A report was recently published with updated statistics on population growth in Judea and Samaria. The numbers are so encouraging! There are more than 475,000 people living in Judea and Samaria today, representing a growth of close to 3% in 2020 alone and a 17% growth rate over the last five years.

Each year, Jews all over the world celebrate the holiday of Purim. They celebrate the miracle of salvation as described in the Book of Esther, with special prayers in the synagogue, public readings of Esther, festive meals, gifts of sweet food packages to neighbors and friends and charity to the poor.
But there is a more serious element to the holiday as well – reading and studying the Book of Esther.

My father passed away in September, and I have been saying the mourners’ kaddish once a day since. I have found great comfort in the street service just outside my house. I regularly attend the afternoon service, which begins about 15 minutes before sunset.