After you’ve honored your parents and your in-laws by naming your first two sons and daughters after them, you get to choose a name for your next baby. Although it’s exciting, picking a name isn’t always easy. Among the top names in the US, in 2013, were the biblical names Jacob, Noah, Daniel, Joshua, Leah, Sarah, Hannah and Rachel. We’ve put together a list of the most popular Jewish names and their origins.
“MDYHS has vastly expanded its array of educational technology, skills-based instruction, and higher education/career path guidance,” noted Principal Rabbi Saul Zucker. “Adding these qualities to the warm, nurturing, Torah-values environment for which MDYHS is so well known, our school now is truly one-of-a-kind, virtually ensuring the success of each of our beloved students. MDYHS has become a beacon in the world of Jewish education.”
A few days ago, I was invited to a friend’s wedding near Petach Tikva. The affair took place in a fairly nice building with a magnificent garden. Before the ceremony, the guests wandered in and out, finding tables of delicacies at strategic points both indoors and outdoors.
Eric Moed recently graduated from the Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York. That’s when he learned that his family was saved during WWII by a righteous diplomat. Aristides de Sousa Mendes saved thousands by disobeying his government’s orders and granting visas to desperate refugees to escape into Portugal. Shortly thereafter, Aristides was punished severely for his altruistic actions—his job and his family home, the Casa do Passal, were taken away from him, and the house descended into a state of ruin.
On October 6, 1973, Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. The war was the fiercest Arab-Israeli war since the 1948 War of Independence. It came almost as a complete surprise. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal, establishing beachheads on the Israeli-held east bank. On the Golan Heights, the Syrians pushed past the cease-fire lines and occupied a large area. They also seized the key Israeli intelligence-gathering position on Mt. Hermon.
DSN did it again! On a gorgeous Sunday, towards the end of the summer, over 400 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 participated in the DSN Summer Games Tournaments. Using 12 full-size basketball courts in our community, plus the main basketball court and two soccer fields at the home of Michelle and Maurice Zekaria, the players could not have asked for a better tournament.
Held in the gorgeous backyard of Sarah and Eddie Gindi’s home, The SAFE Dinner was, as it always is, an educational and thoroughly enjoyable evening. “What can be nicer than spending a summer night at a beautiful house, being served a delicious dinner, and socializing with lovely people in support of an important community organization,” said one guest at the annual fundraising dinner for The SAFE Foundation.
Councilman David G. Greenfield’s 4th Annual Greenfield Classic Softball Game was once again a huge neighborhood hit. Residents enjoyed watching, as the NYPD’s 66th Precinct defeated Boro Park Shomrim 24 to 9 to level the all-time series at two games apiece. This great family-friendly event featured complimentary sandwiches, hot dogs, snacks and refreshments and provided local residents with an opportunity to enjoy a free evening of fun right in their neighborhood.
Park Slope volunteer ambulance was kind enough to send three EMTs to give a demonstration at Magen David pre-school to promote safety awareness. The program was presented in a show and tell style to make the children comfortable when there’s an injury or an ambulance. The children got to become junior EMTs for a few hours.
On a recent Sunday, 36 Team SAFE triathletes woke with the early morning dew and headed out to take on The SAFE Foundation’s Triathlon Challenge in Asbury Park. “It was so great riding in the dark, watching the sun come up.” said Triathlete Leslie Kassin.
Every day, over 5,000 teens experiment with drugs for the first time. Most parents don’t realize that many of these drugs are not coming from the street, but rather from medicine cabinets in their own homes, or the homes of friends. With the easy availability and false notion that prescription and over-the-counter drugs (OTC) are safe, more and more teens, including those who would never use illicit drugs, are using these to get high.
This wonderful website showcases over 100 years of recorded Sephardic music, from the 78 rpm era to the present. It explores in detail the earliest Sephardic recordings, the artists that made them, and their repertory and performance practices. These early recordings tell a rich story of Sephardic musical life in the first half of the 20th century. The website also covers the second half-century of recorded Sephardic music, touching on the amazing outpouring of Sephardic recordings and the diverse performing styles used in each.
In September 1940, with calm deliberation, Polish Army officer Witold Pilecki walked into a Nazi German street round-up in Warsaw. He had volunteered for a potentially suicidal secret undercover mission for the Polish Underground—to get himself arrested by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz as a prisoner.
As the community continues to expand, more and more people are benefiting from having a Sephardic synagogue in downtown Manhattan. Joseph Kassin, a 21 year old senior studying at NYU lives just one block away from the synagogue. He said, “It’s been extremely convenient for me to have a community synagogue footsteps from my apartment and so close to all my classes. The daily minyanim and classes have been so beneficial. The holidays that I’ve spent in the synagogue, have all been exciting and memorable.
