COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Community Rallies on Behalf of  Rabbi Dovid Trenk

Rabbi Dovid Trenk, a  long standing rebbe in our community  who has lead and inspired hundreds of talmidim as well as countless kids at risk. In his youth, Rabbi Trenk had a close connection to the legendary Kapyschnitzer Rebbe, zt”l, and was greatly influenced by his love and concern for fellow Jews. Today, unfortunately, Rabbi Trenk is confronting a major illness and is asking his talmidim to daven for him and learn in his zechus. Efforts are already underway with the students and so many others completing the entire Tehillim and learning Shas and Shisha Sidrei Mishna daily.  A siyum Hashas is being planned  around Pesach time. Last month a special chizuk gathering was held at Cong. Gvul Yaabetz, where Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, and Rabbi Paysach Krohn all spoke words of inspiration on behalf of Rabbi Trenk.

Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel Highlights Four-Part Seminar on Practical Parenting

In conjunction with Torah Umesorah, Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel of Flatbush offered parents a four-part series of seminars tackling critical chinuch challenges in today’s world. This is the first in a global initiative to strengthen Jewish education in our homes by offering practical parenting solutions. The final session is scheduled for Wednesday, December 19 at 8 P.M. and will include a buffet reception and panel discussion featuring Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein, and Dr. David Pelcovitz, with Rabbi Heshy Forster as the moderator.

OHEL Special Event on Conquering Anxiety  

Recognizing that anxiety has become so common today, OHEL’s Center for Anxiety sponsored  “The Age of Anxiety – Striving for Peace of Mind in a Complex World.” The event offered firsthand accounts of conquering anxiety along with clinical perspectives from  Dr. Norman Blumenthal, Dr. David H. Rosmarin, and rabbinic perspective from Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman.

Shulamith School for Girls of Brooklyn Expands at New Manhattan Beach Location

Shulamith School for Girls has been educating thousands of our daughters for more than 85 years. In the past few years, the school relocated to the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center. The new location is attracting more girls from different communities in South Brooklyn.  Due to increasing enrollment, the historic girls’ school has committed to leasing extra space for its expanding Early Childhood Center, STEM lab, art room and additional space for resources rooms and new classrooms.

Touro College and OU’s NCSY Offer Sarah Rivkah and Dr. Bernard Lander Scholarships

This past year, six high school students from Jewish communities across the United States were selected for the first Sarah Rivkah and Dr. Bernard Lander Scholarships. The prestigious scholarships are awarded jointly by Touro College and NCSY, the international youth arm of the Orthodox Union. Dr. Lander founded Touro College in 1971 with just 35 students and guided the major Jewish educational institute until his petirah in 2010. Today, the college he established to provide Jews with the opportunity to gain professional degrees without being exposed to heretical influences, has more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students learning in campuses across the United States, Israel, Germany, and Russia.  It is the largest nonprofit independent institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices.

Thousands Celebrate Wedding of the Bobover Rebbe’s Grandson

Tens of thousands of members of the Bobover Chassidic community rejoiced in the recent wedding of the oldest son of Rabbi Chaim Shalom Halberstam, the oldest son of the Bobover Rebbe. The simchah  was held last month at the Floyd Bennett Field where large temporary tents were erected. The father of the chosson is also the son-in-law of the Satmar Rav of Boro Park, Rabbi Dov Berish Meisels. The kallah is the daughter of the son of the Tchakava Rav.

Rabbi Eli J. Mansour Speaks at Satmar Bikur Cholim Dinner

Rabbi Eli J. Mansour, world-renowned marbitz Torah and Rav of the Edmund J. Safra Synagogue of Brooklyn, was guest speaker at the annual dinner of the Boro Park Satmar Bikur Cholim. The Boro Park chapter provides food for the homebound, a 24/6 hotline for advice and references, bus transportation to hospitals in Manhattan, and assistance to needy families with their medical bills.

Agudath Israel Yeshiva Summits Help Hundreds of Metro Yeshivos

Agudath Israel of America orchestrated a yeshivah summit to offer administrators of yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools a precious opportunity to hear and meet local, state and federal legislators. The event was held at Terrace on the Park. Mr. Avrohom Weinstock, chief of staff at the Agudath Israel, said, “The attendance and energy at the 2018 Yeshiva Summit demonstrated that executive directors are hungry to make their schools better and safer, but yeshivos are often forced to work on a shoestring budget. That’s what this event was all about: bringing the knowledge, people, and resources to administrators.”

Rabbi Noach Witty Honored at The Mir Yeshiva Annual Dinner

Rabbi Noach Witty, maggid shiur at the Mir Mesivta and Rav of Khal Yaakov Akiva of Raintree, was honored at last month’s Mir Yeshiva annual dinner with the harbotzas Hatorah award. Also honored at the dinner of the major Flatbush makom hatorah were Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Zell (kesser shem tov award), Dr. and Mrs. Marc Kunin (parents of the year award), and Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Wyzansky (hakoras hatov award).

Agudath Israel Convention Keynote Sessions

Hundreds of men and women utilized the recent Thanksgiving weekend to gain precious chizuk at the annual Agudath Israel of America Convention held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut. Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Rabbi Yeruchum Olshin, and Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky spoke at the Thursday night keynote session. The Motzoei Shabbos keynote session offered insights from Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, and Rabbi Uri Deutsch. The concluding Sunday morning keynote session was highlighted by remarks by Rabbi Yosef Elefant and Dr. David Pelcovitz.