Shabsie Saphirstein

 As anti-Semitism reaches levels not seen in decades, legal scholars, prosecutors, and community leaders gathered in Queens to confront this growing crisis and examine how the justice system can serve as a powerful tool to counter hate.

It’s a regular Tuesday afternoon in Queens. Your child is coughing, running a fever — and you’re stuck between school pickups, Zoom meetings, and dinner prep. You call the doctor’s office, only to wait on hold, hoping to speak with a nurse and secure an appointment. Maybe you rush to urgent care instead — where the “quick visit” turns into sitting in a crowded waiting room for hours. By the time you’re seen, the day is gone.

In a continued push to reclaim the streets and reduce crime, detectives from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office teamed up with NYPD officers from the 107^th Precinct to execute a targeted scooter removal operation. Undercover and uniformed units moved in on a dozen illegally parked and unregistered scooters, removing them from public thoroughfares. In one case, investigators confirmed that the scooter was stolen, a reminder that these seemingly innocuous vehicles often play a role in broader criminal activity.

Five days before Rosh HaShanah, the halls of One Police Plaza filled with rabbis, officers, and advocates for a meeting about safeguarding Jewish New Yorkers as the Yamim Nora’im approached. The evening’s agenda was procedural – preparations for the High Holidays – but the atmosphere was a reaffirmation that Jewish life in New York will be defended not just in theory, but in practice.

As the sun set on September 15, Sorolle and Shimmy Idels welcomed neighbors and community leaders onto the deck of their Kew Gardens Hills home for a campaign reception with a clear message: Queens cannot afford to lose its only Jewish voice on the New York City Council – Lynn Schulman.

New Yorkers have long endured sidewalks overflowing with black bags that attract rodents, prompting the Adams administration to launch a “Trash Revolution” - a plan to containerize waste and reduce infestations. With a June 2026 deadline approaching, Queens homeowners in one- and two-family homes are set to receive reimbursement checks covering the full cost of compliance.