News

How do you honor and pay tribute to true pillars of a community? To properly thank leaders who have dedicated the past 30 years to an extended family of over a thousand? To capture the heartfelt emotion and feelings of generations of families? The Young Israel of Jamaica Estates decided to plan a Shabbos filled with programming and events designed to express the community’s love and appreciation to the Hochbergs. The name “YIJE Family Reunion Shabbat” was chosen to depict the sentiment of the weekend.

Close to 600 alumni, families, faculty, and rebbeim enjoyed a sunny afternoon at an alumni celebration held at Touro’s Lander College for Men. Alumni reconnected with old friends, introduced professors to their wives, and shared a delicious barbecue. Lander Dean Moshe Sokol and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yonason Sacks enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with alumni. A musical group entertained diners while a magician, face painters, and carnival rides kept the children smiling.

Remembering the Holocaust takes on critical importance as the years pass and survivors are no longer with us to share their first-hand accounts. At Emet Outreach, Holocaust education is an essential part of ensuring Jewish continuity. Thirty-seven Emet students joined Rabbi Mordechai Kraft, Dr Peryl Agishtein, and Ms. Chaya Rosenbaum on a life-changing trip to historical Jewish sites in Poland and Prague. The itinerary included emotional and thought-provoking visits to concentration camps, mass graves, synagogues, and yeshivos. This trip, Emet’s first of two for this summer, is a culmination of a year of learning about Judaism and spending Shabbos with Emet.

Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal has secured new parking signage for the attendees of Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, ensuring that congregants are able to attend morning prayer services.

Is it possible to be worse off because of an increase in the minimum wage? In some cases, the answer is yes. Shira* is a home healthcare aide. She’s a divorced mother with three children. Her wages went up from $13.65 an hour to $15 an hour this past January, due to the increase in the minimum wage in New York City. That should have been good news. As a result of the minimum wage increase, she’s making $235 more per month. The problem is that while New York adjusted the minimum wage, it did not adjust the maximum earnings. So Shira lost $505 in SNAP (food stamps) benefits – meaning that her overall income went down $270 per month. “The minimum wage was meant to help low-income New Yorkers. However, in some cases, it’s actually costing them money. That is the “benefits cliff,” and Met Council, as the largest Jewish charity serving the poor, is committed to fighting it on behalf of these low-income New Yorkers,” explained David G. Greenfield, CEO of Met Council on Jewish Poverty.

To Support New York City Children And Families 

Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health support network, has secured more than $200,000 in funding in the City Council’s fiscal 2020 budget to support New York City area children and families living with serious illness.