SPARKS, an organization founded by Esther Kenigsberg with a mission to combat and raise awareness relating to women who suffer from postpartum depression  and related illnesses, recently paid tribute to several prominent business and religious leaders, including Rabbi Dr. Elie and Esti Abadie, Rafi and Ruthie Fouzailoff, Rabbi Joel Eisdorfer, Rabbi Naftali Horowitz, Susan Stone, Yossi Itzkowitz and Suri Krauss, in a tribute luncheon held in Washington, DC.

You may have seen them in your neighborhood—weekend riders zipping down the street on their bicycles, exuding cadence, confidence and concentration. Riding groups across the country demonstrate that bike riding is not only good for the environment, but for physical and mental health as well. It provides the heart and circulatory system with a thorough workout, burning up to 700 calories per hour, and clears and calms the mind.

Have you ever put yourself in your ancestors’ shoes? These brave men and women left home, started new lives from scratch in unknown countries, with unknown languages and not a penny in  their pockets.

Since graduating from the Shehebar Sephardic Center in 2009, Rabbi Moshe Arbiv and his wife Leah have been busy serving the Israeli Jewish community in northern Philadelphia. While they have worked with Israelis in the area for several years, they began at Beit Harambam about 18 months ago.

This past December, a very special teacher passed away. Suzanne Blaine A”H, Chairperson of the English Department at the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School, was loved by students and colleagues alike. A memorial ceremony on March 29 was held to celebrate her life; and a full house shared stories of Blaine’s enjoyment of the richness of life and the many ways she impacted others.

On July 25th, 2010, my mother, Odette Ades passed away, and I was left with no parents. This  thought has staggered me. I am 46 years old with a family of my own, and yet I can’t believe that the people who raised me and who I’ve looked up to all my life are gone.

Nono Ezra Mosseri, I  miss you so much. I can’t believe you’re gone, and that I will never hear your voice or laugh with you again. A minute doesn’t go that you’re not on my mind. I love you Nono, and that isn’t ever going to change.

Come and see the new Ahi Ezer Yeshiva. Not only is the school’s entire educational program new, their building has a new look as well. The school takes every opportunity to thank their administrator, Jesse Mizrahi, for his time and effort taking care of all the students and staff and making sure the school is running in the proper way. From redecorating, to updating the school with new, state-of-the-art Smart Boards, Ahi Ezer has truly transformed itself.

Science is all around at Magen David Yeshivah. Over the past few months, students in every grade have been learning about the many ways that science is involved in our everyday lives. The comprehensive learning experiences in which the children participated not only advanced their academic knowledge of different scientific laws and principles that govern our world, but also encouraged the students to work together as a team.

Barkai Yeshivah prides itself on its comprehensive art and music programs. The art room at Barkai has become a center for challenging the minds and the imaginations of children, while the music program focuses on listening skills and musical interpretations. Together, the art and music programs enrich the overall academic curriculum at Barkai.

Everyone knows that all holidays can be used as educational tools for children. Needless to say, Pesach is the chag (holiday) that tradition teaches us to convey our heritage to our children. In fact, the entire Seder reflects that teaching.

When the bullhorn sounded at the start line for the Ocean Drive Marathon, runner number 284 took off wearing an orange shirt with the words “Run, Rabbi, Run!” on the back. On the front of the shirt was the text “Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore (YJS).” The runner was Rabbi Elie Tuchman, the head of YJS and this was his first marathon.

Claudia Bildirici always loved baking and feeding people, an attribute she learned from her mother Lottie. Over the last few years, Claudia took a good old fashioned biscotti recipe and transformed it into Lottie Biscotti, named after her mother and made it into a household name.

For the longest time the question of the contribution of Jews to Arabic music haunted me. Every time I listen to a kaddish with melody, follow the services of a typical Shabbat morning or enjoy a pizmon; I ask myself, did we take this beautiful music from the Arabs without giving anything back to them?