New York

Freed Israeli hostages recite Shema prayer on New York City stage in front of thousands

This event was part of the Chabad-Lubavitch CTeen International Summit, an annual conference for Jewish teens from around the world. 

Freed Israeli hostages Matan Zangauker, Ilana Gritzewsky, and Segev Kalfon, recite the Shema prayer on stage in Times Square on February 21, 2026.
AN EL AL flight takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 14, 2025.

El Al flight to Newark returns to Israel mid-flight due to extreme snowstorm in US

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is seen at a press conference after a car slammed into Chabad headquarters, last month. The election of Mamdani is the product of anti-Jewish hatred, not the cause, the writer says.

Anti-Jewish attacks surge across New York City after Oct. 7, and Mamdani is not to blame - opinion

A snow plow vehicle clears snow as it falls during a winter storm in New York City, US, February 22, 2026.

Mamdani orders city-wide lockdown as record-breaking blizzard hits New York, East Coast


Dropping the IHRA definition sends the wrong signal to the Jewish community - opinion

On his first day, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani revoked the IHRA antisemitism definition, leaving protections for Jewish residents unclear.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pictured during his first day in office, January 1, 2026.

Orthodox Jewish judge to preside over Maduro's criminal proceedings in NY

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old Orthodox Jewish federal judge, is among the longest-serving active federal judges in the country.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City, U.S., January 3, 2026.

Mamdani's first act as mayor made a turning point become reality for NYC Jews - editorial

For decades, the mayor of the world’s largest Jewish city outside Israel made a point of standing with its Jewish community. Mamdani’s first day did something else entirely.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji stand onstage during his inauguration ceremony in New York City, U.S., January 1, 2026.

As Mamdani enters City Hall, perhaps he could learn a few things from Israel - opinion

From housing to tech to child care, Israel has made social programs work, lessons New York’s next mayor could learn.

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor, at the start of 2026. The new mayor could learn a lot from Israel on how to implement his goals in City Hall, the writer says.

Michele Weiss and Justin Brasch mark milestones as first Orthodox Jewish mayors in their cities

The inaugurations of Michele Weiss in University Heights, Ohio, and Justin Brasch in White Plains, New York, this week marked a milestone for Orthodox representation in local politics.

Michele Weiss, the mayor of University Heights, Ohio, (L) and Justin Brasch, the mayor of White Plains, New York (R).

Irving Berlin’s 1926 interfaith marriage sparked a Jewish debate that still hasn’t gone - opinion

For more than a century, interfaith marriage has functioned as a kind of Rorschach test within American Jewish life, alternately framed as an existential threat or a potential avenue for renewal.

Irving Berlin and his wife Ellin Mackay appear in a photograph in the late 1920s. The 1926 marriage between the wildly popular Jewish songwriter and a Catholic heiress was a media sensation.

Mamdani's choice to cancel IHRA antisemitism definition must alarm New York Jews - comment

Jews should start watching the exits when institutions start treating their safety as optional. And especially after the biggest Jewish city outside of Israel made protecting Jews a political matter.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji smile as confetti falls after his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall Thursday in New York, NY. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part.

A new era at City Hall: What’s in store for New York’s Jews under Mayor Mamdani? - analysis

Two-thirds of NYC’s Jews did not vote for Mamdani, and many have expressed explicit concern about the new mayor’s actions.

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York City, flanked by his wife Rama Duwaji and New York Attorney General Letitia James, at Old City Hall Station, New York, US, Thursday, Jan 1st 2026.

New year, new mayor: New York rings in 2026 with Zohran Mamadani's inauguration

Mamdani was a trailblazing candidate and is expected by many in his city of 8 million - some with hope, some with trepidation - to be a disruptive mayor.

Zohran Mamdani looks on at Old City Hall Staion on the day he is sworn in as mayor of New York City, New York, US, Thursday, Jan 1st 2026.

Orthodox rabbi Julius Berman, who influenced secular and observant Jewish institutions, dies at 90

His extensive leadership at some of the largest Jewish communal organizations in the United States defined his broader legacy.

Prominent Jewish communal leader Rabbi Julius Berman dies at 90.