Community Corner

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

David ben Shima

 As New York City parents and children enter the summer months under pandemic precautions, a seemingly arbitrary set of standards has begun to emerge. As City parks and beaches reopen, we have seen hundreds of residents take advantage of public space.

Gabriel Boxer, known to many in the Jewish world as the Kosher Guru, is no stranger to Queens. Gabriel, a prodigy of the former Yeshiva Dov Revel of Forest Hills, now home to a division of Touro College and Bnos Malka Academy, grew up in Hillcrest, where his parents Nina and Tim Boxer, members of the Young Israel of Hillcrest and Rabbi Binyomin Ruttner’s Adas Yeraim, reside. “They are both very warm, friendly, and very genuine; always smiling,” related Rabbi Dr. Richard Weiss, rav of the Young Israel of Hillcrest. The two of them are low-key and are known to act quietly, with much dignity. “Tim is a very religious person who loves going to shul, despite life’s struggles. Nina shares the credit for this, as her devotion to Tim in making sure he gets to shul is remarkable.”

One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a worldwide increase in domestic violence. That’s why the Met Council Family Violence Services program has launched a new tool, a texting service, to help domestic violence survivors safely contact Met Council master-level social workers 18 hours a day. Met Council runs America’s largest Jewish domestic violence program. They recognized that during this pandemic and, due to subsequent stay-at-home orders, a bad situation has been made worse for many. Many survivors now have critically fewer routes to safety. Survivors of all forms of abuse – be it physical, financial, verbal, or any other form of domestic abuse or trafficking – can now text 917-540-0225 to receive 100 percent free and confidential services and support from 8:00 a.m. to midnight.

This past Monday afternoon, June 15, residents of Kew Gardens Hills gathered at the Queens Valley Playground at the corner of 76^th Avenue and 137^th Street, commonly referred to as the Shabbos Park, to rally for its overdue opening. Queens Borough President candidate Elizabeth Crowley organized the gathering, where she voiced her concerns about the city’s mismanagement, which is forcing children to continue suffering the effects of quarantine. At the park, residents were angered that their children were barred entry. “Rioters did not have to social distance and we are locked out of our own ball field?” questioned one neighborhood parent. Rachel and Yisroel Orenbuch brought their family along to show support for the movement underway to reopen our parks. “A ball field is meant to be played in; we have sidewalk chalk and the kids want to color,” explained Mrs. Orenbuch. “Most residents of Kew Gardens Hills live in 18-foot attached homes or apartments and have been cooped up for nearly three months and need to get out.” Others explained that the big open space of the park can be used by families at the discretion of their parents, not government officials. “It is contingent on mother and fathers to set boundaries, not our politicians,” explained one working mother from the area.