News

On Thursday afternoon, July 21, State Senator Leroy Comrie met with the Vaad Harabonim of Queens (VHQ), representing the Ashkenazic rabbinic leadership of Queens, at Congregation Ahavas Yisroel on 73^rd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills. The District 14 senator first began in the role in January of 2015 and is currently running unopposed for the open seat due to redistricting, to represent parts of Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens Hills. Although much of the city is seeing US House of Representatives and State Senate races, there is no scheduled primary for this race in the first of its kind second primary on August 23, as Comrie has no opponents. In the upcoming general election on November 8, Comrie is again running unopposed, as there is no Republican challenger. Since declaring his re-election, Comrie has held a strong presence throughout the Jewish community of Queens, appearing on a consistent basis to meet his new constituents.

The Nassau County Legislature declared that End Jew Hatred Day will be recognized annually, on April 29.

End Jew Hatred Day acknowledges the need to act against Jew-hatred across the country. In Nassau County, there has been a rise in attacks against the Jewish community, including flyers filled with hate messages being distributed recently in Rockville Centre, Long Beach, and Oceanside.

During the first Shabbos following Tish’ah B’Av, we read the first of the seven special haftaros of n’chamah, giving klal Yisrael comfort after our period of mourning. The haftaros tell of the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, which gives us hope that although we have suffered a great loss, there will be a time when the mourning comes to an end.

Recently, Rabbi Daniel Pollack, Jewish liaison to Congress Member Grace Meng, led a delegation of Queens yeshivah principals in discussing educational issues affecting the Orthodox Jewish community with State Senator Leroy Comrie. The senator was recently redistricted to serve many of the families educated within the institutions these principals direct. Some of the schools, as well, fall in the senator’s new district map.

An Invitation To The One Israel Fund BBQ And Wine Tasting

Preparations are underway for One Israel Fund 13^th Annual Summer BBQ and Fine Israeli Wine Tasting, an annual event that raises funds for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. This year’s event will take place at the home of Joseph and Jenny Felder in Lawrence, NY, on the evening of August 15.  The couple, together with an All-Star Committee, invites everyone to join them in supporting One Israel Fund while enjoying a phenomenal BBQ by Graze Smoke House, paired with a full array of Israeli wines. And all sponsors will go home with a fantastic bottle of wine as well.

Emet Outreach hosted an extraordinary reunion when 66 couples, alumni of the Emet Leaders Fellowship, gathered at the LaKota Oaks resort in Norwalk, Connecticut, for a three-day retreat. They were joined by Emet staff members and their spouses for a Torah-infused weekend of meaningful classes and relationship-building activities. “This retreat focused on the theme of ‘Reaching Higher’ in our relationships with Hashem and our spouses,” said Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, Emet Co-Founder and Director. “It was also a chance to spend time together and strengthen our relationships with Emet’s alumni, whom we think of as family. We’ve watched many of them grow since they were in college, and we want them to know that we’re here to support them as they build their own Jewish families.”