Much has been said about Beth Rivkah, and it banning of Facebook use by its students.What is puzzling about the attention received by Beth Rivkah is that many schools have far harsher ban, some completely forbidding internet use entirely. For a school to recognise the need to shape its student’s relationship with modern technology and [...]
Beth Rivkah of Brooklyn has banned Facebook among its students. The fear that it could lead to fraternisation and the posting of immodest pictures played a role in the decision, according to the Algemeiner Journal. “People on the board said it’s not proper for us to have Facebook because girls might be talking to boys [...]
There is case working its way through the Israeli courts, that of Yitzhak Shuchat, who is wanted for trial in a beating in which he allegedly took part of Andrew Charles, the son of a New York City detective. What distinguishes the case from one of simple assault and battery is the allegation that Charles [...]
Crown Heights continues to fascinate the world. In addition to strict observance of Jewish law, Crown Heights Lubavitchers are walking the line between the modern world and Jewish tradition, trying to benefit from the advantages of the modern world without being spiritually undermined by the ideological core of secular culture. When you throw [...]
I was in shul when the car hit Gavin Cato at the corner of Utica and Eastern Parkway. My son was playing on the corner near where it happened.Someone came into shul between afternoon and evening prayers and announced that a Jewish driver had hit a black child. “It’s not going to be [...]
Last week, I had an unpleasant experience on Megabus. At one of their stops in Maryland, there was a complete lack of signs and a confusing arrangement of arrivals and departures. After coming home and finding no one to talk to either on line or on the phone at 11:00PM, I wrote a very critical [...]
Last night, the sound of helicopters could be heard overhead in the area around Utica Avenue in Crown Heights at around 4:00 in the afternoon. Local residents know the sound of police helicopters, and local residents know that they will not find out what was going on on Utica Avenue. Yesterday, Monday afternoon, there was [...]
Of all the things I look for in a barber, I care least about technical skill. More than once, I have handed an electric clipper to a child of my family who is six or seven, and paid them a decent price for cutting my hair. There are some Jewish legal restrictions on men’s haircuts, [...]
President Obama came to New York City and palled it up with staunch supporter, Al Sharpton, who is remembered by most New Yorkers for his racially incendiary contributions to political discourse. At a fund raiser for Sharpton’s much audited National Action Network, Obama made some small talk that had some ugly resonance with people who [...]
It can be very complicated keeping up with what is going on in Crown Heights and in Lubavitch. There are official sites like Lubavitch.com and Chabad.org, which both represent Lubavitch in some official capacity. Other sites are more like community news sites or are otherwise run by private individuals. Collive.com and Crownheights.info are both in [...]
