Community Corner

The Met Council on Jewish Poverty hosted, for the first time since the pandemic, their annual Legislative Breakfast ahead of the Celebrate Israel Parade. The breakfast highlighted Met Council’s “Hate Has No Home Here” initiative, which was launched in 2021 to combat the proliferation of hate crimes in New York City. The event was emceed by CNN’s Sonia Moghe. Met Council runs America’s largest kosher food bank. During the pandemic, they distributed over 40.1 million pounds of food to over 210 organizations across New York, including 20 Halal food pantries.

Once again, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose jurisdiction covers parts of Queens, has hurled dangerous, inaccurate, and one-sided accusations at Israel. In a May 20 video post, the Congresswoman alleged that Shireen Abu Akleh “was killed by Israeli forces.”

Known from the iconic picture blowing the shofar at the Kosel with the paratroopers, Rabbi Shlomo Goren was already blowing the shofar on his way into the Old City behind the fighting men.

Tamar Appel Will Spearhead Educational Initiatives

Hidden Sparks, the leading nonprofit focused on providing Jewish day school educators with the tools to support the broad range of learners in mainstream classrooms, has named Mrs. Tamar Appel as its incoming director of education. In this new position, which will begin on July 6, 2022, Appel will oversee Hidden Sparks’ curriculum development and spearhead educational initiatives that provide Jewish day school teachers and parents with the skill sets required to understand and support struggling students.

A shul with Color War? The Young Israel of Jamaica Estates celebrated another year of energized youth programming with its 35^th annual Color War! Beginning on Yom HaAtzmaut, three weekends of fun and games including YIJE’s Medutathon Relay, Bubble Ball, Laser Tag, and Minute to Win, complemented by art projects, dramatic presentations, and a chidon, all surrounding this year’s Pirkei Avos-inspired team names of Namer (Leopard) and Nesher (Eagle). “Both the eagle and the leopard are powerful creatures and express their power in different ways. But they also have their dangers,” writes Rabbi Dr. Dov Lerner in his charge to the teams. “Teams Namer and Nesher are called on to embody the positive traits of their emblem and discover their roles in Tanach, Midrash, and musar – and lessons for how we can live our lives today.”

Lomdei Dirshu Take Test While City is Under Siege

A day before, it appeared that the second test in the Machzor Sheini of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha would be a routine Dirshu test despite it being a bit of a milestone. Lomdei Daf HaYomi B’Halacha were completing the laws of tzitzis and progressing to the laws of tefillin. The test in Eretz Yisroel was scheduled for this past Friday morning, 5 Iyar/May 6.