Is your son or daughter one of the 18 million students that headed off to college this fall? If so, you’re probably still recovering from the shock of seeing the tuition bill.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, The College Board reports that the estimated average annual cost of attendance was $35,374 at a four-year private college, $17,336 at a four-year public college and $13,126 at a two-year college. The figures are even higher for the 2008-2009 school year.

So, how do parents come up with tuition? Here’s some important advice that will help in case your child is next:

Food is everywhere. Eating is as easy as opening up the fridge or snack drawer and empty calories are consumed without much thought. Our kids, especially, are not taking care of their bodies—indulging on food that tastes good rather than food that’s good for them. They need to be taught how and what to eat in order to form good eating habits. It’s the sort of curriculum that simply hasn’t been stressed enough in our school systems. Until now.

Magen David Yeshivah has realized the significance of teaching nutrition education from a young age and has launched its first series of Nutrition Education classes. The hope is that, with the proper guidance, their students will learn how to eat healthy for life.

Quick: What’s the capital of Albania? How do you figure out the square root of 342? Who was the sixteenth President of the United States?

How do you say the verb “sing” in the plural past tense in Hebrew? Why do we light eight candles on Hanukah when the miracle really lasted for only seven days?

If questions like these bring back fond memories of your school days, then you were probably one of those students who could easily remember facts, figures and information. Chances are you did fairly well in school. But if you get a queasy feeling in your stomach whenever you think about these things, then it’s possible that you were one of the students who was struggling with memory issues. Because all of the above questions have one thing in common: they force you to remember.

In anticipation of the upcoming school year, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two new leaders of the Barkai Yeshivah PTA, co-presidents Shirley Catton and Rachel Ashkenazi, to discuss their new posts, their support for the Yeshivah and their plans and goals for the upcoming year.

Shirley, the daughter of Barbara and Joseph Beyda A”H and the wife of Sammy Catton, comes from unparalleled roots of hesed and philanthropy and is the mother of two Barkai students.

Ahi Ezer Synagogue

We are Ahi Ezer Congregation—a group of immigrants from Damascus Syria and Beirut, Lebanon. The congregation started on the East Side of Manhattan, in the early part of the 1900s (1910 to 1925) amidst the hustle and bustle. With pushcarts and shantahs (suitcases), we peddled our wares to earn a living.

When the Sea Beach BMT Subway opened in 1920, our ancestors began commuting to the suburbs and established Magen David Synagogue on 67th street and 20th Avenue.

The migration to Brooklyn started at that time. Most of the boys went to a kittab, a one-room Hebrew school house, after public school let out at 3 pm.

Thanks to the advocacy of several Jewish organizations including the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF), thousands of yeshivah children are now eligible to receive free tutoring services. At the request of the Jewish groups, the Department of Education (DOE) has contracted with Catapult Learning, a leading education support service company, to provide free remedial services to thousands of yeshivah students.

ZDR Academy/Rambam Yeshiva recently announced it has hired Rabbi David Abramchik to assume the position of Rosh Yeshiva and Principal for the school.

On Mondays, the many talented artists of our community meet at Gem Suslovich’s home for a unique opportunity to create and support each other in all kinds of artistic endeavors.

In an open art salon, people of all ages, all talents and all types attend to enhance their creativity and allow it to flow. They work in oils, water colors and collage, and some in pastels or pen and ink.

Bingo

Laughing, smiling, playing and enjoying are what summer is all about for our children. Recently, Hillel Yeshiva PTA gave our children the perfect opportunity to do just that. Our second annual Kids Night Out, sponsored by Mollie and Marc Seruya in loving memory of their brother Jeffrey Cohen A”H, was held in the heart of Deal in the home of our gracious hosts, Shula and David Dayan— and what a success it was!

Upon entering their backyard everyone felt as though they had walked into a beautiful rainbow. The colorful tables, balloons, streamers and the magnificent Kid’s Auction were set up as a rainbow theme. A special thanks to Suzi Cohen and Arlette Cohen (Jeffrey’s cousins) for organizing the auction which was our main attraction. There were awesome bicycles, a Cadillac Escalade, a wood swing set, an LCD TV, and much more. Each and every prize was generously donated by different members of the Cohen and Jemal families. By the end of the evening, every box was overflowing with tickets, a sign that Kids Night Out was a true success!

Last year, Joe Danziger organized Lollapajewza, a concert modeled after Lollapalooza, featuring Jewish performers. It was held at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.

Lollapajewza returned this year to rock the Jersey Shore with 13 bands, lots of solo and acoustic performers and more than 600 fans. There were also several artists and photographers displaying their work.

This time around, the committee—Joe Danziger, Julie Danziger, Sonja Cabasso, Sammy Chalme and Ames Sutton—decided to make the festival a block party on Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park with an outdoor stage and an indoor stage to accomodate all the performers who wanted to show off their talent.

Comedy Cures volunteers

Small acts of kindness can bring a smile to many. With that in mind, Magen David Yeshivah’s High School recently jumpstarted the new school year with an informative and interactive Summer Hesed Fair at the beautiful home of Rachelle and Joey Esses. The Hesed Fair was held in memory of Mrs. Peshy Brudny, A”H, a beloved Magen David teacher. The main goal of the afternoon was to encourage teens to engage in various hesed projects—that afternoon and for the future as well.

Assemblyman Cymbrowitz hosted a “celebrate the end of summer” luncheon for 400 local seniors at Kingsborough Community College, recently. The seniors, most of whom came from local senior centers, were treated to lunch, greetings from the event’s keynote speaker, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, entertainment, gifts, and information  important to seniors. Beth Israel Medical Center’s Kings Highway Division sponsored the event.

“The room was filled with seniors from varied backgrounds coming together to enjoy the afternoon and each other. Not only did they eat and socialize, but they were up dancing to songs such as “YMCA” and “New York, New York,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz stated.  “Our community is fortunate to have so many vibrant senior centers, but they generally function individually.  My luncheon provided the opportunity for the members and staffs of these centers to interact in an afternoon of fun and food.”