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. 

Thousands of Belzer chasidim around the world will be heeding the special request from the Belzer Rebbe Shlita to add an additional candle each Shabbos and Yom Tov, with the intention that Yidden who have become distant from Yiddishkeit should merit returning and drawing closer to their Father in Heaven.

The request was conveyed following a special meeting held Wednesday in the presence of the Rebbe together with several of the rabbanim and dayanim of the Belzer kehillah. 

The gathering focused on additional initiatives that could be undertaken to reach and inspire Jewish souls to become closer to Yiddishkeit.

The Belzer Rebbe has long placed a strong emphasis on kiruv, with numerous initiatives and organizations established over the years aimed at bringing fellow Yidden closer to Torah and Yiddishkeit.

During Wednesday's gathering, noted maggid Harav Menashe Yisroel Reisman shlita addressed those present, as did Harav Pinchas Friedman shlita, Rosh Hakollelim of Belz.

Harav Friedman conveyed the Rebbe's personal request that each Erev Shabbos, an additional candle be lit for those Jewish souls who have drifted away from Yiddishkeit, with the hope and tefillah that they return and reconnect, reflecting the words, "Ner mitzvah v'Torah ohr."

The Rebbe added that there is in general a special significance to adding a candle, and encouraged those for whom doing so is practical and not difficult to undertake the practice.

The notice issued with the initiative also includes the wording to be said when undertaking the practice for the first time:

“הריני מוסיף בזאת נר אחד בלי נדר, ורק באופן שאוכל לקיים בנקל קבלה זו.”

When lighting the additional candle each week, the following tefillah is to be said:

“הריני מדליקה נר זה לכבוד שבת קודש לזכות אחינו בני ישראל התועים מדרך התורה, שיזכו לשוב בתשובה שלמה במהרה.”

The Rebbe further emphasized that doing for others ultimately brings bracha to one’s own home as well, explaining that when one acts on behalf of another Yid, he is also doing for himself. In the zechus of adding the candle and davening for other Jewish neshamos, families should merit to see Yiddishe nachas from their own children.

photos: Anshel Beck

Yisroel R.

Boro Park will see a rainy weekend, with temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to low 80s and the greatest chance for thunderstorms arriving on Sunday.

Friday will begin partly cloudy before skies turn cloudier during the afternoon, with a slight chance of rain. The high will reach around 79 degrees, with a low of 68 degrees.

Shabbos will be mostly cloudy with occasional rain showers. The high will reach around 75 degrees, with a low of 70 degrees and around a 50% chance of rain.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy during the morning before thunderstorms develop in the afternoon. The high will reach around 81 degrees, with a low of 66 degrees. Some storms may bring strong, gusty winds, making for an unsettled end to the weekend.

With summer now in full swing, Boro Park has settled into a quieter pace as many families settled in the Catskills and summer destinations. As the neighborhood adjusts to its seasonal rhythm, many residents are wondering which Rebbes will be in Boro Park this Shabbos to attend the tefillos and their tishen.

• Amshinov - Eretz Yisroel
• Beis Chaim Shia - Boro Park 
• Bobov - White Lake
• Bobov-45 - Yeshiva Ketane Camp, Catskills
• Burshtin - Boro Park
• Chernoble - Boro Park 
• Emunas Yisroel - Boro Park
• Kosov - Eretz Yisroel  
• Liska - Boro Park
• Lelov - Boro Park 
• Lelov - Boro Park 
• Minkatch - Boro Park 
• Rachmastrivka - Boro Park
• Sanz Klausenburg -  Eretz Yisroel
• Sanz Zmigrad - Bloombinburg
• Serdaheli - Boro Park 
• Skolya - Machne Skolya, South Fallsburg
• Skulen - Catskills
• Skver of BP - Machne Skver, Woodridge
• Ungvar - Boro Park 
• Viznitz BP - Viznitz Camp, South Fallsburg 
• Viznitz Y-M - Boro Park 

Be sure to check back every Friday as we'll update the list weekly to reflect each Rebbe's Shabbos plans.

photos: Shuki Lerer

photos: Shuki Lerer

Yisroel R.

Keep the umbrella close Thursday afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to move through the region later in the day, bringing the potential for heavy downpours and flash flooding in some areas.

The National Weather Service says the greatest threat for flash flooding will come during the late afternoon and early evening, mainly between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Rainfall totals are generally expected to reach between half an inch and one inch, although isolated locations could see close to three inches. Rain could fall particularly hard at times, with rates of one to locally two inches per hour possible.

The heavy rainfall could lead to isolated or scattered flash flooding, particularly in urban areas, locations with poor drainage, low-lying areas, and along streams that respond quickly to heavy rain. The highest risk is expected across New York City, parts of New Jersey, and the lower Hudson Valley. The National Weather Service says damaging wind gusts cannot be ruled out.

A Flood Watch could be needed for portions of the area as conditions develop. Residents should keep an eye on the weather through the afternoon and evening as the storms move through.

Yisroel R.

What may have been intended as a fun game came to a quick end in after six individuals were arrested for driving around Boro Park at night, harassing residents and throwing eggs at people.

Shomrim received multiple calls reporting a vehicle traveling through the area with six individuals inside who were allegedly targeting people with eggs and harassment.

In one incident, an egg was thrown directly into a person’s face, prompting Hatzolah to respond and treat the victim.

After receiving information identifying the vehicle, Shomrim members located it and kept eyes on the vehicle while waiting for NYPD officers to arrive.

Police subsequently arrived and arrested all six individuals in connection with the incidents, bringing the so called ‘game’ to a quick end.

Yisroel R.

Hundreds of New Yorkers have been unable to reach emergency operators Tuesday morning after a major failure at one of New York City’s two 911 call centers.

The problem affected one of the city's emergency call center for roughly seven hours, from around 3:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. During that time, approximately 1,700 calls failed to properly connect, accounting for about one-third of the calls routed to the call center.

City officials estimated that as many as 400 people may actually have been unable to connect with 911, with the larger number of failed calls also including automated alarms and repeat attempts from callers who tried again after not getting through.

In many of the affected calls, the caller and 911 operator were unable to hear each other, creating a serious problem for anyone trying to report a medical emergency, fire, crime, or other urgent situation.

New York City operates two emergency call centers, one in the Bronx and its primary center in Downtown Brooklyn. The Bronx facility is intended in part to serve as a backup, though it was not immediately clear whether affected calls were successfully redirected to the Brooklyn center.

Officials have not yet determined what caused the failure. The incident has raised concerns over the reliability of the city’s emergency communications system, where even a short delay in reaching 911 can become critical. The incident remains under further  investigation.

Yisroel R.

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

In Dee Voch, readers will find extensive coverage and photos from the massive “Mekadshei Shimecha” gathering for thousands of Viznitz Chassidim, along with the Hachnosas Sefer Torah to the Satmar Yeshiva Gedolah in Kiryas Joel.

The issue also features the Satmar Rebbe’s visit to Machanos Rav Tov, including the special Hanachas Even Hapinah ceremony, as well as coverage marking the yahrtzeits of the Spinka Rebbe zt”l, the Noam Eliezer of Skulen zt”l, the Tosh Rebbe zt”l, and the Rachmastrivka Rebbe zt”l.

Also featured are the bris for a grandson of the Bobov Rebbe at Camp Kerem Shlomo, the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe davening at the tziyun of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, the Bobov-45 Rebbe visiting the Satmar Rebbe in Kiryas Yoel, the Viener Rav visiting Camp Adas Yereim Vien, the Kossover Rebbe davening at Mishkan Shiloh, and the Skulen-Lakewood Rebbe’s visit to Eretz Yisrael.

This week’s Shrift, “Al Har Woodridge,” takes readers for a Shabbos inside Woodridge, the oldest Jewish Catskills community, exploring its rich history and colorful year-round residents. The feature includes a special conversation with Hagaon Hatzaddik Rabbi Yitzchok Lebowitz shlita, Gaavad Woodridge, and a look at the village’s heimshe mayor’s approach to solving the local housing crisis.

In Business Shrift, “Daas Baal Habayis,” readers meet askan R’ Boruch Yitzchok Weiss and discover the story behind how he built his well-known businesses, Mr. Clean cleaning company and Fast Act restoration company.

This week’s Fink, “Shuvu Bonim,” tells the remarkable story of Mrs. Pinter, who leads a program helping young Russian Jewish girls growing up in assimilated surroundings reconnect with their Jewish roots. Through the seminary experience and the warmth of Shabbos spent with frum families, the girls discover a new world of Yiddishkeit, with the program’s success today reflected in the beautiful Torah homes built by many of its former students.

And in this week’s Kinder Shrift  young readers will learn something they encounter almost every day: Why does every area have a different telephone code? Why do callers use 845 for Monsey, while Williamsburg uses 718? The feature explains how area codes work and why different places received different numbers.

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

Several local residents have recently shared encounters with a particularly sophisticated form of online scam, in which fraudulent messages appear to come from the real email accounts of clients, customers, or business contacts they regularly deal with, making them extremely difficult to recognize as scams.

Unlike traditional scam emails from unknown senders or suspicious-looking addresses, these messages can arrive from an email account the recipient already knows and trusts. The sender may be a client or business associate with whom the recipient has communicated many times before, leaving little reason to suspect that anything is wrong.

The fraudulent email may include a document or link that appears entirely consistent with the type of correspondence normally exchanged between the two parties. Because both the email address and the person behind it are familiar, recipients can easily assume the message is legitimate and open the attachment without a second thought.

Opening a harmful document or following its instructions can expose passwords, business information, financial accounts, or other sensitive data. In some cases, victims may not immediately realize that anything has gone wrong.

People and businesses are urged to be especially cautious with documents they did not request, even when they appear to come from a legitimate email address belonging to someone they know and regularly communicate with. If something seems unusual, recipients should contact the other party through a trusted method, such as a known phone number, to confirm that the document is legitimate, or consult with a business cybersecurity expert.

With scammers increasingly able to make fraudulent messages appear as though they are coming from trusted contacts, the old rule of simply watching for poorly written emails, unfamiliar senders, or obviously suspicious addresses may no longer be enough. Taking an extra moment to verify an unexpected document, or checking with a cybersecurity professional when in doubt, can prevent a seemingly routine business email from turning into a costly scam.

photos: Issac Y.

photos: Issac G.

Yisroel R.

New Yorkers who receive SNAP benefits can take advantage of a city program that gives shoppers matching money toward fruits, vegetables, and beans at participating supermarkets across New York City.

The program, called Get the Good Stuff, is run by the New York City Health Department. For every $1 spent using SNAP/EBT on eligible fruits, vegetables, and beans, shoppers receive another $1, up to $10 per day, to use toward a future purchase of eligible foods.

The matching money is placed on a special pink Get the Good Stuff card, which is scanned at the register before payment. Eligible items include fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, certain frozen fruits and vegetables, canned or jarred produce, beans, lentils, and dried fruits and vegetables without added sugar, salt, or fat.

Many locations across the city are participating in the program, including several in Brooklyn. Two locations are situated right near the heimishe community, including 3 Guys From Brooklyn at 6502 Fort Hamilton Parkway, located in Boro Park, and Green Corner Fish and Farmers Market at 801 Flushing Avenue, right near Williamsburg.

Other Brooklyn locations include Pure Farmers Market at 1242 Liberty Avenue and Sea Town Fish and Meat Market at 328 Linden Street. Participating stores are also located throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, with stores joining or rejoining the program on a rolling basis.

To sign up, SNAP users can visit the customer service desk at a participating supermarket or tell a cashier that they would like to receive a Get the Good Stuff pink card.

The program gives SNAP users an additional way to stretch their grocery budget while purchasing fresh and healthy foods, with several participating locations within easy reach of the heimishe neighborhoods.

YS GOLD 

This week, we give our readers an easy one… a landmark shul in Boro Park which has been at the same place for more than a century ,and continues to serve the community in bigger and better ways with each passing year. 

Can our readers chime in with the location of this landmark? 

___

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

Boro Park’s first mikvah taharah is still in existence on 52nd Street near New Utrecht Avenue

photos: Avrumi Berger

New York City’s congestion pricing program has not led to increased air pollution across the city, including in neighborhoods where concerns had been raised that drivers avoiding Manhattan tolls could create additional traffic, according to a new city study.

The New York City Health Department released what it described as its first comprehensive evaluation of the Congestion Relief Zone tolling program’s effect on neighborhood air quality, finding that pollution levels either remained stable or improved slightly during the program’s first year.

Researchers examined air quality both inside Manhattan’s congestion pricing zone and in environmental justice communities near major highway corridors where officials had been concerned about potential increases in traffic.

Those areas included neighborhoods along the Major Deegan Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Staten Island Expressway, FDR Drive and Trans-Manhattan Expressway.

According to the study, none of those communities experienced an increase in air pollution attributable to congestion pricing.

The analysis focused on four traffic-related pollutants — fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and black carbon. Researchers used air-quality data beginning a full year before congestion pricing took effect and continuing through its first year of operation.

The study also accounted for other factors that can affect pollution readings, including weather, seasonal changes and regional wildfire smoke.

The findings come amid a longer-term improvement in New York City air quality. The city’s Community Air Survey has tracked neighborhood-level pollution for nearly two decades and has recorded significant improvements across all neighborhoods during that period.

Officials have nevertheless said traffic-related pollution remains a concern because of its connection to asthma, heart disease, stroke and other health problems.

Congestion pricing revenue is also being directed toward environmental and public-health programs. More than **$120 million** is being invested in related initiatives, including cleaner-truck programs and measures targeting communities that have historically faced higher pollution levels.

The study comes as congestion pricing remains one of New York’s most closely watched transportation policies. While the report did not find major changes in overall air pollution attributable to the program, its findings indicate that fears of increased pollution in communities outside the tolling zone have not materialized during the program’s first year.

City officials said air-quality monitoring will continue as they track the program’s longer-term effects.

photos: Moshe Nuchem

photos: Avrumi Berger

Yisroel R.

Yidden around the world are being asked to daven for the Sanz Rebbe from Boro Park, who remains in serious condition and is in need of rachmei Shomayim.

The Rebbe is a son of the previous Sanz-Gribov Rebbe, zt”l, and took over his father’s leadership approximately six years ago following his petirah.

The Rebbe has been battling cancer l”a for the past several years, and has been receiving close medical care.

His condition has recently worsened after additional medical complications developed, and the Rebbe remains in serious condition.

The public is asked to continue davening for the speedy recovery of the Rebbe, Baruch ben Malka l’refuah sheleimah, b’such shaar cholei Yisrael.

Yisroel R.

A major kosher technology convention will bring together a wide range of companies and organizations from across the fast-growing kosher technology world for a large showcase of devices, software and new developments.

The upcoming event, called ‘K-Tech', will feature numerous companies involved in both hardware and software, including kosher phone and device providers, digital platforms, filtering companies and other technology services serving the frum kosher market.

Among the companies expected to participate are names such as Fig, Wonder, Palm, Zing, 24Six and GreenTouch, along with TAG, Geder, Meshimer and many additional companies and organizations from across the industry.

The convention will include booths, presentations and lectures, giving attendees the opportunity to see current products up close, hear directly from the companies behind them and get a broader look at where kosher technology is heading next.

Kosher technology has grown significantly in recent years and is now a substantial industry of its own, with multiple companies developing phones, software, entertainment platforms, filtering systems and other products specifically designed for the needs of the frum community.

One of the biggest highlights of K-Tech is expected to be the announcement of between 10 and 15 new products and services, many of which are expected to become available over approximately the following six months.

The new products are expected to span different areas of kosher technology, reflecting the continued growth of a market that now includes both everyday devices and increasingly advanced software services.

Organizers say the convention will give participants a clearer look at what is currently available, while also offering a preview of what is coming next in the rapidly expanding kosher technology world.

photos: Achim Lanchevsky

Yisroel R.

The New York City Health Department will conduct mosquito spraying across parts of Boro Park and a large section of southern Brooklyn on Wednesday, August 19, following increased West Nile virus activity detected in mosquitoes in the area.

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

The planned spray area stretches across several sections of southern Brooklyn, including parts of Boro Park, Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Gravesend and surrounding areas. According to the city map, the treatment zone includes areas near 65th Street, Fort Hamilton Parkway, Bay Ridge Parkway, 86th Street, Ocean Parkway and Avenue U, extending south toward the Belt Parkway and west toward New York Harbor.

The spraying is part of the Health Department’s ongoing mosquito-control program, which is used to reduce mosquito populations and 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, though residents are advised to remain indoors when possible during spraying, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory conditions.

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

photos: Avrumi Blum 

The Shenya community and residents across Boro Park are mourning the petirah of Reb Tzvi Aryeh “Hershel” Landa Z”L, the longtime and well-known proprietor of Landau’s Grocery, whose familiar presence and warm personality made him known to generations of local families.

Reb Hershel Z”L, son of Harav Asher Lemel Landa Z”L, was a prominent and beloved member and Rosh Hakuhol of the Shenya kehillah, where he was known as an ehrliche chassidishe Yid devoted to Torah, his kehillah and those around him.

For many in Boro Park, however, Reb Hershel was perhaps best known from Landau’s Grocery, the neighborhood store he operated for years. His work brought him into daily contact with countless residents, turning him into a familiar face far beyond his immediate circle of family and friends.

His passing leaves behind a void among his family, fellow mispallelim, longtime customers and the many people throughout Boro Park who simply knew him as Hershel from Landau’s Grocery.

The levayah is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. today from the Shenya Bais Medrash at 1156 58th Street, followed by kevurah in Kiryas Joel.

Yehi zichro baruch.

By BoroPark24 Staff

Subway riders faced major disruptions Monday morning after a signal problem near Carroll Street in Brooklyn caused severe delays and significant service changes on the F and G lines. 

The trouble forced the MTA to reroute a number of F trains and turn others around before completing their usual routes.

Some Manhattan-bound F trains were operating express between Church Avenue and Jay Street-MetroTech, while others were being sent over the D line between Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue and West 4th Street-Washington Square. Downtown F trains were terminating at 2nd Avenue before returning uptown. 

G train riders were also affected, with some Church Avenue-bound trains terminating at Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and turning back toward Court Square. 

The MTA advised riders traveling between Brooklyn and Manhattan to consider the A, B, C, D, N, Q, R, J, L and M lines as alternatives. Riders can also transfer between the F and the B, D and M trains at West 4th Street. 

The disruptions were also expected to cause delays on uptown D trains as they shared tracks with rerouted F trains.

With summer now in full swing, Boro Park has settled into a quieter pace as many families settled in the Catskills and summer destinations. As the neighborhood adjusts to its seasonal rhythm, many residents are wondering which Rebbes will be in Boro Park this Shabbos to attend the tefillos and their tishen.

• Amshinov - Eretz Yisroel
• Beis Chaim Shia - Boro Park 
• Bobov - White Lake
• Bobov-45 - Private  
• Burshtin - Boro Park
• Chernoble - Boro Park 
• Emunas Yisroel - Boro Park
• Kosov - Eretz Yisroel  
• Liska - Boro Park
• Lelov - Boro Park 
• Lelov - Boro Park 
• Minkatch - Boro Park 
• Rachmastrivka - Boro Park
• Sanz Klausenburg - Tzfas, Eretz Yisroel
• Sanz Zmigrad - Bloombinburg
• Serdaheli - Boro Park 
• Skolya - Machne Skolya, South Fallsburg
• Skulen - Catskills
• Skver of BP - Machne Skver, Woodridge
• Ungvar - Boro Park 
• Viznitz BP - Viznitz Camp, South Fallsburg 
• Viznitz Y-M - Boro Park 

Be sure to check back every Friday as we'll update the list weekly to reflect each Rebbe's Shabbos plans.

Yisroel R.

Boro Park will see a pleasant start to the weekend, with partly cloudy skies Friday and mostly sunny conditions on Shabbos. Rain will move in Sunday, bringing a cooler and wet end to the weekend.

Friday will be partly cloudy with a high around 87 degrees and a low of 69 degrees, making for a warm but pleasant Erev Shabbos.

Shabbos will be mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds. Temperatures will be slightly cooler, with a high near 83 degrees and a low of 69 degrees.

Sunday will bring rain showers during the morning, becoming steadier during the afternoon. The high will reach around 80 degrees, with a low of 73 degrees. Rain and breezy conditions will make for a wet and unsettled summer Sunday.

Yisroel R.

Askanim involved with immigration are warning travelers with uncertain or unclear immigration status not to assume that flying within the United States will automatically be without a problem.

The warning comes amid increased immigration enforcement across the country in recent months, with federal authorities stepping up enforcement efforts and bringing greater attention to the risks facing those whose immigration status may not be fully in order.

The warning is especially relevant for people who entered the country legally but have since overstayed, as well as those waiting on extensions, status changes, adjustment applications, or other immigration filings. Askanim say anyone in these situations should have their specific case reviewed before heading to the airport.

One of the biggest points of confusion, is the belief that once paperwork has been filed with immigration authorities, everything is automatically in order until a decision is made. That is not always the case. A pending application, receipt notice, or other paperwork can mean different things depending on the individual situation.

At the same time, askanim stress that having a pending immigration matter does not automatically mean someone is unlawfully present or facing arrest. Many people remain in valid status while applications are being processed. The point of the warning, is that people should know exactly where they stand instead of relying on assumptions.

The issue is especially relevant for those traveling for simchos, Yom Tov, vacations, medical appointments and family visits. Because a flight from one U.S. state to another may feel routine, some travelers may not think about immigration questions the same way they would before an international trip.

Askanim are therefore urging anyone with an expired visa or ESTA, a pending immigration process, or any uncertainty about their current status to speak with a qualified immigration attorney or trusted askan before booking or taking a flight. Even if someone has traveled previously without any issues, that should not be taken as a guarantee that the next trip will go the same way, as circumstances and enforcement can change from case to case.

The bottom line, askanim say, is simple: if there is any question about your immigration status, find out the answer before you travel, not when you are already standing in the airport.

New York City has secured funding for a major cleanup initiative aimed at removing approximately one million pounds of derelict boats and other debris from waterways across the five boroughs.

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation announced the funding, describing the effort as a step toward creating a healthier marine environment and cleaner city waterways.

The initiative will target abandoned and deteriorating vessels along with other accumulated debris that can pose environmental concerns, interfere with waterways and detract from the city’s shoreline.

Removing derelict boats can be a particularly challenging undertaking because vessels may need to be recovered, transported and properly dismantled or disposed of while minimizing impacts on the surrounding environment.

NYC Parks did not specify in its announcement which waterways will be prioritized or provide a timeline for when the removal work will begin.

photos: Avrumi Berger

A new practical travel handbook designed to help visitors navigate a trip to Israel is being distributed free with this week’s Dee Voch package for Parshas Shoftim.

The special Dee Voch-Shrift project, titled “Vegvaizer,” brings together practical information and resources for travelers in one convenient guide, covering many of the details visitors may need before and during a stay in Israel.

The handbook includes detailed listings with addresses and phone numbers for a wide range of services and destinations, including minyanim, mekomos hakedoshim, rabbanim and admorim, drivers, apartments, mikvaos, grocery stores, restaurants, attractions and museums.

In addition to its directories, the guide features practical instructions and informative articles intended to help travelers prepare in advance and better understand what to expect during their visit.

Detailed maps of major heimishe neighborhoods are also included, giving visitors a convenient way to familiarize themselves with local areas and find important destinations.

Readers can also take advantage of special discounts offered by participating local businesses featured in the handbook.

photos: A. Eisenbach

Yisroel R.

This week’s Dee Voch brings readers coverage of major events and happenings throughout the heimishe world, including the yahrtzeit of the Belzer Rebbe zt”l; the yahrtzeit of the Satmar Rebbe zt”l; the Bobover Rebbe spending Shabbos at Camp Mesivta Eitz Chaim D’Bobov; noted philanthropist R’ Yoel Landau visiting the Gerer Rebbe, where a special fund was established to assist the broader yeshiva world; and the Bobov-45 Rebbe visiting the Bobov-45 Machina L’Yeshiva summer camp.

This week’s Shrift features “Ginzai Meromam,” a fascinating conversation with antique dealer and researcher R’ Yudel Breuer, who shares how learning a Chassidishe sefer sparked his passion for antiques and eventually led him to establish the Chassidish museum “Heichalos” this Bein Hazmanim. He discusses how Gedolim came to trust him with priceless items worth millions, how experts determine whether an artifact is authentic, the difference between rare objects and manuscripts, a million-dollar deal he turned down, and the remarkable story behind the kappel of the holy Baal Shem Tov.

The Business Shrift features “Daas Baal Habayis,” the moving story of R’ Ezra Solomon, who left behind his previous lifestyle and went on to develop special protective bags designed to shield Sifrei Torah and tashmishei kedushah from fire and extreme heat.

Also included free in this week’s Dee Voch package is the special “Vegvaizer” handbook, a practical guide covering everything needed for a visit to Eretz Yisroel. The handbook includes detailed lists of addresses and phone numbers for minyanim, mekomos hakedoshim, Rabbanim and Rebbes, drivers, apartments, mikvaos, grocery stores, restaurants, attractions and museums, along with useful guidance, informative articles, detailed maps of heimishe neighborhoods, and valuable discounts at local businesses.

This week’s Fink offers readers meaningful stories about family, home, health, and everyday life. Each issue features heartfelt interviews, practical advice, and inspiring experiences that inform, encourage, and connect women through topics that matter most.

The Kinder Shrift is packed with exciting adventures, fascinating facts, puzzles, stories, comics, and hands-on activities that make learning fun. Every issue takes young readers on a new journey filled with creativity, giving children something to enjoy from the first page to the last.

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

After months of frustration for residents of 46th Street between 14th and 15th Avenues, the city is finally taking action to remove green infrastructure construction materials that have been stored along the block.

The materials, which have occupied valuable parking spaces, contributed to traffic delays, and left portions of the residential block looking like a construction storage area, will now be moved to a new storage location along 21st Avenue near the cemetery, where they are expected to cause significantly fewer disruptions.

Multiple residents have reached out to BoroPark24 in recent months expressing frustration over the situation and its impact on their daily lives.

One resident told BoroPark24 that the situation had become overwhelming for families living on the block.

“At one point, it was literally affecting our mental health. It felt like we were living in a construction material storage yard,” the resident said. “This is what we saw when we woke up, when we opened the window for fresh air, when we came home after a day at work, and when our children played outside. It became part of every aspect of our daily lives.”

Residents are now expressing relief and gratitude as the materials are being relocated.

“We are extremely thankful to everyone who stepped in over the past few weeks and took action,” the resident added, "this includes representatives from the Department of Transportation, Community Board 12, Councilman Simcha Felder, and others who worked to find a solution."

For residents who have spent months navigating reduced parking, congestion, and construction materials outside their homes, the move brings a long-awaited end to an ongoing neighborhood headache.

Yisroel R.

New Yorkers will have the rare opportunity to witness a partial Likui Chamah/solar eclipse, this afternoon, as the moon passes in front of the sun and covers nearly 10% of it during an approximately 90-minute event visible across the city.

The eclipse will begin at approximately 1:07 p.m., as the moon begins moving across a small portion of the sun. It will reach its maximum at around 1:54 p.m., when approximately 9% to 10% of the sun will be covered, before gradually moving away and ending at approximately 2:38 p.m. Because only a relatively small portion of the sun will be covered, the eclipse is not expected to noticeably darken the sky, although those looking up at the sun with proper eclipse protection will still be able to enjoy this amazing nifloas haborei.

While only a partial eclipse will be visible here, today’s event is a much larger phenomenon across other parts of the world. A total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, Spain and a small section of Portugal, where the moon will completely cover the sun for a brief period. Much of Canada, Europe and parts of the United States and Africa will also see varying levels of a partial eclipse. 

The last major solar eclipse seen from our area was on April 8, 2024, when residents across New York gathered outdoors with eclipse glasses as approximately 90% of the sun was covered. Areas farther north and west were inside the path of totality, where the sun was completely covered. That eclipse was the last total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the contiguous United States until 2044. 

The next major solar eclipse visible from the United States will not arrive for another 18 years, on August 23, 2044. That eclipse will bring totality to portions of the United States, although the path of totality will be limited to areas including Montana and North Dakota. 

New York City Emergency Management said in a message ahead of today’s eclipse that those planning to watch it should only do so using certified eclipse glasses or a safe handheld solar viewer, stressing that ordinary sunglasses do not provide adequate protection. Eclipse glasses should also be checked for damages before being used.

Officials also warned against viewing the sun through cameras, binoculars, telescopes or other optical devices unless they are equipped with a proper solar filter. Those without eclipse glasses can use an indirect method such as a pinhole projector, while motorists are being urged to keep their eyes on the road and not stop or attempt to photograph the eclipse while driving.

Multiple people were injured in a crash involving two NYPD cruisers and a third vehicle at 15th Avenue and 51st Street.

The accident reportedly occurred while the NYPD officers were rushing to a call.

Hatzolah and other emergency personnel responded to the scene following the collision.

Five NYPD officers, one sergeant, and one civilian were injured in the crash.

The circumstances surrounding the collision remain under investigation, and additional details on the conditions of those injured were not immediately available.

Major improvements along Ocean Avenue beside Prospect Park are continuing to take shape, with the first phase of the project nearing completion and a new protected bike lane expected to open soon.

Phase 1 of the project, focused on the northern end of the Ocean Avenue perimeter, is wrapping up as crews continue work aimed at making access to Prospect Park safer and improving the surrounding streetscape.

The project is being funded with support from the NYC Mayor’s Office, NYC Department of Transportation, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Member Rita Joseph.

In addition to the protected bike lane, the improvements will include new trees, benches and other street furniture, which are expected to be installed by late fall.

As construction progresses southward, work will move into Phase 2, which includes the restoration of the Lincoln Road entrance to Prospect Park.

During that portion of the project, the Lincoln Road entrance will be temporarily closed, with park visitors redirected to another entrance located a few minutes farther south.

Officials say the overall project is designed to improve safety and accessibility along the Ocean Avenue side of Prospect Park while upgrading the park's perimeter for pedestrians, cyclists and other visitors.

photos: Dovid Jaroslawicz