Style & Living

Our last edition carried a number of letters to the editor questioning Rabbi Schonfeld’s public letter in which he asked that the issue of women’s photos in Orthodox publications not be discussed in the Queens Jewish Link – or be discussed with greater discretion. One of those letters was written with uncalled for disrespect for Rabbi Schonfeld. Truthfully, we did not want to publish that letter, out of a sign of respect for Rabbi Schonfeld, who serves selflessly as our Rabbinic Adviser. It was only at Rabbi Schonfeld’s insistence that we published the letter as written. We were supposed to insert an Editor’s Note to explain that to our readers, but we neglected to do so.
In addition, Rabbi Schonfeld wrote a response to Anne Koffsky’s letter on the topic, which we also neglected to publish. We present his response here.

Editorial Note: At the time of publication, there are about 3,500 absentee, military, and affidavit ballots that have not been counted. Melinda Katz has not conceded yet, and she trails Tiffany Cabán by 1,199 votes.

Thoughts on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 25^th Yahrzeit

This Shabbos, we read the Torah portion of Korach in synagogues across the world. It is also “Gimel Tamuz” (the third day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz), the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 25^th yahrzeit.

As part of long-term care planning, Medicaid recipients often purchase pre-need funeral agreements prior to applying for Medicaid. This enables an applicant to spend down his or her assets without Medicaid deeming the agreement to be an asset and without the eligibility issues associated with gifting. Until January 1, 1997, pre-need funeral agreements were revocable, i.e. the Medicaid applicant could cancel the agreement and be refunded his or her money. 

Dear Alice,

 Because I’m always trying to make recipes healthier and more nutritious, I was wondering if you could help me with this: If I make cake/cookies with half oil, half applesauce, and a ¼ cup less sugar and whole wheat flour, would it be counted as a “healthier” snack, and if yes what would the portion size be?

Recap: Mickey, Andy, James, and Yonah were trying to drive away from a police car, but now they are stuck because their front tire blew.