COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

JCC Happenings!

Lava Lamp Fun 

This month’s activity at the JCC Kids Club was using the power of science to make our very own lava lamps! Children of various ages, including preschoolers, learned how to apply the basics of chemistry to find out why and how oil and water don’t mix. While having fun, the children were able to apply the principles of density and polarity to create colorful lava lamps. Watching the bubbles and gas form in the bottles was hypnotic and will give attendees hours of fun when they take the keepsakes home with them. Here at the JCC we combine learning with fun! 

Picture Perfect

On Sunday mornings, Avigail Guetta teaches our art class for girls where the girls learn the basics of beginner’s art techniques such as how to create composition, adding dimensions, mixing colors, the basics of sketching, drawing, and using pastels and ink in a friendly and social environment! We can’t wait to see what masterpieces of art they develop! 

Training the Next Generation of Grandmasters

We introduced our new chess club class for boys this month. The boys love chess as do their parents since it builds their skills in abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, and strategic thinking. The boys, ages eight and up, get a chance to practice and hone their skills and pick up new moves thanks to their instructor Bryon Miller and Andrew Benonoff from Chess Chevra. We’re so excited to watch them grow into grandmasters!

Sweet Skills 

To wrap up the month, we had a mother-daughter cookie decorating event coordinated by the wonderful Rifky Sobel! Over 65 pairs of mothers and daughters, friends, and coworkers learned the basics of cookie decorating and design while also taking home a yummy treat to enjoy later! 

This month, we are looking forward to our hamantash bake off event, and the continuation of our art, guitar, music, studio recording, and chess classes.

Community Highlights 

Daniel Keren

Richie Taylor Becomes Highest Ranking Orthodox NYPD Officer

Marine Park resident Richie Taylor was promoted from the rank of inspector to the post of deputy chief of the NYPD, bringing pride to members of the Orthodox Jewish community throughout the Big Apple. Yarmulke-wearing Taylor said, “Thank you, Hashem! I am deeply appreciative of the faith Commissioner Edward Caban has shown in me, and this could never have been possible without the sacrifices of my family all these years. I look forward to using my new position to further help people all across the city.”

Crown Heights EBT Theft 

Crown Heights Shmira reported that it has received multiple reports of a food stamp scam in Crown Heights. As a result, EBT card holders have been advised to change their pin numbers to prevent further theft. Shmira has discovered that scammers are monitoring people’s EBT cards, and when funds are refilled each month, they run the card and deplete it of its funds. Depending on the number of children in the family, some Crown Heights residents have reported losses of hundreds of dollars. Many scam victims discovered their EBT cards were used in Philadelphia supermarkets. An EBT representative told a Crown Heights resident that the nationwide pattern of fraud suggests a potential system hack.

MTA’s Manhattan Congestion Pricing Plan to Begin

The MTA’s proposed $15 congestion fee for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street, may start as early as mid-June. The proposed $1 billion revenue will be utilized for upgrades to the city’s public transport network. The MTA faces opposition from various groups. New Yorkers face the brunt of the fee, while New Jersey is suing, with the state’s attorney calling the move “a brazen money grab.” Additionally, residents of Bronx and Staten Island worry the toll will divert traffic, increasing congestion and pollution in their boroughs.

Strauss Bakery Sets Record for World’s Largest Challah

Strauss, the famous Boro Park bakery, will soon be recognized by the Guinness Book of Worlds Records as the creator of the world’s largest challah, breaking the previous record by challah makers in Australia in 2019. To break the record, the Strauss bakers made two 35-foot versions from 200 pounds of dough and used a commercial kosher bakery with a special massive tunnel oven. The first mega-challah was delivered to the Upper West Side’s Rodeph Shalom Congregation. The second giant challah was delivered to one of the Moishe’s Houses that provide Shabbos meals and programming to Jews in more than twenty countries.

NYPD Commissioner Caban Meets with Hatzalah Coordinators

Ties between the NYPD and Chevrah Hatzalah were strengthened by a recent visit of the new NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban to Central Hatzalah’s headquarters.  The commissioner met with coordinators of Hatzalah chapters in Boro Park, the Catskills, Flatbush, Queens, Riverdale, Staten Island, and Williamsburg and expressed his respect for Hatzalah and its dedicated volunteers. It was noted that the commissioner was quick to address the October 7 attacks and the threat to Jews in New York City with a Zoom call. During the call, joined by members of Shomrim and Hatzalah, Commissioner Caban pledged the full support of the police department in ensuring the safety of all Jewish communities in the five boroughs.