Join us on Facebook Live to hear from Howard Blas, Director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network, about various places of employment across North America followed by a Q&A with the TikvahNet vocational training and socializing program.
13 APRIL 2021 AT 7:30 – 8:00 PM ET
Update:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2879046125756263&ref=watch_permalink
All baking done in home-based kitchen in Roslyn, New York (Long Island, NY)
https://www.trulyscrumptiousbyalexa.com/
info@trulyscrumptiousbyalexa.com
“Delicious custom chocolate covered treats for all occasions including chocolate covered Oreos, s’mores, graham crackers, cake pops and more. Ability to put company logo or any logo on most creations for corporate events, wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and more.”
“Ability, not Disability….no limits for me! Since the day I was born I have been conquering obstacles. My name is Alexa. I am a unique entrepreneur because I have Down Syndrome, which is a part of me but does not define or limit me. I have always dreamed about running my own business and now my dream is a reality. From a young age, I enjoyed baking and decorating desserts to make people happy and smile. I started Truly Scrumptious by Alexa by making delicious custom chocolate covered treats for all occasions. My family and friends loved them so much that they asked me to make them for their special events. It all started with a bowl of melted chocolate and an Oreo! Today I am making all sorts of custom designed treats like chocolate covered Oreos, s’mores, cake pops and more. I can even put your company logo on my creations for corporate events. What an incredible feeling to see the look on people’s faces when they bite into a “Truly Scrumptious” treat. “
https://howardblas.com/2020/07/27/tikvah-impact-alexa-chalup/ (podcast)
https://howardblas.com/2020/03/02/tikvah-voc-ed-history-all-the-way-to-alexa/
I have known Alexa for many years as she has been a participant in many of our Camp Ramah in New England and National Ramah programs. Currently, Alexa participates in the vocational training program at Camp Ramah in New England. Families of young adults with disabilities all give a great deal of thought to what “comes next” after graduation from high school. Her mom, Carrie notes that Alexa recently turned 21 and worried about Alexa “falling off the cliff,” a term used by many parents of young adults with disabilities to describe the predicament when there are no longer services guaranteed and provided post-graduation. Alexa therefore became founder “chief employee” of Truly Scrumptious by Alexa.
“I love baking. I used to help my mom cook and bake and liked to help. I would come home from school and bake brownies. I learned to make cupcakes and mini bundt cakes on my own, and chocolate chip cookies,” Alexa reports. Alexa adds, “I love chocolate covered Oreos. I eat them in a heartbeat!”
Alexa took her love for chocolate to a new level when she made 250 cake pops in the colors of Roslyn (the local) High School for her brother’s graduation. They were very well received and people began calling with additional baking requests.
The Chalups report that Alexa initially started baking for fun, but the business continues to grow and evolve. They have purchased a special color printer for printing logos on her baked goods, and she has the support of community habilitation workers. Mother Carrie helps (i.e. cutting complex patterns), and reports, “I am hard on her,” meaning she stresses the need for a very clean work environment and for Alexa to put her hair up in a ponytail while working. The two have hired other young adults with disabilities on occasion, though they have cut back on hiring outside help during the recent Covid pandemic.
Alexa’s parents are proud of her and note that they took Alexa’s interest and helped her develop it. “The ball was rolling so we went with it. She had momentum and we had momentum. That’s how it came about.” Mom notes, “It makes Alexa feel good.” She adds, “society labels you as disabled. Why do you need to feel disabled?”
I observed Alexa carefully and patiently taking out ingredients from the cupboard, setting up her work station, and making chocolate covered oreos. I also viewed various products about to be packaged and shipped. According to the website, approximate pricing is as follows:
Mom also stresses the need to “help kids become employable.” This sometimes involves telling them “negative things and not just feel good things.” She notes the importance of sharing honest feedback. For example, she may say, “Alexa that doesn’t look good!” “We need to set the bar higher for people with disabilities so they can be more successful in the workplace!”
Original Article Published On The JNS
Israeli-American pitcher Dean Kremer, 25, took to the mound in an Orioles-Yankees game that ended with a 7-2 win for the home team. Still, he now holds a place in the record books.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer holds the distinction of being the only Israeli to pitch at “The House That Ruth Built.”
After Tuesday night’s start against the Yankees in New York City, he reported that “pitching at Yankee Stadium felt pretty good. This time, it was better because there were fans. It was definitely an experience.”
After giving up a leadoff single to DJ LeMahieu, Kremer—the 25-year-old Israeli-American starting pitcher for Baltimore Orioles—was just as quickly knocked off the mound by an Aaron Judge line drive, which Yankees’ radio announcer John Sterling described as a “bullet up the middle” that “drilled him.” Announcer Suzyn Waldman observed that Kremer was “wincing.”
While Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and the team trainer were assessing Kremer’s ability to continue, Waldman shared the young player’s biography, which includes having two Israeli parents who served in the Israel Defense Forces, his spending summers in Israel and his having a history of pitching for Israel’s National Team. Waldman noted Kremer’s impressive record against the Yankees last year when he was called up by the Orioles at the end of the season.
“He had two terrific games against the Yankees,” said Hyde. In those two appearances, Kremer pitched 11 innings, gave up two runs and had 14 strikeouts.
Kremer’s impressive first season earned him a spot in this year’s starting rotation for the Orioles. He struck out seven batters in six innings pitched in his Major League debut last season at Camden Yards in Baltimore. He had 22 strikeouts in 18 innings, while also giving up 12 walks.
After Tuesday night’s scare, which Kremer reported “luckily got me in the meat and not in a bad spot,” he got back on his feet. “It got tight at first, then loosened. I just kept going.”
He struck out the next three batters and threw a total of 80 pitches before leaving with the Orioles trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning. Kremer gave up four walks, five hits and five strikeouts. The Yankees held on to win 7-2 behind starter Gerrit Cole’s 13 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
‘Being the first to do something is an incredible honor’
Born and raised in Stockton, Calif., Kremer pitched for the Team USA baseball team in the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a gold medal. In 2014 and 2015, he pitched for Israel in the qualifying rounds for the European Baseball Championship. Also in 2015, he became the first Israeli drafted by a Major League Baseball team; he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 38th round but chose not to sign.
He was drafted again by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB draft. He pitched in September 2016 in the qualifier for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The Dodgers traded him to the Orioles in 2018, where he led all Minor League pitchers in strikeouts.
Cody Decker, who played for the San Diego Padres and various other Major League teams (mostly with Minor League affiliates) as well as for Team Israel, and is known for bringing the team’s mascot, “The Mensch on the Bench,” from the United States to Asia for the World Baseball Classic, is proud of his Team Israel teammate. “Dean is a great kid with a live arm and bright future—and when he grows it out, he has GREAT hair!”
Kremer is proud of his Team Israel experience and of being the first Israeli citizen in the MLB. “It means everything to me,” he said. “Just being the first to do something is an incredible honor.”
He noted that he values his time with Team Israel. “Being around those guys—the guys on the team were much older or a few years older—with Big League experience helped me get to where I am now. It was a pretty unbelievable experience.”
Peter Kurz, Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) President and general manager of Team Israel, loved having Kremer on the team and is “very excited to have Dean open up the season against the Yankees.”
Kurz, whose Team Israel is preparing for this July’s Tokyo Olympics (rescheduled from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic) added that “Dean is on Team Israel’s extended roster, but as a 26-man roster MLB player, he will not be eligible to play for us in the Olympics. We want to wish him the best of luck in the upcoming season and his career.”
Hyde said he is proud of his starter and sees great potential in the young player. “He pitched well and battled through. He threw a lot of pitches and ran out of gas in the fourth inning.”
Still, he said he is pleased that Kremer has four pitches, and admires his “starter mentality and toughness” and feels he “will continue to improve.”
Announcer Sterling pointed out that Kremer’s Yankee Stadium pitching debut took place on the same day in Yankees history when Jewish baseball player Ron Blomberg became the first designated hitter for MLB. On April 6, 1973, at Boston’s Fenway Park, Blomberg was walked by Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant with the bases loaded in the first inning. The bat he used now stands on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Tuesday night, I celebrated a first, just as Deni Avdija was marking two firsts. I attended my first in person sports event in over a year. Deni, the Washington Wizards rookies from Israel, made his Madison Square Garden debut. He scored 14 points before fouling out in a pretty big Wizards loss. (As I started writing this blog, the Wizards were ahead of the Knicks in their Thursday rematch at MSG—for 3 periods. Sadly, they lost 106-102).
The fact that an entire season of basketball is taking place, in arenas across the country–a year into the Covid 19 pandemic—is nothing short of incredible. Last year, the NBA pulled it off by having everyone in a bubble. No fans and few members of the media witnessed it in person.
This season, I have been lucky enough to have Washington Wizards media credentials, have been attending Zoom media sessions, and have written many articles for JNS and the Jerusalem Post about the 20 year old Israeli taken by the Wizards #9 in the recent NBA draft I was eager to see Deni play in person. When I saw that the Wizards would be in New York for a Sunday game against the Nets in Brooklyn and Tuesday/Thursday games against the Knicks, I applied for media credentials. I fished my wish! I was granted credentials for Tuesday.
Here is where I tip my hat first to the NBA and then to the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. The NBA takes great precautions to keep players, coaches and fans safe. Players including Deni have been on Covid protocol at various points over the summer. Some even missed the NBA All-Star game for the same reason. Once credentials were granted, I was told I would need to arrive no later than 3:45 pm for a 7:30 game. Each staff member at MSG and all media are required to undergo onsite health screening and Covid testing.
The process was organized and calm, and all employees of MSG remained similarly calm and in good spirits. Everyone logged in to the system, was swabbed and waited for (hopefully) negative test results. I was told that there is an extra NBA stringency for media and I was escorted to a special seat (seat #1) in the balcony of the Theater at MSG. I was told it would take “about 45 minutes.” I was told not to leave my seat under any circumstances. I spoke from afar with a fellow journalist I knew from other sports events. I had a 45-minute tutoring lesson about Passover with a student. Two hours later, I was told I was negative. After 15 more minutes, I was given a wristband and escorted with two other journalists to our seats on The Bridge at MSG.
Walking along The Bridge is a walk down MSG memory lane—one passes retired Knicks and Rangers jerseys, championship banners and special tributes to long concert runs (Phish, Billy Joel, etc.). We were shown the bathrooms, the table with hot dogs, pretzels and water, and our very socially distanced work stations. We were not to leave our area. In past years, media was allowed to enter the locker room at appointed times to interview players (I once brought humus to Omri Casspi!), attend the coach press conference in the hallway, watch practice from the court, and we were free to wander the stadium to interview fans. Not this year.
The Garden is at 10% capacity, which means no more than 2,000 fans. It was a ghost town, but a happy ghost town with fans cheering, a DJ for Noche Latina de los Knicks, and Knicks City Dancers—on the screen, prerecorded. I would have ordinarily gone down to speak with the two waving the Israeli flags to see why they are Deni and Wizards super-fans. Not tonight.
Tonight was a night to feel lucky to see Deni in person. It was a night to watch Deni high fiving such NBA stars as Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal and to remember that this 20-year-old Israeli is in the same league as these legends. It was a night to think about just how far this young Israeli is from home—and to see just how adaptable and resilient he has been, traversing his new country, in the middle of a pandemic. It was a night to hope that one day soon, I will get to meet and interview Deni.
Then, by dumb luck, I DID get to see Deni! Two minutes after Deni spoke to the media via Zoom, I was leaving the Garden and spotted 20 religious boys chanting his name. Then…Deni appeared! He was behind a barricade, escorted to the team bus. He was not permitted to sign autographs (though one shouted, “sign my tissue, Deni!”), but he smiled and waved to his admiring fans.
It is clear that Deni is here to stay. He is a young up and coming mensch who will one post-Covid day sign lots of autographs and schmooze with admiring fans—young and adult, Israeli and American, Jewish and non-Jewish, for years to come. Happy Passover, Deni!
