Community Corner

My child is falling behind in school. Where do I turn? The resource room does not seem to be enough for my youngster. My family needs direction.

Torah took the mound at Citi Field in Flushing this past Sunday as the Orthodox Union (OU) fielded a team of 29 internationally renowned scholars who led classes on a wide array of 31 subjects for around 2,500 participants at its third annual Torah New York event. The classes ranged from more traditional approaches on how to spiritually prepare for the Jewish High Holidays to more modern issues like repentance in a time of social media and the effects artificial intelligence will have on Shabbos observance in the future. Moishe Bane, President of the OU, noted how encouraging it is to see the enormous numbers of the community eager to engage in Torah study in preparation for the Jewish New Year. “It is so exciting to observe the eagerness of our community to connect to Torah study and to a deeper understanding of their relationship to G-d,” he said. “In these days immediately before the High Holidays, I cannot imagine a more profound message to G-d of our eagerness to connect.”

Last Wednesday, the Queens Jewish Link marked its ten-year milestone with a spectacular networking event in Kew Gardens Hills that brought out many from the Queens community and beyond.

This season’s chagim fall on the weekend, leaving us with the hard choice of working all week to save up for a later vacation, or to enjoy the days off with our families. In the latter case, packing lunch involves knowing the location of the nearest sukkah, or eschewing hamotzi and mezonos food items while on the road. This country’s 250th Independence Day was back in July, but many venues are continuing to celebrate this historic number through the end of this year.

P’eylim Lev L’Achim has a longstanding relationship with the Queens community in their mission of bringing the families of Israel closer to Torah. As the largest kiruv organization in Eretz Yisrael, their work on saving the next generation of klal Yisrael is known worldwide. Their last Kew Gardens Hills fundraiser, at the home of Dr. Elie and Golda Fried, was held just as COVID was beginning to take shape in the last week of February 2020. At that event, Rav Aharon Walkin z”l took the podium for one of his final public appearances. The momentum from that evening held Queens strong during the past two years until we gathered again this past Wednesday evening, February 16, for an event that will long be remembered.

Rosh HaShanah shopping brings crowds to Judaica stores, and in turn, elected officials use this opportunity to connect with the Jewish community. If it appears self-serving, it certainly is when that politician built his career on demonizing Israel. Last week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stopped in Borough Park to sample the apple cider at Eichler’s, accompanied by askanim eager to establish a personal connection.