COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Rabbi Josh Sturm Addresses Flatbush Renewal

Kidney Donation Awareness Event Held

Since its establishment in 2006, Renewal has saved more than 500 Jewish lives by successfully promoting the concept of Jews donating kidney to fellow Yidden, most of whom were strangers to the donors. Dozens of those recipients who have gained a new lease on life are Flatbush residents. Last month in conjunction with Chabad of Flatbush, Rabbi Josh Sturm, director of outreach for Renewal delivered a talk on “The Anatomy of Kindness”. The Renewal Kidney Donation Awareness Event for both men and women was held at the Chabad of Flatbush in response to a campaign to find a donor for a member of our community who is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Donors can range in age from 18 to 70. For more details please call Renewal at (718) 431-9831 or email info@renewal.org

Sinai Academy Dinner Honors Founder

Rabbi Aryeh Katzin

It was 30 years ago that the Sinai Academy Yeshiva High School was established to offer boys of immigrants of the Former Soviet Union an opportunity to gain an excellent academic education under the auspices of a friendly Torah environment designed to combat that devastating effects of 70 years of harsh Bolshevik Communistic brainwashing of atheism. Thousands of Russian families gained a new appreciation and love for Yiddishkeit. This year’s 30th anniversary dinner at the Kaminetz Ballroom was highlight by the tribute given to Sinai Academy’s Dean – Rabbi Aryeh Katzin who was presented with the Founders Award. Other honorees included Mr. Daniel Goldstein (Harav Elya Svei, zt”l, memorial award), Mr. Moshe Kababieh (Sruly Miller a”h alumnus achievement award), Dr. Alex and Vita Perkelvald (rofeh cholim award) and Rabbi Ephraim Varshovsky (dinner chairman.) A special memorial tribute was presented to Mimi Chammah, a”h.

Quicken Loans Agrees of Adopt a Heter

Iska in Response to Warning of Agudath Israel

The Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim of Agudath Israel in May issued a statement warning Orthodox and traditional Jews not to take loans with Quicken Loans, one of the nation’s major home finance companies, because the firm is owned by a Jew who did not utilize a Heter Iska Klali document to avoid the problem with the Torah prohibition of Ribbis (giving or taking interest on a loan on a deal between Jews. Within weeks of the warning, Quicken Loans responded positively by adopting a Heter Iska Klali effective June 8th which has been approved by prominent leading halachic authorities. As a result, the Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim of Agudath Israel issued a new notice declaring that, “the prior statement prohibiting taking loans with Quicken Loans is no longer in effect…On behalf of Torah Jewry across America, we than Quicken Loans for its sensitivity and devotion to the needs of the community.”

Maimonides Medical Center and New York

Community Hospital Have Formed a Clinical Collaboration

Kenneth D. Gibbs, President and CEO of Maimonides Medical Center and Barry Stern, President and CEO of New York Community Hospital, have announced that these two major Brooklyn medical institutions have joined to form a clinical collaboration to better serve their patients. As a result of this new agreement, physicians from both hospitals will be working together in order to provide the highest quality care in the most appropriate setting so patients need not leave the borough of Brooklyn to get the quality of healthcare they need.

Special Symposium to Help Cure the Opioid Epidemic

Addiction in Our Community Held at JCC of Marine Park

In response to the national catastrophe of opioid epidemic addiction that has not spared our community, a major lecture and symposium on the theme of “Help Cure the Opioid Epidemic Addiction in Our Community” was held last month at the Jewish Community Center of Marine Park. Guest lectures were delivered by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer, and Rabbi Zvi Gluck. The event was emceed by Yaakov Radin and included presentations on detox options and ibogaine solutions.

Councilman Chaim Deutsch Addresses Flatbush

Mosdos on How to Obtain Nonprofit Security Grants

City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, in conjunction with the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, hosted a training session at the OHEL Jaffa Campus in the heart of Flatbush for more than one hundred leaders of local shuls, yeshivos and mosdos on how to learn to apply for the Department of Homeland Security Nonprofit Grant. The Councilman noted that, “Community facilities can become a target of terrorists or other nefarious actors. It is vitally important that we take advantage of every possible method to protect ourselves and our children, and I urge every qualified nonprofit to apply for this grant. The training session was conducted by David Pollock, Director of Public Policy and Jewish Security at the JCRC-NY.

JCC of Marine Park and Maimonides Medical

Center Present a Special Night for Women

The Maimonides Medical Center, in conjunction with the Jewish Community Center of Marine Park at the JCC Simcha Hall on May 30th orchestrated an unforgettable Women’s Night Out with an evening of education and entertainment. In addition to free admission, the hundreds of women who participated were given a special gift along with a delicious dairy buffet and outstanding entertainment and insightful lectures on important issues. The speakers were Mr. Ken Gibbs, President and CEO of Maimonides Medical Center, Dr. Jeffrey Avner, MDA Chair of the Department of Pediatrics of the MMC and Dr. Joshua Needleman, Pediatric Pulmonologist at MMC. Malkie Knopfler, the “Comic Cook” gave an unforgettable culinary presentation to those in attendance.

First-Ever Free Southern Brooklyn Beach Day

With Separate Dates for Men and Women

Enjoy a private day in the sun and sand at the beautiful secluded beach of Kingsborough Community College, located on 2001 Oriental Boulevard which now offers separate swim dates for men and women with free parking available on site. For men and boys only the beach will be reserved from 9 A.M. – 3 P.M on Friday, June 29th, while the beach will be reserve for women and girls only on Friday, July 27th from 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. These separate dates for each gender was arranged by City Councilman Chaim Deutsch.

Project Witness Documentary Film to be

Shown During the Three Weeks

This year, for the period of the Three Weeks and the Nine Days, in which Jews around the world mourn the loss of our Beis Hamikdosh in Yerushalayim, Project Witness, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating our future generations about the tragic history of the Holocaust, will release a new documentary film titled Rosja that address the epic stories of Jewish existence and survival in Siberia. It focuses on the rarely discussed life experiences of hundreds of thousands of Jews who fled or who were transported deep into the frigid eastern portions of the former Soviet Union. Last year’s Project witness Three Weeks documentary Hidden were seen by more than 20,000 viewers. For details on where one can view the new Rosja documentary please call 718-Witness, X244 or email info@projectwitness.org

The graduating class of the JCC’s QuickBooks computer course in our new location in Harlem, NY.