Local

 My Extended Family’s 350 children from single-parent homes took over the entire Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights on the first night of Chanukah, for their Annual Chanukah Party. Each child received Chanukah gelt and a gift and was made to feel the light of Chanukah.

On morning of Wednesday, December 16, the sixth day of Chanukah, along the Grand Central Parkway between 68^th Road and Drive, the street was abuzz for the wrong reasons. Hate had come to Forest Hills in the form of vandalism: profanity scrawled on a fence, which quickly drew attention and immediate condemnation from local leaders.

Mr. Seymour N. Chesir’s dedication to the Yeshiva of Central Queens both preserved its legacy of excellence in both Judaic and secular education and fomented the vision for the years that lay ahead. In the month since Mr. Chesir’s passing on November 19, his lasting impressions have emerged from those who knew and worked with him, solidifying his consistent efforts. For well over half a century, Mr. Chesir devoted countless hours serving on the YCQ Board of Trustees as president and chairman of the board, and his name remains synonymous with the contemporary YCQ.

Children can have healthy,  screenless play experiences
while learning new  educational themes each week

(Courtesy of MailPop)

 Many of today’s generation of kids have become dependent on technology for fun and entertainment. One thing that has not changed among children is the excitement that they feel when they get something in the mail. MailPop delivers beautiful, educational letters with a fun surprise to your mailbox each week! On the back of each letter is an activity sheet to keep the kids engaged and continue the fun! Each letter also includes a paper-craft 3D toy which really puts the POP in MailPop along with other surprises to enhance each week’s theme which kids will love to play with once they are done reading the letter. Delivered to mailboxes each week. The newsletters are personally addressed to kids, making them the perfect yet affordable gift, especially during these times.

David I. Weprin is a familiar face in local politics, having served six terms since 2010, as our Assembly Member for the 24^th District, covering a large swath of Queens along the Grand Central Parkway from the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Glen Oaks, through Oakland Gardens, Fresh Meadows, and Jamaica Estates to Briarwood, roughly bordered by Hillside Avenue and Union Turnpike, and then into Richmond Hill. His campaign for New York City’s Office of the Comptroller should not come as a surprise, considering his expansive knowledge in the financial arena.

In this week’s parshah, Yosef revealed himself to his brothers after not seeing them for 22 years. The pasuk states: “VaYomer Yosef el echav: ‘Ani Yosef. Ha’od avi chai?’ V’lo yachlu echav laanos oso ki nivhalu mi’panav–And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him” (B’reishis 45:3).