News

(a complete recovery)

Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.

For as long as I can remember (which admittedly isn’t a large portion of Grandpa’s life, but it is what I have), Grandpa would ask for the kavod of g’lilah and not Levi. I will soon share the reasoning for this, which I’ve heard Grandpa explain many times, as I’m sure others have, as well. But it wasn’t about anavah, at least not in the superficial sense. It was about who Grandpa was.

A Grandparent’s Story

Growing up we are taught that if one is good, two is even better. A double portion of dessert, two-for-one ticket prices, two scoops of ice cream - you get the message. But what happens when that double portion is an extra chromosome? The answer is simple but very complicated at the same time: It’s called Down’s Syndrome.

Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l took KGH’s potato fields and helped turn them
into the flourishing Jewish community we live in today

The loss of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l on Sunday at the age of 96 was felt immediately throughout Queens and reverberated in every corner of the Jewish world. But for those who call Kew Gardens Hills home, his impact will slowly become even more apparent.

When the news of the p’tirah of our beloved longtime mara d’asra, Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l, was announced in shul, I could hear people saying, “I’ll never forget the time our Rabbi did...” Having worked and learned with our Rabbi for over 40 years, I would like to share with you my own recollections of HaRav Mordechai Shraga Feivel ben Shmuel Shabsai HaLevi zt”l.

Part I

The following is the transcription of an in-person interview conducted in 2017 by Rebecca Rushfield Wittert with Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, discussing his path to building the neighborhood of Kew Gardens Hills several decades ago. It has been slightly edited for brevity, and will be presented in three parts over the next three issues.