Friday January 20 News Update Lakewood

Friday, January 20, 2023 / כ״ז טבת תשפ״ג

ערב שבת פרשת וארא שבת מברכים חודש שבט

Candle lighting 4:43 pm

Shkiah/Sunset 5:01pm

Rosh chodesh Shevat is Monday

Weather today A mix of clouds and sun shabos sunny hi of 44

- Urgent Tefillos for the Lakewood Mashgiach Rav Matisyahu Salomon shlita who is in need of rachamei Shomayim after suffering from seizures. The mashgiach was airlifted to the hospital. First seder this morning at Beth Medrash Govoha was paused to recite several kappitlach of Tehillim as a zechus for the mashgiach. The name for Tehillim is Matisyahu Chaim ben Ettil. (Matzav)

- Levaya update: The bodies of both Niftarim were flown via Hatzolah air to Cleveland one levaya will take place before shabbos. The levaya for Ben Chafetz, z”l, will be 2pm today, Friday, at Berkowitz Kumin memorial chapel in Cleveland heights. Followed by kevurah at chessed shel emeas. Livestream link Here

- The Levaya for R' Baruch Taub Z"L will take place on Sunday at Berkowitz - Kumin memorial chapel.

- Several Lakewood area residents have been hospitalized recently after being injured seriously in car accidents requiring surgery and long-term follow up care and rehab.

Mva numbers in 2022 (courtesy of Faanews)

Lakewood 5,321 motor vehicle crashes, 8 fatalities (1 driver, 2 passengers, 3 pedestrians, 2 cyclists) 154 Pedestrians struck That is an average of nearly 3 pedestrians struck by vehicles each week, and 1 fatality every 5 weeks!

Jackson 1,646 motor vehicle crashes 5 fatalities (3 drivers, 2 pedestrians)  

Toms River  3,878 motor vehicle crashes 12 fatalities (4 drivers, 3 passengers, 5 pedestrians)

32 pedestrians struck

-Welcome home: Off shabbos for yeshiva bochurim this week usualy the shabbos prior to midwinter break.

- Hespedim for Rav Avremel Eidelman zatzal this motzei shabbos at Ateres Esther downstairs in the Bais Yitzchok B"M of bmg. Divrei Hesped by Rav Malkiel Kotler shlita Rav Reuvein Hechster shlita and Rav Chaim Zev Eidelman shlita 8:30 pm. The Ezras Nashim will be open

- Lomdei daf Yomi Yerushalmi are making a siyum today on Meseches Brachos

- Powerball lottery jackpot $473 Million drawing is Motzei shabbos

- Drivers using the Holland Tunnel to New Jersey overnight will need to find another way to cross the Hudson River for six days each week until 2025, starting on Feb. 5 when the Jersey bound tube begins closing for Hurricane Sandy related repairs. The New Jersey bound tunnels will ose from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and from 11:59 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday night it will remain open

Hamodia article about Cleveland tragedy Another Orthodox pilot, known as “Captain Koz,” who was at Westchester Airport on this rainy and foggy evening, told Hamodia clouds were just 200 feet above the runway, with visibility 1 mile, the minimum acceptable conditions for a landing.

After searching for several hours, authorities found the plane on land, with both occupants deceased.

The niftarim were both well-known and popular figures in the Cleveland community.

Taub owned a mechanic business called Masterworks Automotive, and learned night sedarim in a community kollel.

“Meshulachim frequently visited his business,” a chavrusah recalled. “In addition to giving them donations, he would always give them food from a box of snacks set up for customers.

“He was beloved by all who knew him. Everyone used his shop, and he had a shem tov, he was very ehrliche and honest. Everyone loved him.” 

Ben Chafetz had a web-development company. He achieved a measure of wealth and gave large amounts to tzedakah, particularly kollelim in the community. He was known to deliver impassioned speeches at fundraisers for the local kollelim.

“Ben understood what having people sitting and learning meant to the growth of the Cleveland community and the future of Klal Yisroel,” recalls one kollel member. “He supported it monetarily, and with his actions and words as well.

“He met everyone with a smile; whether he knew you or not, he made everyone feel like he knew them well. He was the sweetest, warmest guy you could ever meet.

“This is an unbearable loss for his wife, children and the entire community.”

In 2018, Ben was a passenger on an El Al flight from New York to Israel forced to stop in Athens for Shabbos. That flight was subject of controversy: After takeoff had been delayed for hours in New York that Thursday evening, the Orthodox passengers pleaded to be allowed to disembark, realizing they would not make it to Israel on time for Shabbos; but the pilot took off despite their protests, and landed in Athens just in time for the Orthodox passengers to get off and go to a hotel for Shabbos. Then, two secular passengers wrote on social media that religious people acted improperly in protesting the plane’s having taken off, and El Al shared and promoted these posts. But after Shabbos, the Orthodox passengers took to the media to fight back against what they called false accusations, saying El Al was attempting to cover up its own malfeasance by blaming the Orthodox passengers.

Chafetz subsequently wrote an article entitled El Al-Sponsored Shabbos of Unity, about “an experience and Shabbos I will never forget.”

That Shabbos, Rabbi Mendel Hendel, the Chabad shaliach to Athens hosting the stranded passengers, mentioned to them that his community was still over $100,000 short in their mikvah campaign. The passengers determined to raise the funds. Chafetz used the publicity garnered by his article to solicit donations from the public, and the mikvah was indeed built.

Upon hearing the news of Chafetz’s passing, Rabbi Hendel told Hamodia Friday morning, “Oh, it’s so sad. So tragic.”

“Ben was a very special person,” Rabbi Hendel said. “He was a person of action. When something happened, he would not just take in the news, but he asked himself what he could do about it,” noting that Chafetz was outspoken with media in seeking to correct the record of what had occurred on that flight.

“When we did our mikvah campaign; he took it like his own campaign. He contributed, he got his friends to contribute, and he was always on top of it to see what’s happening. Baruch Hashem we have a beautiful mikvah, which he was very instrumental in making a reality.”

In that 2018 article, Chafetz rejoiced at the opportunity the distressing incident had presented. “How often do we get a chance to be moser nefesh for Shabbos?” he wrote. “This was a tremendous gift from Hashem to us that we had the chance to show Hashem how much we love Him and his Torah, and we ALL took it … Yom Tov in the Beis Hamikdash was probably like this Shabbos. Jews from all over coming together for Hashem and his mitzvos. I hope to see all of my fellow passengers this Pesach bringing korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash.

“May we be zocheh to see Moshiach and the return of the Beis Hamikdash

Hamodia