Community Corner

The race for the Democratic nomination for Queens Borough President came to a widely-expected conclusion on Tuesday afternoon, July 21. Elizabeth Crowley, the candidate with local backing from the likes of Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills’ Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld and community activists Nechemiah Hoch, David Reich, and Alan Sherman conceded her bid with an endorsement of Councilmember Donovan Richards. Crowley called for unity throughout the diverse borough of Queens on the path to getting its fair share.

On Sunday afternoon, July 19, Dr. David Schechter of Preventive Cardiac Care Corp. held a successful COVID-19 swabbing and antibody testing event at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, in conjunction with the Chazaq Organization. Kew Gardens Hills residents took advantage of the outdoor tent setup to ask relevant questions to staff and be tested, as camps, workplaces, and schools are requiring updated results prior to admittance.

A graduate of the Yeshiva of Central Queens with an interest in US political history, Kew Gardens Hills’ Sam Verstandig got to see two major historical events – the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, and the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on Congress – up close a few months ago from the Senate floor. Verstandig, who will be a senior this fall at the Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MTA), served as a Senate Page this winter, one of 100 high school juniors from around the country who participated in the nearly-two-century-old program that combines messenger duties on Capitol Hill with studies at the “very vigorous” Senate Page School.

Rabbi Steven Weil and Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb to headline event

The Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community, will address the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Jewish community in its 19^th annual Tish’ah B’Av program, among other topics and kinos prayers. The virtual program will take place on Thursday, July 30.

For over 14 years, the Emet Leaders Fellowship has provided thousands of unaffiliated Jewish college students with an introduction to Judaism and their first Shabbos experience. It is a program that has inspired young adults to make a deeper commitment to Judaism as they set the course for their professional and personal lives. This past March, Emet’s fellowships were in full swing at St. John’s University, Stony Brook University, and Baruch College, as well as in Forest Hills for students from multiple campuses. Students were in the midst of weekly learning sessions with Emet educators and were participating in impactful Shabbatons. They were even planning the program’s summer highlight – a trip to historical sites in Poland and Prague. Then, suddenly, the semester was paused when campuses were forced to shutter their doors in response to COVID-19. In the throes of this uncertainty, Emet’s educators and students rose to the challenge of sustaining the seeds of religious growth that had been planted.

The Mishnah (Taanis 26) teaches us “MiSheNichnas Av m’maatim b’simchah” – at the beginning of Av we should moderate our joy. Numerous disasters affected the Jewish people on Tish’ah B’Av, such as the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples in Jerusalem. Our practices of mourning are increased as we enter the month of Av, and they become even more intensified in the week of Tish’ah B’Av.