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Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 2024 24 Elul, 5784 • Selichot Nitzavim-Vayeilech Vol. 23, No. 33 Reach the Star: Editor@TheJewishStar.com 516-622-7461 x291
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Trump paints LI red
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Sunday, September 29, 2024 Sunny Atlantic Beac h Club• 8am
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Tells Nassau rally he’s Israel’s hope, urges support for local Republicans
Donald Trump told Long Islanders he loves County Executive Bruce Blakeman (above) and urged voters to reelect Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (below).
By Ed Weintrob, The Jewish Star Photos by Tim Baker, LI Herald If Donald Trump is elected in November, it will almost certainly be without New York’s 28 electoral votes. But that doesn’t mean the state is not important to Trump and the Republicans, as the former president reminded more than 16,000 supporters at the Nassau Coliseum last Wednesday night. Trump made it plain, during a cheer-inducing 80-minute address, that the night was actually about
more than him — it was a trumpet call to Long Islanders to vote for Republican congressional candidates on whose election the fate of a Republican-controlled House of Representatives may hinge. “A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote to obliterate Israel,” he said. Long Island’s Republican congressional contenders spoke ahead of Trump. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who is facing challenger Laura Gillen in the nominally blue 4th CD that includes the Five Towns as well
as the Nassau Coliseum where Trump spoke, described the Democratic Party as “dangerous.” Harris “broke our economy, she broke our border, she broke our peace in the Middle East, she’s broken our world,” he said. “She’s weak, she’s a failure.” Mike LiPetri, who would like to unseat Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi in the 3rd CD, also spoke. As did Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who Trump later on singled out for praise. See Trump paints on page 10
While Donald Trump has no path to victory in New York, he rallied his faithful in Nassau County and urged them to vote for their Republican congressional candidates.
5Towns Chesed Center’s Yom Tov Shuk Nearly one year after Oct. 7, the Israel Chesed Center in Hewlett maintains a busy schedule of community-unifying activities that support our brothers and sisters in Israel. The center, in a former bank building at 1315 Peninsula Blvd., opposite the Peninsula Shopping Center, drew nearly 1,000 people to a Yom Tov Shuk on Sunday, Sept. 15. Local vendors sold food, wine and gifts, with a portion of their proceeds going to the center. The center was conceived immediately after Simchat Torah to support IDF soldiers, displaced civilians, local security teams and medical volunteers in Israel. It has grown into one of the largest support organizations in the United States and offers a fast and efficient way to
The Israel Chesed Center in Hewlett drew nearly 1,000 people to its Yom Tov Shuk on Sunday, Sept. 15.
transport critical gear to Israel. In establishing the center, Moshe Bodner and Jeff Eisenberg set two primary goals: •To deliver critical gear and supplies to Israel
•To encourage community engagement — ensuring that members of the greater Five Towns community and beyond remain informed of the needs, aware of opportunities to assist, and receive support for their own initiatives. The ICC encourages and enables everyone, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens, to become ambassadors for projects, and offers every community member the opportunity to identify a need that he or she can fall in love with. “We hope the war will end today and we can close up,” Bodner said. Eisenberg added that they would remain open for at least two months after the war ends — “which we pray will happen very soon” — to helping anyone who needs assistance.” See Chesed Center on page 10
In Great Neck, cards and bumper stickers
Shabbos Kastenbaum tells the Trump rally he’s a Democrat who’s switched sides, with Israel’s future on his mind.
By Robyn Spector Blumner IDF Major (res.) Nerya Meir described for the Great Neck Synagogue on Sunday his experiences leading troops in Gaza combat. Meir heads the Department of Zionist Activity in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). A lawyer by profession, he was called up as a reservist on Oct. 7 and utilized his abilities as a paratrooper and a leader to guide his troops in combat.
Major (res.) Nerya Meir is flanked by event organizers Dr. Paul Brody (left) and Yehuda Goltche. Fred Shaw
Meir recounted that before soldiers go into battle, they often write letters to their families to be sent in case they do not return. He displayed the “Last Letters” written by three fallen soldiers — Yoseph (Yossi) Chaim Hershkovitz, 44; Ben Zussman, 22; and Adi Leon, 20. While many people often think of the hostages, some may pay less attention to the soldiers who are sacrificing their lives on a daily basis.
As a result, there is a new WZO initiative — the Wall of Heroes (Kir HaGvura) — that encourages people to write letters to bereaved families and also prepare bumper stickers to memorialize those lost. Sunday’s event was coordinated by GNS members Dr. Paul Brody and Yehuda Goltche. Brody is president of the Long Island Region of the Zionist Organization of America. See Cards on page 10