Community Corner

Chazaq, Stories to Inspire, and TorahAnytime hosted the following powerful shiurim for Chanukah. On Sunday, November 28, Rabbi Meir Simcha Sperling, TorahAnytime Speaker, shared a story about a man who walked into shul and sponsored a large, lavish kiddush for his community. He made the kiddush as a sign of gratitude for being saved after being hit by a car while walking to shul. The next week, another man sponsored a kiddush for the community. He made the kiddush as a tremendous hakaras ha’tov for the fact that he walked to the same shul as the man who made the kiddush the week before and for the previous 20 years that he always arrived safely and was never hit by a car.

Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, Operations Manager of Chazaq, interviewed HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein shlita as part of Tuesday Timely Torah Talks on Tuesday evening, November 16.

 One person and one idea can bloom into something powerful that changes the world. Robbie Aboff, Chazaq Events Coordinator, saw a special chesed taking place in his community in West Hempstead, and he was determined to bring that chesed to Queens. The result was eight distributions. Chazaq/Chickens for Shabbos distributions have brought so much light and love to so many. The idea was to contact large companies, and they would donate goods for the distributions. Over the past couple of months, the distributions focused on widows, agunos, divorcés and divorcées, moros, and m’chanchim. Sometimes they would be specifically available for one particular group. The overwhelming response was extreme gratitude that a need was being met in such a dignified, beautiful way.  “We want to thank our partners at Olam Chesed for arranging the goods that we distribute at the distributions.  Most of the expenses of the distributions are covered by the generous support of Chickens for Shabbos.”

On Friday, November 12, the seventh and eighth grade students at the Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens were treated to a special program. Mrs. Sarah Bergman, General Studies Principal, organized this program to infuse the girls with love for davening. She greeted the students and introduced the guest speaker, Rebbetzin Raizy Gutman, teacher and speaker from Eretz Yisrael and a former graduate of the Bais Yaakov of Queens.

 “People often ask me what the most common marital problem is today in the frum community.”

On Tuesday evening, November 9, Dr. Mel Breite, Director and Founder of the Navigating the Medical System Lecture Series, shared his annual review in a lecture over Zoom. Dr. Breite thanked Councilman Jim Gennaro’s support for helping to start this series, and the support or Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg, rav of Congregation Etz Chaim. The lecture was dedicated in memory of Gladys Benbasset, Dr. Marshall Joffe, and Rabbi David Keehn.