Year 5783 in Review: A Happening Year in Boro Park

BoroPark24 Editorial

As we stand at the cusp of the culmination for the year of 5783, the editors and writers at BoroPark24 reflect upon the privilege of being here every day throughout the year, bringing you fresh and relevant news from around the burgeoning neighborhood of Boro Park—glimpses into the extraordinary happenings around town.

We begin this year in review with one of the biggest news stories, which actually took place at the conclusion of the year: the sad petirah of the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, Zecher tzaddik livracha. Chassidim, and all of Klal Yisroel, had stormed the Heavens for the rebbe’s recovery, but alas it was decreed otherwise, and the rebbe—with his tzidkus, kedusha, and refined character—was taken to the malochim above in the days of Elul of this year.

Sadly, there were also petirahs under tragic circumstances in Boro Park, including the young yungerman Chaim Blum z”l who perished in an accident on Erev Pesach, the Chuster Rebbe, Rav Shmiel Shmelka Leifer zt’l, R’ Chaim Yosef Linder z”l who passed away from an aneurysm, and Shia Singer z”l, a young Boro Park boy who was niftar in Camp Tzelim. 

5783 saw historic journeys undertaken by Boro Park Admorim, including the Bobover Rebbe to Eretz Yisroel and London, the Admor of Bobov45 to Poland and a Shabbos in Union NJ, the Munkatcher Rebbe to Munkatch of yore, London and a Shabbos in Wiliamsburg, and the Admorim of Chernobyl, Klausenburg and Skolya to Eretz Yisroel.

Conversely, there were also royal visits to Boro Park by prestigious Rabbonim and Admorim, who cast a glow upon all whom they came in contact with during their stay. They included the Admoirim of Machnuvka, Slonim, Seret Viznitz, Chernobel Bnei Brak, Erloi, Toldos Aron, Viznitz Beis Shemesh, Nadvorna Y-M, Rachmastrivka of Eretz Yisroel, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, and the Tosher Rebbe. Boro Park also had the honor to welcome the Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Dov Landau, Hrht”z Aron Mordche Rokach of Belz, and the sons of the Boyan rebbe.

This year saw a tremendous building boom in Boro Park, wherein numerous kehillos made significant progress in building grand edifices for Torah and tefillah.

These include the Kosover shul, a massive new building for the Bobover girl school, and intense construction for the new Bobover cheider, the construction of a new tish shteeb in Bobov, intense construction on the Bobov 45 new shul, the new Bobov-45 cheider, Bobov45 purchased the “kings lot” for its mesivta, the towering new Pupa Cheider on the outskirts of Boro Park, Darkei Chaim bought a new building for yeshiva, Beis Bracha of Karlin Stolin completed its new building, Satmar girls bought a huge building on 60th Street, the new Belz Kollel building continued its construction, and Viznitz Boro Park purchased two new lots for its institutions.

We were zoche to report on incredible acts of Chessed by our worthy community organizations and by regular individuals who saw a need and jumped to fill it.

Klal Yisroel continued to storm the Heavens this year on behalf of the Admorim of Kosov, Spinka, Beis Chaim Shia, Faltishan, and for Rav Moshe Wolfson.

In other news, we kept you on the right road by reporting on the many streets repaved throughout the summer and covered traffic weekly to get you to where you were going in the quickest way possible.

We celebrated countless simchos together, bringing you photo gallery after photo gallery of chasunahs of our Rebbes, their sheva brachos, tishen, and more, as well as the numerous hachnusas Sifrei Torah, and even the birth of quadruplets to a Boro Park couple which we shared together.

Our coverage included the fire in Spinka, and so many more blazes, including our on-the-scene reporting of the Paradise Manor fire from the first spark until the last ember died out. We told you about the collapse of the Ostila Beis Medrash. 

We kept you on top of your world as it changed and evolved. Stores closing on 13th Avenue like the iconic Walachs, Hazorfim in who’s location Signature Silver opened recently, and Metropolitan Bank which is moving, but we brought you grand openings too, like Doll House, Madison Boutique, and Country Bagels and Bakery.

These are just some of the highlights from the inspirational happenings in Boro Park this past year - all brought to you by BoroPark24's incredible team of professionals.

As we head into a new year and we recommit ourselves to informing and inspiring you, it is with the hope and prayer that, very soon, we will have the zechus to inform you of the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days.

- BoroPark24 Staff