In today’s J3M Report:

📌 Torah Takes the Stage! Orthodox Slates Seize Historic Win in WZO Elections

📌 Penny for Your Thoughts? Not Anymore!

👉 BRICKS, Balls & Bingo! NY’s $100M Boost for Playgrounds, Pools & People!

The Nibble

🎉 Torah Takes the Stage! Orthodox Slates Seize Historic Win in WZO Elections 🗳️📜

💥Boom! For the first time in World Zionist Organization (WZO) history, Orthodox Jews have taken the majority—and they're not just showing up, they’re taking charge! 🕍✡️ With an unprecedented 230,257 U.S. votes (📈 that’s up a whopping 86% from 2020!), the Orthodox voice has thundered into the halls of Zionist power, tallis and tefillin in hand. 😎✊

🚀Eretz HaKodesh came in like a spiritual wrecking ball with 29,159 votes, locking in the #3 national spot. And they didn’t come alone! Their Torah-powered squad—Am Yisrael Chai (🔥31,765), MERCZ USA (📚27,893), Mizrachi/Orthodox Israel Coalition (26,975), and Shas (🥘2,658)—teamed up to create a religious dream team with more unity than a kugel at a Shabbos kiddush. 🫓🥂

🎯So what does this mean? Billions of dollars in global Jewish funding are now dancing to a more traditional tune—think stronger Jewish education 🎒, more aliyah support ✈️, and a bolder voice for Torah values across the Jewish world. The 2025 World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem (🗓️ Oct 28–30) is going to be 🔥—grab your popcorn, or maybe your Gemara, because history is being written… one pasuk at a time. 📖✨

🪙 Penny for Your Thoughts? Not Anymore! 💸

Say goodbye to that jingly little coin we’ve all loved, lost, and left in couch cushions — the penny’s days are officially numbered! 🕰️ The Trump administration has announced it's pulling the plug on penny production after realizing it costs nearly 4 cents to make just one of these tiny copper-colored clunkers. In 2024 alone, the U.S. Mint lost a whopping $85.3 million on pennies. That's right — millions down the drain so we can keep buying gum with exact change. 😬🧮

Once the final batch of penny blanks runs out (spoiler: they're already ordered), the U.S. Mint will stop minting them altogether. Trump took to Truth Social to call the penny "so wasteful!" and vowed to "rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time." 💥 And honestly? With the government saving $56 million a year, maybe it’s time to let go of that Ziploc bag of pennies under the bed. But don’t worry — you can still use 'em, for now. Just get ready for a future where everything rounds up or down to the nearest nickel… so choose your stores wisely! 🛒➡️🪙

🚫 No sponsorship here - just cool, pure info for you! 😎 I'll always give you a heads-up when something is sponsored!

🗽 Civic Spotlight: Keeping You Informed

🧱 BRICKS, Balls & Bingo! NY’s $100M Boost for Playgrounds, Pools & People! 🏀👵🌳

New York is literally building joy — and the FY 2026 budget just dropped a $100 MILLION gift 🎁 for kids, families, and seniors across the state! The brand-new NY BRICKS grant program is ready to level up local life by funding shiny new community centers, colorful playgrounds, and action-packed rec zones. Whether it's dodgeball for the kiddos, yoga for grandma 🧘‍♀️, or just a cozy space to hang out and connect, this is where community gets a glow-up. Bonus points for projects in underserved areas and places that offer affordable childcare, eldercare, and mental health help 💪❤️.

Applications open July 14 and are due by August 15 🗓️ — so if you’re a town, city, or nonprofit dreaming of building something special, grab your blueprints and get applying! From “Unplug and Play” to “Get Offline, Get Outside” 🌞📵, NY is going all in to turn screen time into playtime, and sidewalks into swim zones 🏊‍♂️💦. A match of 20% is required, so team up, power up, and let's build the future one basketball hoop and bingo table at a time! 🏗️🎯👟 Click here for more info.

📅Calendar

June 9 | 🚨Change-of-address deadline for your voter registration ahead of the primary!

June 14 | Early voting begins.

June 24 | 2025 Primary Election

What's up

🎬 Events 👋

Tuesday 6/10/2025

Defensive Driving Class | Cong Tomchei Torah | 1966 Ocean Ave. (AveN/AveO) | Reservations required - 718-339-1300 or haloleasing@aol.com | $70

Thursday 6/19/2025

Kumzitz with Eitan Katz | Ocean Parkway Jewish Center | 550 Ocean Pkwy (bet. Ave F & Ditmas Ave) | 6:30 pm | $25 | click here for more info and tickets

Tuesday 7/8/2025

👩For girls only 👩 | Girls Summer Coding Class | JCCMP | 3415 Quentin Road (b/w E. 34 & E 35) | 6:30 PM - Runs for 4 weeks| Non-members $50/Members $36 | More info here

Lectures 🎤

Thursday 6/12/2025

Kosher Kitchen 101 | Rav Daniel Osher Kleinman | Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin | 2913 Avenue L | 8:30 pm

Shabbos 6/14/2025

👩For women only 👩 | Rabbi Aron Rapps | Young Israel of Midwood | 1694 Ocean Ave | 5:00 pm

Pirkei Avos | R’ Eliezer Ginsberg | Cong. Veretzky - R’ Landaus Shul | 1202 E 9th (Ave L) | 5:30 pm

⌛Ongoing🗓️

Monday’s & Wednesday’s

HaRav Aharon Kahn Shlita | Shiur on Tehillim with Medrash and Meforshim | 10:40am | Kol Halashon 718-906-6400 press star (*) | Live stream click here.

Thursday’s

📖Learning and Cholent🍲😋 | Bet Shaul U'Miriam | 2208 Ave. S | 8:00-10:00pm🏆

📜 Mishmar | Agudah of Madison | 2122 Ave. S (Ave S & East 22) | 10:00 pm

📖Parsha Ha’Shavua | Rabbi Frand | Y.I. of Midwood | 1694 Ocean Ave | 9:00 pm

Motzaei Shabbos

Navi Shiur | Rabbi Yisroel Reisman | Ahi Ezer Cong | Corner Ocean Parkway & Ave S | 10:30 pm

🚫 No sponsorship here - just cool, pure info for you! 😎 I'll always give you a heads-up when something is sponsored!

📰 Weather 🥸

🌥️Monday | Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.

Monday Night | A 30 percent chance of 🌧️showers after 2am | Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.

☔️Tuesday | A chance of showers, then showers likely and ⛈️possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm | Cloudy, with a high near 74.

🌧️Tuesday Night | Showers likely and possibly a ⛈️thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 2am | Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.

🌞Wednesday | Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. 🌡️

Wednesday Night | Mostly clear, with a low around 65.

🌞Thursday | Sunny, with a high near 83. 🌡️

National Weather Service