Community Corner

Before most of Queens had even started its morning, the fires were already burning.

Across the borough, Jewish families gathered outside shuls and at designated locations, little bags with scraps of bread in hand, to complete biur chametz – the final step before Pesach. Fathers stood with children, watching as the last remnants were placed into the flames, marking the end of weeks of intense preparation.

I arrived at the Javits Center last Tuesday afternoon, March 17, for a session that, on paper, probably wouldn’t have drawn much attention. It took place in a smaller room, with just a few dozen people — many of them familiar faces.

A single memorial candle burned in a quiet room in Jamaica Hills last week — a steady, unyielding light reflecting across the faces of those gathered to remember.

On February 25, community leaders from Queens gathered at City Hall for a lengthy hearing of the New York City Council’s Committee to Combat Hate, bringing the experiences of Jewish neighborhoods directly into the debate over how the city should protect houses of worship during protests. For those of us who traveled from Queens that morning, the issue was not an abstract policy discussion; it reflected events that have already unfolded on the streets of our own communities.

At the Satmar Yeshivah Gedolah in Glendale, Chasdei Lev recently demonstrated a unique model of communal support. During this specific Queens distribution, several hundred rebbeim were provided with the resources to prepare for Yom Tov with both financial ease and personal dignity.

Family and friends gathered at Shaare Shalom in Great Neck on Thursday evening, February 26, for a deeply moving Seudas Hodayah hosted by Eden and Mayan Yaghoubi in honor of their son, Netanel. Standing before the crowd, Eden described the past months as a roller coaster of faith, fear, and gratitude.