Community Corner

Nothing will slow us down at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Despite fewer COVID-19 safe options of activities, the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates has successfully adapted creative solutions to our new reality. We have been able to blend distant/Zoom activities with socially distant, in-person activities following the strict COVID-19 guidelines of our medical committee.

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Director, New York Government Relations at Agudath Israel of America, spoke to the high school boys at Yeshiva Tiferet Tzion in Queens on Wednesday, February 1, about the importance of voting. The talk coincided with the Agudah Voting Project, which aims to register high school seniors. New York State law allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register as voters, allowing them immediate voting privileges on their 18^th birthday. “The goal of this project is for the Agudah to register as many New York City students as possible in advance of the New York City primary elections this coming June,” said Rabbi Silber.

US Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, last Thursday led a bipartisan letter urging President Biden to swiftly nominate an Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

“The fact that frontline workers like those serving food to needy New Yorkers at food pantries have risked their lives for months and are now being told that they aren’t eligible for a vaccine is a disgrace. Meanwhile, if you work for a multi-billion-dollar corporation like Walmart, you’re eligible.

In this week’s parshah, following the revelation at Har Sinai, when the people of Israel committed themselves to upholding the Torah and received the Ten Commandments, Hashem proceeds to communicate to Moshe Rabbeinu the rest of the mitzvos of the Torah. The Ramban explains that the monetary laws of this parshah were taught immediately following the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai. Why was this so?