Local

This past Friday morning, January 21, the Queens Jewish Community Council (QJCC), Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Queens College, and The Ibrahim Program hosted a breakfast forum at the Student Union Building Ballroom of Queens College welcoming Ambassador Asaf Zamir, the Consul General of Israel in New York.

It was a frosty November night when his heart gave its final beat. And she was alone. Completely and utterly alone. First, there was numbness. Then cruel tentacles of raw grief clutched at her heart. It hurt. And she was afraid. So afraid.

Who will go up to the mountain of G-d, and who will stand in His holy place? (T’hilim 24:3)

Name: Moshe Vatch

Location: Queens

Position: Coordinator

Year Volunteered at Misaskim: 4

A week of Torah study and friendship was on the agenda when students in Emet’s Men’s Division headed to Arizona for winter break. Led by the dynamic team of Rabbi Reuven Kigel, Rabbi Michael Fuzaylov, Rabbi Yaakov Musheyev, and Rabbi Ari Hertz, the trip was geared towards those who have completed Emet’s Fellowship program and are ready for more advanced learning.

On Wednesday, January 12, there was a community gathering at Chabad of Rego Park to discuss mental health challenges that unfortunately contribute to opioid abuse in our community. Our community, and particularly our youth, are facing a number of mental health challenges that manifest as severe depression, suicides, and drug overdoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of drug overdose deaths has quadrupled since 1999. Over 70 percent of drug-related deaths involve an opioid. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 13 percent of young adults in the United States have major depression. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. There are close to 5,000 drug overdose deaths among individuals between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Roughly one-third of adults who have a substance use disorder also suffer from depression, according to Addiction Center.