Iranian President Raisi (right) meets with the Azeri President shortly before the helicopter crash that killed him and 7 others. Photo credit: The Presidential Press and Information Office of Azerbaijan
By: Sean Durns
The president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Several others, including Tehran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, were also on board and perished in the rugged northern Iranian wilderness.
Raisi’s death has greater implications for the future than the present.
Raisi, 63, had served as president since 2021. A longtime regime apparatchik, he was nicknamed “the Hangman” and “the Butcher” for his role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the late 1980s. He spent subsequent decades serving in a variety of roles, steadily earning the confidence of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi was believed to be one of a handful of men being considered to replace Khamenei, who has ruled the Islamic Republic since 1989. Khamenei is 85 and has reportedly been in ill health for several years. Raisi’s death will bring uncertainty, but it is unlikely to destabilize the regime.
The Islamic Republic is a theocracy ruled by its supreme leader and his mullahs. The position of president is largely ceremonial. Indeed, the supreme leader chooses members of the Guardian Council, which, among other things, approves potential candidates for the presidency. Under Iran’s byzantine system, it is the supreme leader, not the president, who rules. No one becomes president, and no major policy is enacted, without the supreme leader’s blessing.
According to the regime’s constitution, when a president dies, his successor is “chosen” by the supreme leader. There is no requirement that a new election be held. Instead, the first vice president, the speaker of the parliament, and the chief justice form a council to choose the succession mechanism. As Shay Khatiri, an Iranian-born senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute, noted: “in effect this means that Khamenei will decide.”
Khamenei could call for a new election. Or the council that he chooses could simply pick someone. It is at his discretion. This highlights an important fact: Raisi’s death won’t change much, if anything, either in Iran or in the broader Middle East. Raisi didn’t call the shots anyway.
When Raisi first ran for president, he lost the 2017 election to Hassan Rouhani, who was widely hailed in the West as a “moderate.” But a system such as the Islamic Republic produces murderers, not “moderates” as the West understands the term. Those who ascend due so because they’re deemed acceptable by the powers that be.
To be sure, Raisi’s death injects some uncertainty; we don’t know who his replacement will be or when or how they’ll be chosen. It’s possible, but unlikely, that in naming a successor, the regime could alienate key constituencies or appear vulnerable enough to encourage protests or mass demonstrations.
Raisi’s death also comes at a pivotal moment in the Middle East. Tehran’s extensive proxy network, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, among others, are at war with Israel. And Iran is reportedly making considerable progress in its illegal nuclear weapons program — fueling concerns of an even broader war. Yet these are concerns for the supreme leader, his close advisers, and the repressive apparatus that allows them to maintain power.
But ultimately even a supreme leader can’t cheat death. Raisi’s own death eliminates the man that some felt was destined to succeed Khamenei, potentially altering Iran’s future. However, someone, perhaps even Khamenei’s own son, Mojtaba, will likely become supreme leader. The system will endure — bringing more misfortune and tragedy to both the Iranian people and the broader Middle East.
The writer is a senior research analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.
A student dons tefillin and says a prayer near the Drexel University encampment, where anti-Israel protesters are calling for the end of Jewish groups on campus. Photo: Chabad of Drexel
Anti-Israel protesters disbanded after demanding removal of Jewish groups on campus
By: Faygie Levy Holt
On Wednesday night, the anti-Israel encampment at Drexel University in Philadelphia was ordered disbanded by the local police department. Protesters left ahead of police action, and did so without their many demands being met, including that the school terminate its relationship with Chabad and Hillel at Drexel, and with Jewish pride stronger than ever.
“I grew up secular, and throughout my life, I felt myself moving further away from Judaism,” said Brian Tsymbal, an engineering student at Drexel. Something changed for the 20-year-old this past September.
Brian Tsymbal wanted to connect with his Judaism in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. At the rabbi’s suggestion, he joined a weekly Torah-study session. Photo: Chabad of Drexel
That’s when Tsymbal reached out to Rabbi Chaim Goldstein, who directs Chabad-Lubavitch serving Drexel with his wife, Moussia. “I don’t want to lose the Jewish aspect of my life,” Tsymbal recalls telling the rabbi. “But there are things I don’t know and things I’m uncertain of.”
Goldstein’s response was a simple one: “Brian, let’s start learning!” he told him. The pair began a weekly study session, reviewing the Torah portion and then discussing how it could be applied to day-to-day life.
“Then, unfortunately, the horrific acts of Oct. 7 caused me and many of my fellow students to start congregating in the Jewish centers on campus,” said Tsymbal. “I stopped going to the library and started studying for school at Hillel. I spent more and more time studying Torah at Chabad. The pace in which I was learning accelerated.”
Tsymbal was among a group of students who last week traveled with the Goldsteins on a trip to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of Chabad headquarters. The group also headed to Queens to visit the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe— Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. It was there that they learned virulently anti-Israel protesters had taken over the Korman Family Quad at the center of campus, and were demanding Drexel University “immediately terminate” Chabad and Hillel on campus.
Tsymbal and his fellow students could hardly believe their eyes: Fellow students at Drexel were unabashedly calling for the banishment of all Jewish life on campus.
Students from Drexel university were in New York, visiting places like the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe when they heard the news of the encampment. Credit: Chabad of Drexel
“I was dumbfounded,” Tsymbal said. “When I heard that they wanted to defund and disband Chabad and Hillel, that was just so completely ridiculous, it was hard to take in.”
In addition to these blatantly anti-Semitic demands, the “Drexel Palestine Coalition” behind the encampment called on the university to accuse Israel of genocide, stop cooperating with Israeli universities and hospitals, cease “campus-wide use of Hewlett-Packard (HP) printing and computing services” and close the Starbucks Cafe on campus.
‘No One on the Other Side to Talk to’
For his part, Rabbi Goldstein hadn’t paid much attention to the anti-Israel encampment when it popped up on his campus a few days earlier.
The Goldsteins have been the Chabad emissaries at Drexel for 13 years, and are a part of the fabric of the campus community. In 2022 Moussia Goldstein gave the invocation at the graduation ceremony for the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, while her husband did the same at the university’s LeBow College of Business. Busy with their work, they had plenty of other things on their plate: the trip to Crown Heights, ongoing classes for students, and a big May 20 event with sushi and pizza to celebrate Jewish pride on campus. Plus, they are gearing up for their biggest event of the year: their Mega-Shabbat with more than 200 Jews on campus that will be held on the first Shabbat in June.
The rabbi, too, was surprised by the ugly demands, but says he is heartened by the response from the students, the school and parents. “University president John Fry has been vocal in his opposition to this lawless encampment and his support for the Jewish people,” said Goldstein.
Chabad is preparing to host its Mega-Shabbat dinner with more than 200 students. Pictured above is the 2022 edition (photo was taken before the onset of Shabbat). Credit: Chabad of Drexel
When a former student called him on Monday afternoon and asked if they could get together so the young man could put on tefillin, Goldstein didn’t hesitate, even though their meeting spot was near the encampment. Soon a few other students also came over to put on tefillin.
When Goldstein tried walking into the encampment, i.e. the Quad, to offer Jewish students he knew inside the opportunity to put on tefillin, he was blocked from accessing the public space by student enforcers.
“They said they would let me enter on the condition that I agreed with the slogan ‘From the river to the sea … ,’” Goldstein recounted.
The genocidal chant was obviously a nonstarter for the rabbi, who has family and friends living in the Holy Land. “The Land of Israel has been the Jewish homeland for millenia,” Goldstein said. “G‑d promised this land to the Jewish people in the Torah, the Jewish Bible. Chanting that it must be emptied of Jews, and that Jews have no connection to the land, is wrong on every level.”
At that point Jewish Drexel students, including brothers from the AEPi Jewish fraternity, confronted the anti-Israel protesters and told them they had no right to prevent the rabbi from doing his job.
“You could see in the way they faced toward him and angled themselves that they were not going to let him in,” said Tsymbal, who coincidentally had been studying at a nearby coffee shop and ran over when he saw the commotion. “We began to disengage and started to wrap tefillin with some of the other students who were there supporting him instead.”
“I am so proud of our students,” said Goldstein. “They were so passionate and proud; unfortunately, there was no one on the other side to talk to.”
With the encampment now cleared, everyone hopes that life at school will go back to normal. For the Goldsteins, that means gearing up for the Mega-Shabbat next week, which is open to students, their parents and faculty, as well moving forward on the construction of a new Chabad center on campus, which will include a synagogue, mikvah, residential dorms and kosher restaurant.
For Tsymbal, that new normal includes putting tefillin on every day, learning Torah and continuing his work towards a degree in mechanical engineering.
“When I came to school three years ago, people said you will either lose your faith or become your faith,” said Tsymbal. “This year, I found my home at Chabad. It was really the keystone to my Jewish reconnection, a rekindling. I don’t think I would be the same person today if not for them.”
The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual event—one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times. Credit: Art by Sefira Lightstone
Shavuot (שָׁבוּעוֹת in Hebrew, also pronounced Shavuos) is a two-day Jewish holiday (June 11-13, 2024) that commemorates the date when G‑d gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai over 3,000 years ago. Preceded by 49 days of counting in eager anticipation, Shavuot is celebrated through desisting from work, candle-lit dinners, staying up all night to study Torah, listening to the reading of the Ten Commandments in synagogue, enjoying dairy foods and other festivities.
Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown following the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan (June 11-13, 2024). In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan.
What Shavuot Commemorates
The word Shavuot (or Shavuos) means “weeks.” It celebrates the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period between Passover and Shavuot.
The Torah was given by G‑d to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai on Shavuot more than 3,300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of G‑d’s gift, and G‑d “re-gives” the Torah.
The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual event—one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times. Our sages have compared it to a wedding between G‑d and the Jewish people. Shavuot also means “oaths,” for on this day G‑d swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to Him. Learn more about the giving of the Torah and what it means to us today.
In ancient times, two wheat loaves would be offered in the Holy Temple on Shavuot. It was also at this time that people would begin to bring bikkurim, their first and choicest fruits, to thank G‑d for Israel’s bounty.
How Is Shavuot Celebrated?
Women and girls light holiday candles to usher in the holiday, on both the first and second evenings of the holidays. It is customary to stay up all night learning Torah on the first night of Shavuot. All men, women and children should go to the synagogue to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments on the first day of Shavuot.
As on other holidays, special meals are eaten, and no “work” may be performed. It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Menus range from traditional cheese blintzes to quiches, casseroles and more. On the second day of Shavuot, the Yizkor memorial service is recited. Some communities read the Book of Ruth during morning services, as King David—whose passing occurred on this day—was a descendant of Ruth the Moabite. Some have the custom to decorate their homes (and synagogues) with flowers and sweet-smelling plants in advance of Shavuot.
Shavuot FAQ
What is Shavuot?
Shavuot is a Jewish holiday on the anniversary of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. Coming after the 7-week Omer Count, It is also known as the Festival of Weeks.
What does Shavuot mean?
Shavuot means “weeks” and it is thus named because comes after counting 49 days (7 weeks) from the second day of Passover, each day becoming more refined and more ready for this special celebration.
When is Shavuot celebrated?
Shavuot is a two-day holiday. Coming after the seven-week Omer count, it is celebrated on the sixth and seventh days of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which usually falls in late May or early June on the Gregorian calendar.
How long is Shavuot?
In Israel, Shavuot is just one day long, beginning before sunset and concluding after night has fallen the following day. In the diaspora, it is a two-day holiday, extending for another 24 hours.
How to celebrate Shavuot?
Shavuot is celebrated by lighting candles each night, staying up all night studying Torah, hearing the 10 Commandments during synagogue services, and eating festive meals, some of which may include dairy foods.
The holiday of Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown of the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan. (In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan.) Every year on Shavuot we renew our acceptance of the Torah, and G‑d “re-gives” it to us anew.
By: Yossi Feller
The holiday of Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown of the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan. (In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan.) Every year on Shavuot we renew our acceptance of the Torah, and G‑d “re-gives” it to us anew.
Here are 11 things you should know about Shavuot:
The festival has five names
Shavuot—The word Shavuot means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period between Passover and Shavuot.
Yom HaBikkurim—“The day of First Fruits.” Shavuot is also the celebration of the wheat harvest and the ripening of the first fruits, which is the reason for this name as well as the following one.
Chag HaKatzir—The “Harvest Festival.”
Atzeret—In the Talmud, Shavuot is also called Atzeret, which means “The Stoppage,” a reference to the prohibition against work on this holiday.
Zeman Matan Torahteinu—In the holiday prayer service, we refer to it as the “Time of the Giving of Our Torah.”
Women and girls light candles to usher in the holiday on both of its evenings
Candles are kindled on most Jewish holidays of biblical origin. They are: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Passover (first and last days) and Shavuot. (Holiday candles are not lit on Chanukah or Purim.)
Holiday candle-lighting follows a procedure similar to that of the Shabbat candle lighting.
The basic difference between the two is that while it is forbidden to create a flame on a holiday, it is permitted to light a candle using a pre-existing flame, such as another candle that was kindled before the holiday, a gas range which has been left on, or a pilot flame. Note that it is also forbidden to extinguish a flame on the holiday, so make sure you have a place to put down the candle or match that you used to kindle your holiday candles.
It is customary to stay up and learn Torah on the first night of Shavuot
The Midrash relates that on the night before the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people did what anybody does before an important event—they turned in early for a good night’s sleep. This seemingly innocent decision, however, led to embarrassing consequences. The next morning, when it came time for the Torah to be given, the place was empty. The entire Jewish people had slept in. The Midrash even recounts that Moses had to wake them—causing G‑d to later lament, “Why have I come and no one is here to receive Me?”
In order to rectify our forefathers’ mistake, we stay up late every Shavuot night to show that our enthusiasm isn’t lacking at all.
All men, women and children should hear the reading of the Ten Commandments on the first day of Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot is the day on which we celebrate the great revelation of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, more than 3,300 years ago. You stood at the foot of the mountain. Your grandparents and great-grandparents before them. The souls of all Jews, from all times, came together to hear the Ten Commandments from G‑d Himself.
Since we all stood at Mount Sinai, we must all reaffirm our commitment. Babies, young children, the elderly, all that are able, should attend Torah reading on the first day of Shavuot.
Holiday candle-lighting follows a procedure similar to that of the Shabbat candle lighting. The basic difference between the two is that while it is forbidden to create a flame on a holiday, it is permitted to light a candle using a pre-existing flame, such as another candle that was kindled before the holiday, a gas range which has been left on, or a pilot flame
Children play a special role in this holiday
Before G‑d gave the Torah to the Jewish people, He demanded guarantors. The Jews made a number of suggestions, all rejected by G‑d, until they declared, “Our children will be our guarantors that we will cherish and observe the Torah.” G‑d immediately accepted them and agreed to give the Torah.
There is therefore special significance to bringing children, even the youngest of infants, to hear the Ten Commandments.
Let us make sure to bring along all our “guarantors” to the synagogue on the first day of Shavuot.
As on other holidays, festive meals are eaten, and no “work” may be performed.
Just as there are sacred places, portals in space through which a certain transcendence shines, so too there are sacred times, luminescent points in the yearly cycle, times when we are lifted beyond time, far above the mundane world and all its cares.
Shabbat is the day on which the weekly cycle transcends itself. Then there is Yom Tov, literally “a good day”; each Yom Tov is the highest point in the year in its particular way, with its particular meaning, message and flavor.
On these days, the Torah prohibits work. At a sacred time, work or any involvement in the mundanities of the week will subvert that sacredness and block its light. But “work” is defined somewhat differently for Yom Tov than it is for Shabbat.
It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot
There are a number of reasons for this custom. Here are a few:
On the holiday of Shavuot, a two-loaf bread offering was brought in the Temple. To commemorate this, we eat two meals on Shavuot—first a dairy meal, and then, after a short break, we eat the traditional holiday meat meal. Learn more about waiting between dairy and meat.
With the giving of the Torah, the Jews became obligated to observe the kosher laws. As the Torah was given on Shabbat, no cattle could be slaughtered nor could utensils be koshered, and thus on that day they ate dairy. Read more about the koshering process.
The Torah is likened to nourishing milk. Also, the Hebrew word for milk is chalav, and when the numerical values of each of the letters in the word chalav are added together—8 + 30 + 2—the total is 40. Forty is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah. Read more about what happened when Moses was up on Sinai.
When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, the angels urged G‑d to reconsider His decision to give His most precious Torah to earthly beings. “Bestow Your majesty upon the heavens . . . What is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him?” (Psalms 8:5–7) One of the reasons why the angels’ request went unheeded is because of the Jews’ meticulous adherence to the laws of the Torah—including the kosher laws. Not so the angels, who when visiting Abraham consumed butter and milk together with meat (Genesis 18:8). On Shavuot we therefore eat dairy products and then take a break before eating meat—in order to demonstrate our commitment to this mitzvah. Read more about whether Abraham served the angels non-kosher food.
On the second day of Shavuot, the Yizkor memorial service is recited
Yizkor, a special memorial prayer for the departed, is recited in the synagogue four times a year, following the Torah reading on the last day of Passover, on the second day of Shavuot, on Shemini Atzeret and on Yom Kippur.
Three famous Jewish personalities have a special connection to Shavuot
Moses—he received the Torah from G‑d at Mount Sinai on this day.
King David—the second Jewish king passed away on this day.
The Baal Shem Tov—the founder of the chassidic movement also passed away on this day.
Some communities read the Book of Ruth
King David—whose passing occurred on this day—was a descendant of Ruth the Moabite. It is therefore customary in some communities to read the book of Ruth in the synagogue.
Some have the custom to decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers and sweet-smelling plants in advance of Shavuot
Many reasons are given for this custom. Here are a few:
G‑d warned the Jews at Sinai that “the sheep and the cattle shall not graze facing that mountain [Sinai].” Now, the Torah was given in a desert. This indicates that a miracle occurred, temporarily turning that area into fertile land with an abundance of greenery. In commemoration of this miracle, it became the custom to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot with greenery.
Expounding on the verse “His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as banks of sweet herbs; his lips are lilies dripping with flowing myrrh” (Song of Songs 5:13), the Talmud explains that “from each and every utterance [of the Ten Commandments] that emerged from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the entire world was filled with fragrant spices.” Accordingly, on Shavuot we decorate with fragrant flowers and greenery.
The Mishnah states that on the holiday of Shavuot, G‑d judges the earth and determines the abundance of the fruits of the trees for the coming year. Therefore, trees are placed in the synagogue to remind us to pray for the trees and their fruits.
Pirkei Avos is the best “how-to guide” to living a meaningful, purposeful life. The ultimate guide to being a better person.
By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin
We count Sefira day by day, from Pesach to Shavuos, reciting a bracha each day. We are reminded about how precious time is. Every day, a gift from HaShem. Every day, an opportunity to elevate ourselves.
I was sharing this thought with a Torah class, and Susan, who was new to Torah and mitzvos, loved the concept.
“That’s something I can do,” Susan said. “This year, I’m in the count.”
Some time later, she shared with me that she added her own personal prayer to HaShem, after counting.
“HaShem, I want to bring my neshama to greater heights before Shavuos. Please give me added opportunities to do chesed each day of Sefira.”
What a beautiful, heartfelt tefilla. The opportunities came. A call from a neighbor asking for a ride. A friend who needed help with errands. A request to visit a homebound person. A letter from a charity she was previously unaware of.
What a powerful lesson. Ask for opportunities, and HaShem will give them. We only have to open our eyes and see them.
The Talmud discusses various answers to the question of what must a man do to reach a level of piety, to be a truly righteous person. Rava’s opinion is that he should fulfill the words of Maseches Avos, Ethics of the Fathers. To work on improving one’s middos, character traits.
The Midrash teaches, “Derech eretz kadmah l’Torah. Proper conduct, being a mentch, comes before studying Torah.” As we are approaching Shavuos, the time of Kabbolas haTorah, our nation’s receiving the eternal gift of Torah, it’s incumbent upon us to work on our derech Eretz, our middos. Being pious is about doing the right things.
Pirkei Avos is the best “how-to guide” to living a meaningful, purposeful life. The ultimate guide to being a better person. My mother, the Rebbetzin a”h, would often say that we are the People of the Book, yet so often we turn to every book but our own. One only has to study the words of our sages found in Pirkei Avos. Words that teach us how to improve our relationships. Advice on becoming a more caring spouse, a better parent, a respectful son or daughter, a devoted friend and neighbor, a more patient teacher, and a diligent student. It is all there.
In the fifth chapter of Perek which is read this Shabbos, it states, “Ben Bag-Bag omer, hafuch bah, v’hafach bah, d’kola bah, Turn the pages, turn the pages, for everything is there. (Pirkei Avos 5:26). To turn the pages of our holy Torah. To study its timeless words, again and again. Within it, is wisdom for both mind and soul, knowledge to help us on our life’s journey.
Pirkei Avos, Ethics of the Fathers. Who are the fathers? What comes to mind are our avos, the patriarchs, Avrohom, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Through their actions, they left a blueprint for all time. A legacy of Torah ethics.
Avos are also our teachers, our spiritual parents. The fathers of the Mishna. Hillel and Shammai. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai. And many more. In fact, anyone who passes down a mesora, a teaching from one generation to another, is an “av”, a spiritual father.
Finally, the avos are us. The actual parents and grandparents. Those who teach and give of their very being to their children and grandchildren. Those who yearn for the fulfillment of the tefilla, “V’yizku lir’os banim u’vnei banim, oskim ba’Torah u’v’mitzvos…., We should merit to see children and grandchildren, who live a life of Torah and mitzvos…”
Avos… Parents. I am taken back in time to when my dear father, HaRav Meshulem HaLevi, zt”l, was a patient in Sloane. Our family was there, all of us children gathered together with Abba. We stepped out to the corridor, leaving our beloved Ima in the room with Abba.
A short while later, Ima came out with tears in her eyes. “Abba said ‘raise them well’.” My mother shared how she told our father that they raised the children together. Boruch HaShem, all are married. They are all raising their own children. They are all building their own Jewish homes. Abba then said, “You are never finished.”
Even when a child is a grown adult, a parent is needed. One always needs guidance, no matter how old they are. One always needs avos.
It is up to us as parents and grandparents to create lasting memories for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. By studying Pirkei Avos, by working on our middos, character traits, we can elevate ourselves and leave an indelible imprint upon our children.
There are six Chapters in Pirkei Avos, one for each week of Sefira. Building us up to Mattan Torah, receiving the Torah on Shavuos. We repeat the cycle throughout the summer months, providing an opportunity for review and in-depth study on the long Shabbos afternoons as we approach and prepare for Rosh Hashanah.
The introductory passage to Perek each week states, “Kol Yisroel yesh lahem cheilek l’Olam Ha’bah, Every member of Klal Yisroel has a ‘cheilek’, a portion in the world to come.” Our actions in this world determine our portion in the World to Come. We all know the famous adage, “location, location, location”. I think of the hotel rooms in Miami… oceanfront with a balcony…. bay view… and even no view… All kinds of rooms, all kinds of portions. It’s up to us. Where will our location be…. What will our portion be in Olam Ha’bah.
B’ezras HaShem, this Shavuos, we should be zoche to echo the commitment of na’aseh v’nishmah, we will do and we will listen, as called out by our ancestors at Sinai.
This article was written L’zecher Nishmas /In Memory Of HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l and Rebbetzin Esther bas HaRav Avraham HaLevi, zt”l
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the great tanna and author of the Zohar
By: Shlomo Katz
King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (9:1), “With all forms of wisdom she did build her house; she carved out its seven pillars.” R’ Yaakov Sakly z”l (Spain; 14th century) comments: It is well known that both the meshalim / parables and the nimshalim / morals of King Shlomo deserve study, for the parable is not randomly chosen, and it has its own importance. Indeed, the more important the lesson to be taught, the more important the subject of the parable should be. In the words of Mishlei (25:11), “Like golden apples carved on silver platters.” True, silver is not as valuable as gold, but it is nevertheless a worthy material on which to serve golden apples. [On the other hand, one would not serve golden apples on paper plates.]
In our verse, the parable is about a woman. R’ Sakly explains that King Shlomo is acknowledging the special role that women play in the development of human civilization. No other creature needs its food prepared or its home cared for in the manner that humans do, and this is a role filled by the woman. Thus, “With all forms of wisdom she did build her house.” What is the meaning of, “She carved out its seven pillars”? R’ Sakly explains that a basic house requires only four pillars–one at each corner. Thus, “seven pillars” signifies a larger, more luxurious home. When a man has a large house and is able to host guests (as one should), this, too, is to the credit of the woman of the house.
The nimshal of our verse is wisdom in general, and Torah in particular. In those contexts, the number seven refers to many things, including: the “seven wisdoms,” the seven books of the Torah (see Shabbat 115b), and the seven “places” where Hashem gave the Torah: from His mouth; face-to-face; from the heavens; at Har Sinai [as mentioned in the opening verse of our parashah]; in the Ohel Mo’ed; in Trans Jordan; and in Zion, as it is written (Yeshayah 2:3), “From Zion the Torah shall go forth.” (Torat Ha’minchah)
“You shall sanctify the year of the fiftieth year . . . and each of you shall return to his ancestral heritage . . .” (Vayikra 25:10)
Why is the word “year” mentioned twice? R’ Yechezkel Shraga Lifschutz-Halberstam z”l (1908-1995; the Stropkover Rebbe) explains:
During the 49 days of the Omer, we are supposed to be preparing ourselves to receive the Torah on Shavuot, the 50th day. But what if Shavuot comes and we realize that we have not prepared at all? It is taught that one should not become depressed, for, on Shavuot itself, one can make-up all of the spiritual gains that he should have accomplished during the Omer.
The same, says the Stropkover Rebbe, is true of the Yovel / Jubilee year, which has additional holiness compared to other years. The repetition of the word “year” in our verse teaches that one can attain in one year everything that he should have achieved in the preceding 49 years. This is similar to that which Rambam writes: “Even the repentance of one who does not repent until he is on his death bed is accepted.”
Why is it that one can repent in his old age after a lifetime of sinning? Why is it that one can accomplish in a short time (in the 50th year or on Shavuot) what one should have spent a long time accomplishing? Our verse tells us the answer: Such a person is merely returning to his ancestral heritage. In reality, no Jew ever lets go of that heritage completely, whether he realizes it or not. (Divrei Yechezkel Shraga Vol. III)
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“If you will follow My decrees . . .” (26:3)
Rashi writes that “If you will follow My decrees” refers to toiling in Torah study. If so, writes R’ Akiva Yosef Schlesinger z”l (Hungary and Yerushalayim; died 1922), we can understand why this verse follows immediately after the verse, “My Sabbaths you shall observe.” Specifically, the Midrash Tanna D’vei Eliyahu states that the primary time for Torah study is on Shabbat, when one is free from work. (Torat Yechiel)
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“I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with none to frighten you; I will cause wild beasts to withdraw from the land . . .” (26:6)
The Midrash Sifra records a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai regarding the interpretation of this verse. Rabbi Yehuda interprets it as a promise that G-d will eliminate all predatory species of animals from the earth. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, on the other hand, interprets the verse as a promise that G-d will domesticate those species so that they will no longer be predators. He asks rhetorically: Which is a greater praise of G-d: that there are no dangerous species, or that there are dangerous species, but He causes them not to harm anyone?
The latter, says Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, is foretold in the famous prophecy (Yeshayah 11:6-9), “A wolf will dwell with a sheep and a leopard will lie down with a kid; and a calf, a lion and a fattened animal together, with a young child leading them. A cow and a bear will graze, and their young will lie down together; and a lion will eat hay like a cattle. A suckling will play near the hole of a viper; and a newly weaned child will stretch his hand toward an adder’s lair. They will neither injure nor destroy . . .” [Until here from the Midrash]
In light of this Midrash, writes R’ Yitzchak Menachem Weinberg shlita (Tolner Rebbe in Yerushalayim), we can understand another, very famous dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai–one which led to the latter’s needing to flee and hide in a cave for 13 years. The Gemara (Shabbat 33b) records that Rabbi Yehuda praised the Roman Empire’s many infrastructure and construction projects, which included marketplaces, bridges and bathhouses. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai responded, “They made marketplaces for immoral purposes, bathhouses to luxuriate in, and bridges to collect tolls!” (When word of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s comments reached the Romans, he had to go into hiding.) [Until here from the Gemara]
Harvard has willfully and intentionally destroyed the “Harvard brand.” In doing so, Harvard has hurt its present and future. It has also damaged the opportunities for its hundreds of thousands of living graduates who bought into Harvard being a boon to their professional careers. Credit: FrontPageMag.com
Complaint accuses Harvard of being “deliberately indifferent” and adopting double standard when it comes to Jew-hatred
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is suing Harvard University for leaving “cruel anti-Semitic bullying, harassment, and discrimination” unaddressed for years, pre- and post-10/7. According to the complaint, “when Harvard is presented with incontrovertible evidence of anti-Semitic conduct, it ignores and tolerates it. Harvard’s permissive posture towards anti-Semitism is the opposite of its aggressive enforcement of the same anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies to protect other minorities.”
The waffling this week and last when it came to enforcing consequences for protestors who violated numerous university rules and harassed, threatened and intimidated Jewish students is another example of what is described in this lawsuit.
The complaint was filed today in the U. S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The legal team includes Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC, as well as Vogel Law Firm PLLC, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey PC, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, and the Brandeis Center.
According to the complaint, daily since 10/7, Harvard students and faculty have called for violence against Jews and celebrated Hamas’ terrorism. Student protestors have occupied and vandalized buildings, interrupted classes, and exams, and made the campus unbearable for their Jewish and Israeli classmates. Professors, too, have explicitly supported anti-Jewish and anti-Israel terrorism, and spread anti-Semitic propaganda in their classes. Jewish students are bullied and spat on, intimidated, and threatened, and subject to verbal and physical harassment.
Harvard’s student message board provides a window into the toxic environment for Jewish students. It is filled with vile anti-Semitic slurs, threats and conspiracy theories, including calls for Jews to “cook” and the Harvard Hillel to “burn[ ] in hell,” and an anti-Semitic cartoon resembling Nazi-era propaganda that depicts a hand etched with a Star of David and a dollar sign holding a noose around the necks of what appear to be a black man and an Arab man. The cartoon was posted not only by student groups but also by faculty.
Jewish students report self-censoring, both in and out of the classroom, and avoid taking certain classes, attending certain events, or traversing certain areas on campus out of fear that they will be physically or verbally abused. Jewish and Israeli students report feeling isolated, unwelcomed, and unable to enjoy the educational rights and benefits to which they are legally entitled. One of the students mentioned in the complaint describes how she literally hides in her room and avoids public spaces, including her research lab, for fear of being harassed and attacked.
Detailed in the complaint are numerous examples documenting how Harvard, pre- and post-10/7, has deliberately ignored anti-Semitic incidents and threats to Jewish students, while supporting and protecting students and faculty perpetrators, allowing anti-Semitism to grow and flourish. According to the complaint, “Harvard’s message was clear: discrimination, harassment, or violence is acceptable so long as it is directed at Israelis and Jews.”
For example, when right after 10/7 a thousand protestors showed up at Harvard calling for genocide against Jews and began harassing, intimidating, and threatening Jewish students, Harvard’s first action was to form a task force to protect the individuals spewing the vile anti-Semitic hatred. In fact, according to the complaint, Harvard held itself out as a resource for helping perpetrators erase their digital footprint and hide their actions.
Another example involves the physical assault of a Jewish student. When protestors realized a student was Jewish and/or Israeli, from a blue bracelet he was wearing in solidarity with Israel, a mob swarmed and surrounded him, and began physically accosting him and yelling in his face. The student pleaded with them to stop but, assailants violently grabbed him, pushed him, and he was physically attacked until he was ultimately able to escape the mob. The assault was captured on video, yet Harvard took no action to redress the physical assault. And even now that the perpetrators have been charged with criminal assault and battery, Harvard has yet to discipline, suspend, or expel the attackers, or remove them from their leadership positions. In fact, it is believed that Harvard staff have assisted some of the perpetrators in their criminal hearing.
A further example involves an incident from a year ago when three Israeli students were intentionally discriminated against and tormented throughout a course that they took at Harvard Kennedy School with Professor Marshall Ganz. After they proposed a project about their Israeli Jewish identity, Arab and Muslim classmates objected, complaining that the idea of a “Jewish democracy” was “offensive.” The professor and teaching fellows agreed. The professor compared the existence of a “Jewish state” to “white supremacy,” and threatened the students with “consequences” if they proceeded with the topic. When the students persisted, Ganz’s misconduct metastasized into repeated taunting and humiliation throughout the course. Ganz then lowered the students’ grades as a “consequence” for their refusal to change their topic.
After the Brandeis Center sent a complaint to the university, in March 2023, Harvard launched a third-party-investigation, which agreed with the Brandeis Center and concluded Ganz had illegally created “a hostile education environment,” denied the Israeli students “a learning environment free from bias,” and “denigrated” them “on the basis of their Israeli national origin and Jewish ethnicity and ancestry.” Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf accepted the investigator’s findings and committed to addressing the illegal harassment and discrimination. Yet to date Harvard has not announced the incident, publicly apologized for the discrimination, fired or suspended the professor or disciplined the teaching assistants. It has not even provided training to prevent anti-Semitism or anti-Israel bias in the future. Instead, Harvard’s magazine profiled Ganz and touted him as a civil rights hero.
“For years Harvard’s leaders have allowed the school to become a breeding ground for hateful anti-Jewish and radical anti-Israel views,” stated Kenneth L. Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. “An outside investigator warned of the problem more than a year ago, Harvard Kennedy School’s Dean acknowledged it, and yet crickets. When are university leaders going to learn that in order to prevent your school from becoming a cesspool of anti-Semitism action is required? Schools must hold students and faculty accountable. They must follow through with public consequences when Jews are harassed and discriminated against like they would for any other minority group, as required by law.”
According to the Brandeis Center complaint, “Jews are fair game” at Harvard. “Students and faculty can harass and discriminate against Jews, and they can do so openly and with impunity.” And making matters even worse, “Harvard will go out of its way to protect anti-Semitic protestors and conspiracy-theorists.” It goes on to say that had Jewish students been “members of any other protected class, Harvard would have disciplined the offenders swiftly and vigorously.”
The complaint documents how Harvard aggressively enforces anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies to protect other minorities, and it cites numerous examples over the last few years where the school has been vigilant to oust students or force out professors for taking positions that do not fit with school’s philosophy, vision, and policies.
The lawsuit alleges that Harvard has violated numerous of its own policies as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin, including discrimination against Jews on the basis of their actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, in educational institutions that receive federal funding. Under the law, harassing, marginalizing, demonizing, and excluding Jewish students on the basis of the Zionist component of their Jewish identity is just as unlawful and discriminatory as attacking a Jewish student for observing the Sabbath or keeping kosher.
UNESCO has cautioned that “Jew” and “Zionist” are often used interchangeably today in an attempt by anti-Semites to cloak their hate. In fact, according to President Biden’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released in May 2023, “Jewish students and educators are targeted for derision and exclusion on college campuses, often because of their real or perceived views about the State of Israel. When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or their identity, when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism. And that is unacceptable.”
In 2023, Harvard received $676 million in federal funding. The Department of Education and the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee are currently investigating Harvard for anti-Semitism.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is an independent, unaffiliated, nonprofit corporation established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. LDB engages in research, education, and legal advocacy to combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism on college and university campuses, in the workplace, and elsewhere. It empowers students by training them to understand their legal rights and educates administrators and employers on best practices to combat racism and anti-Semitism. More at www.brandeiscenter.com
University of California, Los Angeles campus (Twitter)
Admissions officers say the school lowers standards for minorities in an effort to boost diversity.
By: Aaron Sibarium
The dean of the University of California, Los Angeles, medical school on Friday denied allegations that it lowers academic standards for minority applicants, asserting that admissions decisions are “based on merit” and made in compliance with state law.
“There have been false allegations about [the medical school] in media outlets,” the dean of the medical school, Steven Dubinett, wrote in an email to students and faculty, referring to a Washington Free Beacon report about the school’s admissions policies. “We want to affirm here that both [medical school] students and faculty members are held to the highest standards of academic excellence.”
Dubinett also claimed that “medical student final exam scores are well above the national average.” It is not clear whether he was referring to the shelf exams—standardized tests that up to 50 percent of some UCLA cohorts now fail, according to the school’s own data—or to some other test. Dubinett and UCLA did not respond to requests for comment.
The defiant message comes in the wake of whistleblower allegations from eight UCLA professors—four of whom have served on the medical school’s admissions committee—that the school holds black and Latino applicants to lower standards than their white and Asian counterparts.
That practice, admissions officers said, is at least partly to blame for UCLA’s high failure rates on the shelf exams, which are taken after each clinical rotation and test basic medical knowledge. Nationally, only 5 percent of students fail those exams.
The whistleblowers described a pattern of discriminatory behavior from the medical school’s dean of admissions, Jennifer Lucero, who has allegedly attacked admissions officers for raising concerns about minorities’ test scores and brought up race explicitly in admissions discussions. She has also argued for moving residency applicants up and down her department’s rank list based on race, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of the matter.
Experts told the Free Beacon that such behavior violates Proposition 209, the California state law that has banned affirmative action at public universities since 1996, and the United States Constitution, which the Supreme Court ruled last year bans affirmative action nationwide.
“Highly qualified medical students and trainees are admitted to [the medical school] based on merit in a process consistent with state and federal law,” Dubinett wrote.
Though he claimed “false allegations” had been made, Dubinett did not specify which parts of the Free Beacon report were false or deny the veracity of lecture slides showing a sharp increase in the number of students failing their shelf exams. He also did not mention Lucero, the dean of admissions, by name.
The email noted that the school has launched a review of its first-year curriculum, which underwent significant changes in 2020 and now includes a mandatory course on “structural racism.” The review was announced after the Free Beacon published the entire syllabus for that course, prompting outrage from Jeffrey Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School, who called it “shocking” and “totally inappropriate.”
One unit promoted Los Angeles’s King/Drew hospital as an example of “community health.” The hospital, which was the subject of several legal challenges over its affirmative action policies, closed in 2007 after multiple patients died as a result of clinical errors.
Nestled between picturesque towns and lush vineyards, Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and a quintessential summer paradise. The comfortably warm weather is perfect for a variety of outdoor activities. Imagine yourself boating across the shimmering waters, hiking scenic trails that offer breathtaking views, or exploring historic sites that dot the landscape. (Photo: Envato)
Kosher Adventures Await: Europe’s Top Spots for Summer 2024
By: TJT Staff
As we look ahead to kosher travel in Europe 2024, the continent continues to be a top choice for those seeking an array of cultural, scenic, and historical experiences, all while adhering to kosher dietary laws. With its diverse cultures, stunning landscapes, and historical sites, Europe has long been a favorite destination for summer vacations.
For the kosher traveler, Europe is now more accessible than ever. With kosher restaurants, hotels, and amenities, including Chabad houses sprinkled throughout the continent, planning a kosher vacation has never been easier. Whether you opt for an organized kosher tour or decide to venture on your own with the help of TJT’s comprehensive directory to find accommodations, minyanim, and dining options, Europe is ripe for exploration. Here are the top ten kosher vacation destinations in Europe for Summer 2024
Switzerland offers a cooler summer escape with its pristine alpine landscapes and crystal-clear lakes. The serene beauty of the Swiss countryside, combined with the vibrant urban life in cities like Zurich and Geneva, makes Switzerland a perfect balance of relaxation and cultural exploration. (Photo: Envato)
#1 Lake Garda, Italy
Nestled between picturesque towns and lush vineyards, Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and a quintessential summer paradise. The comfortably warm weather is perfect for a variety of outdoor activities. Imagine yourself boating across the shimmering waters, hiking scenic trails that offer breathtaking views, or exploring historic sites that dot the landscape. Towns like Sirmione and Riva del Garda are must-visits for their charming streets and vibrant markets.
Lake Garda also plays host to a Chabad house open during the summer months, providing services and community events that make travelers feel right at home. For an in-depth exploration of all that Lake Garda has to offer, don’t miss our ultimate guide to a kosher summer getaway in Lake Garda. This comprehensive resource is your gateway to planning the perfect holiday, complete with information on accommodations, dining, and all the exciting activities you can partake in during your stay.
This lesser-known gem is swiftly gaining popularity among kosher travelers, thanks to its hospitable offerings including several kosher hotels. Georgia’s warm summers provide the perfect backdrop for exploring its rich history and distinctive architecture. (Photo by Maksim on Unsplash)
#2 Tuscany, Italy
Experience the heart of Italian culture in Tuscany, where the summer sun bathes the rolling hills and vineyards in a golden light. Renowned for its world-class art and rich history, Tuscany offers a truly immersive Italian experience. The weather in summer is typically warm and sunny, perfect for exploring the picturesque countryside or enjoying a leisurely day at one of the many vineyards tasting world-renowned wines.
There are kosher accommodations and restaurants throughout the region, especially in Florence, which houses most of the kosher dining options. You can also find kosher food in Livorno. Chabad houses and synagogues are conveniently located in key cities including Florence, Pisa, Livorno, Siena, and La Spezia, ensuring that you can maintain your religious practices while enjoying the Tuscan charm.
While in Tuscany, don’t miss the opportunity to explore the historic cities dotted throughout the region. Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is a treasure trove of art and architecture with its stunning Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery. For a deeper dive into the region’s Jewish heritage, explore our blog about the oldest Jewish community in Tuscany and another detailed piece on the Jewish beauty of Florence. These resources provide fascinating insights into the enduring Jewish presence in the region and highlight key sites of interest.
This island paradise boasts warm, sunny weather throughout the summer, complemented by a relaxed Mediterranean vibe. In Cyprus, you can explore ancient ruins, relax on sandy beaches, or dive into the turquoise waters. For kosher travelers, Cyprus offers several options that ensure a comfortable and accommodating stay. Pictured above is Aphrodite’s Rock, Paphos, Cyprus (Photo by Stijn te Strake on Unsplash)
#3 Switzerland
Switzerland offers a cooler summer escape with its pristine alpine landscapes and crystal-clear lakes. The serene beauty of the Swiss countryside, combined with the vibrant urban life in cities like Zurich and Geneva, makes Switzerland a perfect balance of relaxation and cultural exploration. Enjoy activities such as hiking through scenic trails, cycling along lush routes, and swimming in the refreshing lakes.
For kosher travelers, Switzerland is especially welcoming with Chabad houses, Jewish community centers, and synagogues as well as kosher dining options in the larger cities such as Zurich, Geneva, and Basel. There are unique accommodation options such as kosher hotel programs and kosher chalet rentals in the Swiss Alps during the summer.
For a detailed guide to planning your trip, including the best places to stay and dine, check out our kosher vacation guide to Switzerland. This guide is filled with useful tips and information to help you make the most of your Swiss holiday.
#4 Georgia
This lesser-known gem is swiftly gaining popularity among kosher travelers, thanks to its hospitable offerings including several kosher hotels. Georgia’s warm summers provide the perfect backdrop for exploring its rich history and distinctive architecture. The cobblestone streets of its ancient towns and the rugged beauty of the Caucasus mountains offer a mix of adventure and culture that is uniquely Georgian.
In the cities of Tbilisi and Batumi, the Jewish community is vibrant and welcoming, with Chabad houses, synagogues, and a variety of kosher dining options enhancing the travel experience. Tbilisi, the capital, boasts historical synagogues and a selection of kosher restaurants that serve both local Georgian dishes and traditional Jewish food. Batumi, on the Black Sea coast, offers a beautiful setting for summer holidays with its beaches and bustling boardwalks.
#5 Austria
Austria beautifully melds cultural richness with breathtaking natural landscapes, offering mild to warm summer weather ideal for outdoor exploration. In vibrant cities like Vienna and Salzburg, summer comes alive with music festivals and open-air markets. The country is particularly accommodating for kosher travelers, thanks to a variety of establishments and services.
Vienna boasts multiple synagogues, Chabad houses, and kosher restaurants, ensuring a welcoming environment for Jewish travelers. For a deeper understanding of the city’s Jewish culture, both historical and modern, check out our blog post on exploring Jewish life in Vienna. Salzburg, known for its baroque architecture and musical heritage, also hosts a Chabad center, providing access to Jewish services and kosher food. This summer, there will be a kosher hotel program in the heart of Austria.
Whether you’re exploring the historic streets, enjoying the lush parks, or attending a classical music performance, Austria offers a perfect blend of tradition, culture, and natural beauty for a memorable summer getaway.
#6 Greece
Greece is synonymous with summer, offering sun-drenched beaches, ancient ruins, and bustling markets that beckon travelers from around the world. The hot weather creates the perfect backdrop for seaside activities such as swimming, snorkeling, and sailing in the crystal-clear waters of the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Beyond the beaches, explore the rich history in iconic locations like the Acropolis in Athens, the Palace of Knossos in Crete, and the ancient theater of Epidaurus.
For kosher travelers, the experience is made seamless with shuls, Chabad Houses, accommodations, and kosher dining options available in major cities and select islands. This ensures you can fully immerse yourself in Greek culture and cuisine without concern. To further enhance your summer experience, consider participating in kosher hotel programs available in Greece for Summer 2024.
For those looking to delve deeper into Greece’s rich Jewish heritage and local landmarks, our comprehensive guide to Jewish heritage sites and landmarks in Greece is invaluable. Additionally, don’t miss our insider’s guide to Athens for expert tips and recommendations on exploring the vibrant capital city.
#7 Cyprus
This island paradise boasts warm, sunny weather throughout the summer, complemented by a relaxed Mediterranean vibe. In Cyprus, you can explore ancient ruins, relax on sandy beaches, or dive into the turquoise waters. For kosher travelers, Cyprus offers several options that ensure a comfortable and accommodating stay.
The island is home to five Chabad houses strategically located throughout, making it easy to find religious services and kosher amenities. Additionally, Cyprus features kosher shops, restaurants, and catering options, particularly in the major tourist areas.
For a more comprehensive experience, consider the all-inclusive kosher vacation options available for Summer 2024. These packages are designed to make your stay as carefree and enjoyable as possible, combining accommodations, meals, and activities in one convenient offering.
#8 Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is a fairy-tale city, renowned for its well-preserved medieval architecture and vibrant cultural scene. Summer in Prague is warm and lively, making it an ideal time to explore the city’s famous sites like the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. Known as the beer capital of the world, Prague offers a unique opportunity to explore its rich brewing history, with numerous breweries and beer tours that highlight this aspect of Czech culture.
The city is very accommodating to kosher travelers, offering a variety of kosher restaurants and services. For those looking to delve deeper into what makes Prague so enchanting, be sure to read our blog post on the splendors of Prague, which highlights the city’s most magical aspects. In terms of dining, the city boasts a selection of kosher restaurants that cater to a range of tastes, ensuring that you can enjoy local and international cuisines while adhering to kosher standards.
A notable mention is the Kosher King David Hotel, located in the center of the city. This hotel is not only convenient for accessing Prague’s many attractions but also provides kosher meals, synagogue and a mikvah. There are a number of synagogues, but the Old-New Synagogue, known as Altneuschul, stands as Europe’s oldest active synagogue, offering a profound glimpse into the continuous Jewish presence in the city.
#9 Budapest, Hungary
Known for its historic thermal baths and vibrant nightlife, Budapest is a dynamic city to visit in the summer. The weather is warm, perfect for evening strolls along the Danube or exploring the city’s grand architecture. The city is well-equipped for kosher travelers, with numerous kosher restaurants that make it easy to enjoy this bustling metropolis.
For those interested in Jewish heritage and cultural highlights, our Jewish Budapest tour blog post offers insights into both historical and contemporary Jewish sites that are essential visits. A highlight is the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe and the second-largest in the world, which serves as a pivotal center for the Jewish community in Budapest. The synagogue complex includes a museum, a memorial, and a community center, making it a profound place to learn about the rich history of Jews in Hungary.
The city also features several synagogues and Chabad houses that offer minyanim and other services. For information on where to stay, our blog post on kosher-friendly hotels in Budapest provides recommendations on accommodations that are near the shuls, Chabad houses and kosher restaurants. Budapest boasts a kosher hotel, ensuring a comfortable stay with kosher dining options readily available.
#10 Montenegro
Montenegro’s stunning Adriatic coast offers crystal clear waters, rugged mountains, and charming medieval villages, making it a perfect summer destination. The country is small yet diverse, combining mountainous landscapes in the north with beautiful beaches in the south, and even boasts Europe’s only fjord outside of Norway. Montenegro is ideal for nature and adventure enthusiasts, offering various activities such as rafting, kayaking, horse riding, ATV and jeep tours, and even mountain sledding.
Montenegro surprises with its robust luxury accommodations, such as the high-end Dukley Resort Budva, and is increasingly catering to kosher travelers. With the support of Chabad House leaders, as well as the strategically located Shalom restaurant in Budva—the only strictly kosher restaurant between Budapest and Thessaloniki—kosher dining is well-supported. Additionally, the KSM kosher catering service, directed by Rabbi Edelkopf from Chabad, ensures that kosher meals are accessible throughout the country. Whether seeking luxury or adventure, Montenegro offers an enriching travel experience with comprehensive kosher facilities.
Conclusion
Europe’s summer allure, coupled with the expanding availability of kosher amenities, makes it an exceptional destination for kosher travelers. With such a rich selection of kosher vacation destinations available, your perfect summer 2024 getaway in Europe is just around the corner. This guide has provided everything you need to plan your ideal trip, from exploring the ancient ruins of Greece to wandering the medieval towns of Prague. To make the most of your travels, be sure to search our directory to find the best kosher restaurants, hotels, and minyanim throughout Europe.
Arati Prabhakar, left photo, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Jennifer Klein, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council, are shown in 2023 file photos. Klein and Prabhakar are co-authors of a Thursday announcement calling on the tech industry and financial institutions to commit to new measures to curb the creation of AI-generated nonconsensual sexual imagery. (AP Photo, file)
By: Matt O’Brien & Barbara Ortutay
President Joe Biden’s administration is pushing the tech industry and financial institutions to shut down a growing market of abusive sexual images made with artificial intelligence technology.
New generative AI tools have made it easy to transform someone’s likeness into a sexually explicit AI deepfake and share those realistic images across chatrooms or social media. The victims — be they celebrities or children — have little recourse to stop it.
The White House is putting out a call Thursday looking for voluntary cooperation from companies in the absence of federal legislation. By committing to a set of specific measures, officials hope the private sector can curb the creation, spread and monetization of such nonconsensual AI images, including explicit images of children.
“As generative AI broke on the scene, everyone was speculating about where the first real harms would come. And I think we have the answer,” said Biden’s chief science adviser Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
She described to The Associated Press a “phenomenal acceleration” of nonconsensual imagery fueled by AI tools and largely targeting women and girls in a way that can upend their lives.
“If you’re a teenage girl, if you’re a gay kid, these are problems that people are experiencing right now,” she said. “We’ve seen an acceleration because of generative AI that’s moving really fast. And the fastest thing that can happen is for companies to step up and take responsibility.”
A document shared with AP ahead of its Thursday release calls for action from not just AI developers but payment processors, financial institutions, cloud computing providers, search engines and the gatekeepers — namely Apple and Google — that control what makes it onto mobile app stores.
The private sector should step up to “disrupt the monetization” of image-based sexual abuse, restricting payment access particularly to sites that advertise explicit images of minors, the administration said.
Prabhakar said many payment platforms and financial institutions already say that they won’t support the kinds of businesses promoting abusive imagery.
“But sometimes it’s not enforced; sometimes they don’t have those terms of service,” she said. “And so that’s an example of something that could be done much more rigorously.”
Cloud service providers and mobile app stores could also “curb web services and mobile applications that are marketed for the purpose of creating or altering sexual images without individuals’ consent,” the document says.
And whether it is AI-generated or a real nude photo put on the internet, survivors should more easily be able to get online platforms to remove them.
The most widely known victim of pornographic deepfake images is Taylor Swift, whose ardent fanbase fought back in January when abusive AI-generated images of the singer-songwriter began circulating on social media. Microsoft promised to strengthen its safeguards after some of the Swift images were traced to its AI visual design tool.
A growing number of schools in the U.S. and elsewhere are also grappling with AI-generated deepfake nudes depicting their students. In some cases, fellow teenagers were found to be creating AI-manipulated images and sharing them with classmates.
Last summer, the Biden administration brokered voluntary commitments by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other major technology companies to place a range of safeguards on new AI systems before releasing them publicly.
That was followed by Biden signing an ambitious executive order in October designed to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy. While focused on broader AI concerns, including national security, it nodded to the emerging problem of AI-generated child abuse imagery and finding better ways to detect it.
But Biden also said the administration’s AI safeguards would need to be supported by legislation. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is now pushing Congress to spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and fund measures to safely guide it, though has largely put off calls to enact those safeguards into law.
Encouraging companies to step up and make voluntary commitments “doesn’t change the underlying need for Congress to take action here,” said Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council.
Longstanding laws already criminalize making and possessing sexual images of children, even if they’re fake. Federal prosecutors brought charges earlier this month against a Wisconsin man they said used a popular AI image-generator, Stable Diffusion, to make thousands of AI-generated realistic images of minors engaged in sexual conduct. An attorney for the man declined to comment after his arraignment hearing Wednesday.
But there’s almost no oversight over the tech tools and services that make it possible to create such images. Some are on fly-by-night commercial websites that reveal little information about who runs them or the technology they’re based on.
The Stanford Internet Observatory in December said it found thousands of images of suspected child sexual abuse in the giant AI database LAION, an index of online images and captions that’s been used to train leading AI image-makers such as Stable Diffusion.
London-based Stability AI, which owns the latest versions of Stable Diffusion, said this week that it “did not approve the release” of the earlier model reportedly used by the Wisconsin man. Such open-sourced models, because their technical components are released publicly on the internet, are hard to put back in the bottle.
Prabhakar said it’s not just open-source AI technology that’s causing harm.
“It’s a broader problem,” she said. “Unfortunately, this is a category that a lot of people seem to be using image generators for. And it’s a place where we’ve just seen such an explosion. But I think it’s not neatly broken down into open source and proprietary systems.”
Ploughing through companies’ data protection policies is a time-consuming and ongoing task (Depositphotos)
By: Sara Miller
Just how secure is data provided to companies when paying for their services – and what about the companies who are doing the buying?
How do we know we can really trust entities on either side to protect the most sensitive information of their partners?
Israeli startup Hoggo has created an AI-driven platform that combs through and assesses a company’s publicly available policies on consumer protection – a process that when done manually can be an arduous and time-consuming affair.
The Software as a Service (SaaS) platform then creates an individual privacy protection outline and grade for that company, which prospective buyers and sellers can access and decide for themselves on their level of trustworthiness.
“We build a passport for them, which is basically like a resume,” Hoggo co-founder & COO Noa Kahalon tells NoCamels. “[Companies] can basically assess it with one click, and also monitor them in the long term.”
Because the information used to create the passport is publicly available, Hoggo can access the data and evaluate companies without even having to liaise with them.
Using its publicly available data, Hoggo has even created a passport for Amazon Web Services, the eponymous cloud computing platform used by almost 1.5 million businesses, including Disney, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric.
But, says Kahalon, companies who do want to work with Hoggo can improve their grade by claiming their passport and being more open about their policies and practices – including with whom they are sharing sensitive data.
“The more transparent you are, the better your trust grade is,” she says.
And according to Hoggo, 90 percent of consumers say they would not buy from a website if the seller did not adequately protect their personal data.
Kahalon has had a long-term interest in data protection, having discovered its pitfalls when setting up her own company as a teen. She has even just written a book for young children about the importance of keeping personal information private when interacting with others online.
So far, some 200 companies have signed up for passports. For now, the service is only available for companies (B2B) but there are plans to expand to offer it to individual consumers as well.
The service is currently entirely free but Hoggo is also developing a more advanced platform that would include a fee.
The company, which is less than two years old, spent a year and a half working on the technology before its live launch around three months ago.
Funding came from the German government, where Kahalon says data protection is taken “very seriously.”
Indeed, the European Union says its General Data Protection Regulation, which monitors how sensitive information is safeguarded, forms “an important component of EU privacy law and human rights law.”
The United States also has robust data protection legislation, although it is less uniform and changes from state to state. This can make it harder to understand which statutes are observed by which companies and in which locations across the US, which again is where Hoggo comes in.
Kahalon says she and her co-founders – CEO Samuel Solberg and CTO Toni Stjepanovic – wanted to upend the arduous process of verifying a company’s compliance policies on data protection.
“I was getting really frustrated with how things are being handled,” she recalls. “It’s a lot of manual work, a lot of lawyerly work.”
Anatomy of human body with digestive system. 3d illustration
Researchers delving into the timing of subsequent colonoscopies found that for some people, the risks are no different if they wait 15 years instead of 10.
By: Amy Denney
The invasive and expensive nature of colonoscopies makes determining how to maximize their usefulness—particularly when it comes to follow-up screenings—a prominent topic of research. It’s undisputed that the surgical-based test can save lives, but the timing remains a moving target.
Three years ago, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended age for the first colorectal cancer screening by five years—from 50 years of age to 45. Now, the gap between the first and second tests is being scrutinized.
Long-term data used in a JAMA Oncology study published May 2 suggests it may be time to move the follow-up screening back five years in certain circumstances. Specifically, the study indicates that anyone who doesn’t have a family history of colorectal cancer and whose first colonoscopy was free of polyps—abnormal tissue growth that can lead to cancer—could have their second screening test in 15 years, rather than the current recommendation of 10 years.
More than 152,000 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and an estimated 53,010 will die, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. It’s the second-leading cause of cancer deaths but one of the most preventable.
“What we know about colon cancer is it’s very slow growing. Screening for it is never urgent, but it’s very important because we can diagnose it very early,” Dr. Carl Bryce, a family physician, told The Epoch Times. “The sooner the treatment, the much better the outcomes.”
The reasoning behind 10-year screenings is that it takes about that long for polyps to transform into tumors. The test is invasive, comes with risks, and is costly—all reasons researchers continue to study whether the timeline can be expanded. In the new study, a statistical analysis found waiting 15 years in between screenings brought minimal risks.
Proceed With Caution
However, that doesn’t mean everyone should wait 15 years before a second screening.
The finding is a bit nuanced, not to mention entirely unofficial—two reasons Dr. Cedrek McFadden of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance medical scientific advisory committee has concerns about the study. The alliance’s mission is to raise screening rates, improve survival rates, and invest in research to end colorectal cancer.
While an accompanying JAMA editorial offered an enthusiastic perspective for the proposed change to 15 years between screenings, the recommendation hasn’t been adopted by any U.S. organizations that set guidelines for colorectal cancer screenings such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Gastroenterology, or American Cancer Society.
Additionally, Dr. McFadden noted the study was conducted in Sweden—meaning it may not hold true in the United States. He’s also concerned about narrow qualifications being misconstrued by the media or overlooked by patients who make decisions based on “headlines” or social media content, rather than conversations with their doctors and official guidelines.
“If it sounds like I’m not ready to take up this recommendation, that’s absolutely true. I don’t think this is a study that is generalizable to the patients I take care of,” Dr. McFadden, a board-certified surgeon specializing in the large intestine, told The Epoch Times. “While it’s worthwhile to look into, I don’t think it’s ready for prime time.”
Family History Matters
Family history remains one of the biggest risk factors for colorectal cancer, which is why anyone who’s had a family member affected should begin screening for the disease before the recommendation at age 45. Those with an immediate family member with colorectal cancer have a two to four times greater risk of developing it themselves.
The JAMA study recommendation not only considered family history but confirmed there is a lower risk for people without an immediate family member affected by colorectal cancer.
The study examined 29 years of patient data going back to 1990, looking at a group of 110,000 patients in a Swedish database who had no family history of colorectal cancer and had initial colonoscopies with negative results—meaning they had no diagnoses of polyps, cancer, or adenoma, benign tumors.
They were then each compared to 18 age-matched controls of the same gender who also had colonoscopies with negative results. For the first 10 years, the risk of colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer death were lower by 72 percent and 55 percent respectively in the group with no family history and negative findings.
Ten-year statistics were the baseline for determining risk at the 15-year mark and every year afterward up to 20 years. Researchers found that 2.4 more cases of colorectal cancer per 1,000 people may be missed by extending the screening interval to 15 years. That rate jumped to 4.5 more per 1,000 at year 16 and increased gradually to 11.9 additional cases per 1,000 people by year 20.
Colorectal cancer deaths had a similar but less steep trend. The statistics showed a possible 1.4 additional deaths per 1,000 people by extending colonoscopies to 15 years from 10 years. At year 16, the rate increased to two more deaths per 1,000 people, and at 20 years, the rate was 3.6 additional deaths per 1,000.
The authors noted that “almost 1,000 colonoscopies per 1,000 individuals could be avoided. Therefore, our recommendation of a 15-year colonoscopy screening interval would avoid many invasive colonoscopy examinations with a minimal toll.”
Most at Risk
Though colorectal cancer has a high survival rate when it’s discovered early, Dr. Bryce noted that not much is known about those people who develop colorectal cancer in between screenings.
“It is a bit of controversy lately regarding the screening intervals and how much time is the right spot because certainly there are interval cancers that develop between the screenings,” he said. “It takes many years to study, and they don’t really know yet.”
Dr. Bryce, who is among a small percentage of family doctors who also perform screening colonoscopies, once had a younger patient come in for his first test and end up with a cancer diagnosis that same day. He encourages his patients to get at least one screening.
Beyond that, it’s a complicated decision that blends agreed-upon factors—like stopping colonoscopies at age 75 or when the patient’s life expectancy is under 10 years—with more nuanced “timing that makes sense for the patient,” Dr. Bryce explained.
He uses the American Gastroenterology Association’s guidelines published in 2020 in the journal Gastroenterology as a template. It includes flow charts that factor in patient age, size and number of polyps, family history, and other considerations to determine follow-up screenings.
“It’s a multi-specialty guideline that looked at all the studies and approaches. Ultimately what they decided on is a consensus interval,” Dr. Bryce said. “There’s still some answers out there we need to find. Does it improve mortality? Does it save lives? We think so, but the research is still ongoing.”
More Conversations
Those guidelines acknowledge a plethora of complications—including gaps in research and evolving knowledge that shows lengthening the time between screenings is becoming more common, particularly for patients with only one or two small polyps. They note that it can be emotionally difficult for physicians and patients to bump back appointments, particularly those made before the guidelines changed. They have the option to discuss it and decide on which timeline is best.
“Evidence to support best practices for surveillance colonoscopy has strengthened and has helped to support close follow-up for some groups, as well as less intense follow-up for others,” the guidelines state. “More work is needed to fully understand which patient populations are most likely to benefit from surveillance, and the ideal surveillance interventions to apply for optimizing [colorectal cancer] prevention and early detection.”
Because of the confusing and changing nature of guidelines, Dr. McFadden said not only do doctors and patients need to talk to one another more, but patients also need to have conversations with family, too.
He noted that his patient population is oftentimes unaware of their family history.
“The individualized nature of colon screenings is unique. In many ways it may be as unique as your fingerprint,” he said. “A part of that is knowing your history and your family’s history. We have to encourage our families to speak up and tell the stories of the health of the other family members, of our own health so we can all make better choices and have more information when we’re making these decisions.”
Beyond Colonoscopies
There are tools other than colonoscopies to detect colorectal cancer—including stool studies. While colonoscopies are common in the United States, other countries tend to lean more on stool and even blood testing to screen for colorectal cancer.
Those tests identify hemoglobin proteins, DNA biomarkers, and blood. There are also virtual colonoscopies using CT scans to determine whether there are polyps or abnormalities in the colon.
Those tests should be considered in light of the invasiveness of colonoscopies, according to a 2022 review in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology, as well as the fact that only 67 percent of U.S. patients are “up to date” on colonoscopies.
“There is an unfulfilled need for multiple-modality [colorectal cancer] screening that can improve current [colorectal cancer] screening rates. Newer technologies might be resource-effective strategies when used to select patients for colonoscopy,” the article stated.
This discovery provides valuable insights into how one’s dietary habits can impact their risk of developing cancer and forges a clear path to understanding how to reverse that risk with food choices. (CI Photos/Shutterstock)
MGO, a glucose metabolite, can temporarily destroy the BRCA2 protein, reducing its levels in cells and inhibiting its tumor-preventing ability.
By: Jennifer Sweenie
You may have heard that sugar feeds cancer cells, and evidence supports that. However, the missing link in this narrative has been a thorough understanding of just “how” sugar feeds cancer—until now. A recent study published in Cell in April uncovers a new mechanism linking uncontrolled blood sugar and poor diet with cancer risk.
The research, performed at the National University of Singapore’s Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, and led by professor Ashok Venkitaraman and Li Ren Kong, a senior research fellow at the University of Singapore, found a chemical released when the body breaks down sugar also suppresses a gene expression that prevents the formation of tumors.
This discovery provides valuable insights into how one’s dietary habits can impact their risk of developing cancer and forges a clear path to understanding how to reverse that risk with food choices.
Methylglyoxal – A Temporary Off Switch
It was previously believed that cancer-preventing genes must be permanently deactivated before malignant tumors can form. However, this recent discovery suggests that a chemical, methylglyoxal (MGO), released whenever the body breaks down glucose, can temporarily switch off cancer-protecting mechanisms.
Mr. Kong, first author of the study, told The Epoch Times in an email: “It has been shown that diabetic and obese individuals have a higher risk of cancer, posing as a significant societal risk. Yet, the exact cause remains debatable.
“Our study now unearthed a clue that may explain the connection between cancer risk and diet, as well as common diseases like diabetes, which arise from poor diets.
“We found that an endogenously synthesized metabolite can cause faults in our DNA that are early warning signs of cancer development, by inhibiting a cancer-preventing gene (known as the BRCA2).”
BRCA2 is a gene that repairs DNA and helps make a protein that suppresses tumor growth and cancer cell proliferation. A BRCA2 gene mutation is associated primarily with a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, as well as other cancers. Those with a faulty copy of the BRCA2 gene are particularly susceptible to DNA damage from MGO.
However, the study showed that those without a predisposition to cancer also face an increased risk of developing the disease from elevated MGO levels. The study found that chronically elevated levels of blood sugar can result in a compounded increase in cancer risk.
“This study showcases the impact of methylglyoxal in inhibiting the function of tumour suppressor, such as BRCA2, suggesting that repeated episodes of poor diet or uncontrolled diabetes can ‘add up’ over time to increase cancer risk,” Mr. Kong wrote.
The Methylglyoxal and Cancer Relationship
MGO is a metabolite of glucose—a byproduct made when our cells break down sugar, mainly glucose and fructose, to create energy. MGO is capable of temporarily destroying the BRCA2 protein, leading to lower levels of the protein in the cells and thus inhibiting its ability to prevent tumor formation. The more sugar your body needs to break down, the higher the levels of this chemical, and the higher your risk of developing malignant tumors.
“Accumulation of methylglyoxal is found in cancer cells undergoing active metabolism,“ Mr. Kong said. ”People whose diet is poor may also experience higher than normal levels of methylglyoxal. The connection we unearthed may help to explain why diabetes, obesity, or poor diet can heighten cancer risk.”
MGO is challenging to measure on its own. Early detection of elevated levels is possible with a routine HbA1C blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months and is typically used to diagnose diabetes. This new research may provide a mechanism for detecting early warning signs of developing cancer.
“In patients with prediabetes/diabetes, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with diet, exercise and/or medicines. We are aiming to propose the same for families with high risk of cancers, such as those with BRCA2 mutation,” Mr. Kong said.
More research is needed, but the study’s findings may open the door to new methods of mitigating cancer risk.
“It is important to take note that our work was carried out in cellular models, not in patients, so it would be premature to give specific advice to reduce risk on this basis. However, the new knowledge from our study could influence the directions of future research in this area, and eventually have implications for cancer prevention,” he said.
“For instance, poor diets rich in sugar or refined carbohydrates are known to cause blood glucose levels to spike. We are now looking at larger cancer cohorts to connect these dots.”
The Diet and Cancer Connection
Dr. Graham Simpson, medical director of Opt Health, told The Epoch Times in an email: “It’s genes loading the gun, but your lifestyle that pulls the trigger. Every bite of food you take is really information. It’s either going to turn on your longevity genes or it’s going to turn on your killer genes. So cancer is very much in large part self-induced by the individual diet.”
A 2018 study published by Cambridge University Press found an association between higher intakes of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and an increased risk of obesity-related cancers. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2020 concluded that sugars may be a risk factor for cancer, breast cancer in particular. Cancer cells are ravenous for sugar, consuming it at a rate 200 times that of normal cells.
Healthy Dietary Choices for Reducing Cancer Risk
A consensus on the best dietary approach for reducing cancer risk has yet to be determined, and further research is needed. However, the new findings of the Cell study on MGO support reducing sugar intake as a means to mitigate cancer risk. A study published in January in Diabetes & Metabolism shows that a Mediterranean diet style of eating may help reduce MGO levels.
In 2023, a study published in Cell determined that a ketogenic diet may be an effective nutritional intervention for cancer patients as it helped slow the growth of cancer cells in mice—while a review published in JAMA Oncology in 2022 found that the current evidence available supports a plant-enriched diet for reducing cancer risk.
Dr. Simpson stressed the importance of real food and healthy macronutrients with a low-carb intake for the health of our cells. “The mitochondria is the most important signaling molecule and energy-producing organelle that we have in our body. [Eat] lots of vegetables, healthy proteins, and healthy fats, fish, eggs, yogurt,” he said.
“Lots of green, above-ground vegetables, some fruits, everything that is naturally grown and is not processed.”
New UK research shows adults who consumed high-potency cannabis between ages 16 and 18 are twice as likely to experience psychotic episodes like hallucinations and delusions by their mid-20s compared to those using low-potency strains or abstaining. (Louella938/Shutterstock)
By: Cara Michelle Miller
During breaks from his deployments in the Afghanistan war, Craig turned to smoking cannabis to alleviate stress, just as he had done as a teenager. However, one evening, things took a turn when he barricaded himself and his two young daughters in the master bedroom.
“He thought the house was surrounded by terrorists,” Jennifer Thomas, the girls’ mother, recounted while speaking to The Epoch Times. “That night was bad; he said they were under attack. The other times before that were mostly him seeing auras and aliens talking.”
Military police took Craig to a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 26.
Craig’s story is one among an increasing number of cases, primarily involving men, where cannabis use has contributed to a schizophrenia diagnosis occurring in one’s 20s.
The Cannabis–Psychosis Link
New UK research shows adults who consumed high-potency cannabis between ages 16 and 18 are twice as likely to experience psychotic episodes like hallucinations and delusions by their mid-20s compared to those using low-potency strains or abstaining. The longitudinal study, published in Addiction, highlights cannabis’ risks to adolescent brain development.
“Young people using higher-potency forms of cannabis are twice as likely to have experiences associated with psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions,” lead author Lindsey Hines, a professor from the University of Bath Department of Psychology with a doctorate in epidemiological psychiatry, stated in a press release.
Over the past several decades, illicit marijuana products have become significantly more potent. The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the psychoactive compound in cannabis responsible for the “high” sensation and one linked to psychotic experiences in some people—increased from around 10 percent in 2009 to roughly 14 percent by 2019, according to a scientific review published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
“This is the problem,” Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai in New York, told The Epoch Times. “Many people don’t realize that the cannabis that is consumed today—the majority or all of it—is high-potency.”
The researchers examined data from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s (ALSPAC) study, the most comprehensive birth cohort study of its kind. The study collected information and data from about 14,000 adolescents between 16 and 18. Then, when they were 24, the participants were asked to disclose the types of cannabis they used and any psychotic experiences, such as hallucinations or delusions, they may have experienced.
The study found that 6.4 percent of young people using cannabis had new psychotic experiences, compared to 3.8 percent of nonusers. Furthermore, after starting to use cannabis, 10.1 percent of young people using higher-potency cannabis reported new psychotic experiences, while 3.8 percent using lower-potency did.
“Importantly, the young people we asked had not previously reported these experiences before starting their cannabis use,” said Ms. Hines. ”This adds to the evidence that use of higher-potency cannabis may negatively impact mental health.”
Stronger THC a Ticking Time Bomb for Mental Health
Cannabis poses a greater psychosis risk than tobacco or alcohol, according to Ms. Hurd, who noted that the new findings align with numerous studies linking cannabis use to psychosis.
A 2017 study in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that people experiencing even one cannabis-induced psychotic episode have a 47 percent higher chance of developing schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, with self-harm after such episodes indicating the highest risk. Of those experiencing substance-induced psychosis, half of them developed schizophrenia within three years, while the other half converted to bipolar disorder within almost 4.5 years.
Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are thought to involve imbalances in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and abnormalities in brain structure and function. These neurological factors may contribute to the development of psychotic symptoms, such as hallucination and delusions, in both disorders.
A study published in Molecular Psychiatry analyzed genetic markers to assess the cannabis-psychosis relationship and found that “use of cannabis is causally related to risk of schizophrenia,” meaning that cannabis is a factor influencing the occurrence of the disorder.
A 2023 Danish study reported cannabis use disorder (CUD) as a major schizophrenia risk factor for young males, estimating that 30 percent of cases among men aged 21 to 30 could be prevented by preventing CUD, a diagnosis of problematic cannabis abuse or dependence that affected 14.2 million Americans aged 12 and over in 2020.
While not all young cannabis users develop psychosis, Ms. Hurd said that factors like starting before 16, frequent use, and higher potency increase risk, potentially triggering conditions in genetically predisposed people, as a 2018 study using 23andMe data found.
The increased psychosis risk from more potent cannabis “must be taken seriously, especially in light of the current mental health crisis,” Ms. Hurd and colleagues wrote in a 2024 commentary in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Challenges Ahead
Despite evidence linking cannabis to psychosis, teen use soared 245 percent between 2000 and 2020, according to research published in Clinical Toxicology. The authors attributed the rise to popular edible products, with legalization making cannabis seem safer and more accessible to teens, even though it is only legal for adults in 24 states and Washington, D.C.
Tax revenue from the cannabis industry must fund prevention strategies to mitigate impacts on developing brains, Ms. Hurd and her colleagues wrote in the commentary.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently proposed to move cannabis to a Schedule III drug, which would reduce the penalty for selling or delivering the drug in states where it remains criminalized.
The legalization of medical marijuana in more states over the past few years has made cannabis widely accessible. However, Ms. Hurd noted that the current highly addictive strains are not benign. “The adolescent time period is a critical window for CUD risk,” she said, adding that this only makes the need for public health education and intervention more critical.
While “we should not criminalize the use,” she said, the move to make it legal and reduce penalties ignores the fact that the current strains are purposely made to be addictive because “like everything else, it’s a business, and the business is to get more customers,” she added.
The founder and principal designer of Ovadia Design Group, Jack Ovadia, described his inspirations for the design concept at the heart of the renovations of the Wave Resort. Credit: Ovadia Design Group
The Wave Resort, a coastal escape in the jewel box of Pier Village, along the Jersey Shore held a much anticipated grand opening today on Friday for their new lounge area and “The Bar.”
From chic aesthetics to coastal tones, The Wave Resort promises a unique and elevated experience for guests. Credit: Ovadia Design Group
The Wave Resort has received a fresh renovation, with newly-refurbished spaces by the interior design firm Ovadia Design Group, founded by Principal Designer, Jack Ovadia. Based in New York City, the firm showcases a portfolio of projects along the unique locale of the Jersey Shore, illustrating their skill in bringing the essence of summer to life.
The Wave Resort has reimagined selected areas, including the lobby lounge, featuring a den/game area, and “The Bar”, alongside the resort’s newest hotspot for Instagram-worthy moments, “Call Your Bubbi Bagels”. Embracing the coastal ambiance tailored for The Wave Resort, Ovadia Design Group has seamlessly designed these areas to reflect the timeless allure of the seaside. Every detail evokes the tranquility of ocean living, promising a unique and elevated experience for guests.
Where seaside charm meets timeless appeal, The Wave Resort invites guests to experience the essence of summer. Credit: Ovadia Design Group
The Wave Resort’s latest renovation introduces a palette of vibrant pastels and incorporates natural elements, elevating the chic aesthetics and coastal appeal. The reinvented spaces not only invite visitors to indulge in unforgettable experiences but also serve as picturesque backdrops, ensuring lasting memories of The Wave Resort’s newly founded ambiance and serene design.
The Wave Resort is one of three Kushner-owned hotels at Long Branch’s beachfront, according to the Asbury Park Press. The others are The Bungalow, a 24-room boutique hotel and the 102-room Onada Surf Club. Due to the major role played by Kushner Cos in development on the Jersey Shore, Pier Village has become a popular destination for luxury oriented vacationers and beach goers from around the world.
“The Bar” intertwines vibrance and the inviting nature of the sea, integrating natural elements reminiscent of waves and sails for a harmonious balance. Credit: Ovadia Design Group
On Memorial Day weekend back in 2019, Nicole Kushner Meyer, principal of the New York-based Kushner real estate development group, kicked things off with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the six-story, 67-room Wave Resort.
Kushner, the sister of former White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner said that those involved in the project were “focused on developing Pier Village into a year-round Town Center for Long Branch.” Her father, Charles Kushner, formerly owned a home in the area.
“The Bar” intertwines vibrance and the inviting nature of the sea, integrating natural elements reminiscent of waves and sails for a harmonious balance. Credit: Ovadia Design Group.
Construction of the boutique hotel at Pier Village began in January 2018. The project also features 245 high-end condos called The Lofts, which carry a price tag ranging from $569,000 to $2.4 million.
Wave Resort’s rooms were designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA). Each room is configured to provide views of the Atlantic Ocean from terraces and through floor-to-ceiling, wall-to wall windows. Blackened wood finishes and rope details were integrated throughout, according to Hotel Management Magazine.
The Kushner Company’s luxurious Wave Resort, located in the heart of Pier Village along the Jersey Shore, debuted right before Memorial Day, and is receiving universal praise. Photo Credit: Kushner.com
“Upon entering the living room-style lobby, eyes will immediately be drawn to a bespoke, gallery-worthy concrete reception desk,” is how Hospitality Design described it. “Framed vistas juxtaposed with natural, warm raw materials; color-blocked, dusty, sunset-toned fabrics; and crisp graphic designs make for an interactive and inviting foyer space that is perfect for relaxing with a cocktail or playing pool with friends. Each restaurant and bar, from the boardwalk café to the richly toned brasserie-style fine dining room to the second-floor pool deck, serve as a collection of communal lounging spaces that seamlessly transition from work to play throughout the day.”
Its seven food and beverage outlets include seasonal fine dining seafood and coastal casual restaurants; a boardwalk coffee shop; swim-up pool bar; and a hybrid burger-and-taco shop. The dining venues were influenced by Pier Village’s boardwalk.
The exquisite pool at the luxurious Wave Resort on the Jersey Shore.
The founder and principal designer of the eponymously named Ovadia Design Group, Jack Ovadia, described his inspirations for the design concept at the heart of the renovations of the Wave Resort.
“Visiting the shore over the summer my entire life, I wanted to give summer escapists a retreat–a space where they could experience the essence of summer: it’s vibrancy, breeziness, and joy of the seaside,” explained Mr. Ovadia.
The lobby of the Kushner Company owned Wave Hotel in Pier Village on the Jersey Shore
Mr. Ovadia added that, “Immersing ourselves in the vibrant community of Pier Village, our team meticulously studied how visitors and residents interact with the locale. It became evident that there was a need for a refined setting where adults could unwind, whether catching up on work during the day or winding down with a nightcap after dinner. “The Bar” embodies this vision.”
With a palpable enthusiasm in his voice, Mr. Ovadia said, “Our goal was to bring a unique sense of Miami to the Jersey Shore, intertwining a vibrant palette and a timeless allure that embodies this elevated coastal style.”
Breathtaking rooms at The Wave Resort on the Jersey Shore. Credit: Booking.com
He added that “Our concept was to evoke the Jersey Shore with a Miami-inspired ambiance, seamlessly blending a lively color palette with timeless charm to capture this elevated coastal style. At our core, we’re not just about design; we’re about creating unforgettable experiences”.
Renowned for creating timeless environments to withstand time, Jack Ovadia is a multifaceted interior designer, architect by trade, and known for his business acumen.
The Wave Resort’s latest renovation introduces a palette of vibrant pastels and incorporates natural elements, elevating the chic aesthetics and coastal appeal. The reinvented spaces not only invite visitors to indulge in unforgettable experiences but also serve as picturesque backdrops, ensuring lasting memories of The Wave Resort’s newly founded ambiance and serene design. Credit: Booking.com
In 2022, Mr. Ovadia’s firm was featured as the summer cover of Design Magazine and mentioned by Business of Home. Most recently, Mr. Ovadia has been recognized by the American Society of Interior Designers and publications such as Haute Residence, Design Et Al, and more. Mr. Ovadia’s daring approach is powered by functional design and an innate ability to seamlessly merge luxury interiors with architectural design. Based in the heart of New York City, Ovadia Design’s headquarters serves as a global hub where Mr. Ovadia leads his firm to embrace design, elevating and enhancing the art of living for each client. In 2023, Mr. Ovadia collaborated with Propel Network, participating in a live panel representing local design entrepreneurs and encouraging design enthusiasts to excel in shaping the evolution of the design industry.
(JNS) “I dedicated my championship medal to my best friend Yochai who I grew up with. I’ve won a gold medal three times, but this was different,” Israeli jiu-jitsu fighter and Oct. 7 survivor Yarin Shriki told JNS on Tuesday.
“I wanted to sing ‘Hatikvah,’ I wanted everybody to listen. I did not fight for myself, I fought for my flag, for my country and for my friends who died,” he added.
Over the weekend, Shriki won a gold medal at the European Championship in Germany. He entered the final against Belgian Florian Bayili, ranked No. 1 in the world. He was the underdog, but was able to surprise his opponent during the fight.
As during previous fights, the athlete wore an outfit with the inscription “Yochai, 7/10/2023.”
On Oct. 7, Shriki was recovering from ear surgery and was told to rest from strenuous activity for a month, when his brother invited him to attend the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. Two days before I bought a ticket. Both of my brothers drove in one car and I got in another with one of my friends,” recounted Shriki.
“We arrived at around 2 a.m. and at 6:30 a.m., the assault started. We ran to the parking lot and started to drive. Everyone drove in different locations, I fled to Tze’elim and my brothers drove to Beit Kama. I couldn’t join them because there were terrorists everywhere,” he added.
One of Shriki’s friends who serves in an IDF combat unit and trained with him three years before the massacre, fled on the same road as him. He drove ahead and fended off dozens of terrorists allowing Shriki to survive.
“We were 10 friends at the party,” Shriki said, “four of them were killed,” including Yochai. Shriki remained in Tze’elim for seven hours, and at nightfall, he drove back to his hometown of Netanya.
“I rested for one day only before starting to train for the European championship,” Shriki told JNS.
Late last month, he won a gold medal in the men’s under-69 kg Gi category at the Paris Jiu Jitsu 2024 Grand Prix.
“My message to Jews around the world is that we need to unite, be stronger and win this war. We are not only fighting in Gaza, we are fighting in the media and we are fighting those in the world who believe nonsense,” he said.
