Shabbat shalom.  What a week.  It began with the discovery of the bodies of the three kidnapped Israeli teens near Hebron, murdered; continued with the murder of an Arab teen in Jerusalem and a surge in rocket and mortar fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and then yesterday’s news of the passing of Reb Zalman z”l.   This last was most shocking as we at the BJN (and many of his friends) were following his recent health problems and what looked like his recovery from pneumonia over the last few days and weeks.

Reb Zalman’s funeral will be this morning, July 4th, at 9:00 am at Green Mountain Cemetery, followed by a memorial service at Congregation Har HaShem at 10:30 am.  Baruch dayan emet, and may his memory be for a blessing.  More information and links to articles on Reb Zalman can be found in our article.

Turning to more pleasant news of the week, JEWISHColorado (formerly Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado) announced this week that Boulder’s Jackie Wong has been named overall Campaign Chair for the next two years.  Jackie is the first Boulderite to be so honored by JEWISHColorado.  BJN congratulates Jackie and wishes her all possible success!

Have a safe and fun July 4th weekend, and happy birthday, America!

Here are this week’s stories from the BJN: