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How New York is celebrating Shavuot 2023
(New York Jewish Week) — Bring on the blintzes and cheesecake!
Heading into Memorial Day Weekend this year, Jewish New Yorkers have even more reasons to celebrate: Thursday night is the beginning of the major Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The annual festival marks the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and signifies the conclusion of counting the omer, a 49-day period that begins on the second night of Passover and “reminds us of this process of moving from a slave mentality to a more liberated one,” according to My Jewish Learning.
Shavuot traditions include staying up all night to learn Torah and to explore other Jewish texts and ideas, as well as eating dairy meals and desserts (like cheesecake, of course).
From comedy shows to dairy dinners to learning centers to park picnics, here are nine ways New Yorkers are celebrating Shavuot in the city this year.
May 24
A Shavuot comedy show with Hey Alma
Our partner site Hey Alma presents “Get Cheesy, Bitch! A Shavuot Comedy Show” featuring Jewy stand-up comedy by a line-up that includes Alison Leiby, Josh Gondelman, Max Gross and Freddie Shanel. Hey Alma’s Evelyn Frick will host. Get tickets for the show, which starts at 9:30 p.m. at Caveat NYC (21A Clinton St.) here. Starting at $15. Livestream is available for $10.
May 25
Shavuot dinner at The Brownstone
Join Jewish events hub The Brownstone (224 East 12th St.) for a Shavuot cocktail hour and dairy dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Described as “a place to experience New York City from a Jewish perspective and meet like-minded Jewish millennials,” The Brownstone directs its programming towards “young professionals” and welcomes Jews of all denominations. Tickets start at $60. RSVP here.
Discover the Book of Ruth with My Jewish Learning
Rabbi Moshe Steigmann and our partner site, My Jewish Learning, come together to host a virtual learning event exploring how the story of Ruth — who is considered the first convert to Judaism, and whose story is traditionally read on Shavuot — can teach us about self-doubt and belonging in Judaism. Beginning at 8 p.m., the event is free and online. Register for the Zoom link here.
Explore technology and the Torah with Manhattan Jewish Experience
Manhattan Jewish Experience (131 W 86th St.) will explore artificial intelligence, big data, algorithms and social media during their night of learning, which begins at 8:30 p.m. and lasts until the wee hours of Friday morning. With a dairy dinner included, tickets are $50; for those coming post-dinner, tickets are free and include dessert and drinks and, following a sunrise service, a breakfast buffet with mimosas. Register here.
Celebrate Shavuot across Brooklyn
Congregations from all over Brooklyn will band together to host their annual “Shavuot Across Brooklyn,” a night of learning that will take place at Congregation Beth Elohim (274 Garfield Place). The evening begins at 9:15 p.m. with traditional egalitarian, Orthodox or “creative ritualistic” services, and continues throughout the night with dozens of classes, discussions and hands-on projects and learning. Check out the offerings here.
Study all night on the Upper West Side
Join the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.) for their annual night of studying and celebration, which includes explorations of Jewish film, music, literature, culture and beyond. The in-person event begins the evening of May 25 at 10 p.m. Highlights include “Leopoldstadt” and “West Wing” actor Joshua Malina and Aaron Neil in conversation; Rabbi Joanna Samuels in conversation with actress Tovah Feldshuh; a book talk with Taffy Brodesser-Akner (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) and a class, “Jewish Jokes About Arguing with God,” led by the New York Jewish Week’s very own editor at large, Andrew Silow-Carroll. Free; no registration required. Check out the full schedule here.
May 26
Drinks and learning with Chabad TechTribe
Join TechTribe, a Chabad organization for young professionals (20s to 40s) who work in the technology sector, for “A Day of Revelation and Rosé.” The evening includes a short service, an al fresco feast and learning on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m. Located at TechTribe HQ in Brooklyn; address is provided upon registration. Free with RSVP.
May 27
Shake your groove thing with J-Vibe
On Saturday night starting at 10:00 p.m., Jewish nightlife events group J-Vibe will host their annual party celebrating both Shavuot and Memorial Day Weekend. The theme is “Layla Lavan,” or “White Night” in Hebrew, so wear your best white outfits to celebrate the official unofficial start of summer with DJs spinning Top 40, Israeli music and more. Tickets start at $18, location TBD. More information here.
May 28
Shavuot picnic in Central Park
At 2 p.m. on the Sunday post-Shavuot, hang in Central Park, meet other millennial Jews and snack on (more) cheese with Miranda Lapides, writer of The Shabbat Drop newsletter and Brent Delman, a kosher cheesemonger. Bring your own snacks and drinks to pair with the cheese. The event is free but registration is required. The exact location will be emailed prior to the event.
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The post How New York is celebrating Shavuot 2023 appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Trump Says Gas Prices May Remain High Through November Midterm Election
U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters while Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio look on, as they attend a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the price of oil and gasoline may remain high through November’s midterm elections, a rare acknowledgement of the potential political fallout from his decision to attack Iran six weeks ago.
“It could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same,” Trump, who is in Miami for the weekend, told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo” when asked whether the cost of oil and gas would be lower by the fall.
The average price for regular gas at US service stations has exceeded $4 per gallon for most of April, according to data from GasBuddy. Trump’s comments on Sunday came after weeks of asserting that the spike in prices is a short-term phenomenon, though his top advisers are cognizant of the war’s economic impacts, officials have said.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump announced on social media that the US Navy would blockade the Strait of Hormuz and intercept any ship that paid a crossing fee to Iran, after marathon talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan over the weekend did not yield a peace deal.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Any US blockade is likely to add more uncertainty to the eventual resolution of the conflict, which is currently subject to a tenuous two-week ceasefire. The new tactic is in response to Iran’s own closure of the strait’s critical shipping lanes, which has caused global oil prices to skyrocket about 50%.
UNPOPULAR WAR HITS TRUMP’S APPROVAL
The war began on February 28, when the US launched a joint bombing campaign with Israel against Iran. The scope quickly expanded as Iran and its allies attacked nearby countries, while Israel targeted Hezbollah with massive strikes in Lebanon.
The war has buffeted global financial markets and caused thousands of civilian deaths, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
Trump’s political standing at home has suffered, with polls showing the war is unpopular among most Americans, who are frustrated by rising gasoline prices.
The president’s approval rating has hit the lowest levels of his second term in office, raising concern among Republicans that his party is poised to lose control of Congress in the midterm elections. A Democratic majority in either chamber could launch investigations into the Trump administration while blocking much of his legislative agenda.
US Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, questioned the strategy behind Trump’s planned blockade.
“I don’t understand how blockading the strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
In a separate appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Warner said the blockade would not undermine Iranian control of the waterway.
“The Iranians have hundreds of speedboats where they can still mine the strait or put bombs against tankers in closing the strait,” he said. “How is that going to ever bring down gas prices?”
Although Trump has repeatedly said that the war would be over soon, Republican US Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday that achieving US aims in Iran “could take a long time.”
“It’s going to be a long-term project,” said Johnson, who was not asked about Trump’s proposed blockade. “I never thought this would be easy.”
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Israel’s Ben-Gvir Visits Flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound
Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir walks inside the Knesset, in Jerusalem, Oct. 13, 2025. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS
Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying he was seeking greater access for Jewish worshipers and drawing condemnation from Jordan and the Palestinians.
The compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Known to Jews as Temple Mount, it is the most sacred site in Judaism and is Islam’s third-holiest site.
Under a delicate, decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities, it is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there.
Suggestions that Israel would alter the rules have sparked outrage among Muslims and ignited violence in the past.
“Today, I feel like the owner here,” National Security Minister Ben-Gvir said in a video filmed at the site and distributed by his office. “There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to do more and more — we must keep rising higher and higher.”
A statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry said it considered Ben-Gvir’s visit to be a violation of the status quo agreement at the site and “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation.”
The office of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said such actions could further destabilize the region.
Ben-Gvir’s spokesman said the minister was seeking greater access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors. He also said that Ben-Gvir had prayed at the site.
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. Previous such visits and statements by Ben-Gvir have prompted Netanyahu announcements saying that there is no change in Israel’s policy of keeping the status quo.
Muslim, Christian and Jewish sites, including Al-Aqsa had been largely closed to the public during the Iran war. There was no immediate sign of unrest on Sunday after Ben-Gvir’s visit.
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Netanyahu Visits Troops Fighting Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Aug. 10, 2025. Photo: ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon on Sunday as military operations against Hezbollah-linked targets continue.
Netanyahu toured forward positions alongside Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Eyal Zamir, and Northern Command Commander Rafi Milo, meeting troops and receiving operational briefings from commanders on the ground.
Speaking to soldiers, Netanyahu praised their performance and said operations in the Lebanese security zone were ongoing.
“The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon,” he said, adding that Israeli forces were working to prevent infiltration attempts and neutralize threats such as anti-tank fire and missiles.
He described the northern campaign as part of a broader regional struggle involving Iran and its allies, saying Israel’s adversaries were now “fighting for their survival” following sustained Israeli military pressure.