Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community On Tuesday, UJA-Federation of New York announced a $1 million emergency grant intended to help alleviate pressure on local food pantries and strengthen the citywide system of emergency food procurement and distribution.
Chief Chaplain of the NYPD, Torah Scholar, and Advocate for Jewish Officers
My final image of Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass remains vivid: steadying himself with a walker, smiling as he waved to the NYPD crowd during the recent High Holiday briefing. His familiar humor and warmth filled the room with life. It was the first time he used a walker on stage – and as he exited, he paused, turned back, and waved one last time. That gentle, dignified farewell became his final blessing, a moment that captured the grace, humility, and faith that defined his nearly six decades of service.
Our dear father’s levayah was on Veterans Day, 2012. How befitting that a man who invested 21 years of his life in service to this country in the United States Army would have his burial on that day.
Few knew that behind Rabbi Kass’ sharp NYPD uniform stood a philosopher whose academic journey bridged theology, ethics, and public service. At Yeshiva University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, he explored how faith and moral reasoning shaped the daily choices of officers from diverse backgrounds. His doctoral work reflected a deep curiosity about human resilience: what drives people to act ethically under pressure.
In this week’s parshah, we read of Avraham Avinu’s search for a wife for Yitzchak – a mission filled with t’filah, emunah, and siyata diShmaya. When Eliezer stands at the well, he doesn’t rely on his own wisdom or experience. Instead, he turns to Hashem and says, “Hashem, Elokei adoni Avraham, please cause something to happen before me today.”
Rabbi Mendy Kenig leads the largest healing mission of its kind—and it all started with a phone call that changed his life
An Unprecedented Moment in Jewish History
Next Friday, approximately 170 families will arrive in Orlando, Florida, marking what may be the most significant gathering of its kind. A week and a half later, they’ll travel to Deal, New Jersey, for a transformative Shabbos featuring renowned speaker Rabbi YY Jacobson, special guest Sivan Meir, a deeply moving Hachnosas Sefer Torah, and a beautiful Bar Mitzvah celebration.
