At a conference last night, the Jewish Community Council of Marine Park (JCCMP) unveiled a new pilot program to assist those stricken hardest by the recession. In a matter of hours, over a thousand dollars were raised for the program and dozens of people signed up to donate money on a weekly basis. The program was unveiled as part of a JCCMP campaign to educate and guide the community through the recession. The campaign, the brainchild of JCCMP President Shea Rubenstein and JCCMP co-founder Jeff Leb, has already shown itself to be a success with over 500 people attending last Sunday’s conference held at Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin on Avenue L and Nostrand Avenue. The conference, which was sponsored by JCCMP and co-sponsored by Agudath Israel of America, featured Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel , Executive Vice President of the Agudath Israel of America, certified financial planner Yehuda Fishkind, noted author and lecturer Rabbi Paysach Krohn, and renowned criminal defense attorney Ben Brafman and was emceed by political strategist and community activist David Greenfield, Esq. New York City Councilman Lew Fidler and New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson also spoke at the event.
The new program, Project Mazon, will assist families in need in the Marine Park area. Enrollment in the program will be completely confidential. Even the JCC will not know the identity of those benefiting from the program. If someone wants to enroll in the program, they can tell their rabbi. The rabbi will then contact the JCC and provides them with the telephone number of the prospective beneficiary. With the telephone number, the JCC opens an account at a local food market funded with $50 a week. The program will be financed through weekly $5 donations from participating members of the community. If you would like to be supportive of this initiative, please email [email protected].
The JCCMP also distributed an 82 page guide to financial aid programs. The guide has information on health programs, food stamps and other social services, and may be downloaded at www.jccmp.org.
The conference covered topics ranging from budgeting, to remaining upbeat in the face of a contracting economy, to the effects that the recession is having on the Jewish image in mainstream society.
Mr. Fishkind asserted, among other things, that when budgeting one should always take into account obsolescence expenditures. Obsolescence expenditures, he explained, are expenses that occur from time to time and include expenses such as changing old windows, painting the house, or buying new furniture. He said that people rarely budget for these expenses even though they are foreseeable. The result is that people are caught off guard and without the necessary amount of funds to take care of foreseeable obsolescence expenditures.
Rabbi Paysach Krohn provided a great surge of invigoration to the capacity crowd, as only he can, with a powerful speech that offered tremendous encouragement to his listeners.
Striking a different note, Mr. Brafman spoke about the need for the Jewish community to safeguard its image with the rest of society. Mr. Brafman explained that anti-Semitic feeling is at a record level around the world today. “There is a public relations battle and we are losing it”, said Mr. Brafman. He explained that the way to combat anti-Semitism is by following the law and by educating ourselves on the views of others as well as on the economy.
JCCMP is the umbrella group for the Marine Park Jewish community. It represents over 14 shuls and 900 families, and offers services to the community ranging from assistance with heating and mortgage modification, to liaising between elected officials and the community. For more information you can email [email protected] or visit www.jccmp.org.
{Elisha Ferber-Matzav.com Newscenter}
