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MAY 16, 2019 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Aish Kodesh to Host Lag Ba’Omer Hillula at the Lawrence Middle School
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or the past 25 years, Aish Kodesh in Woodmere has celebrated the legacy and teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Lag Ba’Omer, the 33rd day in the Omer, with a festive gathering otherwise known as a Hillula (a yahrtzeit celebration of a tzaddik). The annual Hillula has always played an important role at Aish, being an especially unique time in which the chevra would gather to hear Rav Moshe Weinberger, rav of Aish Kodesh, share deep mystical teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, as well as teachings from other great tzaddikim and chassidus. Music is also a powerful component of the Hillula with heartfelt niggunim and dancing throughout the evening. The energy is breathtaking; the experience one of a kind. “The event is so uplifting. I look forward to this night the whole year,” relates Woodmere resident and 15time participant Yehuda Klinkowitz. In the early days of Aish Kodesh, the Lag Ba’Omer Hillula would be held at HASC. To accommodate the growing crowd who were starting to
come from all over, this truly unique celebration was moved to the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Four years ago, as the Lag Ba’Omer event continued to soar in popularity, with hundreds filling the YILC social hall, Aish Kodesh moved the event yet again, this time to one of the largest spaces available in the community, the Lawrence Middle School on Broadway. With the new space able to accommodate even more attendees, the Lag Ba’Omer Hillula in 2018 welcomed an overflow crowd of over 1,200 people, arriving from many different communities. Spilling in, from near and far, the participants have one thing in common: the shared desire to hear Torah depth and insights from Rav Weinberger and join the spirited singing and dancing that follows, in addition to the kumzitz-style buildup that starts the night. Although it may have only began with a handful of people in the early 1990’s, the Lag Ba’Omer Hillula has quickly become one of the largest and most anticipated annual events in the greater Five Towns/Far Rockaway community.
This year, Aish Kodesh once again looks to welcome a large crowd and has added several new components to enhance the experience. Live-feed video screens, with special lighting and sound around the auditorium where the Hillula is held, will be evident throughout. “The fresh visual experience accompanying the already awesome proceedings of the night will take this year’s event to a whole new level,” said a member of the planning committee. The renown singer and songwriter Eitan Katz will provide the live musical accompaniment, along with Rav Weinberger’s words of Torah
and chizuk. Just like the light of Torah that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed to the world through the Zohar, this annual event of hisorerus and chizuk continues to spread the true light of Torah and chassidus, reaching countless people in the Five Towns community and around the world. The Lag Ba’Omer Hillula will take place at 8:45 p.m. on May 22 at the Lawrence Middle School, 195 Broadway, Lawrence, New York. For sponsorship opportunities, please email sponsor@ aishkodesh.org.
Club Central: A First Class Gym with a “Second Home” Atmosphere
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ounded in Cedarhurst, New York, in 1996, Club Central continues to seek innovative ways to enhance the physical and emotional wellbeing of our community-based membership. Today, we still hold true to our commitment to reshaping the Five Towns. Our strong and successful growth stems from our commitment to understanding and meeting the distinct needs of the community we proudly serve. Enjoy total privacy with direct access from the women’s-only gym to the women’s locker room, including women’s-only group fitness classes and teen classes with our highly trained staff. Additionally, we provide men’s-only hours in our upstairs gym. We offer fun and effective workout options and membership types to members of all ages and in-
terests, which include highly qualified trainers, to help you get in shape and to encourage you to complete your best workout. What sets us apart from surrounding gyms and studios is our pledge to prioritize having a workout environment that is always maintained and comfortable for our members. Our “second-home atmosphere,” as our members call it, is what keeps our gym community coming back for more. Consistency means results! As we always have, and always will, cater to our members’ schedules, our weekday classes start as early at 6:00am, and our weekend classes resume Motzei Shabbos. Fortunate enough to be located right in the heart of Cedarhurst, we are also surrounded by three parking
lots, which allows all members to easily and safely park directly in the vicinity of the Club. Club Central has come under new ownership since June 2018 and it continues with the same management. Club Central has recently upgraded its facility. In addition, new equipment, such as ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills equipped with personal TVs, as well as spin bikes,
were added to the gym to ensure a stronger and more encouraging workout for every member. We always have been true to who we are as a club as we continue to respect the community around us; we will always be Club Central. As we approach our first full year under new ownership, we want to give back to the community and offer our new Fitness Stimulus mem-
bership for new and current members. An anniversary gift from us to you. See our ad for more information on this amazing, limited-time offer. Call 516-295-3232 to join Club Central today! To view our class schedule please visit our website at ClubCentralGyms.com and for great workout videos, last minute schedule changes, and motivation follow us on Instagram @ClubCentralGyms.