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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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Exclusive: Israeli Officials Harshly Critical of Steve Witkoff’s Influence on US Policy on Gaza, Iran, i24NEWS Told
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Amid growing disagreements with the Trump administration over the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza and the question of a strike on Iran, officials in Israel point to a key figure behind decisions seen as running counter to Israeli interests: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The officials mention sustained dissatisfaction with Witkoff. Sources close to the PM Netanyahu told i24NEWS on Saturday evening: “For several months now, the feeling has been that envoy Steve Witkoff has strong ties, for his own reasons, across the Middle East, and that at times the Israeli interest does not truly prevail in his decision-making.”
This criticism relates both to the proposed inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza’s governing bodies and to the Iranian threat. A senior Israeli official put it bluntly: “If it turns out that he is among those blocking a strike on Iran, that is far more than a coincidence.”
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EU Warns of Downward Spiral After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over US President Donald Trump‘s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against Its Policy
FILE PHOTO: Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer/File Photo
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace – to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance – were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.