Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
Israel’s third election within a year resulted in a higher than average voter turnout that pitted incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and former Army chief of staff Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party this past Monday.
This past Sunday, February 23, elected officials, community leaders, and activists gathered in Forest Hills to kick off the reelection petition drive for Rep. Grace Meng, who is facing a determined challenge from a leftist who is riding on the momentum of AOC and Bernie Sanders.
Rabbi Mendel Kaufman, 85, longtime mara d’asra of the Young Israel of Briarwood died this past Shabbos. He was remembered by his family, congregants, and neighbors for maintaining Jewish life in the neighborhood and welcoming Bukharian immigrants with open arms. “He was a very respectable and righteous person. When we arrived in Briarwood, he provided support and we’ve had very good relations,” said Rabbi Avrekh Kaziyev of Ohr Natan Briarwood.
The Queens Jewish Community Council, the nonprofit that represents the interests, promotes culture, and provides social services to the sizable and diverse Jewish population of this borough, held its annual legislative breakfast at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates last Sunday. The lawmakers who were present spoke of their efforts to strengthen the connection with Israel and serving the needs of the Jewish community.
The mitzvah of kiruv r’chokim, outreach to the unaffiliated, offers the rewards of this world and the next, as noted in the Zohar relating to Parshas T’rumah. This past Wednesday, the renowned Israeli organization P’eylim Lev L’Achim had its Queens fundraiser at the home of Elie and Golda Fried, with Rabbi Aharon Walkin as the speaker.
In a time of division within the Democratic Party and efforts to build bridges between the black and Jewish communities, Councilman Donovan Richards, 35, seeks to unite Queens by running for Borough President in the Tuesday, March 24, special election. Earlier this month, he made his case at the Forest Hills home of Manny Behar, speaking before a packed living room to his friends and neighbors. “We have a rich history together, and we cannot go back,” Richards said. “The Council created the office to combat hate crimes to see the factors and look at the numbers.”
