It was standing room only at Ohel Simcha in Kew Gardens Hills on Rosh Chodesh Mar Cheshvan, as more than 250 women filled the main sanctuary for an evening of emunah, healing, and heartfelt connection. The Ohel Simcha Sisterhood hosted the program in partnership with Chazaq’s Women’s Division, launching what organizers hope will become a monthly Rosh Chodesh inspiration series.
Mar Cheshvan & Rachel Imeinu
Mar Cheshvan, often called “the quiet month,” carries no Yamim Tovim. Yet Chazal teach that its stillness holds the promise of future celebration—the month in which the Third Beis HaMikdash will be dedicated. Rachel Imeinu’s yahrzeit, on the 11th of Cheshvan, infuses this season with tears and rachamim. Her self-sacrifice for Leah on their wedding night became the eternal merit through which she cries for klal Yisrael. Just as rain begins to fall in Cheshvan, her tears continue to water redemption.
After warm opening remarks from the Sisterhood, gratitude was extended to the event’s generous sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Moshe and Sharona Baruchov, for their continued devotion to the Queens community. The audience then welcomed world-renowned lecturer and entrepreneur Mrs. Charlene Aminoff, founder of Gali’s Couture Wigs and beloved speaker whose personal story of faith through tragedy has touched millions worldwide.
The Power Hidden in Mar Cheshvan
Aminoff began with her signature humor and candor, asking how many women had faced challenges in recent years. Nearly every hand went up. “Good,” she smiled, “because you’re going to love tonight’s schmooze.”
She explored why this quiet month bears the word mar—bitter. “After the highs of Tishrei—the Yamim Nora’im, Sukkot, Simchat Torah—we drop into stillness,” she said. “But mar also means droplets of water. And water brings life. So our tears, our quiet moments, our nisyonot—they water the seeds of miracles waiting to bloom in Kislev.”
Her reflection naturally turned to Rachel Imeinu, whose yahrzeit falls in Mar Cheshvan. “Rachel cried for her children, and her tears became the rain that brings geulah,” Aminoff explained. “She gave up everything so another woman wouldn’t be humiliated. That’s why she has the power to cry for us all. Her pain became her purpose.”
Turning Darkness Into Light
With disarming honesty, Aminoff revisited her life’s trials—eleven miscarriages, her mother’s stage-four cancer, her father’s heart attack, the loss of a dear friend, and the near-drowning of her daughter Gali. “Each time,” she said, “I thought I’d hit rock bottom. But Hashem doesn’t want us to stress; He wants us to stretch.”
The crowd listened in silence as she described her most recent ordeal—her own cancer diagnosis last winter. “When the doctor said the words ‘breast cancer,’ I heard my mother’s voice dancing in our kitchen, singing ‘Thank You Hashem—it’s just cancer.’ And so, right there in my hotel room, I danced. Because I knew He had a plan.”
Aminoff later endured surgery and fifteen rounds of radiation. “It was the hardest gift Hashem ever gave me,” she said. “My cancer saved thirty-two other women who found theirs early because I shared my story. That’s not tragedy—that’s purpose.”
Life Lessons From Coaches and Charge Cards
To illustrate how Hashem trains each soul toward greatness, she shared parables woven with laughter and depth. First came Rosa and Natasha—the gymnasts whose harsh coach symbolized Hashem’s loving discipline that pushes us to win spiritual gold. Then came her beloved family mashal of Dave & Buster’s:
“We’re each born with a charge card,” she said. “Every mitzvah, every hardship, every time you say ‘Thank You Hashem’ instead of breaking down, you add tickets. One day, you’ll hand that card to Hashem, and He’ll say, ‘Ten thousand for that miscarriage, twenty thousand for that loss, a hundred thousand for that diagnosis—you just won eternity.’”
The sanctuary erupted in laughter as she quipped, “When Mashiach comes, you’ll find me at the front of the line wearing a gold medal, a blue electric guitar, a white dress, tambourine in hand, and high heels—ready to dance!”
Carrying the Wagon of Gold
Aminoff concluded with the parable of the merchant hauling a wagon so heavy with gold that thieves replaced it with straw while he slept. “If your wagon feels light, you may be schlepping straw,” she said. “But if it’s heavy, if it hurts—that means you’re carrying gold. Every scar, every burn from my radiation, every hardship is my gold.”
Women wiped tears as she turned that lesson into a blessing:
“May your mar become sweet. May your tears become rain that grows miracles. May your homes be filled with laughter, your hearts with faith, and your arms with healthy children. May we all dance together in Yerushalayim, wearing our gold medals and strumming our blue guitars when Mashiach arrives, speedily in our days—Amen.”
Living the Message
Before leaving the podium, Aminoff encouraged everyone to take a small step this month—two hours a day without lashon hara, more kavanah in Shema, or a quiet anonymous act of tzedakah. “Mar Cheshvan has no holidays,” she said. “So let’s give Hashem something to celebrate.”
A short, personal Q & A followed, with women lining up to thank her and seek guidance. Each received a warm word, a smile, or a heartfelt brachah.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, many lingered, hugging friends and wiping away tears. It was a night that reminded every Jewish woman that within every storm lies the power to dance—and that faith, not fear, is our truest strength. Queens Shmira remained present for the event's duration.
Faith Over Fear: Charlene Aminoff Inspires 250 Women At Ohel Simcha
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