By: Andrew Coen
Rabbis from all denominations in the Five Towns supported the Jewish Council's outreach effort to the tsunami victims, as five rabbis were on hand to speak to the small but dedicated crowd inside Congregation Beth Sholom's newly-renovated sanctuary.
Rabbi Steven Graber of Temple Hillel of North Woodmere spoke about the generosity of his synagogue, which raised more than $6,000 for the relief efforts in just one week.
"The generosity of the people in this area is beyond compare," Rabbi Graber said during the program.
Rabbi Hershel Billet of Young Israel of Woodmere spoke about the overwhelming response by the Israelis, as well as how popular the tsunami-ravaged area is to Israeli tourists.
"In Israel there were pictures in the newspapers of every Israeli who was missing," said Rabbi Billet. "Israel is all one family. Everyone, as a Jew, can be proud of how Israel responded. We are gathered together to understand we are part of the same world that all humans are [a part of]. There is the Jewish tradition of helping other nations, and no one exemplifies this more than Israel."
The Five Towns Jewish Council continued to urge people to donate money for the relief effort, and listed charities on the back of the evening's program informing residents which organizations are accepting contributions for the tsunami tragedy. The five charities and relief organizations the council listed on the program are the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish World Service, American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI), Chabad of Thailand and Latet-Israeli Humanitarian Aid.
Speeches were also given by Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Rabbi Bruce Ginsburg of Congregation Sons of Israel in Woodmere and Benjamin Skydell, filling in for Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Sholom, who was ill and unable to attend.
Other rabbis who were unable to attend, but supported the program, according to organizers, were Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum of Temple Israel of Lawrence, Rabbi Sholom Stern of Temple Beth-El of Cedarhurst, Rabbi Paula Winnig of Temple Sinai of Long Island in Lawrence, Rabbi Stanley Platek of Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre, Rabbi Jason Klein of Congregation Beth Emeth in Hewlett and Rabbi Arnold Marans of The Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst.
Although the crowd for the event was not as large as expected, due in part to icy weather conditions that evening, Five Towns Jewish Council President Mitchell Greebel, said the gathering showed how all segments of the Five Towns Jewish community have supported the efforts in Southeast Asia.
"It was not the attendance we had hoped for, but this was not a reflection of the emotional support given by this community," said Greebel. "The Five Towns community stepped to the fore on Long Island in terms of fund-raising, both through community institutions and the shuls."
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