Local

On Thursday, March 10, Council Member James F. Gennaro, the Chazaq Organization, and Chaverim of Queens hosted a successful donation drive for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Dozens of people came out to Chazaq’s Lev Aharon Community Food Pantry, a partnership with Met Council, in Kew Gardens Hills to donate items ranging from food to clothes to children’s toys. The drive is part of a borough-wide initiative spearheaded by Gennaro and Council Member Robert Holden.

At the 1997 Agudah convention, Rabbi Moshe Sherer announced the formation of Am Echad, with the intention to present Israeli leadership with a unified voice from American Orthodox Jewry and counter the propaganda of the Reform and Conservative movements. The rabbi soon led a mission with the theme of geirus. Rabbi Pesach Lerner, then executive vice president of the National Council of Young Israel, was the mission’s co-chairman. Rabbi Lerner has remained an active member and today is the Chairman of the Eretz HaKodesh party in the World Zionist Organization.

On Sunday evening, March 13, Dr. Elie and Golda Fried opened their home in honor of Congress Member Grace Meng in what has become an annual event on behalf of NORPAC. Always on the mission to promote and further the US-Israel relationship through fundraising efforts for Senators and Members of the House of Representatives who support the cause, NORPAC keeps its membership alert through emails and their annual Mission to Washington, this year presented virtually on the week of May 9. The May mission, chaired in part by Kew Gardens Hills resident David Steinberg of Summit Funding, will include meetings discussing critical issues affecting the US-Israel relationship with over 400 Congressional offices. Other issues set to be discussed include crucial security aid to Israel, how best to counter Iran, and combating anti-Semitism.

My child is falling behind in school. Where do I turn? The resource room does not seem to be enough for my youngster. My family needs direction.

The Project Inspire Convention held this past weekend at the prestigious Armon Hotel & Conference in Stamford, Connecticut, was in true form inspiring. Project Inspire believes in creating a movement of unity and mutual inspiration by sharing the beauty and wisdom of our common heritage and the gift of the Torah with our fellow Jews by creating one friendship at a time.

Last Wednesday, the Queens Jewish Link marked its ten-year milestone with a spectacular networking event in Kew Gardens Hills that brought out many from the Queens community and beyond.