Community Magazine October 2010

12 Community magazine FORGOTTEN MENTION FOR AHI EZER It was very gratifying to read about how the Ahi Ezer Yeshiva has grown over the decades in the article “Building our Community One Child at a Time” that appeared last month. I was, however, very disappointed to see that my esteemed grandfather, Mr. Nouri (Murray) Sarway, a founder and builder of Ahi Ezer Congregation and School, was not mentioned in the article along with the other founders. It would probably be wise for those researching the article to be clear on the facts and ensure that all those who deserve to be honored for developing such an institution be mentioned, or none at all. Kelly THE WELL CERTIFIED SEPHARDIC SENIOR CENTER Your report in August on the serious kashrut violations of a senior center serving the Sephardic community was a timely reminder about the importance of ensuring kashrut for our aging population. Since the center in the report was unnamed, the news generated a considerable amount of inquiries here at the Ahi Ezer senior center. Of course, unlike the center named in the report, which was “self certified,” the Ahi Ezer Senior Center – including our meals on wheels program which serves over 300 community members – is certified kosher by Rabbi Yechiel Babad and is also under my personal supervision. The seniors of our community – our parents, grandparents, great grandparents – deserve nothing less than the high quality, strictly kosher food provided by our meals on wheels program. We encourage anyone who knows of a senior who can benefit from tasty, nutritious, certified kosher meal deliveries to their home, to contact the Ahi Ezer Meals on Wheels program at 718-627-2500 x 215. Rabbi Shaul Maslaton PRAYER FOR SHAIMOT? While the pamphlet of prayers by the Efrat organization that was inserted into the September issue was beautiful, it may have also created a “stumbling block” for some recipients of the magazine. The pamphlet contains several instances of [an abbreviation of] Hashem’s name [the letters yud, yud ]. Some people might inadvertently throw out the pamphlet, without realizing that it may be considered shaimot (holy writing), and [according to some opinions] must be placed in geniza ! B. Ozeirey AFFINITY TUITION CREDIT CARDS As noted in the August cover story, one of the greatest challenges facing the religious Jewish community is the tuition crisis. We would like to suggest a way for the religious community to wield its economic power. If we purchase goods and services as a group, we may be able to bring hundreds of millions of dollars into our community from outside sources. For example, we could have our own credit card in which one percent of all purchases would go to yeshiva education. If we all used this credit card for our household purchases, then figuring a rough estimate of 300,000 Orthodox households with $25,000 per year in purchases, we could raise $75 million! Furthermore, if those who own businesses use the card, and their combined purchases add up to another $7.5 billion dollars, one percent of these purchases would yield an additional $75 million to be contributed towards yeshiva education. Even if the numbers aren’t so high, the key benefit of this plan is that this is not a redistribution of wealth in our community. The income comes from outside sources, and could also help fund other institutions in need. Odeleya and Steven Jacobs DANGEROUS DESTINATIONS Community’s October travel issue is always highly anticipated, but I would like to bring attention to two very worrisome travel trends that seem to be taking place below the radars of our hachamim and community leaders. First, I have seen a growing trend among our community’s more recent arrivals to travel to Arab countries, like Syria and Lebanon, for pleasure. I believe that this poses a clear sakanat nefash (danger to life), as many Jews who travel there have noticed, they are under close scrutiny and continuous surveillance. It is uncertain whether this surveillance is coming from government organizations or terrorist groups. Second, I have observed many families from our community talking about signing up for a new cruise featuring famous Arabic singers. It appears that this trip is being managed by an organization which has been linked to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Voluntary participation with a group that has even a remote connection to terrorist organizations – criminals with Jewish blood on their hands – should be rejected out of hand by any self-respecting Jew. S. S. L E T T E R S COMMUNITY Volume IXNo.12 Elul - Tishrei5770 September2010 CelebratingwithWater? RabbiEliMansour Rebuilding theRuinsat theHurva YehudaAzoulay Shabbat in theAutomaticHotel JacobKassin USE MY LINE OF CREDIT TAKE A MORTGAGE FROM ME GET EARLY PAYMENT DISCOUNTS How to avoid common financial transactions that infringe on Jewish law. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROMYOU! WRITE US A LETTER Letters submitted become the property of Community Magazine and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Letters may be edited and revised for length, style and grammar before publication. All submissions are considered for publication unless otherwise requested. Preferential consideration is given to brief comments and insights that relate directly to published content. MAIL: Community Magazine 1616 Ocean Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11223 FAX: 718-504-4246 EMAIL : letters@Community M .com