Agudas Israel of Staten Island

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  • #2197558
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The place I daven is having an appeal through the Chesed Fund.

    An exciting present… an exhilarating new future… the Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island!

    Under the leadership of our esteemed Rav, Harav Moshe Klein, Shlita, the Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island is an ever-expanding center for Torah Learning, Tefillah and Chesed for the entire Staten Island Community!
    The Agudah offers a host of regular shiurim; Kinyan Masechta, Nefesh Hachaim, Parshas Hashavua, Halacha and other Torah topics. The shul has a nightly Dirshu Mishna Berurah Yomi Shiur given by Rabbi Binyomin Radner which has grown tremendously in size and popularity! On Thursday nights the Rav presents his popular Mishmar shiur, broadcast on ShiurEnjoyment.com, touching on a wide variety of topics accompanied with extensive Maarei Mekomos.

    An exciting new development at the Agudah is a Night Kollel comprised of outstanding Bnei Torah from the Willowbrook community.

    The Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island also serves as a burgeoning community resource for chesed and tzedakah. The Bikur Cholim food pantry operates out of our shul, where nourishing food packages are assembled and distributed to nearly 200 families in need, throughout the year and during the Yom Tov season. Keren Shmuel Asher Fund, L”N Shmuel Klein, gives out much needed funds and relief to those in times of need during Yomtov season and throughout the year.

    On Motzei Shabbos, the Agudah runs the weekly Chaim Ozer Father & Son Learning Program, led by the inimitable Lenny Lowenthal. Each week 100+ grandfathers, fathers and sons gather to learn Torah with a geshmacke. On Shabbos afternoons, the popular Kayla Rus B’nos Program invites young girls to spend their time in a warm, heimishe atmosphere suffused with the values and spirit of Torah.

    As the shul and its programming grow, so does our desperate need to update our space and operating budget to meet the costs of our new activities. For this special campaign, the first in the history of shul, the Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island is launching an essential renovation project for our Shul and community. We must update, renovate and reconfigure the Shul’s outdated floors, walls, kitchen, Simcha room, coffee station and restrooms. The opportunities for zechusim abound and we welcome sponsors for the shul’s operations, infrastructure, and ongoing shiurim. Bnei Torah and their families increasingly view the Agudah of Staten Island as an anchor of the Willowbrook Community and Staten Island.

    As the Shul grows, our community grows!

    Let us all look ahead together, take aim and help us reach our goal of $300,000! Now is the
    time to do our part! Please grab an incredible zechus by sponsoring a Shiur, Parnas HaShavua, or by dedicating an eternal memory for a loved one, and make a generous donation to the Shul… and remember…TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!

    Thank you!

    See https://thechesedfund  .com/asi/more-than-just-a-shul-the-agudah-of-staten-island/teams/teamkern

    #2198452
    takahmamash
    Participant

    No offense, but if I have money to donate to a shule, why wouldn’t I just give it to my own shule?

    #2198608
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Obviously your first responsibility is to your own shul.

    #2198636
    The Frumguy
    Participant

    Since when did the Coffee Room become a vehicle for fundraising?

    #2198654
    ujm
    Participant

    Frumguy: Any vehicle for tzedaka is most praiseworthy.

    #2198678
    commonsaychel
    Participant

    Reb E, kol hakovod.

    #2198686
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    BTW, the Chesed Fund above allows to pay in small installments.

    #2198716
    Rocky
    Participant

    I am not at all familiar with this particular shul so please do not take this question the wrong way. I know of several shuls (outside of SI) which host a weekly kiddush using shul funds. If they have a sponsor, fine, but if not, they pay for it with communal funds. Although the officers of the shul are doing this to promote social interaction among members, I find it to be a wasteful use of communal funds. Does this shul on SI do the same, or is there only a kiddush if someone sponsors it?

    #2198850
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    I am not sure but I think the shul pays for a cold kiddush without cholent.

    #2199030
    Rocky
    Participant

    If they really need $ they may want to consider doing away with this unnecessary expense. My guess is that most of the people at the kiddush will go home and have a seudah. Not many people really need that extra food to help them make it home and probably even fewer people are relying on that kiddush for their shabbos seudah.

    #2199068
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    Rocky
    disagree that its an unnecessary expense.

    Your comment indicates a lack of understanding of point of kiddush. The point isnt to “help them make it home” anor ” for their shabbos seudah.”
    The point is to instill a sense of camaraderie of chavershaft among the kehillah. Especially if yo u discourage talking in shul their isn’t much time for socializing which is vital to humans.

    Of course one can disagree as to whether this is a worthwhile endeavor, but if you didn’t even understand the purpose I’m not sure you’d have much more to add

    #2200011
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    Rocky,

    “I know of several shuls (outside of SI) which host a weekly kiddush using shul funds. If they have a sponsor, fine, but if not, they pay for it with communal funds. Although the officers of the shul are doing this to promote social interaction among members, I find it to be a wasteful use of communal funds.”

    Why stop there? Do they have a Thursday night cholent? Chas veshalom is there coffee, drinks or snacks at the shiurim? Should we count how many siddurs and chumashim they have on the shelf and run a comparison to the typical crowd size? Do the sifrei Torah really need silver crowns? Maybe they should just have one sefer Torah and roll it on Rosh Chodesh, etc. Do they put tablecloths on the tables on Shabbos? Are the bookshelves higher quality than the cheapest you can find at Ikea? A silver menorah for Chanukah?

    1. Reb Eliezer was quite clear on what the funds would be used for, so I don’t think you have to worry that your donation will go towards a piece of kugel a kid accidentally drops on the floor
    2. A small weekly kiddush is not the elephant in a shul’s budget, especially if the kiddushes are frequently sponsored
    3. A kiddush may draw more people to daven at the shul, and these people get aliyos and make pledges and pay membership dues

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