Community Corner

Building strong relationships and encouraging shalom bayit has always been a central mission at Emet. That is especially apparent by the growing number of participants in the Couples Division. For more than 18 years, Emet has been fortunate to participate in the weddings of hundreds of students. The Couples Division aims to meet the needs of a wide range of couples – from newly engaged, to recently married, to those who are raising families. Thanks to an important sponsorship by the Yakubov family, the division’s educational and social opportunities are expanding in 2023. “We are honored to announce that the Yakubov family has generously partnered with us to support key couples workshops and events this year,” said Shay Yonaiev, Couples Director. “Emet’s incredible couples have always been a source of pride and a priority for us because they represent our ultimate goal, which is building Jewish families. We would like to thank Alex and Anna Yakubov and their children Oren and Mira, Michael, and Yuri for sharing in our vision and enabling Emet to have a greater impact in the community.”

HALB Middle School students had the opportunity to hear words of inspiration and encouragement from Daniel Tamir. Daniel has journeyed from playing professional basketball in both Israel and Europe as a non-observant Jew, to living a Torah observant lifestyle in Los Angeles. He currently runs a basketball program and combines lessons gleaned from basketball with Torah and opportunities for personal growth. Daniel believes that small but consistent micro-changes over time yield tangible and lasting results in ball and in life. 

The USPS Post Office of Kew Gardens Hills has released a troubling alert for area residents to cease the use of mailboxes throughout the community. Due to an unsettling rash of thefts from mailboxes, including the one directly outside the Main Street branch, an advisory is in effect for all mail to be deposited solely through the mail slot inside the branch lobby. Residents have become aware of stickiness on the doors and slots of local mailboxes. Many have reported fraudulent deposits of checks mailed through these mailboxes. The office of Congress Member Grace Meng is aware of the issue and is working with Postal Police to investigate.

“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” (Sh’mos 25:8)

Our Sages point out that “I will dwell among them” can also be translated as “in them.” They explain that each individual Jew is meant to be a sanctuary for the Sh’chinah, Hashem’s Presence in the world. In fact, the Jew (and by extension his home, shul, and community) is the real Beis HaMikdash on which the physical building was modeled.

Acts of chesed are at the core of the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. At this month’s Family Mitzvah Morning, 40 mugs were decorated and filled with coffee and snacks for local hospital healthcare workers at Northwell Health! Parents and grandparents enjoyed making crafts with their children.

This past Sunday marked the last day of shiv’ah for Dr. Allen Bennett, Avraham Yehudah ben Aharon z”l. Dr. Bennett was niftar on 29 Kislev, at the age of 72, just shy of his 73^rd birthday, which would have been this past Shabbos. A fixture in the Kew Gardens Hills community, Dr. Bennett is survived by his brother, Dr. Leslie Bennett (Kew Gardens Hills), his two sisters Susan Kest (Los Angeles) and Lisa Neuman (Jamaica Estates), his five children – Naftali and Beth Bennett (Lawrence), Dr. Yaakov and Chayale Saibel (Ramat Beit Shemesh), Rabbi Yossi and Malkie Bennett (Woodmere), Rabbi Yaakov and Batsheva Bennett (Ramat Eshkol), Rabbi Mordechai and Hadassah Bennett (Baltimore) – and 27 grandchildren.