Come to the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills at 7:30 a.m. on any Shabbos morning and you will see the shul’s vibrant Hashkamah Minyan. The Hashkamah Minyan, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is being recognized by the YIKGH at its upcoming dinner on December 17, 2023. According to Rabbi Daniel Rosenfelt, the Rabbi of YIKGH, “The rich history of the Hashkamah Minyan contributes to its current success, and we are looking forward to acknowledging that at our dinner.”
The Hashkamah Minyan was started in 1973, with permission and encouragement from Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l, the founding and beloved longtime Rabbi of the YIKGH. Rabbi Schonfeld, however, set one condition: The Hashkamah Minyan must have a shiur after davening. Thankfully, for the past 50 years, this condition has been satisfied, and, in fact, the post-davening shiur has been one of the highlights of the minyan. Indeed, the Hashkamah Minyan is honored to have heard shiurim from recognized Torah luminaries.
The first maggid shiur of the Hashkamah Minyan was Rabbi Moshe Pfeifer zt”l, a tremendous talmid chacham whose incredible Torah knowledge was matched by his erudite presentation. Rabbi Pfeifer was the maggid shiur for nearly 30 years. Rabbi Shmaryahu Shulman zt”l, one of the top talmidim of Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman, zt”l, followed Rabbi Pfeifer. For approximately a decade, Rabbi Shulman’s encyclopedic memory plus his sharp humor made his Hashkamah Minyan shiurim truly something special. More recently, Rabbi Noach Rabovsky was the maggid shiur of the Hashkamah Minyan for about a year before he moved out of the neighborhood. During this short time, the Hashkamah Minyan was fortunate to hear his fascinating shiurim.
For the past decade, the Hashkamah Minyan has been led by Rabbi Ephraim Glatt, Esq., the Associate Rabbi of the YIKGH and a popular neighborhood maggid shiur. Rabbi Glatt’s interactive and in-depth shiurim are beloved by all participants, old and young.
Currently, the Hashkamah Minyan is growing and is a vital part of the YIKGH. In addition to the post-davening shiur, the Hashkamah Minyan has excellent decorum, inspirational davening (which makes sof z’man k’rias Sh’ma every week!), warm camaraderie, and a weekly hot kiddush. On a typical Shabbos, participants consist of men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and hashkafos, making the Hashkamah Minyan a unique makom kadosh.
At the dinner, the YIKGH will acknowledge the maggidei shiurim, the gabbaim, and the baalei k’riah, as well as the unforgettable members who have made the Hashkamah Minyan a vibrant and vital part of the shul. Jerry Iseson, who has davened with the Hashkamah Minyan since its inception, will accept an award on behalf of the minyan. At the dinner, the shul will also honor Rabbi Arieh Listowsky, Orie Shapiro, Mikey and Alyssa Hizami, and Shabsie Saphirstein for their service to the shul and community.
So, if you are up early on a Shabbos morning, the Hashkamah Minyan looks forward to welcoming you! Once you come, you may not want to sleep late again.
