Long Island, NY - Tensions over the proposed creation of a symbolic Orthodox Jewish boundary in a tony Long Island hamlet boiled over yesterday at a raucous meeting in Westhampton Beach. Organized by a group called Jewish People Opposed to the Eruv, the rowdy morning gathering of more than 250 people pitted Reform Jews against Orthodox Jews. At issue was the proposed creation of an "eruv,"...

New York City - A Yeshiva University professor left two years ago as a man - and returned last week as a woman. Literature Professor Joy Ladin, formerly known as Jay Ladin, 47, showed up for her first day of school sporting pink lipstick, a purple shirt and a black skirt. She cheerfully strutted through the doors of the Midtown campus' main building, where she oversees the writing...

Brooklyn, NY - A warring Brooklyn Hasidic sect is divided in a key Democratic state Senate primary that involves some of the city's most powerful political figures - and could affect the '09 mayoral race. The Satmar faction led by Williamsburg-based Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum rebuffed an eleventh-hour plea by Mayor Bloomberg to support his candidate, political newcomer Daniel Squadron, in the...

Israel - Tickets have already been purchased and travel agencies have already earned a pretty penny but this year too, there is someone who doesn’t approve of the influx into Uman. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner has attacked the Jewish New Year's Eve trend of massive prostration on the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in the Ukrainian town. He also said surprisingly that “it is completely...

New York - Making a comeback: Largely considered the greatest cantor in the 20th century, Josef "Yossele" Rosenblatt died in Jerusalem 75 years ago. His creations turned into assets of permanent value in the world of chazzanut (cantillation) but for years, it has been difficult to obtain quality recordings and especially not on CD. However, the situation has recently changed. The Aderet Music...

London - Britain's first ever Holocaust exhibition specifically aimed at primary schoolchildren has opened this week, the show's venue, is the latest measure to bolster knowledge of the Shoah among Britons. The exhibition, entitled "The Journey", recounts the story of a fictional Jewish child called Leo Stein who hides from the Nazis before fleeing to England. "This exhibition offers a...

New York, NY - City officials demanded change after a Daily News investigation found widespread elevator woes in public housing projects, just weeks after a 5-year-old was killed in a faulty lift. "We need to have more systematic inspections and a real analysis of just how dangerous these elevators are," Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said. "This is probably the next frontier in...

New York, NY - When a Palestinian gunman burst into a bat mitzvah celebration in northern Israel in 2002, killing 6 people and wounding more than 30, the attack sparked anger and despair, and military retaliation by Israel. It also prompted a lawsuit in New York, which has taken an unusual turn. The family of the sole American, Aharon Ellis, killed in the attack, charged the Palestine Liberation...

Coney Island, NY - A Brooklyn rabbi has won the mustache, beard and sideburns competition by a whisker. Organizers say Rabbi Abraham Abraham edged out around 20 other competitors to win the facial hair standoff in Coney Island. He took the trophy for the best groomed beard and mustache. Abraham says he's been growing his Santa Claus-style beard and starched mustache for about 50 years. He...