Last month, Magen David Yeshiva High School gathered to commemorate October 7th through firsthand testimony, and messages of strength and emunah.
Yossi Landau, co-founder of ZAKA, shared the unimaginable scenes he witnessed in the aftermath of the attacks and the lasting impact they have had on him. He shared that the tefillot, good deeds, and unity of Am Yisrael continue to give him the strength to move forward.
Yair Ansbacher, Israeli reserve soldier and hero of October 7th, walked students through the events of that day hour by hour. Students also viewed chilling, never-before-shown GoPro footage recovered from a terrorist, offering a perspective few have ever seen. Yair reminded students to never give up and to fear nothing but Hashem.
Rabbi Eli Mansour brought the morning back to its shoresh, reminding students that everything comes from Hashem, and Hazzan Mordechai Salem closed the program with a moving Mi Sheberach for the soldiers of the IDF. The meaningful program was thoughtfully organized by Mrs. Margalit Alnatan, ensuring that students remember that October 7th is not simply about numbers. Each person lost had a name, a family, a story, and a life that deserves to be remembered.
New York City Council Passes Bill to Help Drivers Locate Towed Vehicles
The New York City Council passed legislation last month that would help drivers locate vehicles that have been towed or moved, Council Minority Whip Inna Vernikov, a Republican who represents southern Brooklyn, announced.
Introduction 489-A, sponsored by Vernikov, would require the city Department of Finance and any other city agency designated by the mayor to establish and maintain a centralized online database where the public can search for information about vehicles moved or removed from public or private property by a city entity or a licensed private tow operator.
The legislation aims to simplify the process of locating towed vehicles. According to the bill’s summary, the database would replace existing procedures that often require vehicle owners to search multiple city towing databases or contact their local police precinct to locate vehicles towed by private operators.
The measure would also provide an opt-in notification system that alerts vehicle owners when information about their vehicles is entered into the database.
Vernikov said the legislation was prompted in part by an experience involving a member of her staff who encountered difficulties locating his own towed vehicle. She added that constituents have raised concerns about the issue for years.
Senator Sutton and Assemblyman Eichenstein Celebrate Major Childcare Voucher Victory
Last month, State Senator Sam Sutton and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein applauded the announcement that over 10,000 New York City children are finally being moved off the childcare voucher waitlist. The lawmakers emphasized that this monumental step was directly enabled by the state legislature’s landmark $1.2 billion expansion of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which was passed in the New York State Budget earlier this year.
With New York City announcing that they are beginning the administrative rollout to clear the backlog, Sutton and Eichenstein proudly welcomed this long-awaited relief that they championed during the state budget negotiations and celebrated last month’s victory, which is a direct result of the state fiscal victories secured in Albany during the budget.
“Families in our communities have been struggling under the crushing weight of childcare costs, and clearing this waitlist is an incredible victory,” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. “…Proper childcare is a top priority for every parent and often families are forced to weigh the benefits of a quality care program while considering the prohibitive expenses involved. This new funding will ease the burden for thousands of families, allowing parents the much-needed relief during these challenging times.”
“When we negotiated a historic $1.2 billion addition to childcare funding in the state budget, it was with the explicit intent of delivering direct, tangible relief to working families who have been stuck on waitlists for far too long,” added State Senator Sam Sutton.
Senator Sutton and Assembly Member Eichenstein remain committed to monitoring the administrative rollout to ensure that New York City processes these vouchers efficiently and without unnecessary bureaucratic delays, allowing families to access the state-funded care they were promised.