Assembly Member Nily Rozic Visits Yeshivah
Much appreciation is extended to Met Council for providing a special Rosh HaShanah food drive for parents and staff of the Queens Cheder in Jamaica Estates. This past Pesach, Met Council was quite courteous in arranging a similar distribution at the yeshivah. But back in April, America was not facing the current inflation we find ourselves in today.
Since Queens Cheder is a new school and thus has not had regular distributions, assuring a drive for the Yamim Nora’im was far from certain. The administration reached out to me, explaining that their parent body had requested supplemental assistance; upon hearing of the need, I stood determined to ensure that some element of a drive would be held.
As our readers are aware, I was privileged to run the Chazaq pantry a few years ago in Kew Gardens Hills and established a cherished relationship with Met Council. I wasted no time soliciting the coveted assistance of the esteemed Benjamin Zaientz, Agency Relations Manager at the Met Council. Zaientz personally oversees the kosher food distribution to area pantries, visiting many of these operations during the High Holiday distribution season. My friend explained that he would do his best to accommodate, and it is my pleasure and honor to report that a successful drive was held this past week at the yeshivah’s campus on Croydon Road in Jamaica Estates. Moreover, Zaientz was joined by the renowned Aaron Cyperstein, Managing Director of Legal & External Affairs at Met Council, for the evening distribution, where 175 families of students, including 20 staff families were assisted. Mr. Cyperstein was a true gentleman in arranging this unique modification to the Met Council array of food pantry sites. Rav Rafael Zavalunov, a noted m’chaneich and rav at Ohr HaTorah of Queens, also participated in the evening drive.
Rabbi Naftali Rosenbaum, Founder of Dorot, noted that, amongst its achievements on behalf of the Queens Bukharian community, they established Queens Cheder a couple years ago. Rabbi Rosenbaum, a grandson of the Kaliver Rebbe of Williamsburg and a son of the Mosholu Rebbe of Boro Park, was hands on ensuring that a smooth and honorable distribution was conducted.
Earlier in the day, Assembly Member Nily Rozic of nearby Fresh Meadows, where many of the students reside, put aside some time to partake in the packing of the boxes that were arranged for the evening. The elected official was delighted to visit the yeshivah and interact with the youngsters in a creative and enjoyable atmosphere that was above all a fun way to educate the students on the mitzvah of helping those in need – a staple of the Yamim Nora’im.
The distribution, supplemented by cardboard boxes courtesy of The Q Kosher supermarket on Union Turnpike, included honey, vegetable oil, grape juice, canned vegetables, apple sauce, challah rolls, flour, cholent beans, tuna cans, and most notably fresh large eggs that have seen skyrocketing prices in local groceries.
Inspired by the day’s events, Rabbi Rosenbaum’s brother related to me a story of the Spinka Rebbe, who once entered the lunchroom of his yeshivah and encountered a table with young talmidim seated. However, the Rebbe noticed that the breadbasket in the center of the table was barren. In his saintliness, the Rebbe understood that if the basket was empty, it was probable that a boy was going hungry. In turn, the Rebbe instructed one of the youngsters to bring the basket to the kitchen and request a refill as no boy should ever go hungry. Such was the foresight of the Rebbe, and such is the intuition of the Rosenbaums and the venerable staff at Met Council.
May we all merit a year of health and wealth and be able to provide for those who are unfortunately suffering and underprivileged.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
