There was a violent demonstration in Yerushalayim this week against extending the building of the Jerusalem light rail into the Sanhedria community. The tracks are going down Rechov Bar Ilan, which right now is a busy street with buses and constant traffic. There is a fence down the middle of the street, which I believe is where the train tracks will go.
This is a chareidi neighborhood and they don’t want the work to be done on Shabbos. They also object to having non-religious people, who will be riding the train immodestly dressed, coming through their neighborhood. I find this kind of mob demonstration, with people starting fires and fighting with police, reminiscent of the anarchy that we experienced here in the U.S. this summer. Is this what chareidi Jewry has succumbed to?
Many of the rioters are yeshiva students and I was told that they are bored. Without any kosher outlets to spend their leisure time, they look for excitement in something like this. What is hypocritical is that I’m sure they ride the train when they have to go somewhere out of their neighborhood. They ride the train with all types of people. And are the buses any different? Religious and non-religious people ride the buses all over town and they are also dressed in various ways.
I can understand not wanting the work done on Shabbos, which will disturb the neighborhood Shabbos ambience and probably lead to kids standing around on Shabbos watching the construction.
But the long-term convenience of having the train at their doorstep will be a positive gain, leading to less vehicular traffic on already crowded streets. The Light Rail will get you from north to south and east to west throughout the city. The convenience of traveling without traffic jams and getting to your destination quickly is a positive thing.
It is time for quiet discussion between the chareidi community leaders and the municipality to solve problems like these. But the rabbanim and community leaders should not condone riots.
This is my opinion and it’s a shame that this had to happen right before Chanukah. This is such an exciting, fun, and joyous time of the year. The sufganiyot in every bakery smell and taste delicious, the decorations in the street are Chanukah decorations, and the menorahs that are lit outdoors twinkle in the night.
We live in such precarious times where we have more dangerous things to worry about, like Iran and the U.S.–Israel relationship if Biden becomes president. Quiet demonstrations, discussing different opinions, and working on compatible solutions is fine, but don’t encourage our youth to participate in rioting. Fighting within our own ranks is our weakness. We need the strength to fight our enemies, not each other.
Happy Chanukah to all! I love to hear your feedback, and you can call me at my office or send me an email about my column and about anything you want to know about real estate in Queens and plans to build in Israel. Be in touch!
Shevach Students Ignite Their Speech
On Thursday, December 3, Shevach High School students were fired up for their annual shemiras ha’lashon program through an exciting breakout. The girls entered Shevach’s multipurpose room to find it expertly decorated with fire-related artwork and explosive materials. One wall portrayed a line of erupting volcanoes, titled “Let Positivity Explode.” Another wall featured a fire extinguisher, “Extinguish Negativity,” a pile of bonfire logs, “How Wood You Feel?” and a Smokey the Bear poster, “One Word Can Spark a Forest Fire.”
Eleventh-grade Mishmeres heads Aviva Keller, Devorah Lesser, and Chani Miller, under the leadership of adviser Mrs. Sarah Davidson, did a phenomenal job of encouraging the students to “ignite your speech,” the theme of this year’s Mishmeres breakout. They explained that just as fire spreads quickly and uncontrollably, causing severe damage in a matter of seconds, so does lashon ha’ra. On the other hand, just as fire warms everything around it, so can our speech spread positivity and kindness.
Mr. Michael Rothschild, director of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, spoke next in a video presentation on the importance of proper speech. He emphasized that when we speak properly, we not only earn reward in the Next World, but we have a happier and more enjoyable life here. Instead of focusing on the negative effect of improper speech, we should focus on the positive. Mr. Rothschild offered the catchphrase “I’d rather not hear that” as a gentle way to stop someone speaking disparagingly of another, and put us on the path to a better life.
The room was “exploding” with energy as the Mishmeres heads ended the breakout with an original, exciting, and catchy theme song. Each student also received an adorable personalized stress ball imprinted with “Destress, don’t explode” to remind them to hold back from speaking negatively. Everyone left “glowing” with inspiration and fired up to start this year’s Mishmeres program.
YCQ Bat Mitzvah Workshop
By Ruby Samson, grade 8
On Wednesday, November 25, the seventh grade girls participated in a bat mitzvah workshop in the lunchroom of YCQ. In a typical year, the sixth-grade girls would have a program after school with their mothers, in anticipation of becoming b’not mitzvah the following year. However, due to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, which began earlier this year and which forced a lot of activities at school to be suspended, it was not possible to hold the event at the end of sixth grade.
For this reason, the seventh-grade girls had their event this fall to celebrate together the important milestone of becoming b’not mitzvah. Unlike previous years, their mothers were not able to join because of the limitations on the number of people allowed to participate and social distancing requirements due to COVID-19. The faculty and staff made extra efforts to make the girls feel special in honor of this important occasion.
The seventh-grade girls had a lunch reception followed by a presentation in which they each presented a speech describing their namesakes and the background of their relationships with the people whose lives they honor. Morah Leemor, the sixth-grade Ivrit teacher, assisted the girls in drafting their speeches and helped the girls with presentation style. At the end of the lunch reception, the girls also received Siddurim as a special token for becoming b’not mitzvah.
One component of the bat mitzvah workshop was to engage in a chesed activity, and this year the seventh-grade girls raised money for an orphanage in Israel. The girls raised money by selling things like doughnuts for Chanukah and mishloach manot on Purim during the previous year. “I am so proud of these girls for raising a lot of money, especially after what they went through,” said Morah Bienenfeld after the bat mitzvah workshop.
“After these months of staying inside,” said Tehilla Kafash, a seventh-grade student, “it was really amazing for all the teachers to chip in and make this something special.”
Everyone at YCQ — teachers, faculty, and staff — worked very hard to make the celebration marking the seventh-grade girls becoming b’not mitzvah an important occasion, even in light of the unusual situation and limits due to the current pandemic, and to make the bat mitzvah workshop a special event they would never forget.
Upcoming Events
The Chanukah Spectacular for Women and Girls: Extraordinary, Sensational, Spectacular! A ticket to the Chanukah Spectacular gives you access to watch the show throughout Chanukah, December 10–18. Begins December 10 at 8 p.m. A night of song and dance with Devorah Schwartz in concert with Mirel Bennet, composer, and MC Yaffa Palti, plus never-seen-before talent! Ticket prices: individual $25, household $36, group $45, school $160. Partial proceeds go to Hachnasas Kallah of Queens. Endorsed by rabbanim. To purchase tickets, visit thechanukahspectacular.com.
Chanita Teitz is a real-estate broker at Astor Brokerage in Kew Gardens Hills, serving the entire Queens vicinity. For all your real-estate needs, call her at 718-263-4500 or email chanita@astorbrokerage.com.
