We are all looking forward with great anticipation to the annual Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Tea to be held on Tuesday evening, November 10, at 8:30 pm. The Tea has been a Queens hallmark event for decades, providing our community with the opportunity to give tz’dakah to a most worthy local cause while enjoying a delicious buffet, heartfelt speeches, an entertaining play starring local actresses and musicians, and an incredible raffle selection.
This year, we embark upon a completely new adventure. Rather than meeting in person for our evening of unity, we will join the “Zoom parade” to celebrate our Double-Chai, 36th year with an online “Celebrity Tea” – expanding this remarkable affair to participants from far and near with no worries about parking, weather, and travel distance.
Our program promises to be extraordinary, with the renowned Rav Fischel Schachter as our Master of Ceremonies, special entertainment by celebrity singers, Abie Rotenberg, Shlomo Simcha, and Baruch Levine, brief greetings from our sponsors’ representatives – and, of course, the drawing of our fabulous raffle prizes.
We would like to acknowledge and thank our special sponsors for this evening, Ronie & Meyer Jeger and Shloimie & Peshy Kurz.
The Jeger family is sponsoring the Tea in loving memory of Meyer’s mother, Shenya Jeger a”h, better known as Jenny, who was born in Czechoslovakia and lost almost her entire family during Churban Europe. After the war, she married Shia Jeger, and together they were able to build a beautiful home with their two sons, steeped in Jewish traditions and Torah values. May her memory serve as a blessing for her family and all of klal Yisrael.
The Kurz family is dedicating this year’s Tea in the z’chus of those in klal Yisrael needing zivugim hagunim, among them their two wonderful granddaughters. Their brachah for klal Yisrael is for Hashem to hear, accept, and fulfill all of our t’filos for the good.
As you all know, the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund of Queens has one objective, to enable our community and beyond to fulfill the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah, sharing in the mitzvah of being m’samei’ach chasan v’kallah and building batim neemanim b’Yisrael.
Imagine the mother of eight who has been deserted by her husband and has to marry off a child.
Imagine a family from Gush Katif who was forcibly evicted from their home and is struggling financially and emotionally as they try to marry off a child.
Imagine a baalas t’shuvah whose family has rejected her, trying to make her own wedding.
Imagine the daughter or son of a victim of terror in Israel going to the chupah without any family assistance.
And just imagine a family right here in Queens with six children. The father has lost his job, the mother has to stay at home to take care of a sick child, and they’re struggling to marry off a son or daughter.
All these and more are typical of the 40–50 cases that the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah Fund board receives and verifies each month from chasanim and kallos located in Queens and in Eretz Yisrael. Each case must come from a reliable source and is considered on an individual basis according to its unique circumstances. It’s your caring and contributions that allows us to respond positively and help make the lives of these families just that little bit easier, and to let them know that klal Yisrael is there for them so they can make their simchah b’simchah. Thank you.
For those who are not aware of our origins, our organization is named after an incredible eishes chayil, Erna Lindenfeld a”h. She was a remarkable woman whose innate kindness, compassion for others, and tremendous determination to defy all odds by surviving the Holocaust gave her the strength to rebuild her life, marry her beloved husband Marcel, and bring four wonderful sons into this world. She carried herself with grace and dignity, and it was her warmth and sincerity that endeared her to all who knew her. Unfortunately, Erna was taken from her adoring family and community at a young age. After Erna’s p’tirah, her dear friend, Rebbetzin Ruth Schonfeld a”h, perpetuated her memory by creating an organization that would personify Erna’s dedication to the continuity of klal Yisrael.
The board of our hachnasas kallah fund is presided over by Rebbetzin Shifra Witty. Our beloved “Morah Shifra” represents all that is good and worthy in this community. It is her calm demeanor, her dedication to the klal, and her deep appreciation of Hashem’s kindness in allowing her to be involved in this wonderful chesed that inspires us all.
The board itself is comprised of a diverse group of women, representing the kaleidoscope of Queens and klal Yisrael. We daven in different shuls, are of different ages, and come from different backgrounds. Nevertheless, our devotion to the organization and our achdus is absolutely amazing, as we meld our hearts together to fulfill the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah and preserve the confidentiality and dignity of each family.
Please join the Erna Lindenfeld Hachnosas Kallah family, partner with us in fulfilling the mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah, and share in the z’chus of this incredible mitzvah!
We look forward to seeing everyone at our “Celebrity Tea” on Tuesday evening, November 10, at 8:30 pm. Please join us for an inspiring and entertaining evening via Zoom!
