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For 12 years, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) and his son Elazar dwelt in the cave, sustaining themselves on carobs and water. In the cave, Rabbi Shimon learned to look at the world in even the most physical and coarse places and still find Hashem and His Goodness within. For, the physicality itself is really hidden, latent spirituality. By coming to this realization, Rashbi was thus zocheh to reveal Hashem in every aspect of creation (the good and the bad) through the mystical teachings contained in the Zohar. He came to a place of shalom between him, those around him, and His Creator, and thereby became the conduit of shalom into the world. I’ve heard it said that when someone learns the Zohar properly, all questions fall away.

Reflecting on the life of Rabbi Jerome “Jerry” Acker z”l, Yaakov ben Ephraim Fishel, whose levayah took place on March 30, evokes a wholesome feeling of a compassionate man who dedicated his days to the voice of the Torah and the Jewish community of Kew Gardens. Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff, mara d’asra of Congregation Adas Yeshurun, a.k.a. the Kew Gardens Synagogue (“The Big Shul”), remembered Rabbi Acker for his remarkable attributes. “Rabbi Acker was the standard-bearer for the minhagim and nusach of our beis ha’k’neses, who from a young age represented the values of our shul,” said Rabbi Sokoloff.

Hate crimes and anti-Semitism are still a major concern for residents of Queens. Neighbors in Rego Park are now being extra cautious when outside, following an unprovoked attack on a 56-year-old Jewish man on his way to Minchah services at Congregation Ohr Natan this past Shabbos afternoon around 6 p.m. As we are very aware, the neighborhood surrounding 99^th Street is heavily religious, to where many residents have escaped the religious oppression in their Soviet homeland and arrived in New York seeking freedom.

Two months after joining Queens Borough President Donovan Richards on the steps of Queens Borough Hall to condemn hate in New York City, another rally was held this past Sunday morning addressing the recent rise in anti-Asian and anti-Semitic attacks. These acts are rooted in racist and xenophobic sentiments where the aggressors generally have little concern for age or gender and aim to instill terror.

Defendant Allegedly Desecrated Rego Park Jewish Center with Hate Symbol;

The Accused Faces Time in Prison if Convicted

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced last Friday that Ramtin Rabenou, 41, has been charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and other crimes for allegedly defacing the Rego Park Jewish Center on Queens Boulevard with a swastika and for scrawling graffiti at multiple other locations in the area in February 2021.

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Ensuring All New Yorkers Recover From COVID 

How New York City will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure no New Yorker is left behind is the central question as we enter the final months of both the pandemic and the 2021 New York City mayoral campaign. New York City’s path to recovery will require leadership that recognizes the challenges facing needy New Yorkers are not a result of the pandemic, but long-existing crises exacerbated to horrifying levels in the past year. Met Council on Jewish Poverty is hosting their 2021 Mayoral Candidate Forum on April 26 at 6 p.m. and will press New York City’s leading mayoral candidates on this central question and other issues the next mayor will need to take on.