Community Corner

Chazaq recently hosted a captivating “Kosher Cooking” event with Chanie Apfelbaum. The event showcased the culinary prowess of Chanie Apfelbaum, a renowned expert in kosher cooking, and was met with resounding success.

After three years of pandemic restrictions and extra cautiousness about in-person activities, this Shavuos, the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills once again has a full program of activities for men, women, and children, and it is delighted to invite the entire community to participate in them.

The City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism (FCAS) Executive Director Matthew E. Berger last week hosted “Paint the University Blue” at Queens College, an event in partnership with FCAS’s #StandUpToJewishHate campaign to raise awareness about anti-Semitism and hatred against Jewish people by wearing blue squares or posting or sharing the blue square emoji.

Ishay Ribo is set to make history as he takes the stage at the Madison Square Garden Arena on Sunday, September 3. Live Nation, the leading international production company, has chosen Ishay Ribo to be part of its prestigious lineup of international singers this year.

With Shavuos around the corner, the Chazaq organization has increased its inspirational work by organizing many classes for men and women in preparation for Matan Torah, along with expanding its outreach work with hundreds of public school students in order to provide them a deeper appreciation for their treasured traditions.

In several places throughout the Torah, Hashem refers to the Jewish People as an am s’gulah. In this context, it means that they possess certain traits that supersede the rules of creation. For instance, according to Chazal, if a Jew intends to perform a mitzvah and is prevented from doing so, he receives a reward as if he performed it. If, on the other hand, he is prevented from performing a transgression, this same principle will not apply. He is not held accountable.