Community Corner

The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA) celebrated the Senate’s historic vote Tuesday to include the revised Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) in the “one big beautiful bill,” marking the most significant federal action ever taken to make private education more affordable for American families.

In this week’s parshah, Parshas Chukas, we encounter a significant event in the life of Moshe and the Jewish People during their journey in the Midbar. It begins with the death of Moshe’s sister, Miriam. Miriam had been a source of inspiration and leadership among klal Yisrael, and her passing marked a moment of mourning and loss for the community.

In a spectacular display of achdus and appreciation, Emet Outreach recently held its largest Charidy campaign to date and successfully raised over 1.5 million dollars. The campaign showcased the “Emet Effect,” the incredible impact the organization has had on individuals, families, and the Bukharian community for over 21 years. “We would like to thank our devoted students, alumni, community partners, family, and friends,” said Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, Emet Co-Founder and CEO. “In true partnership, the campaign had 215 teams and over 2,300 individual donors. This unwavering support for Emet’s work enables us to continue igniting the sparks of Jewish identity that set in motion a strong Jewish future.”

Though we are a local newspaper rooted in the vibrant neighborhoods of Queens, the turmoil unfolding across the globe has reached our doorsteps — and touched our hearts — in deeply personal ways.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, applauded the formal Notice of Violation from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Harvard University. The OCR concluded that Harvard permitted a hostile environment to persist on campus marked by anti-Semitic threats, intimidation, and violence, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The finding follows a 19-month investigation and underscores the university’s failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment.

I first learned about Yehonatan “Yoni” Asayag through a group email sent by the Forest Hills Jewish Center. The message referenced his involvement in a presentation by Purple Fox, an organization run by Special Forces soldiers that provides support to families of fallen IDF soldiers. Purple Fox helps these families navigate loss and regain stability, offering educational scholarships, mental health and PTSD treatment, and direct financial and material assistance.