Susie Garber

On Thursday evening, February 23, Rabbi Stuart Verstandig, President of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, welcomed everyone to a Zoom program on advocating for our rights as a community in Albany. He acknowledged the presence of the rav of the shul, Rabbi Daniel Rosenfelt, and the Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld. He shared that the guest speaker is an advocate for our community, and he lobbies in Albany on our behalf. He focuses on three areas, educational autonomy, religious liberty, and assistance for nonpublic schools.

On Tuesday evening, February 14, Navigating the Medical System featured a virtual lecture on exercise and staying fit for older adults. The lecture was hosted by Congregation Etz Chaim.

Dr. Mel Breite, Director and Founder of the lecture series, welcomed everyone and shared how exercise is such a key factor for overall good health.

Exclusive QJL Interview with Assemblyman David Weprin’s Staff Member, Sam Verstandig

Could a 13-year-old boy become involved in politics and make a difference? The answer is a resounding yes, as Sam Verstandig, staff member for Assemblyman David Weprin, shared in his amazing story. When he was an eighth grader at the Yeshiva of Central Queens, he was the president of the school’s anti-bullying club. He decided to look for funding for the club, as he wanted to make a difference and expand the club to accomplish more. This led him to become involved with local elected officials. The then-State-Senator, Joe Addabbo, explained the legislative process and this sparked more interest in Sam in anti-bullying bills in Albany.

On Sunday night, February 12, Chazaq and Torah Anytime hosted “Halftime for Torah” during the halftime of the Super Bowl. The first speaker, Charlie Harary, well-known inspirational speaker, shared that there are lessons we can draw from the Super Bowl that impact our lives. He told the story of the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts started playing football for Alabama and he was in a championship game with Georgia in 2017. The coach put a freshman in the game to replace Hurts. Sitting on the bench was devastating for Hurts. He left to a different college and his team lost again. The thing is that despite these losses, Hurts never gave up. He didn’t throw in the towel; instead, he kept working. Now, he is a starting quarterback in the NFL. Mr. Harary taught that life throws you challenges. “People who succeed are the ones who don’t avoid challenges. They never give up and they stick with it when things get hard.”

Imagine how frustrating and embarrassing it is for a child to sit in class and not be able to read and write like her peers.  How discouraging to not be able to learn and keep up with your friends because you have a language learning disability.

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.