Community Corner

On Wednesday, September 30, Congregation Etz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills geared up for a COVID-19-compliant lulav and esrog sales pick-up in preparation for the Sukkos holiday. Siblings Chani, Shimmy, and Levi Orenbuch arrived in front of the shul with sidewalk chalk and a tape measure at the suggestion of the shul rav, Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg.

Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.

Yosef ben Esther Gittel

Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel

This past Thursday afternoon hundreds of Queens residents were treated to free masks at a communal giveaway hosted in the outdoor dining seating at Holy Schnitzel of Queens on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills. Queens Borough Safety Patrol - Shmira, the Chazaq Organization, the Office of the Queens Borough President, the Office of the Mayor of NYC, Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal, the Queens Jewish Link, the Bukharian Jewish, along with a generous donation from Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe provided an ample supply of masks and promotional marketing for a beautiful distribution in a region designated a red zone by Governor Cuomo.

Before Yom Kippur, widespread media coverage depicted predominately Orthodox Jewish areas of New York City as hotbeds for a renewed spread of COVID-19. In turn, City officials opted to announce the enforcement of face coverings and an institution of fines across nine of the city’s 146 ZIP Codes seeing the troubling clustered uptick.

The mother of the Chofetz Chaim was once asked why she thought she had been zocheh to have a son such as the Chofetz Chaim. She could not think of anything she had done to warrant such a son. They pressed her and said you must have done something special. She said the only thing she could think of was before she married, her mother had told her that any free minute she had, e.g., while waiting for the soup to boil or some such opportunity, she should use to say a few p’rakim of T’hilim. This is what she did, and she felt that in the z’chus of the T’hilim she said, she was zocheh to have a son such as the Chofetz Chaim ( www.aneinu.com ).

There is an inspiring Dr. Seuss book – called Oh, The Places You’ll Go! – which is a popular ode for graduates or people embarking on a new chapter of their lives. The central message is: “Remember that life’s a great balancing act,” but don’t give up and keep moving forward when challenges arise on the path to fulfillment and success. One could say that this book is particularly applicable to all of us during the COVID-19 era, but especially to students of all ages whose daily lives are constantly changing. One day, school is in-person, and the next day, it’s on Zoom – with the associated disconnects from teachers and friends. The message is even more relevant to students at Emet Outreach who are learning about incorporating Judaism and daily mitzvos into their lives. The underlying theme to keep going, keep adapting, and keep learning has been the mantra of Emet’s educators for the past six months. This has meant that learning continues in all formats, all locations, and even in all weather conditions.