“The great journey of transformation begins with the acknowledgment that we need to make it. It is not something we are undertaking for amusement, nor even for the sake of convention; rather, it is a spiritual necessity.”

- Rabbi Alan Lew

6 Foods Every Man Over 50 Should Avoid Eating — and Why

(Everyday Health) — Nutrition experts hesitate to call any food “forbidden,” reasoning that it’s okay to eat all foods in moderation, with an occasional “treat” of less-than-healthy fare. Still, some foods do merit a spot on the “worst foods for your health” list for men over 50. Why that age 50 cutoff? Because, as the Cleveland Clinic explains, one way to cut the risk of medical conditions that are more common in older men, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, is to cut back on foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars... 

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Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams wins cycling world championship in Scotland

(JTA) — Israeli-Canadian billionaire and philanthropist Sylvan Adams, a key figure in the development of Israeli competitive cycling, won a world championship of his own in the sport’s 65-69 age group. At the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland, Adams, who owns the Israel-Premier Tech Cycling Team, finished first in the Masters 65-69 age group on Friday. Then on Monday, Adams, who turns 65 in November, also finished first in his age bracket in the championship’s individual time trial...

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Growing egalitarian yeshiva Hadar Institute will relocate to larger Upper West Side space

(New York Jewish Week) — The Hadar Institute is moving on up — to a recently renovated synagogue where the egalitarian yeshiva says it can continue to grow. Since 2007, the Jewish educational institution has run many of its programs out of West End Synagogue, a Reconstructionist congregation at 69th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. But starting this fall, Hadar will move 24 blocks uptown to become the long-term tenant of Congregation Shaare Zedek.

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Camp Ramah returns to Ukraine after a war-induced exile — now with a bomb shelter

(JTA) — Ramah Yachad, a Ukrainian Jewish summer camp, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year in exile, having relocated to Romania following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that February. This year, the camp is back in its longtime home in the Chernivtsi region of western Ukraine — a move that camp leaders said was both pragmatic and symbolic...

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British city of York, site of a medieval pogrom, gets its first Rabbi in 800 years

(New York Jewish Week) — For the first time in 800 years, the British city of York, whose Jewish population was decimated in a medieval pogrom, will be home to a rabbi. Rabbi Elisheva Salamo arrived in York from California last week after decades of pulpit work in the United States, Switzerland and South Africa. She will take a part-time pulpit at the York Liberal Jewish Community, which is affiliated with a denomination akin to the American Reform movement. The congregation was founded in 2014 and now has about 100 members...

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Getting off the bimah and into the community

(eJewishPhilanthropy) “I’ve never played roofball with a rabbi.” These were the words that a 9-year-old camper said to me as we threw a ball onto the roof of one of the bunks at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Crane Lake Camp. For the uninitiated (which I was until recently), roofball is a game that involves throwing a soccer-type ball onto a slanted roof and then jumping to catch it and throw it back up – it’s a camp favorite. The camper made his comment with a mix of surprise and fascination that a rabbi would join in playing this game with them. It was a similar reaction to the one I received from several campers when I went flying down one of the inflatables on the lake, landing a little more quickly in the water than I had expected...

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If you have an article of interest, a special event happening at your Men's Club or other news for the New York Metro Region newsletter, please forward them to Lisa Pollack at assistant@fjmc.org

Abe Lebewohl Park honors murdered 2nd Ave Deli founder and East Village ‘mensch’

(JTA) — “I need two matzah ball soups!” a deli clerk yells into the microphone during the lunch rush at 2nd Ave Deli — which, since 2006, is no longer located on Second Avenue but on East 33rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenue. While the original deli building is now a bank, the Midtown location boasts the same old-school vibe: The menu is packed with Ashkenazi treats such as knishes, stuffed cabbage and, of course, pastrami; the gregarious waiters are full of personality; the logo’s Hebraic-styled lettering remains unchanged.

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The Jewish violinist who saved Carnegie Hall from the brink of destruction

(New York Jewish Week) — Violinist Isaac Stern made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1943, but it would hardly be his last performance at the famed concert venue: He performed there more than 200 times between then and his death in 2001 at the age of 81. Carnegie Hall was “part of his DNA,” his daughter, Rabbi Shira Stern, told the New York Jewish Week.

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Crop tops, kippahs and klezmer: A ‘Jewish rave’ scene takes hold in NYC

(JTA) — On a recent Thursday in Ridgewood, the Queens neighborhood that straddles the border of uber-hip Bushwick, Brooklyn, a crowd of music fans filled the room at Trans-Pecos, an all-ages music and events venue. It’s a scene that’s pretty familiar to anyone who’s been to an outer-borough club in recent years. The event was celebrating the unique intersection of klezmer music and rave culture. The room was packed with Jewish ravers, for the third New York installment of “Kleztronica,” a burgeoning Jewish music scene that’s becoming a “movement,” according to its 22-year-old creator, Upper West Side native Kaia Berman-Peters...

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How a small challah-baking business is building Jewish community in Astoria, Queens

(New York Jewish Week) — Cody Butler was 25 years old when he first tasted challah, the braided bread traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath. As an Irish Catholic growing up in Astoria, Queens, he had had his fair share of bagels. But challah? Never.



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A look at what genetic testing can tell us about Jews.

(TheTorah.com) — In premodern times, the question of where Jews come from had an obvious answer: The Bible tells the story of Israel’s origins beginning with the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, moving on to Moses and the exodus from Egypt, and continuing on the conquest of Canaan, the judges, the monarchy, the exile, and so on. Modern scholars have come to challenge that narrative, however, just as scientists began to challenge the creation story in Genesis, looking beyond the biblical account for an explanation for how the Jews came to be...

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48 Ways of Wisdom

1. Be aware of every moment.
2. Listen effectively.
3. Say it out loud.
4. Introduce yourself to yourself.
5. The power of awe.

And 43 more...

Click here to read the insightful Aish.com article in its entirety.

Do you have any trivia or interesting facts that you would like to share for the newsletter? Please contact Lisa at assistant@fjmc.org