Op-Ed by Shmuly Goldman: We are a wise people, and G-d fearing, and learned, and kind, and appreciative. So it’s so perplexing that when it comes to one specific area, suddenly we are lacking. Full Story
COLlive.com’s Top Stories of 5781
Ivanka Trump's visit, crush in Meron, collapse in Surfside, the second Hatzalah-Thon, the first Tenathon, airline drama, a highway reunion, a Lubavitch and Satmar reunion, architectural plans for 770 and a wife's lasting tribute. Here are the most-read articles on COLlive.com of this past year. Full Story
Picture of Rebbe Accompanies Jared Kushner’s Op-Ed
An image of the Rebbe accompanied the op-ed of Jared Kushner, adviser of former President Donald Trump, urging the Biden Administration to take advantage of historic peace deals of the Abraham Accords. Full Story
NYC Mayoral Candidate Promises Vaccines For Brooklyn Jews
As opposed to Bill de Blasio, his hopeful successor Kathryn Garcia promises to "prioritize vaccine access" to Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg and repair relations with the frum Jewish community. Full Story, Video
What Students Will Remember More Than Tests
"Here's what students will remember more than the marks they received and more than the knowledge we imparted," Rochi Schtroks responds to "When Grades Fail Us" and the comments on it. Full Story
Will You Take the Covid Vaccine?
Photo: Itzik Roytman
Your option: Israel announced that 703 residents of Kfar Chabad have been vaccinated against Covid-19. If the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines were offered to you today - would you take them and why? Comments
The Elections and Our Actions
Article by Rabbi Shimon Raichik: What the polls and the results of the 2020 presidential election can teach us about our actions in the service of Hashem. Full Story
I Was in a Pinch, So I Called the Nearest Shliach
From the COLlive inbox: Yeuda Stell, a property manager from Coral Springs, Florida, was in a race against the clock so he called the nearest Shliach in the area and was shocked by the response. Full Story
‘Mendel, I Told You Not to Drink’
Photo: JEM
Op-Ed by Rabbi Zalmen Wishedski: A visit to the house of the famed Mashpia R' Mendel Futerfas late at night and the comment he made about his doctor's instructions teach us a lesson from this Parsha and how we should be laughing at the world and not be consumed by it. Full Story
My 2 Sons: An IDF Paratrooper and a Yeshiva Student
Op-ed by Rabbi Mendel Schwartz: In one week, I have one son excelling with an untamed drive to succeed in the Israel Defense Forces, and another son that's not satiated with his day at the yeshiva ending at 8:45 PM... Full Story
Dear High School Girl, You’re Inspiring
Mrs. Geula Newman, Shlucha at Chabad of Beverlywood and long-time educator in Los Angeles, responds to "We Are Back, But We Aren’t the Same," the open letter of a high school student about "a new reality" that teachers and even parents may not know about." Full Story
10 Reasons a Frum Jewish Person Should Vote for Trump
Op-ed by Dovid Goldbaum: President Donald Trump is unquestionably the closest friend that Israel and the frum Jewish community have ever had in a US President. Here are 10 reasons why. Full Story
In Which 2020 Did You Live?
Photo: Itzik Roytman
Op-ed by Rabbi Sholom Moshe Paltiel: Never before in my adult life do I recall anywhere near the polarized political environment we are experiencing currently. It's time to ask, in which 2020 did we live? Full Story
From 770 We’re… What?!
From the COLlive inbox: "At first, it sounded cool. It's nice to hear a Chabad song played on loudspeaker and see people clapping to it. It was just a moment later that it became clear to me what a churban this is." Full Story
We’re Owed an Apology From Governor Cuomo
Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Op-Ed by Rabbi Yakov Saacks: "Governor Andrew Cuomo is not asking you to stop eating kosher or putting an end to circumcisions. He is asking you to wear a mask and be careful. I personally hate the mask but it is the law. On the flip side, we're owed an apology from the Governor." Full Story
Something You Don’t See in a Headshot
From the COLlive inbox: "While dating the bochur who became my husband, I discovered we both made an 'old school' decision. What is most surprising, is that it wasn't solely from a chassidish standpoint." Full Story
The Petty Mask Enforcers in Shuls
From the COLlive inbox: "The government asserted ownership over your body, let alone executing its claim on the portion of the body that is its crown. Not to mention the petty mask enforcers in shuls..." Full Story
“Call Me a Sheep Who Complies With Rules”
From the COLlive inbox: A baal teshuva who is now living in Crown Heights shares her thoughts after the street clash between bochurim and the NYPD at the unsanctioned Simchas Beis Hashoeva was shared on social media. Full Story
For Holocaust Survivor, ‘Hashem Still Has a Plan’
Bina in New York’s Central Park, July 7 * Photo: Allan Ripp
The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed titled "Hashem Still Has a Plan" about a nonagenarian a survivor of Kindertransport during WWII who finally told her story as the Covid-19 pandemic waned in New York. Full Story
Please Forward This To Your Future Machatunim
From the COLlive inbox: A letter sent by a Crown Heights Hatzalah volunteer to his out-of-town sister and brother-in-law regarding their son's upcoming engagement and plans to hold a simcha in the neighborhood. Full Story
Why America Mourns and Will Miss John Lewis
Op-Ed by Ezra Friedlander: America and its Jewish community will miss Congressman John Lewis - his rejection of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, his support for Soviet Jews, and his effort to honor the Rebbe. Full Story
The Kristallnacht You Didn’t Hear About
Op-Ed by Rabbi Yakov Saacks: 3 Jewish organizations signed on an allegiance to a "new covenant" endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement. Did you hear them condemn the 2020 Los Angeles Kristallnacht? Full Story
One Word That Impacted 2 Jewish Customers in Virginia
Op-Ed by Fay Kranz-Greene: I took my grandchildren to the Dollar Store and said to choose whatever they want. Every few minutes, one of them would ask, “Bubby, can I have this?" A few minutes later, a shopper walked over to me... Full Story
The Real “Heroes” of Crown Heights
From the COLlive inbox: Rabbi Benjy Stock of Chevra Simchas Shabbos V’yom Tov organization responds to the op-ed titled What Kind of Gegent Do We Want about the Crown Heights community's response to Covid-19. Full Story
A Bummer of a Summer?
Op-Ed by Zvi Gluck: Given how stressful and uncertain life has been, summer camp is more important than ever this year, leaving many of us wondering how to fill the void that just ripped a giant hole in our lives. Full Story
