 
Excitement Builds For 43rd Sh’or Yoshuv Dinner, December 5
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By Leah Goldman
Published on Thursday, November 19, 2009 -
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The 1960s were an era of complete social and political upheaval and turbulence. Recognizing the need to fan the flames of Torah with love and genuine warmth before the corrosive influences of the surrounding culture began to lure young people away from Torah values, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, zt’l, founded Sh’or Yoshuv Institute. Recognizing and championing the self worth and uniqueness of every individual, Reb Shlomo influenced thousands of young men and built a Torah committed community.
Now, over 40 years later, Sh’or Yoshuv serves as a Torah center to hundreds of young men, families, and the community at large. Today that warmth and recognition of the value of each Jew is being transmitted to a new generation through Rabbi Freifeld’s sons-in-law, the rosh hayeshiva, HoRav Naftali Jaeger, and the menahel, HoRav Avrohom Halpern. They and the carefully hand-picked staff, some of whom were Rabbi Freifeld’s original talmidim, continue the legacy of Reb Shlomo. “The foundation of any Torah committed community is a Torah center which supports the community. Sh’or Yoshuv protects the Far Rockaway/Five Towns community from the tumultuous chaos of the host culture surrounding us,” says Rabbi Jaeger, “It is a beautiful uplifting oasis that infuses students and community members with the illuminating, guiding light of Torah.”
Sh’or Yoshuv is celebrating its 43 years of dedicated service to the community on December 5, 2009. In addition, it will be paying tribute to three families whose dedication to Torah study and community involvement exemplifies the message of Sh’or Yoshuv: Ron and Amy Friedman, Shmuel and Faygie Lesser, and Dr. Hylton and Leah Lightman.
Ron and Amy Friedman are the recipients of the Kesser Shem Tov award. “We are fortunate to know from firsthand experience how much Sh’or Yoshuv is a center of Torah learning and enhances our community, our lives, and the lives of so many people worldwide,” says Ron. “Sh’or Yoshuv has made its mark by supporting the individual strengths and talents of each student. For over 40 years, the yeshiva has opened its doors to men, women, and children of all backgrounds while its staff extends unparalleled warmth and caring to each person.”
Ron grew up in Plainview until the age of 17, at which time he moved with his family to Lawrence. He attended Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC), MTA, and then Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaways (HAFTR). After graduating high school, Ron attended Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim in Israel. Upon returning from Israel, he attended Sh’or Yoshuv. He received a B.A. in psychology from Queens College and then a law degree from Brooklyn College. Ron currently manages a private equity fund based in Manhattan.
As a student in Sh’or Yoshuv, Ron established a beautiful connection to the yeshiva, Rabbi Naftali Jaeger, Rabbi Avrohom Halpern, and the rebbeim that has spanned the last 15 years. Over the years, he has continued to come to Sh’or Yoshuv to learn and has been a silent partner in the Sh’or Yoshuv Kollel.
After marrying his wife, Amy, the couple first lived in Riverdale before moving to Lawrence, where they currently reside. They are members of Beth Shalom, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, and Kehilla Zichron Meir Moshe.
Amy was born in Staten Island, and then moved with her family to Riverdale. She attended Breuers, Shulamith, Shevach High School, and then attended Sharfman’s in Israel. Amy received a B.A. in psychology from Queens College. She currently owns “Kiss & Make Up,” a makeup store located on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst. She uses her business as a springboard to do many charitable acts.
The Friedmans are the proud parents of Anna (8), Elisheva (6), Noah (4), and Sophie (1). Anna, Elisheva, and Noah all attend the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB).
The community has enjoyed exuberant growth as many of the yeshiva’s alumni married and began to raise children in the area. Today there are 500 Sh’or Yoshuv families and alumni who make their permanent homes in the Far Rockaway/Five Towns vicinity. And hundreds of other local families have interacted with Sh’or Yoshuv and, through it, developed profound ties to learning, outreach, and chesed.
Shmuel Lesser is an example of an alumnus who is an active member of the Sh’or Yoshuv community. He and his wife, Faygie, are the recipients of the Machzikei Torah award. “We are so very fortunate to be a part of the Sh’or Yoshuv family for many years. We can attest firsthand to what a unique and special place it is. Known for its warmth and dedication to all who enter its doors, our yeshiva serves as a home, safe haven, and makom Torah to hundreds of families. Sh’or Yoshuv embraces and welcomes a diverse group of talmidim, yungerleit, and ba’alei batim coming from all walks of life,” says Shmuel.
Shmuel grew up in Lakewood, NJ. For high school, he attended Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva in Edison, NJ, and then went on to learn in Belle Harbor. Shmuel learned in Sh’or Yoshuv for five years full time and has been a part of Sh’or Yoshuv for 15 years. He is the president of the Sh’or Yoshuv Kollel. Every morning he learns in Kollel Avreichim. Shmuel is the managing partner of SY Properties and SY Holdings. He is the owner of “Picture This” in Cedarhurst.
Faygie grew up in Brooklyn and attended Tiferes Bais Yaakov High School. She received her degree from Brooklyn College and has been a 1st-grade teacher for the last 12 years. She has been teaching in Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island for the last 5 years.
The Lessers are members of Ateres Yisroel in Far Rockaway and daven in Sh’or Yoshuv on Shabbos. The Lessers are the proud parents of Shayna, Yisroel Dov, and Michoel. “Sh’or Yoshuv is equipped with a truly talented staff who live, love, and radiate Torah, Yiddishkeit, and its values. From the moment you walk through the doors, you see and feel the love and warmth that each rebbi has for his talmid,” says Shmuel.
Under the watchful and nurturing attention of their rebbeim, students undergo remarkable transformations. “Sh’or Yoshuv has always celebrated the individual and recognizes that every person, with his own personality and strengths, is an integral part of the Jewish people,” explains Rabbi Halpern. “This is our trademark and our mission.” The Bais Medrash Program offers more than 13 levels of shiurim consisting of over 35 shiurim daily that cater to the diversity of the student body.
Sh’or Yoshuv’s impact is felt throughout the community and beyond. The lives of men, women, and children in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns have been enriched through the more than 150 shiurim Sh’or Yoshuv offers the community weekly in its Community Learning Program. There is the early morning kollel for businessmen and professionals, the Zichron Tzvi Evening Community Kollel, Kollel Yom Rishon, the Ayelet Hashachar Program for Women, the Shabbos programs, the Avos U’Bonim father and son learning program, the Outreach Professional Kollel, the Chavrusa programs, and the summer programs. In addition, 1,500 individuals come to Sh’or Yoshuv for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to be inspired by the davening.
“Before I made my first trip ever to the United States from South Africa in 1981, I had heard about Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, zt’l, and the community he was building in Far Rockaway. I was very impressed. Little did I know at the time just how the legacy he created would impact my life, including my decision to make my life in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns,” says Dr. Hylton Lightman.
Dr. Hylton and Leah Lightman are the recipients of the Amudei Chesed award. “The yeshiva is an integral part of my life and the lives of my family,” says Dr. Lightman.
A beloved pediatrician in the Far Rockaway/Five Towns community, Dr. Lightman was born, raised, and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa. He earned his medical degree from the University of Witswatersrand. He immigrated to the United States in 1984. Dr. Lightman founded the Shalom Task Force and is involved in community affairs, including Tomchei Shabbos.
Dr. Lightman learns in Sh’or Yoshuv on Wednesday mornings. He has established a warm relationship with Rabbi Naftali Jaeger, Rabbi Avrohom Halpern, and the Sh’or Yoshuv rebbeim, and davens in Sh’or Yoshuv.
Leah was born and raised in Brookline, Mass. A graduate of the Maimonides School, she received her bachelor’s degree from McGill University, and her master’s degree from Brandeis University’s Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Services. Mrs. Lightman held several professional positions within the Jewish community, including director of development at Yeshiva University.
The Lightmans live in Lawrence with their seven children. They are members of Knesseth Israel and Congregation Shaarei Tefilla.
The upcoming Annual Dinner will be an important opportunity to recognize Sh’or Yoshuv’s more than four decades of excellence in the community. It will create greater opportunities for its dedicated staff to touch the lives of many more young people. Sh’or Yoshuv looks forward to an outpouring of support from the community. The deadline for ads is November 26. For more information, please call Sh’or Yoshuv at 516-239-9002 ext. 102, 109 or visit www.shoryoshuv.org. E-mail responses can be sent to admin@shoryoshuv.org and fax responses can be sent to 516-239-9003. ♦
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