Community Corner

One of the Only Countries in the World that Hashem Has Spared
by Corona Celebrates Siyum Hashas

“I looked at the orchestra and had to rub my eyes. Was I dreaming? We were in the middle of a festive Siyum HaShas and the orchestra playing lively Yiddishe niggunim was the orchestra of the Police Academy of Minsk, Belarus! Yes, just a few decades ago, those same policemen were persecuting Jews for learning Torah and possibly sending them to Siberia for their horribly counter-revolutionary activity of teaching Jews Torah and today? They were the musicians playing ‘Toras Hashem Temimah’ and ‘Siman Tov U’mazel Tov’ at our Siyum HaShas!”

On Motza’ei Shabbos, March 21, Chazaq, the Queens Jewish Link, and TorahAnytime hosted an uplifting, livestreamed melaveh malkah titled “Finding Light in the Darkness.”

On Tuesday night, March 19, Chazaq and TorahAnytime hosted a livestream shiur titled “Chizuk for Turbulent Times.” First, Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, rav of Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin in Brooklyn, imparted that we should follow the guidelines of the government and of the g’dolei Yisrael. “We are completely in the hands of the Ribbono shel Olam. This mageifah is teaching us that it’s all HaKadosh Baruch Hu.” Now, we can’t daven b’tzibur. We can’t learn in typical fashion. Children are denied the privilege to protect klal Yisrael.

Chief Bukharian Rabbi, Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli, Appoints New Rabbis

Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli is a renowned Torah scholar who dedicates his life to giving rulings on the most difficult halachic topics ranging from medical to business law, while also guiding Rabbis of the Bukharian community in their day to day service of their respective congregations.

On Wednesday, March 25, Bnos Malka Academy united virtually to daven together at the same time as the rest of klal Yisrael. At 11:30 a.m., students, parents, and teachers were invited to attend a Zoom meeting. Led by Rabbi Weichselbaum, Bnos Malka families joined together in saying T’hilim, Avinu Malkeinu, Acheinu, and Kabalas Ol Malchus Shamayim. A PowerPoint was displayed with all of the t’filos so that all in attendance could participate in saying each word.

Younger students were led through several p’rakim of T’hilim by their teachers earlier in the day.

May the t’filos of klal Yisrael be heard in Shamayim, and may Hashem annul this decree speedily.

On Sunday evening March 29^th the world was sad to learn of the passing of Rabbi Yosef Neumann z”l, 72, the victim most gruesomely wounded in a hate-filled machete attack during a Chanukah celebration at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg in Monsey, N.Y. On December 28, 2019.