The Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills began their 72nd Anniversary Dinner on Sunday, December 17, with renditions of the “Star Spangled Banner” and “Hatikvah” that filled the main sanctuary with a feeling of love and appreciation for our two beloved nations. With the war in Israel against Hamas on the front of everyone’s minds, Rabbi Daniel Rosenfelt, mara d’asrah, continued with Psalm 121, turned to in times of crises. These words resonate for all our community’s volunteers as we go out to help another yid. As our readership is aware, I was chosen as the Community Service Honoree and can attest that Hashem’s hand is always present especially when engaged in avodas hakodesh for the klal.
Rabbi Stuart Verstandig acknowledged the Chanukah yartzheit of founding rav, Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, zt”l, whose leadership and vision was at the stem of making Queens Jewry and Kew Gardens Hills specifically the center of Torah in the region.
“Your vision is critical in building of community and vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in the presence of Rabbi Yoel and Peri Schonfeld. On the 72-year milestone, the Borough President recognized the shul as “a filler in the Jewish community and beyond for over seven decades,” adding that it was “fitting” to honor those who participated in the services and “the young people who give everyone hope for the future, especially during the time of despair.” “We witnessed the devastation at the kibbutz,” said Richards of his recent trip to Israel, noting the trepidation of many, even his own wife, who were wary about him going into a warzone, or others who disapproved of his connections to the country. He spoke of visiting displaced families who remain in hotels, and seeking shelter in saferooms as Hamas’ rockets screamed overhead, of which he said cannot be “normalized” for Israeli citizens, declaring that defeating Hamas is the sole solution. Richards also noted that his office is involved with college campus anti-Semitism, having recently convened CUNY leaders for a discussion aimed at ensuring Jewish students do not have to hide their Jewish affiliation when walking on campus.
“I grew up here,” explained Assemblymember Sam Berger, noting his and his family members’ graduations, as well as their attendance at many simchos. Then he acknowledged an award given to the NYPD’s 107th Precinct. “The 107th was the first real semblance of order of people who were not targeting the Jewish community,” explained Berger, adding that they stepped up by asking how they could help by protecting schools and simply being present. Berger called on all to recognize and thank the NYPD, “For every quiet night that we have and walk in the park, every safe trip to the grocery store, we have our officers to fight for that and if the entirety of New York State had a precinct like the 107, we’d be in much better shape.”
Community Affairs Officer Tim Gorman, who has protected the shul and community-at-large on many occasions, accepted the honor on behalf of his colleagues. “I grew up here as a little kid, running around. My family lives here and my family works here. I’ve always felt that it was very special that I was able to come back here and serve you guys.”
Adam Suionov, District Director for Council Member James Gennaro, spoke of his “gratitude” to the shul for their help to his Bukharian family that moved from Brooklyn, calling the shul the “cornerstone of the Queens Jewish community.”
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld presented Rabbi Arieh Listowsky and Orie Shapiro with Joseph and Stella Zimilover Avodas Hakodesh Awards. He thanked all for a warm welcome and noted that he misses the rabbinate and Queens that have been part of his daily life since the late ‘70s as he formulated a vision under the leadership of his father. Now residing in Baltimore, Rabbi Schonfeld confessed he does not know many people, stating of his years at YIKGH, “We were not known as an outgoing, friendly shul, but it has a charm and a personality; Things happen, people interact, people love each other, people get along with each other, and it’s just an experience orchestrated by my father. Especially since October 7, Rabbi Schonfeld praised the unity within the Jewish community and said that wherever life takes him, “we really are one. The fact that we are acheinu bnei Yisrael, that we see, we say, we believe - we are operating as one.”
Rabbi Arieh Listowsky spoke of that morning’s Sunday Gemorah shiur, which noted Asarah B’Teves and the introspection that it provokes, stating that we should use that to grow in the merit to reach peace in Eretz Yisrael.
“Looking for inspiration and no longer working at Goldman Sachs, and working at Google now, I turned to artificial intelligence and I asked, ‘How should I be inspired by this award?’” Uninspired by the reply, Listowsky turned to the works of Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, who states that while we are rewarded for mitzvos, it is meant to encourage us to be involved in more good deeds. He noted Rabbi Fabian as “a true rabbi” by setting an example and Rav Yoel as a beacon in halachah and yashrus for “being straightforward, honest, and temimosdik, a person who I can use as a role model for his leadership and friendship.”
Orie Shapiro, whom Rabbi Fabian famously referred to as a litvak who followed the way of Rabbi Solovetchik, was called a man “with many ideas and dedication” by Rav Yoel. Orie dedicated his award to his parents. “My father was the only surviving member of his family to survive the Shoah, and my mother, who grew up stateside in the depths of the depression, sacrificed so that my brother and I could have an outstanding Jewish education. They sacrifice not only luxuries, but necessities to provide us with a yeshivah education that neither of them had. For a variety of personal and societal reasons they sacrificed not only money, but pride.”
“It is not just children who have a hard time saying goodbye to Chanukah,” noted Rabbi Daniel Rosenfelt in his introduction to Mikey and Alyssa Hizami as the Young Leadership awardees. The rabbi mentioned the need for a solid foundation, a full menorah, to be successful - that even the nicest house cannot survive if its foundation is faulty. The Hizamis always do something for others getting more people involved and “always going up in matters of kedushah.” Mikey expressed, “What is great about the Young Israel is that you always have friends,” adding, “There’s a beauty of inter-generational friendships with a culture that we are really happy and honored to be part of” where many people came over to welcome me on my first minutes attending. “We are very proud and excited to participate in that culture.”
Shabsie Saphirstein works “out of love” for his community, noted Verstandig, as he asked Avraham Pinkhasov, Coordinator at Queens Shmira, to deliver remarks.
“I think without me even saying the word, everybody in this room and in our communities all know the outstanding work Shabsie does. He genuinely does this because he loves the community, he loves the Jewish people, and he wants to make sure that everything is being done to the highest standards. I’ve known Shabsie personally for about nine years through Chazaq, Shmira, Chaverim, Misaskim, and the Queens Jewish Link and Bukharian Jewish Link, and his work in the community is absolutely outstanding. I don’t think I know anybody else as dedicated and as committed to our community like Shabsie. He’s literally everywhere. There’s sometimes there’s this simultaneous events going on he somehow he pops his head into every single one of them. I don’t think there’s anybody in our community more deserving of this award.”
I accepted the honor on behalf of each organization I assist and noted that my honor was fitting to be at the shul because my formative years were spent in the facility under Morah Shifrah Witty a”h, and Mrs. Rita Rushfield. I spoke of my optimism to continue building communal partnerships and thanked our publishers for their help in sharing these ideas. I noted the rabbonim at the Agudath Israel of KGH who have instilled my midos: Rabbi Aliezer Shedrowitsky, Rabbi Moshe Baruch Kaufman, and Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff.
I spoke of my work assisting underprivileged families in our community as they’ve collected groceries in the Chazaq food pantry where Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, Robbie Aboff, and Rav Aharon Walkin zt”l showed me humility.
I discussed delivering belated Chanukah gifts to local orphans on behalf of Misaskim of Queens, an organization I joined after being encouraged by a dear family friend, Mordechai Censor. While I dispatched many Chaverim calls, one for a child locked in a bathroom at Elite Cafe is the crux of what the organization stands for. But it is my work at Queen Shmira where I have been widely noticed as their Coordinator of Community Outreach. Together with the coordination of our local police precincts, we have enabled many community functions, including Torah and t’filah gatherings, hacnosas sifrei Torah, and many more to take place, or be further protected by our involvement. So much so, we presented Deputy Inspector Kevin Chan of the 107 and Captain David Cornado of the 112 awards for their partnerships. It is the dedication of our volunteers who patrol throughout the night and respond to calls at any hour whom this award is accepted for. But I wouldn’t know the first thing in respect to others were it not for my grandmother, Mrs. Rita Saphirstein, who has shown me how friends should be treated as family. It was here at YIKGH where she davened as a teenager. Nobody cares for a beis medrash like my uncle, Mr. Naftoli Saphirstein, does at Chasam Sofer. My father, a gabbai across the street at Agudath Israel of KGH, also exhibits this quality, taking a note from his grandfather and my namesake, Reb Shabsie Jacobs, who, like myself, organized kidushim. My mother, a longtime preschool morah across at YCQ, exudes these qualities of chesed, as does my sister Elisheva Deena in all facets of her life.
Rabbi Ephraim Glatt, associate rabbi and rabbi at the shul’s hashkamah minyan, presented Jerry Iseson an award recognizing the minyan’s 50th year. It all started in 1973, when a group of men including Avraham Shechter approached Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld with the request. Rabbi Fabian gave the go-ahead with the condition that the Shabbos morning minyan conclude with a shiur – a condition that has been met to this day with shiurim by Rabbi Moshe Pfeiffer, Rabbi Shmaryahu Schulman, Rabbi Noach Verbafsky, and for over a decade by Rabbi Glatt, a minyan he attended as a child with his father Rabbi Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, Associate Rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere.
“For the past decade I have been fortunate to have been the rav of the hashkamah minyan. Our minyan is truly special. We have absolute decorum, inspirational davening, warm camaraderie and of course the weekly hot kiddush. On a typical week, the minyan is full with Ashkenazim and Sephardim, men and women, young and old.” Rabbi Glatt praised award recipient and original member Jerry Iseson as a “humble genius who knows anything on every topic, Torah, science, history who expresses himself with such humility.”
We wish the shul success on its vibrant future.
By Shabsie Saphirstein,
Community Service Awardee
