First, I would like to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to each of you for being such an amazing support to Aliza a"h, Chani and me throughout the extremely hard times we endured during Aliza's battle.

From the meals, to the babysitting, to the tefillos, everything you guys did was a tremendous help and load taken off our shoulders. While it was never an easy situation, knowing everything else was taken care of certainly palliated our burden. May Hashem bless you all with health, happiness and only good things.

Second, those of you who were able to attend Aliza's funeral heard me mention that I would like to have a sefer torah written in her memory. Donating a Sefer Torah is something Aliza and I had dreamed about for a long time. I feel accomplishing this feat would truly serve as both an enormous source of joy and an aliyah for her neshama.

B"H, the initial response was amazing and I am well on my way to making the campaign a great success.

I hope everyone will open their hearts and take part in this tremendous mitzvah.

All monies received in excess of what is needed to complete this Sefer Torah Project will be donated to the RCCS (Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society), an organization that helps pay insurance premiums for people that are going through cancer and cannot afford to pay on their own.

All donations are tax deductible and checks can be made out to Congregation Ohel Yitzchak. In the memo, please indicate that it is for "Aliza's sefer torah."

Checks can be mailed to me at:
Gabi Schull
141-06 70th Ave, Flushing, NY, 11367,

"Friends" of Stevie Newman are well under way towardsbringing two fantastic programs to Camp HASC for the summer 2009 season. The "music room"  promises to have the latest state of the art music equipment for the campers to enjoy.

The "snoezelen sensory room" is LONG overdue and will go a long way towards granting the children at HASC a haven for them to have a relaxing and therapeutic program at the same time. Many of the children have sensory processing disorders and this will be an amazing addition to our program.

The Goal: To date $96,000 of the 100K goal has been raised. To help us complete this goal please click here.....

http://www.hasc.net/camp/images/Stevie_Newman_Music_and_sensory_room.pdf

On a side note : Our weekly D'Var Torah below is dedicated to the memory and as a Z'chus for Stevie Newmans neshomah to have an aliyah.

Continuing Education at HASC

In keeping with the HASC commitment toward continuing education, HASC therapists as well as therapists from the surrounding communities attended two very informative and professional conferences. 
 
On April 26th  Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP presented a conference on Feeding Therapy - A Sensory-Motor Approach at our Nassau site in Woodmere, New York.  This was a step by step approach to train the most challenging clients how to eat and develop appropriate oral-motor skills and movements.  It was a real 'hands on' course beginning with infants/sucking and working through toddlers and school age children.  Ms. Overland discussed sucking, spoon feeding, straw drinking and chewing solid foods.  Everyone left with a tool kit of techniques to use in his/her practice.
The conference was very well attended by speech therapists and occupational therapists as well as special education teachers, physical therapists and even several mothers. 
 
On May 3rd Nancy Kaufman, MA, CCC-SLP presented The Kaufman Speech Praxis Treatment Approach at the Holiday Inn in Suffern, New York.  It presented an opportunity for Speech Therapists in Rockland County and neighboring communities to participate in a great learning experience.  Her unique methods of shaping word approximations toward functional, target vocabulary and creating and applying the concept of pivot syllables were well received by the participants in the conference.  With audience participation this, too, was a presentation that provided the therapists with new methods to add to their repertoire of techniques.
This conference was attended by 200 speech therapists and special education teachers as well as some mothers wanting to learn techniques to help their children.
 
Stay tuned for further HASC conferences.  If you are not yet on our mailing list and would like to receive mail regarding our conferences, please send you email address to hascconference@hasc.net.
 
HASC operates divisions for the special children's community from birth through life in our multiple service sites, beginning with Early Intervention, preschool, school-age children and adults (in a sister organization), as well as a residential summer camp.  In addition, HASC provides health services monitoring and parent education services through its psychologists, social workers and registered nurses.  HASC currently services more that 1,100 individuals in six different educational and treatment facilities in New York State.

Many of the most inspiring, meaningful and enjoyable experiences of my life have taken place at Camp HASC. During the four unforgettable and growth filled summers I was privileged to spend as a waitress and counselor, I developed lifelong friendships with campers and co-counselors, as well as a deeper appreciation for life's blessings and challenges. Spending those summers at HASC helped shape the way I try and look at the world, inspiring me to choose a profession in Special Education.

Returning to work as part of the Academics Staff at HASC, and to spend the summer at Camp together with my husband and family has been a dream come true; we are so grateful for the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and talented staff members, and are constantly amazed by the mesirut nefesh, creativity and commitment of everyone involved.

The camaraderie and teamwork of the counselors and professional staff is truly inspiring, and I feel very blessed to be a part of such a special environment of love, acceptance, respect and giving.

Take a walk down memory lane, and join fellow alumni for a day of fun in the sun, moonwalks for children and a sumptuous Alumni BBQ at camp.

*Alumni Day will be preceded by the dedication ceremony of the Steve Newman A"H Music & Sensory Program at 10:30a.m. All are welcome.

For more information, please contact Grant at (718) 686-5920 or by e-mail at grant.silverstein@hasc.net

PRE-VOC Program

YOU have an opportunity to give our pre-vocational/workshop program participants a feeling of accomplishment and dignity.

If you are an entrepreneur that needs basic assembly, packaging, shrink wrapping labeling HASC Center is looking for contracts.

If you know someone in the business/manufacturing sector facilitate the connection!

Please call Linda at (718) 535 - 2015 or email her atlraxenberg@hasccenter.org

Summer Positions @ Camp HASC For Summer 2009

Camp HASC is currently looking to fill summer positions.

*Physical Therapist
**Academics Assistants (living off grounds)
***Canteen/Supply Room

If you are interested or can reccommend someone, please contact Avi Sacks, avisacks@gmail.com

3 Positions @ HASC Gan Ezra 55th Street in Boro Park

* FULL - TIME Entry Level Receptionist:

Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

**FULL - TIME Occupational Therapist (who will also be part of the eval team)

***PART- TIME bilingual Yiddish speech therapist for the summer.

If you are interested  or can reccommend someone for these positions, please contact Julie Ben-Zvi, Julie.Ben-zvi@hasc.net

WANTED

Madrichim for a small, English-speaking, special-needs program in Israel (for American boys). Yeshivat Darkaynu, located in Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) is looking to hire motivated and mature Madrichim for the 2009-2010 school year. Madrichim live on campus and play an integral role in developing the individualized learning and living experience that we provide for our students with special needs. Room, board, and a stipend are provided. If you are interested in finding out more, please call or e-mail Avi Ganz, (570)-647-4625 or aviganz@yahoo.com.

Please include the following camper in your Tehillim as she will be B'H be undergoing MAJOR spine surgery in the next week.

RIVKA BAS YAFFA LEAH

Help Save a Life with Bone Marrow Donation...

A 19 year old boy by the name of Jake was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and is in desperate need of bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Bone marrow donation is thought to be a painful experience, but with the advent of new stem cell collecting technologies, it has become a virtually painless experience, which involves relatively simple blood work. Time is of the essence. The sooner we find Jake a match, the less Chemo he will have to endure.

You can help us save Jake's life in any of these ways!!!

1) To sign up with the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Registry, log on to:
Online Donor Registration
YOU COULD BE THE LIFE SAVING MATCH!!!
If you have registered in the past, there is no need to sign up again. You can confirm your registration by calling 1-800-9-MARROW

2) Help sponsor a registration kit. There is a shortage of kits available due to economic difficulties.
Sponsoring a Kit is just as important as registering yourself!!!  

3)Help us SPREAD THE WORD!!! we have made a facebook group called "Help
Save Jake's Life" Sign up for it and INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TO JOIN THE GROUP.

4) If you think of any other ways of getting the word out, or for more information please contact: Avi Amsalem at amsalem@yu.edu

Dream Come True!!!

On behalf of the entire administration we would like to wish a special Mazel Tov to :

Parshas Emor- And You Thought The Shmorg' was Great!? The Main Course? Even Better!
      You just gotta' love it when you can kill two birds with one stone. This week's Parsha discusses the Sefiras Ha'Omer period that we are currently in. As many of you are probably aware of, there is a minhag to learn Pirkei Avos during Sefirah. Sefirah is more than just a count down to Kabbalas HaTorah, i.e. Shavuos. Sefirah is a preparation for our renewed acceptance of the Torah, and, as such, a time for spiritual growth. For this reason, people specifically learn Pirkei Avos to represent the fundamental precept of "Derech Eretz Kadma La'Torah"- before we can accept the Torah, we must learn proper Derech Eretz and moral ethics. This idea is representative through a very well known Halacha regarding the counting of Sefirah- if one misses a day of counting, he may no longer recite the count with a Bracha. Similarly, when one wishes to grow, he cannot skip a step. Growth is a gradual process with no shortcuts, and the 49 days of Sefiras Ha'Omer provide us with a very unique opportunity to have complete and successful growth.

     In this week's upcoming Perek of Pirkei Avos it states: "Rav Yaakov says: This world is like a corridor before the World to Come. Prepare yourself in the corridor so that you will be able to enter the banquet hall." This message is also relayed in this week's Parsha. Hashem instructs Bnei Yisrael about all the Holy Festivals throughout the year, one of them being Succos. One of the commandments for Succos is "you shall dwell in booths for a seven-day period...So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in booths when I took them from the land of Egypt..." The chag of Succos is a declaration of our undying Emunah in Hashem, by leaving the comforts of our home and going into temporary dwellings. The Succah, our temporary dwelling, and the corridor of which Rav Yaakov speaks of, is one and the same. The message of Succos is a reminder for all of us not to get too comfortable with where we are living. Our very existence in this world is temporary. It is our means to an end. This world is just the waiting room. It is a waiting room where our sole goal must be to "chap a rein" (take advantage) and accumulate as many Mitzvos and learn as much Torah as possible, as it is our ticket into Olam Haba. Now, we do say "Kol Yisrael Yesh Lachem Chelek La'Olam Haba"- Every Jew has a portion in the World to Come. This is true. However, the size of our portion is in our hands. Don't settle for the nosebleed section. Strive for the luxury box suite seats with the cushy chairs and all-you-can-eat buffet! Succah, Sefirah. It's really teaching us the same thing! Ever get a "chupah only" invitation to a wedding? Anyone who has knows that you need to pound the Shmorg' as much as possible, stuff your face, because your not getting a meal. Same rule applies by our very existence in this world! Stuff your face with mitzvos. It's why we are here!

    The Steipler Gaon Zt"l, would go to Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz Shlita (he should live and be well) the purchase his Esrog for Succos every year. A Lefkowitz Esrog was known to be very Mehudar, as it came from the Esrog trees of the Chazon Ish. One year, the Steipler handed the money to Rav Lefkowitz for the Esrog, and Rav Lefkowitz told him that he had overpaid Esrog, and he must take some of the money back. He did not want to be guilty of overcharging Rav Kanievsky. The Steipler gave the following refusal- "The money that I just handed you, what is it to me? Money is a very temporary thing. The Esrog that I just purchased, however, is my ticket to Olam Haba. It is worth more than any sum of money. Why should I care about some extra Shekalim when my purchase is infinitely more valuable!"
    
    We always hear about people taking life insurance. But we do not hear people talk enough about getting Olam Haba insurance! It is the greatest insurance around, it is a guaranteed success, and it doesn't cost you any money! All you need to do is go out and do mitzvos. Kiss the mezuzah. Make a bracha on your food. Respect your parents. Be kind to others. Greet everyone with a smile (Avos 1:15). The mitzvah opportunities are everywhere around us! And they serve as a sure ticket into Olam Haba! Talk about a great deal!

    The commandment of "you shall dwell in booths for a seven-day period...So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in booths when I took them from the land of Egypt..." now has even deeper meaning. By dwelling in a Succah for seven days, we are reminded of the fact that the Jews became way too comfortable in Egypt. For this reason, Hashem seemingly wants the Jews to remember every year that no matter where they are in this world, their dwelling is only temporary. When we arrive in the next world after 120, we present Hashem, our BOSS, with the résumé that we put together throughout our lifetime. This portfolio, of course, has no mention of our assets and stocks, but how we faired in terms of our Avodas Hashem. Once we get to Shamayim, we can no longer add to it. There are no mitzvos in Olam Haba, or at least in the sense that we know of.

    My Rebbe, Rav Shmuelewitz, Shlita, told me the following personal story. He was once flying to Israel on a very crowded and uncomfortable airplane. People were squished together like sardines and there were bags everywhere. One man decided he just couldn't take it anymore, and began to proceed to the First-Class section of the aircraft. As he was approaching, a stewardess stopped him in his tracks and politely told him "I am sorry, but you cannot sit there, as you do not have a First-Class ticket." "Please!" the man begged. "First-class is virtually empty. Just let me sit there. I cannot handle coach anymore, its very stuffy and uncomfortable." "I am sorry sir, but there is nothing I can do," replied the Stewardess. The man got desperate and proposed a seemingly reasonable offer. "I will pay you the full amount for the First-class ticket, right here, in cash!" To his dismay, the stewardess replied "Sorry, but that's not possible. All seating-class arrangements must be made prior to the flight, while you are still on the ground. You can't change your status once you are up here, in the air." Once you are up THERE, no more changes, additions, or corrections can be made.

    Sefiras Ha'Omer is a time that is extremely conducive to our growth. Day by day, we can each take small baby steps to reaching a certain goal that we set for ourselves. It doesn't need to be, and should not be anything big. Something small, like having more kavana, concentration, during Bircas HaMazon, or designating one hour each day to be more aware of not speaking Lashon Hara. A seemingly small undertaking can make a huge difference going into Shavuous, where we personally accept the Torah upon ourselves all over again. In reality, no act is a small one, provided that it is done L'Shem Shomayim and to improve in our Avodas Hashem. There is no such thing as a small Mitzvah. The pasuk regarding the Mitzvah of counting the Omer states "U'Sfartem Lachem M'Macharas HaShabbos..." "You shall count FOR YOURSELVES (Lachem)." The words of "for yourselves," in the words of my Rebbi, indicates "L'Hanascha V'Ltovascha" "For your own benefit and for your own good." Hashem gave us Sefiras Ha'Omer as an opportunity rack up the Olam Haba points. Rav Shmuelewitz says, "Count the days of Sefirah every day, but make your days count."