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APRIL 26, 2018 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
A Beacon Rises in Far Rockaway
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s we cruise down Beach 9th Street, what is it about the corner of Dinsmore that gives so many of us this subconscious urge to slow down and grab a glance? You might say it’s the sudden, dramatic rise of the imposing four-story structure, going from a hole in the ground to a fully blocked building in just a few short months. Perhaps. But, most likely, it’s more than that. For so many of us, it’s more of a deep-seated pride that our beloved Siach Yitzchok is finally on the road to getting its long-awaited home. Whether or not we have a direct connection to Siach Yitzchok, there’s a special, warm place in our heart for this mossad and its indefatigable Menahel, Rav Dovid Sitnick. For 38 years, this cheder and its distinctive chinuch
approach have contributed a unique dimension to the beautiful spectrum of the Five Towns/Far Rockaway community’s essence and identity. For far too long, we passed this corner, looking at the gaping hole in the ground and at the beautiful rendering alongside it, longing for something to finally happen. As with every holy endeavor, it didn’t come easy. Perhaps the myriad and complex challenges along way are in fact a testimony to the exalted nature of this project. But now there’s a momentum. The construction is proceeding at an accelerated pace. Multiple crews are working simultaneously side-byside, to keep to the expedited construction schedule. This past week alone, the blocking of the third floor classrooms was completed and secured to the ceiling while
new loads of block and mortar were boomed up for the fourth floor. The ironworkers completed the full set of staircase frames for stairwell number 1, running all the way from the ground floor to the
roof. Stairs are now ready for concrete treads to be poured. HVAC installers hung the huge sheet-metal feeder ducts on the fourth floor and began work on the smaller duct lines. Scaffolding was erected on the west and north sides of the building. The rough plumbing crew completed installation of two storm drain pipelines from the fourth floor down to the sublevel on the north and south walls and also completed all of the second and third floor sprinkler lines and heads. The dynamic momentum has instilled a renewed interest in the broader community to be part of this project. Rabbi Mordechai Stein, Siach
Yitzchok’s newly installed Director of Development, reports on individuals from across the spectrum calling in of their own volition, seeking to earn a perpetual zechus as a partner in this special mossad ha’chinuch. The Yeshiva’s Building Action Committee, led by Mr. Henry Schachar, is gearing up to launch a special “Final Stretch” building campaign effort to help bring the project to the finish line. For information on dedication and sponsorship opportunities please contact Rabbi Mordechai Stein at the Yeshiva office at 718.327.6247 ex. 16 or mstein@siachyitzchok.org.
An Incredible Experience at Prospect Park
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n Sunday, April 15, twenty 3rd and 4th grade students of Prospect Park Yeshiva Bnos Leah entered the New York State’s All-Girls Championship Chess Tournament with hundreds of other students from all nationalities, religions and cultures. For the past two years our girls attended a weekly chess class built into the curriculum, under the tutelage of Mr. Oleg Frenkel, a former chess champion. The excitement and thrill were palpable as the parents and students were sequestered in a room waiting
to play five chess games throughout the day-long tournament. At the end of the event two Bnos Leah girls were trophy winners and many other students received ribbons and awards. Many of the matches went over an hour and a half, and the Yeshiva students who were all newcomers to tournament level chess held their own and even bested players with far more experience. Elite public and private schools were represented at the event. Unlike many of the other schools our students were not chosen for
their academic ability, but simply because they were interested in learning to play chess. Some of these girls are academically average, and some struggle with the intense concentration needed in a yeshiva’s dual curriculum. But at the tournament all the girls were superstars, intently focused for the entire matches. Mrs. Arlene Klestzick, Rabbi Akiva Kelman and many parents watched in awe as the girls became fierce competitors who didn’t even move during the long matches and the after-games review of strategy.
What did the experience teach the girls? Hard work, perseverance, and pushing oneself beyond one’s limits bring achievements that exceed normal expectations—and then anything can be accomplished. The girls glowingly exuded tremendous joy in their efforts. They all won at least one game in the tournament and some won three out of the five. They all had a sense of pride and this pride will propel them to greater achievements in other areas. Just watch them soar. We are so very proud!