January 18, 2013

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Long Beach Kishinev survivor celebrates 112th Bday Page 2 Who’s in the Kitchen: Chicken soup Page 7 Lawrence college students help rebuild Page 10 Bookworm: Moses, Maimonides, and history Page 11

THE JEWISH

STAR

VOL 12, NO 3 Q JANUARY 18, 2013 / 7 SHVAT 5773

WWW.THEJEWISHSTAR.COM

2013 Nassau County Executive Race

Haber: ‘I’m all in!’ By Karen C. Green

Photo by Malka Eisenberg

A beach-front house in Belle Harbor wrecked by Hurricane Sandy stands vacant and open to the elements.

Belle Harbor to stay and rebuild By Malka Eisenberg Belle Harbor was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy; the ocean thundered over the beach and through the streets, flooding homes and leaving behind destruction and devastation. One of the synagogues there is now padlocked and dark, its innards rent asunder, waiting for the funds to rebuild. There are essentially three Orthodox synagogues in Belle Harbor, Ohab Zedek, Magen David, a Sephardic Adot Hamizrach congregation, and Congregation Bais Yehudah, a nusach sphard shteibl on Beach 137th Street. Magen David and the shteibl are once again functioning. Ohab Zedek’s building is closed. Going down into its lower levels is like entering the sunken Titanic, its structure still beautiful, the beams of flashlights cutting through the damp, dusty, silty darkness, illuminating the raw walls and floors that had once held benches, books, chairs, desks and Torahs. Congregation Ohab Zedek is the anchor of the Jewish community, a majestic building with three sets of double wooden doors atop a bank of granite steps, a huge menorah visible through the balcony’s window above. The structure stretches along the whole block of Rockaway Beach Boulevard between Beach 134th and 135th Streets. (The congregation traces itself back, according to

“I’m in this to help the community--I care about where I live,” said Adam Haber, 47. The East Hills resident, who has served on the Roslyn School Board since 2009, has officially thrown his hat in the ring, announcing his candidacy for Nassau County Executive. The self described fiscally conservative, socially liberal Democrat is not currently the party’s candidate, and is ready for a primary run on September 3, prior to the November election. Haber, who was raised in Spring Valley, spent 20 years trading derivatives of options, coffee, sugar, and crude oil, followed by a career in venture capital and commercial real estate. The owner of two restaurants, Aldea, a Michelin star restaurant in Manhattan, and Lula, recently opened in Mineola, Haber considers himself a “serial entrepreneur,” emphasizing “I don’t need this job, I want this job. I have had a successful life in business the last 25 years. I’ve sat on corporate boards-I know how businesses work.“ Haber is also very proud of his communal work. As a commercial real estate investor, who has rehabbed homes, Haber is very involved with All Hands Volunteers, a not for profit organization dedicated to empowering disaster relief volunteers around the world. Haber has traveled with the organization to Biloxi, Mississippi, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and as far as Haiti rehabilitating homes,schools and improving water filtration systems. On a recent Sunday, Haber visited the Five Towns, where he distributed space heaters at Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz’s LifeHouse location in Cedarhurst. Coordinated through Legislator Howard Kopel, this effort was the result

Photo courtesy of Adam Haber

Adam Haber of East Hills, Long Island, entered the race for Nassau County Executive. of Haber reaching out to legislators representing the South Shore. Both Legislator Kopel ( R-Lawrence) and Legislator Denenberg (D- Merrick) were recipients. Haber and wife, Renee, of 21 years, are parents to a 16 year old daughter and 14 year old son and are committed to their Jewish community; they are active members in their synagogue. Renee is on the Board of Directors at the Sid Jacobson JCC. The Habers were honorees at the Glen Cove Holocaust and Tolerance Center. The family has been to Israel twice, most recently

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Shabbat Candlelighting: 4:38 p.m. Shabbat ends 5:41 p.m. 72 minute zman 6:10 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Bo

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on a bar mitzvah trip for their son. Haber jokingly brags about making it up Masada in under 30 minutes. “My wife pushed me into politics,” noted Haber. “It was a football Sunday when she came to me and said, ‘You’re running for school board!’” In 2004, the Roslyn School Board made the news as their Superintendant stole $11.2 million in district funds. On the board since 2009, Haber has been part of a team that has been uniquely creative in findContinued on page 3


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