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Last week, President Trump delivered his annual State of the Union (SOTU) address. As in previous years, acute onset Trump Derangement Syndrome fell upon members of the Democratic Caucus, who remained firmly in their seats throughout most of the speech. New York voters who witnessed the galling behavior of their Representatives have the opportunity to have their voices of disgust heard at the ballot box this November, when all Members of the House are up for re-election.

Donald Trump’s long-awaited “Deal of the Century” was finally revealed last week and has received mixed reception everywhere in the world. Prime Minister Netanyahu was ecstatic, but quickly backtracked from his initial promises of applying sovereignty after confusing signals emanated from the White House. The British government has shown support, the French government has announced that it was going to study it, and the German government has said that the plan raises questions it wishes to discuss with its European partners. The representative of the European Union for foreign and security policy, Josep Borrell, accused the plan of undermining the “1967 borders” and hinted that it was not in accordance with international law. The Gulf countries, for the most part, welcomed a plan that will take the Palestinian burden off their shoulders. Finally, the Israelis back at home are as divided as always – and rightfully so, because the plan is, at its core, a lot of déjà vu.

Anyone who tells you that Hunter Biden’s involvement in the Ukrainian natural gas company is a “debunked right-wing conspiracy theory” is lying to you.

A life-changing event has the potential to inspire individuals to rethink how they live. For nonobservant Jews, a birth, bar/bas mitzvah, wedding, or death is often a rare moment when Jewish custom is brought into the picture. In my extended family, there are no Orthodox Jews. The men who attended cheder and leined their bar mitzvah parshah in the prewar years are gone.

A synagogue defaced, a storefront window broken, a Jewish mother harassed on the street, Jewish blood spilled on the ground. A dark cloud has rolled in and is hovering above the heads of all Jews. There is fear and worry and uncertainty. It can be felt in every shul, school, home, and market. It is palpable and it is warranted.

CCTV footage of a “suspicious” person taking photos on the morning of Monday, December 16, outside of the Young Israel of Queens Valley was shared recently on a local Facebook group for Kew Gardens Hills. A lot of people posted their comments, most were concerned, and a shul representative said that the NYPD also thought it was suspicious and was looking into it. It was not just the taking of photos, but some of his mannerisms that called out a question.