Hundreds of people recently participated in the Sixth Annual Lena Cymbrowitz Community Health Fair, sponsored by Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Maimonides Medical Center, Health Plus, Beth Israel, Courier-Life Publications and Kiwanis International.
In honor of Yom Hashoah, Magen David Yeshivah held a moving memorial program. As each year passes and the survivors of the Holocaust grow few, it becomes even more important to share their memories and stories— significant parts of our history that we must never forget.
Before the program began, guests were invited into the gym to view a special presentation compiled by the 8th grade students. Working in groups, the students created artwork, multi-dimensional museums, PowerPoint presentations and dioramas that were truly outstanding, and a credit to the students and their teachers. Special exhibits were displayed from the Afikim Foundation.
An extremely important bake sale was held recently to raise money for the Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society. The event was held in the lovely home of Rachel and Alan Fallas to let everyone know about the wonderful work this organization is doing to help and guide cancer patients.
Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society (RCCS) was founded in 1997. Since then, the organziation has saved thousands of lives by assuring its patients access to the best medical care possible. The RCCS helps cancer victims secure the finest health insurance policies possible. They provide financial assistance to maintain these policies and provide a medical directory. They keep patients abreast of the newest and most effective cancer treatments and are advocates for the patient and his or her entire family.
The Sephardic Community Center celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut with a festive and joyous celebration commemorating Israel’s 61st anniversary.
After Arbit, the evening began with a ceremony in honor of Yom Hazikaron. President Jack Cayre greeted the audience. “Yom Ha’Atzmaut is a very important day for our community,” he said. “I would like to thank all of the shuls that sponsored tonight’s event, as a united community. We join in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of Eretz Israel. Their joy is our joy.”
Inspired amateur theatre came to Deal, New Jersey this spring, as the talented thespians of Hillel Yeshiva’s High School Drama Club excelled in their production of Woody Allen’s Don’t Drink The Water. Audiences could not stop laughing at the amazing performances onstage.
Father Drobney, played by Zach Winzelberg, narrated the events on stage in a charismatic fashion with entertaining card tricks and magic acts. The play’s plot was familiar to many audience members: the story of the Hollander family, a New Jersey family caught behind the Iron Curtain in an unknown Communist country during the 1960s. Communist police chased the family and mistakenly believed them to be American spies. David Winitsky, a senior, had the audience roaring with laughter with his portrayal of Walter Hollander, the patriarch of the family. Yvette Halawani, a junior, proved a perfect foil for David with her witty repartee as Walter’s wife, Marion Hollander. The sparks flew between them, and their superb acting had us actually believing they were married. Susan Cohen, a junior, completed the family as the Hollander’s daughter, Susan. Together the family managed to cause total disruption as unintentional guests of the American Embassy.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee recently hosted the annual Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Night Salute to Israel ceremony and reception at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The morning rain ended, the clouds disappeared and the day began to look brighter as the Early Learning Center students lined up for the annual Yom Ha’atzmaut Parade! The children, dressed in blue and white, waved their Israeli flags and carried original banners as they marched to the spirited music played by Morah Sima Goldofsky. With the addition of Dr. Ruth Katz, Head of School, ELC/ES/MS; Rabbi Avi Bodlander, Assistant Principal and Mrs. Ruchie Czermak, Director of ELC, the parade was complete. An impressive parent audience clapped enthusiastically as the children sang a repertoire of Israeli songs accompanied by adorable choreography. The icing on the cake was actually a cake! A seven-foot-high birthday cake was brought into the gym as the children sang Yom Huledet Sameach to culminate all that they had learned about Israel.
The clouds may have been out, but there was no raining on this parade. A jolt of positive sunny energy was humming within, from the sunny color scheme to the yellow orchids; it was simply paradise on Avenue K at Barkai Yeshivah’s Annual Bake Sale, which took place at the home of Mandy and Michael Cohen. The house was buzzing from nine in the morning until way after school buses took over the side streets.
Kol Israel Congregation commemorated Yom Hashoah with an evening honoring the memories of the six million souls lost to the Holocaust, as well as the survivors that have lived on to tell their stories.
The evening began with an austere candle lighting ceremony, led by the youth of the congregation. Six candles were lit for the six million lost.
“We join our souls with the souls that are no longer with us. We have a commitment to ourselves to do something positive, and to better ourselves. We should be thankful for what we have, the strong ties within our families and friends,” said Rabbi Besser, of Kol Israel Congregation.
Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, is a day that students at Yeshivah of Flatbush always look forward to. After the heartbreaking programs of Yom HaShoah and the emotional ceremonies of Yom Hazikaron, it’s a joy to celebrate the fact that for the past 61 years, the State of Israel has belonged to the Jewish people. And celebrate is exactly what students did.
The alluring beauty, pristine beaches, ideal climate and music festivals make Barbados one of the world’s top tourist spots. What’s more, this easternmost Caribbean island offers Jewish visitors Kabbalat Shabbat services in an exquisitely reconstructed historic synagogue; a new interactive Jewish museum; and a recently excavated mikveh, the oldest known in the Western Hemisphere.
These achievements of the island’s 16 Jewish families are all the more remarkable when you discover that the legacy of Barbados Jewry almost disappeared without a trace.
This pizmon was written in the 1950s by a fine gentleman named Eziekel H. Albeg, a hazzan, Torah reader and the editor of our High Holiday prayer books. He wrote the song for Charles A. Serouya, one of the most influential and colorful men of our great community.
Charlie, as everyone called him, founded the Young Magen David Congregation on 67th Street next door to the “big shul,” which is what we called the Magen David Synagogue. It was the forerunner of the Youth Minyan today, but it really stood all by itself as a self-governing congregation.
While in Paris last March celebrating his wedding anniversary, Jacques Baghdadi set in motion another kind of shidduch. Like many in the community, frustrated with the high cost of yeshivahs in Brooklyn, he knocked on the door of Alliance Israelite Universelle, an organization with 150 years of experience providing high-quality, affordable Jewish education worldwide.
One year and one more trip to Paris later, Baghdadi’s journey has come full circle; the Yeshiva of Manhattan Beach (YMB) became the first American school to partner with Alliance in an effort to expand the school and enhance the curriculum while keeping costs down. This convergence was possible because both institutions have a common mission.
Recently, Fuel Fitness and Yeshivah of Flatbush collaborated to create a unique and innovative reading program for the students in lower division. Franci Cohen, owner of Fuel Fitness, together with Mr. Leonard Zeplin, lower division principal, carefully designed a program to help foster a love of reading through fitness. It succeeded beyond their wildest dreams! Over the course of two weeks, each grade had an opportunity to partake in the program.
Each day, an entire grade was bussed to Fuel Fitness for a fun-filled day of group fitness, silent reading and healthy snacks, rock climbing, and reading games. They began jumping on trampolines doing various aerobic movements. Then the Fuel Fitness staff dimmed the lights, and added glow-in-the-dark light sticks for an extra bonus. The children loved every minute! They learned the martial art of kickboxing, and much more!
