Community Corner

In Parshas Mishpatim, we learn “Im kesef talveh es ami” – When you lend money to My people, to the poor person who is with you, do not act toward him as a creditor/lender; you shall not impose interest upon him. There is a positive commandment in the Torah to lend money to anyone who needs it. Our Sages teach us that the mitzvah to lend money is even greater than the mitzvah to give tz’dakah, because a person is much less embarrassed to receive a loan than to receive tz’dakah. The Torah prohibits a Jew from imposing interest on the borrower, because when people help each other, they are uniting through their act of kindness. However, when a person takes interest, he acts in the opposite manner, taking advantage of his fellow Jew’s misfortune in order to enrich himself.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating a brutal antisemitic assault that took place on a northbound F train in Jamaica Hills during the morning rush hour on Monday, Jan. 13. The violent attack occurred at approximately 7 a.m. as the train was approaching the Parsons Boulevard subway station.

On Sunday, February 2, the UJA-Federation of New York’s Manhattan headquarters hosted the 2025 Congressional Breakfast – a flagship event organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY). The gathering brought together local representatives, elected officials, community leaders, and key figures from the Jewish community for a morning of structured dialogue and policy discussion, all centered on shared communal priorities.

The Bach Jewish Center recently partnered with the Orthodox Union’s Yachad to host its annual Shabbaton filled with social, educational, and spiritual activities in honor of Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM).

On the evening of January 29, the New York City Council held a poignant event to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This solemn occasion, marked by reflection, remembrance, and a renewed commitment to combating hate, was coordinated by Pesach Osina of City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams office, and Jewish Caucus Chair Council Member Eric Dinowitz. A host of esteemed elected officials attended. The event was made possible through the partnership of Yad Vashem, The World’s Holocaust Remembrance Center, and the UJA Federation of New York.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, today thanked President Trump for his Executive Order imposing renewed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, due to what the President called its “illegitimate and baseless actions.” CJV called sanctions a “moral imperative” when calling for passage of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act last month.