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On the upstate map, there are places such as Gilboa and Bethel, named by Christians for whom the Catskills scenery was reminiscent of the Holy Land. In a valley next to State Route 28 is the village of Fleischmanns, named for a Jewish industrialist who pioneered Jewish settlement in these mountains. Knowing little about its history, I only knew it as a spot on the map and, on my recent family vacation, curiously departed from the main road to drive through it.

Security and healing were highlighted at One Israel Fund’s annual fundraiser barbecue in West Hempstead last Thursday, noting that the expansion of the war to Judea and Samaria is prevented by the blessing of our Creator and support from participants at this event.

The story of Estee Ackerman’s rise to table tennis stardom began in West Hempstead when she was seven and her father Glenn sought to provide his children an alternative to electronics by installing a table in his basement. Since then, she’s beaten Rafael Nadal at the game at age 11, and appeared in Jewish and secular media for her refusal to play on Shabbos.

Among the rites of passage in the summer for overnight campers is Visiting Day, when parents spend many hours on the road to reach campsites in the backwoods of the Catskills or Poconos. With my daughter having her first summer away from family in the distant town of Gilboa, I did not want to devote the day merely driving to see her and then returning home. Leaving very early, I had time for my own sightseeing last weekend. As we’ve done with our Chol HaMoed guides, perhaps this quick list of Catskills destinations can offer parents and grandparents their own experience with nature, if only for a day.

At the moment when I was writing this column, social media and traditional news outlets are focusing on Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice for running mate as she runs to succeed incumbent President Joe Biden. Had this sentence been written a year ago, let alone a week ago, it would seem preposterous to read.

The most watched primary contest this summer pulled off an upset against two-term Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who leaned hard on an anti-Israel campaign that received national attention in a presidential election year with the war in Gaza litigated among Democratic voters. Westchester County Executive George Latimer will now be representing the 16^th Congressional District in Washington.