Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
The Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community, expressed concern over the declining Jewish affiliation outlined in the Pew Research Center’s Jewish Americans in 2020 study.
Shavuos is the culmination of the seven-week-long “counting of the Omer” that occurs following Pesach. The very name “Shavuos” means “weeks,” in recognition of the weeks of anticipation leading up to the Har Sinai experience. Shavuos commemorates Hashem giving the Torah to B’nei Yisrael. During the holiday prayer services, we read the story of the Revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments. On the second day of Shavuos, we read Megillas Rus (the Book of Ruth).
On May 2, 2021, a beautiful neshamah was returned to Hashem. That neshamah was Mollie Vancier, our Ima and Savta.
Teach Coalition to Offer Government Funding Hotline for Yeshivos and Jewish Day Schools in New York and New Jersey.
Last Wednesday, Teach Coalition announced the launch of its new “Government Funding Hotline” service, available for free to all yeshivos and Jewish day schools in New York and New Jersey. Any government funding inquiries sent into the hotline phone number, email address, or webpage will receive a rapid response from Teach Coalition’s expert Government Maximization Services Team.
The Queens Jewish Link and its feature article “KGH Civic Petitions for Library Reopening” set into motion a series of events that led to a press conference this past Thursday afternoon, May 6. Those gathered felt that their work was not quite done with regards to getting the library back open, and invited NY1 News to share their plight citywide. City Council Member James Gennaro also deemed the library’s continued operation as a NYC Health & Hospitals site unnecessary, considering the drastic decrease in positive COVID case numbers.
A hotly contested open seat race in eastern Queens could be decided by the Jewish community, as seven candidates seek to take the seat being vacated by Barry Grodenchik. The top two fundraisers represent platforms that vary greatly in regard to Israel. Jaslin Kaur has the endorsement of the DSA, which asks its favored candidates to boycott trips to Israel. In contrast, Linda Lee speaks proudly of her visit to the county in 2008, when she rented a car with her sister and they explored Israel on their own.
