OJPAC on Tuesday released statistics it obtained from the New York State Education Department showing massive increases in the number of students enrolled in yeshivos over the past 20 years. In September 2001, yeshivos had fewer than 100,000 students, yet by September 2021, those numbers rose to more than 160,000 – a staggering 60% increase. That jump is largely being attributed to a 200% increase in Yeshiva students in Orange County and a 144% increase in Rockland County – the counties of Kiryas Joel and Monsey, respectively. In Brooklyn, the number of yeshiva enrollees grew by 46% over the past two decades, not quite as stunning as Orange and Rockland, but still quite impressive.

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Mrs. Devorah Chana Phillipson of Monsey. She was 55. Devorah Chana a”h, was born in Boro Park to Mr. and Mrs. Menachem Mendel Gottlieb. Mrs. Phillipson’s husband, Rabbi Binyomin Phillipson, is a renowned philanthropist who leads the Yad Elka Foundation, distributing tens of millions of shekels before each yom tov to thousands of needy families in Israel. Additionally, he is a well-known donor to numerous Torah institutions and various tzedakos throughout the world. Mrs. Phillipson was his partner in all that he does. Her home was known to be open to all, and she was mekarev countless college students who received their first taste of yiddishkeit in the Phillipson home.

Rockland Chaveirim members conducted a heroic rescue on Sunday afternoon in the mountains near Sloatsburg after a hiker went missing. Chaveirim received a call about a hiker missing in the mountains near Ramapo at around 4:15 pm Sunday afternoon. Volunteers immediately dispatched to the area where the hiker, a male in his 20s, had last been seen. Chaveirim members tracked down where he had parked his car and then ascertained based on the location which trail he had likely gone on. After a brief search, members found the lost hiker, who was suffering from hypothermia. They wrapped him in warming blankets and brought him down the mountain.

A group of prominent organizations have put out a call for sensitivity to be used over the course of Purim this year, following a number of disturbing incidents in past years. Askanim from Agudah, the UJO, Lakewood Vaad, Anti-Defamation League, BPJCC, and Oizrim Jewish Council warns people not to dress in blackface, hang Haman effigies, or wear any costume that stereotypes specific communities.
The post PSA: This Purim, Use Sensitivity and Common Sense appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

Firefighters are currently battling a blaze at the Country Village Tower in Spring Valley, NY. The Spring Valley Fire Department arrived on the scene at 1:00APM, and confirmed that there were people trapped on the 7th floor of the building located at 101 Kennedy Drive. Flames and smoke were seen billowing out of several windows on the upper floors. Numerous fire departments have been dispatched to assist with mutual aid in fighting the fire. Rockland Chaveirim are on the scene assisting as well. Additional details will be published shortly.

Firefighters battled a blaze that broke out at a home in Hillcrest, near Monsey, Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the fire department, Hatzolah and Rockland Chaveirim were on scene assisting the victims. Hatzolah Paramedics transported three patients from the scene at 46 West Hickory Street to Westchester Hospital and Nyack Hospital. Their conditions are unknown. Rockland Chaveirim has remained on the scene, providing food, shelter, and other necessities for the victims that remain near the home. RECEIVE YWN BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Agudath Israel of America on Monday sharply criticized a bigoted promotional piece for an upcoming article published in Journal News (Lohud). “Agudath Israel of America viewed with alarm an incendiary promotional advertisement published today for an upcoming article in Journal News (Lohud), a popular newspaper in Rockland County,” a release from Agudah reads. “The caption, ‘Rabbi holds the strings on $76M for East Ramapo School District… Coming Feb. 9,’ appears above a puppet master using pencils and string to manipulate what appears to be children atop a pile of cash. “While the article, or even the identity of the “rabbi” (as though his “rabbihood” is somehow germane) are unknown, the caricature evokes the worst antisemitic tropes, and is categorically unacceptable.

Two people were killed in a horrific accident on the Palisades Parkway on Sunday. Police say an SUV was driving the wrong way on the Parkway about 10 miles north of New Jersey when it slammed into a 2016 Toyota Avalon, killing the drivers of both vehicles. Brendan Seabrook, 27, and Aristan Garandeau, 22, were both killed in the crash. Police said they were working to determine why Garandeau was driving on the wrong side of the Palisades Parkway, which is elevated above a wooded median at and near the accident scene. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A powerful nor’easter threatens to slam the tri-state starting Friday night, and there is now a clearer picture of who will be impacted the most — with well over a foot of snow likely for some. A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Fairfield counties. A Blizzard Warning is up for Monmouth and Ocean counties. The actual storm will begin to strengthen Friday night as it descends upon the tri-state. It will intensify rapidly and meet the definition of a “bomb cyclone” as it strengthens — meaning a very strong, potent storm is likely. NYC: New York City’s Department of Sanitation issued a snow alert, which takes effect Friday at 4 p.m. and continues through 7 a.m. Sunday.

Rockland Judge Kevin Russo finds Grafton Thomas incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness and committed him to a mental institution for a year and potentially longer if he’s still found mentally incompetent. He was accused of stabbing five Jews at a Chanukah party in Rabbi Rottenberg’s Shul in Monsey in 2019. The most critically injured victim, Josef Neumann, 72, died three months after the attack.