News

The most diverse borough in the world twice hosted the World’s Fair - in 1939 and again in 1964. The first Fair was the largest in the history of such expositions, but it was overshadowed by World War II, in which the Czechoslovak and Polish pavilions were orphaned as their homelands were snuffed by Nazi Germany. The second Fair, at Flushing Meadows, had its own controversies, which related not as much to war as the rules governing a World’s Fair.

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.

To an outside observer, a Chabad located in a thriving Orthodox community with multiple shuls seems counterintuitive, but the Chabad of West Hempstead inspires observant families as it reaches out to unaffiliated Jews.

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.

With the resignation of Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal earlier this month, the 27th District, which covers Kew Gardens Hills, College Point, Whitestone, and a part of Forest Hills, will have its special election on Tuesday, September 12, to fill the vacancy. By law, the candidates of the major parties are selected by district leaders, and they run to fill the remaining portion of Rosenthal’s term. They can then run again next year for a full term.

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.