INAUGURAL EDITION
Philadelphia
CANDLE LIGHTING September 13 13 Elul, 5779 Parshat Ki Teitzei Candle Lighting: 6:55 pm
JEWISH LINK
September 12, 2019 12 Elul, 5779
Linking Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey N O W O P EN
Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
YU Summer Kollel Comes to Northeast Philadelphia By PJL Staff
See ad on page 5
See ad on page 42
L
ocal schools had closed for the year, sunshine blazed through the sky, and summer sports beckoned. Yet learning did not stop for the men, women and children at B’nai Israel–Ohev Zedek. This past summer, the Northeast Philadelphia shul hosted a three-week summer Kollel, run in conjunction with Yeshiva University and the Chelkeinu Initiative. The Kollel - a group of men who dedicate their time to Jewish learning - was headed by Rabbi Daniel Stein, the Perez and Frieda Friedberg Chair in Talmud and the Director of the Norman and Johanne Sternthal Fourth Year Halakhah Le-
maaseh (Practical Jewish Law) Program at Yeshiva University. The Kollel also included four students from YU. The students lived in Northeast Philadelphia and had the opportunity to get to know the people and the area. They spent their nights offering classes and other programming to the community. B’nai Israel, one of the oldest Orthodox synagogues in the city, has been enjoying a growth spurt of late and was looking to expand its Torah programming so they contacted YU. Rabbi Yehoshua Yeamans, the mara d’asra of B’nai Israel explained, “We were looking for an infusion of Torah learning opportunities for our baalei batim, both men and women. We wanted them to walk away
From L-R: Rabbi Daniel Stein, a Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) who served as the Rosh Kollel at Yeshiva University’s Northeast Philadelphia Regional Summer Kollel, Rabbi Yehoshua Yeamans of Congregation B’nai Israel Ohev Zedek in Northeast Philadelphia, and Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, The David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future.
CONTINUED ON P. 16
Elkins Park: A Changing The Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program Community on the Rise By Ari Nestlebaum
See ad on page 6
STOCK UP FOR THE
HIGH HOLIDAYS 5% OFF
Use code “Holidays”
J Ƒ 1&a JhƑſƑN Ƒ Ƒ =JƑ S &1N See ad on page 15
R
esting astride the Cheltenham and Abington townships, the Jewish community of Elkins Park is a serene, northeastern neighborhood hosting a dynamic core of families, students and young professionals who enjoy the tranquility and affordability of the suburbs coupled with the ease of commuting to a wide range of schools and workplaces. Downtown Philadel-
phia is an 18-minute train ride away, while Lakewood, Manhattan and Brooklyn fall under the two-hour window in commuting time. Locally, Elkins Park also offers a kosher bakery, supermarkets with kosher selections, kosher dining and a large eruv which encompasses the entire community. Overall, Elkins Park offers that enviable, coveted balance of “away from it all” and “not too far away from it all.”
Funding Critical Scholarships for Jewish Students in the Philadelphia Region
Elliot Holtz, a board member of Jewish Scholarship, LLC, and CoChairman of Teach PA, spoke to parents, students, educators and government officials about the importance of the EITC program during Teach PA’s annual mission to Harrisburg in May 2019.
CONTINUED ON P. 20
SEE STORY ON P. 16
PAGE 3
ROSH HASHANAH SPECIALS
PAGE 2