Community Happenings

The Jewish Home | JULY 14, 2022 Around the Community

Summer Fun at Simcha Day Camp

Rabbi Yitzy Haber and R’ Zezzi Fuld of Camp Machaneh Yisroel before the intercamp staff basketball game

Rabbi Witkin, rav in North Woodmere and Camp Lemala Mora D’asrah, speaking to campers at Camp Machane Yisroel who spent an overnight in Camp Lemala last week playing inte-camp games and enjoying the amenities

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The circus came to town at Avnet last week. It wasn’t just any circus but an entertaining show and interactive experience led by the National Circus Project. Over two days, campers were made to feel like circus performers. The Avnet auditorium became a circus tent when the fun kicked off with a performance by the professional crew. Then it was time for hands-on workshops with specially trained circus education staff. Campers were taught impressive skills and tricks like juggling, walking on stilts, spinning plates, tossing scarves, and flipping sticks.

“It was thrilling to bring the circus to Avnet,” said Daniel Stroock, camp director. “We’re always looking for new and innovative activities to amaze and inspire our campers. The circus was a hit, and the children will certainly be showing off their new skills at home.”

Camp Machaneh Hakayitz met Camp Machaneh Yisroel at Six Flags New England this week The Three Weeks begin this Sunday with the somber fast of Shiva Asar b’Tammuz. This fast day commemorates the tragic start to the Three Weeks of mourning preceding Tisha B’Av. Chazal teach us that the walls of Jerusalem were shattered on this day and other tragedies occurred as well, including Moshe breaking the luchos and avoda zarah being placed in the Bais Hamikdash.

Adults will be fasting on this day to recall these events. What will our children do while we are fasting? Why not send them to the Young Israel of Far Rockaway, 716 Beach 9th Street, Far Rockaway, where our amazing youth department will keep them entertained with an appropriate story and a nice project they can bring home? We promise they will have a meaningful enjoyable time! It’s a great way to keep them occupied while we are busy with the long fast day!

Bring your children to YIFR, ages 4-6, this Sunday July 17, from 1:002:30 PM. $15 per child, includes materials.

YUConnects and YI Woodmere Team Up

by Marjorie Glatt

YUConnects, together with Young Israel of Woodmere, recently hosted its very successful Shabbos for singles, dedicated in memory of Linda Mitgang, a”h. Offering a fun, comfortable environment to mix and mingle, Shabbos Parshas Chukas was a wonderful weekend of neighborhood hospitality with multiple meeting opportunities.

Each event targets different ages, hashkafos and backgrounds. This year, Woodmere welcomed 80 guests, ages 24 to 32, evenly mixed between men and women.

Friday night, after their own minyan for Kabbalas Shabbos, there was an elegant, catered meal at the Young Israel of Woodmere with participants enjoying the delicious food and making new friends. Conversations flowed freely, divrei torah were offered, and many of the participants stayed and talked for a while, and then formed their own walking groups back to their hosts’ homes. Shabbos afternoon offered something for everyone. A dessert oneg with “Connect Four” – a fun speed dating program – allowed all the participants to meet every attendee. Afterwards, ten dedicated local matchmakers volunteered their time to informally interview those interested, while many guests played board games, conversed and relaxed for a while.

A highlight of the Shabbos was the shalosh seudos hosted by Penina and Tzvi Wiener in their beautiful outdoor tent. With the community pitching in to create a gala spread, each guest was amazed at the tastefulness (and tastiness) of the lovely event. Of course, the organizers also offered “Build a Bayis,” a team-building challenge which encouraged further mixing and mingling. One young man remarked that he was impressed with all the attentive details – including a musical havdala sung by Dr. Josh Mitgang with Adam Kaufman on guitar, cars waiting after Shabbos to chauffer each person back to their host, and a comprehensive online method for follow-up.

Most importantly, there were many dates already made from the Shabbos! Several couples wasted no time exchanging numbers, and many others are requesting contact information from the YUConnects Connectors. By Monday, two days after the event, 24 couples expressed mutual interest in each other and were arranging dates.

One of the YIWMeet committee members said the success of the program was due to the tremendous outpouring of support from shul families who opened their homes and sponsored various parts of the weekend. Young Israel of Woodmere, under the leadership of Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, president Josh Kalter and executive director Steve Myers, has been at the forefront of community shuls championing initiatives for singles.

This is the third year the event was underwritten by the Mitgang, Silvera, Silver, and Kaminetzky families in memory of their dear wife/mother, Mrs. Linda Mitgang, a”h. Linda was a beloved community member, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was the ultimate aishes chayil who loved her family and wanted to see others happily married and living a Jewish life. For this reason, her family thought that sponsoring this annual weekend together with YUConnects and Young Israel of Woodmere would be a loving tribute to her memory.

YUConnects, open to all members of the Jewish community, maintains a friendly office at Yeshiva University, offers unique social events, targeted matchmaking and educational programs to foster healthy relationships toward marriage. Celebrating over 550 engagements, it appreciates sponsorships for future endeavors and welcomes any inquiries. Learn more about YUConnects by visiting www.yuconnects.com or email yuconnects@yu.edu.

Dr. Charles Mitgang, Saritte Silvera, and Allison Silver

On the morning of Monday, July 4, the Young Israel of Long Beach (YILB), in conjunction with Temple Zion Atlantic and Long Beach Jewish Center, hosted the kickoff event for the new Community Summer Morning Kollel after the 8:30 AM Minyan at the Young Israel.

After davening and people enjoying the lavish breakfast spread, Dr. Moishe Jeger, a prominent Marbitz Torah and member of the Lawrence community, gave the opening shiur to a large crowd who spent their morning in Torah study.

The new Kollel, which will run every morning from approximately 9:3011:30 AM (10-11:30 AM on Sundays) after the daily 8:30 AM Minyan at the Young Israel, features an expanded breakfast including bagels, fruit, cereal, Danishes, oatmeal, cold brew and hot coffee, orange juice, and more.

There will be an open Beis Medrash (study hall) for people in and out of the community to come and learn what their hearts desire in a structured setting. Additionally, there will be a weekly Chaburah given by Dr. Moishe Jeger, who organized the Kollel together with Rabbi Menachem Leib Brenner, rabbi at Temple Zion, and Rabbi Binyamin Silver, rabbi at the Young Israel.

“We are excited to expand the menu of Torah learning options in Long Beach and look forward to continued growth and Harbatzas Torah,” stated Rabbi Silver.

“This has been an important day for Long Beach and the entire Barrier Island Jewish Community,” said Rabbi Brenner. “For those who are retired, have off from work, or have extra time in the summer months, there now is a place for people in and out of the community to come and learn in a structured environment in the mornings.

Dr. Moshe Jeger, Rabbi Binyomin Silver, and Rabbi Menachem Leib Brenner

“The Temple Zion Atlantic and Long Beach Jewish Center is proud to join with the Young Israel of Long Beach to be at the forefront of strengthening Torah life and the Kol Torah in our community.”

Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information or to sponsor, please email MorningKollelLB@gmail. com.

Members of the Chaburah learning with Dr. Moishe Jeger

Chesed Center CLOTHING DRIVE

The Chesed Donation Center picks up all your unwanted clothing & housewares items and distributes them to local Gemachs within the community. WE ACCEPT:

CLOTHING | SHOES | TOYS | HOUSEWARES | ELECTRONICS | ODDS & ENDS

THE CHESED CENTER PROVIDES TOYS AND CLOTHING TO OVER 6,000 FAMILIES.

THAT EXTRA CLUTTER SITTING AROUND YOUR HOUSE CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE.

PLEASE PARTICIPATE

IN OUR DONATION DRIVE!

Around the Community Ezra Summer Series Continues

Ezra Academy energizes their students at every opportunity. The summer series, now in its fourth year, utilizes the talents and energy of all their faculty to keep learning alive in the summertime. For the students who attend Ezra Academy during the school year, and those who have attended previously and sometimes even those who have recently been accepted as students, the summer lectures are an opportunity to keep students invigorated about Torah learning and observance of mitzvos. It gives the opportunity for students to consult face-to-face with their rebbeim and morahs as well as other members of the staff who serve as mentors. The evenings are sponsored by the fans of the program and community members who believe in the Ezra Energy.

This past week, lecture #2 was led by a popular morah (thank you Mrs. Forman) and the never-tiring Rabbi Diamond who spearheads the whole program (thank you again, Rabbi Diamond).

As week 3 lectures are being prepared, the participants all know that Ezra remains dedicated to engaging and energizing all their students.

Town of Hempstead’s Sanitation District 1 held elections on Monday for Sanitation commissioner. Incumbent Commissioner James Vilardi, who ran unopposed for a five-year term, garnered 552 votes. With regards to the race between Gabriel Boxer and Gwynette Campbell, the unofficial results showed Boxer in the lead, nabbing 388 votes to Campbell’s 295. They were running for a four-year term.

According to the District, there are absentee ballots that are yet to be counted.

Boxer expressed his appreciation to the community for coming out to vote for him.

“I’m so thankful for the community coming out for the election and showing what we can do as a united community, and thank all for their support and vote,” Boxer told TJH. “I’m sure truth and justice will prevail for the integrity of this and every election is at the core of our values and who we are as a nation. We must not only teach but show our children that the only way is truth, and I will lead our community with truth and transparency.”

Boxer is known as the “Kosher Guru” and founded Kosher Response, which was involved in food distribution to workers in hospitals and first responders and to the community during the pandemic.

This week, Hillel Day campers engaged in a variety of activities that allowed them to grow physically, socially, and emotionally. Our happy campers and happy staff are reaching new heights and accomplishing great things. The smiling faces as the children rode on our visiting ponies, the exhilaration of the winning goal, and the red bracelets indicating deep water swimming accomplishments are worth everything in the world! It has been a special week at Hillel Day Camp because of our campers. They are happy coming off the bus, playing games throughout the day, going on trips, and swimming in our refreshing pools. Each new activity is such fun! We are getting acclimated to the pools with our awesome lifeguards, singing and dancing nonstop in Music, and jumping and rolling on the TumbleBus and our Moonbouncers, to name just a few!

Sanitation Commissioner Results

Did you know? On July 11, 7-Eleven stores give away around 9 million Slurpees. Did you know? 7-Eleven sells more than 1 million cups of fresh-brewed coffee each day.

Around the Community Love of Torah, Tefillah, and Klal Yisroel at Nikolsburg Shul in Woodbourne, NY

Siyum in Home of Rav Chaim Kanievsky Who Guided the Program

By Chaim Gold

“It was a bittersweet feeling. We were back in Rav Chaim’s house…to celebrate a siyum on a program that we had begun in his home, in his presence, less than a year earlier. On the one hand, the gaping void was right in front of us, but on the other hand, there was a simcha and a nechama. After all, over 1,600 avreichim had completed the Dirshu Kinyan Sheviis program during a shemitta year, in a program founded and designed by the Sar HaTorah, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, and the siyum was being celebrated in his home, exactly where the haschala, the beginning had been less than a year ago!”

Those were the feelings of the participants in the event as described by Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s hanhala, who participated in the siyum.

The demanding program is run by Dirshu in conjunction with Siach Emunah, which was founded by Rav Chaim Kanievsky. The 1,600 avreichim who completed the program learned the entire masechta Sheviis with the commentary of Rabbeinu Shimshon and the Rambam. In addition, they had to learn the entire volume from Rav Chaim Kanivesky’s magnum opus sefer, Derech Emunah, that was devoted to Hilchos Sheviis and be tested monthly on the material.

The siyum was completed by Rav Chaim’s son, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Shaul Kanievsky, shlita. Drashos and divrei chizuk were given by HaGaon HaRav Chizkiyahu Avrohom Broide, shlita, rav of Achisomoch and a distinguished dayan in Bnei Brak; Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi Dirshu; and HaGaon HaRav Boruch Dov Diskin, shlita.

Learning the Halachos is Akin to Fulfilling the Mitzvah

Last year, when Rav Chaim instituted the program at his home, he wrote a letter on 26 Sivan wherein he specified the tremendous benefits of the program. He wrote: “It is well known that keeping the laws of sheviis brings the geulah closer and saves us from all tzaros. Maran, the Chazon Ish, zt”l, writes that when one actually observes the halachos, he merits these things but the only way to properly observe these halachos are by learning them well. The Gemara at the end of the first perek of Kiddushin tells us that learning brings to actually keeping these halachos in a practical way. Even those who do not own fields are considered as if they fulfilled the mitzvah when they learn the halachos.

“There are many instances in the Gemara [where we see] that in order to urge talmidim to properly learn, the amoraim tested their talmidim on what they learned… The Dirshu organization has merited to encourage and urge talmidei chachomim through their testing programs. Now, in advance of the upcoming shemitta year, they are strengthening themselves in this even more. I have therefore joined with them [in this endeavor.] May we be zoche to the geulah sheleima bimheira b’yameinu amein.

“[signed] Chaim Kanievsky.” “What we learned from Rav Chaim,” said HaGaon HaRav Boruch Dov Diskin, “is that not only is it critically important to keep the halachos of shemitta properly as dictated by Rav Chaim’s illustrious uncle, the Chazon Ish, but learning the halachos of sheviis properly, with iyun is another way to show the importance of sheviis. Rav Chaim was perhaps the primary person in our generation who constantly urged the learning of hilchos sheviis and because of him, we have thousands of people who know these intricate, complex halachos so well that they are able to be tested on them.”

Rav Broide, in his remarks, related, “One of the things that Rav Chaim taught us was that whatever we learn should be done with a seder and a plan. A person should know what he will be learning today, what he will be learning tomorrow, keep to his goals and reach his goals. That is the way that Rav Chaim wanted the Kinyan Sheviis program to run. In truth, that is the wonderful way that Dirshu runs all its programs. Dirshu is not just an organization that promotes limud haTorah, rather it is an organization that promotes kinyan Torah, acquiring Torah with a comprehensive knowledge! And kinyan Torah extends well beyond learning.

Rav Broide continued, “We have no way of even describing with mere words the magnitude of this Kinyan Sheviis program and what it has accomplished. Suffice it to say that I have no doubt that the ruach, the spirit of Rav Chaim is with us, accompanying us today as we make the siyum. Just like he stood with us and was mashpia so much Torah and ruchniyus on us during his lifetime, so too, he is continuing to be mashpia tova and bracha upon us and especially upon those who are learning what was so near and dear to him.”

Living with Hashem

After the siyum and the l’chaim made by Rav Yitzchok Shaul Kanievsky, shlita, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu, was asked to address the crowd.

Rav Dovid highlighted the uniqueness of the mitzvah of sheviis.

“The uniqueness of this mitzvah is that it is a declaration that there is no teva, there is no regular order of nature when it comes to Am Yisroel or Eretz Yisroel. We are living because of Hashem. We are living with Hashem. During the shemitta year, we live a year of closeness with Hashem because we live a year of emunah in Hashem. It is so appropriate to celebrate a siyum on Kinyan Sheviis, here in Rav Chaim’s home because Rav Chaim lived his entire life above and beyond teva. Rav Chaim lived with Hashem, with complete emunah and bitachon in Hashem, his whole life was one of sheviis.”

Dirshu’s role in shemitta, however, goes beyond promoting the learning of hilchos shemitta,” Rav Dovid emphasized. “This year, during the shemitta, at every Dirshu test, avreichim were given significant amounts of wonderful peiros sheviis that came from the farms of Shomrei Sheviis and were distributed through Otzar Beis Din, to enjoy at no cost. Not only did they learn sheviis this year, but they were able to practically observe all the halachos of kedushas sheviis from the peiros they were given.”

The Farmer in Kfar Wharberg

Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, together with other members of hanhalas Dirshu, personally traveled to Kfar Wharberg, a large moshav located not far from Kiryat Malachi, where they met with Mr. Friedman, one of the farmers whose peiros sheviis are distributed to the avreichim free of charge.

Rav Hofstedter had a fascinating conversation with Mr. Friedman, who is a child of Holocaust survivors from Slovakia. Although he himself is not religious, he became deeply attached to the mitzvos of Shabbos, both Shabbos, the seventh day of the week and Shabbos Ha’aretz, the seventh year.

There is an organization called Mishnas Yosef that buys large amounts of fruits and vegetables from farmers at wholesale prices and passes the savings on to kollel families by selling them the produce at cost price.

One farmer with whom Mishnas Yosef made a deal was Mr. Friedman. Through his connection with them, he began to refrain from working on his fields on Shabbos. This year, for the first time, he undertook to keep shemitta. It was a pure act of tremendous mesiras nefesh.

He told Rav Hofstedter how the son of Rav Nissim Karelitz told him that he must wait until November to cut his trees. He replied that if he waits, his trees will die in the winter. The Rav convinced him to wait anyway, and in an act of pure emunah peshuta, he agreed. “Inexplicably,” he said, “that year the trees produced far more fruit than in any previous year! I don’t have to hear stories about emunah,” he exclaimed to Rav Hofsteder, “I have seen the Divine promise of v’tizvisi es birchasi with my own eyes!”

Indeed, shemitta brings with it the greatest bracha and learning the halachos of shemitta has brought the greatest bracha to the lomdim and to all of Klal Yisroel!

Rav Dovid Hofstedter giving l’chaim to HaRav Yitzchok Shaul Kanievsky