Tuesday, June 17, 2025
The Borscht Belt Fest celebrates the Jewish Catskills of yesteryear
The Borscht Belt Fest is back for its third year of nostalgia-filled fun in the Catskills.
Taking place July 26-27 in Ellenville, New York, this year's festival will highlight the comedy, culture and food of the iconic upstate resorts and bungalow colonies that made summers special for scores of American Jews in the mid-20th century.
With an expected attendance of between 6,000 and 8,000 people, this year's Borscht Belt Fest is yet another example of large-scale Jewish festivals that are set to occur in New York throughout the year.
The Borscht Belt Fest is the "marquee event" of the Borscht Belt Museum, a museum that spotlights the golden age of the Jewish Catskills that opened in a former bank in Ellenville in the summer of 2023.
"We like to highlight the Jewish joy aspect of this period of history," said Andrew Jacobs, president of Catskills Borscht Belt Museum's board of directors.
This year, the festival is partially funded by a grant from the UJA-Federation of New York. The extra support has allowed festival organizers to expand the scope of this year's event: "We're just doing more of everything," Jacobs said. That means more comedy shows, more food options and more panel discussions than ever before.
The Borscht Belt is a nickname for the Catskills region of upstate New York, which became famous for its summer bungalow colonies and resorts that, beginning in the post-World War II era, were frequented by Jewish families. At the time, Jews were excluded from many mainstream holiday destinations, so Jews — and Jewish New Yorkers, in particular — built vacation spots in parts of Sullivan, Ulster and Orange counties, eventually transforming the Catskills into hotspot for Jewish culture and community.
By the 1970s, the Catskills fell out of fashion for Jewish families. By then, airfare had become significantly cheaper, non-Jewish resorts began to allow Jewish guests, and the availability of air conditioning in New York City apartments meant that escaping the city for the summer was no longer a necessity, but a luxury. Over the ensuing decades, nearly every one of these Jewish resorts have permanently closed their doors; several have burned to the ground in recent years.
Today, this Jewish vacationland has been in decline for nearly as long as it once thrived. Nonetheless, the nostalgia for the Borscht Belt's golden age remains strong — even among those who are too young to have ever played "Simon Says" at Grossinger's Resort.
This year's Borscht Belt Fest will emphasize the comedy culture of the Borscht Belt, where comedy legends like Mel Brooks, Jackie Mason and Joan Rivers got their start. It will be headlined by Josh Gondelman, an Emmy-winning writer, stand-up comedian, and author, and will feature more than 30 other performers, including Elon Gold and Sarge.
"Everyone likes to laugh," Jacobs noted.
As part of the festival, Gondelman will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to actor and comedian Robert Klein on Saturday night. Klein began his career in the Borscht Belt at resorts like the Concord and Kutsher's, and he eventually became an iconic comedian across Broadway, film and television.
In addition to stand-up comedy, festival-goers will be able to watch a short play about a weekly mahjong game, participate in a Borscht Belt-themed story slam, experience a deep dive into the Yiddish music of the Catskills, and much more.
Another central event of the festival weekend is Sunday's street fair, which is free for all attendees. Guests will enjoy booths of Jewish food vendors, klezmer music, cooking workshops, and local artisans. They can also stop by the Borscht Belt Museum to check out its current exhibit, "And Such Small Portions! Food and Comedy in the Catskills Resort Era."
"It's a great way to reconnect to Jewish culture from the past," Jacob said of the festival, "whether it be Yiddish-American pop music or contemporary, young, up and coming comedians who are reinterpreting that [style of comedy] for modern audiences."
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Monday, June 16, 2025
Anti-Jewish Terror Suspect Appears in NY Federal Court
While 26 Federal Plaza has received a lot of attention recently for the raucous pro-migrant, anti-ICE protests that have occurred outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, there's a lot more going on inside that edifice than just Immigration Court.
The Southern District of New York (SDNY) Criminal Division has its offices there, as do the FBI, and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of these groups, alleged terror suspect Muhammad Shahzeb Khan was arraigned in federal court on Thursday June 13, 2025. Khan, an alleged supporter of ISIS, is accused of plotting a mass shooting against a Jewish center in Brooklyn, pled not guilty to two charges:
1. Attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization
2. Attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries
Khan faces life in prison if convicted and remains in federal custody.
Asked why a planned attack in Brooklyn was being prosecuted in Manhattan federal court, a SDNY spokesperson declined comment.
Khan, a 20-year-old citizen of Pakistan, was extradited from Canada earlier in the week. Khan was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police on September 4, 2024, in Ormstown, Quebec, around twelve miles from the New York border, while he attempted to be smuggled into the United States.
Khan arrived in Canada in June 2023 on a government study permit. By that November, it's alleged that Khan began communicating on social media and in encrypted private messages, his support for ISIS. After this, Khan began sharing with undercover law enforcement officers [UCs] a plan that he and a U.S.-based associate had to attack "Israeli Jewish Chabads" with AR-style assault weapons.
By August 2024, Khan had narrowed his target to a religious center in Brooklyn, with a go date of around October 7, 2024—the one-year anniversary of Hamas' attack against Israel.
"New york is perfect to target Jews" Khan is alleged to have told the under cover agents because it has the "largest Jewish population in America," adding "we are going to nyc to slaughter them."
At the same time he was plotting against New York Jews, Khan was also seeking refugee status in Canada as a gay male, according to Fazal Qadeer, a Mississauga, Ontario-based immigration consultant. In Pakistan, same-sex relations are illegal.
"The foreign terrorist organization ISIS remains a clear and present danger to the American people, and our Jewish citizens are especially targeted by evil groups like these," said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
"Muhammad Shahzeb Khan has been brought to the United States to face justice for his barbaric plot to conduct a mass shooting in New York City," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia.
"Muhammad Shahzeb Khan—a supporter of ISIS and fueled by antisemitism—allegedly plotted a terrorist attack that could have slaughtered Jewish New Yorkers simply because of their faith," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. "Thanks to the proactive work of the NYPD, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, that plot was stopped before it could become a tragedy."
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Jewish grocery store in Brookline vandalized with ‘Free Palestine’ brick
A Jewish grocery store in Brookline was vandalized early Sunday morning when a brick that said "Free Palestine" was thrown through the business's window, police said.
The Butcherie, a kosher grocery store, is located on Harvard Street in a stretch of Jewish businesses near Coolidge Corner, including Kupel's Bakery, the Kosher Wok, and Israel Book Shop. It's about a block away from Congregation Kehillath Israel, a traditional, conservative synagogue.
Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster called the incident "a disturbing act of hate and anti-Semitic vandalism."
"Free Palestine" was written in large, red letters across the brick, Paster said.
"This was not simply an act of property damage, and it is not plainly vandalism. This was a targeted, hateful message meant to intimidate a Jewish-owned business and our broader Jewish community," Paster said.
The investigation shows that at least two people wearing masks walked down Coolidge Street, threw a brick through the storefront window, and fled the way they came, police said.
Police noted that no other businesses appear to be targeted. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
The Butcherie shared an image of the brick, saying the perpetrators are using political slogans "as a cover to spread intimidation and hatred."
"This was not a statement of protest, it was an attack on the Jewish community," the store wrote on Facebook. "This was not about policy or politics. It was an act meant to threaten, to isolate, and to target us for who we are."
The business did not respond to requests for comment from Boston.com.
Gili Zilberberg, one of the owners of the Butcherie, spoke to the Daily Wire in front of the damaged window. The brick appeared to have been thrown through a window displaying a map of Israel.
"I'm third generation, this has never happened in the Butcherie history," he said. "This is a nonpolitical statement, here," he said, referring to the map of Israel showing wines produced in the region.
The winery map depicts the West Bank and Gaza, both Palestinian territories, and the Golan Heights in Syria as part of Israel. A nearly identical map to the one on the Butcherie's window is part of a "Sip for Solidarity" campaign launched to donate funds to Israeli relief efforts in 2023, according to the St. Louis Jewish Light.
The Golan Heights is a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria that Israel annexed, partly in 1981 and then the rest in 2024 after the fall of the Assad regime. While President Donald Trump recognized it as part of Israel in 2019, the international community considers it Israel-occupied Syrian territory.
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Thursday, June 12, 2025
How Adrienne Adams got the coveted Hasidic nod Andrew Cuomo longed for
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has secured more than two dozen coveted Hasidic endorsements, making her the dark horse to watch in what has been a tumultuous mayoral race.
Late on Monday, Speaker Adams received the backing of 25 Hasidic sects and schools in Borough Park, part of an influential voting bloc that helped swing the 2021 mayoral race for incumbent Eric Adams. The two Adamses are not related.
The twist: the endorsements for Adrienne Adams ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary appear to be part of a strategy to help the embattled mayor, who has quit the Democrats and is running in the general election on an independent "End Antisemitism" line.
The speaker's announcement is a setback for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner who had been actively courting Hasidic support and hoped to consolidate the Orthodox groups behind his candidacy.
Orthodox voters favor Mayor Adams, but his status as an Independent has led the leadership to explore an array of candidates in the primary.
The endorsements come at a critical moment in the mayoral race. Recent polls show a close race between Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and a vocal critic of Israel who identifies as anti-Zionist.
Cuomo, who has made fighting antisemitism central to his candidacy, leads with 41% among Orthodox voters in the primary, according to a recent survey, and secured the backing of the largest Hasidic sects, the two Satmar sects in Williamsburg and Bobov in Boro Park. However, he failed in his bid to secure the unified front he was counting on to stop Mamdani's insurgency.
Even among Cuomo's Hasidic supporters, there are signs that the endorsements are not rock solid.
Moshe Indig, the political leader of the Satmar sect led by Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, told The New York Times he may add Mamdani to his slate of endorsements. Ultimately, he said, he wants to see Mayor Adams re-elected with Orthodox support.
Two leaders involved in the outreach effort, who requested anonymity to speak freely about internal discussions, said that Cuomo met with just a handful of Hasidic leaders and neglected deeper outreach to the broader network of schools and administrators who manage turnout operations.
In these private meetings, and in carefully crafted interviews with online publications, Cuomo reportedly "expressed deep regret" for singling out Hasidic communities for enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One longtime Hasidic operative predicted that at least 20% of voters who belong to the groups who endorsed Cuomo are "soft votes" open to persuasion.
New York City's 700,000 Jewish adults, who have made up about 16% of the Democratic primary vote in past elections, could comprise as much as 20% of turnout in the primary because of growing concern over antisemitism and expected lower turnout citywide.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Adams Team Works Behind Scenes to Try to Sway Rabbis Against Cuomo
Mayor Eric Adams may be running an unusually low-key race for re-election in New York City, opting out of the Democratic primary and mounting an independent general election run without even a campaign manager to steer it.
But behind the scenes, he is making an aggressive play to try to shape the field to his liking and hold onto a key voting bloc.
A top aide to Mr. Adams, Menashe Shapiro, has been calling Orthodox Jewish leaders in recent weeks to urge them not to back Andrew M. Cuomo in the June 24 Democratic primary, or to temper their support for him if they do, according to six people familiar with the effort.
Mr. Adams's allies have indicated they believe he would have a better chance of winning the general election if Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist assemblyman now polling in second place, defeats Mr. Cuomo and becomes the Democratic nominee.
At the same time, Mr. Adams has used his mayoral powers to make policy pronouncements that seem designed to resonate with some Orthodox Jews. He signed an executive order recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism and created the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism to address the spike in antisemitic hate crimes in the city.
"He is going around to people to ask for support for the general election," said Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leader of one faction of the Satmar Hasidic group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. "He would love that everyone just ignore the primary and wait until the fall."
The mayor's efforts have had mixed results. Mr. Cuomo, the race's front-runner, has rolled out a series of endorsements from important Orthodox rabbis in Brooklyn and Queens in recent days, but lost out on others.
The mayor's influence campaign suggests he sees an opportunity to try to weaken his chief rival at the margins and make a case before the general election that his own candidacy is still viable.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Trump DOJ Sues Oakland Coffee Shop That Allegedly Refused to Serve Jews
The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit against Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, the owners of the Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants discriminated against Jewish customers, in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation.
"It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Through our vigorous enforcement of Title II of the Civil Rights Act and other laws prohibiting race and religious discrimination, the Justice Department is committed to combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination and protecting the civil rights of all Americans."
The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that defendants discriminated against Jewish customers through policies and practices that denied them the full and equal enjoyment of the Jerusalem Coffee House's services, accommodations, and privileges. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that on two separate occasions, Harara ordered Jewish customers — identified because they were wearing baseball caps with Stars of David on them — to leave the coffee house. During one incident, an employee told a Jewish customer who was trying to make a purchase, "You're the guy with the hat. You're the Jew. You're the Zionist. We don't want you in our coffee shop. Get out." During another incident, Harara accused another Jewish customer who was with his five-year-old son of wearing a "Jewish star," being a "Zionist," and supporting "genocide." Harara repeatedly demanded that the customer and his son leave and falsely accused them of "trespassing" to the Oakland police. Neither customer stated anything about their political views to Harara or any other employees while at the coffee house.
The lawsuit also alleges that, on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the Jerusalem Coffee House announced two new drinks: "Iced In Tea Fada," an apparent reference to "intifada," and "Sweet Sinwar," an apparent reference to Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of Hamas who orchestrated the attacks on Israel. The lawsuit further alleges that the coffee house's exterior side wall displays inverted red triangles, a symbol of violence against Jews that has been spraypainted on Jewish homes and synagogues in anti-Semitic attacks.
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Monday, June 09, 2025
Hasidic leaders: 'IDF draft strictly forbidden by Torah Law'
A halakhic ruling was published Monday by leading decisors of Jewish law from major and influential Hasidic courts, reinforcing a firm prohibition against enlistment in the IDF.
The rabbis state unequivocally: "According to Torah law, it is strictly forbidden to enlist in the army, which serves as a melting pot for the gravest transgressions and for casting off the yoke [of Torah and mitzvot]."
The ruling comes in response to questions posed by members of the haredi public whose primary occupation is not Torah study and addresses also military frameworks designated for the haredi sector.
"The prohibition also includes haredi enlistment tracks, whether existing or future," the statement reads. "These frameworks have proven to be deceitful, and they aim to alter the character of the Torah-observant public. Furthermore, they are subject to secular authorities, among other concerns."
The halakhic ruling is endorsed by senior rabbinic figures and spiritual leaders from leading Hasidic dynasties in Israel, including Gur, Belz, Vizhnitz, Sanz, and other prominent Hasidic communities.
Rabbi Yechiel Michel Zilber added under his signature: "I personally heard from the Gaon of Tchebin, of blessed memory, who ruled based on the Talmud that even King David would not go to war without consulting the Sanhedrin and the Urim VeTummim. The Gaon, of blessed memory, asked: how can one send a Jewish youth to the army and to war when there is no Sanhedrin and no Urim VeTummim? This applies to any young man, whoever he may be."
Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Shapira added: "Thank G-d, the above words are true and certain. Heaven forbid one should enter 'their melting pot'—this is a danger to all of Yiddishkeit."
Rabbi Chaim Pesach Horowitz also stated: "I hereby express my support and affirmation of all the above, particularly to preserve every Jewish soul in sanctity and purity for our holy Torah."
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Thursday, June 05, 2025
Zohran Mamdani Refuses to Say Israel Has a Right to Exist ‘As a Jewish State’ During NYC Mayoral Debate
During Wednesday night's New York City Democratic mayoral debate, Zohran Mamdani once again refused to acknowledge Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, sparking immediate backlash among the other candidates.
In one of the final questions of the debate, moderator David Ushery asked the candidates which foreign country they plan on visiting first if they become mayor of New York City. Several candidates — Andrew Cuomo, Adrienne Adams, and Whitney Tilson — responded that they would visit Israel on behalf of the city if elected.
Mamdani stated that he would focus on addressing issues within New York City rather than venturing out of the country.
Melissa Russo, another one of the moderators, pressed Mamdani on whether he would "visit Israel" if he becomes mayor.
"As the mayor, I will be standing up for Jewish New Yorkers, and I will be meeting them wherever they are across the five boroughs. Whether that's in their synagogues and temples or at their homes or at the subway platform," Mamdani said.
"Do you believe in a Jewish state of Israel?" Russo asked Mamdani.
"I believe that Israel has a right to exist," Mamdani said.
"As a Jewish state?" Russo pressed.
"As a state with equal rights," Mamdani responded.
Cuomo interjected, arguing that Mamdani's response indicates that he does not believe Israel has a right to continue "as a Jewish state" and that the progressive firebrand "will not visit Israel."
"I believe that every state should be a state of equal rights," Mamdani continued.
In the closing stretch of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, Mamdani's views on Israel and antisemitism have been increasingly scrutinized. Mamdani, a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organization, has been under pressure by anti-Israel activists to adopt a more adversarial posture against the Jewish state.
Moreover, the progressive city official also sparked outrage after engaging in a series of provocative actions, such as appearing on the podcast of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas influencer Hasan Piker and vowing to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During an event hosted by the UJA-Federation of New York last month, Mamdani also declined to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
"I believe that Israel has a right to exist with equal rights for all," Mamdani said in a carefully worded response when asked, sidestepping the issue of Israel's existence specifically as a "Jewish state."
He also expressed support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement — an initiative which seeks to economically isolate Israel as the first step toward its eventual destruction — arguing that Israel has violated Palestinian human rights.
"My support for BDS is consistent with my core politics, which is non-violence. And I think that it is a legitimate movement when you are seeking to find compliance with international law, and I think we have seen the Israeli government be out of compliance with international law," Mamdani said.
Mamdani has made anti-Israel activism a cornerstone of his political career. A self-described democratic socialist, he has both advanced state legislation seeking to punish Israel and labeled the Jewish state's defensive military operations in Gaza a "genocide."
New York City, which is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, has experienced a major spike in antisemitic incidents since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
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Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Two more attacks on Jews heighten concerns about security in and around US synagogues
For the leaders of U.S. Jewish institutions, the recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., are stark reminders of their responsibility to remain vigilant despite years of hardening their security measures and trying to keep their people safe.
Now, they're sounding the alarm for more help after a dozen people were injured in Boulder while demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza on Sunday. And just over a week earlier, two Israeli Embassy staffers were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
After that shooting, 43 Jewish organizations issued a joint statement requesting more support from the U.S. government for enhanced security measures. Specifically, they asked Congress to increase funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion.
"Every Jewish organization has been serious about security for years. We have to be," said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. "The grants are to harden the buildings, for things like cameras and glass, and some kind of blockage so they can't drive a truck into the building."
"These are the everyday realities of Jewish life in the 21st century in America. It's a sad reality, but it is an essential responsibility of leadership to make sure that people are first and foremost safe."
Shira Hutt, executive vice president at The Jewish Federations of North America, said existing federal funds were inadequate, with only 43% of last year's applicants to the grant program receiving funding.
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