DAVE GORDON

Nearly three years ago Rabbi Aharon Mizrahi called up Joel Berdah and proposed the founding of a new Sephardic minyan in Jackson – to be housed in Berdah’s basement on Shabbat.

Thus, was born the Sephardic Congregation of Jackson, located on Metedeconk Trail, adjacent to the Lakewood border.  

Humble Beginnings

Berdah, who was born in Paris and moved to Jackson from Lakewood, recalls, “I reluctantly accepted. I was already going with Ashkenazi for a while, and I was very used to it. I said, ‘You know what? Maybe it will be good.’” Initially there was a core group of seven interested men from the area, and a few guests were recruited.

With a table and eighteen chairs, and a little playroom for the children, everything came together. Locals were joined by a few men who lived a twenty-minute walk away. Encouraged by the successful start, the group decided to meet monthly. After two months, they began to meet every other week, and within a few months, weekly.

A Place That Feels Like Home 

 “I went for that first Shabbat and felt at home. I decided this was a good project,” Berdah recalled. “It’s important for the next generation to feel what it is to be in a Sephardic environment, that is community based, where everybody knows each other and has – more or less – the same background, and the same feelings.” 

Berdah loves bringing his six children to services. “They love it. They absolutely love it. We’re constantly finding new ways to make projects, learning programs, reading along with the Torah, and getting young people involved,” he says. “My kids wouldn’t go anywhere else. It’s a warm, welcoming – yet serious – place.” The bulk of members are in their thirties, although both younger and older participants attend the services.

Berdah is passionate about the project. He is one of the key outreach people, and he helps newcomers to move into the area and to join the congregation. Berdah attributes economics as the reason for the rising influx of neighbors from Lakewood. People are looking in Jackson to find less expensive housing options.

“I see a lot of young families interested. I see a lot of involvement with the members. And I see that we are going to be a hub for the Jackson Sephardic community within the next 12 months to two years.” Another selling point for newcomers is the large kosher supermarket down the block from the shul, called NPGS Jackson, Berdah added. 

Mizrahi, a Jackson resident of three years, proudly noted that twenty families are already affiliated with the synagogue. As of 2022, they have a property to call “home,” a fully renovated house-shul, that seats forty. “It was such an unbelievable accomplishment with such a small crowd to put in the money and build this,” said Mizrahi. 

Events That Bond

Various events have been held in a short time, such as Sunday breakfasts, bar mitzvah learning programs, and Simhat Torah celebrations.

Two of the older members of the shul married their daughters off, and they made Melava Malka/Sheva Brachot for them both. “It was very nice, and some of the weekday people came as well. Even people who don’t come often came for that. It was really great. You can do it when it’s a small shul. It’s a homey feeling,” said Mizrahi. 

During the winter there is a motzei Shabbat learning program for the boys, “a big hit in the shul.” There are ten fathers learning with about 15-20 kids. Another recent development is the “night seder” evening learning sessions where other locals in the community have joined in.

Mizrahi noted that, although there are “at least forty other shuls” in the area, and one other Sephardic shul that follows the Moroccan tradition, the Sephardic Congregation of Jackson is the only Syrian shul in the vicinity.

Chazzan Dabbah Sings the Shul’s Praises

Rachamim Dabbah, the shul’s chazzan, is also a founding member. He and his family moved from Lakewood to Jackson five years ago.  He said he enjoys the neighborhood because it is quiet, and does not cost as much as surrounding areas. In terms of the shul, he especially noted how the youngsters have taken a liking to the atmosphere, and feel at home.

“I think, so far, for us and the kids, it is working out very well. All the kids enjoy coming. And mine, ages twelve, eleven and six, all love it so much. They feel very much a part of it. It’s a pleasant place to be.” 

“They really feel like it is their place. They look forward to coming every week. We have all kinds of programs for them.” 

Overall, the shul has made a deep impact on him, and others – from humble beginnings to rapid growth in short amount of time, it’s a true success story of bringing people together for a common cause, and celebrating our Jewish life.

“It’s a very friendly, open, accepting place,” Dabbah added.

“Even though we are of different stripes and colors, it’s all very tight knit. Everybody who is there is appreciated and welcomed, and they are happy to be there.” 

The Sephardic Congregation of Jackson

To learn more about the Sephardic Congregation of Jackson, please contact one of the following members: 

Rabbi Aharon Mizrachi – 732-779-9041

Joel Berdah – 732-664-2539

Rachamim Dabbah – 732-740-8304 / 732-284-8757  

Frieda Schweky

The Nut Job Mom, Paulette Cohen, has been studying allergies for several years. When she learned that her daughter had food allergies, she decided to educate herself on the topic to keep her daughter safe. She has since become an advocate for the cause and the go-to person in the community for anything from snack suggestions, to school advocacy, to travel advice, all things allergy friendly. We’ve done several articles together in past years, and I’m excited to share with you her new approach to caring for individuals who live with allergies. Here is what the Nut Job Mom has to say:

The last two years have changed many of us. Covid has turned our lives upside down. It’s changed the way people are living their day-to-day life. I, too, have changed; my medical perspective and approach are drastically different than ever before. I find myself using a more natural approach to medical issues and trying to exhaust all options before turning to medication. Of course, I believe in medicine, but what I have noticed is that there are natural ways to treat and even prevent issues such as allergies, asthma, and skin conditions.

The Allergy-Friendly Diet

For allergy sufferers, the first thing I recommend is making sure you keep a low histamine diet. Examples of foods low in histamine are fresh meats and fish, non-citrus fruits, eggs, sweet potatoes, broccoli and grains, to name a few. The things you want to stay away from, or limit, are alcohol, dairy products, dried fruits, smoked meats, and processed foods. A common cause of histamine intolerance can be a shortage of DAO (Diamine Oxidase) enzyme. If your body has a shortage of DAO enzyme, this can cause histamine buildup in the body. Talk to your doctor about incorporating Zinc, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C into your diet to increase DAO enzymes, which can help relieve symptoms of histamine intolerance. 

Additionally, Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine by reducing the amount of histamine your body produces in response to an allergen. It might help reduce mild symptoms like congestion, runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes. Probiotics can help balance your good bacteria and produce a stronger immune response to common allergens. Ginger is a natural antihistamine, antiviral, and immune booster. Apple cider vinegar can help break down mucus in the body and in nasal passages. Nasal rinses can help remove and thin out excessive mucus, and remove allergens from the nostrils and sinuses.

A Long-Term Solution?

Allergies can bring on asthma. They often occur together. For some, allergies to food and other things can cause asthma symptoms, a phenomenon known as allergy-induced asthma. This happens when the reaction affects the lungs and airways. 

This is why allergy shots can be especially helpful. They can decrease the dependency on oral allergy medication and provide a long-term solution by treating the underlying cause of allergies, not just the symptoms. And, allergy shots can treat multiple allergies at once. Bear in mind, however, that this requires a commitment to take the shots regularly over an extended period of time. 

I advise always keeping your skin hydrated and being careful about what products you use. The skin is the largest organ of the body. Natural products like manuka honey can help combat itchy dry skin. I recommend the brand Eczema Honey Co. Using a humidifier can help with congestion, asthma, and dry, chapped skin. Make sure you’re drinking enough water daily. Use natural laundry detergents with no added dyes or fragrances, and body wash products that are as natural as possible. You can visit my Amazon store to find these products as well as allergy-friendly foods.

We will leave you with the Nut Job Mom’s concluding remarks:

“I want to stress again that I am a firm believer in medication when necessary. But, there are so many natural remedies that I have personally seen help people, sometimes the same, if not more. If there’s anything I hope you take away from this article it is that now more than ever, we need to care for our bodies and focus on boosting our immune systems.”

Paulette’s Immune-Boosting Tea Recipe

In a 6-qt pot, boil water and add the following ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of raw organic honey
• One tablespoon of organic cinnamon
• One tablespoon of organic turmeric 
• One tablespoon of fresh ginger or organic ground ginger
• Two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar 
• Two fresh lemons

Let it all meld together and put in mason jars. 

Skin Tips

Part of what I do is dig deep into a client’s past medical history and put all the puzzle pieces together to find the root of the problem. I don’t believe in putting band-aids on a situation. We work together to get to the root cause of the skin issue. For example, hormonal fluctuations can play a role in affecting eczema conditions. Of course, stress is also a factor. Stress can cause a variety of symptoms, including eczema symptoms. Be mindful of your stress levels – which is easier said than done, but it’s important as part of your self-care. Sometimes, the cause of eczema is a reaction to a specific food you’re eating. Common trigger foods are eggs, dairy products, gluten and soy. I help my clients slowly remove trigger foods from their diet and keep track of their progress. 

Homemade All-Natural Eczema Cream

Recipe by beautymunsta

Ingredients: 

• ¼ cup coconut oil 
• ½ cup shea butter 
• 2 tsp manuka honey
• 10 drops lavender essential oil 
• 1 vitamin E capsule 
• Double boiler 
• Hand mixer 
• Storage jar

Directions: 

1. Gently melt down the coconut oil and shea butter in a double boiler. This will make both ingredients easy to work with, as they are solid in their natural state.
2. Once you’re done melting them, let the mixture cool down a bit, then stir in the manuka honey.
3. Carefully prick a vitamin E capsule with a safety pin, then squeeze out the oil into the mixture.
4. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will make it partially solidify which facilitates easy whipping of the mixture into a lotion.
5. Once the time is up, get it out and start whipping with a hand mixer until it turns white and creamy.
6. Add lavender essential oil and whip again until everything is well incorporated.
7. Your DIY manuka honey lotion is ready! Scoop it up into sterilized glass jars and store in a cool dry place. It can last more than six months without going bad, provided you keep it away from water/dirt/other contaminants.
8. To use, take a suitable amount with clean fingers and rub it onto the affected area. Make sure the region where you’re going to be applying the lotion is clean. You can also apply it on wet skin to seal in moisture.

Mozelle Forman

Morris, a lively, energetic little boy at Hillel Yeshiva, suddenly lost his carefree spirit. He found himself, again, falling behind in school, despite years of costly occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and private tutoring for his secular studies. The school’s principal has always been Morris’s parents’ partner, helping Morris to reach academic success. Now the principal has told the parents that the school’s resource room cannot offer Morris enough help for him to succeed in limudei kodesh, Hebrew studies. The principal suggested that his parents hire a private tutor to help him to keep up in class. His parents, stretched to their financial limit, are distraught. Moshe’s inability to keep up with the pace in class causes him so much anxiety that he cries at the sight of his Hebrew homework sheets, has become shy and embarrassed, and is refusing to go to school. His mom says, “My heart was breaking watching him be so sad and down on himself. As parents we want to do everything for our children, but things are not free.”  Most tutors receive as much as $100 an hour, which can be an extraordinary financial burden for a family already paying yeshiva tuition. 

The Gemal Family Provides Solutions for Kids’ Needs

The school resource room is often the first stop for students who are struggling. The Rochelle Gemal, A’H Educational Center, a resource room at Yeshivat Keter Torah, was initiated by Mr. Mitchell Gemal and his family to honor Mrs. Gemal’s life-long dedication to helping students succeed.  Through its trained professionals, who utilize individualized and small-group instruction, targeted assessments, multi-sensory learning, and strong teacher-student relationships to address the specific goals of the individual student, the Educational Center is helping students attain the foundational skills necessary for academic success. Yet, despite the professionalism and dedication to the students, many students, like Morris, require more individualized support than a classroom or a resource room can provide. However, with the rising cost of yeshiva education, many parents are unable to afford private tutoring as well. Recognizing this need, the Gemal family has embarked on a second initiative and created the Rochelle Gemal A”H Educational Fund that addresses the financial burden borne by the families of students requiring supplemental support or tutoring, outside the resource room. 

“Special education needs special attention, and no child should be denied the opportunity for success because of lack of funds,” Mr. Gemal explains. He says that Rochelle, A’H, believed this and set a personal example of selfless devotion to help struggling students and their parents. 

“When Rochelle identified a student who was falling behind in class and was in danger of being left back a grade, she would offer to tutor them in our home. Many times, knowing the family could not afford to pay, she would not charge them for her services. Her main concern was making sure the child succeeded,” Mr. Gemal said. 

A Win-Win for All

“The model that the RG Educational Fund has created is simple but ingenious – tutoring services for children whose family cannot afford the fees, provided by teachers or tutors who need supplemental income. Students are referred by principals who are aware of both the student’s academic challenge and the family’s financial status. RG Educational Fund’s team of educators pair students with tutors who can address their personal challenge and coordinates communication between the child’s principal, schoolteachers, parents, and tutor to ensure a seamless partnership in the student’s success,” Mr. Gemal described. 

Not only is the model ingenious, the success stories are also inspiring.  According to Morris’s mom, after a program of once a week tutoring during the summer months, Morris is thriving.  “It’s like I have a new child. Where he used to be shy and embarrassed to read, afraid he would make mistakes, he is grabbing his siddur and saying birkat hamazon out loud. The tutor assigned to him was warm and friendly and really helped him to learn to love reading. And it’s not just reading, it’s connected to his spirituality and religiosity.”

Rabbi Aharon Yannai, menahel at Yeshivat Keter Torah, believes that the tutoring provided by the RG Educational fund has tremendous benefit not only for the student receiving the service but for the entire class as well. “When any child is struggling to keep up with the material being taught, every child in the class is affected, as the teacher has to adjust the pace and style to meet his needs. When that child receives the extra support that he previously did not, he is better able to keep up and the teacher can teach at a level that caters to the academic midline.”  

Rabbi Norman Cohen, an integral part of the program, believes that this program is more vital now than ever before. “The Covid pandemic and school closures really hurt a lot of our children. Students, especially in the younger grades, who would otherwise have been successful, missed learning the vital foundational skills necessary for reading and now need the added support of tutoring.”  In addition, remote learning by Zoom, instead of in person learning, did not facilitate the important, personalized interaction that develops between teachers and students in the classroom. The RG Educational Fund tutoring program gives students that extra dose of mentorship, the tutor develops a relationship with the student, and they are motivated to succeed. 

RG Educational Fund Partners with Community Donors

The RG Educational Fund currently subsidizes the cost of tutoring for students in all the Jewish schools in the Deal area with the generous help of donations from community members. Every dollar donated goes straight to offset the cost of a student’s supplemental education. “Our gemach [charitable fund], will not only give the parents who cannot afford the cost of tutoring the ability to provide their children with the much-needed support, but also address the parnasah needs of the families of teachers,” Mr. Gemal explains. “We help the child, his parents, and families that can use a few extra dollars to cover their expenses.”  It is truly a win-win-win!

For more information about utilizing the services of the RG Educational Fund or to sponsor a session for a student please call Rabbi Norman Cohen 908-917-3901, or Mitchell Gemal 732-829-0794. 

To Donate via the RG Fund Website using a Credit Card, Please scan the QR code

Frieda Schweky

Community members have divergent views on all school matters and the winter break is no different. Some families travel abroad to nice resorts (post-covid!) while others choose to stay local and bond with the kids with day trips and special family activities. Many of those I heard from, including my Instagram (@friedaschwekyphoto) followers, took issue with winter break splitting classes into the “have”s and “have-not”s. Kids whose families cannot afford to go away sometimes feel embarrassed, or left out of the, “Where did you go?” school chit chat.

Personally, I think that if anyone has funds for luxurious vacations after paying the rent or mortgage, tuition, credit card bills, grocery bills, etc. it is a miracle. If you are one of these fortunate ones you should be extremely grateful. 

Secondly, I think that as a community we should try to disassociate thinking about a break from school with the idea that we must travel. The two do not have to be connected,  simply because many families cannot afford this luxury. My girls’ school, Shira Elementary, actually offers three days of optional fun days at school during winter break. I think this is great, and is so helpful for parents who are not going to travel. In the school’s handbook parents are asked to tell their daughters to be sensitive of others and not to discuss their vacation trips with the other students, to avoid jealousy and other negative feelings. 

This is an incredible lesson in how to show consideration for others, yet not enough community schools make this request. I believe that as a community we can do better. I suggest that the schools not only teach the kids to be considerate, I think that community organizations could step up to the plate to offer extra programming during the winter break if the schools are not able to do so. During winter break hundreds of our community children stay at home with a lack of structure for a full ten days. Many parents work, and it’s not simple for them to entertain their kids. We have so many beautiful community events for the children, shouldn’t we consider organizing some special ones during yeshiva week? 

I understand that for many community members traveling during yeshiva week is a given, it’s not a matter of “if” but where to. There is definitely something to be said for escaping the day-to-day routine and seeing different places. Growing up I had the privilege of going away with my family for winter break and I loved it. I wanted to get a feel for what people are doing these days, in this highly unpredictable world we live in. As I said, I asked my social media followers, and many different community members weighed in. Enjoy!

Frelevy

We choose not to go away for winter vacation and instead go away for the Passover break. For Passover we go to Florida and usually stay at my parents’ apartment, as we can only afford one trip a year. During winter break we usually go to Manhattan for two days. My husband takes off from work these days so we can do fun things. This year we are going to sleep in NYC for two nights and my kids are looking forward to it. We are going to go to an ice cream museum and to Ground Zero. The next day we are planning to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Also, we may visit the Museum of Modern Art. Plans are not set in stone yet. We’re still working on it, but my kids are looking forward to it!

Jeanette Haddad

I’m going away, but I think that school should be open for the children who are not. The school could plan a fun week with minimal studies, maybe even a half day program. During this time the teachers should be fairly compensated. So, teachers who wants to go away could do so,  but if they want to stay home, they will have an option to make extra money. I also think the break should be Monday to Friday, not for ten days. That’s a long time for kids to be home without a schedule. And if they do go away they can go from Friday until the next Sunday, which is still a nice vacation. Aside from these ideas, something perhaps more realistic that schools should take into consideration is that many families can’t afford expensive vacations. It isn’t right for teachers to make it a class conversation, “Where did you go over winter break?” In fact, the schools should send out reminders for parents to talk to their children about this, to tell them not to talk about their vacations in school so kids who stayed home all break don’t feel left out or lacking.

Joy Ades

This winter break we’re doing a short Disney World trip with my sister’s family. We’re planning to go to the parks for two days. It’s my first time ever doing Disney World with my kids. I bought them Disney shirts with their names to get them even more hyped up for the trip. They are excited to stay at a hotel with a kids’ room, so we booked them a room with bunk beds! My kids have never slept in bunk beds before so I think that will really add to the experience and memories. Also, a side note: my husband is way too excited for Star Wars Land at Disney World!

After the days at the park, we plan to stay at the same hotel and our kids will be allowed to use their iPads. Plus, I have some inexpensive crafts boxes, activities, and painting projects I bought at Target.

It’s my first time traveling with my kids post Covid. Last year I did not feel comfortable traveling with them. Last Passover we did a road trip and visited an outdoor aquarium in Connecticut because that was what I felt comfortable with. 

Ruthy Abadi Schwartzbard 

I’m staying home for winter break this year just because we’ll be moving back to Brooklyn from Deal at that time. My daughter is just a year old so it wouldn’t really matter to her. I remember as a kid there were years my family went on vacation and there were years we didn’t.

I imagine as a kid if you’re from a family that didn’t go away, and if your parents were awesome, they’d plan lots of activities and day trips for you to have a great time. You would have enjoyed them even if the financial struggles required you to stay local over the break. However, I was the last of five, so my mom wasn’t up to doing that. I’d end up watching television for 14 days straight and got to stay up late and sleep in. It definitely got boring. I think it would be great if schools offered some type of fun option, not exactly like school, but some type of activity. For boys it could be something simple like open gym, sports, free play, or even relay races. Girls could do beading and jump ropes. The program could basically be like recess, only longer with a bit more structure and, of course, lunch. Especially now that I’m thinking as a parent, we pay so much in tuition! Yes, the teachers need a break, but getting some young adults to do a couple of camp-like days to break up the ten-day break from school could really be a game changer for both parents and kids. It doesn’t seem so fair to me, after paying the high tuition bill for school, that I’ll be spending two weeks home with the kids if I decide not to spend a lot to go on a winter break vacation.

Maytal Cohen

I know that the schools consider the tuition as “yearly” but I find it annoying that we pay in full and besides summer vacation there are an extra ten days of school off in the winter, in addition to all the Jewish holidays. I’m not going away this year because I don’t have a passport, but we’re considering going somewhere local.

My two school age boys are in different schools, so they have different vacation times. This means, basically, the boys will be stuck home for way too long. I can’t really go anywhere because that would mean that at some time one of them will miss school.

I am planning to hopefully go to Kalahari Resorts and the Indoor Waterpark in the Poconos with friends. Even if our friends can’t make it, we can always go with just my family. We did it last year and it was very fun. Also, last year instead of yeshiva week we traveled to Mexico at the end of December because that’s when my husband had off. It made more sense financially, and also, I was expecting, so I did not want to wait until January, when I would have been further along in my pregnancy and would have been more uncomfortable. We went to camelback last year on yeshiva break it was very fun, and I noticed a lot of other Jewish people there too.

Freda Louz

Our family is not going away this year because we have four children, ages four and under. Also, one of them has school during winter break. Instead of taking a trip abroad, we’re thinking of doing a weekend in the Poconos or going snow tubing. We’re also considering day trips such as Nickelodeon Universe at the mall, and checking out play places locally. The overall plan is just to bond with the kids and try to entertain them as best I can.

Susy Z. Cohen

I think that schools should give more days off for winter break. Six days with having Shabbat in between is not enough. Most families that travel end up taking a few extra days, anyway, so why not just give it to them? I know the schools do this intentionally because most people don’t travel. However, families that want to travel will do so no matter what.

Mollie Elbaz Briskman

We always plan our trips to include just our immediate family. My reason is that I always like to escape mentally on vacation, too. I don’t want to expend energy on “meeting” anyone or having to accommodate their plans. 

I am a very organized traveler. I already have an entire planner full of entertainment and meals organized from start to finish for our trip. For food I pack what I can’t order during the trip, and I always bring along a few Meal Mart “amazing meals” just in case of emergency. Also, I pack tons of snacks.

Amazon Prime Now was my best friend but now that it’s discontinued, Amazon Fresh will do! They deliver groceries right to the hotel. Last year I actually ordered while on my flight to Florida, and our groceries came right to us.

I pre-pack snacks in a utility box for the kids to eat through Disney. When I posted a picture of it for the first time last year, I got a TON of comments, and now I see them all over. Also, everything from specific outfits, to cosmetics, to challah goes in zip top bags. I order sandwich/gallon/quart packs of zip top bags from Amazon, and pack every item, I’m quite thorough and it pays off.  

As I guessed, people’s feelings about the subject of winter break run the gamut. I still feel that traveling is a privilege and is not a given. I spoke to many friends about the subject. In order to save money, a few looked into options of where they could travel on a low budget. Others suggested going away at a different time that was “off season.” Most of them scoffed at the idea of heading out for a winter vacation since, for them, travel wasn’t in the cards this year financially. Young community parents have so many pressing bills to cover, travel seems like a foreign concept. I think as a community we should normalize staying home and should be doing our best to organize events or programs during the ten-day break from school. At the very least, we should educate our children who do go away about empathizing with others and not discussing their travels with students who may have stayed home. 

Until next month, with love, 

Frieda Schweky

I’d love to talk more and hear your opinion on the subject, you can always reach me on Instagram @friedaschwekyphoto