Community Corner

A kosher fish is halachically defined by its ability to swim upstream against the tide.  Rabbi Pinchas Stolper z”l swam upstream throughout his life, but no more so than as the Founding Director of NCSY. Rabbi Stolper developed, pioneered, and engaged in kiruv beginning in the early 1960s, when the Orthodox Jewish establishment was skeptical that a committed Torah lifestyle would resonate outside of the New York area. The Maharam Schick observed that the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah includes hashavas neshamos. Rabbi Stolper engaged in both hashavas aveidah and hashavas neshamos as the father, pioneer, and visionary of kiruv for adolescents in America

 Mr. Gerald Bass, who retired a few years ago after teaching science at HALB for 36 years, came in to present the science award named in his honor to our worthy eighth grade recipients, Julia Klayman and Kivi Kleinman.

On Wednesday, June 8, a meeting of the minds was held at the Kew Gardens warehouse of the longstanding community stronghold, Tomchei Shabbos of Queens. The gathering welcomed Captain Jeremy Kivlin, the recently appointed commanding officer for the local 102nd New York City Police Department precinct (pictured far right). In attendance were Police Officer Scott Adelman, Community Affairs for the 102 (far right); Rabbi Daniel Pollack, clergy liaison to the police station; and Rabbis Aharon and Yitzchok Katz, the dynamic father-and-son team that runs the daily operations of Tomchei Shabbos of Queens.

Our Sages have taught us: “Jealousy (kin’ah), lust (taavah), and honor (kavod) remove a man from this world” (Avos 4:28). The world, as Hashem created it, is a happy one. It is we who have removed ourselves from the world of happiness to the world of suffering by means of these three evil desires.

The Queens Jewish Link and Bukharian Jewish Link were honored to participate in the Queens Jewish Community Council (QJCC) gala dinner held this past Thursday evening, June 9 at Da Mikelle Palazzo in Woodside recognizing 53 years of service to Queens and beyond. The event paid tribute to the staff of the organization and attracted over two hundred guests including a large array of Jewish and legislative leaders. To give the evening a special boost of energy, dinner co-chairs Mr. Alan Sherman and Dr. Judy Rosen, Vice President, QJCC, worked to create a buzz. Dr. Rosen also did a stellar job serving as Master of Ceremonies.

On Wednesday, June 1, 16 Jewish and Christian pro-Israel organizations with large constituencies in New York State sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy, urging them to act against the continuing anti-Semitic boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) actions by Unilever PLC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. The text of the letter can be viewed here.