Community Corner

Shalom Bayis is such an important mitzvah and Rabbi Avraham Nissanian, well-known inspirational speaker, shared an eye-opening shiur on Monday evening, November 9, via Zoom with advice that could change the atmosphere in the home and the world and really bring Mashiach right now. Rabbi Nissanian shared that the angry feelings we might have on the highway if someone does something we don’t like can also crop up in our home. What happens after a disagreement in our home? Does each spouse try to prove that he or she is right? He pointed out something that his mother taught him when he got married: “Never go to sleep with the anger of the day with you.” Even when one spouse wins an argument, he is still the loser because he lost the respect of his spouse.

On Monday evening, October 26, Rabbi Avraham Nissanian, well-known inspirational speaker, delivered a beautiful shiur on Zoom (second in a series) on the subject of giving compliments. It was amazing to learn that something that appears so simple and straightforward as giving compliments has so many halachic ramifications and so many nuances and important concepts to understand. Rabbi Nissanian, on behalf of Eishel Avraham, covered the topic in depth and left the listener well-informed and ready to use this powerful tool to promote harmony in his home, in the workplace, and in the world in general in the best way possible.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been curious to learn about Hatzolah volunteers and their families.

As we see them zoom by with lights and sirens blaring, rushing to save a life, we recite a chapter of T’hilim and wonder what it is like to have a family member who is a Hatzolah volunteer? How does this vital mitzvah impact the family?

The first lecture this year of the Navigating the Medical System Lecture Series took place on Tuesday evening, October 13, remotely, with over 80 participants, and featured Dr. Calvin Hwang, MD, MPH, FCCP, Assistant Professor in Clinical Medicine at Weill-Cornell Medical College and Patient Safety Officer for the Department of Medicine NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens. Dr. Hwang spoke about what to expect and how to manage COVID-19. The lecture as always was co-sponsored by Congregation Etz Chaim. Ms. Christina Yoon, Director of Community Outreach Representative and Community Health Initiatives at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, greeted the audience, and then Dr. Mel Breite, Founder and Director of the Navigating the Medical System Lecture Series, welcomed everyone to the ninth season of the lecture series and then he introduced the speaker.

Mr. Shiu Reichmann, a veteran Queens Hatzolah member for the past 38 years, spoke about the intensive training that goes into becoming a Hatzolah volunteer, and he explained the process of any Hatzolah call in depth. “Well before the member arrives at the door, the volunteer could be in the middle of working, sleeping, helping around the house, or even eating a Shabbos meal. When the call comes over the Hatzolah radio, he drops everything to respond immediately. Your emergency becomes his emergency.”

On Tuesday evening, September 22, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, senior lecturer at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore and well-known speaker, shared his annual t’shuvah drashah on behalf of Just One Life. First, Rabbi Marty Katz, Executive Vice President of Just One Life, spoke about the holy work of this organization. He quoted the famous teaching in the Gemara that if you save one life you saved a whole world. You save babies, you save families, he stated. If a mother in pregnancy is in danger or in a difficult situation, the organization receives references. Shaare Zedek Hospital in Israel sends them referrals, as the government doesn’t pay for high-risk pregnancies. With the coronavirus, more cases have come to Just One Life. Rabbi Katz urged everyone, “Be part of our mission. Be part of our team.”