ShalomNewYork.com

“Participants of the Kinus Hashluchim gathered Friday morning at the Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens, praying for their communities and activities. ” more@COLlive.com

“Ben Smith endorses Seth Lipsky for Bill Kristol’s slot. So do I. He could be the new Safire. Seth has the most interesting mind in journalism. He’s conservative, of course, but mostly what he is is unpredictable, and the page could use some unpredictability. Plus, he wears fedoras. The Times could definitely use someone […]

 ’Suddenly I Saw a Police Officer in my Bedroom’ - Spiegel.de

“However, many subscribers seem to be sick of all the intrigues the Gerrer Chassidim ran against Me’ir Porush during his election campaign. Furthermore, many Haredi claim that they don’t want a “One - Man - Yaakov - Litzman - Show” anymore. And, last but not least, many subscribers just have enough of certain violent actions carried […]

Merry Hanukkah from the White House!The president and the first lady invited leaders of America’s Jewish community for a Hanukkah reception at the White House next month - but raised more than a few eyebrows by putting a picture of a Christmas tree on the invitation. more@NYpost.com

“If you eliminate short selling, you are saying that the only way you can make money is if a stock goes up,” the chief executive of Lightspeed Professional Trading, Stephen Ehrlich, said. “As a result, companies’ incentives to drive extra profitability might not be there.” Short selling, which is legal, is a useful way to hedge […]

 There used to be tens of thousands of diamond cutters in the Belgian port of Antwerp. Now there are only a few hundred. It is within the city’s Jewish community that most of the jobs have been lost - particularly among the Hasidic Jews who adhere strictly to religious laws. Out of about 2,000 Hasidic […]

via Shearim.blogspot

The Muslim-outreach coordinator to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama has resigned amid questions about his involvement in an Islamic investment fund and various Islamic groups. WSJ

“Thirteen years ago when you returned from exile, you were disappointed to see the new Russia. You turned down a prize proposed by Gorbachev, and you also refused to accept an award Yeltsin wanted to give you. Yet now you have accepted the State Prize which was awarded to you by Putin, the former […]

“Book In Russian Explains Mikvah Use”
Jewish community officials in the United States and the former Soviet Union hailed the publication of a book about mikvah use written entirely in Russian. Entitled Mayim Chayim, or “Living Waters,” and written by Rabbi Michael and Sima Koritz, the book presents the laws of family purity in an easy […]

“Instead the outrage was directed at a huge mosque planned for the area. Still, the words used by the project’s opponents called to mind the protests of earlier times. “The minarets even look like missiles,” railed one woman. A man said the mosque’s dome reminded him “of a nuclear plant.”” Spiegel