יום שישי, כ״ב אלול תשפ״וFriday, September 4, 2026
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ETTA’s 20th Annual Gala, held recently at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, attracted more than 400 members of the Los Angeles community in support of ETTA’s work on behalf of Jewish adults with special needs.
The Ben Zakkai Honor Society’s NCSY National Scholarship Dinner on Sunday evening, January 26 in New York will celebrate the legacy of Anne Samson, a”h, of Beverly Hills, who was tragically taken from family, friends and the Jewish community she served so well in a horrific August automobile accident in Los Angeles.
By Sandy Eller
Whether you are a repeat customer or a first time visitor, from the moment you enter Orchidea you are treated like family. Only better.
By Shalom Bear
A new "Mehadrin" level Kashrut certification introduced by the Jerusalem Rabbinate is beginning to gain traction and save restaurants money.
By Vardah Littman and Rimonah Traub
This mitzpeh, or outlook, is a memorial to soldiers who fell during the “Mirdafim” (Pursuits) that took place in the area for about three years after the Six-Day War.
Nothing says winter like a bowl of hot soup – and so many of you responded to our request for recipes.
After the Six-Day War, Kfar Darom was resettled as a Nachal outpost of Bnei Akiva, and later, in 1990, a civilian settlement was established and the ancient, original name attributed to this place during the period of the Mishna, Kfar Darom, was adopted.
Perele stretches under the sturdy tree, savoring the calm breeze licking at her ankles, the blessed stillness of her secret retreat. Only a moment longer. These few short snaps of stolen time fill her with a heady sense of pleasure. This is her space. And trees don’t shout.
By Pnina Baim
It’s easy to get excited and start hunting for the perfect shade of champagne tablecloth to match the exact color of the bridesmaid dresses, or to insist that each guest must have a wine glass, water glass and soda glass.
For quite a few days in late December, Toronto was transformed into a breathtaking – literally and figuratively – frigid winter wonderland, where every twig, leaf, car door, and outdoor wire and cable was totally encased in ice. When the sun shone the landscape was blindingly brilliant as if billions of diamonds had been glued to everything the eye could see.
It is possible that your father is attempting to transfer his wartime experiences in the direction of your 11-year-old grandson since he was the same age when he endured them
For many years, people suffering from selective mutism, or the inability to speak in certain social situations, were thought to be unstable or abused. Their behavior was attributed to an emotional disturbance. Recent research, however, has proven that the idea that children with selective mutism are disturbed is a myth that should be discredited and exposed.
Spoiler Alert: Going to see the movie “Saving Mr. Banks”, starring Tom Hanks is not like going to Disney World. Well, it is like going to Disney World if you go mid-August with your triplet toddlers, feed them all cotton candy, and lose your car because you forgot you parked in Pluto 7.394. It's not a happy Disney movie.
Lois Mondres has lived in a South Florida condominium for 25 years. For the past five years she has enjoyed maintaining a small vegetable garden. Mrs. Mondres grew lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, kale and tomatoes in a plot in front of her unit. The 82 year-old senior is a vegan and depended on her crop for the vegetables she ate.
Emunah of South Florida, Miami Beach chapter, will present the Emunah Humanitarian Leadership Award to U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen at the organization’s annual gala dinner.
The Lana Ditchek Goldberg Hachnossos Kallah of Greater Miami will mark its 30th anniversary with a benefit tea.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, 9592 Harding Avenue in Surfside, provides a virtual smorgasbord of classes, lectures, Shabbatons and speakers to satisfy every taste and interest.
Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil will be leading an OU community weekend at the Boca Jewish Center/Shaaray Tefilla of Boca Raton from Saturday, January 18 through Sunday, January 19 (Shabbat Parshat Yitro). The synagogue is located at 21065 Powerline Road, Suite C-7.
Determination is now being studied by educators and psychologists who want to understand why some people born with every gift do not achieve a meaningful adulthood, while others born into a challenging existence rise above their beginnings to enjoy accomplished lives.
By Irwin Cohen
There were 15 Jews in the major leagues during the 2013 season, but only a few from a Jewish mother.
The Recycling Plant in Hillburn, NY, also known as an MRF, Materials Recovery Facility, offers an extensive education on the importance of recycling, as well as exciting activities related to recycling for children to enjoy.
By Eli Davis
"Fear absolutely no one or nothing but G-d, and love every single Jew no matter who he/she is and no matter what he/she is doing.”
Eishet Chayil is a hymn customarily recited on Friday evenings before sitting down to the Shabbat evening meal. It is a twenty-two verse poem at the conclusion of the book of Mishlei, describing the woman of valor as the ideal wife and mother.
This week we deal with questions from people who, one way or another, are on their own. And as usual, we don’t really help them.
Sleep Terror Disorder generally occurs early in the sleep cycle, usually in the first third of the night during stage 3 or 4 NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep – during delta waves, the slowest and highest amplitude brain waves, as opposed to during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Think about the perfect student, the one who sits quietly, takes notes, and participates when called on. Now, were you imagining a boy or a girl? Chances are, your “perfect” student was a girl.
What we saw was Arab arrogance, audacity, and terror that was completely out of control.
The story line may have been a bit confusing, but the message seemed pretty clear; in life you need both the psychologist and the Rebbe.
The Milken Family Foundation and the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) partnered in sponsoring the recent Jewish Educator Awards Student Essay Contest for middle and high-school students from BJE-affiliated schools.
In the dim lights of the auditorium, the outfit screamed of loudness, and I felt different.
By Chana Mark
Most of us instinctively know what good parenting looks like. And yet…
The voyage is going peacefully A salty tang in the air, But when the storm decides to strike The sailors are unprepared.
My first cell phone was given to me by a son who doesn’t live near us. He was tired of trying to reach me on our landline. He felt it was wrong for me not to be able to be accessible to my family, and I must admit that he was right.
By Sandy Eller
Talk to people who own hybrid cars and they will happily gloat about how infrequently they fill up their tank or how many miles they get to the gallon. Chat with owners of electric cars and they will wax enthusiastically about how often they go to the gas station. Just so you know: they don’t. Ever.
The exhibit, according to a statement from guest curator Michele Waalkes which is posted on the museum website, “examines how faith can inform and inspire artists in their work, whether their work is symbolic, pictorial, or textual in nature. It further explores how present-day artwork can lead audiences to ponder God, religious themes, venerated traditions, or spiritual insights.”
Outside is a winter-white wonderland replete with dazzling trees, wires, and sidewalks seemingly wrapped in glittery silver foil. It’s quite lovely to look at, which is about all I can do since I’m stuck indoors. Icicle-laden tree branches are bent and hunch-backed by the frozen heaviness of their popsicle-like burden, and the voices squawking from the battery-operated transistor radio I am listening to are warning people not to go out since walkways and roads are extremely slippery, and there is real danger from falling trees.
My experiences with weight loss programs have made me see that the focus is all on the wrong aspect of "fat".
This particular article has been on my computer for quite some time now – incomplete. What compelled me to complete it was my son's 19th birthday. Born of my first marriage and raised solely by my husband and me for the past seventeen-plus years, my son has only a few memories of time spent with his biological father. My children have made me acutely aware of Parental Disconnect issues. I hope that sharing my thoughts on it will help save others from the pain and confusion we have had to work through.
Dr. Brian Doyle, in his book, Understanding and Treating Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, explains that “When we examine the lives of adults who struggle and fail, repeatedly, sometimes we find symptom patterns like those of children with ADHD…Once they have a proper diagnosis and full treatment, adults with ADHD can change their lives profoundly.”
Shabbos at a Nefesh weekend is an experience all on its own.
The President having signed the Treaty of the Geneva Conference and the Senate having, on the 16th instant, ratified the President's actions, the American Association of the Red Cross, organized under provisions of said treaty, purposes to send its agents at once among the sufferers by the recent floods, with a view to the ameliorating of their condition so far as can be done by human aid and the means at hand will permit. Contributions are urgently solicited.
Several weeks ago a man entered a convenience store in Miami and attempted to make a purchase using an unusual barter. Fernando Aguilera had a hankering for beer. His lack of cash produced a creative solution.
The RASG Hebrew Academy’s 66th Annual Event was held on Sunday night, December 22. The yearly dinner is held to raise scholarship funds that provide tuition assistance to approximately 60 percent of the Hebrew Academy student body.
The Israeli men’s international lacrosse team played an exciting showcase event on December 8 at the Miami Country Day School. The exhibition match pitted Team Israel against Florida International University. Israel defeated FIU 17 to 11.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, located at 9295 Harding Avenue, 2nd floor, in Surfside, will be holding a Scholar in Residence Weekend January 17-18 with Rabbi Benjamin Blech. (The Shabbaton is being generously sponsored by Fred and Judy Farbman.)
Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil will be leading an OU Community Weekend at the Beth Israel Congregation of Miami Beach Friday, January 3-Saturday, January 4 (Shabbat Parshat Bo). The OU member synagogue is located at 770 West 40th Street.
By Ben Zion
Although Kempler's art is “dark,” the spirit of her humanity is ever- present.
By Rivka Herman
My sister went to take a shower. I really didn’t appreciate being alone. As I waited for my turn to shower, I suddenly heard voices coming from my parents' bedroom, down the dark hallway.
Every child wants to "fit in," and not be the “uncool kid." This is why teenagers steal, from a high-end store or a schoolmate. Some kids even get bullied for their appearance. So they just make believe they are too sick and not have to suffer what they call “torture."
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but what happens when the village has no idea what to do with the child?
Ahh, Winter Break. Those glorious ten days each year when the kids have vacation and hopefully, you do too. Heading off to Florida sounds pretty amazing right about now, huh? What? You're not going anywhere? Staying home? Yeah, that was us – every single year.* Affording a warm-weather vacation with a bunch of kids is pretty much out of the question for many families and this year is no exception. So instead of taking a vacation, plan a staycation.
Shabbos means different things for us than it does for the average Jewish home. Soon after my divorce six years ago, I made a valiant effort at conducting a Shabbos meal for my two toddlers, aged three and a half and two and a half. With emotional resources severely depleted and time and energy limited, the store-bought roasted chicken and greasy soup with heavy matzah balls did little to enhance the atmosphere, and the gnawing loneliness threatened to engulf me. Is it any wonder I gave up?
If someone is acting different and no significant outside stressors are apparent, I would advise the individual to go for a check-up to ensure that there is no medical reason for the change.
The Nazi officers and their wives were flattered to have the beautiful, poised Arab aristocrat at their parties.
By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K.
Without warning, the first awareness of an onset of a serious accident or illness brings with it a dawn of a new world, complete, as it were, with its own natural laws that are not always clear to the uninitiated. This leaves both the “newbie” and his or her family, feeling that they have landed in a strange new world without a passport or travel guide.
Many parents are afraid to sign their children up for extracurricular activities because they believe the activities will negatively impact their performance in school. In other words, that the extracurricular activities will take the place of the curricular ones. While in some cases (which I will outline later), this may be true, in most cases, extracurricular activities can actually aid in children’s learning and retention of material.
The Orthodox Jewish Chaplaincy Board (OJCB) of Southern California conducted Chanukah candle-lighting services with Jewish inmates at Men’s Central Jail (MCJ), Twin Towers Correctional Facilities (TTCF) and Pitches Detention Center (PDC) during this past Chanukah.
The 100 divrei Torah in this book originally appeared online and were distributed via e-mail. Unsurprisingly, therefore, many of them address contemporary issues. For example, on Parshat Mishpatim (and elsewhere), Rabbi Angel berates Israel’s chief rabbis and others for making life increasingly difficult for would-be converts to Judaism. On Parshat Vayigash, Rabbi Angel scolds 40 Israeli rabbis who signed a proclation prohibiting Jews from selling land in Israel to non-Jews.
The Joint Distribution Committee cared for the refugees, directed the care of children, renewed educational facilities, undertook the rebuilding of destroyed houses, etc. Through the year 1930 the Joint Committee distributed over $80 million to the different branches of its relief work, and even distributed aid via affiliated charities to Jewish agricultural settlements in the USSR.
By Sandy Eller
Welcome to Food Talk, a new feature that will highlight food bloggers, those enterprising souls who always seem to come up with something new, creative and most importantly, delicious. If you are anything like me, many of the recipes you make are the ones that magically show up in your inbox one morning and if you get lucky, these new dishes fast become family favorites.
By Malky Ashur
The wind whistled outside my house, as the lights flickered but thankfully didn’t turn completely off. Being in this situation reminded me of the terrible week and a half in late October when my family and community lost all electrical power due to Superstorm Sandy.
“Nechama Gitty Shapiro is leaving,” said the secretary, poking her head into the classroom. My classmates all turned towards me and whispered, “Where are you going?”
It is a rare season indeed when two major auction houses show not only resplendent offerings of Judaica, but also multiple examples of highly unusual and rare Jewish-themed fine art. That is indeed the case now both at Sotheby’s December 19th auction and the Bonhams recent December 10th auction.
The necessity of speaking up when you “have a hunch” applies even more when it comes to shidduchim. One little girl did just that – she said something – and I was fortunate enough to be in town for the very joyful, lively wedding that resulted from her speaking up.
Everything with my wife is an issue. If one of our young children spills something or accidentally breaks something, she screams uncontrollably. She is always angry and moody, which terrifies the children. I try to act lovingly toward her, but after an outburst she will often find a reason to blame me for what happened.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk the “spectrum” rather than autism specifically. In order to elucidate what is meant by the spectrum, I have put together a short guide to the different categories that fall under the term.
By dvora
often find myself telling clients, “There is no such thing as emotions!” Then I wait for their reactions. My hope is that the client will challenge me, as obviously we all experience emotions. It’s the way we are wired.
Separation anxiety disorder is a condition in which a child becomes fearful and nervous when away from home or separated from a loved one – usually a parent or other caregiver – to whom the child is attached.
Mandela remained loyal to the rogue leaders and regimes that backed him through the many years he’d been imprisoned: Cuba’s Castro, Libya’s Khaddafi and the PLO’s Arafat.
Hebrew Academy (RASG) has announced that Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, will be the keynote speaker at the Hebrew Academy Annual Event.
Chai Lifeline Southeast’s first venture into the art world, “Through the Eyes of Our Children,” an exhibit and sale at Gallery Art in Aventura, was part of the organization’s Chai Crafts program, an innovative art therapy endeavor sponsored by the Root Foundation.
This year was memorable for the energy of all the participants who, along with Avraham Fried and the members of his orchestra and the YBO Band, joyously sang and danced in the rain. Fried performed with chassidishe warmth and humor. The night was so meaningful and so mesmerizing, the audience didn’t want it to end.
The Preserve at Palm-Aire, a local senior living community, recently donated more than 180 eco-friendly, sturdy and reusable tote bags to the Broward County Jewish Family Services (JFS).
By Pnina Baim
It’s not that I think contractors, painters and tile guys are exclusively greedy, deceitful incompetent people – I think they are just poor businessmen or women!
I look into the flickering flames of the Shabbos candles and I am thankful for the warmth and light that emanates from them and illuminates our home.
Dear Mordechai, What is the origin of the custom to eat Seudah Shlishis in shul? Mizmor L’David
Widow of world-famous nuclear scientist and human rights activist, Dr. Andre Sakharov, and an outstanding activist in her own right, Yelena Bonner was invited to speak of the suffering she endured in Stalinist Russia. Instead, the 86-year-old leader of the Russian human rights movement chose to speak about Israel and the Jews. Why?
I wonder why bullying exists in our community and in society at large? I was very surprised at a 30-year-old client’s explanation.
The rebbe had told Meir and Yehudah to take turns, but that wasn’t working out so well.
September 4, 2026 
