Magen David Yeshivah, along with the Sephardic community, was privileged to honor Mickey Kairey and his late wife Pat A”H for their love and devotion to the community.

Hundreds of family and friends filled the MDY school auditorium to pay tribute to this wonderful couple, who selflessly spent many years giving of themselves to others. Everyone was happy to be there to give Mickey and Pat A”H the acclaim and praise they deserved.

One of Mickey’s greatest joys has been teaching the children of the community. “I think you’d understand when I say they were kind of like my own children. I have so many children, they would fill Yankee Stadium—and the cheering, instead of coming from the crowd, would come from me—their coach. You all make me so proud of you,” he said.

Ohel Leah Synagogue, the crown jewel of Asian Jewry, was built in 1902 and remains the center of Jewish religious activity in Hong Kong. They are an Orthodox congregation, with members from over 20 countries. They are a full-service community with a mikveh, Va’ad Hakashrut and Judaica store. They also offer educational and social programs for adults, teens and children, as well as daily and Shabbat services.

Ohel Leah Synagogue is a congregation with a cause. They strive to embody the core values of the Orthodox movement. First and foremost, they carefully guard their religious integrity.

For over 3,000 years, the sukkah symbolized vulnerability, in contrast to the house, which symbolized security. Then came the subprime mortgage disaster, and suddenly the house seemed frighteningly vulnerable. With the American financial system and world markets shaking like a sukkah in a hurricane, and institutions we thought were as impregnable as fortresses suddenly collapsing like flimsy huts, the sukkah may indeed prove to be the most invincible.

The holiday of Sukkot is about vulnerability and faith. The vulnerability part is clear: We move out of our solid homes into temporary structures, with organic roofs through which one can see the stars. We are exposed to heat, cold and rain. No matter how large or lavish the sukkah, dwelling in a sukkah drives home our vulnerability to life’s changes.

From Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel comes Rashi, a powerful introduction to the wisdom of the great Biblical and Talmudic commentator of the Middle Ages.

This deeply personal book looks at the life and work of Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, whose phrase-by-phrase explanation of the oral law has been in every printing of the Talmud since the 15th century.

Both beginners and advanced students of the Bible rely on Rashi’s groundbreaking commentary for simple text explanations and Midrashic interpretations. His perspective, encompassing both the mundane and the profound, is timeless and Wiesel is an expert guide to the lucidity of Rashi’s writings.

The September public programming schedule at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will feature provocative discussions, intriguing authors, and talented performing artists.

Public Programs

The Believers: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 7 pm
Author Zoë Heller (What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal) interviewed by Gabriel Sanders, deputy editor, Tablet Magazine.

Set in New York in 2002, Heller’s latest novel is a satire about an idealistic secular Jewish family that implodes after the patriarch, a famous civil rights lawyer, falls ill. These deeply flawed yet compelling characters’ examinations of their own beliefs are heartbreaking and humorous. $5, free for members.

A few years back I found myself with a dilemma. My youngest child Benzy, who has special needs due to Williams Syndrome and PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder), was reaching the end of his first year in a new school. This state-funded school had great teachers, good facilities, and most importantly, students could attend through age 21.

Benzy is a very charming and lovable child, but is prone to spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts, which as the year progressed, seemed to be becoming more difficult for his teacher to deal with.

Hostess Gayle Krost

Recently, the Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation held an elegant fashion show and Chinese Auction at the magnificent home of Gayle and Brian Krost. With a beautiful day and an admirable cause to support, a tremendous turnout resulted.

Ezra Abraham A”H started the To Life Foundation by selling green rubber “pray for Ezra” bracelets. One of Eddie’s goals was to raise money to support the causes that helped him. With the firm belief that one person can make a difference, Eddie’s spirit showed that no goal is out of reach. The foundation is currently completing their first To Life Teen and Young Adult Room in Monmouth Medical Center, which will be equipped with computers, arcades, ping-pong tables and all sorts of fun and interesting things for the patients. The room will provide the patients with a place where they can establish social groups with other teens who face the same challenges as they do. A program has also been developed to provide various therapies to patients and their families. The next project will entail decorating the children’s hospital rooms.

Soldiers assembling a mortar at the army base in Nothern Golan, which is right on the Syrian border

Many teenagers in our community are counselors at camp each summer, while others work in the city. This summer, I did something different. I spent 10 days in Israel on an advocacy program called Write On For Israel. (WOFI). WOFI is an intensive two-year program that trains high school students to become advocates for Israel through journalism. The program consists of seven Sunday seminars held at Columbia University that are taught by top educators and journalists along with appearances by PR executives, IDF officers and Israeli officials. Students participating in WOFI gain knowledge of ancient and current Israeli history as well as the confidence and skills needed to make Israel’s case on college campuses and in the world of media and politics. The summit of the program is the 10-day Israel mission that provides a hands-on look at Israel’s political and security issues.

The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) held an Evening of Cancer Awareness recently at the Deal residence of Lisa and Isaac Oved. Several hundred members of the community came to listen and learn from leading cancer specialists who were honored for their important work in the fight against cancer.

Sadie Jemal-Meyers, a member of the community and recipient of the 2008 ICRF Tower of Hope Humanitarian award, joined the Oveds in welcoming guests. Mrs. Meyers was presented with an award for her outstanding commitment to ICRF’s mission by Dr. Yashar Hirshaut, ICRF Chairman.  Charles Ben Dayan, ICRF Trustee, presented a special award to Lisa and Isaac Oved for their generous support of cancer research in Israel.

And Hashem took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to work it and to protect it.

“In order to serve G-d, one needs access to the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, and flowing rivers. For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest of people.”
Rabbi Abraham Ben Moses Ben Maimon (1186-1237)

Nature plays a significant role in traditional Jewish liturgy, from the creation story, to our everyday prayers upon rising each day and blessings over food—from blessings upon seeing natural wonders and trees in blossom for the first time in a season, to our cyclical holidays marking harvest festivals, the birthday of trees, the waxing and waning moon, and light in the darkness. Indeed, our most sacred Torah is understood as a “tree of life” that contains within its scrolls important mitzvot that prohibit against purposeless destruction and waste, and when given the choice of life and death, blessing and curse, we are commanded, “Choose life, that both you and your offspring may live.”

It has been more than 60 years since the Holocaust in Europe, more than 60 years since the world declared “Never again,” more than 60 years since the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and declared genocide a crime, and yet the large-scale killing of one group of humans by another continues with no end in sight.

Some believe it is impossible to stop genocide. The Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation agrees: Genocide, once begun, is fiendishly difficult to stop. But it can be prevented.