Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
Recently, Rabbi Daniel Pollack, Jewish liaison to Congress Member Grace Meng, led a delegation of Queens yeshivah principals in discussing educational issues affecting the Orthodox Jewish community with State Senator Leroy Comrie. The senator was recently redistricted to serve many of the families educated within the institutions these principals direct. Some of the schools, as well, fall in the senator’s new district map.
During the first Shabbos following Tish’ah B’Av, we read the first of the seven special haftaros of n’chamah, giving klal Yisrael comfort after our period of mourning. The haftaros tell of the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, which gives us hope that although we have suffered a great loss, there will be a time when the mourning comes to an end.
The Nassau County Legislature declared that End Jew Hatred Day will be recognized annually, on April 29.
End Jew Hatred Day acknowledges the need to act against Jew-hatred across the country. In Nassau County, there has been a rise in attacks against the Jewish community, including flyers filled with hate messages being distributed recently in Rockville Centre, Long Beach, and Oceanside.
On Thursday afternoon, July 21, State Senator Leroy Comrie met with the Vaad Harabonim of Queens (VHQ), representing the Ashkenazic rabbinic leadership of Queens, at Congregation Ahavas Yisroel on 73rd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills. The District 14 senator first began in the role in January of 2015 and is currently running unopposed for the open seat due to redistricting, to represent parts of Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens Hills. Although much of the city is seeing US House of Representatives and State Senate races, there is no scheduled primary for this race in the first of its kind second primary on August 23, as Comrie has no opponents. In the upcoming general election on November 8, Comrie is again running unopposed, as there is no Republican challenger. Since declaring his re-election, Comrie has held a strong presence throughout the Jewish community of Queens, appearing on a consistent basis to meet his new constituents.
An Invitation To The One Israel Fund BBQ And Wine Tasting
Preparations are underway for One Israel Fund 13th Annual Summer BBQ and Fine Israeli Wine Tasting, an annual event that raises funds for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. This year’s event will take place at the home of Joseph and Jenny Felder in Lawrence, NY, on the evening of August 15. The couple, together with an All-Star Committee, invites everyone to join them in supporting One Israel Fund while enjoying a phenomenal BBQ by Graze Smoke House, paired with a full array of Israeli wines. And all sponsors will go home with a fantastic bottle of wine as well.
A terrible tragedy devastated a Kew Gardens Hills institution this past Thursday afternoon, Erev Rosh Chodesh Av. Congregation Bais Yosef D’Ulem, under the leadership of Rav and Rebbetzin Yaakov Yitzchak Friedman, the Ulemer Rav, suffered a blaze that destroyed the beis midrash and rendered the esteemed couple’s home uninhabitable.
