At his bar mitzvah at Cong. Keter Torah in February, Teaneck resident Daniel Raykher announced that he’d use a portion of his gift money to sponsor bar mitzvahs for disadvantaged boys in Israel.

True to his word — and with lots of help from his parents and Bris Avrohom executive director Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky — Daniel and his family traveled to Israel this summer to join 13 young men at the festive occasion.

JERUSALEM – Deep in a valley below Jerusalem’s Old City, a narrow alleyway leads to the remains of three bulldozed Arab homes in an area slated to become an archeological park.

The homes, now just slabs of collapsed concrete, are in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. Despite international protests — including from the U.S. secretary of state — the remaining 85 or so houses there, which were built without permits, are to be demolished to make room for a park the city hopes will be a major draw for tourists.

The dispute over the area, together with recent evictions in the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, are the most recent markers in the battle over Jerusalem. Israel seeks to cement its control over the city in part by altering the demographic character of its eastern, Arab neighborhoods.

JERUSALEM (JTA)—This might be your grandparents’ federation system, but now it should belong to you.

That was essentially the message organizers of this year’s United Jewish Communities General Assembly were hoping to hammer home by programming an entire day aimed at “Next Gen” participants. The effort drew about 800 participants overall.