Shabsie Saphirstein

“An event like tonight’s has its clear positives – it is empowering, it is educational, it is about communities banding together, and it highlights the government support there is against hate,” stated Rabbi Mayer Waxman, Executive Director of the Queens Jewish Community Council (QJCC), this past Monday evening, April 25, at an informative discussion held between Jews and Asian Americans to combat hate. The conversation, sponsored by the QJCC and StandWithUs, gave advice on how one should respond to the rising incidents of hate attacks and gave an understanding why these attacks transpire.

For the Jewish world, the search for crumbs of bread in our homes, offices, and vehicles ahead of Pesach is known in the modern environ as spring cleaning. New York Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal and New York City Council Member James Gennaro understand the intensity of these days and in an effort of easing the burdens brought an electronic waste collection event to their districts in conjunction with the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills.

The Queensborough Community College Student Union was abuzz with warm congratulations for Linda Lee on Sunday afternoon, April 3, as she was sworn in to lead the Eastern Queens neighborhoods of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens, and Queens Village in the New York City Council.

For Queens residents, Sunday, April 10 was branded Community Kashering Day in conjunction with the Vaad Harabonim of Queens’ (VHQ) annual pre-Pesach kashering event. This year, neighbors were invited to the Young Israel of Queens Valley to bring their utensils, dishes, cutting boards, glasses, and other kitchen instruments to be made kosher. The shul’s mara d’asra, Rav Shmuel Marcus, is President of the VHQ. “Over 100 families participated in the program,” stated Rabbi Chaim Schwartz, VHQ Executive Vice President. The program brought out all ages and ethnicities represented in the thriving Queens Jewish community. Children attended with their fathers and grandfathers, daughters with their mothers and grandmothers, newlyweds, and seniors - all for the momentous mitzvah of preparing for Pesach in the days that follow Shabbos HaGadol. The Vaad provided trained mashgichim to facilitate the kashering process.

The p’tirah of Moreinu Sar HaTorah Rabban Shel Kol Yisrael Rabbeinu Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky ztk”l shook the Jewish world to its core. With the shloshim upon us, the Queens Jewish Link chose to commemorate the Gadol HaDor with unique portrayals of Rav Chaim from three Queens rabbanim residing in Eretz Yisrael mostly since their days in yeshivah: Rav Binyomin Kirschner, Rav Yaakov Aaron Skoczylas, and Rav Zev Stark.

Met Council on Jewish Poverty is widely distinguished as a foremost organization that provides nutritious meal options for underprivileged families throughout the year. During the time of the Jewish holidays, Met Council partners with various food pantries for expanded efforts. The Queens Jewish Community Council (QJCC) holds an annual Pesach distribution that supplies essential Kosher for Passover food items for local community members that can benefit from the extra assistance. These efforts go a long way in offsetting the large financial burdens that Pesach brings.