Community Corner

  The Agudath Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, and I as its secretary, scored a decisive win along with the Agudath Israel of America and other affiliates against Governor Andrew Cuomo that once and for all barred his infamous Executive Order 202.68 placing restrictions on houses of worship. Chol HaMoed Sukkos may seem long ago, but it was then that this peaceful and orderly clash with government began.

 Over the 340 days since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, Governor Cuomo flip-flopped on dining in New York City restaurants for so long that nobody knows what to think. As of this Friday, February 12, eateries will once again be allowed to reopen at 25% indoor capacity. This measure was designed to give wait staff a couple of days to prepare ahead of a Valentine’s Day rush. No industry has suffered more than hospitality and restaurants, juggling restrictions to outdoor dining and takeout-only demands. Safety questions still linger regarding COVID-19 and outdoor dining, with many experts calling the safety of the idea misleading to consumers.

Tamar wanted a fairy tale wedding.  The beautiful flowing white dress, the big wedding cake, the simcha dancing.  A shiny part of that dream was a stretch limo to take them home at the end of the night.  So we hired the fanciest stretch limo we could find to drive Tamar and Chaim at the end of the wedding to their new, supervised residence apartment.  This was a night we never dreamed would happen for our daughter with Down Syndrome.

OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack reflects
on the loss of HaRav Meshulam Dovid HaLevi Soloveitchik zt”l

In a year that has seen the loss of far too many g’dolei Yisrael, we were again stunned last week with the passing of Rav Dovid Soloveitchik zt”l.

Great Neck resident Agota Adler, 85, has beaten hardships before, having survived the Holocaust in Hungary and then fleeing the communist regime that followed the war. She immigrated twice, to Brazil and then to New York. She eagerly signed up for her coronavirus vaccine, but last week’s snowfall and the difficulty of obtaining a ride to the hospital was resolved by young volunteers who drove Adler to her appointment. “Chaverim took me from my home to the hospital in Queens, where I was vaccinated. I did not feel any pain,” Adler said.

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.