Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu grew up in West Jerusalem but spent his high...
When the war began in October 2023, no one imagined it would stretch on for 500 agonizing days. Yet here we are, still counting. Back then, people said the war might continue until December. Maybe January. To do the job properly, it would take time. We were told to have patience.
As a nation, we navigate joy and sorrow side by side, holding conflicting emotions with remarkable grace. Even in moments of profound joy – under the chupah, as a couple begins building their bayis ne’eman b’Yisrael – the chasan breaks a glass, a poignant reminder that our happiness is incomplete until Hashem’s house, the Beis HaMikdash, is rebuilt. Sitting around our elegantly set Seder table, dressed in our finest, we eat matzah, poor man’s bread, reminding us of our bitter days in Mitzrayim.
Life is pretty intense these days. Our lives are filled with events and activities that evoke strong emotions; but now, an additional layer of intensity prevails.
The moment I stepped into the annual Tzam’ah Event for Women at Binyanei HaUmah, I was enveloped by a wave of anticipation and joy. Walking past stalls selling chasidic books and even one testing for the bone marrow registry, I was drawn by the aroma of warm soups, kugels, and cholent wafting from the reception area. The hum of hundreds of conversations created an atmosphere alive with spirit and community.
Facing an unimaginable ordeal, Sigi Cohen’s strength and unwavering emunah have recently become a source of inspiration for the community of Ramat Beit Shemesh. A former resident of the neighborhood and the mother of 27-year-old Elya, Sigi captivated the women with her heartfelt reflections as the mother of a hostage.
The end of a short life filled with so much accomplishment came as a surprise to the students, and even to the family, of the beloved Rav of Lublin, Rav Meir Shapiro zt”l. He was only 46 years young when he developed a throat ailment that caused him to become weak, and he debilitated amazingly quickly. However, the doctors who checked him assured him that it would pass, and thus, no one was prepared on that fateful Thursday night. They barely had time to say T’hilim.
