Local

…and Fresh Meadows and Holliswood! Chanukah celebration was different but not forgotten here in Jamaica Estates, as we put a new twist and a few turns into our Chanukah planning. During a pandemic, how do you celebrate a holiday that’s traditionally full of indoor chagigos and filled with close family, friends, fun, and laughter? You bring it outdoors!

Chanukah, the holiday of light, just ended, and on Wednesday, December 16, a light went out. After a brave battle with a dreaded disease, our friend and colleague at Astor Brokerage passed away. Ora Natanelova-Babaev, as her name personifies, was that light. She was buried in Yerushalayim.

January 24, 2019, changed the face of voting in New York State and ushered in a 21^st century vision. The voting reforms made changes that impact our communities and the way politics progress. New Yorkers are not permitted to register to vote unless they will be 18 years of age by the end of the year, and by the date of an upcoming election. Cuomo’s bill allows for minors, 16 and 17 years of age, to pre-register to vote, meaning that a voter will automatically be registered on his or her 18^th birthday.

The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) last week expressed its appreciation to the Trump administration after US Customs and Border Protection put into effect an order that mandates that products made in areas of Judea and Samaria (otherwise known as the “West Bank”) controlled by Israel and exported to the United States shall be labeled “Made in Israel.”

Part III

The following is the transcription of an in-person interview conducted in March 2018 by Rebecca Rushfield Wittert with Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, discussing his path to building the neighborhood of Kew Gardens Hills many decades ago. It has been slightly edited for brevity. This is the third and final installment.

The get-together was virtual, but the ruach certainly wasn’t.

Fleetwood Synagogue hosted a community-wide menorah lighting and latke fry on Zoom to celebrate Chanukah “together” as best as possible, given the circumstances.