Susie Garber

“I feel really proud that I had the opportunity to help out at this time of crisis. “Dr. Adam Zeitlin, local physician in Kew Gardens Hills, packed up and rushed to use his skills to help Eretz Yisrael. “We all have a place as a Jewish nation. I wanted to give my hand in a time of need.”

On Wednesday evening, December 13, community women gathered at Congregation Ohel Simcha for the Annual Night of Gratitude hosted by Chazaq, Amudim, and Emet Outreach. The program was in memory of Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein zt”l.

On Sunday evening, December 17, Let’s Get Real With Coach Menachem featured a lecture by psychotherapist Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld, LCSW, on the subject of trauma. Rabbi Rosenfeld is a specialist in addiction, anxiety, and depression.

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.

I received a beautiful Chanukah gift this year from Emet Outreach’s Learning Program. It was a new sefer by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, Founding Rav of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere. There was so much inspiration packed into this sefer, that this writer felt compelled to share some of the beautiful ideas with our readers. The sefer is titled By the Light of the Fire.

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.