Tens of thousands of cyclists will bike through New York City tomorrow for the 47th Annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour. The first wave of riders will start at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, with subsequent waves departing at 8:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 9:50 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The tour takes participants on a 40-mile ride from Lower Manhattan, through the Bronx, over to Queens and down through Brooklyn to Staten Island. Five Boro Bike Tour street closures The route closes to vehicular traffic at 7:15 a.m. Sixth Avenue will reopen to cars at noon. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be open with significant road closures to accommodate the bike tour. Motorists should expect delays. The Staten Island-bound lower level of the bridge will be closed to vehicles from 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

In a heartwarming update, 4-year-old Pinchas Raphael ben Sara (Saada) has returned home following a miraculous recovery from a horrific car accident in Flatbush that claimed the lives of his mother and two sisters a few weeks ago. Initially listed in critical condition, Pinchas’ survival and return home on Friday afternoon, are being attributed to the fervent tefillos of Klal Yisroel, bringing joy and gratitude to the community. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The chavrusah tumult took place at BMG this week, as the summer Zman kicks off. The tumult generally last for two days, with talmidim of the yeshiva seeking out chavrusos and which chaburah they will be in. Enjoy the videos and phots below of this spectacular site!

Rent-stabilized tenants in New York City could see their monthly housing costs rise this fall, after the city’s Rent Guidelines Board voted Wednesday in favor of proposed rent increases for one- and two-year leases. The board approved a range of potential hikes: 1.75% to 4.75% for one-year leases and 4.75% to 7.75% for two-year leases. The final rates will be determined in a binding vote scheduled for June. If approved, the changes would apply to leases beginning on or after October 1. The preliminary decision comes as the board weighs how to support the financial stability of building owners while protecting tenants from cost-of-living increases. Over the past three years, the board has greenlit cumulative rent hikes totaling 9%.

In yet another explosive controversy rocking New York City’s embattled public school system, the Department of Education is under fire for distributing an official newsletter that accused Israel of committing “genocide in Gaza”—a claim that outraged Jewish educators and advocates are calling a dangerous escalation of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric within the city’s classrooms. According to a NY Post report, the inflammatory statement appeared in the spring 2025 edition of the “Teacher Career Pathways” newsletter—an internal publication bearing the logos of both the NYC Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)—which was distributed to hundreds of “master teachers” across the city’s 1,800 public schools.

A suspect was arrested late Tuesday evening by the NYPD with assistance from Boro Park Shomrim after violently robbing a delivery driver and fleeing on the victim’s moped. The incident occurred at 12th Avenue and 43rd Street, where the suspect threw the delivery driver off his moped and rode off with it. A Boro Park Shomrim volunteer who happened to be on the block witnessed the incident and immediately radioed for backup. Shomrim then alerted the NYPD and initiated a coordinated search. Shomrim volunteers tracked the suspect to 41st Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, where he was arrested by the NYPD. The stolen moped was recovered at the scene. A knife and BB gun were also found in the suspect’s possession, though neither weapon was displayed during the robbery.

Boro Park Shomrim, in coordination with Yanky Eisdorfer, senior advisor to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, helped light up the streets of Boro Park during Yom Tov Pesach. Following a similar effort during Sukkos, when residents along 21st Avenue and 20th Avenue near the cemetery requested additional lighting due to a previous incident, Boro Park Shomrim arranged for light towers to be placed. Throughout Sukkos Shomrim Shabbos Patrol volunteers actively monitored and maintained the lights to ensure they remained fully operational. This Pesach, Shomrim once again worked with Yanky Eisdorfer, senior advisor to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, to secure additional light towers from NYC OEM and the NYPD to illuminate the area.

Passaic, NJ – On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the first-ever “Kenishta De’Kehuluh” (Kehillos Hakodesh for Matters of Technology) gathering united nearly 150 askanim from over 30 Chasidishe communities across New York, New Jersey, and Canada at the Grand Event halls in Passaic. The historic event, aimed at safeguarding kedushah amidst modern technological challenges, featured collaboration, inspiring speeches by rabbanim, and presentations by kosher filter companies, fostering new committees and ongoing programs to strengthen community efforts.

Agudath Israel said it is “outraged” by several ordinances recently passed and others that are being contemplated by the City of Linden, NJ, designed to prevent Orthodox Jews from moving there, in line with the mayor’s recent comments to “keep our community from being taken over by guys with big hats and curls.” These discriminatory measures represent a blatant attempt to marginalize religious and minority communities under the guise of land-use regulation, Agudah days.

Rep. Elise Stefanik would enter the 2026 New York governor’s race as the clear Republican front-runner if she chooses to run, according to a new poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by GOP pollster Landon Wall with GrayHouse, found that 44% of likely Republican voters back Stefanik, compared to 7% for Rep. Mike Lawler and 5% for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Another 44% of respondents were undecided. Stefanik, a member of the House GOP leadership and a favorite of former President Donald Trump, is far better known among Republican voters, with 56% viewing her favorably and just 9% unfavorably. In a hypothetical general election matchup, Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Stefanik 46% to 40%.