Susie Garber

On Tuesday, July 11, Shira Smiles gave a shiur titled “Where Are Your Priorities” at the OU Israel Center. She began by sharing that the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe settled on the other side of the Jordan. They asked for permission to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and to build pens for their flocks and huts for their children. The Midrash says that Reuven and Gad mentioned their sheep before their children. In Melachim Beis, it states that these three tribes were put into exile earlier than the others because they took their inheritance early and they were likewise punished for their priorities.

On Tuesday evening, June 27, community members gathered at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills to meet with representatives from the 107 Precinct as well as with a representative from Shmira.

How can we hold onto time and freeze special memories? Professional photographer Yaakov Katz of Queens shared his passion for photography with this writer. He started Photography Organizing & Managing, a business that helps people preserve memories and hold onto their stories.

You couldn’t sit still as the rhythmic music of Pumpidisa flowed through the spacious, airy shul at the Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Queens during a special concert event on Wednesday afternoon, June 28. Residents were clapping their hands, swaying, and singing along to the music, along with family members and Queens community members. The door to the shul opened into the lovely signature, famous, flowered courtyard that adorns Margaret Tietz. The scent of flowers wafted in during the concert.

If you’re passionate about doing something, then you know how magical it can be to be in a room overflowing with people who share the same passion.

World-renowned speaker Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky spoke on behalf of Chazaq, Amudim, and UJA-Federation at the Fresh Meadows Beit Eliyahu Bukharian Synagogue in Hillcrest on Tuesday evening, June 20, in memory of Jack Friedman and for a r’fuah sh’leimah for Shabsai ben Pesha Rachel.