Opinion: The Shadchan’s role

By Dr. Michael J. Salamon
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 5769

Wedding season is upon us and I have been thinking about how people meet and decide to marry.

Opinion: Excepting the Torah

In My View

By Joyce Lempel Semel
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

his year, with the approach of Shavuot, the festival of the giving (and receiving) of the Torah, a Midrash I was taught in day school came to mind

Seidemann: A commencement address

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Well, graduations are almost upon us and my phone hasn’t rung yet. No major universities have called and asked me to deliver the commencement exercises address.

That’s Life

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Dear That’s Life,

Well, it’s a small world after all.

While having some routine pretesting done at LIJ, I received a text that a friend of mine from work had given birth.

On the Calendar 5-29-09

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Cedarhurst - The National Council of Jewish Women Peninsula Section will be holding a 5K Fitness Walk through Cedarhurst and Lawrence

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star 5-29-09

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Bat Mitzvah

• Bat Mitzvah of Racheli Dyckman (Kew Gardens Hills) – May 24, 2009

Engagement

• Engagement of Jenny (Yaffa) Kohanzadeh (Hamilton, CA) & Eldad Younessi (Tarzana, CA) – May 22, 2009

Weddings

• Wedding of Ilana Hershenov (Lawrence, NY) & Raffi Rosenzweig (Syracuse, NY) – May 21, 2009
  

  Wedding of Ilana Hershenov & Raffi Rosenzweig

Wedding of Renee Felderman and Avi Kosoff

• Wedding of Renee Felderman (Oceanside/Great Neck, NY) & Avi Kosoff (Far Rockaway, NY) – May 17, 2009

The Kosher Bookworm: Sefer Tehillim (Psalms)

A tribute on the Yahrtzeit of King David

By Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

In the introduction to his classic translation of the Psalms, Rabbi Avraham Davis stated

Sami Rohr Prize awarded for Jewish literature

By Miriam Abraham
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

The $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature was awarded to a 29-year-old immigrant from the former Soviet Union. Sana Krasnikov was

Sarajane Giddings, Geri Gindea, Miriam Abraham

honored at the third annual award ceremony, held last week at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, which fittingly overlooks the Statue of Liberty

Letters to the Editor

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Adoption

To the Editor:

OHEL welcomes your publication of the wonderful Ganz adoption story (Mommy, am I adopted now?; May 22, 2009).

Shavuot: Matan Torah

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

What significant moment from Jewish history is celebrated on Shavuot? The giving of the Torah, right? Wrong.

Make it real; make it dairy

By Naomi Nachman aka The Aussie Gourmet
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

I love anything to do with food. Cooking, baking, supermarket shopping, eating out –– anything at all –– which could explain why I’m a personal chef. But in particular, I love dairy cooking. Don’t get me wrong. I love eating and cooking meat, too, but I believe observant Jews don’t often enough get to eat really great dairy side dishes, salad, or desserts. Whenever we cook or bake for Shabbat

Long-awaited mental health clinic anchors new Ohel facility

By Malka Eisenberg

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

“Community leaders, rabbinic leaders, pediatricians, yeshiva principals and other[s] have requested a mental health clinic to serve the needs of the Five

Ohel CEO David Mandel, Rabbi Heshy Billet of the Young Israel of Woodmere, Rabbi Yaakov Reisman of the Agudah of Long Island and Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence at the March ceremony that officially opened the new Ohel facility in Far Rockaway. (Photo courtesy Ohel)

Towns and Far Rockaway. It is really open and we are encouraging people to come,” said Manny Wortman, chief operating officer of Ohel Children’s Home and Family Service.

After four years of planning, the Ohel Regional Family Center opened in Far Rockaway this March, housed on the entire second floor of a new apartment building at the corner of Beach 9th and Seagirt Boulevard, three doors from the beach.

A staff of licensed therapists, social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists are based in the 8,000 square foot clinic, providing a range of services for the surrounding community. Administrative offices occupy another 8,000 square feet.

“This is an opportunity for Ohel to have an in-depth presence in the Far Rockaway and Five Towns community in response to the community’s request for services,” said Wortman.

Other Ohel centers are in Brooklyn and Teaneck.

Services available for Queens and the Five Towns include “Bais Ezra, for people with developmental disabilities, including rehab; residential

Elected officials, guests and members of the Ohel board of directors cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Elly and Brochie Kleinman Ohel Regional Family Center in Far Rockaway.

habilitation, where the staff comes to people’s homes to provide service individually; and end of summer camp programs for people with developmental disabilities,” said Wortman. “They also provide Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, for families below the Federal definition of poverty for families that need various counseling and support and a Preventive Care Unit; PCU, for families with children at some kind of risk who need counseling, for families of any income. The center also has a school-based mental health program that provides counseling to children in classrooms, teacher training, and community awareness seminars on issues relating to children in school such as parenting and bullying.”

“The anchor of the new site and the largest program is the mental health clinic,” he emphasized.

“This is a New York State licensed psychiatric clinic … and is licensed to do a variety of services,” explained Dr. Hindie M. Klein, the clinic’s director. “The idea was long in coming and was supported and requested by the community,” she said. The clinic provides “psychological intake, they meet with people to assess their needs and challenges and provide services for individuals, marital, groups, children, adolescents, couples, adults and families and for trauma and crisis work as needed.”

Services include psychological evaluation, psychiatric evaluation, testing and consultation, and medication management for age three and up. The facility offers treatment regardless of race and religion, and accepts Medicaid, Medicare and managed care, in addition to offering a sliding scale for out-of-pocket expenses, said Klein. Ohel is also prepared to do outreach education to the community.

“We can come to schools and we have a large conference room on the premises as well,” she said.

The center is based at 156 Beach 9th Street in Far Rockaway. For intake services at the center call (718) 851-6300 and ask for intake. To reach the clinic of the mental health services program call (347) 695-9700.

Editorial: A good idea for the French

Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Helpful France weighed in on Jerusalem this week. “In France’s eyes, Jerusalem should, within the framework of a negotiated peace deal, become the capital of two states,” declared a spokesman

Holtzberg relatives share inspirational message

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Chabad shlichim Rabbi Gavriel (r.) and Rebbetzin Rivka Holtzberg (l.) a"h, during a wedding ceremony.

A somber, subdued group of over a hundred men and women gathered at The White Shul this week to hear Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg speak as part of the Far Rockaway-Five Towns Community Wide Rosh Chodesh Lecture Series for Women. He is the father of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg a”h, the Chabad shliach murdered in the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India last November. He spoke about “Unity among Klal Yisroel” to an audience that sat silently and strained to catch his words.

Rabbi Holtzberg noted that immediately prior to receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai the Torah states “Vayichan shom Yisrael neged hahar,” that the nation of Israel encamped as one entity near the mountain. He pointed out that they displayed “simple ahavas yisrael,” love of Israel, noting that we are all like family, sisters and brothers. He invoked the memories of his son and daughter-in-law, Rivkah, that they were “kedoshim,” holy.

“They just wanted to help other people,” he said quietly.” “They tried to help people who came to Mumbai.” He recalled being at the Chabad house a year ago on Pesach; describing how each day, night and day, it was like a yeshiva, with 60 to 70 people eating and visiting there. He explained how Rabbi Gavriel and Rebbitzen Rivkah Holtzberg worked tirelessly for others, radiating ahavas Yisrael. He recounted how his son made sandwiches and went to Delhi and other places, to different hospitals to visit with people there, spreading Kiddush Hashem wherever they went.

“My son was mkadesh shem shamayim (sanctified G-d’s name) the likes of which weren’t seen since matan Torah (the giving of the Torah on Sinai),” he stressed. “We say in the morning regarding remembering akaydat Yitzchak (the binding of Isaac), here there were six korbanot (sacrifices) on the mizbayach (altar). It’s been six months and Moshiach is still not here, and we know that if the Bais Hamikdash (the Temple) is not rebuilt in our time it is as if it was destroyed in our time.”

His goal, Rabbi Holtzberg said, is to collect money to rebuild the Chabad House in Mumbai. He and his wife, Fraida, are traveling from place to place for that purpose. He ended by wishing everyone health, parnassa (livlihood) and “everything they need.”

This was Rabbi Holtzberg’s second appearance in this area since his son and daughter-in-law were murdered. He spoke at a memorial in West Hempstead shortly after the terror attack, in which his grandson, Moishe’s, live was saved by a nanny.

Mrs. Fraida Holzberg privately discussed the speaking tour she and her husband began in Australia and continued in Queens and New Jersey. Currently in Mumbai there is an apartment with a shaliach, just young men, but they need a building to send shluchim, a married couple, she stressed.

“It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming to see them pick up and carry on,” said one woman who attended. “It’s inspiring and keeps it alive.” A man who said he was familiar with the Mumbai Chabad House noted the spreading of Torah there and the “extraordinary diversity” of the people coming to the Chabad House, from non-Jews to the very Orthodox and how all were welcomed warmly.

For more information go to chabadindia.org. Donations may be sent to Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY  11213

Chief Rabbi challenges HAFTR students to think

Translator of Siddur offers thoughts on prayer

By Michael Orbach
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, strode into the auditorium with a confidence that could be described as English swagger. On his first appearance in the Five Towns he asked the audience of close to 200 HAFTR High School students, “Do you find davening boring?”

No one answered so he tried again: “Are you excited by davening?”

Still no answer. “Then we have a problem,” Rabbi Sacks declared.

The lecture at HAFTR was the final stop on Rabbi Sacks’ American tour promoting his English translation and commentary on the Siddur, published by Koren Publishing of Jerusalem.

Describing the second exile, Rabbi Sacks spoke about the dilemma the Jewish people faced without the Beis Hamikdash. “They asked the question, ‘How can we sing G-d’s song in a foreign land?’” said Rabbi Sacks.

The answer, he explained, came in Tefillah (prayer): “The Jewish people became the first people to believe G-d is everywhere and therefore can give answers anywhere. That is how prayer became the first little offer to Hashem, the first Bluetooth connection to Infinity.”

He said that it was his hope that his Siddur would allow the students to find a prayer they could connect to. “How can you pray without knowing what the words mean?” Rabbi Sacks asked.

The presentation ended with a brief Q and A session, where Rabbi Sacks offered to answer most questions. “Nothing about baseball,” he said dryly. “I know nothing about it.”

Questions from the high school students mostly concerned how Rabbi Sacks became England’s chief rabbi (“Why?” he quipped, “Want to be my successor?”). At the tale-end of the presentation a nervous girl in the back row asked why Rabbi Sacks chose to include a prayer for the American military in his Siddur, the only standard Orthodox siddur so far to include it (a Siddur with the prayer is available by special order from Feldheim).

“2300 years ago the prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter to all the exiles. He said: ‘Seek the peace of the city and the country to which you have been exiled and pray to G-d on its behalf. For in its peace you will find peace,’” Rabbi Sacks quoted. “When you’re in America you have to pray for the welfare of America.”
He mentioned the events of the previous evening, when four men were arrested by the New York City Police Department and FBI for planting bombs outside two shuls in Riverdale.

“When there are soldiers of America protecting the peace of America, we have to recognize that America’s peace is your peace. Your parent’s peace, your peace,” and then the Chief Rabbi finished, looking at the murmuring high school students who worried about their approaching finals. “And one day, your children’s.”

Economy impacts plans for local high school students

By Tova Ross
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

Joan Parmet, Director of College Guidance at HAFTR

In many households the economic downturn has meant curtailing luxuries –– eating out, for instance –– or even downsizing a home, but there are signs of a new cost consciousness concerning a matter nearly as important as food and shelter: education.

High school students and their parents now face the pursuit of college dreams in a dramatically different economic climate than their older siblings may have. For those in yeshiva, the dilemma is magnified

Shalit’s parents to attend parade and concert

Concert chairs Drora and Dr. Paul Brody (left) and organizer Dr. Joseph Frager (second from right) with YOOD in 2008. Photo by barrybrown.com

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of May 29, 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769

The fate of Israeli MIA Gilad Shalit will be front and center at the Salute to Israel parade this Sunday and at the concert at the Central Park Summer Stage that will overlap the end of the march. Shalit’s parents, Noam and Aviva Shalit, will walk up Fifth Avenue in the parade and then speak to the 20,000 people that organizers hope will attend the concert.

June 25 will mark three years since Hamas terrorists grabbed Shalit as he patrolled

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 5-29-09

Click here for the print edition for May 29, 2009

Swine flu at SKA and JCC in Oceanside

By Yaffi Spodek

Special to the web / Posted May 20, 2009 / Iyar 27 5769

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Maria Torroella Carney (second from left) addressed the swine flu outbreak at a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Mineola. (Photo by Yaffi Spodek)

A girl has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Hewlett Bay Park.

In an e-mail sent to parents on Tuesday

Incumbents re-elected in school votes

Kaufman, Feldhamer in District 15; budgets pass in Districts 14 and 15

Staff report for www.thejewishstar.com

Posted May 20, 2009 / 26 Iyar 5769

An unofficial tally of votes cast in the Lawrence School District 15 school board election held Tuesday gives Abel Feldhamer a decisive victory over his write-in

Abel Feldhamer

challenger, John Kinder. The count released shortly before 2:30 a.m.

Wednesday shows Feldhamer with 3,612 votes to Kinder’s 2,380, awarding him the seat being vacated by

Kosher and then some

Varied support for new ethical seal

By Michael Orbach
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

At Café Nana, a quaint, privately owned restaurant in the Columbia University Hillel, a new type of certification adorns the wall. Unlike the eatery’s hechsher, which certifies that the food being prepared is strictly kosher, this one, known as the Tav HaYosher, ensures something entirely different, best explained in the words of Alex, a Mexican immigrant who works in the kitchen:

The parade that few ever see

A behind-the-scenes look at New York’s annual Salute to Israel

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Months of intensive planning are often required to organize a one-day event, and the annual Salute to Israel parade –– scheduled this year for May 31 –– is no exception.

From brainstorming ideas to physically implementing the vision, preparing for the parade is a year-long endeavor which costs approximately $1 million to produce.

“Our primary objective is to make sure that things run smoothly and that people come to have a good time and show their support for Israel,” said Michal Brickman, the parade’s executive producer, and a

After the parade, some music …

Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

The 16th Annual Israel Day Concert will be held on May 31 at Central Park’s

Kulanu acquires new building

Announcement made at special ed school’s annual community fair

Staff Report
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

At their annual fair in Cedarhurst Park on Sunday, Kulanu announced that it had finalized plans to purchase a building from the St. Joachim Parish of Cedarhurst at 620 Central Ave.

Due to the foreclosure of their main office earlier this year,

“Mommy, am I adopted now?”

By Azriel Ganz
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from our lawyer asking if Tuesday, May 12, would work for the finalization of the adoption of our foster daughter Meira. This came as a surprise since, only a week earlier, she had asked me whether the second week in June would work.

Judge Guy de Phillips, Meira Ganz and her parents, Azriel and Sara Ganz of Woodmere after her adoption proceeding at Queens Family Court on May 12, 2009 (photo courtesy Ganz Family)

My wife, Sara, and I cleared our calendars. After almost four years, including countless court hearings and adjournments, we weren’t going to let this opportunity pass. We were also pleased that

Seidemann: Speaking the truth

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

The person in front of me purchased two dozen roses, as did the person in front of him. A dozen each for the women in their lives, their mothers and their wives. I felt my voice constrict as

In My View: Bubby’s interview

A heritage trip to Poland

By Dina Sandhaus
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

From my dorm room in Israel, I nervously picked up my cell phone and dialed her phone number; she answered. I could not articulate any words, I was sobbing

That’s Life: The new twenty

Issue of May 22, 2009 /28 Iyar 5769

Dear That’s Life,

So I hear that 30 is the new 20.

Does that mean that the woman who is pregnant at 66 with her first child is

The Kosher Bookworm: The Koren Siddur

A new prayerbook for American  Jews

By Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Perhaps it was Dr. Philip Birnbaum who said it best: “The Siddur is the most popular book in Jewish life.

Editorial: Israel should be taking notes

Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when almost no one is paying attention.

Parshat Bamidbar: Joining the 30/30 club

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

The book of Numbers (Bamidbar) begins with a series of countings of various segments of the population. Most of the tribes

Only Simchas 5-22-09

Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Upsherin

Letters to the Editor 5-22-09

Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Journalistic integrity

To the Editor,

Kudos to Mayer Fertig for “The Price You Pay” (Publisher’s Note; May 15, 2009). I’ve been admiring from afar the sensible, moderate approach

On the Calendar 5-22-09

Issue of May, 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Far Rockaway – All are invited to the 7th Annual Shavuos Bake Sale

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 5-22-09

Click here for the May 22, 2009 print edition of The Jewish Star

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The price you pay

By Mayer Fertig
Publisher and Editor in Chief
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

As you might well imagine, one of the more, let’s say challenging, aspects of publishing a frum newspaper that actually covers the news involves

GOOD HEALTH: Special Section

Good Health

A special section appearing quarterly in

The Jewish Star

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

The truth about A-fib

Urinary incontinence: Amerca’s most not-talked-about problem

Novel surgery through the navel

May is American Stroke Month

Hips are for hula hoops, not for carrying children

Opinion: Romantic Sparks

Review: Gluten-free, yes; taste-free, no

New lens implant to improve vision

David Seidemann: A two state disaster

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Why does it take four liberals to change a light bulb?

Parshiot Behar-Bechukotai: Time management

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

As we close the book of Vayikra, a book with surprisingly sparse narrative, it is interesting to note the span of time that has passed since the end of the book of Shmot.

That’s Life: Mother’s Day (got a problem with that?)

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Dear That’s Life,

People have different takes on Mother’s Day. The cynics/conspiracy theorists out there say it is a fictitious holiday made up by greeting card manufacturers to lure us

Spicing up the shul bulletin

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

It may not be on par with the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue, but the Young Israel of West Hempstead has been making a unique effort to infuse its

Life-saving donation

Lido Beach Synagogue dedicates ambulance in Israel

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

A brand new ambulance was donated by the Lido Beach Synagogue to the city of Jerusalem through Magen David Adom.

The Lido Beach Synagogue has donated a brand new ambulance to the city of Jerusalem, through the Magen David Adom organization, marking the second time the shul has done so,

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz: Father of the man

Please listen to little Yankie

By Rabbi Yakov Horowitz
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

In his classic poem, “The Rainbow,” William Wordsworth coined the phrase, “The child is father of the man.” Those famous words are the subject of

The Kosher Bookworm: A profile of a local literary personality, David A. Adler

By Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Some years ago while teaching a course on the Holocaust in English literature at Brooklyn’s F.D.R. High School, one of my Polish-born students brought in a book entitled “A Hero and

Only Simchas (Pre-school proposal; Henna) 5-15-09

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

A pre-school proposal

Seinfeld in Cedarhurst

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Long Island native Jerry Seinfeld became famous and wealthy by creating a TV sitcom said to be “about nothing,” but the commercial he filmed on Cedarhurst

A money-making menorah

A silver menorah that once belonged to Sammy Davis Jr., a famous convert and entertainer, is expected to sell for $20,000 at an auction in June.

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

A used menorah from the 1960s may not seem like much to bargain for, unless it once belonged to Sammy Davis Jr., that is.

Though Davis, a famous entertainer and famously, a convert to Judaism, died in 1990, some of his personal effects are still on the market, including a menorah which was given to him in 1965 by the women’s division of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. Now Jonathan Greenstein of Woodmere, who will auction it off on June 8, together with 20 other objects of Jewish art.

“The starting bid will be at $10,000 and the menorah will probably sell for

Editorial: Fine-tuning needed, not dramatic change

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Some things improve with age, others not so much — Lawrence school board elections come to mind.

District 15 candidate profiles

Abel Feldhamer and write-in candidate John Kinder

By Michael Orbach
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

Good grades for Dist. 15 board but room to improve

By Michael Orbach
Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

So really, how is the school board doing?

According to two school principals The Jewish Star spoke to, Geoffrey Touretz of Lawrence High School and George Akst of Lawrence Middle School, the school board received a B-minus to a B-plus.

Dr. Ann Pederson, Principal of the Number Four school declined to give a grade.

”We’re an early education center, we don’t give grades,” Pederson said with a good-natured laugh. Instead, she said the board should be judged by their accomplishments and pointed out that the Lawrence school system provides an full day pre-K program, far beyond the New York State mandate of only two and a half hours a day.

“I see the value and its impact is enormous,” explained Pederson. “It’s such a wonderful decision and I see 150 four-year olds benefit from that

Sderot mission to NY, for a change

Major Ori Schechter (pictured in green uniform) is working with HAFTR to bring a group of kids from Sderot to New York for a two-week visit. (Photo by Adam Cohen)

HAFTR high school to host  Israeli teens from Sderot

by yaffi spodek

Solidarity with Israel has always been a priority at HAFTR, and now the school is taking its devotion to Zionism to a new level.

In an innovative project spearheaded by principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach, 32 ninth graders from the Kassam-ridden town of Sderot in southern Israel are being brought to America for nearly two weeks.

“This project is already lifting the morale of the city [Sderot], the fact that people care about them and want them here, and will give them the opportunity to share their message and tell their stories,” said Rabbi Eliach, who has visited Sderot numerous times. “This means more to them than you could imagine… I don’t think any yeshiva anywhere has done anything like this in the past.”

Arriving on May 25, the group will spend time visiting HAFTR and other yeshivot, speak at community shuls over Shavuot and march in the Salute to Israel Parade. The second part of the trip will allow the Sderot teens and their HAFTR hosts to spend a week in Camp Morasha, capped by a relaxing Shabbaton on the campgrounds.

“These kids don’t think of themselves as vicitms,” Rabbi Eliach told The Jewish Star. “They see themselves as vanguards, living on the front lines, not just for themselves, but for us, and their message is that they are not going anywhere and that they can’t be driven from the land.”

Rabbi Eliach coordinated the trip together with Ori Schechter, a retired IDF major who devotes his free time to organizing projects with soldiers to connect Jews in America and Israel.

“These kids that are coming are the ‘madrichei tzeirim’ [youth leaders] in Sderot,” said Schechter, speaking by phone, in Hebrew, from his home in Rosh HaTzurim in Gush Etzion. “At the times of the Kassam rockets, they help gather the children into miklatim [shelters] and run activities for the younger kids. They are ‘mitgaber al ha’koshi’ [able to overcome the difficulties]. These kids are the future leaders, and we are giving them a push to go forward and succeed.”

Schechter described the trip as “a chance for the kids to get the feeling that Jews in America love them… They are also representing Sderot, not only as a place that has rockets, but a place where they overcome these difficulties using their ‘koach yehudi chazak,’ [fortified Jewish strength], telling the kids in Long Island about their experiences with Kassams for the last eight years.”

In April, Adam Cohen, a HAFTR parent, traveled to Sderot with his family, where they met with Schechter and some of the children to show a video made by HAFTR students expressing their excitement over the group’s planned arrival. The meeting was held in Mishkan Elah, a youth center built in memory of Elah Abukasis, who was killed by a Kassam rocket three years ago while trying to save her brother. The Kassam-proof community center was furnished with funds donated by HAFTR. A second video is also being created by the people of Sderot, and will be shown at HAFTR in the coming weeks.

The children from Sderot, ages 14 and 15, will be accompanied on the trip by a handful of older Israeli madrichim (counselors), young men and women who have served in the army or are performing their Sheirut Leumi (National Service). They will all be housed in the Five Towns, staying at the homes of HAFTR families, “so they will really feel as if they a part of the community,” explained Rabbi Eliach.

To help defray the costs for the  project, money has been donated by local families, schools and shuls. The students here are also working to raise funds through their own activities. On Motza’ei Shabbat, May 16, HAFTR is competing against Rambam in an ice hockey charity game, where every player is being sponsored.

“We are raising all the money ourselves, but at the same time, people have taken steps in my direction,” said Rabbi Eliach. “El Al has lowered their airfare and Camp Morasha is giving me a tremendously great price.”

During their week in New York the Sderot students are scheduled to speak at several yeshivot, telling their story to students, parents and members of the community. They will be welcomed on Tuesday, May 26 at Rambam, HAFTR and Shalhevet with an assembly and reception. On Wednesday, some will travel to the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, as well as to other area high schools. On Thursday, local hosts will give the group a tour of the the Five Towns.

On Shavuot, the Sderot kids and their chaperones will rotate between community shuls, experiencing davening in different settings and speaking to members of various congregations.

“They will be joining us at our annual Shavuot tea, sponsored by the Sisterhood, being held at the home of Michelle and Ron Edelstein, on Shabbat [May 30], the second day of Shavuot,” said Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Cong. Beth Sholom. “We’ve invited them to join us and speak to us and hopefully tell us about life in Sderot and some of their experiences as young people growing up there. We also hope to hear from their counselors, their madrichim, some of whom participated in the recent Gaza campaign.”

Cong. Sons of Israel in Woodmere will be hosting the group during davening and for a kiddush afterwards, as well.

“We are anticipating that we will have a handful of of the kids and a member of the staff join us sometime before the mussaf services, where some of them will address our mitpallelim, our congregants,” said Rabbi Bruce Ginsburg, the shul’s rabbi. “This is special because it will give us the opportunity to hear directly from some of the residents of Sderot and its young people, what they have gone through. It will also show them that there are Jews on this side of the ocean that care about them and are committed to them.”

Sons of Israel has been involved in several fundraising projects for Sderot, including raising money to build a bus shelter, as well as donating funds to support the construction of a new recreation center.

Other participating shuls include Young Israel of Woodmere, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst and the Edwards Ave Shul, while other congregations are still finalizing their schedules to arrange for the group to visit. After marching with HAFTR students in the Salute to Israel Parade on Sunday, May 31, the group will travel to Camp Morasha in Lake Como, PA, where they will be able to swim, rock climb, play sports and participate in camp activities being organized by Rabbi Steve Moskowitz, HAFTR’s Chessed Coordinator. Rabbi Moskowitz, acting as “Camp Director” for the week, will be joined by 50 HAFTR seniors and several staff members who will supervise the activities. On Thursday, 100 HAFTR students from grades nine through 11 will arrive to spend Shabbat together.

Rabbi David Lamm of West Hempstead, Morasha’s Director of Operations, will be at the camp all week to help maintain the facilities and ensure that the program runs smoothly. Morasha’s master chef, Ira Tannenbaum, will be on hand to cook fresh meals for the duration of their stay.

“The thought of being in an American style sleepaway camp for one week is like being in Gan Eden [Garden of Eden] for these kids,” Rabbi Eliach explained. “Even the wealthiest Israelis don’t have a sleepaway camp experience, and instead of being in Sderot with rockets and sirens, to be in a place like Morasha is really Gan Eden. This will give them a real break.”

Rabbi Eliach is eagerly anticipating the group’s arrival and predicts that the experience will be a meaningful one for everyone involved.

“We truly believe that this project will enhance the lives of the participants from Sderot, and it will be a memorable experience for our students as well,” he wrote in a letter to HAFTR parents. “Through their interactions with their Sderot counterparts, our students will learn more about Medinat Yisrael [State of Israel] and the struggles of its citizens, than they could ever learn from a textbook. These real life lessons will last a lifetime for our students.” HAFTR high school to host Israeli teens from Sderot

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of May 15, 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769

    Solidarity with Israel has always been a priority at HAFTR, and now the school is taking its devotion to Zionism to a new level.

    In an innovative project spearheaded by principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach, 32 ninth graders from the Kassam-ridden town of Sderot in southern Israel are being brought to America for nearly two weeks.

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 5-15-09

Click for The Jewish Star print edition 5-15-09

Rabbi Weinreb at Young Israel of Woodmere

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb will step in temporarily at Young Israel of Woodmere.

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb will serve temporarily in August and September as an interim rabbi at Young Israel of Woodmere, working with Rabbi Hershel Billet

Noam Shalit shares message of hope

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Noam Shalit

Noam Shalit, father of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit,

TAG plans new classrooms; larger expansion on hold

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway is constructing three new classrooms that it hopes to have ready for students in September.

Teaching yeshivas to save money by going green

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Saving money by going green was the topic of the second meeting between administrators of Jewish schools in Nassau County and Far Rockaway,

Making something from nothing: Earth Day at HAFTR

Issue of May 8 , 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

HAFTR Middle School celebrated Earth Day by participating in Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program. Used sneakers are collected, recycled and used to make outdoor parks and athletic playgrounds across the United States. Learning to make "Something From Nothing," students collected and donated over 100 pairs of sneaker in the one day effort.

Some seventh graders participated in a challenge to make something useful out of used pizza boxes and items like water bottles and plastic caps. Projects included a checker board, the scales of justice, a birdhouse (above), a ping pong table (bottom) and a bowling alley.

Letters to the Editor 5-8-09

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Concerned about Vaad’s reputation

To the Editor:

Last week you published a letter from Rabbi Billet and his letter was very telling in many respects

Editorial: Putting it in plain English

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Someone who watched news coverage of Israel’s military action in Gaza last year remarked on Israel’s choice of a non-native English speaker,

Seidemann: A liar or a brother?

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

It’s not for mortal man to view what happens to another and opine as to whether he or she “deserved it”

Campaign trail through Woodmere

Rabbis, community leaders and local elected officials met with Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice on Sunday, May 3 at the home of Aleeza and Avi Lauer of Woodmere. Rice reached out to the Jewish community as part of her bid for re-election in November. Lauer and Rice served together as assistant district attorneys in Brooklyn during the early '90s. (Photo Courtesy Avi Lauer)

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

(l-r) Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, DA Kathleen Rice, Rabbi Hershel Billet, Avi Lauer

DA Kathleen Rice and Village of awrence Mayor Simon Felder (photo courtesy Avi Lauer)

Collecting tzedaka just got easier

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

The Vaad Hatzedaka of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns has upgraded their services to a new computerized system that is intended to streamline the certification process for individuals and organizations collecting charity.

Using a system created by the Vaad Tomchei Shabbos

That’s Life 5-8-09

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Dear That’s Life,

I was standing at the packaged fish case at Gourmet Glatt last week talking to a friend when we both distinctly heard music, and it seemed to be coming from the fish itself.

The Kosher Bookworm: Books as gifts for mom

By Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

“Ish imo v’aviv tira’u …You shall each fear your mother and father.”

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Should you by any chance forget to get mom the obligatory greeting card, the above admonition from last week’s parsha kicks in: fear.

Parshat Emor: A leader looking to marry

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

In the laws of Rosh Hashana (Shulchan Arukh 581:1), the Rema says the leader of the services, the chazzan (cantor) must be 30 years old and married.

Shafran: The art of growth

By Rabbi Avi Shafran
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

I don’t often ride the New York subways, but not long ago I found myself leaving a train deep beneath Brooklyn,

For more of the current issue click on May 2009 Archives (below) and scroll down

Is the wine worth the money?

Chateau Le Crock 2001

By Adam Neustadter
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Never does a week pass without someone asking me to recommend a wine.

Quick moving zip codes

Great Neck, Woodmere homes singled out as big sellers

Staff Report
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

The Forbes Luxury Housing Index lists Great Neck and Woodmere among the top five neighborhoods on their list of “luxury movers,”

Exile and redemption: YU learning program explores timely topic

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

A Yom Iyun at Yeshiva University on April 26 drew 500 men and women eager to learn different perspectives on “Exile and Redemption in Tanach

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter addresses the crowd at YU’s Yom Iyun April 26.

and Jewish History,”

Long Island NCSY Champs

Long Island NCSY Champs Long Island NCSY's 3rd annual basketball tournament on April 26 featured 24 teams playing on courts around the neighborhood. As the race for the 5 on 5 championship was running, a simultaneous 3 on 3 tournament was going on for men over 35. As the afternoon progressed, Lawrence High School filled with spectators coming to watch the championship game and participate in the free community BBQ sponsored by Supersol. Entertainment included magicians, face painting, arts and crafts, cotton candy and balloons. At 5:00 p.m., attention shifted to the main court, where Avi Esses and his team claimed the title by defeating "The Choppers," led by Hillel Olshin.

On the Calendar 5-8-09

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Cedarhurst - The JCC of the Greater Five Towns is offering

Partisan sniping in Dist. 15 race

By Michael Orbach
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

As a rule of thumb, Lawrence school board elections are never pretty, at least not recently. They’re not even homely. And following the announcement that the Number Six school will close, the election scheduled for May 19 will be no different, if a meeting held last Tuesday in Inwood is any indicator.

The event dubbed a meet-the-candidate night was initially scheduled for the Five Towns Community Center, but the community center canceled the meeting when it was discovered that only two candidates, John Kinder and Barry Ringelheim, were invited.

“As a 501(c)(3) you can’t have partisan politics,” said Peter Visconti, Associate Director of the Five Towns Community Center. “What [the event] was supposed to be about, it wasn’t about.”

From now on the community center would only hold meetings that the center itself sponsors

Going out on Topp

Leaving Woodmere for sunny Beverly Hills

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

Rabbi Kalman Topp

Rabbi Kalman Topp of the Young Israel of Woodmere will leave the community this summer to become the senior rabbi at California’s Beth Jacob Congregation of Beverly Hills.

After eight years at YIW, during which he moved up the ranks from assistant rabbi to rabbi, working alongside Rabbi Hershel Billet, Rabbi Topp says his family’s impending relocation is emotional.

“We are certainly moving with mixed feelings,”

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 5-8-09

click-here-for-the-print-edition-for-may-8-2009