__________________ SEAFORD _________________
HERALD Homecoming in Seaford
New business welcomed
Exercise at Manor School
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Vol. 70 No. 43
oCToBER 20 - 26, 2022
$1.00
A horse lover on L.I., now a horseman upstate By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Courtesy Michael Kefer
KEfER HAS lIKENEd taming wild mustangs to taming a ‘1,000-pound deer on crack.’
As a child, Wantagh native Michael Kefer often dreamed about rescuing and training wild mustangs — and he’s been one of the few to actually make those ambitions come true. Kefer, who goes by the nickname Cowboy, is the owner of Black Crow Mustangs, a horse rehabilitation farm in upstate New Paltz. Kefer had been building horse fences for farms upstate before he saw the opportunity to open his own horse farm two years ago. “I’ve wanted to rescue wild mustangs ever since I was a kid,” Kefer said. “And as I got older, I just kept pushing it off and Continued on page 2
Chabad Center for Jewish Life begins Sukkot festivities By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Not long after the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Jewish community of Long Island is celebrating another holiday — Sukkot, also known as Feast of the Tabernacles. Sukkot is a joyous holiday, filled with enthusiastic celebration. The Chabad Center for Jewish Life, which is in Merrick but has congregants from Wantagh and Seaford as well, kicked off the holiday on Sunday. Sukkot dates back to ancient Israel, when Jews built huts near the edges of their fields during the harvest season. In
those days, people lived in these sukkahs. Now, Jewish observers of Sukkot either build sukkahs in their backyards or help construct them at their synagogues. “When the Jewish people left Egypt, they were in the desert for 40 years,” Rabbi Shimon Kramer, of the Chabad Center, said. “They didn’t have houses, so God provided them with huts. Well, they appeared as huts, but they were clouds of glory which shielded them from the sun and other elements.” Cong re g ants were given stickers for taking part in a ceremony involving what Jewish custom calls the four species, three types of branches and one
W
hat we cannot accomplish in prayer, we can accomplish in dance.
SHIMoN KRAMER Rabbi
type of fruit. Together they are shaken three times while a blessing is recited. “It says in the Torah that you should take a beautiful fruit and shake it,” Kramer said. More than 250 congregants were in attendance, and Kramer
proudly noted that the Chabad Center is as much a community center as it is a religious center, so many people, religious and secular, came to take part in the holiday. The celebration began with a variety of activities, including a petting zoo, pony rides, a barbecue, live music and a real sukkah, assembled outside the cen-
ter. The petting zoo was especially popular with the children, whom Kramer called “our most important members.” He added that it is important for congregants to eat inside the sukkah, because it can remind those who are comfortable in their large homes that not everyone can afford housing. Continued on page 4