Community Corner

When most people think of a men’s night out, it usually revolves around sports, but Emet Outreach recently drew a crowd of almost 60 married men for an evening of conversation. Part of the ever-expanding programming in its Couples’ Division, the theme was “Asking for a Friend.” The forum was a Q&A session with Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, LMSW, and Dr. Akiva Perlman, a noted mental health expert, which covered the topics of connection, intimacy, and creating meaningful relationships.

Yeshiva University partnered with Cross River, a local financial institution, to host an innovative Hackathon that saw 35 computer science students get creative and think outside the box to help improve healthcare technology.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,000 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of American public policy, last week castigated New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage for banning Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from speaking at the Museum as part of an upcoming event. The CJV rabbis criticized the Museum for using language of inclusivity to “demonize and exclude,” and politicizing a memorial to the Holocaust.

As part of the year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary, Touro University is focusing on the future as well as the past. A special anniversary conference held at Touro’s Lander College for Men highlighted this viewpoint. Perspectives on Individual Autonomy and Community Responsibility explored the legal, ethical, and halachic issues related to the individual’s right to make decisions. The conference was chaired by Dr. Stanley Boylan, Touro Vice President of Undergraduate Education and Dean of Faculties. and Dr. John Loike, Professor of Biology and Interim Director of Bioethics at Touro’s New York Medical College.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV) last week called upon the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to retract its statement issued April 16 entitled, “ISNA Condemns Israeli Violence Against Palestinian Worshipers.” CJV pointed to numerous factual errors in the statement, which, taken together, could easily be characterized as promoting a false narrative, encouraging anti-Semitism, and even fomenting violence.

May 1 marked a span of roughly 26 years since the alumni of Yeshiva Institute, now Yeshiva Primary, attended the well-known kiruv school that began the foundation of learning about Jewish religion and its practices for many New York City immigrants. The reunion, beautifully catered by New Life Catering, was held in the Tov Shul of Kew Gardens Hills and attended by many graduates from years 1995-1997.