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On Sunday afternoon, November 9, over 100 attendees gathered at the Ocean Avenue Jewish Center in Brooklyn to commemorate the 35^th yahrzeit (18 Cheshvan) of Rabbi Meir Kahane z”l – the controversial yet enduringly influential rabbi, activist, and founder of the Jewish Defense League (JDL). Kahane, a staunch advocate for Jewish self-determination and security, was assassinated in 1990 by Egyptian national El Sayyid Nosair while speaking at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan. His murder marked one of the first acts of Islamist terrorism on American soil, a precursor to the ideological violence that would follow in later decades.

For nearly three decades, there’s hardly an event in the Queens Jewish community where one wouldn’t see Rabbi Avrohom Hecht, the sociable activist, working the room among the elected officials, rabbis, and volunteers. Last Sunday, he took the stage in Rego Park to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Project Lead, honoring local elected officials for providing funding that covers its food pantry, programs for youth, and senior events, in particular for Holocaust survivors. “We assist thousands of clients with human services, distribute over 200,000 pounds of food per year, visit dozens of homebound elderly, and a myriad of other services,” said Rabbi Hecht. “Youth activities, Holocaust survivor services, emigre empowerment, and community development.”

Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Hills held a poignant Veterans Day ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, honoring the many veterans in its community and recognizing their exceptional service and sacrifice. The event brought together residents, staff, and special guests for a day filled with remembrance and celebration, exemplifying the spirit of gratitude and reverence that defines this holiday.

The Chazaq organization is renowned for its inspirational lectures and for its outreach to the unaffiliated offering life-changing after-school programs for public school youth and transferring hundreds of students to yeshivah.

When New York City stood engulfed in smoke and disbelief on 9/11, thousands of responders rushed toward catastrophe. Among them were the city’s sanitation workers - individuals rarely labeled as first responders, yet essential to the city’s survival in the days and months that followed. DSNY crews labored under extreme conditions: ill-fitting masks that clogged with ash, uniforms permanently stained by debris, and workdays so punishing they blurred into nights. One worker later recalled brushing dust from his coat so many times that the fabric changed color, yet returning each morning because “someone had to do it.”

In his toughest re-election race, exit polls showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a couple of percentage points behind centrist rival Benny Gantz, but by the end of the evening on Tuesday, early counting returns projected the incumbent ahead. “The right-wing bloc led by Likud clearly won,” Netanyahu said to his supporters. “I thank Israeli citizens for their trust. I will begin forming a right-wing government with our natural partners already tonight.”