Community Corner

More than 200 people attended a candlelight vigil and rally for Israel at MacDonald Park in Forest Hills on Monday, October 9, quickly organized by a former candidate for public office and a lawyer, Ethan Felder, who said that Hamas’ attack on Israel “was an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that bind us together.”

Emergency Fund Launched to Support the People of Israel

Israel is at war, and in response to the overwhelming – and rapidly escalating – scope of the crisis, UJA-Federation of New York is allocating an initial $10 million in emergency funding from its endowment to provide immediate relief to victims of the vicious terrorist attacks.

The Coalition for Jewish Values, representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in public policy, expresses its deep horror at events unfolding in Israel. We pray that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, grants all the innocent peace and security, and pray for the welfare of those putting themselves in harm’s way to eliminate the current threat and protect their fellow Israeli citizens from harm.

Khal Adas Yereim of Kew Gardens, under the auspices of Rav Wolpin, the oldest son-in-law of the previous rav, HaRav Shlomo Teitelbaum zt”l, continued its decade-long tradition of hosting a community-wide Simchas Beis HaSho’eivah. In the beginning, it only attracted families from Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill, but more recently all parts of Queens (many from Kew Gardens Hills) have joined. Guests from Flatbush and from Lakewood also participated.

On the third day of Chol HaMoed, Wednesday, October 4, Beth Gavriel brought the greater Forest Hills Jewish community a Simchas Beis HaSho’eivah to remember. The program featured the musical talents of Shlomi Alishaev and Shimon Deri, two well-known stars on the local Jewish music scene who performed in the expansive shul sukkah. Deejay Avraham provided a festive atmosphere for the evening. The world-renowned Twin from France kept the youth spellbound with a fantastic show beforehand in the shul’s ballroom. Words of chizuk were delivered by shul rabbanim Rav Emanuel Shimonov, rav of the main minyan; and Rabbi Tomer Zino, rav of the popular Netz minyan.

Central faculty and administration are constantly searching for ways to identify and develop student talent. With this in mind, the school is partnering with Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership to launch its newest initiative: the Central Leadership Track. Based on the idea that leadership is less a mysteriously acquired talent and more a learned asset that can be shaped with education and experience, the track is designed to locate and nurture students who are interested in becoming leaders both within and outside the Central community.