Local

Eretz Yisrael means something different for every Jew. But to the 20,045 voters who cast ballots for the Eretz HaKodesh slate of the World Zionist Organization, Eretz Yisrael has taken on a new meaning. Rabbi Pesach Lerner, founder and chairman of the group, became the vital voice of Diaspora Jews in Israel. This past weekend, Rabbi Lerner hosted Eretz HaKodesh’s inaugural summit at the Woodcliff Lake resort in New Jersey to show appreciation to his colleagues for their work in achieving this monumental feat and to express appreciation to those responsible for helping reach this milestone. “It is Hashem whom we thank for the past, present, and future.”

Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal joined volunteers and community members to help distribute over 100 turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.

Hamaspik expands to the Five Towns, filling a great need in the community

“For so many parents of children with special needs, getting services meant dealing with agencies from other communities who didn’t get our culture,” says Chava Laufer, OPWDD-HCBS regional manager in the Five Towns.  “We needed a local agency that can provide services catered to our every nuance. Hamaspik, ever on the lookout to service even more people even better, saw the opportunity to help people in the Five Towns.”

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, called this week for 450 progressive rabbis, organized by the New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA), to apologize for endorsing lockdowns against New York’s Orthodox community last year. Though supposedly intended to stop the spread of COVID-19, recently released testimony revealed that Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods were declared “hot spots” by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political office against the determinations of New York State’s Department of Health.

Central Queens Jewish Community Circle, CQJCC, founded in 2019 by Rebbetzin Mushky Mendelson of Congregation Machane Chodosh, began distributing the first of its 100 Thanksgiving/Chanukah gift packages to neighbors in Forest Hills and Rego Park earlier this week. The packages include Thanksgiving-themed challah rolls courtesy of Rashbag Challah.

Chazaq’s life-changing work is known throughout the Jewish community. Since their inception in 2006, tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds are inspired by their events and lectures each year. In fact, in the last 12 months alone, Chazaq organized over 545 lectures on a wide variety of topics from relationships to raising children, from anger management to overcoming addictions, and everything in between.