Rockland

Community

Tragedy in New Square: 8-year-old fatally struck by school bus

The Town of Ramapo police is investigating the death, and the school bus driver is cooperating with investigators

Antisemitism

Chabad rabbi Shmuel Gancz delivers invocation at New York State Senate

Gancz, who is the director of Chabad of Suffern, was invited by state senator Bill Weber, and reminded legislators of their duty to fight hatred and antisemitism

Antisemitism

Judge finds Monsey stabbing suspect still unfit to stand trial

Grafton Thomas, who is accused of attacking five Hasidic men with a machete, had been charged with second-degree murder and committing a federal hate crime

Gender

Controversial rabbi launches campaign to ‘rescue’ women from ‘indignities’ of Israeli military service

Rabbi Noson Leiter, who endorsed an Alabama politician mired in sexual misconduct allegations, is calling to “save our daughters” from military service

Legal

Driver in fatal crash involving Skver Rabbi's motorcade sentenced

Chaim Gordon pleaded guilty, and got off with a $886 fine and nine points on his license

Gender

Relationship and Intimacy coach fights back against rabbinic ban

After a large group of rabbis signed on to a ban against Shaindy Bilgrei for lectures they deemed "unsuitable," the popular relationship and intimacy counselor replied with a vigorous defense of her work

Crime

Williamsburg sex offender accused of assaulting Monsey teenager, boasts of luring boys to mikvahs

While on probation for previous sex crimes, Joseph Grunwald was arrested by the FBI for allegedly grooming, assaulting, and threatening a 14-year-old, after boasting of having access to mikvahs, school buses, and dormitories

Theatre

Hasidic-born actors star in new Yiddish play about a former Hasid turned Christian missionary

With starring roles in “The Gospel According to Chaim,” actors Melissa Weisz and Sruli Rosenberg describe the Hasidic world as offering more leeway to pursue unconventional paths

Haredi Life

Year end reflections on Shtetl’s first ten months of reporting: the top issues of 2023

With the intimate familiarity of insiders but free from the usual top-down oversight of Haredi media, we reported on everything from the Satmar rebbe's bragging about deceiving legislators to Agudah's efforts to keep the Times from winning a Pulitzer

Legislation

Gov. Hochul signs bills raising population requirement for new villages — except for Vizhnitz’s Ateres

For decades, any group of 500 people could incorporate a new village, but the requirement has now been raised to 1,500 — nixing plans for the proposed village of Seven Springs near Kiryas Joel