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Met Council has launched an emergency fundraising appeal to ensure the organization can provide free food to the more than 325,000 Jewish New Yorkers who rely on the organization’s free food distributions for Passover.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,000 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, last week announced the launch of CJV Missouri, to pursue its mission of promoting traditional Jewish values with legislators, media, and the public at the state and local level. It is the first state chapter of the CJV and will be chaired by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, who has served as Midwestern Regional Vice President of the organization since 2020, and who recently retired after decades leading Nusach Hari B’nai Zion Congregation in St. Louis.

Six people assaulted and yelled anti-Semitic slurs at Sam Levy, 48, at the roundabout in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Sunday, February 19 (Presidents’ Day weekend), at about 8:25 p.m. A 16-year-old has been charged with assault as a hate crime, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.

There was a beautiful kol Torah and a feeling of friendship emanating from the room as women learned with their chavrusos this winter at Emet’s TorahConnect. Held on Wednesday evenings for ten weeks, the program returned to YCQ for the first time since its launch in the fall of 2019. Designed as a forum where Emet students of varying Jewish backgrounds are paired with members of the community to connect, share Torah thoughts, and elevate their learning, TorahConnect continued to inspire. “There are amazing women in our community who have the ability, knowledge, and ahavas Yisrael to share Torah, and they have made TorahConnect so enjoyable and impactful,” said Ms. Adina Fendel, Emet Women’s Director. “It was so inspiring to see women who lead busy personal and professional lives making time for Torah.”

With a program that was both elegant and unique, the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates recently held its 44th Anniversary Dinner at Temple Beth Shalom in Roslyn. The synagogue at the center of the Jamaica Estates community used the occasion to highlight the talents of two couples who themselves have been integrally involved in the execution of the YIJE anniversary dinner for many years. Over the course of the last ten years, the YIJE dinner has gone from a typical shul fundraising event to an anticipated evening-out filled with good food, good friends, and engaging entertainment.

Responding to multiple stressors on the food pipeline serving vulnerable New Yorkers, UJA-Federation of New York last week announced an emergency grant of $250,000 to Met Council. The funding will enable Met Council to procure and distribute food from its warehouse to its network of food pantries in New York City.