By Yochanan Gordon
Readers of the 5TJT have been kept up-to-date these past couple of months about the events surrounding Naomi Wiener’s batmitzvah celebration. Naomi demonstrated a level of maturity well beyond her years when she opted to launch a grassroots campaign to fund the construction of Bnei Zion’s underground emergency room–planned in the event of an attack from the north.
Naomi’s mother, Penina, who has taken on a second full-time job arranging all the details of this multipronged celebration, admits that it would have been far easier to throw a five-hour party as the traditional batmitzvah celebration goes, since she is a party planner by trade. But she and her husband are extremely impressed and inspired by the sense of empathy and responsibility that their daughter has exuded and have put their full support behind every aspect in order to maximize the potential of this campaign, which will no doubt save lives in a time of need.
There is perhaps a Divine indication that Hashem is pleased with the establishment of this batmitzvah fundraising campaign. The Gemara says that three things are acquired through setbacks–Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and OlamHaBa. Certainly, no other state has had to endure as much difficulty and suffering as has the tiny state of Israel throughout history. A cursory reflection over the past 67 years since the establishment of the state is testament to the level of self-sacrifice that Jews of all walks of life have had to endure in order to make the land of Israel ours. We continue to pray that we see the fulfillment of this day soon.
On a microcosmic level, certain aspects of this celebration, despite being meticulously arranged, were forced to stand the test of the tumultuous winter. The turnout at the bake sale on March 3 was impressive, considering the wintry weather, but it no doubt would have brought in more funding towards this vital project had the weather been more accommodating.
Who could forget the white Purim that we had to endure this year? A white Purim is an anomaly on all levels. The Purim snowfall hampered the collections for Project H.U.G. (an acronym for Hope Under Ground) and the mass distribution of mishloachmanos.
Such is the devious path of the samech-mem who tries to thwart a virtuous pursuit at every opportunity, testing the resolve of the truly idealistic to forge forward despite the setbacks. Clearly, in light of the aforementioned Gemara, G‑d is smiling upon the virtuousness of a determined young woman to see her batmitzvah goal to fruition.
Originally, the Zumbatique was planned as a Zumbathon but due to the inadequate funding from the Purim and bake sale events, Zumbathon has taken on the identity of Zumbatique; the way it looks now it is going to be a day of fun and excitement with something for the entire family.
Zumbatique is scheduled for Sunday, May 17 at the Hewlett—East Rockaway Jewish Centre, located at 295 Main Street in East Rockaway. The celebration kicks off at 11:00 a.m. with a one-hour Zumba session for women only, courtesy of Body by Rachel. From 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., Ira Thomas, new owner of Picture This on Central Avenue, will be shooting family portraits. Visit www.project-hug.org to reserve a timeslot. LOL Kids by Alice will be having a fashion show, displaying the newest styles in children’s fashions, also beginning at 12:00 p.m.
There will be a festive dairy buffet from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. by Hewlett-East Rockaway’s very own CÂ Catering, as well as displays from a wide variety of boutiques. (See ad on page 29 for details.) At 12:30, Naomi will be delivering a few opening remarks and reflecting upon Project H.U.G. The soulful and super-talented musician and singer Aryeh Kunstler will perform a bat mitzvah concert from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Please direct all further questions to Penina Wiener at peninawiener@gmail.com. This is an ambitious project of a batmitzvah girl from our community. But the safety and security of our brothers and sisters in Israel is our collective responsibility. We are encouraging everyone to come out in celebration of Naomi’s batmitzvah and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Let’s ensure that this project gets completed in a timely fashion–because Jewish lives are at stake. v