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For as long as I can remember (which admittedly isn’t a large portion of Grandpa’s life, but it is what I have), Grandpa would ask for the kavod of g’lilah and not Levi. I will soon share the reasoning for this, which I’ve heard Grandpa explain many times, as I’m sure others have, as well. But it wasn’t about anavah, at least not in the superficial sense. It was about who Grandpa was.

This story of Chanukah involves motor oil, not candle oil.

Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l took KGH’s potato fields and helped turn them
into the flourishing Jewish community we live in today

The loss of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l on Sunday at the age of 96 was felt immediately throughout Queens and reverberated in every corner of the Jewish world. But for those who call Kew Gardens Hills home, his impact will slowly become even more apparent.

The Queens community is blessed by an incredible organization that doesn’t let anything – not anything – stop its overflowing love for the Jewish community and its mission: always looking for a need in klal Yisrael and seeking to fill it.

Part I

The following is the transcription of an in-person interview conducted in 2017 by Rebecca Rushfield Wittert with Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, discussing his path to building the neighborhood of Kew Gardens Hills several decades ago. It has been slightly edited for brevity, and will be presented in three parts over the next three issues.

Dilip Nath is President of New American Voters, a Community Board 8 member, and a Community Education Council (CEC26) member. He is proud to announce that his New York City Council bid is backed by former Councilwoman and recent candidate for Queens Borough President, Elizabeth Crowley.