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INBOX: Thank You Ari Gluck

You should be incredibly proud of what you accomplished. Putting your name on the ballot, standing up for what you believe in, and earning the support of more than 2,245 voters is no small feat. Those votes represent real people who believed in your message and your vision.

Going to Yeshiva for Johnny

Johnny Ellis had a plan. He’d wrapped up his old job, had a new one starting in June, and was going to spend the time in between doing something he’d wanted to do for a while — study in yeshiva. He never made it to either. Johnny, 28, a beloved member of Chabad Young Professionals of Hoboken and Jersey City, died suddenly in April — the day before he was set to leave for Guatemala.

Crown Heights Election Results: Cunningham Defeats Gluck, CH PAC Backed Candidates Win District Leaders Race

The largest win for the Crown Heights Jewish community in yesterday’s election was for the State Committee Members, locally known as Brooklyn district leaders. CH PAC endorsed candidate Akel Williams defeated DSA anti-Israel socialist incumbent Anthony Beckford for Democratic male district leader, and CH PAC endorsed candidate Nakisha Evans defeated incumbent Michelle Tege for Democratic female district leader.

The Jewish State You’ve Never Heard Of

The traces are everywhere. The train station welcomes arrivals in both Russian and Yiddish. A menorah towers over the town square. And unlike nearly every other Soviet-built city, Birobidzhan’s main avenue isn’t named for Lenin — it’s named for the Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem.