COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Community Highlights  

Lag BaOmer in Marine Park 

The streets of Marine Park were alive with music and celebration on Lag BaOmer. Maayan Yisrael, under the leadership of Rabbi Yosef Vigler, hosted its highly awaited annual event, which included music, dancing, entertainment, and tefillah. The event kicked off with a marching band parade that made its way from Avenue K to Avenue N, where the NYPD blocked off streets to accommodate the crowd. Daled Action enthralled its audience with daring bike stunts and singers Shloimy Dachs and Shea Rubenstein were accompanied by live music. Police horses and motorcycles and a grand raffle added to the fun. The entire event was orchestrated in honor of the brave soldiers defending the Jewish people on the front lines, and children and their parents recited heartfelt tefillos for their safety and the safety of all of Klal Yisrael. 

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Chabad of Marine Park, under the leadership of Rabbi Levi Hendel, organized a carnival with many rides and amusements for all ages. Along with the fun, attendees enjoyed a barbeque and other refreshments as they celebrated the hilula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Israeli Farmer Hero at Kingsway Jewish Center

Kingsway Jewish Center hosted Yehuda Alon, a soldier, father, and Shemittah-keeping leader on Sunday, May 26. He delivered a talk entitled “A War Without Weapons”.  It was an eye-opening address that explained how Hamas is targeting Israeli farms and causing great danger to agriculture in the Jewish state. These attacks are unreported by the media, allowing them to remain under the radar and to persist undeterred. May Hashem protect our heroic farmers and the land of Israel along with all of our nation.  

Klal Yisrael Mourns Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, Zt”l 

The petirah of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, founder and Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshiva Derech Ayson, also known as Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, was mourned by thousands of talmidim and Jewish communities throughout the world.  Rabbi Perr was the husband of Rebbetzin Shoshana Perr (nee Nekritz), whose lineage traces back to Rabbi Yosef Yozel Horwitz, a student of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter and a founder of the Novardak Yeshiva. Rabbi Perr was deeply influenced by his rebbe muvhak, Rabbi Aharon Kotler of Lakewood’s Bais Medrash Govoha, and delved deeply into the study of mussar. His own talmid muvhak, Rabbi Yehuda Keilson, published two books, Mind Over Man and Fath Over Fear, that are based on Rabbi Perr’s mussar lectures. Rabbi Perr inspired countless individuals; his passing leaves the Torah world bereft.  Yehi zichro baruch. 

OU to Provide Sta”m Hashgachos

A century ago, the Orthodox Union began supervising kashrus. The OU has since grown to become the world’s largest kashrus agency, verifying tens of thousands of products around the world. In an interview with Ari Hirsch of the Jewish Vues, COO Rabbi Moshe Elefant shared that Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the OU, met with the Satmar Rebbe of Monroe and discussed the need for a hashgachah service to verify the kashrus of mezuzos, tefillin, and sifrei Torah – also known as Sta”m. Rabbi Elefant said, “The OU has undertaken a project where we will have a system in place to make sure that the people who are writing mezuzos are people who are qualified to write, people who are tested, people who we know behave properly and are truly religious individuals.”

Shabbos Afternoon Pirkei Avos Shiurim at Landau’s Shul

The annual spring Pirkei Avos shiurim given on Shabbos afternoons for men and women began at Rav Landau’s Shul, Khal Hisachdus Yerieim Veretzky, began on Parshas Acharei Mos with an insightful shiur by Rabbi Fischel Schachter, renowned lecturer. Shiurim begin at 5:30 P.M. Speakers include Rabbi Yakov Zev Smith of Irgun Shirai Torah; Rabbi David Ashear, of  Yad Yosef; Rabbi Eliezer Ginsberg, Rosh Kollel of the Mir Yeshiva; Rabbi Eli Mansour, Mara d’Asra of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue; and Rabbi Avrohom Schorr, Mara d’Asra of Khal Nezer Gedalyahu.

Shomrim Help Nab Mail Thief 

When a sharp-eyed Boro Park Shomrim member noticed a man in civilian clothing removing mail bags from USPS relay boxes, he alerted the police and trailed the thief to 12th Avenue and 36th Street, where he was arrested. The NYPD found a U-Haul truck parked nearby with three full bags of mail. The incident occurred during a spike in mail theft following tax season when an influx of checks was mailed to and from the IRS. 

Sephardic Community Mourns Rabbi Michael Haber, Zt”l

Jews throughout the Metro New York area, especially in the Sephardic communities of Brooklyn and Deal, were saddened to learn of the petirah of Rabbi Michael Haber, zt”l. The longtime Rav of Congregation Tiferet Shaul in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighborhood and Deal’s Beit Yosef summer congregation. He was there for his congregants both in times of joy and difficulty. He was particularly well-known for his dedication to teaching classes ranging from Gemara to Halachah. In addition to his powerful Torah oratory, Rabbi Haber was the author of numerous sefarim including The Kosher Home, The Passover Home, A Groom’s Prayer, and A Bride’s Prayer. May his memory be a blessing.

UJA Study Identifies 1.4 Million Jews in NY

Almost 1.4 million people in the greater New York area identified as Jewish in 2023, according to a study by the UJA Federation of New York. The study covered the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.  19% of New York area Jews said they consider themselves Orthodox. An estimated 13,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors lived in the eight-county area; 92% of them lived in New York City. The largest number of survivors live in Brooklyn, accounting for 65% of the total. UJA CEO Eric S. Goldstein said, “Particularly in this challenging moment, these insights [from the study] will help guide funding decisions so we can reach people where they are and ensure the strength of our Jewish community and the institutions serving them.”

JCCMP Library Grows

You bookworms asked for it and we delivered! In response to the many requests we received for extended hours, we are proud to announce that we have increased our hours to Sundays from 1 to 5 P.M; Wednesdays from 4:30 to 8 P.M.; Fridays from 12 to 3 P.M; and Shabbos from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. We have also increased our circulation with 50 new books, including the always popular novels by Yonah Sapir, Yom Kippur War II, Adventures in the Amazon, Jelly Eli Z., and many more newly released comics and children’s books

Check Mate

Our first semester of chess culminated with an end-of-semester tournament! Trophies were awarded to the first (Yitzchok Mayer), second (Dovi Bordon), and third (Binyamin Korsinsky) place winners!  Another mini semester of chess started on May 19.

Raving Robotics

Our five-week Robotics and STEM Course has taken off with a bang.  A full official STEM course for elementary-age boys started on May 19, and the boys are having an electrifying time learning about machinery, technology, and engineering as well as conducting experiments in natural science.

Shavuos Fun!

We are cooking up plans to host a mega Shavous bake sale on June 6.  Bundt cake, cheese twists, cupcakes, sourdough, and many more delectable treats will be offered by Marine Park’s most talented bakers. There will also be some mini-sized creations from our mini-chefs!

Our JCC Kids Club will be making their own interactive Shavuos cards with music and lights! The talented Avigayil Kundin will be walking kids through the process of creating their customized, personalized greeting cards to usher in the upcoming Yom Tov. 

Save a Life

School may soon be over, but learning never stops at the JCCMP! Are you interested in learning vital skills that can save a life in under two minutes? Are you interested in getting CPR recertified before the summer? Starting in June, we are excited to offer separate CPR courses for men and women by Blink CPR-certified instructors. In the class, you will learn how to administer CPR to adults and infants, choking rescue techniques, and how to use a defibrillator, among many other life-saving skills. 

JCCMP 16th Annual Legislative Breakfast

The Jewish Community Council of Marine Park, under the leadership of Executive Director Shea Rubenstein, hosted its Legislative Breakfast on Sunday, May 19 at the JCCMP Hall.  The Legislative Breakfast created an opportunity for the organization to thank local elected officials and activists for all their support in helping the community. It was also a chance to celebrate the first anniversary of the JCCMP Family Library. 

Councilman Kalman Yeger was the master of ceremonies for the crowd. Councilwoman Inna Vernikov received the City Legislative Award.  The Community Partnership Award was presented to NYS Senator and Female District Leader Roxanne Persaud, Assemblymember Jamie Williams; District Manager of Community Board 18 Sue Ann Partnow; and Male District Leader of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club Frank Seddio. Shaindy Weichbrod received the Community Service Award for her dedicated work in promoting women’s health and child development with mommy-and-me programs and other initiatives. The event concluded with the Legacy Award, awarded to Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein in tribute to her 44 years of service in the 41st Assembly district. Also in attendance were Senator Simcha Felder, Marc Appel from The Bridge, Eli Slavin from Congresswoman Yvette Clark’s office, and District Leader Jennifer Faucher.

                       JCCMP’s 7th Annual JCON Real Estate Summit

Over 500 people have already registered for the JCCMP’s 7th annual JCON Real Estate Summit and Expo at the Staten Island Hilton on July 9.  The highly anticipated annual event draws industry leaders from across the tri-state area covering many aspects of real estate including insurance, accounting, marketing, financing, technology, and IT. It will feature more than 40 vendors with a combined buying power of $5 billion. In addition to networking and mentoring opportunities, the crowd will be treated to cigar rolling, mixology, and a scrumptious dinner along with compelling speeches from keynote speakers.