Dear Editor:
I am writing in to all the camp directors in the area and for all the parents that haven’t written in about this. “This” is the fact that camps finished August 16-19 and there are three, shalosh, drei, tres weeks until the new school year begins. I am speaking for the working parents who have to scramble to find babysitters, bring their kids to work (not fun), try to work at home (accomplishing nothing) or use PTO days. I’m also talking for the stay-at-home parents. Yes, they are home; but kids are usually in school or daycare for at least part of the day. Now with the kids home, that have responsibilities to do, and don’t have that de-stressing time to even think. And all of us parents are pulling our hair out of our heads.
My friends, my neighbors: We’re all on a chat, “What are you going to do tomorrow?” or “What did you do today. I need ideas!!” How many parks in KGH can you visit before your kids complain that they don’t want to go “again”? Same with the library without your kids complaining, “Again?” Same goes for Dunkin’ Donuts and the ice cream store. To go to any indoor or outdoor attraction for the day costs an arm and a leg, so now I’m not working and paying a lot of money to be entertained for one day. I can’t afford to do that!
It’s not fair, and I can’t believe other parents haven’t written about this to the camps in KGH or Forest Hills. I asked the director of my children’s camp why they’re ending so early and what I’m supposed to do as a full-time working mother and my husband works full time? She said this was arranged so that families can go away at the end of the summer and spend time together. That’s nice, but we can do that in one or two weeks, not three, and please don’t be concerned about the quality family time I am having with my kids; what type of quality happy time do you think we are having 24/7 together? I’m sorry to say it, but it feels like the beginning of COVID all over again without the Zoom classes.
We paid thousands of dollars for children to attend day camp and they did, but now parents have to add “counselor” to their many responsibilities. Do not misunderstand me; I love my children and spending time with them – but no camp for three weeks? And no after-camps, that extended after August 25? Yes, I know the teenagers and the teachers who work in the camps need time off too; but I am seeing many of the counselors in the pizza shops and parks. I’m sure someone is willing to work the last two weeks as a counselor so those that need the time can take it off. And the kids can adjust to a new counselor for a couple of weeks. It won’t traumatize them.
The point of this letter is not to complain about the time I’m spending with my children, but to complain that camps (which cost thousands of dollars) finished in the middle of August, leaving parents high and dry. And it affects every part of the household; finances, shalom bayis, etc.
A Self-Appointed Rep for All Angry Parents
Dear Editor:
In his column stating that New York has hit rock bottom on crime, Izzo Zwiren is optimistic that the only way to go is “up.” His optimism is fueled by the founder of an ultra-left-wing group decrying bail reform and its horrific effect on crime. However, the remarks of a representative of a single organization is not likely to have much of an effect on liberal voters or especially on state senators, assemblymen, or Governor Kathy Hochul, who is deathly afraid of losing the support of left-wing Democratic voters in the upcoming gubernatorial election. These people are directly responsible for of our exponential increase in crime and New York’s current pro-criminal agenda. The one suggestion that could have a positive impact is to encourage readers to vote for Lee Zeldin for governor in November. Why Zwiren didn’t mention the need to get Hochul out of office and vote for Zeldin in this crucial election is beyond me.
In the article about illegal migrants receiving meals from Masbia, author Laura Aaron refers to them as “asylum seekers.” This is a misleading term used by Mayor Adams and his fellow liberals when welcoming them to our “sanctuary city.” The term is used to misrepresent those taking advantage of President Biden’s open borders policy, who know all they have to do is claim persecution and seek “asylum” to be welcomed with open arms into the US. The vast majority of these migrants are not in danger in their home countries; they are economic migrants who are seeking a “better life” in America. There’s nothing wrong with that; however, most of the world would immigrate to the US if not for America’s immigration laws, which President Biden refuses to obey.
It is virtually certain that Masbia, an organization that does outstanding work in feeding the poor, especially the Jewish poor who currently live in New York, is getting funds from the City to feed these illegal migrants, hence their enthusiastic welcome.
Sincerely,
Arlene Ross
Forest Hills
Dear Editor:
I hope that Queens Jewish Link readers do not follow Warren Hecht’s specific recommendation from his column last week to watch TV.
But does Mr. Hecht in the least not owe an explanation to readers for what hana’ah he receives from having such a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome?
And instead of Mr. Hecht making the Democratic Party such a big personal priority, just imagine the great benefit he could experience by allocating only a few minutes to ask Rabbi Schonfeld to explain to him “what is best for the Jews”?
Choni Herschel Kantor
Kew Gardens, New York
Dear Editor:
I want to commend you for continuing to publish Warren Hecht’s column. Without the presence of his well-reasoned arguments, a reader of the Queens Jewish Link would have to conclude that Kew Gardens Hills was a cesspool of Trumpist fanaticism.
Eytan Mirsky
Dear Editor:
I want to comment on what Shmuel Sackett wrote in last week’s edition.
If I understood correctly, he was saying that our galus was not a spiritual one, but a physical one, and if all of klal Yisrael would move to Israel, then Mashiach would come.
Um...where did you get that from? The Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, and we were exiled, because we weren’t behaving properly, and until we fix that, it wouldn’t make a difference how many Jews are in Israel.
In fact, the State of Israel is very lacking spiritually.
So, while I appreciate your love for Eretz Yisrael, and I could strive to love Eretz Yisrael like you, that sounds very off to say that my living in KGH is holding back the g’ulah.
Thank you! May we all have a spiritual Elul, and do a proper t’shuvah, so that we are indeed zocheh to the g’ulah.
Avrohom Smith
Dear Editor:
Yes, it’s the month of Elul again. It’s the time of the year for introspection and t’shuvah. Can one (in this case, I) go through at least 30 days without speaking lashon ha’ra? All of this got me to wondering why the number-one date night of the year is (or was) the first S’lichos night. Doesn’t that seem ironic?
As we all know, simply asking Hashem for forgiveness isn’t enough. We have to ask m’chilah from our spouses, parents, friends, children, and in-laws. I once heard that guys have to ask forgiveness from girls that they possibly mistreated on a date. For example, if you left your blind date on a subway platform to find her own way back home, you had better find her cell-phone number. In my case, a guy I was crazy about asked me how many children I would want if we got married. I knew that any number under four was the wrong answer, so I replied, “four.” Well, the buzzer went off because that was the wrong response. He went on to marry someone else, and they had eight children. Nevertheless, some 30-odd years later, he called my sister-in-law to get my number because he wanted to apologize to me for any affront he might have caused me. I replied that it wasn’t necessary for him to call me, and I forgave him. (By the way, I’m assuming this applies to girls who have treated guys badly, too, like the time I was dating three guys at the same time because it boosted my ego.)
My point is it isn’t easy to do t’shuvah, especially when it comes to your fellow human beings. But doing it will make this Rosh HaShanah all the sweeter, and a more meaningful chag.
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
Warren Hecht is at it again. Warren always seems to support anti-Semites and attack those who are supportive of Jewish values. In his article, “CNN Values,” Warren praises CNN and criticizes Rabbi Schonfeld and the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV). Warren’s pals at CNN hired a writer, Adeel Raja, who is a virulent anti-Semite. She supports Hamas and has stated on many occasions that “the world needs another Hitler.” She also stated, “Hitler was a German and he did good with those Jews!” Many at CNN agree. CNN has often denigrated the victims of the Holocaust by comparing Trump to Hitler. Warren himself has compared Trump to Hitler and Haman. In Warren’s world, Trump should be condemned for refusing to support Hamas and cutting off trillions of dollars to Iran, and Biden should be praised for doing the opposite. The CJV acted properly in calling out CNN for their bogus program on anti-Semitism. CNN ignored the anti-Semitic comments of Omar in which she accused Jews of being traitors to the United States. Those comments are ominously similar to statements made by Adolf Hitler. What is even worse, the Democrats in Congress (including many Jews) refused to condemn her hatred.
As I have stated previously, the FBI has committed many violations of the law. Kleinsman pleaded guilty to falsifying documents in order to spy on Trump. Peter Strzok stated that he hates Trump and his supporters so much that he can smell them when he goes into a Walmart. Recently, it has come to light that the Timothy Tibault of the FBI pressured Facebook to quash the story about the Hunter Laptop in order to help Biden win the 2020 election. The fact that is illegal for the FBI to interfere with elections is not a problem to Warren and the left.
Now we get to the raid on Trump’s home. As I stated previously, the raid violated the Fourth Amendment. In order to circumvent this, the DOJ and the FBI engaged in “forum shopping” to find a judge (Judge Reinhart) with extreme bias against Trump. Reinhart recused himself in a previous lawsuit of Trump vs. Clinton due to his admitted hatred of Trump. Reinhart signed a general search warrant against Trump, which allowed them to illegally search through the entire premises and take whatever they wanted. A non-biased judge would never have agreed to this.
Finally, we get to Biden’s hate speech. Against a Satanic red background, and flanked by two Marines, Biden declared that anyone with MAGA values is an enemy to our country. He explained that anyone who does not support abortion on demand and LGBTQ is evil and must be destroyed. Biden also hinted at the fact that he intends to nullify the First Amendment rights of free speech by prosecuting all conservatives. America is a great country. We must vote Republican to check the power of the Democratic Party. America is a great country. Let’s keep it that way.
Eric Rubin