Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
The Kupferberg Center at Queens College was a scene for celebration on Sunday, March 2, as the Oorah organization held its Purim concert close to the homes of many families whose parents participate in the weekly Torah Mates learning on the phone, and children who attend Chill Zone events in the winter and Zone overnight camps in the summer. The event was headlined by renowned singer Avraham Fried with the New York Boys Choir as the opening act.
The heartbreak of Ariel, 4, and the nine-month-old Kfir Bibas brought back to their family in coffins, along with their mother Shiri, who was initially misidentified with a Gazan woman, was felt by all of Israel and its supporters worldwide. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered 14 state-operated sites to be lit in orange last Motza’ei Shabbos, the color of the boys’ hair in an expression of solidarity.
The political trend on Long Island has been favoring Republicans, who contributed to the national party’s majority in the House two years ago, and President Donald Trump’s popular vote last November.
Returning to my childhood neighborhood, it is easy to see how much things have changed. The massive reconstruction of the Beth Gavriel synagogue in Forest Hills continues, as its exterior receives a palatial look and a dome. Inside, the labyrinth of hallways and stairs have not yet been altered. On the second floor, a set of rabbinic portraits on the wall lead to the beis k’neses and the office of Rabbi Emanuel Shimonov, the Rav of Beth Gavriel.
The hobby that spins yarns into scarves, hats, and sweaters has a community of devotees, for whom Forest Hills’ Rose Girone, 113, who died on Monday, February 24, of old age, was a legend. “She would drive in her little red convertible, she was in her late 80s,” said Dina Mor, owner of The Knitting Place in Port Washington on her podcast in 2021. “Then she celebrated her 90th birthday and went on a cruise.”
The most effective method of passing on Jewish values to the next generation is with Jewish education. Since 2017, the Queens-based nonprofit Chazaq has touched the lives of thousands of public school students and guided over 1,800 to transfer from public schools to yeshivos that fit their individual needs.
