On Tuesday evening, February 6, community women gathered for the 39th annual Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund of Queens Tea at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills. The Tea this year was in dedicated in memory of Mrs. Molly Listhaus a”h.
First, Mrs. Ettie Zelmanowitz, President of the organization, greeted everyone and led everyone in reciting T’hilim. Mrs. Zelmanowitz shared that her mother, Mrs. Shifra Witty a”h, ran this Tea for 25 years. She led with love and compassion for every chasan and kallah. She brought the organization to international renown. Millions of dollars were distributed to needy couples during her tenure.
This year, they are receiving more calls for help for kallos from Eretz Yisrael because of the situation there.
This organization began 39 years ago, when Rebbetzin Ruth Schonfeld a”h, Founding President, started it in memory of Erna Lindenfeld. The goal was to help kallos here and in Israel. The tea has been a Queens hallmark event for decades, providing our community and beyond with the opportunity to give tz’dakah to an incredibly worthy cause.
Lovely bookmarks and cards were donated by Mrs. Nechama Biderman in memory of her husband, Dov Beryl ben Yaakov David z”l.
Following this, Mr. Shelly Lindenfeld, a representative of the Lindenfeld family, spoke. He shared that his parents were Holocaust survivors and they met in a DP camp. He shared that what we are experiencing now is a shoah and something generations will never recover from. Tonight is about building new homes and people enduring and seeing to the next generation. He thanked the organization on behalf of his family for all they have done.
Next, Mrs. Irene Laub, representing the Listhaus family, spoke about her exceptional mother, who survived Siberia and was always a caregiver for family members. She was warm, loving, and sensitive, and was always happy to help with this yearly event. She was always ready to help anyone in a time of need.
After this, Rabbi Joey Haber, Dean of Magen David Yeshivah, and well-known speaker, shared an inspiring talk. His message was that you should act when you have a good idea and know that Hashem will help you to complete it. He shared several moving stories to illustrate this point. He noted that right after Pharaoh made the decree to throw baby boys into the Nile, the Chumash tells us that Amram and Yocheved married. It would seem illogical for them to marry now when this decree just came, but that is what Jews do. They move forward, and because they married, Moshe was born. He noted that we don’t know how things will work out now, but we have to move forward and build homes. That’s what we as Jews do, and this organization is making that possible for many couples.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their donations and generosity, which helped make the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund Tea such a success: Barbara Fogel, BestDressed Bread.com (Goldie Shulman), Battr (Mendy Laster), Sushi Tokyo, Aron’s Kissena Farms, Seasons, Wasserman’s, the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, Shmira, Studio 18, Amazing Savings, ArtScroll, Petit Pram, Meir’s Travel, TLC Wigs (Tova Lisker), Renaissance Wigs, Torah Anytime, Queens Jewish Link, the Yeshiva of Central Queens, and Yossi’s Cuts.
By Susie Garber
