Community Magazine December 2012

THE ACTION ITEM OF JACOB’S LADDER Rabbi Mansour’s emphasis on the importance of Jewish education in his article, “The Message of Jacob’s Ladder,” was certainly on the mark, but the latter part of his article pointed out the bigger challenge we now face in that sphere – paying for our children’s Jewish education. What bothers me most about this issue is the perceived lack of progress and direction, echoed in the article. Everyone seems to be complaining about the problem of tuition affordability, while still making believe that all we can do is wait for a magic solution to fall out of the sky and into our laps. Meanwhile, there are at least half a dozen worthwhile initiatives which are largely ignored by the very same people who complain. How many people in our community who receive tuition assistance voted? How many are volunteering with their schools? How many are soliciting their relatives to consider the Will Power initiative highlighted in another article this month – to donate a portion of their inheritance to charity? How many are calling their elected officials when important legislative votes are coming up? How many are working on fundraising for their yeshivas? And how many are taking advantage of box tops, affinity programs, and grant opportunities with which their schools might be affiliated? The message that Jewish education is vital must certainly be internalized, but there must be an action item with this message – that each and every one of us must do everything we can to support our schools and ease the tuition burden, and not wait idly for someone else to come along and solve the problem for us. Steven Cohen AN ISSUE WORTH STANDING FOR Bravo for making the principled, but unpopular, decision to publish the letter signed by community rabbis against toeva (abominable behavior) and the assault on traditional marriage. Sadly, a significant number of people from our own community found the notice “misguided,” or even worse, “intolerant.” These people have already drunk from the proverbial Kool-Aid, their ideology has been contaminated by Hollywood’s efforts to legitimize and normalize toeva. The resistance of our fellow community voters to make this issue fundamental to our selection of government representatives underscores the importance of the message from the rabbis – the message that this issue is important enough to our beliefs that it overshadows economics and other so-called hot-button election issues. American society increasingly wants us to accept the notion that this issue is not important or worthwhile enough to take center stage in an election. Or that the war against toeva has already been lost and we should resign ourselves to become good citizens of a 21 st -century Sodom. But as the rabbis reminded us with their strongly worded message, it will never be okay to accept or even look the other way on this matter. Even though this past election was not decided according to the rabbinic guidance, the notice was nevertheless clearly very important to publicize. Not only did it send a clear message to current and future elected officials that this issue is a priority for us, it also highlighted the fact that many of our own have crossed over, or are close to crossing over, to the point of accepting toeva – a situation which clearly requires even more serious attention. Ralph Gindi CONEY ISLAND CALAMITY Who could have known just a month ago, that the iconic Coney Island boardwalk and surrounding area would be ravaged by a storm surge that would swallow everything in its path? Unfortunately, in addition to the human and economic toll wrought by Hurricane Sandy’s broad destruction of Coney Island, there may also be another heavy price that area residents will have to pay. The desolation left by the storm may serve to create a vacuum that will bolster the efforts to establish a casino in Coney Island. Your article last month, which warned about the impending vote for a casino in Brooklyn, is now doubly relevant. The widespread devastation may lead some to believe that the area badly needs the kind of capital infusion that only a mega-casino project can bring, or that the area is ripe for a Las Vegas style makeover. Others may reason that many residents who objected to the casino may be forced to leave the area after their homes were severely damaged or destroyed. But as anyone who lives within 10 miles of Coney Island knows, all these reasons are nothing more than an excuse for a few insiders to make millions at the expense of our neighborhoods, our quality of life, and, worst of all, our kids. We must now stand together with extra resolve to block the efforts of those who would threaten our way of life. Barbara Mizrahi Correction: The caption under the photo on page 45 of the November issue should have read: “Moroccans who came to America on Friday, June 15, 1956. Second row, from left: Shimon Cohen, Shlomo Wanonu, Albert Ochana, Rephal Wiezman, Yitzchock ben Shushan, Baruch Harar, Meir Ben Shoshan, Eliyahu Cohen, Chaim Lalouch, Eliyahu Elbaz, Mr. Shama, Shalom Revach, Yitzchok Dayan, Geverial Ohayon.” VolumeXIINo.2 Hesvan 5773 November 2012 TheSourceofOurProtection RabbiEli J.Mansour JewishWillPower KellyMassry MirrerYeshivah’sSephardicEssence YehudaBeyda YDE'sNewHome in theCommunity DavidMizrahi Coney IslandCasinoCommotion NYCCouncilmanDavidGreenfield,NYCDeputyControllerSimcha FelderandNYSAssemblymanDovHikindata rally inAprilannouncing Simcha'scandidacy forStateSenate inBrooklyn's17 th District. LETTERS TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK! WRITE US A LETTER MOBILE: Scan the Quick Response (QR) code here with your tablet, smart phone or other mobile device. EMAIL: letters@Community M .com WEB: www. Community M .com FAX: 718-504-4246 POST: Community Magazine 1616 Ocean Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11223 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. Anonymous letters are generally not reviewed or considered for publication. 14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE