Queens Borough President Richards convened his quarterly Hate Crimes Task Force on Thursday, December 14, continuing a critical, boroughwide conversation on how to keep our communities safe amid the rise of hate crimes in Queens and the city. “With hate of all kinds on the rise, it’s never been more important to live up to our name as the World’s Borough,” said Richards with efforts of the Task Force poised to ensure that Queens remains “that place where our diversity is our truest strength.”

It is a distressing time for Jewish children across America right now, but all the more so for children who have complex learning disabilities or special needs.  We have all been affected by the war in Israel and the rise in antisemitism here in the U.S.  Yet for the children of SINAI Schools, including those who are at SINAI@YCQ, the difficult environment can be even more challenging to navigate, and SINAI has needed to respond and teach each child individually, to meet his or her specific needs.

In this week’s parshah, Yosef revealed himself to his brothers after not seeing them for 22 years. The pasuk states: “VaYomer Yosef el echav: Ani Yosef; ha’od avi chai? V’lo yachlu echav laanos oso, ki nivhalu mi’panav – And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him” (B’reishis 45:3).