Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night could keep the crowds away from Shomrei Emunah Sunday night. A large, diverse crowd came out to hear famed Russian refusenik R’ Yosef Mendelovich talk about his experiences fighting for Soviet Jews behind the iron curtain as part of his tour which included speeches at Beis Yaakov and Torah Academy as well.

On September 29, 1969, Wayne Young was in a bad mood.

He had just bought a boat, and his mother felt that it was a waste of money. They were part owners of a tropical fish store, and they didn’t have money to spend on such luxuries. They argued, and he felt very misunderstood.

So when Esther Leibowitz, an 11 year old girl on her way home from Beis Yaakov, came into his store, he took back control the only way he knew how. Her body was discovered in a ditch in Mount Washington, about a half mile from the store. Her clothing was disheveled, and she was covered in what at first appeared to be dirt, but detectives were able to link it to a very fine gravel used in fish aquariums. Her head had been bashed in with 17 blows from a hammer.

See Beyond the Mask is an annual Purim event, which this year was held in the Atrium at Greenspring Shopping Center. Organized by Elaine Gerstenfeld under the umbrella of the Zooz organization, the event is intended to bring together Jews from all different walks of life for a few hours of fun and chesed.

An enormous banner hanging over the entrance to the shopping center invited any passing Jews come inside and join in seeing beyond the masks that divide us the rest of the year into different categories and celebrate the unity of the Jewish people. Inside, the Atrium had been taken over by a crowd of unmasked partygoers, wearing colorful costumes of all shapes and sizes.