A Year Ago Today…
A year ago today I was admitted to NYU hospital 25 weeks into my first pregnancy. Shocked to say the least, I didn’t really know what was going on. I guess I should start from the beginning…
My husband and I went to my 25 week sonogram one Friday afternoon. I felt terrible. I knew pregnancy came with its set of aches and pains but I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be. I had a chronic stomach condition called gastro paresis which in its simplest definition means my digestion was very slow, but even slower due to my pregnant belly. I had pain, nausea; I was up all night feeling sick and slept through the following day since I was up through the night, every night. My husband was my hero, at my every beck and call, holding a white garbage bag open for me every time I thought I was going to puke, holding my hand reminding me that we’d get through this hard time.
Overwhelming Outpour of Support at 29th Aleh Foundation Annual Awards Dinner
Left to right, Mr. Steve Matsas “Young Leadership Awardee” , Dr. Jeff Tenenbaum Aleh Foundation President, Rabbi Jules Fleischer Aleh Foundation Board Member, Dr. Lee Tessler Aleh Foundation “Community Service Awardee”, Dr. Steven G. Pavlakis Aleh Foundation “Medical Leadership Awardee”, Dr. Israel Jacobowitz Aleh Foundation “Physician of the Year awardee”, Dr. Herbert Lepor and his wife Dr. Ellen Shapiro Lepor Aleh Foundation “Humanitarian awardees”, NYC Councilmember David Greenfield, Rabbi Shlomo Braun Aleh Foundation Founder & Director, Officer Emmanuel Almog, Civic Leadership Awardee and M.C. of the 29th Aleh Foundation dinner Mr. Gavriel Sanders.
Over 400 people gathered Wednesday evening, May 8th at Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage to mark the 29th annual awards dinner of the Aleh Foundation, under the direction of Rabbi Shlomo Braun. The Aleh Foundation is internationally recognized for its pioneering work with severely handicapped children and young adults in Israel. Launched in 1984 to assist a few distraught families in need, today the Aleh Foundation brings hope and help to over 12,000 families through its therapeutic centers in Bnei Brak, Gedera, Jerusalem and the Negev.
Celebrating Israel’s Independence Day at Gesher Yehuda
In order to gain an appreciation for what soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces do, students in grades 5 through 8 participated in an informative Yom Ha’atzmaut program at Gesher Yehudah Yeshiva. Reservist Yossi Tenami described what it was like to go into the army to fight for the land and people of Israel.
Celebrate Israel Parade 2013
The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) announced that Fifth Avenue will turn blue and white on Sunday, June 2, from 11 am to 4 pm, as 28 floats with musical performers, 17 marching bands and 35,000 marchers entertain hundreds of thousands of spectators for the largest celebration of Israel in the world, the Celebrate Israel Parade. This year marks the 65th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence.
Abayudaya Practice Judaism by Choice
Several hundred people living in Uganda practice Judaism by choice. They aren’t exactly “Jewish” but they want to be. They understand that their isolation from other Jews keeps them from learning all the rules and commandments, yet they still strive to be the best “Jews” they can be. The community of Abayudaya, the people of Judah; was founded in the year 1917 by a man named Semei Kakungulu.
Yom Hashoah Program at YOF
For seven months, Holocaust survivors and YOF students got together to prepare for a Holocaust memorial program, which was anything but typical. When the program began, 10 Holocaust survivors were tenderly escorted to seats on the stage by their teenage partners, who proceeded to reenact stirring episodes from the survivors’ own lives, accompanied by narration from the survivors themselves. The youngsters had heard the stories during their weekly sessions.
Chef Kim Kushner at Safra Synagogue
Kehilath Jeshurun recently invited me to the Ladies Night Cooking Demons-tration and Dinner by Kim Kushner, at Congregation Edmond J. Safra Shul of Manhattan (Safra).KJ and Safra are prominent Upper East side synagogues.The proceeds of the evening went to Project Leket, a group in Israel which delivers fresh produce to over 290 nonprofit organizations serving Israel’s needy.
The Boston Marathon
by Rabbi Pinchas Allouche
Celebration to Devastation
On April 15, at 2:50 pm, the Boston Marathon came to an abrupt end. Two explosions ripped through the finish line, killing at least three and injuring 176 innocent beings, turning a sunny day of celebration into a gloomy day of devastation.
