Chazaq, a non-profit, social service organization in Forest Hills, Queens, was founded in 2006 by an inspired and energetic 15-year-old and his older brother, Rav Ilan Meirov. The name of the organization echoes the words said at the conclusion of each of the Five Books of the Torah. Rabbi Yaniv Meirov has been the CEO of Chazaq for 17 years. His older brother Ilan serves as a director. Yaniv has been growing the organization by eschewing frustration and embracing persistence and patience with a smile.
In an effort to keep youngsters out of trouble by giving them a safe haven to have fun, earlier this month Chazaq opened a youth center at 108-05 68 Road in Forest Hills. Seven years ago, the 7,800-square-foot corner property sold for $2 million, according to online property records. The building had been the home of the Forest Hills Jewish Center Nursery School and Kindergarten, operated by Bella Shamsiyev.
“This used to be a daycare and the owner of the day care is a neighbor of mine,” Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, 32, told The Jewish Press. “She notified us that [the building] is vacant and available. We jumped at the opportunity, thanks to some supporters and dedicated members.”
Meirov reached an agreement for a lease/rental on the property.
“The rental costs $8,000 a month ($96,000 a year). It was much, more but she gave us a better deal,” Meirov said. “Chazaq is always looking to grow. This is a stepping stone towards something even bigger. We need a pool, a gym. We need a lot more classroom space. This is a small part of the bigger picture.”
Meirov wants this to be “a home away from home for many teenagers that are in the public school system. This is a fun atmosphere with food, amazing mentors, big brothers, big sisters, we have a game center for them to keep busy, to play and help with their homework. In the second-floor recreation room there is a ping pong table, a foosball table, air hockey, guitar, books, board games and mini basketball,” Meirov concluded.
Chazaq supports a full spectrum of ages. The Jewish Press spoke with several of the participants at the center’s opening.
“They have Forest Hills High School here. Some of these students are observant and some not in the least bit, not yet. Now they are learning what it’s like to be part of a bigger family,” said Linda Spiegel, from the Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center located in Jamaica Hills, Queens. Chazaq does “so much outreach for the children in the community. There are a lot of immigrant families that come into this community and they’re really here for them. We want to make sure that everyone feels included and inclusive. They really envelop them. I think it’s a really special and important thing especially in today’s world where there is so much division. They are not those people. They are completely the opposite. I work at the other end of the spectrum. I work with seniors. We’re both helping from one end of the spectrum to the other.”
Also in attendance at the opening of the youth center was Sam Horowitz, the administrator of Flushing-based Boulevard Alp Nursing Home.
Many elected officials attended the opening and got to see the facility up close, with an opportunity to shoot hoops as well as network about politics and social events.
“I was blessed to have a place that I could gather with my high school friends. I was fortunate to have a couple that opened their home to us, there were about 16 of us that were gathered together on a regular basis and spent time at their house,” Senator Leroy Comrie (D – St. Albans, Queens) recalled. “Adults came and looked after us. It is an important component to a young person. I’m glad that Chazaq is doing this. The young lady who donated this house and this building to make this happen is an important component. It’s important for every culture in Queens to have a safe space to have fun.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams offered his support at the event. (Williams is second in line to become mayor if the current mayor cannot fulfill his duties.)
“We understand the importance of faith-based non-profits and faith-based work and the things that they do to make sure that kids and young people have the spaces that they need,” Williams said. “That’s really exciting. Wherever that’s happening we have to make sure we’re supporting that.
“I got to shoot some basketball, play some ping pong and I learned that Chazaq means strength, which I didn’t know before. [Growing up in Starrett City, Brooklyn], there were some after-school things to do but not as much as this youth center. Sometimes you go to a gym in the area, go to the library or you find some mischief to get into. These kinds of places help prevent mischief. I’ve been in trouble since I was six. I tried to convert it to positivity.”
The event also attracted two candidates vying to succeed retired Assemblyman Dan Rosenthal. Democrat Sam Berger, a 25-year-old lawyer; and Rabbi Dovid Hirsch, 34, a Republican, who also works as an independent education policy consultant for the TEACH Coalition, an arm of the Orthodox Union. Both are frum Jews running for the open Assembly seat. Rosenthal, who spent six years, three terms, in the lower house, announced in June that he was moving on. He took a better-paying job at the UJA Federation of New York. Sources close to Rosenthal, 32, say he will be earning approximately twice the salary as his Assembly post, which paid $142,000 per year plus per diem. At the Federation, Rosenthal will be the vice president for government relations (also known as a lobbyist). He said his focus will center on public policy, social services and combating antisemitism. Rosenthal did not attend the opening of the youth center.
“The Chazaq Youth Center can help reduce crime in the community and provide a safe environment for young people after school,” Hirsch said. “The concept of youth centers to lower crime has been shown to be very successful. I know all the great work Chazaq has done. I’ve known Yaniv for over 20 years and community centers such as this are vital to both helping build up communities and potentially reduce crime.”
“For the next generation this is what we need to give them – the tools they need to grow and prosper. I am awe-struck by the work Chazaq does,” Berger told us. “This would have been amazing [if this was around when I was a kid]. To have this as a kid, to have a place you can come to and have a community like this is absolutely beautiful. When you have Chazaq, who can be your second family, you have that sort of background, people you can talk to and figure out who it is you want to be. You have those models. People who you can look up to. That is crucial.”
