Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
With the growth of frum families in West Hempstead, the evening kollel has been picking up in attendance. It is the venue where working men can hear a speaker discuss a halachic matter before a chaburah, and then the participants break up into pairs to tackle the topic at hand, the Daf Yomi, or other subjects on their minds.
Warm weather brought back the crowds at the Celebrate Israel Parade on Sunday, which was interrupted in the past two years by the pandemic. Having marched for many years as a participant and a reporter, this year I was quarantined at home as a result of a positive COVID test. No symptoms, and nearly everyone in my social circle is vaccinated, but such are the rules. So, my family went without me, and I relied on the words of my daughter’s classmates, friends, and elected officials on this year’s parade experience.
Reflecting the newly drawn lines of State Senate districts, two longtime Queens incumbents will be running for reelection, but not in their previous districts.
In light of the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents nationwide and polls showing ignorance of the Holocaust in the post-millennial generation, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic of Fresh Meadows sponsored a bill requiring the State Education Department to survey how the Holocaust is being taught across the state. This week, it passed in the Assembly and Senate after a five-year effort, awaiting the Governor’s signature to become law.
This month will mark my eighth year of marriage, and as most of my friends are married with families of their own, it is easy to forget about the difficulties, frustrations, and questions relating to dating. I was curious to hear if things have changed in frum dating and matchmaking since I’ve left that chapter of my life. This past Monday, the Young Israel of West Hempstead and YU Connects hosted three panelists who spoke about dating and matchmaking, with questions submitted by parents, singles, and individuals seeking to help, but not knowing how to do it.
Blue and white will run up Fifth Avenue this Sunday after a three-year break resulting from the pandemic. The Celebrate Israel Parade will host dozens of schools, synagogues, nonprofits, companies, and elected officials expressing support for the Jewish state.
