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On Sunday evening, December 31, community members gathered at Beth Gavriel Center for a stirring night of inspiration hosted by Chazaq and Beth Gavriel in commemoration of the six-month yahrzeit of Carmela Yakubov’s father, Rafik Ribihav ben Frida, and in memory of those killed in the current war in Israel, for release of the hostages, and for the safety of our soldiers.

“I feel really proud that I had the opportunity to help out at this time of crisis. “Dr. Adam Zeitlin, local physician in Kew Gardens Hills, packed up and rushed to use his skills to help Eretz Yisrael. “We all have a place as a Jewish nation. I wanted to give my hand in a time of need.”

On Sunday evening, December 24, Let’s Get Real with Coach Menachem featured a Zoom shiur with Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, well-known speaker, author, and the Executive Director of the Serenity Center in Spring Valley, New York. Mr. Weinberger shared that it is part of human dynamics that no matter how close you are to someone, there will be places that you disagree. The question is how do you deal with this discord?

On Sunday evening, December 17, Let’s Get Real With Coach Menachem featured a lecture by psychotherapist Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld, LCSW, on the subject of trauma. Rabbi Rosenfeld is a specialist in addiction, anxiety, and depression.

On Tuesday evening, December 26, community members flocked to The Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills to hear a presentation from Chaviv Friedman, a soldier who is currently fighting in the IDF.

I received a beautiful Chanukah gift this year from Emet Outreach’s Learning Program. It was a new sefer by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, Founding Rav of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere. There was so much inspiration packed into this sefer, that this writer felt compelled to share some of the beautiful ideas with our readers. The sefer is titled By the Light of the Fire.