Colors: Blue Color

The smell of sizzling burgers wafted through Alley Pond Park as families gathered for the Queens Village Republican Club’s annual “Family Fun Day & BBQ” on Sunday, August 10. Kids raced in potato-sack relays, battled in tug-of-war, and lined up for face painting, while a DJ kept the music upbeat and balloon animals bobbed above the crowd. Under red, white, and blue tents, vendors served hot dogs, salads, kosher treats, and even offered a cheeky T-shirt reading, “Only You Can Prevent Socialism.”

A century of life – defined by courage, education, and unwavering service – was celebrated with heartfelt warmth at the Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Hills, as Jack Alkana marked his 100th birthday. The joyous milestone, observed this past Monday, June 23, honored a man whose legacy continues to inspire all who know him.

When HaGaon HaRav Yitzhak Yosef shlita, former Rishon L’Tzion and son of the legendary Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, landed in the United States last week, it wasn’t part of a speaking tour or rabbinic conference. The Rav had just concluded a scheduled chizuk trip in Italy and planned to return to Eretz Yisrael, when news broke of missile strikes and the sudden closure of Ben Gurion Airport. Without hesitation, he rerouted his journey – not to wait idly in exile, but to bring inspiration to American shores.