News

Many of the elderly from our community have been secluded in local nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, patients participated in daily activities all geared to keep their moods upbeat and their smiles forever widening. The onset of the virus left many unanswered questions, many that persist today. A devastating coronavirus outbreak at a Washington State nursing home in the beginning of our nation’s struggles shed light on the need to ensure the safety at institutions that house our vulnerable aging population, considering their close living quarters.

On Motza’ei Shabbos, February 29, almost 800 parents, community leaders, faculty members, family, and friends gathered to celebrate the 79^th Anniversary Dinner of the Yeshiva of Central Queens at the Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation. It was an evening celebrating a distinguished group of honorees.

A Memorial Day Poem 

The wet, salty tear

Falls down from the dry, soft cheek

In a cavernous conference hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Downtown DC last week, over 18,000 delegates from across the US and Israel and around the world thundered with cheers over highly partisan addresses by an all-star roster of Trump administration-affiliated speakers, including Vice President Mike Pence, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During their speeches and others, the crowd gave standing ovations for mentions of President Donald Trump, while references to leading Democrats like Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Representative Ilhan Omar, and former President Barack Obama drew resounding boos.

How to stay positive and busy during this challenging time

In 20 years, what will your child remember? Yearbooks often ask graduates where they hope to be two decades later. In just a few months, we as a nation will reflect on the 20-year mark following the September 11 attacks. How do we want our children to recall the era of the 2020 coronavirus? Do we want them to reflect on the ordeal as a horrible experience where they were climbing the walls, or one where they made arts and crafts and bonded with their siblings?

Every year around this time, we all ask the same basic question: “What do I want to give for shalach manos this year?” But no one really asks, “What do the people around me want to get?”  Isn’t it about the receiver?