Community Corner

The inception of Jewish life in Kew Gardens Hills many decades ago brought an expansion of Torah that continues to blossom on the very same streets today. The construction of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, under the guidance of Rav Fabian Schonfeld zt”l, the shul’s rabbi emeritus, took on a greater role as the facility breached on capacity, the essence of Torah and Yiddishkeit forever sown into its very walls.

The Queens Jewish community held a successful fundraiser lending support to the Honorable David J. Kirschner, a candidate for Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Held on Wednesday evening, October 6, at the home of David and Paula Berger in Kew Gardens Hills, elected officials, community leaders, and old and new friends gathered to wish Kirschner a special happy birthday. With barely two weeks until early voting opens statewide on October 23, and absentee voting already underway, Kirschner has shown that one can serve with distinction.

We are saddened to inform the community of the passing of Dr. Marshall Michael (Moshe Mordechai ben Nasan) Joffe z”l, a brilliant gem of our neighborhood, last Tuesday, October 5. Dr. Joffe, 59, was a gentle and kind, devoted member of the Kew Gardens Hills community, who excelled professionally as a prolific researcher of statistical science. Amongst his peers, Dr. Joffe is remembered for his groundbreaking work in causal inference, which influenced biostatistics and epidemiology. Most notable were his clinical research advances in nephrology and his teaching career as a longtime professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Many of his revolutionary ideas and philosophies were detailed in published journals.

OU’s Maury Litwack Introduces Gov. Hochul Ahead of Her Announcement of Much-Needed Package to Fund 872 Grants as Part of New York’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Grant Program

Teach NYS, a nonpartisan project of the Orthodox Union that advocates for government funding for the state’s nonpublic schools, praised N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday for announcing the recipients of $43 million to fund 872 grants at 362 Jewish and other nonpublic day schools, houses of worship, summer camps and an array of other nonprofits as part of the state’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grant program. The governor also announced the availability of $25 million for the grants in the coming year.

The Women’s Division of Emet Outreach kicked off their fall programming with an evening of timely inspiration. Over 100 young women packed the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates to hear from renowned speaker Mrs. Jackie Bitton. The relevant theme of the night was “Back to Routine…Now What?” Ms. Adina Fendel, Emet Women’s Director, explained, “The idea was to get right back into consistent Torah learning the first week after Yom Tov, as everyone once again juggles school, work, and family.”

On Tuesday evening, October 5, Navigating the Medical System began its tenth year with a virtual lecture on COVID updates. It was hosted by Congregation Etz Chaim. Dr. Mel Breite, Founder and Director of the Navigating the Medical System Lecture Series, welcomed everyone. He stated, “Here tonight, you will hear the truth about what we do know about COVID and what we don’t know about COVID.”