There’s a person in the 5towns area who does it and when I got upset about it and was talking to a family member about it being illegal and a chillul Hashem, they told me what he does is perfectly legal. I don’t know how or what exactly he does but I took their word for it.

Kew Gardens is a great neighborhood. Yes, it is “dying” down, there are some great shuls there and a really nice school there too. I have family that still lives there and had family who lived there for 40 years before downsizing and moving away.

@aries, yes- the 5towns is awesome but I do hear that you now also have some type of recycling there now too. No? With these special garbage cans and each home was given one so people are complaining about the garbage cans overflowing? I don’t know, could be wrong but that’s what I’ve heard from my friends across 878.

Anyway, the 5towns/Far Rockaway is a great community with such amazing chassadim and different things going on constantly. People are always surprised when they come in to a conversation with there preconceived notions about the 5towns… when we tell them what really goes on here, they can’t believe it.

(Lol, yes- I do advocate for my commmunity lol, it is the best!!)

syag, I apologize. I just read through my post again and saw that I spelled your username wrong the second time I wrote it. I’m sorry!!

We actually had a Jewish Russian cleaning lady. Her name was a real Jewish name that you and I would name our children. At first it bothered me that we were making a Jewish women clean our house but then I thought that this is the way she makes her parnassa and she would be working by someone else. Also, we treated her very well so thought that it was ok for us to employ her. She was an amazing cleaning lady though!!

Ok, here is my opinion on this topic. Middlepath, your posts here are so helpful to so many people. I and many others will miss you but I definitely understand how you can get frustrated and even upset by some posts here.

I too feel out of place here sometimes. I feel like maybe I am just not as “good” or as “frum” as the people on here. A lot of the time I do not post on certain topics because they just are so frustrating and infuriating to me. For a while I felt like people tried to push their “frumness” and “yeshivishness” onto the “regulars” here but then I just realized that this is their way of life, their minhagim and this is what they really and truly believe in. I may not agree with everything they say but everyone is allowed their own opinion and minhagim and rabbanim type that they ask their sheilos too.

But I REALLY REALLY understand how you might feel out of place here. For real sometimes I read some topics and just want to cry because they sound so ridiculous to me and I always ask myself, don’t Jews (especially frum Jews) have enough to worry about without nitpicking over every little thing. I still do not understand this and really still get frustrated sometimes (like I did on the Dov Hikind and Hatzala issue that was discussed or the gum chewing thread) but I just try my hardest to keep my mouth shut so others don’t hear my frustration and feelings about it.

I know I’ve rambled on and on here but if it makes you feel any better, you’re really liked here. Your posts really mean a lot to many people so you will be missed!! You obviously need to do what is good for you but we will miss you!!!

adorable, bridal secrets in Cedarhurst also sells bridal gowns. I do not know prices but I do know some people who have said that it was cheaper to buy from them then to go to a gemach or rent one. It might be worth checking out. Mazel tov and hope all the wedding plans go smoothly!!

If it’s not gneiva, then why would people block theirs? If it is gneiva then it makes sense that people block them cuz they don’t want you taking their “money” (since you’re paying for it and they’re not) from them. My line of thought might be a lil convoluted here though

smick, I do not mean to insult you at all here I just know that this happened in my family when my siblings came home from seminary.

They acted like they were frummer than the rest of the family, that they had to “pasken” all of our sheilos and that we had to change the way we do everything in our house because we do it ‘wrong’. I don’t know if you’re doing this but if you are, that might be the reason she is acting strangely to you. I could totally be off base here but just something to think about.

Good luck and hope it all works out!!!

Chai Lifeline!! or any Yeshiva in your neighborhood, or Kids of Courage… Unfortunately, there are tonz of places that would jump for joy for any donation!!

Gas prices are going up because Obama wants to do something with the oil companies. (Read the NY Times Wed edition)

Toi- thanks. I knew it was something like that but wasn’t exactly sure what. Thanks for the clarification!

I don’t know if this is the same but we have had family simchas and have a cousin who married a sefardi. Therefore, they are only allowed to eat chicken (could be wrong about what they’re allowed to eat just know that both meals they had chicken). Because of this, we told this to the caterer and he made sure that they would have what to eat. I think it’s a little different than a person putting their kashrus chumros on you. Could be wrong though…

I can’t. I think that our world is falling apart. It is really scaring me. I am almost scared to wake up each day for fear of what crazy thing is going to happen that day. It is really scary. I know there is more I should be taking out of this and I am trying but right now I think my fear is taking over what I know I really should be doing or taking from this situation.

Middlepath, you are so right. I really do feel like we have become a closer nation because of these tragedies. It is sad that this is what it takes for us to reunite and become closer to each other.

Am yisrael, I heard what you said about all calamities happening because of the Jews. I heard this in highschool and for some reason it is just so hard for me to understand and stomach. I don’t know why, it bothers me. Because there is a bombing in Indonesia, it happened because the Jews did something wrong? It just bothers me. Why should we be blamed for e/t that happens to other nations? I don’t know if this example will work but when Hashem destroyed sedom, was it because the Jews did something bad? Yes, there was no such thing as Jews then so I don’t know if this example makes sense.

I know each thing that happens to us is because Hashem loves us and is trying to tell us something. I don’t know, it’s hard for me to really understand though. I am not c”v doubting Hashem. I know that my thinking is warped and is not correct, I just don’t understand the correct thinking either.

I was just thinking something but it could totally be wrong or could totally not make sense. I haven’t really thought it out fully so for real, ignore it if it’s nothing.

But does anyone feel that every year almost gets worse and worse? Like each year as it goes by, I think we (atleast I feel like I do) hear of worse and worse tragedies, if tragedies can even be compared. I have no idea if this makes any sense but I just feel like crazier and crazier things happen each year. Things that we never thought could happen, do happen…a earthquake and tsunami in Japan… a family in Itamar being brutally murdered…a jewish boy being brutally murdered… a rav being brutally murdered… an earthquake, hurricane, severe flooding all in one week. I don’t know, I just don’t feel like last year there were these extreme tragedies. It could just be that I don’t remember everything from last year and this years pain just seems so extreme so it’s hard to remember last years but I don’t know if that’s the reason.

Anyone have any ideas or input? Sorry this is so long!!

Tums, thanks for posting the link. It most definitely is a must see. I cried the whole way through but I am happy that I saw it too.

I hope all those who lost loved ones find some type of comfort knowing that we all feel their pain. Maybe not the way they feel it but we definitely feel some of it!

I’m a teacher but for 5 year olds so I can’t really comment. The only school supplies we ask them to bring is a folder. We used to ask for 2 marble notebooks but even got rid of that.

I do want to say though that the only time we were ever asked for a book fee was in highschool when they gave us textbooks and the fee was refunded to us at the end of every year provided that we returned all our books intact. This was definitely a good way of getting us to treat our things properly.

I like the solution of having the school buy the school supplies and the parents sending in money to cover the cost but I’m sure there would be a parent (atleast one) complaining that this is not acceptable for some reason.

Good luck to all of you mothers though!

@workin, I don’t have his email address but check out the ohr naava website. It could be that it’s posted on there. As for your second question, I emailed him recently but didn’t receive a response but that could be for any reason. I think it’s def worth a try in emailing him. Good luck!!

This was probably said already but I’ll say it again since I think it’s an important one.

I LOVE YOU!!

When I was going through a really really hard time in HS, I too couldn’t daven (still can’t really) but I would always sing ani maamin to myself whenever I felt down or alone. The words just had such an impression on me and when I sang it, I didn’t feel quite so alone. Yes, I know it’s not davening itself but I think I was still talking to GD just using different words.

Just heard that he was deported. I have no concrete facts to back that up though but someone told me that.

golden, if I were you I would ignore it and not click anything they tell you to do because sometimes a virus comes up mimicking your anti virus software but once you click that popup to fix the virus THEN you become infected.

If you’re really worried, do a virus scan and see if anything pops up then. If the cr thing pop ups then, then it’s another story.

Gluck!

I don’t remember what we were learning in class but all I remember is that the school called us down for a assembaly to say tehillim. They did not tell us what was going on and we immediately thought something had happened in Israel (since if I’m not mistaken the intifada was going on then too). My mother told me a little later what happened. We came home at regular time and stayed glued to the tv until a girl in my grade arranged for a tehillim group in her house. I’m not sure if her father was missing or not. I don’t remember. I remember not being allowed to walk to her house because there was so much uncertainty about whether there were still more terrorists around. It was such a scary time and I am so so sad that it is already 10 years!

A little boy (about 5 or 6) lost his father a few years ago. His rebbe decided to just at random times go and play ball with him and things like that because he realized there is no father and all the siblings are older and many married. No1 asked the rebbe to do it, he just realized that a small thing like ball can go a very long way!

I teach. Today we had meetings and the dean spoke to us as an introduction. One of the things he said was you need to be very careful with how you speak to the children now (well always but especially now) cuz you really have no idea what is happening outside of school. It really made a very huge impression on me. Freaked me out a lil bit too.