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Rabbi Joey Haber, rav of Congregation Magen David in Brooklyn, visited Queens earlier this summer for a special night of inspiration on the life-altering topic of technology today. “Our job tonight is not to recite a token chapter of T’hilim. I need to shake your core. All of us must recognize and admit our weaknesses. Say no to the smartphone, and yes to a smart life.”

This past Sunday, August 21, under a beautiful sky in the heart of Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills, surrounded by family, friends, and community members, the Besalel family had the z’chus of celebrating and welcoming a new sefer Torah dedicated in memory of their dear uncle, Shlomo Chaim Betzalel z”l.

Rav Gav Friedman, an educator at Aish HaTorah Jerusalem, brought out the Orthodox Jewish young adults of Great Neck this past Wednesday, August 10, on behalf of the Chazaq organization.   The program, entitled “The Power of Tu B’Av,” was perfectly suitable for the eager audience seeking inspiration from the rav who had made a trip to the States for Tish’ah B’Av programming.

The p’tirah of Maran Chacham Shalom HaKohen Cohen zt”l has left the worldwide Sephardic Jewish community with an incalculable loss at his passing.   His l’vayah, held this past Monday, attracted tens of thousands of mourners, and was protected by 500 police officers, a helicopter, and drones; a prohibition on work was also instated during the time of the funeral. Chacham Shalom, born on November 3, 1930, was a preeminent Torah authority who, in extreme humility and modesty, stood at the helm of Yeshivat Porat Yosef on Rechov Yosef ben Matisyahu in Geulah, and led the Shas Party as its spiritual guide.   In recent days, the Rav’s condition deteriorated, since being admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem, Yerushalayim, with an infection in his leg.

Earlier this month, Congress Member Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), the Republican Party and Conservative Party designee for Governor for the State of New York, met with an array of local political activists and concerned community members at the Kew Gardens Hills home of Shimmy and Sorolle Idels.

The Queens Jewish Link, represented by co-publisher Yaakov Serle and me, were amongst a contingent that solemnly surveyed the devastating damage at Bais Yosef D’Ulem in Kew Gardens Hills this past Tuesday afternoon, August 9, in the aftermath of the blaze that destroyed both the shul and home of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Yaakov Yitzchak Friedman. The group met in the main beis midrash amidst the ruins. There was a sense of urgency, as those present watched a cohesive reconstruction effort already well underway. The officials discussed the heartbreaking loss and the extensive efforts involved in bringing the facility back to full function. One attendee noted, “Normally, I would fear standing amongst dangling electrical wires, but amongst colleagues and friends, I am quite comfortable.”