Religion

UPDATE Op-Ed: A Plea for a Path to Peace

By VIRGINIA KROMPINGER
I recently traveled to Israel as a member of the Bronx delegation of Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), sponsored and masterfully organized by the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York (UJA). The purpose was to send a message of solidarity to Israel. Torres is the strongest supporter of Israel in Congress, certainly on the Democratic side of the aisle.

Some Jewish Constituents Call Out Torres on Gaza Again

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The latest demonstrations seen on the country’s college campuses are a reminder that many New Yorkers continue to vehemently oppose U.S. military support for Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. As of May 1, according to Al Jazeera’s live tracker, 1,139 people have been killed in Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out a terrorist attack in southern Israel and took around 240 Israelis hostage, some of whom have since been released.  

UPDATE Fordham University Student Sit-in for Gaza Commences on Bronx Campus, Rally also Held Outside

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As ongoing student demonstrations in support of Gaza and Israel on New York City and other college campuses continue to dominate the nation’s television screens, along with what some see as controversial crackdowns on such protests by the NYPD and other police departments, around 20-30 people were seen rallying in support of Gaza outside the gates of Fordham University’s Bronx campus on Friday evening, May 3, at around 7 p.m. One attendee informed us that a sit-in by Fordham students had commenced earlier that day inside the walls of the college’s campus and was seemingly still ongoing.

UPDATE Woodlawn: Bob Nolan Honored by BP at Irish Heritage Month Celebration

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Former City official and aide to four former Bronx borough presidents, Robert “Bob” Francis Nolan, who died on Dec. 15, 2023 at the age of 70, as reported, was honored with a posthumous award in the presence of his family during an Irish Heritage Month celebration hosted by the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson on March 27.

Future of Van Cortlandt Jewish Center Still Uncertain

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE
The future of Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC), as well as the many programs it provides, continues to remain in jeopardy as its representatives negotiate with a developer to sell the property, along with a private home the center owns on the block. Simultaneously, community residents, congregants, and users of VCJC are hoping the center’s management will listen to their concerns and how its potential closure would leave a void in the community.