JNS columnist Jonathan S. Tobin reviews last year’s picks and previews the new Jewish year with his annual Rosh Hashanah pundit quiz.

Congregation Gates of Heaven hosts an open house and Family Sukkot Celebration on Sept. 25 in Schenectady, with dinner and a family service.

Jewish Family Services of Northeastern New York joins state leaders to warn Holocaust survivors and elderly families about a new reparations scam.

The Jewish Federation hosts Middle East experts David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari at Proctors on Sept. 16 to discuss Iran, Israel and the region.

The Schenectady JCC’s fall Well-Being Talk Series for seniors opens Sept. 16 with a cybersecurity clinic and a hot kosher lunch.

Marilyn Shapiro reflects on High Holy Day gatherings past and present, and on placing a stone at yizkor in memory of loved ones.

Ethel G. Hofman marks a rare trifecta of 9/11, Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah with recipes for a sweet new year, from crown challah to honey cake.

Rabbi Avi Weiss offers a meditation on the Unetaneh Tokef prayer as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 falls on Rosh Hashanah this year.

A Strong National Museum of Play display in Rochester traces the outsized Jewish role in the American toy and game industry, from Barbie to Hasbro.

Rabbi Yossy Goldman on why Judaism insists we can change, and what Abraham’s final test teaches about discipline going into the new year.