Shabsie Saphirstein

“Please talk in shul. It’s okay, really. But… only to Hashem,” has become a tagline ingrained into thousands of homes throughout the worldwide Orthodox Jewish community. The brainchild of Kew Gardens resident Rabbi Aloni Russek, founder of Divrei Chizuk, the catchphrase has successfully spread to minute corners of the globe.

The Queens Jewish Community Council conducted its annual High Holiday Food Distribution on Sunday, September 10, at their current Forest Hills office located in the Ezra Academy facility.

This past Monday afternoon, in front of the Kew Gardens Hills branch of the Queens Public Library, New York lawmakers and hundreds of community members joined forces to denounce Hamas’ ruthless terror attack on Israel.

Earlier this summer, the QJL presented a unique scavenger hunt on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills sponsored by local illusionist Yoel "Magic" Spielman. Before the school year began, the search concluded when Yehuda Aryeh Teichman and his father Shraga emerged as the sole local to find the stashed prize. The treasure chest was nestled in the bed of the Sunoco station's outdoor advertising signage with the brand's arrow pointed directly toward the prize. Yoel lived up to his end of the bargain and proudly handed the winner $500 in singles! What fantastic end to a summer's long search! Now, I can rest easy knowing that I no longer hold the state secret!

An impromptu T'hilim recitation Sunday night brought together men and women of the Queens community in heartfelt prayers to the Almighty. The signature spirituality and warm atmosphere has become a trademark for Hashevaynu in Kew Gardens Hills, the fastest growing Ashkenazi shul in the area. The reading was led by the heartfelt passion of Zalman Pollack as each posuk reverberated throughout the walls of the shul built by the Teitz family. Amongst the crowd were the mara d’asra Rabbi Yehuda Zakutinsky and his esteemed son Rabbi Avi Zakutinsky, a maggid shiur at the shul.

On a recent Wednesday evening, Tomchei Shabbos of Queens held its 11th annual volunteer night of appreciation. Dozens of dedicated TSQ operatives made an appearance at this special event to receive a token of appreciation from the administration of the longstanding supplemental food resource for the impoverished. Once again, local families contributed to the delicious dinner options. This year, the event was produced as a grab-and-go buffet, providing an endless array of fleshig options for the volunteers who find time to organize and deliver much-needed essentials to those in our midst who struggle financially. An ArtScroll title was also made available as a special gift to the well-deserving volunteers.