Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
President Donald Trump did not attend the National Council of Young Israel annual gala dinner last Sunday in Manhattan. But if he did, it was an affair where he would have certainly felt at home. At each table were red baseball caps emblazoned with the slogan “Build Israel Great Again.”
Florida Congressman Randy Fine is the first member of the House of Representatives to wear a kipah on the floor of the House. This distinction alone, however, would not give him the adoration and respect of the Jewish community, who have seen many pretenders come and go. Rather, his strong defense of that community — from ensuring education success to securing Jewish day schools and synagogues — has earned the freshman Congressman an important place in the hearts and minds of the philo-Semitic, and scorn from the anti-Semitic. This is also why pro-Israel activists, donors, and community leaders gathered in the home of Trudy and Stanley Stern in Lawrence for a NORPAC event co-sponsored by Ronit and Brian Gurtman and Iris and Shalom Maidenbaum to hear from Representative Fine.
The annual tea of the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund of Queens (HKQ) opened with a stirring reminder that when history speaks, it urges us to awaken, reflect, and return. This beloved community gathering brought together women of all ages in an atmosphere of warmth and purpose, united by HKQ’s enduring mission: ensuring that every Jewish couple can begin married life with dignity, support, and joy.
Queens felt a profound and immediate loss this past Friday – a quiet, collective ache that spread through Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, and beyond, as word of the passing of Mrs. Binah (bas Shlomo) Kasirer a”h began to circulate. To many, she was far more than a respected educator or neighbor; she was a woman whose spiritual strength, emotional resilience, and unwavering emunah shaped the lives of thousands. Her presence carried a rare inner radiance – the kind of light that remains with you long after she left the room.
Well was she named,
Fought many battles,
With no weapon but her faith.
