Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
May 1 marked a span of roughly 26 years since the alumni of Yeshiva Institute, now Yeshiva Primary, attended the well-known kiruv school that began the foundation of learning about Jewish religion and its practices for many New York City immigrants. The reunion, beautifully catered by New Life Catering, was held in the Tov Shul of Kew Gardens Hills and attended by many graduates from years 1995-1997.
These days there seems to be an app for everything, so when Sholli Kestecher, travel enthusiast and entrepreneur, searched for a short-term booking platform customized for a Jewish kosher traveler, he was surprised to discover that no such thing existed. He decided to create Jstay, a global app modeled after the Airbnb concept, that offers options for lodging complete with all the amenities needed to enjoy a vacation within the confines of an Orthodox lifestyle.
Lag BaOmer, which is the 33rd day of S’firas HaOmer, and the 18th of Iyar, is a festive day celebrating two prominent, yet connected events:
Yeshiva University has secured a $1 million federal grant to renovate Weissberg Commons, a central gathering place on Yeshiva’s Wilf Campus in the Washington Heights section of New York City.
Much of the following originally appeared in the Queens Jewish Link (January 3, 2019) in an article by Sima Mandelbaum, when Rabbi Neuman and his Rebbetzin were honored at Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam’s Dinner.
On April 28, Sarit Katz (Central), Raffi Weil (MTA), and Noyah Shebshaievitz (Yeshivah of Flatbush), the co-chairs of Shalom Task Force’s Young Leadership Outreach Committee, were awarded the prestigious 2022 Youth Impact Award by the NYC Mayoral Service Recognition Program. This annual citywide celebration of volunteers and service members recognizes efforts to build solutions in response to community challenges and residents’ most urgent needs. NYC Service received more than 200 nominations for the four awards categories. The awardees completed service projects in 2021 that directly impacted communities hit hardest by the pandemic and were selected for excellence in building community through service.
