Chabad-Lubavitch rebbetzin to counsel couples on Jewish family law — Rebbetzin Shaina Gitler became the first member of the Chabad-Lubavitch community in the U.S. to become a yoetzet halacha, according to a tweet by her father, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. A yoetzet halacha is a counselor trained to answer questions about Jewish laws on menstruation and sex. Earlier this year, Shtetl reported that some Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis in Crown Heights urged their followers not to work with these counselors. Gitler’s husband Moshe is the rabbi of Chevra Ahavas Yisroel, a synagogue in Crown Heights that was founded in 2010 and serves congregants inside and outside of the Hasidic mainstream according to JTA

Satmar activist hired for post in New York Attorney General’s office — Yoel Lefkowitz, a member of the Satmar Hasidic community, was hired recently as director of Jewish outreach and intergovernmental affairs for New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to a tweet by The Forward’s Jacob Kornbluh. Lefkowitz has previously worked for James, Governor Kathy Hochul, and other New York politicians.

Jewish advisory council meets to talk High Holiday preparation — ‍New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s mostly Orthodox Jewish advisory council met on Tuesday at the offices of the UJA-Federation of New York to discuss preparation for the High Holidays, reports The New York Jewish Week. Adams said that the city will increase police presence and monitor social media ahead of Rosh Hashanah to identify any potential threats.

Get refusal victim wins New Jersey court case — A New Jersey court ruled in favor of a woman who made a video encouraging community members to pressure her husband to give her a get, a Jewish writ of divorce, according to the New Jersey Monitor. The husband argued that the video could lead to violence against him, but the court said the video was constitutionally protected free speech. In a similar case in Rockland County, a judge dismissed the case of a man accusing his ex-wife of defamation.

New York State legislature won’t consider school choice — While debates over school choice have broken out across the U.S., New York’s state legislature is uninterested in increasing public funding for private schools, reports Lohud. Rockland and Orange counties, which both have large Haredi communities, are the two New York counties with the highest portions of students attending private schools, according to the article.

New internet-filtering storefront in Crown Heights — An internet-filtering storefront was set to open this week in Crown Heights, according to the Chabad-Lubavitch news site COLlive. Safe Tech, at 399 Kingston Avenue, “will put an end to the need to travel to other communities like Williamsburg or Boro Park in order to have the safeguard of a filter installed on phones, computers, and other devices,” according to the outlet.

Mayor visits Bobov-45 rebbe ahead of Rosh Hashanah — New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited the Grand Rebbe of the Bobov-45 Hasidic sect on Tuesday to bring new year’s greetings ahead of the High Holidays, according to a tweet by the news outlet Boro Park 24. “Life should be sweet,” the mayor said, holding a jar of honey.

Concern over internet security in Kiryas Joel school district — An audit by the New York State Comptroller’s Office found that there is an increased risk of unauthorized access to personal, private and sensitive information related to the Kiryas Joel Union Free School District, according to Mid Hudson News. Auditors recommended disabling unnecessary accounts for employees who no longer work there. The Kiryas Joel public school district operates only one public school, and organizes busing and school supplies for public and private schools in the mostly Satmar Hasidic village.