Fifteen teenagers who have recently completed their treatment for cancer, spent 10 action-packed days touring the length and breadth of Israel, as part of Chai Lifelines annual Wish at the Wall program.

Coming from states across America, the teens were joined by their parents, as well as Chai Lifeline volunteers and staff, as they experienced the trip of a lifetime. After spending days, months and often even years cooped up in a hospital, the goal of the trip is to enable these teens to slowly transition in to a post-cancer world, explained Rabbi Crandall, Director of the Program. Spending quality time with their parents in a refreshing setting and meeting other young people in similar situations is an ideal medium for this.

Judaic law requires that one, who happens upon a tree whose fruit he has never tasted, must savor its fruit in order to give praise to G-d. Within the borders of Brooklyn, the Sephardic community has given forth a marvelous new tree, better known as Magen Abraham (MA) located at 2066 East 9th Street, and spearhead by the renowned Rabbi Duvi BenSoussan.

If I was to identify a species of forest that MA may be categorized under, it would be the Tree of Life implanted at the center of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). King Solomon compares the Torah teachings to a tree of life as is stated within Proverbs, She (Torah) is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that retaineth her (Proverbs 3:18).

With Purim only days away, we must remind ourselves that, though this is a Yom Tov of fun and goodwill to others, it is also a time when we must be extra diligent about our safety. Unfortunately, due to careless behavior and thoughtlessness, Purim often ends in tragedy. By being aware of circumstances and taking a few precautions, we can have a safe and happy Purim.

On this day there are many inexperienced drivers on the road.Teenagers and boys home from Yeshiva, who may have licenses but very little driving experience, are all too happy to do the family driving.

Be extra careful about obeying traffic regulations. In our rush to distribute the Mishloach Manos,we often make serious misjudgements.

Baby Bleu
It all started eight years ago with a pool party and love of gorgeous linens. Even as a newly married young woman, I delighted in a beautifully dressed Shabbat table and crisply tailored linens for my home.

One hot, slow summer day, I impulsively purchased a closeout of beautiful Austrian table linens and brought them to a pool party; the women there shared a love of fine, well-made table linens and were delighted by the quality and price of what I offered.

The next thing I knew, I was running with my husband and one week old baby to a meeting that eventually resulted in a business relationship with Sferra, the luxury Italian linen company. They took a chance on me, and the result was a career combining my passion and art. My shop, a linen closet in my mothers basement, was small, but my joy in pairing people with the perfect linens was huge; I loved seeing my clients excitement as they chose something beautiful, fresh and special.

Luna and Jonathan Zemmol are delighted to announce that they now fully own and operate The Yellow Door of Deal, New Jersey, in addition to The Yellow Doors flagship store in Brooklyn. Sallee Bijou AH (Lunas mother) and Beatrice Esses opened The Yellow Door in Deal, in 1977, where it flourished and became a beloved shopping destination on the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Since 2005, it was run independently from The Yellow Door of Brooklynand now Bea Esses is retiring.

Luna Zemmol stated, We are honored to carry on the tradition that my mother and Bea began many years ago. We look forward to enhancing the The Yellow Door in Dealand to bringing the brands and services that our New York customers expect and appreciate back to the Jersey Shore. We are very grateful to Bea for giving us this opportunity.

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With anti-Semitic incidents continuing to occur in Brooklyn, as well as throughout the world, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, a second generation Holocaust survivor, told members of parliaments, government ministers, elected officials and representatives of international human rights organizations, at the World Without Nazisms Global Conference that if we ever hope to stem the rising trend of anti-Semitic hate crimes, we must educate our young people.

Regrettably, anti-Semitism is not just part of our history, but a horrifying reality that continues to headline our news. We are seeing an alarming escalation in the number of anti-Semitic incidents, hate crimes and events taking place throughout Europe, Canada and the United States, Cymbrowitz warned.

Guest speaker John Nicols used his experience and strength to convey the risks attached to smoking when he addressed the students at Magen David Yeshivah High School, Yeshivah of Flatbush High School and Hillel Yeshiva High School recently.

You dont have to die for a cigarette! One of the worst addictions is to nicotine. These wise words are just a microcosm of the dangers and risks of tobacco use.

My name is John Nicols and I would like to educate you on the dangers of cigarette smoking and nicotine. The theme is a simple one, as is my message. It is supported by an audiovisual presentation on the dangers of tobacco. I use the effect that smoking has had on my life to drive the point home. Being a cancer patient has had a significant impact on my life. I use these experiences to illustrate the real life consequences of tobacco use, with down to earth, everyday situations and examples, he said.

Sixty high school freshman at Yeshivah of Flatbush  were very excited to go back to school after winter break, because they were given an iPad to take home with them. What was the catch? They had to keep it with them every day and bring it into school.

They were given the iPads because their teachers had been practicing with them for months learning the best programs to use with their students, building websites to share with them, and sharing their insights with colleagues.

The entire high school has wireless Internet access, including the Beit Midrash, auditorium, gym, cafeteria, hallways and lounge.

In response to the recent turmoil in Beit Shemesh over issues of modesty and the role of women in Israeli society, Yeshiva University students flooded a lecture hall to learn about the challenges and history of the conflict and to debate possible solutions.

The event was organized by Kol Hamevaser, the undergraduate student bodys Jewish thought magazine, and the YU Israel Club. Panelists included Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, Dr. Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, dean of students and lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School, who has also spoken extensively on womens issues; and Rabbi Yonatan Rosensweig, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Torat Yosef Hamivtar in Efrat and a Beit Shemesh resident.

Glowing butterfly streamers dangled from the ceiling of the brilliantly designed Yeshivah of Flatbush Metamorphosis Chinese Auction room at Shaare Zion recently. Everybody was upbeat, hoping for a big winand some got their wish. Change is inevitable, growth is intentional, was the theme, as YOF changes, enhances, and is reborn every year, always looking at how it can suit the children of our community, while maintaining its traditional standard of excellence.

I had an incredible time working with a wonderful committee of dedicated mothers and staff to make this night an amazing success! said Naomi Houllou, who chaired the event along with Vivian Farhi. I was so lucky to work on the auction with a great committee. The room looked amazing and our prizes were better than ever! Seeing the happy crowd made all of our hard work worth while. Im looking forward to next year! added Mrs. Farhi.