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Stephanie Luxenberg and Ayelet Pearl, founders of Ashreynu in Astoria, Queens
Stephanie Luxenberg, 50, and Ayelet Pearl, 30, are the co-founders, along with Rabbi Jonathan Pearl, of Ashreynu, a new pluralistic, creative and musical Jewish community in Astoria, Queens. As the fledgling group’s co-directors of arts and education, “we are building our startup with an innovative vision for the Queens Jewish community: cultivating a space for creativity and engagement, both in person and online, by prioritizing relationships and responsiveness,” they tell us. Ashreynu, which means “our happiness,” has a “relational” structure, they add, resulting “in a community where all our members are activated, in a largely disaffiliated neighborhood.” In addition, Ayelet Pearl (who is the daughter of Ashrenu’s rabbi) works at the Voelker Orth Museum in Flushing, and Luxenberg works at The Village Temple and together the pair combines their art practices (Studio Shoshan and Av Rimon) to create ketubahs, interpretive text series and more.
For the full list of this year’s 36 to Watch — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
Who are your New York Jewish heroes?
We’re inspired by rabbis, musicians, artists and educators! A few of our heroes: Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, who brings balance and love to pluralism at the Academy of Jewish Religion; Yona Verwer, artist and founder of Jewish Art Salon; Shoshana Jedwab, inspiring educator and sacred drummer; Audrey Korelstein, education director at the East Midwood Jewish Center, who models relational Judaism and inclusivity as an educator; and Rabbi Pearl, whose brilliant Torah and lifetime of innovation gives us the inspiration to realize our creative Jewish ideas.
How does your Jewish identity or experience influence your work?
We’ve been working together for seven years on projects that build activated, creative and connected Jewish communities, and increase Jewish visibility in the cultural landscape of Queens. We tackle a range of Jewish topics through immersive experiences that draw on our textual tradition, historical context, cultural diversity, and the arts, while providing a safe place for big questions and feelings, and navigating through the world.
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
Anywhere Rebbetzin Pearl is making cholent
In one sentence, what was your best experience as a Jewish New Yorker?
When we ran into all our friends picking up challah from Bread of Idleness, a new challah project launched by a community member in Astoria.
How can people follow you online?
Instagram! Follow us @Ashreynu, and our art practice at Av Rimon (@Av.Rimon) and Studio Shoshan (@Studio.Shoshan). You can also visit ashreynu.org.
Want to keep up with stories of other innovative Jewish New Yorkers? Click here to subscribe to the New York Jewish Week’s free email newsletter.
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The post Stephanie Luxenberg and Ayelet Pearl, founders of Ashreynu in Astoria, Queens appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Trump Curious Why Iran Has Not ‘Capitulated’ Amid US Military Buildup, Says Witkoff
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2026. Photo: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump is curious as to why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear program, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t… I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said during an interview on Saturday with Fox News’ “My View with Lara Trump,” hosted by the president’s daughter-in-law.
“Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’? And yet it’s sort of hard to get them to that place.”
Trump has ordered a huge buildup of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran. Iran has threatened to strike US bases if it is attacked.
IRAN DENIES SEEKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
The United States wants Iran to give up enriched uranium which Washington says can potentially be used to make a bomb, as well as stop supporting terrorists in the Middle East and accept limits to its missile program.
Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful but it is willing to accept some curbs on it in return for the lifting of financial sanctions. It rejects tying this to other issues such as missiles and support for armed groups.
“They’ve been enriching well beyond the number that you need for civil nuclear. It’s up to 60 percent [fissile purity],” Witkoff said. “They’re probably a week away from having industrial, industrial-grade bomb-making material, and that’s really dangerous.”
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Iran and the United States still have differing views over sanctions relief in talks.
Witkoff also said he has met at Trump’s direction with Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah ousted in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. He did not provide further details of the meeting.
Pahlavi, who lives in exile, served as a rallying figure for some of Iran’s opposition during anti-government demonstrations last month in which thousands of people are believed to have been killed, the worst domestic unrest since the revolution era.
Earlier in February, Pahlavi said US military intervention in Iran could save lives, and urged Washington not to spend too long negotiating with Tehran’s clerical rulers on a nuclear deal.
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US-Iran Talks Expected Friday if Iran Sends Nuclear Proposal Soon, Axios Reports
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
United States negotiators are ready to hold another round of talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva if they receive a detailed Iranian proposal for a nuclear deal in the next 48 hours, Axios reported on Sunday, citing a senior US official.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
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Khamenei Designates Larijani to Lead Iran’s Affairs During Protests, Military Threats
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Aziz Taher
i24 News – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly assigned significant authority to former Revolutionary Guards commander and longtime political figure Ali Larijani in response to rising US and Israeli military threats, as well as nationwide unrest, according to a report by The New York Times.
The newspaper cites Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards, and former diplomats, noting that Khamenei has issued detailed instructions on succession and emergency decision-making should he be targeted in a potential strike.
Larijani, currently a top national security official, has been tasked with managing state affairs, overseeing the crackdown on protests, coordinating sensitive nuclear discussions with Washington, and liaising with allied nations including Russia, Qatar, and Oman.
“Larijani has been entrusted with responsibilities that cover both domestic security and international relations, effectively acting as Khamenei’s right-hand man during this period of heightened tension,” the report states.
Officials say Khamenei has prepared multiple layers of succession for key political and military positions and delegated powers to a close circle of confidants. While Larijani is not considered a likely successor to the Supreme Leader due to insufficient religious credentials, he is described as one of the regime’s most trusted crisis managers.
Iran has reportedly placed its armed forces on high alert, deployed missile systems near Iraq and in the Persian Gulf, and intensified military exercises. Special forces, intelligence units, and Basij militia battalions are prepared to deploy to major cities to suppress unrest and monitor suspected foreign operatives if conflict escalates.
The move comes amid continued diplomatic engagement over Tehran’s nuclear program. Despite ongoing negotiations, officials say Iran is operating under the assumption that a U.S. military strike is “inevitable and imminent.”
According to the report, Larijani tops the list of emergency successors, followed by Parliament Speaker General Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with former president Hassan Rouhani also named as a potential fallback in extraordinary circumstances.