The UJA-Federation has been compiling data on Hurricane Sandy’s impact on Jewish institutions. In New Jersey, where the eye of the storm made landfall, six synagogues were damaged and another 64 synagogues in NY, Long Island and Westchester County reported that they had incurred damage.

UJA-Federation spokeswoman Roberta Lee was unable to offer any monetary estimate of total damages or breakdowns on damages to individual synagogues, but she said the severity ranged from minor flooding to millions of dollars in repairs. She stressed that the federation’s damage survey remained ongoing and would change over time.

Robin Shaoul

Right now, you may be glossing through this magazine while sitting with your spouse, watching TV. Or you may be reading this as you walk into the house with the rest of today’s mail in your hand, while at the same time listening to your child as he tells you about the trip his class is taking soon. Ahh, the skill of multitasking; the first time I realized the extent of my ability to multitask was when I had my first child. I would often find myself nursing while preparing dinner and talking on the phone, all at the same time.

When Boys Town Jerusalem students met Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Yisrael (Robert) Aumann, the game of life took on a new meaning for them. Awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Economics for his ground-breaking work on conflict and cooperation through “game theory” analysis, Professor Aumann shared insights with the young men on the Jewish ideals that shape his life.

“I can’t forget being beaten as a Jew when I was only a second-grader in Frankfort, Germany,” Professor Aumann told the students. “My parents’ wisdom saved us, and we fled to America in 1938, just three months before the Kristallnacht pogrom. Living in New York City, my parents had no money at all, but they made every effort for my brother and me to receive a good Jewish education.”

Photos by Alice Shammah

Thanks to a tremendously generous and supportive community, and multitudes of hardworking volunteers, The Ezra Cornman A”H Bar Mitzvah Foundation Bake Sale kicked off the first of a series of events aimed to raise much needed funds for this very important cause.

The event took place in the beautiful home of Heather and Murray Dayan, whose family, along with a dedicated committee, worked tirelessly to make the event the success that it was. There were inspiring classes, baked goods galore, a wonderful Chinese Auction, and wall-to-wall children lined up for prayers every few hours.

The Beth Torah family has lost more than our rabbi. We’ve lost our spiritual guide, our leader, our father. Rabbi Zvulun Lieberman has nurtured our congregation since its inception over 50 years ago. He has molded Beth Torah into a congregation of inclusion, tolerance, brotherhood and understanding. Always sensitive and respectful of our customs and traditions, he has safeguarded our Sephardic heritage.

How fortunate we are to have found a rabbi who represented all facets of knowledge. He was an expert in Torah studies and halachah. He was fluent in many languages. An Intellectual, and student of the renaissance he was well versed in Shakespeare’s works. He understood the financial world and its intricacies. He was very current on all global events. He was even a sports enthusiast, with a special place in his heart for baseball. His understanding of the world allowed him to relate to everyone, from the greatest scholars to the simplest layman.

Our mission at Ahi Ezer Yeshiva has been consistent for more than 50 years. We offer our students Academic excellence, Torah-based values, fluency in the Hebrew language and a strong Jewish identity.

The members of The Ahi Ezer Board are a unique group; Hy Bunny Escava, President, Albert Ayal, Vice President, Aslan Bawabeh, Treasurer, and Eli Levy are dedicated to the success and growth of our children. Some of the members contributed the seeds to the development of Ahi Ezer. They are indispensable in helping us achieve our goals. Their relentless efforts in day to day operations safeguard our yeshiva’s mission now and for the years to come.

An Informative Book By Barbara Levine Offenbacher

Barbara Levine Offenbacher’s book “First Words: A Parent’s Step-by-Step Guide to Helping a Child with Speech and Language Delays” gives parents the information they need to allow them to stimulate their child’s speech and language. Parents are given actual samples of how children with autism and other language delays respond differently to questions and how their responses can be redirected in order to start building connections.

Offenbacher explains terms such as speech and language, typical language delay, PDD-Pervasive Developmental Delay, ASD-Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, and ABA-Applied Behavioral Analysis.

Community member Joseph Aboudi recently wrote a book about his adventures as a young man in Syria and his fight for the creation of Israel.

Following World War II, after 6,000,000 of our people perished, nothing was more important than rescuing Holocaust survivors languishing in DP camps and elsewhere and bringing them to Eretz Yisrael, The Promised Land.

The Palyam, the naval branch of the Palmach, striking arm of the Haganah, rescued over 70,000 Ma’apilim (refugees) from various points in Europe eluding the British Blockade and taking them to Palestine. Most were caught and sent to Cyprus as detainees but were later released after the State of Israel was declared.

In the center of this rescue effort was teenager Joseph Aboudi from Aleppo, Syria, whose family members in Marseilles, France, had been sent to Auschwitz. Joe was mad. He believed that the only way Jews could survive was through the creation of a sovereign Jewish nation.

By: Diane Chabbott

Fifty-seven Yeshivah of Flatbush families were displaced from their homes, due to Hurricane Sandy. In the aftermath of the storm, the entire YOF family mobilized to help.

Every student and class in the yeshivah participated. Students, parents and staff responded immediately as students Natalie Sidaoui and Celia Tawil kicked off the effort with a clothing drive, gathering warm outerwear and other items which were distributed quickly to those in need. A team of high school seniors, with faculty, ran to pitch in with the massive cleanup needed in a teacher’s deluged home. One hundred sophomores and juniors gave out meals and blankets at a community center in Brighton Beach to stranded senior citizens.

In August 2002, just two weeks after his 24th birthday, Jeffrey J. Cohen A”H passed away. Ten years have gone by since then, yet it feels like yesterday.

Jeffrey was more than a son, brother, and friend. He had the ability to make you feel at easeeven when you were having a bad dayjust by standing next to you. He could make you laugh when you wanted to cry. His presence had that effect.

He loved all of his nieces and nephews and they adored him. Their faces lit up every time they saw him. He, too, always had a big smile on his face. He loved to do special things for them on their birthdays.

 He had a passion for music. He played his guitar for them, and taught them how to play. They loved him so much, that his passing had a tremendous impact on their lives. He was also very loved by his cousins.