On Wednesday evening, December 6, Jackie Bitton, a well-known speaker, spoke at Ohel Sara about Chanukah. The shiur was titled, “Time to Bring More Light into the World,” and was hosted by Chazaq in memory of Eliezer ben Bella Bracha a”h.

When we feel darkness and sadness, it’s hard to go on. That’s when we need to feel that Hashem is with us in our pain. Mrs. Sipy Nissanian, beloved Bais Yaakov of Queens pre-school teacher, shared how painful it was when she and Rabbi Avraham Nissanian of Eshel Avraham, lost their dear son Yaeer a”h in 2002, at age 19. It was too hard to go on, she confided, but with help from Chai Lifeline Bereavement and Dr. Norman Blumenthal, she was able to live through this horrible grief, and she and her husband have helped other parents who had to deal with this type of unspeakable loss.

Rebbetzin Sheva Turk speaks about her time in Queens as the Turks move to

East Meadow for a new chapter in kiruv

This writer had the honor to interview Rebbetzin Sheva Turk, who has been the kiruv rebbetzin along with her husband Rabbi Moshe Turk, Director of the Jewish Heritage Center of Queens and Long Island, for the past 35 years. The Turks are moving to East Meadow after Chanukah, but they will continue to come back to Kew Gardens Hills for a monthly get-together with Jewish Heritage Center alumni, and Rabbi Turk will continue to come back to teach his shiurim. They also have children living here, so that is another reason they’ll be back often.

One person can make a difference in the world! As Jews, we know this is true, and the following story demonstrates this fact. Mrs. Renee Labovitz took her passion for helping others along with her legal expertise, determination, and unwavering faith, and made an enormous difference for those suffering from mental illness or substance abuse.