Numerous streets throughout Boro Park will be closed to vehicular traffic on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, for the first time ever, accommodating the thousands of residents who traditionally fill the neighborhood’s streets on Yom Tov night.

The closures, first discussed during a recent Community Board 12 meeting ahead of the High Holidays, have now been finalized by Community Board 12 in coordination with community partners at the NYPD, Shomrim, and Chaveirim.

The first night of Rosh Hashanah brings particularly heavy pedestrian traffic to Boro Park, as thousands walk after davening to visit Rebbes and Rabbanim, while families make their traditional visits to parents and grandparents to exchange wishes for a good and sweet new year.

With the entire community traveling by foot, sidewalks and streets across the neighborhood become exceptionally crowded throughout the evening. The planned closures will provide additional space for pedestrians and help ensure safer movement through the busiest areas.

The streets designated exclusively for pedestrians will include 14th and 15th Avenues between 47th and 51st Streets, as well as 48th, 49th, and 50th Streets between 13th and 16th Avenues.

The initiative comes one year after a similar arrangement was implemented in Williamsburg, where Bedford Avenue was closed to traffic on Rosh Hashanah night to accommodate the thousands of pedestrians traveling through the neighborhood.

By Y.M. Lowy

New renderings released this week are giving Boro Park residents a first look at what a future Interborough Express station could look like.

The proposed IBX light-rail line would connect Brooklyn and Queens along an existing rail corridor. In Boro Park, one of the planned stations is on New Utrecht Avenue, with a proposed entrance near 61st Street and 14th Avenue.

The station would connect with the D and N trains at 62nd Street/New Utrecht Avenue. The MTA’s plans show a modern station with multiple elevators, wider fare gates, improved lighting, digital signs and updated audio announcements. The elevators would also have wider cabs for better accessibility.   

Another IBX station is planned on McDonald Avenue, serving Boro Park, Kensington and Midwood. That station would connect with the F train at Avenue I and 18th Avenue, with a proposed entrance near McDonald Avenue and Elmwood Avenue. 

The full IBX line is planned to have 18 stations stretching from the Brooklyn Army Terminal to Queens. The entire trip would take about 32 minutes, with connections to 17 subway lines, more than 50 bus routes and the LIRR. 

The project is still in the design and environmental-review stages, so construction is not starting yet. The MTA is continuing the environmental review before the project can move forward.

YS GOLD

On a corner of Sixteenth Avenue stands a little shtiebel. It is known as the New Lots Shul, because its early members were transplants from the New Lots section of Brooklyn. It is one of Boro Park’s last remaining Nusach Ashkenaz shuls. 

Can our identify this location? 

__ 

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

Best Stores was located on the corner of 16th Avenue and 52nd Street.

A new school building has opened in Boro Park as the Vizhnitz school continues to expand.

The new nine-story building on 41st Street, next to the existing Vizhnitz school building, was completed in less than two years and is now being used for the new school year.

The 40,000-square-foot building has two underground floors and seven floors above ground, with 20 new classrooms, a large davening room and a spacious auditorium.

The new building is being used by the high school and preschool, while the existing building will now have additional space for the elementary school.

Construction began after the cornerstone-laying ceremony during Selichos of 5785, and the project moved ahead quickly over the past two years.

A Chanukas Habayis and kvias mezuzah is scheduled for next Tuesday, with the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Boro Parkexpected to lead the event. Hundreds of parents and members of the Vizhnitz kehilla are expected to attend.

photos: Issac Y.

photos: Duvid Jaroslawicz

By BoroPark24 Staff

Dee Voch is welcoming Rosh Hashanah with one of its largest and most ambitious packages to date, presenting readers with a massive seven-booklet collection spanning approximately 700 pages of news, features, inspiration, history, business, children’s content, fiction, and extensive coverage of the major events that shaped the Jewish world during 5786.

The expanded Rosh Hashanah package brings together the regular Dee Voch alongside special editions of Shrift, Business Shrift, Fink and Kinder Shrift, as well as major standalone supplements produced especially for the season, including an extensive commemorative volume documenting the historic visit of Gedolei Yisroel to the White House and the annual “Di Yohr” year-in-review.

The main Dee Voch edition itself has been significantly expanded for Rosh Hashanah, packed with coverage of the latest happenings throughout the frum world. Particular attention is given to the first Selichos, with extensive coverage and imagery from the courts of Rebbes and kehillos across the Jewish world.

Shrift

The Rosh Hashanah Shrift opens with a powerful and timely feature, “Avodah Tovah Umesukah,” presenting an extensive pre-Rosh Hashanah conversation with noted mashpia Harav Yitzchok Moshe Erlanger shlita.

Another gripping Shrift feature, “Unesaneh Tokef in Hadassah Hospital,” tells the extraordinary personal story of R’ Menachem Mendel Pappenheim.

In a completely different Rosh Hashanah feature, “Umi Yisparsem,” Shrift looks back at 10 distinctive personalities who became widely known throughout the Jewish world during 5786, examining the people and circumstances that suddenly placed them in the public eye.

History enthusiasts will find another remarkable story: the little-known plot by powerful Wall Street figures who were accused of planning a coup against President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the decorated general whose testimony brought the alleged scheme to national attention.

Business Shrift

The special Business Shrift presents “Daas Baal Habayis,” an in-depth profile of R’ Shimon Dovid Davidowitz, whose work helped revolutionize the Chassidish clothing industry in Eretz Yisroel.

Fink

The Rosh Hashanah Fink delivers a broad collection of emotional and thought-provoking stories built around themes particularly relevant to the Yemei Hadin.

“Funken” begins with the burial of a developmentally disabled girl alongside her accomplished grandmother. The stark contrast between their lives leads to a deeper question: perhaps the pure neshamah of the girl, despite everything she could not accomplish in conventional terms, occupies an even greater place Above.

“Im Kevanim, Im Kaavadim” follows Gedalya, the son of a baal teshuvah, as he struggles with the meaning of his own bechirah. Is he truly choosing his path, or merely following the road his father chose for him?

“Al Hanaar Hazeh Hispalalti” takes readers back to the moving story of Chana and her yearning for a child. The historical narrative follows her pain on the journey to Shiloh, her heartfelt tefillah, her promise that a son would be dedicated to serving Hashem, and the fulfillment of that promise after the birth of Shmuel.

Another major feature, “Dark Shadows,” presents conversations with two Ethiopian Jewish women, Mrs. Gandel and Mrs. Leknash, about a world largely unfamiliar to contemporary readers.

Kinder Shrift

Younger readers receive their own substantial Rosh Hashanah edition of Kinder Shrift.

One special feature takes children inside the headquarters of Adir Publishing for a firsthand look at how some of Klal Yisroel’s familiar siddurim and seforim are produced.

Another timely feature focuses on children’s minyanim. Kinder Shrift speaks with organizers of children’s minyanim in major kehillos, exploring how they operate and the remarkable koach of the tefillos of tinokos shel beis rabban.

Historic White House Visit Special Edition

Among the highlights of the entire Rosh Hashanah package is a separate, specially produced booklet devoted exclusively to the historic journey of leading Gedolei Yisroel to the White House.

The commemorative volume provides extensive and exclusive coverage of the visit from beginning to end.

Readers follow each Rebbe and member of the delegation from the preparations and departure, through the journey to Washington and arrival at the White House.

The booklet documents the delegation’s meeting with Vice President JD Vance before reaching the historic centerpiece of the visit: the meeting of the Gedolei Yisroel with President Donald Trump.

Hundreds of photographs chronicle the historic day, capturing details and moments surrounding the visit and offering readers an opportunity to experience the extraordinary event from beginning to end.

More than simply another magazine supplement, the special edition was designed as a keepsake documenting a rare chapter in contemporary Jewish history — one readers will be able to revisit and preserve for years to come.

Dee Yur

Also included in the giant package is Dee Voch’s annual “Dee Yur,” an extensive review of the year that was.

As its name indicates, the special edition takes readers back through the major developments of 5786, bringing together the biggest Jewish and world news stories in one comprehensive volume.

Major international events are revisited alongside the stories that dominated the frum world, including the Iran war and the continuing battle surrounding the gezeiras giyus of bnei hayeshivos in Eretz Yisroel.

A particularly meaningful section is dedicated to the prominent figures Klal Yisroel lost during the past year, preserving the memories of Admorim, Rabbanim, Dayanim, Roshei Yeshivos and other distinguished figures, as well as prominent Rebbetzins and women of distinction who passed away during 5786.

Another extensive section revisits the major and unusual events that unfolded throughout the Chassidish courts over the course of the historic year, creating a permanent visual and written record of 5786.

“Vegvaizer” Eretz Yisroel Handbook Included Free

Also included in the massive Dee Voch package is the popular “Vegvaizer” handbook, a practical guide designed to make traveling and staying in Eretz Yisroel easier and more organized.

The guide includes detailed listings, addresses and phone numbers covering virtually every need a visitor may encounter in Eretz Yisroel, including minyanim, mekomos hakedoshim, Rabbanim and Admorim, drivers, apartment rentals, mikvaos, grocery stores, restaurants, attractions and museums.

Beyond the extensive directories, the handbook features practical instructions and informative articles aimed at giving travelers clarity before they even arrive.

Detailed maps of the major frum neighborhoods help visitors easily understand where they are and how to navigate unfamiliar areas, while additional sections provide useful information for planning trips and getting around.

Seven Booklets, 700 Pages, One Giant Rosh Hashanah Package, NOW IN STORES!

To receive the Dee Voch package weekly at your door, subscribe now via WhatsApp or the website!

With Rosh Hashanah just days away, Jewish communities all across New York are set to see increased police presence around shuls and other sensitive locations during the upcoming Yomim Tovim.

New York State Police will be increasing patrols and coordinating with local police departments around Jewish communities and religious institutions throughout the High Holidays.

Troopers have also been reaching out to local religious leaders to keep communication open and coordinate on security concerns. State Police will remain in contact with the NYPD and community security organizations during the holiday period.

The increased presence comes as hate crimes in New York City continue to rise. Through August 30, the NYPD recorded 425 hate crimes, compared with 367 during the same period last year.

Jewish New Yorkers have continued to be the most frequent targets. There were 229 reported anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city during the same period, up from 212 last year. That means more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city were directed against Jews.

At the same time, New York State is providing $70 million to 290 nonprofit organizations across the state for security improvements. Jewish organizations, shuls and other community institutions can use the funding for measures such as better lighting, alarms, cameras, panic buttons, stronger doors and locks, access controls and other security upgrades.

Police are encouraging communities to remain alert and report anything suspicious.

Yisroel R.

Boro Park families will have something exciting to look forward to this Chol Hamoed Sukkos, as the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) is preparing a massive, full-day extravaganza filled with rides, shows, concerts, and family entertainment — all completely free of charge.

The newly announced event will bring to Sukkos the same type of large-scale Chol Hamoed experience that has become a highlight of Pesach in Boro Park for years. BPJCC’s Pesach program, originally launched through the efforts of Simcha Felder and later continued with funding secured by Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, has grown into a three-day celebration stretching across four blocks and drawing more than 10,000 children in recent years.

Now, for the first time in many years, that experience is being expanded to Sukkos. Funding secured by State Senator Sam Sutton, in partnership with Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, will make possible a full day of Chol Hamoed programming on 18th Avenue, with organizers planning a program on an even larger scale than the popular Pesach events, featuring a spectacular, expanded lineup of extremely exciting rides, live entertainment, concerts, shows, free giveaways, carnival attractions, petting zoos, and so much more.

State Senator Sam Sutton, in a statement to the community announcing the new Chol Hamoed Sukkos program, said, “Chol Hamoed Sukkos is a special opportunity when families should have available and affordable opportunities to come together and enjoy Yuntif as a family. That’s why I’m proud to work together with the BPJCC to bring free, family-friendly programming to our community for Sukkos.

“Building on the success of the BPJCC and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein’s Chol Hamoed Pesach Extravaganza, I was privileged to secure funding for a full day of activities and entertainment for families to enjoy this Chol Hamoed Sukkos. Our families deserve opportunities like this to enjoy the Yuntif, and I look forward to seeing thousands of families come out and enjoy this beautiful day of fun together!”

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, welcoming the expansion of the popular Chol Hamoed program to Sukkos, said, “The upcoming Sukkos Chol Hamoed Extravaganza promises to be as fun and exciting as the Pesach events we have presented in the past. I am delighted to partner with Senator Sam Sutton on this wonderful project, and I thank him for his leadership in making this Sukkot extravaganza happen. These events are eagerly anticipated by community members of all ages, providing families with high-quality entertainment and activities free of charge! It’s the perfect Chol Hamoed outing and I encourage everyone to attend!”

Beyond the program’s large scale, BPJCC officials say one of its most meaningful aspects is what it offers families during Yom Tov: an entire day of high-caliber entertainment without adding another expense. With Chol Hamoed outings often becoming a significant part of a family’s Yom Tov budget, the program is designed to give thousands of parents and children a special day together while keeping the entire experience accessible to everyone.

“Being able to add this kind of Simchas Yom Tov for thousands of Boro Park families is incredibly special,” BPJCC CEO Avi Greenstein said. “Thanks to Senator Sam Sutton, together with Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, families will be able to enjoy an exceptional day of Chol Hamoed entertainment of the highest caliber without it costing them a dime.”

The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, the fourth day of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A large sukkah will be set up on site to comfortably accommodate the large crowds expected throughout the day. BPJCC says more exciting information will be announced shortly as preparations continue for what organizers expect to become a major Chol Hamoed highlight for the entire Boro Park community.

By Y.M. Lowy

A new NYC sanitation rule that has been in place since June is moving into full enforcement tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8.

The Department of Sanitation requires households in properties with 1 to 9 residential units to place their trash in a proper bin with a secure lid. Loose trash and garbage bags left directly on the sidewalk will no longer be collected.

The requirement officially took effect on June 1, 2026, but the city gave residents the summer to adjust. During the warning period, properties that did not comply received warnings rather than monetary penalties.

That period ends today. Starting tomorrow, September 8, DSNY will begin issuing fines for violations.

Trash: Must be placed in a bin no larger than 55 gallons with a secure lid.

Recycling: Continues to go in the designated recycling container or clear bag.

Organics: Continue to be separated and placed out according to DSNY’s composting rules.

The requirement for a specific NYC Bin applies to trash. Residents may use other suitable containers for recycling and organics.

The first violation can result in a $50 fine, with higher penalties for subsequent violations.

Official NYC Bins are available at participating Home Depot locations throughout the city, and can also be ordered for delivery.

photos: Shuki Lehrer

By Y.M. Lowy

Boro Park residents who noticed heavy smoke in the area or saw emergency vehicles rushing through the neighborhood Sunday morning were seeing the response to a serious fire in nearby Kensington.

A two-alarm fire broke out shortly before noon on Avenue C, with heavy smoke and flames shooting from a third-floor window.

Firefighters battled the flames for more than two hours as smoke could be seen billowing from the building.

Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to Maimonides Hospital.

The fire caused significant damage to the building, including blown-out windows and damaged belongings piled up outside. The Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for the home, but a cause was not yet determined for the fire.

Gallery includes: Chernobile, Ungvar, Kosov, Skulen, Skolya, Tenka, Beis Chaim Shia, Amshinov, Aleksander, Sanv Rov of American in Boro Park, Liska.

photos by: Avrumi Berger, Ari Freund

photos: Avrumi Blum 

With the Yom Tov travel season approaching and thousands of families preparing to fly, immigration askanim are issuing an urgent warning to the community: if there is anything questionable, unresolved, or incorrect with your immigration status or documents, do not go to the airport before having your situation reviewed by a qualified immigration attorney.

According to askanim directly involved in assisting heimishe families with immigration matters, they have dealt with more than 70 cases involving members of the community in just the past month, including individuals who were detained by immigration authorities.

Of particular concern, askanim say, are cases that arose when people arrived at airports to travel — and not only when leaving the United States.

Several of the situations involved people traveling domestically, from one U.S. city to another.

The message from askanim is therefore clear: do not assume that because you are taking a domestic flight, an immigration problem cannot catch up with you at the airport.

Those who have overstayed a visa or ESTA admission, have an extension or change of status still pending, have questions regarding their current immigration status, or have any discrepancy in their immigration documents should not simply arrive at the airport and hope everything will be fine.

Askanim also caution against a common misconception: having a pending application or USCIS receipt does not, by itself, necessarily mean that a person has lawful immigration status or is protected from enforcement. Every case is different and must be reviewed based on its individual circumstances.

Another serious issue askanim say they have encountered involves non-U.S. citizens who mistakenly registered to vote or voted in a U.S. election.

According to askanim familiar with recent cases, immigration problems related to voting have surfaced involving green card holders and visa holders, including cases in which individuals were arrested at airports.

The issue can be extremely serious for a noncitizen. At the same time, not every voting-related situation is legally identical. The consequences can depend on exactly what occurred, including whether someone registered, actually voted, how it happened, and other circumstances.

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and believes he or she may have mistakenly registered to vote or cast a ballot should therefore speak with a qualified immigration attorney and should not wait until arriving at an airport to discover whether there is a problem.

The warning is particularly timely ahead of the Yomim Tovim, when many families will be flying to spend Yom Tov with parents and children, attend simchos, or travel for other family needs.

Askanim are urging people to take a few minutes now to make sure everything is in order.

If you have an expired visa or ESTA, a pending immigration application, an unresolved status issue, a discrepancy in your documents, or any concern involving voter registration or voting, have the situation properly reviewed before traveling.

The purpose of the warning is not to create panic, askanim stress, but to prevent a manageable immigration issue from becoming a far more serious situation once someone is already at the airport.

The message ahead of Yom Tov is simple: if anything about your immigration status or documents is not 100% clear, do not wait until you reach the airport to find out where you stand.

A sidewalk reconstruction project has been completed alongside the BP gas station at the corner of 18th Avenue and 60th Street.

Crews removed the existing sidewalk and poured a new concrete surface along the busy corner, replacing the deteriorated pavement and improving conditions for pedestrians.

Photos taken during the project show crews using heavy equipment to break apart the old concrete, with sections of the sidewalk fenced off as the work progressed.

Pedestrians were temporarily directed to use the opposite sidewalk while the work was being completed.

The newly rebuilt sidewalk is now complete, providing a fresh and improved pedestrian path along the gas station property.

Yisroel R.

Boro Park will see a mostly dry and pleasant Selichos week, with sunshine and temperatures ranging from around 80 degrees to the mid-80s, with cooler nighttime conditions. Although Rosh Hashanah falls earlier on the calendar this year, the cooler mornings and evenings are already beginning to bring that familiar early September crispness and a taste of the approaching fall season.

Monday will be sunny and pleasant, with a high near 80 degrees and a low of 64 degrees, starting the week with comfortable weather.

Tuesday will be partly cloudy, with temperatures warming slightly to a high near 82 degrees and a low of 67 degrees. Sunshine mixing with clouds will keep conditions pleasant throughout the day.

Wednesday will be partly cloudy and warmer, with a high around 85 degrees and a low of 73 degrees.

Thursday will continue the warmer stretch with a mix of sunshine and clouds. The high will reach around 85 degrees, with a low of 67 degrees and breezier conditions throughout the day.

Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel was a legendary institution in Boro Park of yore. A longtime maggid shiur in the yeshiva who shaped numerous talmidim was Haga’on Rav Yekusiel Bittersfeld whose talmidim recall him with fondness to this very day. He was a true omeil b’Torah, and he transmitted his contagious ahavas haTorah to those around him. 

Sanok 

The town of Sanok, is located in the Rzezow/Lizensk region of Galicia, and it was here that Rav Yekusiel was born in the year 1930 to his father, Reb Avrohom and his mother, Mrs. Rochel Bittersfeld. The family traced their presence in Sanok—the one-time rabbonus of Rav Meir Shapiro—for many decades. 

On his mother’s side, he was descended from Rav Avrohom Aaron of Kolbasov, the son of Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, the Yetev Lev of Sighet, and he was named Yekusiel Yehuda after him. He was also descended from Rav Asher Yeshaya and Rav Naftoli Tzvi of Ropshitz. 

Flight 

He tragically experienced the terrible events of WWII when he was a young boy, and he would become orphaned of his father during the course of the war. He himself lived through the war with his mother through tremendous miracles. Over a few months, he was separated from his mother while only a young boy. But her persevered, and soon, his mother found a hiding place for them in the home of kindhearted chasidei umos ha’olam. 

He would later recall the way they were hidden together with another twenty people in a bunker which was located in a barn. Being the youngest of the group, Yekusiel Yehuda was often appointed as a lookout to see if anyone was approaching, and then warn the group. 

In Eretz Yisroel, Yekusiel Yehuda entered the Ponovezher Yeshiva where he remained for a few months. But he was asked to go to America to raise money for Pey’lim, and while in America he had the opportunity to spend time in the presence of Rav Aharon Kotler in Lakewood, and he decided that this is his place. He became an exceptionally close talmid of Rav Aharon, and accompanied him on numerous occasions. He would often recall those times in Beis Medrash Govo’ah, an institution that breathed new life into Yiddishkeit in America. 

A Career of Harbotzas Torah 

It was Rav Aharon who made the shidduch between Yekusiel Yehuda and the daughter of Rav Chaim Tzvi Kruger, a prominent rov in Crown Heights who was once a rov in Belgium. In America, Rav Kruger was the head of the division of Agudas Harabanim that dealt with Agunos and other matters related to marriages. The Satmar Rov, the Divrei Yoel, attended one of the Sheva Brochos celebrations owing to the fact that they were related, since they were both offspring of the Yetev Lev and the Yismach Moshe.

Rav Bittersfeld became a marbitz Torah in Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel where he shaped many talmidim. They remember him for his warmth and devotion, as well as his greatness in Torah and his ahavas haTorah. He remained at Be’er Shmuel for many years, and his imprint remains upon the hearts and souls of his many talmidim. 

Around the year 1990—when he was in his 60’s, and others would have been thinking about slowing down—Rav Bittersfeld opened Yeshiva Harbotzas Torah in Flatbush. Today, it continues to operate as a Kollel for yungeleit under the leadership of his son, Rav Shmuel Yosef Bittersfeld, who also serves as the rov of Beis Nochum in the Brookhill neighborhood of Lakewood. 

Here too, his talmidim always recalled the way he was no’ach l’Shomayim and no’ach l’briyos, always modest and immersed in his learning—focused on spreading Torah and yiras Shomayim.  

Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Bittersfeld was niftar on 17 Shevat of the year 2020 at the age of ninety following a lifetime dedicated to Torah and harbotzas Torah. He was taken to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah, and was interred on Har Hazeisim in the presence of bnei mishpocho and many talmidim. 

Yisroel R.

Boro Park is set for a dry and pleasant weekend, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures gradually trending cooler from Friday through Sunday.

Friday will be partly cloudy, with a high near 87 degrees and a low of 68 degrees.

Shabbos will remain partly cloudy, with a high around 81 degrees and a low of 65 degrees.

Sunday will be cooler, with partly cloudy skies and a high near 76 degrees. Temperatures will fall to around 62 degrees at night, bringing a crisp, early September finish to the weekend.

photos: Abraham McNatt/White House 

Yisroel R.

A historic meeting unfolded at the White House Thursday afternoon as President Donald J. Trump welcomed a distinguished delegation of leading Admorim and Rabbanim for a discussion on the needs and concerns of frum communities across the United States and around the world.

The invited delegation included the Bobover Rebbe, both Satmar Rebbes, the Vizhnitz Monsey Rebbe, and Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood. The Skverer Rebbe, who was unable to attend due to personal matters, sent his eldest son, Rav Aharon Mendel Twersky, shlita, to represent him at the historic meeting.

Upon arriving at the White House, the Rabbanim first gathered together in a room with members of the Trump administration, where they discussed a range of important topics and concerns affecting frum communities across the country.

In an unexpected moment during the gathering, Vice President JD Vance entered the room to personally greet the Rabbanim. The Vice President spent time with the delegation as they discussed a number of important issues, adding another significant dimension to the historic White House visit.

Following the initial gathering, the Satmar Rebbe (Monroe) was brought in for a private meeting with President Trump, spending several minutes alone with the President.

Afterward, the full delegation of Admorim and Rabbanim entered to meet President Trump together, creating a phenomenal and memorable sight inside the White House. The atmosphere was exceptionally warm, with the Rabbanim speaking directly with the President and engaging him on the important matters they had come to Washington to discuss.

During the meeting, the Satmar Rebbe recited the special bracha said upon seeing a world leader, “Shenasan mikvodo l’basar vadam.” The powerful moment added a deeply meaningful note to a meeting already carrying tremendous significance for frum communities across the country.

Although the meeting was held behind closed doors and was not open to local press, reports from inside the Oval Office indicated that President Trump received the Rabbanim with exceptional warmth. The reception reflected the close ties he has maintained with the Orthodox Jewish community for many years, dating back to his time as one of New York’s most powerful real estate moguls, long before he entered politics. The discussion addressed numerous important issues affecting Orthodox Jewish communities in America, giving the delegation a rare opportunity to bring the concerns of frum kehillos directly before the world’s most powerful leader.

Congressman Mike Lawler, whose New York 17th Congressional District includes some of the region’s largest heimish communities, was also present alongside other major government officials and community leaders. As one of President Trump’s key Republican allies in New York, Lawler’s participation helped forge a closer link between the White House, the Rabbanim, and the thousands of frum families he represents back home.

The historic day began early, with the Admorim adjusting their morning schedules and davening early to allow enough time for the journey to the nation’s capital. The Bobover Rebbe and the Satmar Rebbe departed together aboard a private flight from Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, while the Vizhnitz Monsey Rebbe left from the same airport on a separate private flight. The Satmar Rebbe Shlita departed from the New York Stewart International Airport, located a short distance from his home in Kiryas Joel.

The Bobover Rebbe was accompanied by his eldest son, Rav Chaim Shulem Halberstam shlita. The Satmar Rebbe was accompanied by his eldest son, Rav Mendel, the Satmar Rav of Williamsburg. The Vizhnitz Monsey Rebbe brought along his eldest son, Rav Yakov Yosef, while the eldest son of the Satmar Rebbe, the Siget Rav, accompanied his father.

Airport delays affected the delegation’s schedule, but the change was handled smoothly in coordination with the White House, which arranged for the meeting to begin at 2:00 p.m. The Rabbanim began arriving at approximately 1:30 p.m., passed through security, and entered the West Wing of the White House ahead of the historic gathering.

Beyond the historic events of Thursday afternoon, the meeting carried a powerful connection to an iconic White House gathering nearly half a century ago. During Chanukah in December 1979, President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States received a delegation of leading Rabbanim in the White House in what was described at the time as the first meeting between an American president and such a delegation.

That 25-minute 1979 meeting included the Berach Moshe of Satmar, the Bobover Rebbe Rav Shlomo Halberstam zt”l, and the Vizhnitz Monsey Rebbe zt”l among other leading Admorim V’rabbanim. The Berach Moshe opened the gathering, while the Bobover Rebbe zt”l recited the special bracha reserved for encountering a world leader whose authority is comparable to that of a king, which was then translated to President Carter.

The encounter took place during the Iran hostage crisis, a deeply difficult period for the Carter administration. The Rebbes offered their brachos and expressed support for the president as he confronted the crisis, creating an image that would remain etched into the history of American Yiddishkeit.

Thursday’s meeting brought that history back to life 47 years later. The sons and successors of the same Rebbes who stood before President Carter that Chanukah returned to the White House together, this time to sit down with the 45th and 47th President of the United States, President Donald J. Trump, and once again carry the voice of their kehillos into the highest office of the land.

Nearly five decades separated the two gatherings, but the sight of leading Admorim and Rabbanim standing together inside the White House created another historic moment in the relationship between the American presidency and the leaders of its frum communities.

photo: Shuttetstock

Yisroel R.

New York City restaurants will now be able to keep roadway outdoor dining setups in place throughout the entire year, after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed legislation Monday making year-round outdoor dining a permanent part of the city.

The new law ends the seasonal requirement that forced restaurants participating in the Dining Out NYC program to remove roadway dining setups between November 30 and March 31. 

The legislation was sponsored by Councilman Lincoln Restler, who represents Williamsburg and surrounding neighborhoods, as outdoor dining has become a popular destination for many New Yorkers in the district.

Under the new system, restaurants will be allowed to keep roadway dining setups in place through the winter months. The NYC Department of Transportation will develop new rules in the coming months outlining how those setups can be temporarily winterized while still meeting city standards.

Mayor Mamdani said the previous rules placed an unnecessary burden on small businesses by forcing restaurant owners to dismantle and rebuild their outdoor setups each year.

“Outdoor dining transformed our city once before, and now we are making sure it has a permanent place in New York City,” Mamdani said, adding that the change will make it easier for neighborhood restaurants to plan ahead and continue serving customers in every season.

Restler said the previous seasonal restrictions and other regulations had made it more difficult for restaurants to participate in the program, and said the new law will give businesses more flexibility while keeping outdoor dining active across the five boroughs.

The change means roadway dining setups that once had to come down each winter can now remain in place year-round, giving businesses a more permanent outdoor option and making outdoor dining an even more established part of the neighborhood streetscape.

photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

photos: Duvid Jaroslawicz

Yisroel R.

If this summer felt unusually wet across New York City, the numbers back it up. The city just finished its rainiest summer in five years, with repeated downpours, flooded streets, and storm warnings becoming an almost routine part of the season this year. 

Central Park recorded 16.92 inches of rain from June through August, about 3.5 inches above normal. August alone accounted for more than half of that total, with 8.64 inches falling during the month, making it the wettest stretch of an already soggy summer. 

Rain showed up often enough that roughly 40% of all summer days were wet, while heavy storms repeatedly overwhelmed parts of the city. Flooding of more than a foot was reported nine times across the five boroughs, and rainfall totals topping four inches were recorded dozens of times. 

Queens took some of the hardest hits, recording 13 Flash Flood Warnings, 12 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and even a Tornado Warning during the summer. Some neighborhoods dealt with repeated flooding, leaving residents repairing damage more than once in just a few months. 

The wet weather did not mean the summer was cool. New York still endured a heat wave and even recorded its first 100-degree day in 14 years, giving residents a season that managed to deliver both extreme heat and unusually heavy rain.

Yisroel R.

If this summer felt unusually wet across New York City, the numbers back it up. The city just finished its rainiest summer in five years, with repeated downpours, flooded streets, and storm warnings becoming an almost routine part of the season this year. 

Central Park recorded 16.92 inches of rain from June through August, about 3.5 inches above normal. August alone accounted for more than half of that total, with 8.64 inches falling during the month, making it the wettest stretch of an already soggy summer. 

Rain showed up often enough that roughly 40% of all summer days were wet, while heavy storms repeatedly overwhelmed parts of the city. Flooding of more than a foot was reported nine times across the five boroughs, and rainfall totals topping four inches were recorded dozens of times. 

Queens took some of the hardest hits, recording 13 Flash Flood Warnings, 12 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and even a Tornado Warning during the summer. Some neighborhoods dealt with repeated flooding, leaving residents repairing damage more than once in just a few months. 

The wet weather did not mean the summer was cool. New York still endured a heat wave and even recorded its first 100-degree day in 14 years, giving residents a season that managed to deliver both extreme heat and unusually heavy rain.

Yisroel R.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited Boro Park on Wednesday afternoon, making a stop at the famous Eichler’s Judaica store to get a firsthand look at preparations for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah and High Holiday season, while also meeting with local representatives and prominent community leaders.

During the visit, the mayor was shown around the world-renowned judaica store, getting a closer look at a range of holiday items, including a large variety of shofars and other essentials for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos. The mayor was warmly welcomed by leading members of the Orthodox Jewish community, including Avi Greenstein of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) and Rabbi Yakov Landau of the Satmar Mosdos. Uri Fraenkel, Director of Special Projects in the Mayor’s Office was also present, as the mayor was given a firsthand look at how Boro Park’s Orthodox Jewish community prepares for the upcoming Tishrei holiday season, and a glimpse of the vibrant pre-Yom Tov buzz in the community.

But the visit went beyond just a ceremonial walkthrough. Community leaders used the opportunity to raise several quality-of-life concerns affecting Boro Park residents directly with the mayor, including an ongoing issue with garbage collection outside yeshivas and mosdos, where growing student populations have in some cases led to larger amounts of trash piling up outside buildings, contributing to an increase in rats and other hygiene concerns, with existing sanitation pickup schedules not always able to keep pace with the increased volume.

Askanim also raised several concerns affecting local yeshivas and mosdos involving the New York City Department of Finance where assistance from City Hall could help move matters forward. Workforce support and jobs were also discussed, along with broader concerns tied to the day-to-day needs of local families and institutions.

Mayor Mamdani listened closely throughout the discussion, asked questions, and engaged in conversation with those present. He then directed members of his staff to begin reaching out to the relevant city agencies, follow up on the concerns, and start working to get these issues resolved.

The successful visit served as a meaningful opportunity for the mayor to connect with Boro Park’s residents and community leaders and engage with the issues affecting the community, reflecting the Mamdani administration’s broader commitment to address local concerns and serve all communities across New York City.

Mayor Mamdani shared his excitement over visiting Eichler’s and spending time in Boro Park ahead of Rosh Hashanah. In an exclusive message to BoroPark24 during the visit, Mamdani said, “It is so lovely to be here, especially before the High Holidays, and to wish everyone a Shana Tova. I really appreciate the lovely welcome and the conversations. Thank you so much.”

The visit lasted roughly an hour, giving the mayor time to both tour the store and hold conversations with local representatives ahead of one of the busiest periods of the year for Boro Park’s Orthodox Jewish community.

photos: Duvid Jaroslawicz / Zevi Klein 

Klal Yisroel is being called upon to daven and invoke Rachmei Shomayim for the refuah of the Dzurka Rebbe, shlita, who is currently hospitalized in serious condition and in need of the tefillos of the tzibbur.

The Rebbe has unfortunately not been in good health in recent weeks, with his condition significantly worsening over the past week.

The Rebbe was hospitalized for a short period last week, and following another deterioration in his condition, he was brought back to the hospital last night, where he remains under medical care.

Chassidim and Yidden around the world are being asked to daven for  Reb Aron ben Chanah Yita, for a refuah sheleimah b’karov, that the Rebbe regain his strength and be able to continue leading and inspiring his chssidim and admirers for many years to come.

photos: Duvid Jaroslawicz

YS GOLD 

This morning it was announced that the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe has acquiesced to the request of many chassidim and admirers in the holy land, and will conduct the first night of Slichos in Yerushalayim.  

As we have reported, the Rebbe has been on a historic visit to Eretz Yisroel during which he has met and encountered many Gedolei Yisroel who enjoyed every moment in his company.  

The Slichos event promises to be an uplifting and inspiring experience and will likely draw many hundreds of people from throughout the land. 

The rebbe is slated to return to Boro Park on Wednesday, Dalet Selichos, days before Rosh Hashanah.

photos by: Issac Y.

Yisroel R.

A three-year unfinished street redesign stretch in Downtown Brooklyn, has finally been completed, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city Department of Transportation announcing that the last missing part of protected bike lane on Ashland Place is now open.

The project closes the final gap in a 5.5-mile protected bike corridor stretching from Sunset Park to DUMBO, located near the heimishe neighborhoods of Boro Park and Williamsburg now creates a continuous route through some of Brooklyn’s busiest neighborhoods and toward connections into Manhattan, North Brooklyn, and western Queens.

NYC DOT first began redesigning Ashland Place in 2022, but work stopped before it could be finished. For years, newly installed traffic signals remained covered with bags while the incomplete intersection earned the nickname “Crashland” from advocates frustrated by the stalled project.

That changed this week, when the city removed the coverings, activated the signals, and completed the protected bike lane. The redesign also shortens pedestrian crossing distances and is intended to calm traffic around the heavily traveled area near Atlantic Terminal and Barclays Center.

“For years, ‘Crashland’ has been a symbol of broken promises and safety put on the back burner. Today, we finish the job,” Mamdani said, calling the completed redesign an example of how city government can make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.

Transportation officials and local lawmakers said the project is important not only because of the single block that was finished, but because it reconnects a much larger protected bike network. Council Member Lincoln Restler said additional redesigns are also planned on nearby streets, including portions of Fourth Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, as the city continues expanding protected cycling routes across Brooklyn.

Yisroel R.

As President Trump prepares to welcome a delegation of prominent Admorim and Rabbanim to the White House on Thursday, a remarkable photograph from decades ago offers a glimpse of his relationship with the heimishe community long before anyone was calling him “Mr. President.”

The black-and-white photo, which BoroPark24 first resurfaced in 2024, shows Trump standing among Rabbanim and community figures on the steps of Khal Shaarei Zion d’Bobov on 15th Avenue in Boro Park, during a visit believed to have taken place sometime in the 1990s.

When BoroPark24 originally published the photograph, readers helped identify several of the familiar faces surrounding Trump. Among those seen in the picture are Askan Reb Dovid Greentzweig and Noach Dear, the longtime New York City councilman who represented Boro Park and later went on to serve as a New York State Supreme Court justice, along with other well-known community figures.

At the time, Trump was one of New York’s most recognizable businessmen, but his political career was still years away. His real estate business and public profile brought him into contact with numerous political and community figures across New York City, including members of the Orthodox Jewish community.

The photograph took on new meaning when it resurfaced more than three decades later. The tall businessman standing in the center would eventually become the 45th and 47th president of the United States, while the Boro Park community he was visiting would remain part of a relationship with the frum community that continued through his years in national politics.

That history is particularly striking this week. On Thursday, September 3, President Trump is scheduled to host prominent Rabbanim at the White House for a meeting expected to address issues affecting the Jewish community across the United States. Among those invited are leading Admorim, including Bobov, Satmar, Viznitz-Monsey, and Skver, along with other leaders.

YS GOLD 

This week’s captured moment takes us to a cleaners and furriers establishment on 16th Avenue. 

The structure is very much still in its original place and condition, and looks quite similar to the way it did in 1940. 

Can our readers pinpoint the location? 

___ 

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

As a number of our readers have correctly pointed out, the building in question today houses Citibank and it is located on 13th Avenue and 55th Street.

photos: Itzi M.

Yisroel R.

Thousands of Boro Park residents are making their way back home after spending the summer weeks in the Catskills in the camps, countries, and bungalow colonies — and some may notice that parts of the neighborhood look a little different than when they left.

While many families were away, paving crews were busy across parts of Boro Park and the surrounding area, resurfacing a long list of heavily traveled streets and avenues and giving several familiar stretches a noticeably smoother ride.

Among the roads repaved were Fort Hamilton Parkway from 53rd Street to 62nd Street, New Utrecht Avenue from 39th Street to 50th Street, and 44th Street from 8th Avenue to 13th Avenue.

Crews also repaved 49th Street from New Utrecht Avenue to 18th Avenue, 56th Street from 14th Avenue to 18th Avenue, and 14th Avenue from around 39th Street toward 35th Street.

Other resurfacing work included Clara Street, 20th Avenue, Avenue I extending toward Ocean Parkway, Cortelyou Road extending toward Ocean Parkway, and 60th Street from 8th Avenue to Fort Hamilton Parkway.

For residents returning after weeks away, the newly paved roads are visible changes waiting around the neighborhood, with smoother pavement now covering several busy local routes used every day by drivers, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians.

So while the return to Boro Park may also mean the return of traffic, packed streets, and the usual post-summer rush, at least a number of the neighborhood’s roads are welcoming residents back with a fresh layer of pavement.

YS GOLD 

In the wake of the sad passing of the Sanzer Rebbe, zt"'l, the community has been given a glimpse into the Rebbe's chessed empire which he operated quietly and unassumingly through great toil and mesirus nefesh. 

As the Shiva draws toa close, many in the community will gather to remember the Rebbe and his avodas hakodesh at a hesped gathering this evening. 

The event will take place at 8:00 in the David Scharf Hall, 1375-51st Street, and will be addressed by esteemed Rabbonim and Admorim from the Boro Park community and beyond.

Yisroel R.

The New York City Health Department will conduct another round of mosquito spraying across parts of Boro Park today, Monday, August 31, along with a wide section of surrounding neighborhoods.

Health Department trucks will spray a low concentration of pesticide as part of the city’s mosquito-control efforts, aimed at reducing the adult mosquito population in the designated treatment area.

In Boro Park, the spray zone reaches the area around 18th Avenue and 50th Street, extending toward Church Avenue, Dahill Road, and into surrounding neighborhoods. The larger treatment area reaches toward the Gowanus Expressway and Third Avenue to the west and Atlantic Avenue farther north.

The spraying is part of the Health Department’s ongoing mosquito-control program, which is used to reduce mosquito populations and help limit the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus.

The Health Department says the pesticide used for mosquito control poses a low risk to people and pets. Residents are nevertheless advised to remain indoors when possible while spraying is underway, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory conditions.

Residents should also note that the boundaries shown on the city’s map are approximate and are not intended to identify the exact streets or individual properties that will be treated.

Today’s spraying follows a similar mosquito-control operation carried out in parts of Boro Park and southern Brooklyn earlier this month, as previously reported by Boro Park 24.

Yisroel R.

Monday morning commuters faced major subway disruptions after damage discovered beneath the tracks forced the MTA to limit service on the A, B, C, and D lines through Manhattan.

The problem was uncovered during planned weekend construction at the 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station along Central Park West, where crews found cracks beneath the track bed while demolishing and replacing sections of track.

The discovery prompted significant changes for the Monday morning rush. Downtown local service was suspended between 125th Street and 59th Street–Columbus Circle, with downtown B and C trains running express and skipping local stops through the affected stretch.

Uptown A, B, C, and D trains were also running with delays, while uptown B and C trains continued making local stops throughout Manhattan.

The MTA urged riders traveling through the corridor to consider using the 1, 2, and 3 lines as alternatives while crews worked to keep service moving around the damaged section.

Crews began temporary repairs Sunday evening and continued working through the night into Monday morning. Permanent repairs to the damaged track bed are expected to be scheduled for a later date.

The disruption added an unexpected headache to the start of the workweek for riders using several of Manhattan’s busiest subway lines.

Yisroel R.

A major behind-the-scenes upgrade has been completed beneath Prospect Park Lake, giving park officials far greater control over Brooklyn’s only lake while laying the groundwork for a much larger plan to tackle flooding across the surrounding neighborhoods.

The $1.4 million project replaced an aging valve that controls how much water is fed into the lake. With the new system in place, Prospect Park staff can now better regulate lake levels, particularly ahead of heavy rain, when creating extra capacity can help keep stormwater from overwhelming nearby sewers.

The seemingly small upgrade could have a surprisingly large impact. Officials say it is expected to cut the amount of drinking water used for maintenance of the lake from roughly one million gallons a day to about 200,000 gallons, wasting less drinking quality water, while also reducing sewer overflows into Gravesend Bay and the Upper Bay by as much as 12 million gallons each year.

The project is also one of the first pieces of the future Prospect Park Bluebelt, a larger flood-control system planned for the park. That initiative will use natural features including rain gardens and ponds to capture, slow and filter stormwater before it can flood surrounding streets or overload the sewer system.

The work comes as Prospect Park prepares for broader changes around the lake itself. A separate lakeshore restoration project is expected to rebuild portions of the shoreline, improve resilience, add landscaping and wildlife habitat, and create new seating and viewing areas, meaning the latest valve replacement is only an early step in a much larger transformation planned for one of Brooklyn’s best-known green spaces.

Yisroel R.

Boro Park will begin the week with a quiet and warm Monday before more unsettled conditions arrive, with several chances for showers and thunderstorms from Tuesday through Thursday as September gets underway.

Monday will be partly to mostly cloudy, with a high near 82 degrees and a low of 71 degrees.

Tuesday will be partly to mostly cloudy with Possible scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. Some storms may produce strong, gusty winds. The high will reach around 80 degrees, with a low of 73 degrees.

Wednesday will remain warm with a few showers early and isolated thunderstorms possible later in the day. The high will reach around 84 degrees, with a low of 72 degrees.

Thursday will feature variable clouds with potential thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon. Temperatures will rise to around 85 degrees, with a low of 70 degrees, wrapping up an unsettled but warm start to September.

President Donald Trump has invited a group of prominent Rabbonim from New York for a historic meeting set to take place on Thursday, September 3, at the White House, where they are expected to discuss important issues facing the Jewish community across the United States.

Official White House invitations were presented to the Admorim of Satmar, Bobov, Viznitz-Monsey, and Skver, along with other prominent leaders.

The Satmar Rebbe addressed the invitation while conducting the Tish with the Bochurim in Kiryas Joel on Friday night, expressing his desire to attend the meeting and discuss important issues facing the Jewish community.

Photo: Shutterstock

Yisroel R.

With the new school year just around the corner, Boro Park families got a head start on school supplies while enjoying an afternoon of fun and entertainment, as the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) hosted its Back-to-School Event on Thursday.

The event was held by BPJCC in proud partnership with Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and Councilman Simcha Felder, bringing together local families for an afternoon geared toward helping children prepare for the upcoming school year.

A major highlight was a giveaway of free backpacks filled with school supplies, giving local students the chance to head into the new school year with a fully stocked backpack ready for the classroom.

The afternoon also featured plenty of fun for children, including a walk-around magic show, balloon art, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cones, and much more, giving families a chance to turn their back-to-school preparations into an enjoyable afternoon outing.

The event took place Thursday, August 27, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the BPJCC Community Center, located at 5102 13th Avenue in Boro Park.

Eligible Medicaid members attending the event also had the opportunity to receive on-site screening for SCN services, adding another resource for families during the afternoon.

BPJCC expressed appreciation to the sponsors who helped make the event possible, especially Metropolitan Commercial Bank, whose space houses the BPJCC Community Center. Additional sponsors included Toys 4U, Dash Cabinetry, and Fidelis Care, which all had children-friendly booths on site.

With free school supplies, children’s entertainment, and community resources all in one place, the event offered Boro Park families a convenient and festive way to get ready for the school year while spending an afternoon together with family and friends.

One century ago, in the fall of 1924, there appeared a newspaper article in Der Morgen Zhournal announcing the visit of a very esteemed guest for Shabbos in Boro Park. He was Rav Chaim Baruch Rubin, Hy”d, a scion of the great tzaddikim of Sanz, Lizensk, and he was the son of Rav Naftoli Rubin, the Rov of Vishnitza (Nowy Wiśnicz, Galicia). At the time, he was a rov in Shinieve, and he had come to raise money in America. The Ruv perished in the Holocaust in 1943, along with countless other Yidden from the area. Here, we tell his story. 

Vishnitza  

We begin the story with his father, Rav Naftoli Rubin, ABD Vishnitza, the son of Rav Shmuel Rubin, ABD Kortshin, a descendant of Rav Naftoli Tzvi of Ropshitz. He was the son-in-law of Rav Yechezkel Shraga of Shineve, a son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. His father-in-law provided all his needs, and he would sit and learn, day and night, with his brother-in-law Rav Menachem Mendel Halberstam, later a rov in Frystak, Galicia. 

In 1899, Rav Chaim Baruch married Rebbetzin Dinah, the daughter of Rav Tzvi Yosef Rubin ABD Jasło, and the wedding took place in Shineve, in the court of the Divrei Yechezkel. It was the year of the passing of the Shinever Rov, and he was already weakened and confined to a wheelchair. 

America 

After their wedding, Rav Chaim Baruch and his rebbetzin settled in Jasło, where his father-in-law opened a glass manufacturing shop. When his father, Rav Naftoli heard of this, he immediately came to Jasło and insisted that under no circumstances would his son be a merchant, and he took him home with him to Vishnitza. His father-in-law then opened a bank for him in Vishnitza, and sent another son-in-law to oversee its operation so Rav Chaim Baruch could sit and learn. 

The aftermath of WWI was very difficult for the Yidden of Galicia, and in 1924, with one of his children engaged to be married, Rav Chaim Baruch set out for America to raise the money to marry off his child. From a letter that he wrote while in New York, we can read about his desperate plight. 

He arrived here in the spring of 1924, and in fall, we find his visit to Boro Park advertised in the Morgen Zhournal. “A very esteemed guest in Boro Park. We would like to publicize that the Shinever Rebbe, Harav Hatzadik Rav Chaim Baruch Rubin, the son of Rav Naftoli Rubin ABD Vishnitza, will daven in our shul this Shabbos parshas Chayei Sarah. The Rebbe, shlit”a, is a descendant of the holy tzaddikim of Shineve, Sanz, Ropshitz and Lizensk. Whoever wishes to have an oneg Shabbos is asked to come. The Rebbe will stay with Reb Dovid Elya Krieger, 1330 52nd Street. 

“Signed: Chevra Shomrei Shabbos Anshei Sfard Boro Park, 50th Street and 13th Avenue. Hirsch Silverstein, President, Dovid Elya Krieger, gabbai.” 

The Rebbe returned home in 1926, but was back in America in 1927.  

Al Kiddush Hashem 

With the passing of his father in 1938, Rav Chaim Baruch assumed the post of ABD Vishnitza. 

Alas, only a year-and-a-half later, the Holocaust would come to Galicia and take with it the Rebbe and most of his family and loved ones. 

Vishnitza is in the area of Bochnia, and it was in the Bochnia ghetto that the Rebbe and his family were incarcerated, along with many Rabbonim and Admorim from the region, including the Admorim of Belz, Bilgoray and Tchechoiv. In Bochnia, the Yidden suffered terribly from hunger, beatings, poverty, and death for a number of years, until many of them were sent to Auschwitz. 

On the third day of Elul, 1943, the Rebbe was brutally murdered by a Nazi in the Bochnia Ghetto. As he was being taken out to the slaughter, he yelled out to his fellow Yidden to be proud as they give their lives Al Kiddush Hashem.  The Rebbetzin and seven of their children were killed soon thereafter. One son, Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel, survived alone from his entire family and made his way to Los Angeles where he carried on the legacy of his illustrious father, Rav Chaim Baruch Rubin, who visited Boro Park one century ago. 

Yisroel R.

Following the devastating Belt Parkway crash that killed three teenagers earlier this week, Brooklyn elected officials are calling for stronger NYPD enforcement against speeding, reckless driving and drag racing along the busy highway.

As previously reported by BoroPark24, three teenagers were killed and four others were injured in Tuesday’s crash. Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision, but speed is believed to may have been a factor.

In response, City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso and State Senator Andrew Gounardes sent a letter Thursday to the commanding officer of the NYPD Highway Unit, urging the department to increase patrols and take more aggressive enforcement action against reckless drivers and illegal drag racing along the Belt Parkway.

The lawmakers said they are seeking additional information about patrol patterns and enforcement efforts along the roadway, while calling for more visible patrols, stronger monitoring and a clearer explanation of how the Highway Unit is deployed to deter speeding and reckless behavior.

The officials said speeding and drag racing have become ongoing concerns on the Belt Parkway, with Santosuosso saying she regularly hears complaints from constituents about dangerous driving along the parkway.

Santosuosso also said she personally heard vehicles speeding along the Belt Parkway just one night after the deadly crash, raising concern that the same dangerous behavior was continuing almost immediately after three lives were lost.

Most of the Belt Parkway carries a 50 mph speed limit, but concerns over high-speed driving and reckless behavior have persisted for years, particularly during nighttime hours.

The NYPD Highway Unit had not yet responded to these requests, while the investigation into Tuesday’s deadly crash remains ongoing.

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the passing of Reb Berel Niederman, z”l, a resident of Boro Park in recent years. He was around 75 years of age, and came to Boro Park for medical treatment.  

The niftar was among the esteemed mispalelim in the Pshevorsker Beis Medrash in Antwerp, and was close to the Admorim of Pshevorsk.  

In Boro Park, he davened in the Volova Beis Medrash, and was known for his soft demeanor and his ehrlichkeit.  

He passed away on Thursday evening, and the levaya will take place Friday at the Volova Shul at 12:30. He will be brought to rest at Har Shalom Cemetery at 2:00 this afternoon. 

Yehi zichro baruch.

Yisroel R.

Boro Park is in for a pleasant late-summer weekend, with plenty of sunshine, warm daytime temperatures, and mostly dry conditions expected from Friday through Sunday.

Friday will be partly sunny with a high near 84 degrees and a low of 66 degrees, with just a slight chance of some showers.

Shabbos will feature mostly sunny skies with a high around 82 degrees and a low of 66 degrees, keeping conditions comfortable throughout the day.

Sunday will remain partly sunny and warm, with a high near 84 degrees and a low of 72 degrees. Overall, the weekend will stay pleasant and comfortable, with warmer nighttime Fall season temperatures returning.

Despite massive pushback from tens of thousands of residents, local leaders, and healthcare leaders, the Public Health Committee has voted to approve the proposed merger of the city’s H+H hospital system with Maimonides Health.

Askanim involved in the matter told BoroPark24 that this is just one of several steps in the process and stressed that the fight to keep our hospital in our hands is far from over.

BoroPark24 will continue closely following this developing story and keep the community updated on what comes next.

photos: Avrumi Berger

Yisroel R.

With the new school year just around the corner, Boro Park families will have a chance to get a head start on school supplies while enjoying an afternoon of fun and entertainment, as the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) hosts its Back-to-School Event today.

The event is being held by BPJCC in proud partnership with Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and Councilman Simcha Felder, bringing together local families for an afternoon geared toward helping children prepare for the upcoming school year.

A major highlight will be a giveaway of free backpacks filled with school supplies, giving local students the chance to head into the new school year with a fully stocked backpack ready for the classroom. The backpacks will be available while supplies last.

The afternoon will also feature plenty of fun for children, including a walk-around magic show, balloon art, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cones, and so much more, giving families a chance to turn their back-to-school preparations into an enjoyable afternoon outing.

The event will take place today, Thursday, August 27, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the BPJCC Community Center, located at 5102 13th Avenue in Boro Park. The event is scheduled to go forward rain or shine.

Eligible Medicaid members attending the event will also have the opportunity to receive on-site screening for SCN services, adding another resource for families who come by during the afternoon.

BPJCC expressed appreciation to the sponsors helping make the event possible, especially to Metropolitan Commercial Bank, whose space houses the BPJCC Community Center. Additional sponsors include Toys 4U, Dash Cabinetry, and Fidelis Care, which will all be having children-friendly booths on site.

With free school supplies, children’s entertainment, and community resources all in one place, today’s event offers Boro Park families a convenient and festive way to get ready for the school year while spending an afternoon together with family and friends.

To whoever this may concern,

The SCN program may have many providers, and we appreciate those who stepped up to provide an important service. But with that role comes responsibility. If you stepped in as a provider, step up your game and do it like a mensch.

For too many applicants, actually reaching their provider has become an exhausting challenge.

Emails go unanswered. Phone calls are not returned. When someone finally does hear back, it can be weeks later. In the meantime, applicants are left completely in the dark - not knowing whether their application was received, reviewed, accepted, rejected, or is simply sitting somewhere waiting.

The biggest problem is not even the waiting. It is the complete lack of communication and transparency.

People understand that programs are busy. They understand that providers may be dealing with large numbers of applications. What is much harder to understand is leaving people waiting for weeks or months with no update, no clear status, and seemingly nobody available to speak to.

At the same time, providers continue advertising how great their services are and encouraging new applicants. That's wonderful - but before bringing more people through the door, there needs to be basic service for those already waiting.

An automated status update would help. A reasonable response time would help. A phone number where someone actually answers would help. Even a simple message saying, “Your application is still being processed,” would be better than weeks of silence.

So yes, thank you for stepping up and becoming a provider. Thank you for offering the service. But once you take on that responsibility, take care of the people who are relying on you. Answer them. Update them. Give them some transparency.

And to any provider reading this: If you feel targeted by this message, then yes, I probably mean you too.

Step up your game. People applying for your services deserve basic communication, transparency, and respect - not months of being left in the dark.

A Fed-Up Resident

The opinions expressed here are the writer's and do not necessarily reflect the views of BoroPark24.

NEW YORK – The Coalition to Preserve Maimonides today released numerous documents showing mass opposition — among 34,000+ Brooklynites, as well as a bipartisan coalition of elected officials from the New York State Senate, New York State Assembly, and New York City Council — to the current proposed plan to merge Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn with NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H). Additionally, the Coalition has found numerous instances of Maimonides withholding information and underestimating the cost of a merger with NYC H+H by hundreds of millions of dollars each year, risking a future closure of the beloved community hospital. The release of the documents comes ahead of tomorrow's meeting of the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC), where the proposed transaction is expected to receive further consideration.

The documents released today paint a sharply different picture from the one Maimonides leadership has presented publicly. Together, they raise serious questions about whether the proposed transfer has been subjected to an independent and transparent examination of all viable alternatives, whether the financial assumptions underlying the transaction can withstand expected changes in federal Medicaid funding, and whether the communities, patients, physicians, and employees who depend on Maimonides have been fully heard.

The Coalition is not asking the state to reject the proposed transaction without consideration. Rather, it is calling for a full, independent, open-books analysis with no predetermined conclusion before a century-old nonprofit community hospital is permanently transferred to government ownership.

“Maimonides belongs to the communities that have depended on it for generations,” said Joel Rosenfeld, director of government relations, Bobov Community. “Before the state makes a permanent and irreversible decision about its future, the public deserves to know that every viable alternative has been honestly considered. We are not asking anyone to choose a particular outcome in advance. We are asking for the facts, the books, and an independent analysis before Brooklyn gives up control of one of its most important community institutions."

"This should not be a question of whether someone supports or opposes a merger in the abstract. The question is whether Maimonides and the state have done the independent work necessary to determine that this is actually the best option for Brooklyn,” said Marty Waisbrod, board member, Maimonides Medical Center. “If joining NYC Health + Hospitals is the right answer, an honest and transparent analysis should demonstrate that. But we should not make an irreversible decision first and ask the questions later."

30,000+ BROOKLYNITES AND BIPARTISAN GROUP OF ELECTED OFFICIALS REPRESENTING MAIMONIDIES PATIENTS CALL FOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW

The Coalition submitted more than 34,000 signatures to the PHHPC from community members opposing the proposed merger until a full and independent analysis is conducted. The signatories are calling on the state to examine all realistic options for stabilizing Maimonides, including remaining independent under new leadership, joining another nonprofit health care system, becoming part of NYC H+H, or pursuing another viable alternative.

The Coalition also released a letter from a bipartisan group of elected officials representing Brooklyn communities served by Maimonides. The letter — signed by New York State Senators Stephan Chan and Sam Sutton; New York State Assemblymembers Lester Chang, Simcha Eichenstein, and Kalman Yeger; and New York City Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Susan Zhuang — does not ask the Public Health Council to approve or reject the transaction, but, instead, calls for a "full, independent, open-books analysis" of Maimonides' financial condition and every viable path forward before a permanent decision is made.

The elected officials warn that the public has not been provided with a comprehensive independent analysis comparing the alternatives and explaining why the proposed transfer is demonstrably the best option. They urge the Public Health Council to insist on "open books, full access to relevant financial and operational information, and no predetermined outcome."

“As representatives of the people, we cannot stand silent as the fate of our community’s decades-old primary medical center is determined without considering the ramifications of the decision,” said New York State Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein. “We urge the members of the Public Health Council to consider an independent analysis of the financial challenges at Maimonides and to explore other viable options to achieve our goals. The community depends on Maimonides for health care and we cannot let them down.”

"We need to ensure the Maimonides remains a local, community hospital. This takeover by NYC H+H is filled with overinflated promises without evidence to back them up," said New York City Councilmember Simcha Felder. "Only a truly independent and honest process can determine if this, or another plan, is best to accomplish financial stability and a high standard of care for our neighbors."

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT LONG-TERM COST OF PROPOSED TAKEOVER

Among the documents being released is an analysis from independent health care experts challenging the financial assumptions behind the proposed transaction. According to the Coalition’s estimations from publicly available financial documents, under NYC H+H’s management, the required financial support from New York State will far surpass the initial $2.2 billion currently committed by the state. The analysis concludes that — given already announced changes in federal Medicaid funding by the Trump administration — the required financial support from New York State will increase every year and, beginning in year four, will exceed $350 million per year. The concern is particularly acute as federal changes to Medicaid funding threaten to place new financial pressure on public hospital systems and the safety-net institutions that rely heavily on Medicaid reimbursement.

The analysis raises a fundamental question: If the proposed transfer is being justified as a financial rescue, what happens if the public hospital system that takes over Maimonides faces an even more difficult financial environment in the years ahead? Marrying an already money-losing hospital to a health system that is expected to lose large sums of money given changes to Medicaid funding will not only make operations at Maimonides financially infeasible, but will force NYC H+H, over time, to close hospitals or slash services — leaving Maimonides positioned to absorb the brunt of the cuts.

The Coalition argues that this previously unreported cost makes an independent comparison of alternatives even more important. Before permanently transferring Maimonides, regulators should determine whether changes in management, billing, operations, purchasing, technology, or a partnership with another health care system could place the hospital on a sustainable path without exposing it to the risks identified in the proposed public-hospital model.

“A hospital's financial problems do not disappear simply because its name changes or because ownership changes hands. The underlying assumptions have to work,” said Scott Phillips, founder and senior managing director, Healthcare Management Partners, LLC. “Before regulators approve a permanent transfer, they should understand what happens when the projected Medicaid revenue changes, what the hospital's real operating costs will be, and whether there are less risky alternatives that can preserve this institution for the long term."

PATIENTS AND PHYSICIANS WARN OF A POTENTIAL EXODUS

The Coalition also today released survey results showing significant concern among the people who use and work at Maimonides. One survey found that more than half of respondents who currently use Maimonides indicated they would seek health care elsewhere if the hospital became part of a government-run system. A separate survey of physicians found that nearly half of the responding doctors indicated that they could leave Maimonides if the proposed merger proceeds. The physician survey was conducted despite reported efforts by hospital leadership and department chairs to discourage or limit physician participation, according to doctors surveyed.

The potential loss of physicians raises concerns about continuity of care for thousands of Brooklyn patients, many of whom have longstanding relationships with their doctors.

"A hospital is not simply a building and a balance sheet. It is doctors, nurses, patients, families, and relationships built over decades,” said Dr. Israel Zyskind, community pediatrician. “If physicians leave and patients follow them elsewhere, the consequences could fundamentally change Maimonides long before anyone acknowledges that the model is failing."

"Hospitals are built on relationships, not balance sheets. Across corporate medicine, health care has degenerated into a transactional, soulless business — yet Maimonides has always maintained its heart through the deep bond between its physicians, the hospital, and the community,” said Dr. Jonathan S. Leibowitz, community physician. “If leadership continues to misunderstand these vital connections, they will drive doctors and patients away, sacrificing the very soul of Maimonides long before anyone at the top admits the merger strategy failed."

COURT REJECTS EFFORTS TO KEEP KEY DOCUMENTS SECRET, BUT MAIMONIDES CONTINUES TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION

The legal process surrounding the proposed transaction has already exposed serious questions about transparency by Maimonides during this process. The courts previously ruled that the proposed transaction could not bypass the public review required under New York law. The transaction was subsequently delayed after the New York State Department of Health required a Health Equity Impact Assessment before the proposal could proceed.

In the current litigation, Maimonides also sought to have key documents, including materials related to the Certificate of Need process, sealed from public view. The court denied those efforts.

Yet, Maimonides subsequently filed a Certificate of Need containing hundreds of pages of redactions, prompting plaintiffs' attorneys to challenge whether the hospital had ignored the court's decision and its obligations of transparency.

"There is simply no legitimate reason to ask the public to trust an irreversible decision while withholding the information necessary to evaluate it,” said Chaim Fischer, board member, Maimonides Medical Center, and coordinator, Boro Park Hatzoloh. “If this transaction is truly the best path forward, Maimonides and its supporters should welcome transparency. They should not be fighting to keep the underlying facts from the people whose hospital is being given away."

PROPOSED STRUCTURE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER NYC H+H CAN OPERATE A MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL THROUGH A PRIVATE COMPANY

The Coalition also raised serious legal concerns about an unusual corporate structure contemplated under the proposed transaction. Under the current plan, Maimonides employees would not simply become employees of NYC H+H, even though the hospital would be operated as part of the city's public hospital system. Instead, according to documents submitted in connection with the proposed transaction, the hospital's workforce would be employed through a separate private entity with no meaningful assets of its own. That raises a fundamental question: Can New York City operate what is, in substance, a municipal hospital while placing its workforce in a private-sector corporation and using government officials to control and manage that private entity?

The Coalition contends that this arrangement could leave thousands of health care workers in a precarious position. Rather than becoming employees of the public hospital system, workers could find themselves employed by a separate entity without the assets or institutional protections of NYC H+H itself. If the hospital or the broader system later faces financial difficulties, the Coalition argues, those workers could be especially vulnerable to layoffs or other employment actions.

 The proposed arrangement also raises questions that New York's highest court addressed nearly three decades ago. During the Giuliani administration, New York City attempted to lease operational control of several municipal hospitals — including Coney Island Hospital — to private entities. The New York Court of Appeals rejected the effort, holding that the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Act required NYC H+H itself to operate the hospital. The court concluded that municipal hospitals were intended to remain a governmental responsibility and that NYC H+H could not use its contracting authority to divest itself of its statutory obligation to operate the public hospital system.

The Coalition is calling on the Public Health Council and state regulators to conduct a full legal review of the proposed corporate and employment structure before approving the transaction.

"NYC H+H's use of a shell corporation to employ every single employee, from nurses, to technicians to aides, is not only a blatant violation of law, but also will make Maimonides the weak sister of the entire system, especially vulnerable to cuts when they inevitably come,” said Martin Bienstock, Bienstock PLLC. "The question is not merely who owns the building or what name appears on the sign. The question is who actually employs the workforce, who controls the hospital's operations, who bears the financial obligations, and who is accountable to the public. Before this transaction is approved, regulators must determine whether this structure complies with the law and whether it is being designed to circumvent protections that would otherwise apply to employees and a public hospital."

BROOKLYN HAS SEEN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COMMUNITY HOSPITAL IS LOST

For many Brooklyn residents, the proposed transaction raises memories of Long Island College Hospital (LICH). LICH was once a major Brooklyn community hospital. Its closure ultimately left Brooklyn with one fewer hospital, while much of the valuable property associated with the former medical center was later redeveloped into condominiums.

The Coalition says it is not predicting that Maimonides will become condominiums tomorrow. But it argues that Brooklyn should not permanently give up control of a major nonprofit health care asset without first understanding the long-term consequences of doing so.

Maimonides serves one of the most diverse patient populations in the country, including Orthodox Jewish, Black, Latino, Caribbean, Muslim, Asian, Russian-speaking, and immigrant communities. For many of those communities, Maimonides is more than a health care provider. It is an institution that has earned trust over generations and developed expertise in serving patients with distinct cultural, religious, and language needs.

"Our communities cannot afford to lose another hospital and be told afterward that there was nothing anyone could do," said Bishop Chantel Wright, Reach Covenant Ministries. "Maimonides has served generations of Brooklyn families, and has employed thousands, including so many women of color. We have a responsibility to ensure a forensic examination is completed and the hospital’s future is decided openly, honestly, and with the needs of every community and health care worker at the center of the process."

COALITION CALLS FOR FACTS BEFORE A PERMANENT DECISION

The Coalition continues to argues that the central question is not whether NYC Health + Hospitals could operate Maimonides, but whether anyone has conducted a truly independent analysis demonstrating that transferring Maimonides to government ownership is the best available option.

The Coalition is calling on the Public Health Council to require a full review of the hospital's finances and operations, determine what specific changes would be necessary to return Maimonides to long-term financial stability, compare the proposed transfer with other potential partnerships and management structures, and make the underlying findings available to the public.

"There should be no predetermined outcome and no fear of the facts," said Chaskie Rosenberg, community activist. "Before Brooklyn permanently transfers a century-old community institution, the state must ensure that the decision is based on a full, independent analysis — not on secrecy, assumptions, or the failures of the management that brought Maimonides to its current financial condition."

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS RELEASED TODAY

The Coalition is making the following additional documents available to the public:

Supplemental Objections to the Certificate of Need

Affirmation of Pessie Schlafrig (Lev Medical Resource)

Affirmation of Rabbi Zishe Ausch

Healthcare Management Partners’ Presentation

Yisroel R.

New York City is under a Travel Advisory today as heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to move through the city, bringing the threat of flash flooding and damaging winds.

A Flood Watch will be in effect from noon through 11 p.m., with periods of heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms expected during the afternoon and evening.

Some storms could produce major downpours, localized flash flooding, and damaging wind gusts. While the greatest flash-flood risk is expected north and west of New York City, officials warned that heavy rain and flooding could occur anywhere within the watch area.

Residents are being urged to prepare for rapidly changing conditions, avoid unnecessary travel when possible, and stay away from flooded roadways. Those living in basements or below-grade spaces should be prepared to move to higher ground quickly if conditions worsen or a warning is issued.

New Yorkers are encouraged to continue monitoring weather conditions and emergency alerts throughout the day as the storms move through the region.

Yisroel R.

New York City is launching a first-of-its-kind one-year trial at MADE Bush Terminal in Sunset Park aimed at keeping usable construction materials out of the waste lands and putting them back to work on future projects.

Under the new program, materials recovered from construction and demolition sites will be brought to the Bush Terminal location, where they can be sorted, stored, reused and redistributed instead of simply being thrown away. The city says the effort is designed to test whether a dedicated reuse system can work on a larger scale across New York City.

The trial will be operated by Brooklyn-based ecological landscaping company Our Temenos, while NYCEDC studies how practical and financially sustainable the system is. Construction and demolition materials currently make up roughly 40% of New York City’s total waste stream, making it one of the largest sources of material sent through the city’s waste system.

Rather than treating all removed construction material as garbage, the new setup is intended to identify items that still have value and keep them in circulation. The city will use the one-year trial to study how much material can realistically be recovered, how efficiently it can be stored and redistributed, and whether similar operations could eventually be expanded elsewhere.

Interestingly, the trial is being launched at the same Bush Terminal property that is itself in the middle of a major transformation. The historic industrial site is being redeveloped into the 20-acre MADE Bush Terminal campus, with new industrial workspace, cultural and public programming areas, and acres of new open space. It is not yet clear exactly how the construction-material operation will function alongside the ongoing redevelopment project at the site, or whether either project could affect the other as work continues across the site.

The broader redevelopment is continuing, including plans to transform it into several additional acres of waterfront public space with lawns, coastal landscaping, harbor access and other improvements expected to open in 2027. At the same time, the property remains an active industrial campus, giving the city room to test the construction-material reuse program while one of Sunset Park’s largest waterfront sites continues to be reshaped.

Despite the unrelenting rain, Rabbanim, askanim, and supporters gathered last Thursday, August 20, at Har Shalom Cemetery in Monsey to mark the dedication of Knafayim’s newly acquired chelka.

Knafayim walks alongside families facing the devastation of pregnancy loss, stepping into some of the most painful and overwhelming moments a family can face. Its dedicated team and volunteers walk alongside them through the days that follow, offering comfort, clarity and support through some of their darkest hours. The new chelka allows Knafayim to be there for families through one of the most sacred and difficult moments following a loss: ensuring these precious neshamos a dignified resting place, while giving their families the comfort and peace of mind of knowing that everything was handled with dignity and care. 

Event chairman Harav Shmuel Yitzchok Pfefferkorn, shlit"a, menahel of Yeshivas Karlin-Stolin in Lakewood, opened the event by comparing Knafayim’s volunteers to a bird that flies straight into a storm. This, he said, is the koach of Knafayim: when a family is caught in a  storm, Knafayim  flies  toward them.

R’ Meir Shalom Gertner, director of Har Shalom, expanded on that message, speaking of Knafayim’s tov v’hameitiv, giving these neshamos tehoros the kavod of a proper burial. Harav Tzvi Hirsch Rabinowitz, shlit"a, AB”D Kochvei Yitzchok Bobov Monsey, described this chesed as twofold: yekara d’shachvei for the neshamos, and yekara d’chayei for the families who must carry on without them. The neshamos, he added, will be melitzei yosher for all who support this sacred work.

Harav Pfefferkorn expressed heartfelt hakaras hatov to those who make Knafayim’s work possible, specifically the attending doctors, Dr. David Lubel, Dr. Yaakov Abdehlik, and the many other medical professionals whose dedication to Knafayim has touched countless families. 

Next Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, shlit"a, shared through tears his own firsthand experience with pregnancy loss. He spoke of the importance of having a place to mourn, and of the responsibility we carry as a community never to remain indifferent to a Jewish family's suffering.  

Harav Zusha Ausch, shlit"a, Rav of Knafayim, explained the meaning behind the organization’s name, citing a Midrash about a broken bird finding comfort in its beautiful wings. In moments of deep brokenness, he said, Knafayim’s volunteers are those wings. We cannot always change what has happened. But we can always make sure a family isn’t left to carry it alone.

The rain continued to fall as the gathering came to a close with a moving Kel Malei Rachamim for the nefulim a’h, led by a renowned chazan R’ Yechezkel Brecher. But the message of the evening was unmistakable; even in the moments that cannot be changed, there is still chesed to be done, kavod to be given, and a family that should never have to stand alone. 

The maamad concluded with a heartfelt tefillah that the new chelka should see as little use as possible, and that we should soon merit the day when there will be no more pain or sorrow with the coming of Moshiach and techiyas hameisim, bimherah beyameinu, amen. 

photos: Avrumi Berger

Yisroel R.

A familiar piece of Boro Park’s streetscape is getting an upgrade, as older U.S. Mail relay boxes are being replaced with brand-new models across the neighborhood.

The relay boxes, used by postal workers during their daily routes, have long been stationed at various locations throughout Boro Park. The older green boxes are now being removed and replaced with newer units as part of the ongoing rollout.

The newly installed boxes will also feature a different type of locking system, adding an updated security feature to the equipment used by postal workers while making their rounds.

Residents may begin noticing the newer boxes appearing at more locations as the replacements continue throughout Boro Park, gradually swapping out the older models that have been in place for years.

The change is a relatively small one, but it gives another everyday piece of neighborhood infrastructure a fresh look while updating the equipment used behind the scenes to keep local mail moving.

Yisroel R.

This week’s Dee Voch brings readers another packed issue filled with major events from across the heimishe world, fascinating personalities, dramatic history, business, important insight, and plenty for the entire family.

In Dee Voch, readers will find extensive coverage from the gathering of leading Admorim and Rabbanim at the chanukas habayis for the massive new offices of Ezra V’Yyiutz in Yerushalayim, established to strengthen and preserve Chareidi Yiddishkeit amid the ongoing gezeiras giyus bnei hayeshivos.

The issue also features the Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe during his visit to Eretz Yisrael, the Pidyon Haben for a great-grandchild of the Belzer Rebbe, the Satmar Rebbe visiting Machanos Rav Tov of Satmar, the Bar Mitzvah of a grandson of the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, and coverage marking the yahrtzeit of the Yeshuos Yaakov of Skulen zt”l.

This week’s Shrift, “The Scam Hunter,” features a dramatic conversation with energetic askan R’ Itche Jialowski, who heads one of the most popular heimishe news lines in Eretz Yisrael. He takes readers behind the scenes of his intense operations against the countless scammers operating across the country, shares critical advice on how people can protect themselves from fraud, and reveals some of the secrets behind the popular news line.

Also in Shrift, “The Forgotten Hijacking: Chaos in the Air” revisits a terrifying incident nine months before the 9/11 attacks, when a man stormed the cockpit of a British Airways flight traveling from London to Nairobi, Kenya, attacked the lone pilot inside, seized the flight controls, and sent the aircraft carrying nearly 400 people into a frightening descent. The feature looks back at the largely forgotten incident that chillingly foreshadowed the dangers the world would later witness on 9/11.

In Business Shrift, “Daas Baal Habayis,” R’ Hershel Mendelson tells the nearly 60-year story of Mendelsohn’s Pizza, which has been serving the same familiar foods to customers for three generations.

This week’s Fink, “The Refrigerator Mother,” explores a disturbing chapter in the history of autism, when psychologists wrongly blamed mothers for causing autism in their children because of an alleged lack of warmth. The false theory left countless parents carrying tremendous guilt and led families toward unnecessary therapies, until researchers eventually established that autism is rooted in biological development and is not caused by flawed parenting.

And in Kinder Shrift, “The Turks in Eretz Yisrael,” young readers will get a fascinating look at the period when Eretz Yisrael was under Turkish rule, exploring an important era in the history of the land and what life was like during that time.

Get your copy at grocery stores and local retailers, or subscribe via WhatsApp or the website!

Yisroel R.

Three teenagers were killed and four other people were injured in a devastating late-night crash on the Belt Parkway Tuesday night, triggering lane closures and a major emergency response along the busy highway.

The crash happened at around 11:35 p.m. Tuesday on the eastbound Belt Parkway near 65th Street in Bay Ridge, where a Cadillac Escalade carrying five people collided with a Honda HR-V.

Three teenage boys in the Cadillac, ages 16, 17 and 18, were rushed to local hospitals in critical condition and were later unfortunately pronounced dead. Two other teenagers in the Escalade, ages 16 and 18, were injured and hospitalized in stable condition.

The HR-V had two women in them, both of whom were also taken to the hospital for with injuries. The crash left one of the vehicles badly mangled and forced partial closures on the eastbound Belt Parkway as police and emergency crews worked at the scene.

The roadway has since reopened. No arrests have been made, as police are continuing to investigate what caused the tragic and deadly collision.

Yisroel R.

A major new expansion is planned for the Satmar shul on 18th Avenue near 58th Street, after the shul purchased an additional property directly next to its current building.

The newly acquired lot will be incorporated into the existing shul property as part of a large-scale expansion, significantly increasing the space available for the growing Beis Medrash.

The latest move comes after the shul itself underwent a major construction and renovation project. As previously reported by BoroPark24 in 2024, the expanded Beis Medrash was completed at the time following years of work.

Now, just over a year later, the purchase of the neighboring property is setting the stage for the next major phase of growth, with plans to combine the additional lot into the shul complex.

Further details on the design and scope of the expansion are expected to become available as planning for the project moves forward, adding to the already beautiful, newly renovated shul, with a large beis medrash, beautiful mikvah, and majestic accommodations.

YS GOLD 

On the outskirts of Boro Park sits a bank. The building has served as a bank for close to a century. 

Can our readers identify the location of this stately building? 

___ 

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

The Minyan Factory in question is none other than Shomrei Shabbos Anshei Sfard which has stood at this location for more than a century.

photos: Avrumi Blum, Issac Y., Issac G.

Yisroel R.

The NYPD is searching for an individual accused of attacking a 25-year-old woman aboard an N train near Boro Park earlier this month.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 19, as the woman was riding a northbound N train at the New Utrecht Avenue subway station, near the Boro Park-Bensonhurst border.

Police said the individual physically assaulted the woman while aboard the train before leaving the scene.

The NYPD has since released information about the suspect and is asking the public for assistance in identifying and locating him. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Monsey marks the next step in Thryve’s growing community-based mental health network

Leading Rabbonim representing Monsey’s kehillos joined elected officials, askonim, healthcare leadership and community leaders last Thursday for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Thryve Wellness at Lev Health, marking an important step forward for trusted and accessible mental health care in Monsey.

The opening comes just six months after Thryve launched its first psychiatry program in Williamsburg, bringing its community-based model into Monsey through a trusted local healthcare setting.

Families already turn to Lev Health for pediatrics, women’s health, primary care and acute medical care. Adding Thryve’s psychiatry program creates a direct connection between physical and mental health care, giving families a familiar place to turn when additional support is needed.

Lev Health is led clinically by Temima Levine, FNP, Clinical Director, together with Dr. Shari Hirsch, a respected pediatrician and member of the community.

“As pediatricians, we often see the first signs that a child or family may be struggling long before they arrive in a mental health setting,” Dr. Hirsch said. “When families already have a place they trust for their healthcare, being able to help them find the right next step can make an enormous difference.”

That next step is where Thryve’s model begins.

A concern may first be noticed at home, by a rav, in school, in therapy or during a medical visit. Too often, families are then left trying to find the right psychiatrist, determine insurance coverage and wait for care.

Thryve was built to close that gap.

At Lev Health, Thryve provides psychiatric evaluations, medication management and ongoing follow-up, with rapid appointments, Medicaid and most insurances accepted, and both in-person and telehealth care available.

The program is led clinically by Dr. Leah R. Steinberg, MD, Thryve Wellness’ Medical Director, a board-certified adult psychiatrist and member of the community.

“Families should not have to wait until a situation becomes a crisis before mental health care becomes accessible,” Dr. Steinberg said. “As both a psychiatrist and a mother in the community, I understand how important it is for parents to know that when something begins to concern them, there is a confidential, professional and accessible place to turn.”

On the community side, Chaim Tuchinsky, LCSW, Thryve Wellness’ Director of Outreach and Programming, works to strengthen the relationships and referral pathways connecting families with appropriate care.

The strong turnout at the opening reflected the need for that approach, bringing together rabbanim and community leadership, healthcare organizations and elected officials, including New York State Assemblymember Aron Wieder, for the ribbon cutting and opening of the new program.

For Thryve, Monsey is the next step in an expansion already underway.

Williamsburg was the beginning. Monsey is now open, with additional communities being developed as Thryve continues building local points of mental health access across the Hudson Valley and across New York State.

The goal is not simply to open more clinics. It is to build around trusted local healthcare in each community, strengthen the connection between families and care, and make mental health services easier to reach before a concern becomes a crisis.

The opening of Thryve Wellness at Lev Health brings that model directly into Monsey — combining Lev Health’s trusted place in the community with Thryve’s growing mental health network and creating a clearer path into care for local families

photos: Shulem Schwartz

A profound sense of mourning has descended upon Boro Park and the wider Chassidic world following the petirah Monday evening of the Sanzer Rebbe of Boro Park, Harav Hatzaddik Reb Boruch Halberstam, zt”l. He was 70 years old.

The Rebbe, a descendant of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, zt”l, was widely known for his extraordinary dedication to chesed and hachnosas orchim and for his open door to Yidden from across the community.

The Rebbe was the eldest son of the previous Sanzer Rebbe of Boro Park, zt”l, and carried the distinguished lineage of the Sanz dynasty. He was a son-in-law of Harav Yechiel Michel Rottenberg, zt”l, of Kosson-Kozova.

For many years, the Rebbe stood alongside his father and devoted himself to the needs of the community. He became especially known as a pillar of hachnosas orchim in Boro Park, arranging accommodations for hundreds of guests over the years, whether in private homes or designated facilities, while ensuring that visitors had their needs taken care of.

Following the petirah of his father on 12 Tammuz 5780, the Rebbe, as the eldest son, assumed his father’s position and continued the Sanz legacy in Boro Park. He led the Sanz Beis Medrash on 48th Street near 16th Avenue, where mispallelim and community members turned to him for guidance, assistance, and encouragement.

Several years ago, the Rebbe became seriously ill and endured a prolonged period of tremendous suffering, including numerous hospitalizations. Despite his difficult condition, hopes remained that his health would improve.

Over the past several days, however, his condition deteriorated significantly. Earlier Monday, as Klal Yisroel was urged to increase their tefillos on his behalf, the name “Simcha” was added as a zechus for a refuah sheleimah.

Tragically, on Monday evening, the Rebbe returned his neshama to its Creator at the age of 70.

His petirah leaves his family, Chassidim, mispallelim, and countless individuals who benefited over the decades from his remarkable generosity and chesed deeply bereaved.

The Rebbe leaves behind a distinguished family of sons, sons-in-law, grandchildren, siblings, and relatives, including numerous Admorim and Rabbanim who continue the illustrious Sanz dynasty.

The Levaye will take place tonight 10:30 from the Sanz Bhm"d at 16th Avenue and 48th Street.

Yehi zichro baruch.

Boro Park residents may hear or spot F-18 fighter jets flying near the area Tuesday morning as part of a planned flyover beginning near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

The F-18 aircraft are scheduled to fly approximately 2,500 feet above the Hudson River at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25.

The aircraft will begin near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, just south of Boro Park, before traveling north along the Hudson River toward the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

The flyover is planned, and residents should not be alarmed by the sight or sound of the military aircraft flying in the area.

Chavivim has announced a new phone number for residents seeking assistance, with the organization’s previous number no longer in service.

Residents are encouraged to save or write down the new number now, ensuring they have it readily available whenever Chavivim’s assistance may be needed.

Those who previously saved the organization’s old number should update their contacts, as calls to the previous number will no longer reach Chavivim.

Residents are also encouraged to share the updated number with family members and others who may need Chavivim’s services in the future.

The new number is: 718-400-2200.

Yisroel R.

Broken playground equipment, worn-out basketball courts, damaged fences, and other everyday problems at New York City parks could soon be getting fixed much faster under a new initiative launched Monday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The city’s new “Renew Crew” is a team of 24 painters, electricians, plumbers, and other trade workers who will be deployed to playgrounds, recreation centers, and sports courts across the five boroughs to tackle smaller repairs that can often linger for months. The goal is to complete each project in three weeks or less. 

Rather than waiting for a park to deteriorate enough to require a major capital overhaul, the new crew will focus on the smaller improvements people notice every day. That can include repainting chipped playground equipment and fences, repairing park amenities, replacing protective playground flooring, restoring play equipment, and handling general wear and tear. 

Mamdani and Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura kicked off the program Monday with a large repair effort at Dry Harbor Playground in Queens. Crews there are repainting and repairing two basketball courts, playground equipment, benches, fencing, a drinking fountain, the park house exterior, and several other parts of the park. Workers are also removing dead trees, pruning, mulching planting beds, and making improvements around the park’s 9/11 memorial. 

The rollout is already stretching beyond Queens. Similar work is underway at Fort Four Playground in the Bronx, American Playground in Brooklyn, Annunciation Playground in Manhattan, and Old Town Playground on Staten Island. City officials say Renew Crew is expected to complete as many as 30 projects each year, with each one targeted for completion within three weeks. 

“The only thing worse than waiting for your turn on the swings is waiting for the swing to be fixed,” Mamdani said while announcing the program, arguing that New Yorkers should not have to wait months for basic repairs at neighborhood parks. 

The initiative was first included in the city’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget, which set aside $2.3 million annually for the Renew Crew program over the next three fiscal years. The idea is to create a middle ground between routine maintenance and the lengthy, expensive capital projects that can take years to complete.

For New Yorkers, the change is designed to be simple: when a court needs patching, a playground needs repainting, or a park amenity breaks, the city wants a dedicated crew ready to arrive and get it fixed before a small problem turns into a much bigger one.

photos: Y. Stein 

Yisroel R.

A major transformation is moving forward at the former Century 21 site in Bay Ridge, with Burlington and a yet-to-be-named national grocery chain officially signing leases at the new Century Marketplace development.

The two retailers will occupy a combined 60,112 square feet at the $130 million project at 458 86th Street, between Fourth and Fifth avenues. The 120,000-square-foot development is now approximately 65% pre-leased.

Developers MCB Real Estate and Osiris Ventures say the grocery store will be the first national grocer serving the immediate Southwest Brooklyn trade area. Burlington, the well-known discount retailer, will also open at the property, which has remained vacant since the former Century 21 location closed.

Century Marketplace is planned to include additional retail space, with room for two more junior anchor stores as well as approximately 15,000 square feet of smaller shops. The developers recently secured $76.7 million in construction financing from Truist Bank for the redevelopment.

The project is separate from another redevelopment nearby, where a SuperFresh supermarket is planned for a former Century 21 property on 87th Street. The newly announced unnamed grocery store and Burlington will both be part of Century Marketplace on 86th Street.

Yisroel R.

After years of debate over what to do with one of Brooklyn’s most important and aging highways, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday morning that New York City is moving ahead with a massive $4 billion plan to repair and rebuild the city-owned portion of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Mamdani revealed the plan in a video released early Monday morning, saying the city is “done kicking the can down the road” on BQE Central, the 1.5-mile stretch running between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. The section includes the well-known triple cantilever beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which has become one of the biggest concerns along the aging expressway. 

The numbers help explain why City Hall says the project can no longer be delayed. The BQE Central infrastructure is already around 20 years beyond its original design life, which was originally designed to withstand approximately 50 years of structural service, but is now 70 years old, 20 years beyond its expected lifespan and carries more than 130,000 vehicles every day. Although the city says the structure remains safe, officials acknowledge that it requires extensive and increasingly costly maintenance while a permanent solution remains unfinished. The city says it is currently spending approximately $160 million each year maintaining the aging structure. 

Actually rebuilding the highway without creating a traffic nightmare will be a project of its own. Under the new plan, the city would construct temporary bypass roadways so traffic can continue moving while the existing BQE is repaired. One two-level temporary roadway would run along Furman Street below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, while another elevated bypass would carry traffic farther north across the Brooklyn Bridge approach. Once the main highway work is completed, the temporary structures would then be removed. 

The full project is expected to take roughly ten years, with major construction currently projected to begin around 2030. When completed, officials say the overhaul would extend the life of the BQE Central section by approximately another 40 years. Before construction begins, the city will have to move through environmental and land-use reviews and other planning steps. 

The BQE has been the subject of repair proposals and redesign discussions for years, with previous NYC mayoral administrations considering different ways to rebuild the deteriorating highway while limiting the impact on nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods. Mayor Mamdani’s plan now represents the latest move to actually begin repairing the highway that City Hall says is running out of time.

Will he be the first to actually do it? Time will tell.

photos: Avrumi Berger

Community Unites to Establish a Keren Yesomim for the Widow and Orphans

Boro Park has lost a legend, a person who was there for so many.

Rabbi Tzvi Zev Berger z”l was a respected Dayan, a role model, and someone whose door and heart were always open. He listened to everyone, carried the pain of so many, gave chizuk, and helped countless individuals and families throughout the community.

His sudden passing while on vacation just two weeks ago left his family, friends, and the entire Boro Park community shocked and heartbroken.

Today, Boro Park is coming together to show its support for Rabbi Berger’s widow and orphans through a special campaign to establish a Keren Yesomim that will help provide financial security for his family.

Rabbi Berger’s brother-in-law, Yossi Sicherman, is making a personal plea to the community:

Please help us establish the Keren Yesomim for the family and give Reb Tzvi Zev z”l’s neshama an aliyah, knowing that the family he left behind is being financially taken care of.

Please open your heart and donate generously today.

Donate now:

https://dryveup.com/berger/21433

Yisroel R.

Boro Park will see a warm and mostly sunny start to the week, with temperatures in the low 80s bringing a mix of late-summer warmth and early-fall comfort. The quiet weather will continue through Wednesday before thunderstorms bring a wetter and more unsettled change on Thursday.

Monday will be mainly sunny, with a high around 81 degrees and a low of 64 degrees. The sunshine and comfortable temperatures will make for a pleasant start to the week.

Tuesday will bring another mostly sunny day, with a high near 81 degrees and a low of 65 degrees.

Wednesday will remain mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds. The high will climb to around 83 degrees, with a low of 71 degrees, making it the warmest day of the weekly forecast.

Thursday will bring a noticeable change, with thunderstorms expected and a high near 80 degrees. The low will be around 70 degrees, with a 70% chance of rain, bringing a humid and unsettled end to the weekly forecast.

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the passing of Reb Yaakov Yitzchok (Yankel) Cohen, a grandson of the famous and legendary Reb Mottel (Kastelanitz) Slonim. He was in his 70’s. 

The niftar was born in Yerushalayim of yore, and was raised among its exalted Yidden, including many elevated Slonimer chassidim. 

He eventually moved to America, and was a part of the Slonimer chassidus here. 

He always had a smile on his face, always filled with happiness, and he loved to feed Yidden. He was an excellent cook, and was especially well-known for his kugels. 

“Everyone felt like his best friend, and everyone felt good around him,” recalls a grandchild. “And he had a good word to say about everyone. He was a real Zeidy to everyone…” 

A twinkle would come into his eyes whenever he met people, especially his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

His meticulously kept up his shiurim, even when he became weaker and his eyesight failed. He would trek to the Slonimer Beis Medrash and to the Mikolayever Beis Medrash in Kensington to learn every night even when it was difficult for him.  

Reb Yankel was diagnosed with an illness a few months ago, and passed away Thursday afternoon. 

The levaya took place in front of the Slonimer shul on 46th street, and he will be flown to Eretz Yisroel for Kevurah.

Yehi zichro baruch.

photos: Dovid Jaroslawicz

On 9th Avenue and 51st Street in Boro Park, there stands a humble shul, known as the Bucharester Shul. It was headed for decades by Rav Benzion Deutch, a tremendous meyuchas who hailed from great tzaddikim, and who already served as a dayan in Bucharest, Romania, as a bochur of eighteen.  

Bucharest 

The Rebbe was born in the Romanian capitol of Bucharest in the year 1935 to his father, Rav Shmuel Deutch, the Bucharester Rebbe. His paternal grandfather was Rav Moshe Deutch of Sighet, who traced his lineage generation by generation to great tzaddikim from throughout the generations, including the Ba’al Hamo’or, the Maharshal, the Maharsho, the Megale Amukos, the Bach, and many, many others. Rav Moshe Deutch was the son-in-law of Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Hellir, the rov of Tzfas, the son of Rav Shmuel Hellir, the son of Tzfas. On this side of the family, they are likewise descended from many gedolim. 

The Rebbe survived the was years as a young boy in Bucharest. The situation of the Yidden there, while much easier than for the Yidden of other countries, was still very difficult, and they suffered mightily from the local resha’im. Rav Benzion witnessed how his father was taken away a number of times, but, b’chasdei Hashem, he managed to return home every time. It was with great miracles that the entire family survived the war. 

Following the war, the family remained in Bucharest which became a major center for refugees and survivors—many Rabbonim and Admorim among them. One of these was the Imrei Chaim, Rav Chaim Meir Hager of Viznitz, who married off his son, Rav Mordechai (later the Viznitzer Rebbe of Monsey) in Bucharest. Rav Benzion was present at the wedding, and later recalled the many Rabbonim and dignitaries who attended. 

Boro Park 

In 1961, the family finally managed to get out of Romania, and they settled at first in Williamsburg, and Boro Park soon thereafter, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. In those early years, the Satmar Rov—recognizing the caliber of this young talmid chochom—sent him to inspect the kashrus of the meat in slaughterhouses. 

In Boro Park, his father Rav Shmuel established Khal Beis Moshe d’Bucharest, and thereafter, Rav Benzion opened Khal Beis Shmuel Tzfas on 48th Street in the name of his illustrious ancestor, Rav Shmuel Hellir of Tzfas. 

The Rebbe’s avodah centered around learning with great diligence, away from the public eye. This is how he spent his days and years. His tefillos were likewise with great warmth and fire in the nusach and melodies that were handed down in the family from their holy forbears. He would daven before the omud on Yomim nora’im with tremendous feeling which in turn awakened the hearts of the mispalelim. 

With the passing of his father in 1985, he assumed the leadership of his Beis Medrash Khal Beis Moshe d’Bucharest, and there continued with his avodas hakodesh.  

Although the Rebbe wished only to live his spiritual life away from the limelight, many would come to the Rebbe for brochos and for advice, and they would always leave uplifted and inspired. His heart was exceptionally warm to every Yid. He would listen to their concerns with extraordinary patience and attentiveness. The Rebbe had a close relationship with a number of Admorim, especially with his close cousins, the Admorim of Toldos Aharon and Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok. 

Towards the end of his life, the Rebbe was unwell, and suffered from a number of ailments. He returned his neshomoh to its Creator in Elul of the year 2020. His Levaya took place in Boro Park and Yerushalayim, and the Rebbe was laid to rest on Har Hazeisim following decades of Torah and avodas Hashem in Boro Park of yore.