Fair Lawn—Twenty six rabbis got their start in Fair Lawn’s Jewish community, and on May 3 they will be honored for their accomplishments and achievements at Torah Tuesday’s Annual Breakfast. The men being honored at the event “grew up in Fair Lawn and went on to become rabbis—some of them teachers, some of them pulpit rabbis,” said event coordinator Mendy Aron. “In today’s society, if you look and see what goes on in the world where any type of behavior is found to be acceptable… [you] can see what kind of effect Fair Lawn had on [the rabbis]; [it was] obviously very, very positive, especially growing up in the town [and] seeing [Rebbetzin] Shevi [Yudin] and the Rabbi [Benjamin Yudin] setting examples… about how to conduct oneself.”
The two keynote speakers at the breakfast are Rabbi Larry Rothwachs and Rabbi Shlomo Weissmann, both of whom grew up in Fair Lawn to go on to distinguished rabbinic careers. Rabbi Rothwachs is the Mara D’asra of Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck, and Rabbi Weissmann is the current director of the Beit Din of America.
The breakfast is not only honoring these rabbis but is also giving thanks to the current leader of Shomrei Torah. “The effect that [Rabbi Yudin] had on these people… must’ve been a very positive effect… for these boys to go on to actually become rabbis,” said Aron. “We give honor to these boys for their accomplishments as well as to show hakarat hatov (gratitude) to the Rabbi for how he’s affected and set examples for these boys to become rabbis. They’ve [all] accomplished a lot.”
Other illustrious rabbis to be honored at the breakfast include Rabbi Marc Penner, spiritual leader at the Young Israel of Holliswood and Max and Marion Grill Dean of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, as well as Rabbi Avi Hochman, Youth Director at the Boca Jewish Center and teacher at the Weinbaum Yeshiva High School in Florida. The 26 rabbis will be featured in a video where a photo from each of their Bar Mitzvahs and a picture of them today will be shown side-by-side.
The event falls under the Torah Tuesday umbrella. Torah Tuesday is a program run by Mendy Aron for Congregation Shomrei Torah that brings the community together through programming, speakers, and events. Past Torah Tuesday events have included a Chopped cooking competition and a breakfast marking the Sheloshim of the three kidnapped boys.
The breakfast, which begins at 8:45 a.m. at Shomrei Torah on Sunday, May 3, costs $25 per person. To RSVP or to find out more, contact Mendy Aron at [email protected].
By Oren Oppenheim
