A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
🎙 Natan Sharansky talks to Riverdale students
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Natan Sharansky, an Israeli politician and former Soviet dissident, headlined a forum on Monday at SAR Academy. The Modern Orthodox Jewish day school is located in Riverdale, home to a large concentration of Jews in the Bronx (and the target of attack ads by a current anti-Israel congressional candidate).
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Sharansky became a leading spokesperson for Jews who wished to emigrate from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. In 1977, he was imprisoned for nine years because of his activism, and he moved to Israel when he was freed in 1986.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Ritchie Torres and other local politicians and spiritual leaders attended the event, which marked 40 years since Sharansky’s release.
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Students also gathered to greet Sharansky and his daughter Rachel Sharansky Danziger, singing psalms and a rendition of the Shema in Russian. They also presented him with a laser-etched Jewish star.
🚨 Teen accused of emails about killing Jews
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A 17-year-old student at Renaissance Charter School in Queens has been arrested for allegedly sending antisemitic emails.
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The teen was accused of sending threatening messages to more than 300 students on Monday.
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One email said, “At 2pm we will rise up and kill all the Jews in this school and the city. F–k the Jews,” according to QNS. The school does not have a significant body of Jewish students.
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The student was arrested a few hours after the emails were sent and has been charged with making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment as a hate crime, said police.
🗳 All quiet on the Mamdani-Lander front
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken a hands-off approach to former city comptroller Brad Lander’s bid for Congress since endorsing him the day his campaign launched.
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Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other in the mayoral race, and Lander became a key Jewish ally in Mamdani’s efforts to win over skeptical Jewish voters.
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A political adviser to Mamdani said he is avoiding major moves for now, as a court case could shift the lines of the Manhattan and Brooklyn district where Lander is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman, reported Politico.
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But Lander could use the help. Goldman’s campaign has three times more cash on hand and the backing of key Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Former comptroller Scott Stringer, who is Jewish, endorsed Goldman today.
✅ Buba Bureka gets kosher
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Buba Bureka, an Israeli restaurant in Greenwich Village, is now certified kosher. The shop opened in 2025 and quickly became known for its dedicated bureka-only menu.
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Burekas were “the slices of pizza of my childhood,” said Ben Siman Tov, one of the chefs behind Buba, shortly before it opened. “It can function as a full meal but also a fantastic snack.”
