Rabbi Shlomo Braun, Founder and Director of the Aleh Foundation, Judge Michael Feinberg, Stanley Chera, Jack Avital, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Shlomo Berger, Administrator of the Aleh Foundation

Brooklyn’s Shaare Zion Synagogue recently held a cocktail reception to benefit the Aleh Foundation’s new special education school campus in Pardes Katz, 10 minutes from Tel-Aviv. This beautiful new complex will contain 24 classrooms, an olympic-sized therapeutic swimming pool, a rooftop playground and much more.

Aleh is Israel’s foremost provider of care, treatment and education of severely disabled infants, children and young adults. Aleh’s spacious, modern centers in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Gedera, Jerusalem and the Negev are home to more than 650 special Jewish children, with thousands more attending Aleh’s facilities each day for treatment and education.

Recently, at Bay Academy, across from Sheepshead Bay’s Holocaust Memorial Park, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz presented awards to the top prize winners of the Seventh Annual Holocaust Memorial Art, Essay and Poetry contest. The contest attracted entries from throughout Southern Brooklyn.

“One of the most important reasons for sponsoring this contest is to make sure that the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust are disseminated to everyone—not just Jewish people,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz explained.

At the beach

Recently, the students, faculty, parents, administration and supporters of Barkai Yeshivah continued a years-old tradition of gathering at Manhattan Beach to celebrate Lag La’Omer. Summer was in the air and the emphasis on the Barkai family was profound. Everyone came to enjoy the fun, including fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters.

6th grade girls, PTA committee and Mrs. Ruchie Czermak, Director of the Early Learning Center

It was the event of all events, the celebration of all celebrations, when the Hillel PTA hosted an Israeli-themed end of year brunch. After all the success and excitement throughout the year, we decided to give back to the many volunteers who helped make it truly unforgettable!

The brunch was based around Israel’s 60th anniversary. It featured falafel, wraps, Israeli salad, Borekas, humus and more. The room, with the help of our beloved Sherut Leumi participants, was decorated with blue and white streamers throughout. The musical background added spirit and happiness to the morning.

Recently, at Congregation Ahi Ezer in Brooklyn, Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser and Rabbi Yakov Horowitz gave wonderful and insightful lectures entitled “Raising Today’s Children for Tomorrow’s World,” and hundreds of community members showed up to listen.

The evening was sponsored by Acheinu, the renowned kiruv organization in Eretz Yisrael that develops unaffiliated Israeli youth into bnei Torah, under the auspices of Hagaon HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, who serves as nasi (president).

Margalit Dweck and Hadas Linder

Recently, Shaare Shalom, celebrating its 10th anniversary and held its seventh annual bake sale at the beautiful home of Rina and Jack Kamin, in memory of Margo and Morris Zarif, A”H. For the past nine years I have been living in the Madison area, and I have watched how much Shaare Shalom Congregation has flourished. With the weather warming up, everyone was greeted to a clear night and a sunshiny day for the bake sale.

I proudly attended Magen David Yeshivah’s Author’s Tea, recently. With one glance you could see the community united, as mothers, fathers and grandparents gathered to see these kindergartners move forward.

One usually asks, what is an Author’s Tea? Magen David holds an annual charming performance by the entire kindergarten, marking the end of the school year. The children are the authors of their performance and after they perform guests are invited to a “tea” in their classrooms.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Washington was the place to be from June 2 through 4, when politicians gathered with 7,000 activists, students and scholars from all 50 states for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference. Among those present at this prestigious event were Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert and Presidential candidates McCain and Obama.

Also in attendance were IMAGE publisher Ben-Gurion Matsas from the East Coast Sephardic community and Dr. Jose Nessim from the West Coast Sephardic community. Both were there to show their support for AIPAC and to hear the politicians’ views.

Hacham Amar, with his son on his left and Rabbi Saul Kassin on his right, crosses Ocean Parkway

On a recent Friday, a dark SUV pulled up to a waiting police car on Ave. T and out stepped the Rishon Le’Sion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Hacham Shlomo Moshe Amar. The Hacham arrived erev Shabbat, joined by his wife Mazal and his son Eliyahu. Wearing the official dress of the Rishon Le’Sion, he was greeted by a small crowd of about eight people outside the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob S. Kassin.

Hacham Shlomo Amar has been the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel since 2003, elected when he was only 55. Amar has come a long way since being born in Morocco in 1948 and immigrating to Israel in 1962, when he was only 14. From a boy growing up in the Arab city of Casablanca to the discrimination suffered by Moroccan Jews in early Israel, Hacham Amar has overcome difficult hurdles and today is recognized as a respected Torah figure, and is the president of the Council of Torah Sages.

Ahi Ezer Torah Center
Ahi Ezer Congregation has served the Sephardic community for almost 100 years, starting when the new immigrants from Syria came to the lower east side on Essex Street. Later on, as the community members moved to Brooklyn, Ahi Ezer Congregation moved to 64th Street, then to 71st Street and now, for the past 40 years, Ahi Ezer has been located on Ocean Parkway and Avenue S.

Ahi Ezer is involved in many projects that serve the Sephardic Jewish community in Brooklyn. They are truly one of the important organizations in our area.

In recent international publications, it has been noted that the “brain-drain” in Israel has reached the highest echelons of Israeli scientific research and higher education. Unless funding is increased, there is no doubt that Israel stands to lose its “next generation” of scientists and researchers—its future “Nobel Laureates.”

The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) was created over 30 years ago, to address just such a crisis in basic science and cancer research. As a result of budget cutbacks by the government, ICRF grants have become one of the most important sources of funding outside of the diminishing support provided by universities and the Israel Science Foundation.

Recommendation Letters from Beit Yisrael Synagogue, from Bnei Zion, from Rabbi Ovadia Yossef

Aspecial Jewish Orthodox high school dormitory for girls 13-18 with learning disabilities and behavioral problems has opened outside of Jerusalem on a moshav (farm). The school uses new and unique methods.

The studies will spread out over the entire day. There will be activities made up of spiritual learning, secular studies as a basis for life, therapy, professions, extra-curricular activities, sports, creative projects, identity, hygiene, cooking, sewing and arts.