Community Corner

This past week, there were two Jewish individuals in the news on account of their captivity by hostile forces. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, 31, marked his 100^th day under arrest by Russian authorities on the accusation of spying, while Princeton doctoral student Elizabeth Tsurkov, 36, a dual Israeli-Russian citizen, was captured by Islamic militants in Iraq.

Turnout for the primary elections this past Tuesday was paltry, as it is not the year for electing the president, governor, or mayor. For political activists and community leaders, however, the primary offered the opportunity to determine the future of the Democratic Party. Would it be represented by centrists or leftists? The election also demonstrated which communities were more politically active in shaping the membership of the City Council, among other local seats.

One of the pioneers of kosher food on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills turned off its oven for the final time last Friday. Shimon’s Pizza was the popular Thursday night hangout for families who did not cook supper ahead of Shabbos, on Friday afternoons after yeshivos had their early dismissals, and for many occasions that involved a slice, a calzone, or some garlic knots.

Three decades ago, when Liba Bukalov emigrated from Ukraine, she spoke of the anti-Semitism that caused her to flee for a better life in New York. Raised in a household that prized mathematics, she became an award-winning public school math teacher who co-authored two textbooks, is a four-time recipient of the Math for America Master Teacher fellowship and is a volunteer at the nonprofit Tutoring Without Borders.

The summer fundraising season for the One Israel Fund consists of four venues in the suburbs of New York, where supporters gather for backyard barbecues and Israeli wines to hear updates on Jewish communities in the Yehuda and Shomron. Last week, a rainy evening did not deter West Hempstead residents from offering their support to this organization.

If you’ve seen local demonstrations organized by progressive groups, you may have seen volunteers with bright caps and shorts in such crowds. They are members of the National Lawyers Guild who defend protesters against alleged police misconduct, taking videos and notes. Their members come from many law schools and certainly the CUNY School of Law is among them, as its mission is devoted towards “law in the service of human needs.”