linked to Islamic State
At least 27 victims were hospitalized, New South Wales Health said on Monday, including six people in critical condition, six in critical but stable condition, and 13 in stable condition. At least 40 people were injured overall in the attack, according to police.
Poll & Analysis: Democratic (Left) Vs. Republican (Right) Antisemitism
In recent years, antisemitism and anti-Zionism have increased dramatically, as has the debate about which side is more antisemitic: the Left (Liberal Progressive Democrats) or the right (Ultra-Nationalist Republicans).
Mamdani: Nefesh B’Nefesh Event at New York Synagogue Promotes ‘Violation of International Law,’ Event Misused ‘Sacred Space’
Mamdani’s victory has unsettled segments of New York City’s Jewish community, who already feel heightened anxiety amid the spiking antisemitic incidents in the city and across the country and who feel uncertain as to how he will address such concerns from City Hall.
Conservative and Pro-Israel Commentator Charlie Kirk Assassinated in Utah
Charlie was extremely smart, knowledgeable, well read and an authoritative yet genuine voice who could speak on virtually every subject, capable of responding to those debating and critiquing him.
Jerusalem Terrorist Attack Is a New Intifada
Israel understands that its survival is at stake. But the West does not.
Six Murdered in Terror Shooting in Jerusalem
Two terrorists were neutralized at the scene by an Israel Defense Forces soldier and an armed civilian.
When Should Americans Stay Silent About Israel?
A Guideline for Speaking Up About Israel
I just returned from Israel, where I spent a...
Jews Arrested in Iran Released after Round-Up by Regime Security Forces
“Several Jewish friends inside Iran sent me messages on Instagram and WhatsApp saying they were unharmed but very frightened of the regime’s authorities.”
Top Israel Advocates tell Piers Morgan: ‘Never Again’
The YouTube podcaster, who hosts antisemitic Holocaust revisionists, is facing a backlash for his sensationalism and rudeness.
Boulder Mourns Beloved Victim in Boulder Antisemitic Firebomb Attack
Karen Diamond, a familiar and beloved face within Boulder’s Jewish community, passed away this week, weeks after she was critically burned in a firebomb attack.
A Miscarriage of Justice: The Lesson of Tobianski Street
That the injustice was later recognized – and that his name is publicly honored – reflects a society willing to confront its grave mistakes.
Why I Wrote My Father’s Story – And You Should Write Your Family Story, Too
After I spoke at my father’s memorial and received that feedback, I knew what I had to do: I was going to write his biography. Then, I could show my family members and future generations the full picture of who their Zaidy was. They would be able to learn from him and emulate his ways.
Shushhhhhhh!
For me, the dissemination of conversation during services had not, in the past, been so much a violation of halachic decorum, but an annoying impediment to clearly hear the ba’al tefillah and ba’al koreh enunciate each and every word.
Are You Trying to Inspire People Toward Aliyah but Pushing Them Away?
Nobody ever started keeping Shabbos because a rock was thrown at them or because they were told that if they do not, they are a bad Jew. People embrace Shabbos because they were lovingly invited to experience it, shown its beauty, exposed to its meaning. They were invited to learn about why it is important and right for them.
A Tale of Two Popes
For all his caution, Pius XII never suggested that it was wrong to fight Nazi Germany; rather, he operated within a long-standing Catholic moral framework that recognized the tragic necessity of war under certain conditions: the “Just War Theory,” which does not glorify violence; it constrains it.
My Father’s Short Story: The Will to Live
The most powerful lesson is the indestructibility of the Jewish spark. Even when wrapped in the garments of another faith, even submerged in silence and survival, the inner chamber or essence of the Jewish soul is preserved.
A Seat at the Table with Mitchell Silk
A key challenge for our community is finding more people in various fields who are willing to chip in. If more attorneys and others would step up, they would end up leading a much more fulfilling life. Countless hours can lead to countless lives being saved.
Jerusalem, Israel
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Hidden Blessings
How could something I had once chosen so carefully simply… slip away? I searched my memory, trying to reconstruct that moment. But the truth was, there were several couples within my own family who were in need of such tefillot at the time.
Q & A: Pirkei Avot Between Pesach and Shavuot (Part III)
Question:Is there a specific reason that the last chapter of Pirkei Avot is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar?
Zvi Kirschner
Via Email
Entering the Fourth Room
Scattered among the peoples of this earth, we spent two thousand years wrestling with history. Stripped of almost every public expression of Jewish life, we clung to the word and will of Hashem and proved more resilient than history and more faithful than our enemies presumed.
The Curse of Flattery, the Gift of Rebuke
The purpose of rebuke is simple: Rebuke helps us see where we have gone wrong, clarifying what we must change and improve in order to fulfill our purpose and actualize our true potential.
Chew on This: From the Mundane Table to the Sacred Altar
Eating itself is to be viewed as a form of sacrifice. The consumption of food to empower the body to serve G-d can be as symbolically and intentionally powerful as offering a sacrifice on the altar. It depends on the person’s kavana.
The Lag B’Omer Afikomen
As one educator once said, “Every child has gifts. Some discover them later than others.” Very often, those qualities and talents remain latent and need to be recognized.
The Strangers Among Us: When Belonging Breaks Down in Parshas Emor
The tragedy of the mekallel is not only that he sinned. It is that his outcry came from a place of fracture that the community never addressed. He stands as a cautionary figure, a reminder of what happens when we fail to make room for those who are already inside our gates but do not yet feel fully held.
A Responsibility, Not a Title
Why is Shabbat listed as the first mo’ed before the mo’adim of Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos. which we usually associate with the word chagim (23:3)?
Finding an Anchor in the Shelter
The children in the building hope to learn the laws of Shavuot at home. But this week, they taught me a lesson, too.
Small Eyes
To be a student of Rebi Akiva, you had to be extremely gifted and super intelligent. There were other yeshivot, other rabbanim, but none matched Rebi Akiva’s for level of study and for number of students.
What It Means to Be Honorable
Ultimately, the wisdom, might, and wealth of an individual are only aspects reflecting his stature, but not essential to his character; the celebrated aspect may reveal itself in some situations to be superficial and not substantive.
The Great Sefira Lesson
We need to teach our children to honor the shul rabbi. The one who, on a regular basis, warns them about the evils of lashon hara, the dangers of smoking, vaping, gambling, and addictive gaming.
