Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
The Queens Jewish Community Council, the nonprofit that represents the interests, promotes culture, and provides social services to the sizable and diverse Jewish population of this borough, held its annual legislative breakfast at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates last Sunday. The lawmakers who were present spoke of their efforts to strengthen the connection with Israel and serving the needs of the Jewish community.
The first woman District Attorney in Queens took her oath of office on Tuesday, January 6, promising to “do the right thing,” at an inauguration ceremony at St. John’s University, where she attended law school.
In a time of division within the Democratic Party and efforts to build bridges between the black and Jewish communities, Councilman Donovan Richards, 35, seeks to unite Queens by running for Borough President in the Tuesday, March 24, special election. Earlier this month, he made his case at the Forest Hills home of Manny Behar, speaking before a packed living room to his friends and neighbors. “We have a rich history together, and we cannot go back,” Richards said. “The Council created the office to combat hate crimes to see the factors and look at the numbers.”
The largest Jewish gathering in the Americas filled the seats of MetLife Stadium and its field with spectators and participants of the Daf Yomi, the daily study of the 7,211 pages of the Talmud Bavli, celebrating the 13th learning cycle since the launch of the program in 1923. With each cycle, the number of participants, learning groups, translations, commentaries, and apps relating to Daf Yomi have grown, demonstrating the desire to understand the Oral Law.
In the tight, open-seat race for Queens Borough President, the Jewish vote has been sought by all the candidates, as they address anti-Semitism, tout their pro-Israel advocacy, and speak of issues that matter to the community. Former Middle Village Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, 42, is well-known among Jewish community leaders and activists, and this past Sunday she spoke at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills on her qualifications for leading The World’s Borough.
On the eve of the secular New Year, the MTA released a map of proposed bus lines for Queens that seeks to redesign public surface transit with longer routes that span the borough by combining smaller ones. “We are very excited about this draft plan for Queens buses, because it is a true re-imagination of the routes,” said MTA NYC Transit President Andy Byford in a statement.
