Dear Editor:
I’m writing this because I feel disgusted at what I witnessed this past Shabbos, and I won’t be able to breathe easy until I know that I did something about it. I don’t know how many readers will actually read this or care, but I care and so should others.
I live in the Kew Gardens Oasis. While sitting at my table on Shabbos drinking my coffee, I noticed a tow truck roll up into the parking lot in the back. A tow truck on Shabbos? I guess someone has a flat or dead battery. I didn’t think about it until I saw the tow truck operator hook up my neighbor’s car. My frum neighbor’s car. I write that because I know that my neighbor did not call for a tow on Shabbos. My neighbor was at shul, so I couldn’t rush next door to tell them, and I didn’t want to get in the middle of something that I wasn’t personally involved in or affected by; so I stayed by my window to watch but committed the name and number of the towing company to memory. The tow truck operator went to the front of the car and took a picture of the windshield – and that’s when I knew what was happening.
A few months ago, the same thing happened to a family down the block, when a tow truck came into the parking lot and hooked up their car. The husband ran out, started screaming and questioning what was happening: Why was his car being towed? He was told that the parking pass for the lot wasn’t visible in the windshield, and he was told by the boss to tow cars that don’t have the parking pass. The husband argued with the operator that the pass was in the car but not hanging in the window. Long story short, he paid the operator money to unhook the car and he hung the pass on the rearview mirror. The tow truck then drove to another car, took a picture of the windshield, hooked that car up, and towed it away. It was done in less than ten minutes.
To me, this appears as the management of Kew Gardens Oasis, which is owned by a frum man, called the tow company and told them to tow any cars without the pass in the window. But because they have had arguments with car owners in the past when they came during the week, they specifically came or were told to come on Shabbos, when no one would give the operator a hard time. That’s horrible. I can’t say for sure, but I’m certain that the management of Kew Gardens Oasis knows when a tow truck company that they have a contract with will come onto their private property and tow cars of residents. Yes, non-Jews live in Oasis, but I would say that at least three-quarters of the apartments are rented by frum families. This is like midas Sedom. This is horrible for one Jew to do to another Jew, if in fact the management knew about it. You have a company come on Shabbos in broad daylight – 10 a.m. – to tow cars and not worry about being met by an irate car owner who is helpless to do anything.
When my neighbor came home from shul, I told him what happened. As if in disbelief, he went to look at his now empty parking spot. He was totally shocked. He had the parking pass, but in the other car that is usually parked in the spot, but for the weekend is parked in the street. The name of the tow truck company was not the one printed on the sign in the parking lot, but he said he would call after Shabbos and begin to figure out where his car was. He also couldn’t believe that management didn’t know this would be happening today and the chances of picking up a frum person’s car were very high.
I’m not signing this letter, because I don’t want to have any trouble with the management myself, but I want to let others know what their frum landlord is doing to them.
S.G.
Dear Editor:
Yasher Koach to Warren Hecht for recognizing the leadership and contributions to Kew Gardens Hills by Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld and his father Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is a dedicated rav and performed many acts of chesed.
I worked closely with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld these past three years, perhaps the most difficult time period in the rabbinate for Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld. I have seen firsthand his dedication and caring personality.
May Hashem grant Rabbi Yoel and Rebbetzin Perrie much hatzlachah in their new community and much nachas from their children.
Stuart Verstandig
President
Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills
Dear Editor:
Concerning Senate passage of the “Inflation Reduction Act,” President Biden said “it funds health care and G-d knows what else.” This reminds me of what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She said, “We have to pass the bill, so that you can find out what is in it.”
So much for open transparency in government on the part of Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and Pelosi. Why would anyone take out a bank loan, home mortgage, or new credit card without first reading and understanding the fine print buried in the document?
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck, New York
Dear Editor:
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” No, it’s not December or June. For parents, it’s September, when the temperatures start moderating, the leaves start falling, and school finally resumes. Even if most students have laptops, there’s still the thrill of buying Post-it Notes, crayons, erasers, pens, and crisp notebooks. There are the fresh, clean uniforms or the other assorted new clothes. So, what’s so bad?
This is a message addressed to all Jewish parents. Please be advised that although you believe your kids are Albert Einsteins, not everyone, including teachers, agrees. Listen to what the teacher says about your child (not after the initial “Meet the Teacher Night”) and absorb what he or she says. If the rebbe says Avraham has “potential,” that’s teacher talk for he’s not the best student in the class. If the teacher says your Racheli is a little too social, that means she never shuts up and is disrupting the class. Accept the constructive criticism and, most importantly, show the teachers respect. Your children will follow your lead.
As a teacher myself, I should have followed my own advice. I recall going shopping at Brach’s (now Wasserman) with my 12-year-old “perfect” daughter, and when I saw one of her teachers down the aisle shopping, I greeted him with a “Hello, Mr. X.” The minute he spotted my daughter, he ran down a different aisle. I couldn’t believe that my daughter’s teacher wanted to avoid her, but I realized he must have had a good reason. (By the way, I got my daughter’s permission to write this anecdote.)
Recognize your children’s strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, show the hardworking teachers respect, and your children will follow suit.
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
First, Hillary Clinton is exonerated by Director James Comey of the FBI for keeping classified material on a private server in her private residence. Then the upper echelon of the FBI abuses the FISA Court and spies on candidate – and then President – Donald Trump. Then Attorney General Merrick Garland sets up a special FBI hotline for school board members to call if they feel “threatened” by outraged parents who are legitimately upset with Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ+ being taught to kids as little as five years old. January 6 trespassers are thrown into solitary confinement.
Now, we have the Attorney General admitting that he had the FBI raid President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, specifically when he wasn’t home. If this doesn’t demonstrate how corrupt the Department of Justice is, I don’t know what does? To use the DOJ for political purposes erodes the people’s faith in our institutions. “We the People” must take back our runaway government before it’s too late!
We are beginning to live in a police state, and this should scare everyone. The additional 87,000 new IRS agents aren’t going after the Jeff Bezoses and Elon Musks. They’re coming after us. It’s time to wake up and vote every Democrat out before we lose our country and end up in a Marxist Socialist state.
Shalom Markowitz