Op-Ed: George Washington-Style Peace Plan

“If the State of Israel is to be a Jewish state. A sliver of a state, in a world teeming with Muslim dominated states. And if the Jewish state wants to respect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, and its law abiding residents, it can happen,” writes Aliza Bas Menachem in her latest op-ed.

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My Son Was Hit By a Car; the Driver Didn’t Apologize

In a painful open letter to the community, a Crown Heights parent says that last night their young son was struck by a vehicle as he was crossing the street. The driver, a member of our community, then added insult to injury.

Update: The driver (through CrownHeights.info) reached out to the family of the boy who was hit. She personally apologized to the boy and has offered to pay for any damage.

Op-Ed: Now Is Our Chance to Teach Shlaimos HaAretz

“The so-called ‘settlements’ are not bargaining chips in negotiations. They are the front lines for Jewish security for the people of Israel in the land of Israel,” writes Aliza Bas Menachem in her latest op-ed, following the Obama-sanctioned UN Security Council vote to condemn Israeli settlements.

Op Ed: The Bas Mitzvah Problem

A Crown Heights mother watched as her daughter came home from her classmate’s Bas Mitzvah with an entire shopping bag full of prizes and party favors. She could see the anxiety on her daughter’s face. Will she be considered the “neb” of the class because her Bas Mitzvah celebration is going to be held at home?

Chabad on Campus, a Game Changer Forever

What is the power of Chabad on Campus? One of the people who witnessed the joyous singing and dancing at the Havdalah gathering following the JewFest Shabbaton this past Motzei Shabbos describes the surreal and uplifting atmosphere in this open letter he submitted to CrownHeights.info.

Letter: Planning our Family

While visiting my ailing mom in Brooklyn, just a few months before her untimely passing, I shared with her the exciting news that Chavie and I were going to adopt a second baby. She pondered the idea that we’d have adoptive Irish twins, thirteen months apart, and after a few moments, she gave me her loving motherly look and asked “Why so quick? What’s the rush”? I’m still uncertain where my answer came from, perhaps directly from my soul: “Mom”, I said, “I thought we don’t believe in family planning!”. She smiled, accepted it, and shared my witty comeback with whoever would listen.

Op-Ed: Chabad Gave Me My Jewish Confidence

Before enrolling at U.C. Santa Cruz, Amanda Botfeld, a Reform Jew from Santa Monica, had never heard of Chabad. “I avoided Jewish spaces in part because I never felt like my level of Jewishness was ‘enough.’ Jewish community events are often intended to reaffirm your standing as an insider; I usually left feeling more like an outsider,” she wrote in an op-ed published by JWeekly. “But Chabad was different.”

Op-Ed: Just Listen

A young single on the ‘Shidduch Market’ bemoans the seeming difficulty of Shadchanim and parents to accept it when a young Bochur or girl rejects a suggestion, or take it seriously when they express their preferences.

Op-Ed: Protect Your Children’s Protectors

A Crown Heights mother expresses concern that too often parents don’t concern themselves with the safety and well-being of teenage girls who babysit their children in this op-ed submitted to CrownHeights.info.

Op-Ed: Once Again, a Final Goodbye

Her name was Faygee. She was 20 years old and she had a smile that could light up a room. Faygee was one of my wife Aviva’s students and she was full of life, full of love, and full of hope. She always knew what to say to make everyone around her feel good, how to give them chizuk so that they could carry on even when they faced trials and tribulations. But we lost her Monday night to an accidental heroin overdose.