Perfect Shabbos morning: waking up to a magnificent winter wonderland, and the house is filled with the smell of chulent. Sometimes, it's the small things that dream are made of! גוט שבת - Shabbat Shalom ❄️😋 PS: Yes, that's ice floating down the Hudson River.

א קאלטער ווייסע טישטעך אינדרויסן, א ווארמער שבת אינדערהיים! גוט שבת 💞 Since I was a child, I loved snowy Friday nights. It felt like the whole city got dressed for Shabbos --- A snowy white tablecloth outside, a warm shabbos inside! Git Shabbos - Shabbat Shalom 💓

Today's kugel for Shabbos journey: 1. Challah kugel Perfect use for week old challah. First, soaked for a few hours. Then, mixed with shredded apples Plus: eggs, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, some oil. Sprinkled with some brown sugar on top for some crispness.

And for absolutely no reason at all (beyond some time off), I am making 5 kugels this week 🤷‍♀️ Might need help eating them all 😉

The Hell? cw antisemitism

Resources shared for Nittel Nacht opensiddur.org/index.php?ca...

I like this Nittel Nacht take!

Wishing a meaningful Nittel Nacht to all of us who observe 🫠 For the players: May all your chess move lead to the perfect checkmate. For the traditionalists: Happy toiliet-paper cutting. For the Medievalists: Don't believe everything you read in Toledot Yeshu. Thread ⬇️

Nice column today, @neilsteinberg.bsky.social. You might be interested to know that there are religious Jewish Xmas traditions with significant origins. (Significant=fear of pogroms, as I read this thread by @abbystein.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/abby...

While it may feel like the end times are upon us, trans people have always found ways to not only survive but thrive, and 2025 was no different. Trans people and their allies made history and culture - here are some of our successes this year! Share more of our accomplishments with us below <3

NYC-DSA is proud to announce its third round of state endorsements with three young, passionate, and motivated democratic socialists who are prepared to fight for working New Yorkers every day in Albany.

Now that Chanukah is over, how are you all planning to mark Nittel?! Looking for new ideas beyond not studying, playing chess, Chinese food, and Kvitlech 🤔 What's Nittel? Here:

Looking at the full Menorah late last night when lighting at home, this was on my mind: Life has been far from perfect. For the world as a whole, and for myself personally, in many ways. Yet just like that we mark Chanukah: filled with light for the good moments, while acknowledging our struggles 🕎

Another celebration I marked this Chanukah: 132 months, 4020 days, 96,400 hours, ELEVEN YEARS SOBER 🎉 One of the hardest steps I ever took in my life, yet one the most rewarding. On Hanukkah 2014 I reached a low point, and that's exactly what placed me on this hard, beautiful journey.

I made latkes ×2 (potato + cheese), and my first attempt at a menorah shaped challah. We chanted, we lit candles, we centered ourselves in the powerful traditions of "Zos (Zot) Hanukkah" - the 8th day of Chanukah, a continuation of the high holidays and Days of Awe in Hasidic teachings. 2/6

זאת חנוכה - This is Chanukah 🕎 Night 8 round 1: hosting a beautiful evening with @chaninicholas, with some beloved friends. A powerful night, a sacred night, by celebrating with, and creating, community 💞 Happy Hanukkah - א פרייליכען חנוכה, חנוכה שמח! 1/6

זאת חנוכה - This is Chanukah 🕎 Night 8 round 1: hosting a beautiful evening with @chaninicholas, with some beloved friends. A powerful night, a sacred night, by celebrating with, and creating, community 💞 Happy Hanukkah - א פרייליכען חנוכה, חנוכה שמח! 1/6

When your friend captures you lighting Chanukah candles night 7, Hasidic style.* As the Midrash says: all sevens are beloved - dedicating night 7 to love, in whichever way and form that looks in your life 💞 א פרייליכען חנוכה, באגאסען מיט ליבשאפט! חנוכה שמח, מלאה באהבה ואושר!

This is our beautiful New York City: 2 amazing people I have had the privilege to work with, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social + @mandykathryn.bsky.social, coming together to celebrate Chanukah 🕎 Yes, I am obsessively loving this!

וביום השבת... ובראשי חדשיכם... אכלו משמנים... Last night we got to busy well, actually enjoying Shabbos services and then an amazing meal, but here are all the kugel we had! Top: potato kugel Center: tzvibel (onion) kugel Bottom: Yerushalmi (Jerusalem) kugel More on this tradition 🧵

Chanukah night 6, Shabbos, and Rosh Chodesh (new moon) 🕎 גוט שבת, א גוטן חודש, און א פרייליכען חנוכה! שבת שלום, חודש טוב, וחנוכה שמח! Shabbat Shalom, Happy New Moon, and Happy Chanukah!

Bari Weiss' Free Press asks Has Feminism Failed Women Brought To You By Bank Of America (something something bisexual hall of shame something something Sinema something)

Happy (at least) 3 kugel Shabbos to all who celebrate! גוט שבת, א גוטן חודש, און א פרייליכען חנוכה! שבת שלום, חודש טוב, וחנוכה שמח! Shabbat Shalom, Happy New Moon, and Happy Chanukah 🕎

Night 5 with some amazing people! More on that tomorrow. Happy Chanukah you all!!! (These 2 photos are 3 hours apart) אַ פרייליכען פינפטע לעכטל חנוכה 🕎

If Trump announces a new and illegal regime change war against Venezuela tonight pay attention to which elected Democrats stay silent and don’t vociferously oppose and condemn him for it - and then make sure those Dems are subjected to primary challenges next year.

Since I was a child, Chanikah night 4 has been a favorite: The light is growing, we are half way there, but there is still so much of the holiday left (holidays ending always made child me sad). Happy and joyous Hanukkah to all - as much as possible right now 🕎 אַ פרייליכען חנוכה - חנוכה שמח!

FYI: If it passes tomorrow, the Safer Sanctuary Act would be the most significant update of New York’s sanctuary city laws in nearly a decade, and the first major piece of immigration legislation to be passed by the Council during the second Trump administration.

Thank you Astoria for a beautiful queer evening last night! We raised thousands of dollars and affirmed our commitment to celebrating and protecting our trans and queer neighbors. A special thank you to Rabbi @abbystein.bsky.social and @tiffanycaban.bsky.social for joining us! 💓🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Happy Chanukah night III (more on the song below) 🕎 Today I want to center family on this beautiful family centric holiday. Especially sending hugs and love to all those - specifically queer people - for whom, like myself being with your literal family isn't an option. You are seen 🫂

A very late night, but finally back to light my own candles. Night 2, because in the most literal sense, our shine will keep growing! Tonight I will even allow myself to wish: א פרייליכען חנוכה צו אונז אלע - May we all have a happy Chanukah 🕎

Jack Schlossberg’s proposal for increasing Jewish safety is doubling security at synagogues and I cannot stress enough that you should not vote for Jack Schlossberg if you live in NY-12

I doubt I was the only one, but saying Hallel today, was well, a journey. A few verses that hit hard: אֲפָפוּנִי חֶבְלֵי מָוֶת - צָרָה וְיָגוֹן אֶמְצָא׃ The bonds of death encompassed me - I came upon trouble and sorrow. כִּי חִלַּצְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת, אֶת־עֵינִי מִן דִּמְעָה. You have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears.

After leading 2 communal Chanukah celebrations today, it's now time for my own candles 🕎 The common "Happy Hanukkah" greeting falls short today. Thinking of the Yiddish greeting of: אַ לעכטיגער חנוכה --- A shining/bright Chanikah 🕯🔥 May we keep shining. May we let it shine.

2nd lighting of the night: Leading at a Hanukkah party hosted by @jillgoldman.bsky.social, in what turned into a beautiful multifaith celebration 🕎 שהחיינו: Who has kept us alive - Really hit hard. Thinking of the 16 Jews who showed up to celebrate Hanukkah in Sydney, but are no longer with us ❤️‍🩹

Needed a small nice moment today, and this menorah that sings Maoz Tzur when the dreidel is turned, at a pre-Chanukah event, did just that 🕎 Nothing can permanently stop us from proudly celebrating our holidays. We will keep shining. א ליכטיגען חנוכה צו אלע! A shining Hanukkah to all!

As Jews around the world gather to celebrate Chanukah this week, we are horrified to hear of the antisemitic attack on our fellow Jews in Australia. No one should be afraid to light a Chanukiah. No one should be afraid to attend a community gathering or go to school. (1/2)

"When I am Mayor, I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe—on our streets, our subways, at shul, in every moment of every day. Let this be a purpose shared by every New Yorker, and let us banish this horrific violence to the past." - Mayor-Elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

רָעוֹת שָׂבְעָה נַפְשִׁי / בְּיָגוֹן כֹּחִי כָּלָה 😢 My spirit is fed up with misery /my strength is spent with grief 💔 As millions of Jews are getting ready to light the first Chanukah candle, we are crying with our Jewish community in Sydney. At least 11 murdered and 29 injured at a Hanukkah Celebration 😭 1/4

This is beyond unconscionable. Brutality has always been their point. This has to stop, and we will keep fighting to stop them.

Honored to get to contribute to this "telling" of Chanukah - published by The @acjna.bsky.social, in partnership with @rabbis4ceasefire.bsky.social. שבוע טוב, א גוטע וואך - A Good Week to us all, and א פרייליכען ערב חנוכה - a Happy Hanukkah Eve! Download: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/oHfriYA

We are about to enter the Festival of Light, 8 days of growing Light, with Chanukah starting in 2 days. First though, the weekly dose of light, Shabbos candles 🏳️‍🌈 Ah Git Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, and an early Freilichen Chanikah 🕎 שבת שלום, א גוט שבת, און א פרייליכען ערב חנוכה!

Not a photo I ever expected to see, but definitely enjoy seeing: Center stage right to left: My oldest sister's father-in-law, my 5th sister's father-in-law, cousin ×2 (Teittelbaum and Halberstam), @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, Satmar Rebbe (cousin multiple times). Family affair I guess.

A sweet moment yesterday @newyorkstateag.bsky.social, Letitia James' Hanukkah Celebration. I ran into a classmate from Yeshiva (Viznitz-Kiamesha) I haven't seen in 15 years - now works for the Village of Kaser, IYKYK 🤷‍♀️ We had a great conversation, and it was actually quite nice 💞

Donald Trump attacks trans people in grim, fact-free rant https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/12/10/donald-trump-attacks-trans-people-in-grim-fact-free-rant/?utm_content=1765502400&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

Our new Mayor, and dear friend, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, visiting the Hasidic community I grew up around, and being enthusiastically welcomed and appreciated = the beauty of NYC 🗽

Dems are sounding the alarm about ACA premium increases without mentioning something: State insurance regulators - often appointed by Dems! - have the power to reject the increases but they are approving them with no resistance & basically nobody is challenging those decisions. It's maddening.

I am gonna preempt the annual "Hanukkah is just a minor holiday" discourse, with my annual: Actually, some communities have made a huge deal of it for centuries. Here is one: "Hanukkah is the main end of the High Holidays." - 18th century rebbe, quoting 16th century writings. 1/4

This is unadulterated antisemitism, for the sake of hating Jews for existing and publicly celebrating our holidays. Under the MAGA hat (literally in this case), with over 18k likes.

My constituent Any Lopez Belloza was wrongfully deported in shackles to Honduras without proper due process. Now, the Trump Administration is sending ICE agents to threaten her family for speaking out.

If Paramount is allowed to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, the conservative billionaire Ellison family will control: Paramount Studios CBS CNN MTV HBO Comedy Central Nickelodeon Cartoon Network Warner Bros. DC Studios Fandango New Line Cinema TNT Sports TBS Oracle And more.