When Kew Gardens Hills residents travel along 72nd Drive between 147th and 150th Streets, they will always remember longtime community leader Rabbi Avraham Schechter.
That’s because City Councilmember James Gennaro and his colleagues recently passed legislation renaming the block after Schechter, who held many community leaderships posts in Kew Gardens Hills from 1961 until his passing in 2006.
“Rabbi Schechter was a spiritual and community leader who showed the way to countless Queens residents,” said Gennaro, who gathered with family and friends of Schechter for the unveiling of the new street sign recently. “The sign marking ‘Rabbi Avraham Schechter Way’ will not only show the way to the residents of Kew Gardens Hills but remind them of the legacy he left behind here.”
During his 45 years in Kew Gardens Hills, Schechter devoted time to many different community organizations including serving on Queens Community Board 8 for 26 years, Chair of the Jewish Action Committee and United Yeshiva, and as a liaison to the 107th Precinct of the NYPD.
“Rabbi Avraham Schechter was an influential figure in Kew Gardens Hills, offering an ear when congregants needed counsel, a voice when they needed an advocate and representation for his community both in Queens and in the larger sphere of Jewish life,” said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who also attended the renaming ceremony.
While Schechter held those official positions in the community, residents also turned to him frequently for advice on other matters including marriage, finance and parenting.
“He is the gift that just keeps on giving,” said Schechter’s wife Surry, who spent 48 years married to Avraham. “He was involved in so many different community areas because of his love for all people; the street renaming is a beautiful recognition of his community involvement.”
