Monday, April 30, 2018
Roseanne Barr Says She Wants to Make Aliyah and Run for Prime Minister of Israel
Roseanne Barr said at the Jerusalem Post Conference on Sunday, April 29, that she wants to move to Israel and run for prime minister — and she also talked about her phone call from Donald Trump.
“I’ve met him several times when he was just a civilian, or whatever you call it, not the president, just a showbusiness person and he was always nice to me. …He said ‘Congratulations on the ratings,’ cause he’s really into ratings like I am,” she said at the conference in NYC.
Then the actress, who is Jewish, thanked the former reality TV star for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
“I want to thank you on behalf of my mother, and all the Jewish people, for moving the embassy to Jerusalem,” she told the businessman, adding that Trump told her that “a lot of presidents have promised it, but I wanted to get it done.” Trump’s decision to move the embassy has been a controversial one, but the Emmy winner believes “it’s the first step to peace in the world, I really do.”
Barr, who has been to Israel three times, told interviewer Dana Weiss, “I want to move to Israel and run for prime minister, I do. In 2012, I said I was gonna run for president of the United States and prime minister of Israel, a twofer. I do have that fantasy. If God calls me, I’ll go, of course.”
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Swordfish is kosher!
The commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch say dag ha’cherev[literally, “the fish of the sword”] is kasher.
Why is it widely considered to be not kosher, then?
Because around 60-70 years ago, they asked Rabbi [Moshe] Tendler if he could make a list of which fish are kosher and which aren’t. Rabbi Tender decided to list swordfish as atreife fish because he called up an expert who told him scales on a swordfish are a different consistency – or something like that – from those of other fish. So he decided it was a treife fish.
But that’s absolutely not correct. The commentaries on theShulchan Aruch say dag hacherev is kasher. Professor [Shlomo] Sternberg, a big genius in learning and math, published an essay maybe 20 years ago in which he writes that Rabbi Soloveitchik asked him to conduct research on the status of swordfish. He did. He showed Rabbi Soloveitchik the scales of a swordfish and Rav Soloveitchik said, “It’s akashere fish!”
Professsor Sternberg writes that he still has the envelope with the scales he showed Rav Soloveitchik in his Gemara Chullin.
If the commentaries on the Shuchan Aruch say dag ha’cherev is kosher, how can Rabbi Tendler claim it isn’t?
Rabbi Tendler claims “dag hacherev” is a different fish. It’s not true.
But Rabbi Tendler did a service to the Orthodox Jewish community because at the time there were Conservative rabbis who were givinghashgachas, so he laughed them out of existence and said they don’t know what they’re talking because [they were giving swordfish ahechsher when] swordfish is really treif. So the Orthodox realized you can’t rely on the Conservatives.
L’maaseh, the Conservatives were right on this issue, but Rabbi Tendler accomplished his goal.
Monday, April 23, 2018
Time to go Home: Frum Man Stabbed In Manhattan And In Critical Condition
An Orthodox Jewish man is in serious condition after he was stabbed in Midtown Manhattan on Monday afternoon.
The 32-year-old victim was walking on 33rd Street and 5th Avenue when he accidentally bumped into a FedEx employee.
They got into an altercation which resulted in the FedEx employee stabbing the Jewish man at least 4 times.
He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
The suspect was taken into custody by the NYPD.
Please say Tehillim for Yaakov Ben Yocheved.
Chassidishe Children in the Gaza Strip?????
Published on Aug 12, 2014
You may find this clip disturbing as it does not take place in the Gaza Strip but rather takes place in the Catskill Mountains, New York State.
This camp is likely tax exempt and uses taxpayer subsidies to brainwash and embed virulent hate in innocent young children.
The Satmar community is responsible and should be held liable for the propaganda and lies that they indoctrinate in innocent children.
Yes, all these lies were clearly stated in "the Mein Kampf" of their revered leader, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum.
His goal was to pin Jew against Jew and for that he gets an A+.
You will find that the rhetoric of Satmar is exactly the same rhetoric as the Neturei Karta....
So much for the lying Satmar propaganda that Neturei Karta has nothing to do with Satmar!
Police Arrive in Meah Shearim/Beis Yisrael Area During Predawn Hours to Arrest Chareidie Terrorists
A large police force including officers, detectives and Yassam commandos arrived in the Meah Shearim/Beis Yisrael areas during the predawn hours on Monday, 8 Iyar to make arrests. They arrived at about 3:00AM and went to eight homes, resulting in the arrests of four persons.
As the arrests took place, word spread of the large police presence and the local terrorists took to the streets in the hope of sabotaging police and preventing the arrests. In addition to their shouts a Palestinian flag was hung in the area.
Police report the arrests are connected to “Recent violence and violent activities”, adding they will eventually reach each person who took part in illegal violence. Police report in addition to the minor, the other suspects are between the ages of 20-30.
In was later revealed that the arrests were in connection to last weeks violent Hafgaonos at the IDF Conscription Office in Jerusalem, which resulted in Police using extreme force – including flash-bang grenades, horses, and water cannons. It appears the arrested individuals are suspected of physically attacking police officers.
At the time, the protest was held after word spread of a “Frum woman” who had been taken to the draft office and was taken into custody. It was later revealed that her level of “Frumkeit” was highly questionable, as her Facebook posts from as recent as two weeks ago became public.
VIDEO & PHOTOS VIA מחאות החרדים הקיצוניים:
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Stunning high-quality video shows 1911 NYC when horses and trams filled the streets and everyone wore a HAT
The Museum of Modern Art released surprisingly clear footage of what life was like in New York in 1911.
The video, a part of the museum's June 2017 collection, was filmed by a team of cameramen with the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern. The cameramen were sent around the world to take photos and videos of well-known places.
The group traveled to Niagara Fall, Paris, Venice and Monte Carlo in addition to New York City.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
5th of Iyur, Israel Independance day has a "mekor" in Shulchan Aruch
Everything is in the Torah which includes the Shulchan Aruch ...
The Shulchan Aruch Siman 429, Chapter 1, says that from the 5th of Iyur, the Rabbis should teach the laws of the Yom Tov Shevuois....
So there you have a remez to Yom Hatzmeot...
Now I can't wait for all the haters of Eretz Yisroel to come out like roaches attacking this true premise.
Gedolei Yisroel Stand In Memory Of IDF Soldiers
Gedolei Yisroel showing their respect for IDF Soldiers killed while defending Eretz Yisroel.
At the “Sixth Kenessia Gedolah” held in Yerushalayim in 1980, a “Kail Malei Rachamim” was made for the memory of the previous Admorim, Rabonim and Roshei Yeshiva of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah as well as the IDF Soldiers that died Al Kiddush Hashem.
Gedolim who were standing during this Kail Malei Rachamim include, Rav Shach, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Rav Ruderman, the Gerrer Rebbe, the Vishnitzer Rebbe, the Slominer Rebbe, the Modizter Rebbe, and the Biala Rebbe.
Mattersdorfer Rov Hospitalized In Serious Condition
Please be Mispallel for the the Mattersdorfer Rov Shlita, Hagaon Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Rosh Yeshiva of Chasan Sofer in Boro Park who is in need of Rachmei Shomayim.
Please say Tehillim for Simcha Bunim ben Rochel
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Open Letter to Satmar Rebbe
Dear Rebbe: From Anonymous
(translated from Yiddish)
An open letter to the Grand Rabbi of Satmar of Kiryas Joel, NY
Peace and great salvation to my master and teacher the rebbe of Satmar, may he live long years, the rock of his dwelling in the great city of God, Kiryas Joel.
With great humility and trepidation, I take my pen to write from the heart, although I know my humble stature: who am I to come before the king? But I feel compelled to do so nonetheless.
This last Passover I sat with the thousands of disciples and followers of Our Master at the annual Chol Hamoed lecture in the Great Shul. The rebbe’s words were, as usual, like cold water to a tired soul. The holy words of Torah, ethics, and guidance are like manna from heaven for the weekdays to comes.
His Honorable Holiness spoke of God’s great kindness, and how the rebbe, the pillar of fire that leads our camp, saved the pure education of the Jewish children in New York.
The rebbe elaborated on the Pesach miracle of this year, how the wicked ones who wish to annihilate us have conspired to force on our children various studies filled with heresy and apostasy — God save us — but “the Holy One Blessed be He, saved us from their hands,” with the great heavenly aid and the wisdom of the rebbe.
Indeed, on the very sacred first night of Passover, the scheming wicked ones were delivered into the hands of those occupied with Torah study.
I, too, at the conclusion of the lecture, danced to “Vehu She’omodo” [“The Lord Has Stood For Us”].
But, rebbe, it was with feelings of both joy and anxiety. On the one hand, the joy was indescribable that we will continue to educate our children in the way of Torah, without the governance of the wicked who have abandoned the Torah.
It is a great joy that within this benighted generation God has left us a leader who was able, with his foresight, to nullify the scheming of our enemies. On the other hand, however, I felt the piercing pain. My heart felt pinched, tears flowed from my eyes, and this is the subject of my present words.
Master and teacher: I am a simple Jew who is occupied with making a living and providing sustenance to my family. I work bitterly hard, morning to night, to feed my family. I am what some would call a ‘balebatisher’ young man. I have, thank God, a good position, and I earn a decent wage. I earn around $85,000 annually, plus health insurance.
It’s a decent living. Many of my friends could only dream of such. But rebbe, it is not enough, it is far from enough, very far.
Here’s the accounting:
I pay $3,000 rent per month for a cramped apartment. Tuition and summer camp comes to around $20,000 a year. Food costs another $25,000 ($500 a week — a very tight budget for a family of ten). I am left with $9,000 for all other expenses, such as electricity, gas, phone, clothes, and so on and so forth. $173 per week!
I do not receive food stamps, Section 8, vouchers, or any other income from government programs. With $173 per week I am supposed to cover my running budget.
Dear rebbe, I am a thirty-something young man. I started my job earning $18,000 annually. Thank God, I’ve worked my way up nicely. But rebbe, the professionals at my company earn a great deal more, typically above $200,000 per year.
I, with my many years of yeshiva study, could not find a better starting salary. I didn’t know any English, or Quickbooks, or Excel; I had no training in anything. I fell from the Torah world into the material world without any preparation at all. Today, already doing well at my job, I could never achieve the positions that pay close to a quarter million dollars a year. All because the learning of my youth did not prepare me for it.
I look with envy to the company attorney, the accountant, the engineer. They are well paid for their professions. But I have no profession, and must make do with my narrow wage.
I remember the days of yore when I sat in the “tents of Torah” with the rebbe in yeshiva. My father, may he be well, urged me to study to become a rabbi. His command protected my soul. I studied and reviewed, again and again. I turned my nights into days, until I was able to conclude my studies and take the exam.
I will never forget my joy at being examined for the “horo’oh” by the rebbe. I later even received “Yorah Yorah Yodin Yodin” (the highest level of rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Fishele, of blessed memory. It was a true joy of Torah. The rebbe glowed from joy: no small thing, another student attained the “horo’oh.”
My parents were beside themselves with happiness. And my grandfather, of blessed memory, who had suffered through the camps [during World War II], could not stop speaking of the vengeance he now had in the hater of Jews — may the names of the wicked be erased. Those were the glory days.
Then I got married. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Chase Bank doesn’t accept the “horo’oh” as payment. Neither does American Express. Nor even my local grocer, the one who stands next to me each Simchas Torah at the hakofos. They all demand cash. Green American dollars. It is sadly a degraded word, but it is also the world of reality.
Money makes the world turn, and I make my way in the world with no money. It is a bitter situation.
I am mired in debt. I borrowed here and there from good Jews. Borrowed from this one to pay for that one, like a spinning wheel. The credit cards are maxed out, and I pay bitter amount in interest month by month.
I remember the dark days before this very holiday of Passover. A time that is supposed to be filled with light and joy. “Our time of dancing was turned into mourning.” I had not an extra cent as the holiday approached, and here I had to buy shoes for the kids, suits, hats, and so forth. My father in law, a righteous man, went beyond his abilities and gave me $500. My father paid for my matzahs. I ran around trying to find additional loans of just a few dollars more. This one just straight out declined. The other wanted three guarantors, and wasn’t satisfied with any of the ones that I brought. Thank God, after all that effort, I managed to borrow $2,000 — with shame and humiliation.
After all this came the tough decisions. Do I buy shoes for Rochele or for Yankele. Her shoe has a hole in the bottom, and his shoes are torn at the side but the shoe repair man cold probably fix it. Zurich’s suit no longer fits him, and Burich’s suit is threadbare and coming apart. My heart felt shredded as I made these decisions. One child I was able to satisfy at least halfway, and the other child was left devastated and broken to piece.
Another 2–3 years, and we will begin to pursue marriage arrangements. I cannot even imagine what it would be like. I will need between $50,000 to $80,000 per wedding. I can barely scrape up an extra $5 to $8. All the wonderful wedding regulations won’t help me much. And then comes my dread that my children will, in the near future, start to spin in the same wheel that I am in, with no tools for their own success.
Dear rebbe, this is from a “balebatisher” [middle class] young man! I am not a pauper. But the education I received did not prepare me for the real world.
I don’t know if the rebbe can understand my pain and suffering. My hands tremble at the words I am about to speak, which I write with the greatest respect and much caution, and I hope this won’t be seen as insolence, because that is not my intention, God forbid.
A story is told about one of our great sages, who, on a cold, wet night went out to collect alms for a poor man who could not afford wood to heat his home. The sage comes to the wealthy man in town in the middle of the night and knocks on his window. The wealthy man crawls out of bed and opens the door, frightened, and sees the great rebbe at the door. The rebbe begins to speak about this and that. Meanwhile, the wealthy man is getting cold, and asks the rebbe to come in. The rebbe pretends not to hear, and remains at the door and keeps chatting. After a while, the wealthy man, shivering from cold, cries to the rebbe that he cannot take it any longer and the rebbe must come inside. The rebbe says: Good, there’s a poor man in town who shivers from cold night after night; now you might understand his situation — which you wouldn’t understand sitting inside your warm home.
To our point: the rebbe lives in his large, paid-off houses. Rides in a nice car. Owns beautiful works of silver. He has followers who pay for the weddings of his grandchildren.
When you live that kind of life, when your greatest worry is who has a bigger crowd for the “Feast of the 21st of Kislev,” it might be difficult to understand the simple man in the field, such as I am, who goes through the seven fires of hell.
As I said, I do not mean, God forbid, to accuse. On the contrary, it is in the interest of the Jewish people that our great leaders live with comfort and contentedness, especially a leader such as the rebbe, who is dedicated to observing with glory in the matters of kashruth, the commandments, Torah study, wedding regulations, and so forth. Still, though: sitting in one of his great paid-off houses, it will be difficult to understand the pauper’s situation.
And so here we must ask: why should we not teach our children a craft?
Will teaching them Quickbooks prevent them from remaining faithfully observant Jews? What kind of heresy is there in the study of Excel? What is the problem with studying English, which is a vital necessity in today’s world?
Blessed be the Lord that he prevented the decree of the wicked. But speaking amongst ourselves, pious Jews, perhaps it is time — under the purest conditions — to provide the studies that would help our children with their futures?
Please do not respond with the high and mighty buzzwords like “Chasam Sofer,” “Haskalah,” “purity and holiness,” and the like. I want to understand simply. I struggle like a dog, all to please our Father in heaven. I have the right to demand an explanation.
Rebbe, it is no longer a time of working the fields. Even tailoring and other manual occupations are no longer. Most well-paid jobs require a profession. That requires beginning to study at a young age. Take me, for example. I have an inclination for medical areas. I am a member of Hatzoloh [the volunteer EMT ambulance service]. It gives me great satisfaction. The average doctor earns $190,000 a year. Why should I not have a job like that?
Why was I not taught these skills in my youth? Why must I suffer, when my life could’ve been so much easier?
And what about the obligation to “teach your son an occupation”? In the old days, it meant teaching your son to sow and plough the fields. Today, it means teaching them to use computers. To study for a profession. That is the skill our time demands. How do we ignore this entire obligation?
The rebbe said in his talk that, thank God, we have millionaires among us. Wonderful.
But on the other hand, we have a disproportionate number living in poverty when compared to the educated classes of the outside world. Not everyone has the temperament to run his own business. You need leadership skills, and to be a risk-taker. I, and many others like me, are not like that. I can’t go to sleep at night if I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay my rent. I need secure and stable employment.
The world has changed. We cannot continue as before. The work world has changed. Cost of living keeps rising. (This year, tuition fees went up, but wages stayed the same. How am I supposed to pay them?) It is perhaps time to rethink our approach.
Before I conclude: There are many who cry, we cannot raise pious Jews when offering such studies.
Let us look at our own institutions: the holy “Bais Rochel” school for girls. They study English, math, science, history, and many other secular studies. We fulfil almost entirely the government demands (by the old law!).
And what are the results?
Pious Jewish women, righteous and modest! It is well known that our holy womenfolk are far more pious and upright than our men.
Here we must ask: How is it different? How come the girls can study it all, and they grow to be Blessed Seed, but the boys can’t because they won’t grow up to be pious Jews? How are these different from those?
It is a topsy-turvy world. The women, most of whom will grow up to be homemakers, who will cook and bake and do all the work around the home and raise the children, they’re the ones who study science.
The holy women who raise our children, who instill in them the “Shema Yisroel” each day, who transmit to the next generation the simple and blind faith, they are the ones who study the history of the Gentiles.
The girls who will likely never use Outlook, get to study it. But the boys, most of whom will grow up to be workers and breadwinners, who could use all of those studies for creating better living conditions, for them it is strictly forbidden!
Rebbe, rebbe, master, master: I weep as a son who confesses before his father, for the rebbe to take the matter into his hand and with his great wisdom and understanding to change it. Who else is so qualified as the rebbe is, who fears no one? The world looks to the rebbe. When the rebbe institutes something, it influences the entire God-fearing Jewish world. It is my strong hope that the rebbe will be fearless in the face of opposition and repair this matter in the Torah way.
I conclude my words with all the blessings written in the Torah.
May the rebbe merit to sit on the throne of his kingdom, he and his sons among Israel, until we merit the day of when each man will rest under his grapevine, each man under his date tree, with the coming of our righteous Moshiach, with the rebbe to lead us, speedily in our days.
Such are the words of his disciple who rests in the dirt at his feet.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Yeshiva Kol Torah Kicks Out the Crazed Auerbach Fanatical Rosh Yeshiva
A prominent Charedi yeshiva has decided to part ways with one of its most popular rabbis over his open support of the extremist Yerushalmi Faction.
According to Kikar Hashabbat, Rabbi Baruch Shmuel Hacohen Deutsch, a yeshiva dean from the elite Kol Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, was told last week by yeshiva administrators that he could not continue teaching at the institution due to his open support for the extremist Yerushalmi Faction.
The report also said that the rabbi plans to open up a new yeshiva that will be destined solely for members of the Yerushalmi Faction.
Ever since Yerushalmi Faction leader Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach died in March, Rabbi Deutsch had come out to be one of the leaders of the faction, bewildering his students at the Kol Hatorah Yeshiva, which opposes the Yerushalmi Faction's activities.
After numerous complaints from students, senior staff at the Kol Hatorah Yeshiva decided that they had no alternative other than to part ways.
The Yerushalmi Faction, which is connected with recently-deceased Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, has been locked in a power struggle with the mainstream Charedi community ever since the death of Torah Sage Rabbi Sholom Elyashiv in 2012.
The Yerushalmi Faction considered Rabbi Elyashiv's successor, Bnei Brak-based Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman to be an illegitimate leader, and revolted against his authority, splitting the hierarchical Charedi world. Since the split, the Lithuanian-charedi world has been locked in a power struggle over which rabbinical leader controls the community.
Survey: Almost half of Charedim living in Israel say they are 'Zionists'
According to a new "Zionist Index" survey of Israeli citizens, 45% of Charedim define themselves as "Zionists."
Compared to the religious Zionist public, 95% of which defines itself as Zionist, the figure is relatively low but, in light of the fact that Charedi education does not teach civics or Zionism, it is a surprising figure that indicates the increasing involvement of the Charedi community in Israeli society.
The survey was conducted ahead of Israel's 70th Independence Day by the World Zionist Organization and through the Smith Institute for Research.
The survey reveals, among other things, that 86% of Israelis define themselves as Zionists.
Among the older age group in Israel - over 50 - this figure is overwhelming (95%) compared to the relatively young age group - below 30 (75%).
The survey also found that native Israelis and new immigrants define themselves as Zionists in almost identical numbers - 86% and 87%, respectively.
The survey also found that native Israelis and new immigrants define themselves as Zionists in almost identical numbers - 86% and 87%, respectively.
R' Amram Blau "WAS WRONG" About Israel ..... LETTER FROM HIS NEPHEW, Harav Yehuda Meshi-Yahav
The following letter written by ZAKA founder and head Harav HaGaon Yehuda Meshi-Yahav to his late uncle, R' Amram Blau, leader of the Neturei Karta. It was published in Major Rishon.
In honor of my dear uncle Rabbi Amram Blau ZT”L, leader of Neturei Karta,
When I was young, I was a small soldier in the campaign, when I joined the demonstrations you were leading – whether it was every Saturday in demonstrations against Chilul Shabbos, or in the middle of the week against any other breach. You were for me the figure of the general, the leader, the fearless and uncompromising fighter for the principles of Judaism. I remember how we stood amazed each time anew by the blows you’d get lovingly from the police, or when you were arrested again and again. We grew up with your stories of heroism, such as putting your head in the Edison Cinema ticket window in Jerusalem to prevent chilul Shabbos, when you were beaten with clubs until you lost consciousness.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Francine's Interview
Born in 1933, Francine Christophe was deported with her mother at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944. Released the following year, she continues to share her experience and memories, particularly with the younger generations.
In order to share this unique image bank everywhere and for everyone,
HUMAN exist in several version :
A theatre version (3h11) , a tv version (2h11) and a 3 volumes version for the web
In order to share this unique image bank everywhere and for everyone,
HUMAN exist in several version :
A theatre version (3h11) , a tv version (2h11) and a 3 volumes version for the web
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Lipa Schmeltzer and the adjacent shul that he built in Monsey is on the market for $2 million.
By COLlive reporter
The property at 16 Murray Drive in Airmont is currently on the market offering 4,700 square feet of quality living in New York's Rockland County.
Adjacent to the home is a fully furnished synagogue at 41 Laura Drive with a spectacular harp-shaped Aron Kodesh and ample parking.
For music fans, this property might seems recognizable as the home and shul built by Lipa Schmeltzer, the popular singer, entertainer, and composer.
Schmeltzer grew up nearby in New Square, NY, as the second-youngest of 12 children in a Chassidic family. He began as a badchan at weddings and worked his way up to fill concert halls around the world as a star performer.
In 2010, Schmeltzer established a synagogue named "The Airmont Shul - Beis Medrash D'Airmont" near his home. Operating on Shabbos and holidays, it emphasized incorporating singing while davening.
The shul attracted locals, music fans and youngsters who once led a frum life. "They accepted me, a warm welcome as they say we have to accept every Jew no matter how it looks, no matter how he behaves," one visitor named Cheskel Lebovits wrote on Google Reviews.
The shul also enjoyed the visits of Rabbi Aaron Dovid Gancz, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in Morristown, NJ, who lives nearby as the director of Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern.
"For years, Rabbi Gancz came every Shabbos to give chizuk and input to the people here," Schmeltzer said in a phone conversation with COLlive.com on Tuesday.
Selling the property is real estate agent Beila Weinberger with Q Home Sales. She said the asking price is $2 million for both the house and the shul.
Schmeltzer cited personal changes in his family and the fact that many have moved away from the rising housing prices in Airmont as the reasons he is selling the property.
"It's hard for me to think about it," he said. It's a hard thing but sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. I put my heart and soul into it. Today it is very hard to get approved for zoning for a shul in the area. It's a beautiful shul and ready to be used."
In May, Schmeltzer will be graduating from Columbia University's School of General Studies with a bachelor's degree in Visual Art and Creative Writing. He has recently taken up painting and said he plans on opening an art gallery in the near future.
Until then, he is doing what he is most comfortable doing and best known for - performing. Whether it is personal videos on social media or singing at the Kosher Villas Orlando of Treitel Ventures over Pesach, Schmeltzer says he's on the road of personal development.
The property at 16 Murray Drive in Airmont is currently on the market offering 4,700 square feet of quality living in New York's Rockland County.
Adjacent to the home is a fully furnished synagogue at 41 Laura Drive with a spectacular harp-shaped Aron Kodesh and ample parking.
For music fans, this property might seems recognizable as the home and shul built by Lipa Schmeltzer, the popular singer, entertainer, and composer.
Schmeltzer grew up nearby in New Square, NY, as the second-youngest of 12 children in a Chassidic family. He began as a badchan at weddings and worked his way up to fill concert halls around the world as a star performer.
In 2010, Schmeltzer established a synagogue named "The Airmont Shul - Beis Medrash D'Airmont" near his home. Operating on Shabbos and holidays, it emphasized incorporating singing while davening.
The shul attracted locals, music fans and youngsters who once led a frum life. "They accepted me, a warm welcome as they say we have to accept every Jew no matter how it looks, no matter how he behaves," one visitor named Cheskel Lebovits wrote on Google Reviews.
The shul also enjoyed the visits of Rabbi Aaron Dovid Gancz, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in Morristown, NJ, who lives nearby as the director of Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern.
"For years, Rabbi Gancz came every Shabbos to give chizuk and input to the people here," Schmeltzer said in a phone conversation with COLlive.com on Tuesday.
Selling the property is real estate agent Beila Weinberger with Q Home Sales. She said the asking price is $2 million for both the house and the shul.
Schmeltzer cited personal changes in his family and the fact that many have moved away from the rising housing prices in Airmont as the reasons he is selling the property.
"It's hard for me to think about it," he said. It's a hard thing but sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. I put my heart and soul into it. Today it is very hard to get approved for zoning for a shul in the area. It's a beautiful shul and ready to be used."
In May, Schmeltzer will be graduating from Columbia University's School of General Studies with a bachelor's degree in Visual Art and Creative Writing. He has recently taken up painting and said he plans on opening an art gallery in the near future.
Until then, he is doing what he is most comfortable doing and best known for - performing. Whether it is personal videos on social media or singing at the Kosher Villas Orlando of Treitel Ventures over Pesach, Schmeltzer says he's on the road of personal development.