STORM PHOTOS Pages 3, 7, 8, 16 Young Israel receives security grant Page 6 Priority-1 marks 24: counseling and education still priority Page 11 HAFTR gym expands Page 14
THE JEWISH
STAR
VOL 10, NO 34 ■ SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 / 3 ELUL, 5771
WWW.THEJEWISHSTAR.COM
Kindness campaign kicks off in Lawrence By Brigitte Fixler With Elul ushering in the High Holidays, a group of local women are seeking to “tip the scales in our favor,” with a campaign of kindness, with a kick-off event on Tuesday at Lawrence Middle School. Guided by Rabbi Dovid Weinberger of Lawrence, the event includes a website, literature, and lectures. “It was started by a group of local women in response to tragic events by generating acts of chesed in the neighborhood,” Rabbi Weinberger said. “Our hope is that more than talk, there will be action.” Looking to scripture for inspiration, the organizers cite tractate Kiddushin 40a. “The response to evil is to put good into the world” The program promotes good will, love, friendship and unity amongst individuals through acts of kindness, organizing the mitzvah through six different goals focusing on various aspects of human relationships, with one goal for each week from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur. The idea for this program developed at the monthly challah shiur led by Rabbi Weinberger at Congregation Shaaray Tefillah. The name of the initiative, ‘A.O.K. Acts of Kindness,” is credited to his rebbetzin. The kick-off event hosted noted speakers Rabbi Paysach Krohn and Woodmere resident Charlie Harary. Both speakers are renowned for their storytelling abilities, with numerous examples of inspiration provided at the event. “It really is a frightening time we’re going through,” Rabbi Krohn said. “We have to ask ourselves, what is it that Hashem wants from us? Hashem wants chesed.” This week’s goal is to “smile until it hurts,” with participants encouraged to smile more Continued on page 7
Woodmere under water Photo by Monica Rzewski
Hurricane Irene caused most streets off of Peninsula Blvd to be flooded and inaccessible.
Coping with evacuation, Shabbos and the storm By Sergey Kadinsky The warnings were dire, with a mandatory evacuation order issued for the 330,000 residents of Zone A, the low-lying coastal section of New York City that includes Staten Island’s south shore, Coney Island, and the Rockaway peninsula. “This is the storm where if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, it could be fatal,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
said. “Comply with the mandatory evacuation.” On a sunny Friday afternoon, ambulettes lined up outside the 298-bed Brookhaven Rehab & Health Care Center in Far Rockaway, complying with the order by evacuating every elderly patient to locations further inland ahead of Hurricane Irene. “We are getting calls from all nursing homes for the evacuation,” said medical supplier Abraham Krus.
As the vans filled up, reinforcements arrived with Satmar school buses from Williamsburg. Closer to the shore on Seagirt Boulevard, the West Lawrence Care Center had its windows taped up in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which had already caused massive flooding in Puerto Rico, Bahamas and North Carolina, as it barreled up the east coast. But not all residents were heeding the
Shabbat Candlelighting: 7:01 p.m. Shabbat ends 8:00 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Shoftim
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