Community Leaders Ask Forgiveness

On Tuesday, March 17, the Sephardic Home for the Aged, located on Cropsey Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, was the setting for a special celebration which brought together many distinguished guests. Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar and Chief Rabbi Saul Kassin led the delegation of Sephardic rabbis, community leaders and activists. Rabbi Herschel Kurzrock and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum, from the Rabbininical Alliance-Igud Harrabbonim, gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of esteemed Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shaare Zion, Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht.

Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah by G-d to the entire Jewish people. This occurred on Mount Sinai over 3,300 years ago. This was a far-reaching spiritual event that touched the essence of all Jewish souls for all time. On Shavuot, the Jewish people agreed to adhere to the commandments of the Torah. Every year, Shavuot is the special time for us to strengthen our unique relationship with G-d.

What is the Torah? The Torah is comprised of two partsthe written law and the oral law. The written Torah contains the Five Books of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings. The oral law explains and clarifies the written law. The Torah describes the creation of the world by G-d, and expounds on the 613 mitzvot.

Many American Jewish families are facing a difficult question, as deadlines for summer camp enrollment approach: Can they pay their bills and send their kids to Jewish sleepaway camp?

Its a difficult decision, said Shelly Zemelman, a school psychologist with four children. Her 16-year-old daughter, Batya, has spent four summers at Camp Stone, a modern Orthodox camp in Pennsylvania, that charges $3,500 for a four-week session. Other Jewish camps charge as much as $1,500 per week.

Its not a necessity like school its a luxury, Zemelman said. If we had to send all four kids, at the same time, I dont think we could do it.

She knows several families who are considering dropping camp. One family made it work by alternating the years their children attend camp.

About four years ago, at the age of 33, Miri Horwich-Fried completed her doctorate work on diabetes. Seeking a new direction, she heard about a lab researching cancer immunology, which had opened at Bar-Ilan University and was looking for researchers. This subject always interested her. Her father had died from the illness.

She got the job and felt that it was an area where she could make a breakthrough. She worked feverishly, trying to empathize with families who were facing death.

Three years after starting her  research, she began to experience sharp stomach pains. When she went for tests, the doctors thought the pain was connected to the fact that she was postpartum. All the tests came out normal.

Finally, they decided to send her for an ultra-sound, where they discovered a lump in her liver, which they blamed on a problem with her veins and told her to return for a check-up in six months.

The TEACH-NYS coalition (Educational Alliance for Children in New York State), representing New Yorks non-public school community, recently organized a leadership mission to Albany that met with 45 state legislators, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Thirty-five leaders of yeshivahs and of national and regional organizations participated.

TEACH-NYS President Elliot Gibber said, The total outstanding debt owed to non-public schools is approximately $350 million for all mandated services.

Representatives from yeshivah day schools across New Jersey recently united behind the issue of state funding for non-public schools. The meeting was the first of its kind, organized by the newly formed Community Federation of New Jersey, in partnership with the Orthodox Union and its Institute for Public Affairs (IPA).

More than 70 New Jersey Jewish day school leaders, who combined were responsible for more than 20,000 Jewish school children across the state, attended.

Acts of hesed are inspiring. When performed as a group, the results are truly impressive. Recently, the students in Magen David Yeshivah Celia Esses High School (MDY) spent several afternoons performing different acts of hesed in conjunction with several organizations in our community. Each hesed day proved to be an uplifting experience that promoted unity while instilling awareness in the students about the needs of the community.

The members of the MDY faculty worked together with PTA President Lisa Elo to create programs that enabled the students to work directly with different organizations, giving the students several opportunities to engage in hesed.

It is no small accomplishment to have built a community so large, so successful, and so grounded in hesed. At the forefront of that accomplishment are the countless helping hands and innumerable good deeds performed by Sephardic Bikur Holim (SBH), the community institution that has helped thousands to give and receive. Everyone had a reason to run, said a community member of the recent Disney marathon weekend, but SBH provided us all with a reason to care.

Congregation Shaare Shaloms annual Purim party was a smashing success due to the hard work many members of the congregation put into planning it. The Purim party has become a much anticipated event for the Shaare Shalom community.

Chabad of Kings Highway recently held their annual Purim party, which was attended by hundreds of people. To keep the kids happy, there was a juggling show, face painting and a Chinese paper artist. For the adults, there was lot of delicious food.

Magen David Yeshivah celebrated Purim with a festive and joyous hagigah (festival) in the elementary school building. Children and adults of all ages dressed up, danced and rejoiced with their favorite teachers and principals.

The Sephardic community is preparing to join the largest gathering of Jews since the  destruction of the Second Temple. There are four months until the Twelfth Siyum Hashas of Daf Yomi (celebration of the completion of the daily Talmud), but whos counting?