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Andrew Mandel, 45, innovator and spiritual leader
Andrew Mandel, 45, is the spiritual leader of the Neighborhood, Central Synagogue’s virtual Jewish community, which has emerged as a major force in the world of online Judaism — an area that has continued to thrive post-pandemic. He is also the founder of Tzedek Box, a new Jewish ritual for those who seek to improve our world. As an innovator in Jewish communal life, Mandel, who lives in Long Island City, Queens, was selected as one of the New York Jewish Week’s 36 to Watch.
For the full list of this year’s “36ers” — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
What’s a fun/surprising fact about you?
A number of years ago, I decided that I didn’t know enough about the city I love, so I bought one of those hefty “Blue Guide” books about the five boroughs and spent weekends going to different sections of the city. After about a year, I took the New York City tour guide exam just to see what I had learned, and I ended up using my license to give a few tours. I have loved guiding around the Lower East Side, where I’ve used an Ancestry account to find out where people’s immigrant relatives may have lived and orient my tour around those addresses.
Who is your New York Jewish hero?
Ruth Messinger. She is the exemplar of a locally-rooted, global citizen driven by Jewish values. She was our Manhattan Borough President in the 1990s, outspoken and tough in all the right ways. She was the president of the American Jewish World Service, leading campaigns against genocide in Darfur and raising hundreds of millions for non-profit organizations in developing countries. Now in her 80s, riding her bicycle around the city, she continues to advise Jewish justice organizations and leaders every day. She’s a living legend.
How does your Jewish identity or experience influence your work?
For me, Judaism is a primary lens for living. My day begins with [the prayer] “Modeh Ani,” a simple statement that expresses both gratitude and a sense of responsibility for the gift of life. I love that it ends with “Raba Emunatecha,” that there is a great faith in us and what we might do in this world. For all of the smallness I can perceive in my own existence, I am quite moved by the idea that all that is Eternal has faith in us. The question becomes: What will we do with that faith?
Was there a formative Jewish experience that influenced your life path?
I spent a year taking in Abraham Joshua Heschel’s “God in Search of Man” chapter by chapter each Shabbat. It helped me awaken to the wonder of the universe, which became a foundation for cultivating an attitude of amazement every day.
Do you have a favorite inspiring quote?
“Pursue justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God,” from Micah 6:8.
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
A waitress once ladled me matzah ball soup at the Second Avenue Deli while saying (in a fantastic New York accent): “I’ll be the pourer so you’ll be the richer.” I was hooked.
What is your favorite book about New York?
I love “Time and Again” by Jack Finney. Time travel through New York, plus a genius ending.
In one sentence, what was your best experience as a Jewish New Yorker?
The most meaningful Jewish experience I have had in New York was standing in the rain, protesting the Muslim ban with hundreds of other Jews at the tip of Battery Park within eyeshot of the Statue of Liberty, living our values in the public square. I felt that our ancestors would have been proud.
What are three spots in NYC that all Jewish New Yorkers should visit?
Join us on Friday night at Central Synagogue. Make your way to one of our botanical gardens for a Shabbos stroll. Then, find the time to volunteer at Rikers Island to witness what needs to change for us to live up to the motto “The Greatest City in the World.”
Anything else you’d like us and our readers to know about you?
I’m proud that I was born in Manhattan, my mom is from Queens (where my partner and I now live), my dad is from Brooklyn (where my brother and his family now live), my first job was in the Bronx, and my favorite restaurant, Enoteca Maria, is on Staten Island. At Enoteca, a different grandmother is the chef every night. Tell Joe I sent you.
How can people follow you online?
@centralsynagogue and @tzedekbox on Instagram
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The post Andrew Mandel, 45, innovator and spiritual leader appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Jailed Iranian Peace Laureate Mohammadi Moved to Hospital in Tehran
A picture of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi on the wall of the Grand Hotel in central Oslo before the Nobel banquet, in connection with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize 2023, in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2023. Photo: NTB/Javad Parsa via REUTERS
Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has been moved to a hospital in the capital, Tehran, and has been granted a suspension of her sentence on heavy bail, a foundation run by her family said on Sunday.
Mohammadi, 54, won the prize in 2023 while in prison for a campaign to advance women’s rights and abolish the death penalty. She suffered a heart attack two weeks ago.
Her family had called for her to be transferred from Zanjan, northwest of Tehran, where she was serving her sentence and where she had been initially taken to a hospital, so that she could receive better medical care.
She is now at Tehran Pars Hospital for treatment by her own medical team after being transferred by ambulance, the Narges Mohammadi Foundation said in a statement.
Mohammadi was sentenced to a new prison term of 7-1/2 years, the foundation said in February, weeks before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran. The Nobel committee at the time called on Tehran to free her immediately.
She had been arrested in December after denouncing the death of a lawyer, Khosrow Alikordi. A prosecutor told reporters that she had made provocative remarks at Alikordi’s memorial ceremony.
The foundation gave no details of the bail arrangements or suspension of her sentence.
“However, a suspension is not enough,” it said. “Narges Mohammadi requires permanent, specialized care. We must ensure she never returns to prison.”
Iran shut down most of the internet in the country in January as authorities suppressed mass protests triggered by economic unease. Rights groups have reported ongoing executions of people involved in the unrest.
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Israel’s Attorney General Calls to Cancel Netanyahu’s Mossad Chief Appointment
Israeli Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara. Photo: Twitter
i24 News – Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told the High Court of Justice on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to appoint Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next Mossad chief must be canceled.
Baharav-Miara filed her position ahead of a Tuesday hearing on petitions challenging the appointment, telling the court that “substantial flaws” had been found both in the process conducted by the advisory committee and in the conclusions it drew. She said Netanyahu’s decision suffered from “extreme and blatant unreasonableness” and could not stand legally.
At the center of the dispute is the case of Ori Elmakayes, who was a 17-year-old minor when he was activated in 2022 by Division 210, without going through authorized intelligence channels. At the time, the division was commanded by Gofman. Elmakayes was arrested in May 2022 under espionage charges after two officers sent him classified information and told him to post it online as part of an “influence campaign,” despite not being authorized to do so. Gofman initiated this operation. Elmakayes was then held in full detention until July, spending an extended period under electronic monitoring and house arrest before the indictment against him was canceled in late 2023.
Baharav-Miara says Gofman’s involvement in leaking the classified information to the minor, “casts a heavy shadow on Gofman’s integrity and thus on his appointment to head the Mossad.” The attorney general also identified serious procedural failings in the advisory committee’s work. She notes that the majority members signed their opinion before committee chairman and former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis had written his dissent and before two members had reviewed several classified documents significant to the full picture. Grunis concluded that integrity flaws had been found and that it was not appropriate to appoint Gofman as Mossad chief.
The attorney general also says the committee failed to hear directly from Elmakayes or from a relevant senior military intelligence officer, instead relying in part on media interviews.
Netanyahu, who appointed Gofman to head the Mossad starting in early June, for a five-year term, submitted his own response to the court on this past Friday, arguing that the decision fell within his executive authority. The Prime Minister also said that his assessment of the matter was “dozens of times superior” to that of the court, adding that Gofman’s integrity was “found pure,” and describing him as the most qualified candidate.
Other coalition figures responded to the attorney general with sharp criticism, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir accused Baharav-Miara of fighting the state, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said her position was “one step too far” and vowed to advance legislation splitting the attorney general’s role in the Knesset’s summer session.
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Kuwait’s Army Says It Has Intercepted Hostile Drones Over Airspace
A drone is seen at an underground site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on May 28, 2022. Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Kuwait’s army said it had detected and dealt with several hostile drones in the country’s airspace at dawn on Sunday, the latest incident following similar cross‑border drone activity linked to the Iran conflict.
On April 25, Kuwait’s army said two drones launched from Iraq had targeted two northern border posts, causing damage.
Its air defenses also dealt with a wave of Iranian drones on April 8 that targeted vital infrastructure.
While hostilities during the conflict have largely been scaled down since a ceasefire came into effect in April, drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.