We are all looking forward with great anticipation to the annual Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Tea to be held next Tuesday evening, November 16, at 8:30 p.m. The Tea has been a Queens hallmark event for decades, providing our community with the opportunity to give tz’dakah to a most worthy local cause, while enjoying incredible entertainment and amazing raffle prizes.

As we are still dealing with pandemic restrictions, this year’s Tea will again be hosted online via Zoom. This uplifting evening to celebrate our 37th year with a “By Women, For Women” program will be available to participants from far and near with no worries about parking, weather, and travel distance.

Our program promises to be extraordinary, with the renowned Lori Palatnik as our Mistress of Ceremonies and a musical extravaganza starring Malky Giniger, the incredibly talented singer, actor and songwriter, Miriam Lakritz, the dynamic head of Rachel’s Place, and Tehila Biberfeld, the young singing sensation. Brief greetings from a board member, our sponsors’ family members, and of course, the drawing of our fabulous raffle prizes will round out the evening.

We would like to acknowledge and thank our special sponsors for this evening, Shulamith Goldstein, Yocheved and Ya’acov Granek, Shani and Moishe Itzkowitz, Chanie and Henry Jakubowicz, and Tova and Meshulam Lisker.

Shulamith Goldstein is co-sponsoring the Tea in loving memory of her parents, Harry and Rena Klavan a”h. They were pillars of the Jewish community in Washington, D.C., and supporters of charitable institutions in America and Israel. They were admired and respected throughout the community for their boundless generosity and dedication to Yiddishkeit. The Klavans were loving and devoted parents to their children and their families.

The daughters of Rabbi Stanley and Bernice Metzger a”h are co-sponsoring the Tea in loving memory of their parents. They were well respected in the Kew Gardens Hills community and were role models for their family. The Metzgers always emphasized shalom and harmony in their relationships. Torah and family were very important to them, and they took great pride in their children and families.

The Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund of Queens has one objective: to enable our community and beyond to fulfill the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah, sharing in the mitzvah of being m’samei’ach chasan v’kallah and building batim ne’emanim b’Yisrael.

Imagine the mother of eight who has been deserted by her husband and has to marry off a child.

Imagine a family from Gush Katif who was forcibly evicted from their home and is struggling financially and emotionally as they try to marry off a child.

Imagine a baalas t’shuvah whose family has rejected her, trying to make her own wedding.

Imagine the daughter or son of a victim of terror in Israel going to the chupah without any family assistance.

Just imagine a family right here in Queens with six children. The father has lost his job, the mother must stay at home to take care of a sick child, and they’re struggling to marry off a son or daughter.

All these and more are typical of the ever-increasing volume of cases that the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund board receives and verifies each month from chasanim and kallos located in Queens and in Eretz Yisrael. Each case must come from a reliable source and is carefully considered on an individual basis according to its unique circumstances. It is your caring and contributions that allow us to respond positively and help make the lives of these families just that little bit easier, and to let them know that klal Yisrael is there for them so they can make their simchah b’simchah. Thank you.

For those who are not aware of our origins, our organization is named after an incredible eishes chayil, Erna Lindenfeld a”h. She was a remarkable woman whose innate kindness, compassion for others, and tremendous determination to defy all odds by surviving the Holocaust, gave her the strength to rebuild her life, marry her beloved husband Marcel, and bring four wonderful sons into this world. She carried herself with grace and dignity, and it was her warmth and sincerity that endeared her to all who knew her. Unfortunately, Erna was taken from her adoring family and community at a young age. After Erna’s p’tirah, her dear friend, Rebbetzin Ruth Schonfeld a”h, perpetuated her memory by creating an organization that would personify Erna’s dedication to the continuity of klal Yisrael.

We are now deeply mourning the loss of our beloved Hachnosas Kallah president, Rebbetzin Shifra Witty a”h. We all miss her dearly and will be dedicating next year’s Tea to her memory. “Morah Shifra” represented all that was good and worthy in this community. It was her calm demeanor, dignity, dedication to the klal, and her deep appreciation of Hashem’s kindness, allowing her to be involved in this wonderful chesed, that still inspires us all.

The Hachnosas Kallah board itself is comprised of a diverse group of women, representing the kaleidoscope of Queens and klal Yisrael. We daven in different shuls, are of different ages, and come from different backgrounds. Nevertheless, our devotion to the organization and our achdus is amazing, as we meld our hearts together to fulfill the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah and preserve the confidentiality and dignity of each family.

Please join the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah family, partner with us in fulfilling the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah, and share in the z’chus of this incredible mitzvah!

We look forward to seeing everyone at our exciting “By Women, For Women” Tea next Tuesday evening, November 16, at 8:30 p.m. Please join us for an inspiring and entertaining evening with incredible raffles!

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For donation and raffle information or to donate using PayPal or a credit card, please visit our website: www.HKqueens.org. For donations via QuickPay/Zelle, please send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and note your raffle selections. If you have any questions or need the Zoom details, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at 917-374-2578 or 917-943-9663.