My family had the privilege of being around and learning from Rabbi Ezra Labaton every summer for over 30 years. The Rabbi led by example, and his enthusiasm for life was contagious. In every conversation, speech or class I attended, Rabbi Labaton’s approach made learning Torah feel fun and exciting, stimulating to the mind and always relevant to our modern-day lives.
I visited Rabbi Labaton in the hospital the day he passed away, I attended his funeral, escorted him to Staten Island to be buried, and looked at his empty chair with his Talet draped on it in Shul on Shabbat. I attended his Arayat at the end of the Shivah, and still reality has not set in. For so many years, through all his operations and treatments, he never missed a beat. He never led on what he was going through, or let us think the end would come. He clearly put the welfare of his Kahal before himself in every way.
“…[I]n 1982 the Man of the Year in the community of West Deal, New Jersey was Rabbi Ezra Labaton. In August of that year, Rabbi Labaton was invited to become the full-time spiritual leader of Congregation Magen David of West Deal. Thirty years later, Rabbi Labaton remains a beacon not only to his congregants, but to the entire Syrian-Sephardic community.
Rabbi Ezra Labaton has been a constant in my life for over thirty years. He was my family and synagogue Rabbi at Congregation Magen David of West Deal. He was my teacher at Hillel Yeshiva High School. He was my counselor for many life choices including decisions that impacted career, education, and family. He was my mentor in community service and in how to lead a congregation. He was my neighbor. He was the Sandak for my son, Joshua. He was my hero as he dealt with stresses and challenges of all sort with dignity and determination.
During a movie our attention is focused on the acting, scenery and the plot. After a movie, the credits roll giving most of the recognition to the actors and actresses. We rarely notice the names of the director, construction crew or backstage help. Observing the work of everyone who toils tirelessly behind the scenes increases appreciation for the director and his crew. The backstage workers are responsible for the music, clothing, makeup, sound effects and the scenery picked perfectly by the design crew. The writers, director and everyone else who works behind the scenes deserve most of the credit for a successful movie.
It was the morning of the New York Marathon. Everything was going according to schedule, but sometimes even the best laid plans can have pitfalls. I woke up energized and refreshed in Staten Island. A friend recommended I stay in a hotel there to avoid the hassle of getting up super early to scramble to the start line with the other 50,000 runners. It seemed to have paid off because I awoke refreshed at 8:00 and I didn’t have to be there until 10:30.
The Shehebar Sephardic Center (SSC) held a three day rabbinical conference in which 17 rabbis from 11 countries gathered to discuss 21st century problems faced by Diaspora rabbis. The rabbis—graduates of the SSC—hailed from Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey, Columbia, the Philippines, Israel and the United States.
An official ground-breaking ceremony for the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial took place recently at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Ohio will be the second state after Iowa to have a Holocaust memorial constructed on state grounds. Governor John Kasich attended the ceremony along with memorial designer Daniel Libeskind. Kasich first called for a Holocaust memorial to be built at the Ohio Statehouse in 2011. The $2 million project is expected to be completed in April 2014.
Yehuda Bauer, a pioneer of Holocaust studies, and Xu Xin, who introduced the subject to universities in China, participated in a discussion hosted by USC Shoah Foundation—The Institute for Visual History and Education. Chinese Professor Xu Xin became a scholar in Jewish literature before he ever met a Jew. Czechoslovakian-born Yehuda Bauer has long been regarded as a pioneer in Holocaust studies.
Barkai’s early childhood and 2nd grade students got their fingers dirty while learning hands-on about a plant’s life cycle, when horticulture and ecology enthusiast, David Geliebter, visited them to discuss how plants contribute to our lives. The students learned what a plant needs to grow. Then, with trowels in hand, they set out for their outdoor classroom.
It seems like everywhere we look, we’re being told that we should not eat sugar. However, in small amounts sugar is not bad for most people. The natural fructose sugar found in fruits and vegetables and lactose sugar in milk and dairy is part of a healthy diet. The problem lies with processed foods packed with high amounts of sugar (namely sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup). It’s not just the obvious culprits, like soda, candy, and cakes.
In the winter, our skin reacts to the cold air, We sleep with the heat on, and the wind outside blows against our faces. When we’re not outside in the freezing cold, we’re inside, where the air is heated. With the extreme cold and hot, most of us need to add to or alter our skin care regimen.
When you think about fatal illnesses, the flu isn’t the first disease that comes to mind. However, the flu is a serious illness that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes can be deadly. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others.
If you’re in the mood for a quick nosh or nibble, beware. Research shows that reckless snacking is the cause of most Americans’ excess calorie consumption—and it can very easily add up to weight gain. Similarly, mid-morning snacks can detour a diet because many people snack out of routine, not hunger, and their snacks are often too high-calorie.
