A week after the massive rally against hate that marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, a smaller but equally vocal demonstration took place at MacDonald Park in Forest Hills, put together by young political activists in the Queens Jewish community. “Never did I imagine that in a modern and accepting society that I would be speaking to denounce anti-Semitism in New York City, the most diverse place in the world,” said organizer David Aronov.

Every year around this time, we all ask the same basic question: “What do I want to give for shalach manos this year?” But no one really asks, “What do the people around me want to get?”  Isn’t it about the receiver? 

How to stay positive and busy during this challenging time

In 20 years, what will your child remember? Yearbooks often ask graduates where they hope to be two decades later. In just a few months, we as a nation will reflect on the 20-year mark following the September 11 attacks. How do we want our children to recall the era of the 2020 coronavirus? Do we want them to reflect on the ordeal as a horrible experience where they were climbing the walls, or one where they made arts and crafts and bonded with their siblings?

In a cavernous conference hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Downtown DC last week, over 18,000 delegates from across the US and Israel and around the world thundered with cheers over highly partisan addresses by an all-star roster of Trump administration-affiliated speakers, including Vice President Mike Pence, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During their speeches and others, the crowd gave standing ovations for mentions of President Donald Trump, while references to leading Democrats like Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Representative Ilhan Omar, and former President Barack Obama drew resounding boos.