Last Sunday, the family of Teaneck’s Joseph and Florence Appleman dedicated a new shul and beit midresh at Touro College’s medical campus in Valhalla, New York. The building “Beis Yosef,” is named for Mr. Appleman, and serves Jewish students who are pursuing medical, dental and other health-related fields located on the campus adjacent to Westchester Medical Center.
“The Appleman family and their children have very generously supported Jewish education in many institutions. We at the Touro College university system are grateful to have their friendship and generous support,” said Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Touro College’s executive vice president. “We applaud their efforts and thank them for their shared vision of building a stronger and vibrant Jewish tomorrow,” he added, noting that last year the family, including first cousins, also dedicated a sefer Torah for the Beit Midrash, which “truly makes it the epicenter of the community on campus.”
The Appleman children and their spouses, including Teaneck/Bergenfield residents Karen and Mottie Guttmann, Tammy and Rabbi Dr. David Katz, and Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum, have learned from their parents the importance of tzedakah and have recently dedicated other projects as well in their honor, including the Teaneck Mikvah and the educational brochure series for Sharsheret. Karen, Tammy, Shari and their spouses also have continued funding a scholarship in the Appleman name at ASHAR in Monsey. The Appleman family also supports programs at Yeshiva University and causes such as Emunah and Yad Sarah.
Joseph Appleman, born in 1926, worked in the Brooklyn real estate business his father Hillel had established, eventually becoming the managing partner, working alongside his three sisters. Florence Adler, who was born in 1933, grew up in the Bronx. Her father Jacob, who, like Hillel, had also immigrated to the U.S. after World War I, established the Adler Milk Company, which later became part of Dellwood Milk. After Joseph and Florence married, they lived in Monsey. They now live in Teaneck near their children.
Touro’s New York Medical Campus in Valhalla houses New York Medical College, the new Touro College of Dental Medicine, The School of Health Sciences and Practice, and The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences. Nursing and medical/science education degrees are also granted. The vibrant and growing Jewish community at Touro’s medical campus is evidence by the daily minyanim at the New York Medical College Campus, run by the students (“Thank God for whatsapp,” said Rabbi Krupka). A campus rabbi joins the community several times a week for one-on-one and group learning; special shiurim are offered in the evening. Most of the events are supported through private sponsorships.
Rabbi Krupka also added that New York Medical College is the only medical school in the country that holds an annual gathering that commemorates and teaches about Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). It is attended by medical and students in health related fields as well as bioethicists, in a way to take the lessons of the Holocaust and utilize them as ethical learning opportunities.
Approximately 1600 students are enrolled at the Valhalla campus and there are approximately 900 interns and residents in Touro’s teaching hospitals. As Touro is under Jewish auspices, the academic calendar is based on the Jewish calendar. There is an eruv surrounding the campus. The cafeteria is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, and while most of the Jewish students currently live off campus, there are currently plans to expand student housings on the campus.
By Elizabeth Kratz
