From the moment we bring our infants home from the hospital we worry about their safety. As they grow, they want more and more freedom. By the age of 10, most kids want to walk to their bus stop or school by themselves.

We want our kids to be independent and confident, however it is very hard to let them out of our sight because approximately 800,000 children are reported missing every year. While most return home safely, others are sadly not so lucky.

For decades, parents have been telling children not to talk to strangers. This concept is difficult for children to grasp and doesn’t help if the perpetrator of a kidnapping is someone the child knows.

It is more beneficial to teach them to respond to a potentially dangerous situation, rather than teaching them to look out for a particular type of person.

Since camp began, the community has been abuzz about the SCA’s Israel leadership training program, I-LEAD. The trip included an intensive hands-on journey through Israel, in a fashion both unconventional and intense. The Sephardic Community Alliance (SCA) wanted those involved to embark on an experience of self-discovery; to learn more about what it means to love the State of Israel, and to know what it means to be a leader. The five week intensive course, as it is called, traveled Israel in its entirety, exposing the select group of 20 boys and 20 girls to a side of the country that would never be seen on a typical bar mitzvah trip.

At Hillel Yeshiva, our 12 year old girls embark on a yearlong program of learning the importance of mitzvot and hesed. The lessons are discussed and presented at mother/daughter bat mitzvah workshops throughout the year. The theme of this year’s bat mitzvah program was olam hesed yibaneh (loving kindness builds the world). This year’s program was dedicated to Mr. Morris I. Franco A”H, the beloved chairman of the board of trustees and dear friend of the Hillel Yeshiva family.

This past November, the girls and their mothers participated in the bat mitzvah learning program. After learning about various mitzvot, the girls and their guests participated in an exciting game of Jeopardy with categories that included: the weekly parashah, the Jewish home, questions referring to each mother and daughter, women of the Torah, and Jewish holidays. At the conclusion of the game each team was able to “buy” prizes with the points they had earned by answering the questions correctly.

Our high school years  helped mold us into who we are today and left most of us with very fond and  special memories. Do you ever wonder what your classmates are doing now? I recently asked several MDY graduates about their journeys thus far and their personal accomplishments. Their choices reflect the education and advice they received from their teachers and advisors; their decisions embody who they are as individuals.

As the sea of bikers eagerly waited to set off for their rides, their exuberant energy was breathtakingly uplifting. Their vivacious blue and yellow matching bike shirts provided a most perfect preview to the colorful day ahead.

Recently, Sammy and Poopa Dweck celebrated the annual Jesse Dweck bike-a-thon in memory of their son, Jesse A”H, along with family and friends. The Bike-a-thon raised funds for The Jesse Dweck City Learning Center, an organization that provides Torah classes for community members working or living in New York City and Deal, New Jersey. The Center serves an important and unique purpose by directly enhancing our community’s growth in Torah and providing students with a sense of belonging and community. Event volunteer, Rachel Sabbagh said, “I admire the family for all their hard work and broadening our community’s spiritual scope.”

Elliot’s Legacy recently held their Fourth Annual Kites for a Cure fundraiser. Hundreds of decorated kites floated above Ocean Avenue, and the happy carnival and smiling faces below, at the home of Ricky and Jamie Cohen. The jubilant scene was enough to make anyone smile and the kites simply took your breath away.

Elliot Chalme A”H, was blessed with a beautiful family, one that continues to go above and beyond to honor his memory in an awe-inspiring display of love and generosity. His wife Robin, and their three sons, Ray, Hy, and Richie worked diligently with extended family and friends to make the day a success.

The award-winning Blue Moon Hotel was the site of the Aleh Foundation’s 2011 Cocktail Reception. Randy Settenbrino, and artist, architect and real estate developer whose vision turned the landmark 19th century lower east-side tenement into one of the nation’s top-rated boutique hotels, graciously made the Blue Moon available for the evening’s festivities. Proceeds from the event will go toward equipping a music therapy room and purchasing specialized equipment.

John Napoli compares the voids in a child’s knowledge of mathematics with the holes in a piece of Swiss cheese. Napoli, director of the new Mathnasium Learning Center in Ocean, NJ, says the holes represent the missing elements in a student’s math understanding. It could be challenges with multiplication facts, fractions, algebra, or even geometry.

On August 16th and 17th, community members are invited to enjoy a dynamic showcase of talented performers at the historic Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank’s most enduring arts building. This grand theater possesses a warm feeling of elegance from a bygone era.

One of the most challenging issues facing our community is the high cost of living an Orthodox lifestyle. Especially in these difficult economic times, when so many are either unemployed or underemployed, the financial demands often seem overwhelming.

The number-one expense for most frum families is, of course, yeshivah tuition. It is not unusual for families with an annual income of as much as $200,000 (only 3.5% of Americans earn more) with four or more children in yeshivah day schools to have difficulty paying tuition bills that exceed their mortgage obligations. This situation creates enormous pressure on our struggling day schools and yeshivahs as they strive to deliver quality Torah and secular educations to our children. It also causes tremendous stress on families, reducing simchas hachayim (joy of life) and even leading to shalom bayis (happy home) problems. Most troubling is the alarming number of students who are transferring from day schools to charter or public schools. This problem has been decades in the making, and we now are facing a broken and unsustainable system. Our success in dealing with this issue will determine what Orthodox Judaism in America will look like 25 years from now.