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92 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Community Chest The group has already met once at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, located at 5 East 62 nd Street (between 5 th and Madison Avenues), with over 20 men in attendance, and was felt to be very productive. The formation of such a group has brought a once-taboo topic to the surface and made it pos- sible for many men in emotional distress to connect with others in similar situations. The focus of the group is to discuss possible solutions and to offer support and unity. Anyone who would like more information should contact Jeffrey Marcus at marcusje@aol.com or 917-414-1971. Ahaba ve Ahva Beit Yaakov Sepharadi Spelling Bee On February 28th, the students at Ahaba ve Ahva Beit Yaakov Sepharadi took their seats in the auditorium with great excitement, for the School Spelling Bee. This event was particularly important to these girls because, while English is not the language spoken by many of their families at home, they were finally fluent beyond many of their relatives and friends. The finalists from each class (grades 1-8) competed with one another, with the winner going on to the next category. All the contestants received prizes and certificates. The winner of the bee was an eighth-grader, Sally Ftiha, who is a published poetess. Mrs. Devorah Greenfield, secular studies principal, sent the girls back to class with words of encouragement. “Everyone is a winner, even if you were a spectator this year. Maybe you will be on stage next year.” This is the first year that Ahaba ve Ahva Beit Yaakov, under the direc- tion of Rabbi and Rabbanit Yaakov Yisrael, will graduate an eighth-grade class. High-school principals are impressed with the midot (good character traits) and knowledge of the Ahaba ve Ahva students applying to their schools. Registration is open for all grades from preschool through eighth grade. Please call the office at 718.376.3140 for an application. –Pnina Souid Ezer Mizion Holds Golf Tournament Fundraiser Ezer Mizion’s 4th Annual Golf Tournament will be held on May 5th on behalf of its International Jewish Bone Marrow Registry for Cancer Patients. Often a cancer patient’s sole chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant, but to ensure success of the transplant, the donor and patient must match genetically. Ezer Mizion’s Bone Marrow Registry has saved the lives of hundreds of Jews, and serves as an ‘insurance policy’ for worldwide Jewry. Many are still waiting for a match and the aim of Ezer Mizion is to enlarge its registry so that the vast majority of requests can be answered. If you would like to participate in the golf tournament either as a player, a sponsor or with a journal ad, please call Ezer Mizion at 718 853 8400. A Milestone for Kosher Tidbits: OU Series Announces Its 100th Program OU Kosher celebrated the production of the 100th and 101st Kosher Tidbits, a comprehensive series of 15-minute broadcasts by OU experts on a wide variety of kosher topics, heard on www.ouradio.org . In the series, OU Kosher halachic consultants and rabbinic coordinators provide detailed explanations of a variety of subjects for an audience rang- ing from those with minimal knowledge of the laws to rabbis and rabbini- cal students. The programs have a worldwide audience of 20,000, and are available both on the website and through listeners’ personal computers, ipods and other electronic devices. Now, the first 100 Tidbits are also available on one CD, for those who do not have the Internet or would like to carry the set around with them wherever they go. It can be ordered at no charge from Rabbi Safran at safrane@ou.org. Siddur Party at Yeshivat Or Hatorah Boys Elementary School On March 24th, as Or Hatorah Menahel (principal) Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh looked on with pride, Rabbi Yaakov Dwek’s Pre 1A students prepared to accept the next step in Yeshiva learning. The boys began the year reading a letter a day and moved up to a tefila a day, and now, after Purim they are praying from a siddur. Rabbi Dwek told a story about the holy misva of pidyon shivuyim (free- ing a prisoner), comparing it to the misva of mahasit hashekel; teaching us that these misvot are community misvot. Seeing to it that all of our children receive a proper Jewish education is a community obligation as well. The parents were then entertained with pesukei Hazal and zemirot . Rabbi Marcus, the Rosh Yeshiva, spoke, and each boy was presented with a siddur , a koracha with a tallet , and a kipa with his name. For more information or to apply for the coming year, please call 718.252.8308 –Pnina Souid Rally and Concert Draw Thousands in Support of Jerusalem The National Council of Young Israel, the Jerusalem Reclamation Project, and the Israel Solidarity Fund of America, joined together to pres- ent “Jerusalem United,” an uplifting rally and concert to keep the eternal Jewish capital undivided. All proceeds from the event, held on March 23, will benefit victims of terror in Israel, displaced families of Gush Katif, and future projects in Jerusalem’s Old City. The program included musical presentations by Yaakov Shwekey, Shalsheles (who were joined by members of Shalsheles Junior), and an-up- and-coming group, Yaakov Chesed. In addition, there were inspirational guest speakers and heartwarming videos of Jerusalem. For sponsorships call 917-683-1512, visit www.jerunited.com , or email jerunited@gmail.com . For more information contact NCYI Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner at (212) 929-1525 x100 or at plerner@ youngisrael.org, or contact Yudi (Jay) Zuller of the Israel Solidarity Fund of America at (718) 316-8676.