Max Weinberg will perform at three fund-raising events for ITEC titled “Playing for Peace: Featuring Max Weinberg’s Jukebox.”
NEW YORK – Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is lending his famous name and talents in support of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers Foundation (ITEC). Weinberg will perform at three fund-raising events for ITEC titled “Playing for Peace: Featuring Max Weinberg’s Jukebox.” The galas will take place November 9 in Chicago, November 16th in New York and December 7th in Florida.
The three events will include alumni of the 14 Israel Tennis Education Centers throughout Israel sharing personal stories. Following a scholarship auction, Weinberg will perform his Juke Box Tour, in which will auction off various items as well as the opportunity to play drums and sing with him. Attendees view two screens exhibiting 200 songs – from such music legends as Springsteen, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Lauren Rabner, ITEC director of Mission and Special Events said that a donor connected to the drummer’s agent suggested that the organization approach Weinberg about participating.
“I am delighted to be able to participate in these several fantastic gala events to both raise funds for and promote the ideals of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers,” Weinberg told The Jerusalem Post.
“The work they do is so impressive and their mission to bring children of differing backgrounds in Israel together on neutral ground to engage one another through sports is a refreshing endeavor in the world today. As we all know throughout the world sports, as well as music, have the unparalleled ability to transcend barriers of language, politics, and religions. The ITEC maintains sports activities for Jewish, Arab, Druze, and Bedouin children and in doing so absolutely brings a engaging powerful energy to the task of peaceful coexistence.”
When Weinberg isn’t behind the drum kit for the E Street Band – a job he has had almost continuously since 1974 – the proudly Jewish drummer spends his time living by the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, repairing the world. He has successfully drummed up donations for local New Jersey, national and international organizations through playing music and donating memorabilia for charity auctions.
He grew up in a Newark, New Jersey, Jewish family, celebrated his bar mitzvah and confirmation and was very involved in the life of the synagogue which his grandfather helped found. Weinberg’s Russian great-great-grandfather immigrated to mandatory Palestine in the late 19th century and is buried on the Mount of Olives.
Weinberg said that he was proud to carry on his family’s connection to the Holy Land.“I am proud and humbled to bring the music to help with the mission of the ITEC. My great-great-grandfather, Lev Mindlin, buried at the Mount of Olives and a lifelong Talmudic scholar, would expect nothing less from me!”
The gregarious 44-year-old owner of the Casa Del Barbero barbershop, located in a charming alleyway at 82 Keren Kayemet St. in Beersheba’s Old City, is a proud Jew and oleh by choice.
For barber Yosef Maldonado, the journey from his native Puerto Rico to Beersheba via Miami, Buffalo and Beit El wasn’t nearly as long, complicated and full of adventure as the ordeal he and his wife encountered on their way to Judaism.
The gregarious 44-year-old owner of the Casa Del Barbero barbershop, located in a charming alleyway at 82 Keren Kayemet St. in Beersheba’s Old City, is a proud Jew and oleh by choice. Maldonado and his family – which now includes his wife, Rachel Yehudis and six children ages two to 20 – have faced many challenges, including the COVID pandemic, which has forced long shut downs of his barbershop; difficulties with Hebrew mastery; and Israeli bureaucracy. But they couldn’t be happier with the decision to live in Israel and in Beersheba.
Maldonado realized his dream of opening his own barbershop last year. His Facebook page and website advertise that he speaks Spanish, English and Hebrew, though he admits that Hebrew has been the most difficult language to master. “It if has to do with a haircut, I understand. I can manage. If it is a regular conversation, it is very hard,” says Maldonado.
His language skills, kind demeanor and nearly 30 years’ experience as a barber make him an ideal destination for Israelis of all backgrounds, Spanish speakers and US soldiers stationed at a military base nearby.
Maldonado has a particular fondness for servicemen and women. His father served in the US Army and was stationed in Panama for three years. As a result, Maldonado spent his first through fourth years of life in Panama. The family then returned to Puerto Rico. He fondly recalls growing up there. “I had a very nice childhood. I played baseball from age five through high school, was in the Boy Scouts, went to the beach and did all of the normal activities.”
Yosef Maldonado is seen with a sign to his barbarshop. (credit: Courtesy Yosef Maldonado)
When Maldonado was 16, he visited his uncle, a soldier stationed at Fort Benning, on the Alabama-Georgia border. Maldonado recalls making a playful comment which would impact on his professional career.
“I made fun of his very bad haircut. I said, ‘You paid for that?!” He replied, “You think it is funny? Next time, you will cut my hair!” Maldonado did!
“When I was a child, I paid attention to haircuts. They take a very long time giving haircuts in Puerto Rico. I always watched the whole time. I had the idea of what to do. My father said, ‘You have a real skill’ and encouraged me to go to barber school.”
Maldonado had always planned to go to college but his father said, “Why not go to barber school then college? If you don’t like college, you will always have the skill.” The always respectful Maldonado playfully reports, “I always listened to my dad and mom.” On the day of his high school graduation, he took a tour of the barber school and two days later, while still 17 years old, he enrolled. When he graduated, he returned to a very familiar barbershop. “I worked in the shop I used to go to for 12 or 13 years. My boss was my barber!
”After two years, Maldonado left for college to study computer science. “I didn’t like it. It was not for me. Haircutting was my thing.
”MALDONADO married in Puerto Rico and soon relocated to Florida where most of their families lived. He worked at various jobs, including maintenance in a resort, and commercial plumbing. He continued cutting hair each day from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Maldonados were soon blessed with three children and wanted to save money. Yosef took a pilot trip to Buffalo, where other family members lived. “I was pretty confident in my skills. I could do construction, plumbing and more.” He had heard the cost of living was better in Upstate New York. He also heard it was very cold. “I figured I would go in January for six months. If I could survive the cold, I would come back in six months and bring my family.
”Approximately 45 minutes into our interview, Maldonado shared the story of his family’s path to Judaism. “Hashem obviously has it all organized. We just have to find it.
”The deep-thinking Maldonado grew up an evangelical Christian and was always wondering, “Why is it that Christians are right and the Jews are not when He chose them (the Jews) as a nation?” Maldonado recalls that he began researching Judaism, and came across an older cousin who was asking similar questions (he also converted to Judaism). Maldonado and his wife converted to Judaism while in Miami. He would soon learn that this conversion would not be considered acceptable in his Buffalo Orthodox community.
“I thought I was Jewish already and wanted a Jewish education for my children,” says Maldonado, not sounding the least bit angry or resentful with his Jewish status being called into question. He notes that the rabbi of the school (“my spiritual father”) took him aside and asked a series of questions. “He respectfully asked for my [conversion] papers and said they weren’t legit.” He was given the option of working with the beit din in three larger Jewish communities, each one to several hours from Buffalo. “I just want to do it right, so there will be no questions. I have daughters and want to make sure it is all legit.
”Maldonado becomes animated. “That’s where the journey really started! The process was very long.” He continued attending synagogue daily, his daughters were in a Chabad school in Buffalo, though he felt he was carrying around a secret – and narrowly escaped numerous uncomfortable situations. “The rabbi accepted the kids to the school. And sometimes in minyan, there would be 10 men (presumably a minyan already) and the rabbi would say, ‘We will wait for one more. Mr. So and So said he’d be here.” Maldonado remained determined.
“I wanted to do it right. I didn’t care how long it would take. At the same time, my wife was learning with the rabbi’s wife.” He reports that the “final exam” was a multi-day 500-question test, and they kept offering “outs” – the opportunity to not go forward with the conversion process. “I can see why they do it; they want to see how much we want it.”
At the end of the process, the beit din suggested a day to go to the mikveh ritual bath [part of the conversion procedure], followed by a new Jewish marriage ceremony. “In addition to asking about our following the laws of family purity, kashrut and other things, they asked, ‘Do you promise to give your kids a Jewish education?’ ‘Yes, I promise,’ ” Maldonado replied.IN 2014, to celebrate this conversion experience, the rabbi offered an opportunity to join him on a trip to Israel. He was about to visit children and grandchildren in Beit El. “My wife gave permission, and I went.”
Maldonado’s love affair with Israel started once they arrived in Beit El. “I remember walking and looking around. This is how I grew up – kids walking around, free. This is the place I want to be! I didn’t even want to see other places!
”When he returned home to Buffalo, Maldonado shared Israel trip stories and videos and said, “I think this is a good idea.” His wife was less certain. The second intifada was raging. “She was afraid of the conflict.” Maldonado’s rabbi wisely advised him to not pressure her and “not mention it; it will come.” That day came sooner than expected.
“One day, she was sitting in the back of my barbershop, working on her computer and said, ‘You won’t believe what I did. I put in the application for aliyah.”In August, 2015, the Maldonado family made aliyah to Beit El, where they lived for three years. Yosef started off in Israel by cleaning the streets and offices. “I had the idea to open my own barbershop, but Jerusalem was too expensive. We had five kids by then. I was afraid.” A friend from Buffalo who had made aliyah to Beersheba invited the family to spend Shabbat in their home. “I really liked it. My wife was excited too!” The children were less happy having to give up their good friends in Beit El. At the time, one daughter was in Sherut Leumi, serving in Beersheba.
Maldonado never lost hope of opening his own barbershop. In January, 2020, he opened the shop. “It was a dream come true. Then, a month and a half later, we had our first lockdown due to COVID. People were afraid to come. I was nervous. We opened, and then there was a second lockdown. We had no customers. And I had a big family – six kids by then. The three COVID lockdowns hurt a lot, but thank God, we have been able to reopen and build more customers.”
Maldonado now cuts hair for many US soldiers from a base 20 minutes from his shop. “People from Chicago, Tampa, Utah – they all come here for haircuts.” The Spanish-speaking community also comes. “Cubans, Argentinians, Chileans, Brazilians. I feel like I will have to learn Portuguese! I also cut hair for Bedouin, Arabs, everyone!
”Maldonado thanks God that his wife has been so supportive and patient, though “there were times she thought I should close the store and get a paycheck.” She has continued to contribute to family finances by working at a local kindergarten.
The six children have adjusted well to life in Israel and Beersheba. “I thank God every day that they have adjusted so well.” Two years ago, the Maldonado’s welcomed their sixth child and first Sabra to the family.
Maldonado is pleased that he has realized his dream and persevered. “If you don’t just do it, you will always wonder… I have so much hope. It is how much you want it.”
YOSEF MALDONADO, 44 FROM PUERTO RICO/MIAMI TO BEERSHEBA, 2015
The Washington Wizards player says he’d like to continue being a goodwill ambassador for Israel and Judaism, much like his friend and mentor Omri Casspi did during his 10 years in the NBA.
Deni Avdija took one look at all of the members of the Israeli media on the Zoom screen armed with questions and joked that he was worried he’d miss the Washington Wizards team flight to Toronto. The Wizards kicked off the NBA regular season on Oct. 20 with a victory against the Toronto Raptors. Avdija had eight points and one assist in 21 minutes of playing time.
Avdija has worked hard to come back from his April 21 season that ended with a fracture in his right ankle. “I always play the hardest I can and want to be perfect from the beginning,” he says.
Yet he knows this isn’t always realistic. “The people I love tell me it doesn’t come right away. I was rushing to be faster than before, to score more. I know I should just be patient and just be better every day.”
The 20-year-old Israeli is a tough competitor and even tougher self-critic. He also shows signs of maturity and insight as he enters his second NBA season.
Coach Wes Unseld has high hopes for Avdija and anticipates him having a “bigger role” on the team. “He has the capability to be a playmaker. We will move him around to understand all five spots on the floor.”
Unseld also insists that Avdija earn his playing time. “He’s not there yet. He has to earn those minutes.”
Of course, Unseld actively continues to help Avdija develop his mental game. “We have a lot of confidence in Deni; we want him to have as much confidence in himself as we have in him. He just needs more—bottom line.”
Unseld notes that Tuesday’s final team pre-season practice was devoted to mental preparation.
He further shares that Avdija stays after practice regularly and asks questions in an effort to constantly improve and to master positions. He notes that he had made some mistakes in the team’s recent practice and wanted to better understand what he had done wrong. “Me and Anthony Gill stayed and brought three coaches to run all of our plays—we want to be perfect.”
Avdija has three goals for the upcoming seasons: to be more aggressive, more experienced and more confident. He also hopes to continue getting to know and enjoy his teammates. “We are doing stuff together. The off-the-court stuff is helping us on the court, too!”
Avdija says he’d also like to continue being a goodwill ambassador for Israel and Judaism, much like his friend and mentor Omri Casspi did during his 10 years in the NBA. Due to COVID precautions, he hasn’t yet had an opportunity to get to know the local Jewish community or interact with fans.
But he notes, “I try to implement a lot of Israeli atmosphere [into my daily life] with food, holidays, in every way that I can. I haven’t met the Jewish community yet, but I am excited and looking forward to doing many things together.”
He says he’s also looking forward to helping put “Israel on the map, as they say.”
For now, Avdija is focusing on the NBA season. “In the meantime, I am concentrating on my basketball, coming back from my injury, so I didn’t have a lot of time, but I believe that in the future, we will have great times.”
KINGSTON, N.Y.—Rabbi Y. Yitzhak Hecht’s sense of humor is as admirable as his sense of determination. When I arrived at Congregation Agudas Achim, he greeted me enthusiastically and playfully with his smartphone in hand, ready to capture my reaction when he introduced me to my namesake, longtime shul member Howard Blas.
“Howard Blas, meet Howard Blas!” exclaimed the rabbi as we moved along into the congregation’s library and beit midrash, where the he shared news of a state-of-the-art mikvah set to open on Oct. 24, offered updates on daily Torah classes he conducts online with other Hudson Valley rabbis and enthused about the ongoing expansion of Chabad of Ulster County—just 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of New York City and 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Albany.
When Hecht first walked into the synagogue 20 years ago, just a few days after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, the once-thriving 137-year-old Orthodox synagogue had fallen on hard times. The city and its Jewish community had been decimated by the departure of its biggest employer six years earlier. Only two people attended Simchat Torah services the year before, and the shul had six rabbis in seven years, recalls local potter and artist Howard Vichinsky.
But the congregation found the hard-working and good-natured rabbi and his wife, Leah, irresistible, and they have been serving and helping grow the community ever since. Their own family has grown as well with seven of their eight children natives of Kingston.
Today, with more people than ever before working remotely, Kingston is becoming a destination for Jewish families in search of open space, good air quality, scenic views, small-town warmth, culture and access to Jewish life. The quaint city on the west bank of the Hudson River has an area of 8.6 square miles and 1.3 square miles, and is about a two-hour commute from New York City.
At the groundbreaking for Kingston’s new mikvah are, l. to r. Rabbi Avrohom Boruch Itkin, Rabbi Y. Yitzhak Hecht, Leah Hecht, Binie Itkin. (File photo)
The Ups and Downs of a Hudson Valley City
Kingston has had many ups and downs in its history, briefly serving as New York State’s capital in 1777 before it was burned to the ground by the British. The city flourished in the 19th century when natural cement was discovered in the area, and with its proximity to the Hudson River and connection to the transcontinental railroad system, it became an important transportation hub.
Jewish families began to settle in the city; in 1864, Congregation Agudas Achim was established by Jewish immigrants from the city of Amdur in Belarus. In the early 20th century, Kingston’s coal and cement industries began to decline. Small machine manufacturing and garment production soon grew, followed by the biggest boom in the city’s history: the arrival of IBM.
In 1954, the computing giant built a 2.5 million-square-foot factory and research center in Kingston and employed more than 7,100 workers at its peak, making up as much as 30 percent of the local economy.
In 1995, IBM abruptly closed its doors and left the city, abandoning the factory. Thousands of people were impacted, and many simply left.
Blas, who has served as shul president four times, worked for IBM for four years. His in-laws have been connected to Kingston and to the Jewish community there for decades. His wife’s grandparents were members, and his daughter is the fifth generation to be davening here, Hecht tells Chabad.org. They have experienced Kingston’s ups and downs firsthand.
Blas recalls the years when the shul dwindled to only 25 members. “Chabad came in 2001. The Sept. 11 terror attacks happened that year, and Rabbi Hecht got here for Rosh Hashanah. The great energy he and his wife had at the start has only increased 10 times since then.”
“He started with a Sunday minyan, which we almost never had,” continues Blas. “Then he began Tuesday minyan with coffee and danishes.”
Blas credits fellow congregant, longtime president and dear friend Howard Vichinsky for getting him more involved in the shul. “I came because of him, and Shabbat was always a big thing for me.”
Today, the congregation has a daily morning minyan, and a full roster of services for locals and guests. The Kingston congregation is more than 150 years old.
Roots in the Community
The Hechts have roots in the area that date back to the rabbi’s childhood. In 1953, his grandparents, Rabbi J.J. and Rebbetzin Chava Hecht, founded Camp Emunah in Greenfield Park, N.Y. Camp Emunah is the first girl’s overnight camp in the world of Lubavitch. The Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—personally visited the camp. Of the three times the Rebbe travelled outside of New York City after ascending to the leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch, all three were to Camp Gan Israel and Camp Emunah.
Howard and Renee Vichinsky moved from Brooklyn to Kingston in 1983 and have been actively involved since 1984. “I have been president for the last 26 years and gabbai for seven years,” reports Howard proudly. He, too, experienced Kingston’s ups and downs and worked hard to keep the shul going.
He observes, “over time, things change in a rural community. Kids go to college and don’t come back. Jewish farmers no longer farm. Businesses close. By the late 90s, we were in low tide.” He pointed out sadly, “One Simchat Torah, me and another guy—we danced with the Torah.”
Vichinsky also emphasized the toll that IBM’s closing had on the community. “Losing 4,000 jobs in a community of 24,000 was a lot. The community took a big hit.”
As the community’s numbers dwindled, Vischinsky approached a rosh yeshivah in Monsey, N.Y., who agreed to send rabbinical students every other week to keep the shul alive. This arrangement went on for several years.
“In 2001, Rabbi Hecht knocked on my door and said, ‘I’d like to be the rabbi of the shul.” I explained, ‘There are reasons we don’t have a rabbi.’ Vichinsky was intrigued with Hecht’s unusual offer, acknowledging that “the congregation was a little nervous. They had no familiarity with Chabad. We took a chance, and it has been a wonderful partnership. It was the right combination. It is Chabad’s mission to bring in and bring Jews back to tradition. I have been very happy!”
Vichinsky details some of Hecht’s additional accomplishments, including the Jewish Summer Fellowship. “Ivy League Torah Study—a woman’s summer Torah-study program—needed a home, so we cut the social hall in half and made seven rooms.”
Seven beautifully furnished guest rooms are used regularly by visitors to the community. “There is a very good head trauma center in Kingston, and family members have stayed over several times. Or people who want to spend the High Holidays out in the country stay here.”
Vichinsky, a self-described baal teshuvah, enjoys learning and appreciates the many classes Hecht and other Chabad rabbis in the area give. “For me, it is an important part of my life.” Vichinsky participated in an earlier learning initiative of Hecht’s—a 10-year weekly study of the entire Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, the popular abridgement of the “Code of Jewish Law” authored by 19th-century Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried. Their efforts were celebrated in a communal siyyum (completion ceremony) in 2016.
Kingston’s Jewish community is looking forward to again gathered in town on Chanukah for the menorah lighting. (File photo)
A Daily Connection That Will Survive the Pandemic
Hecht has built an extensive learning program that involves other area shluchim and has continued virtually during the coronavirus pandemic, including Rabbi Mendy Karczag of Chabad of Woodstock, Rabbi Moshe Plotkin of Chabad of New Paltz, Rabbi Avrohom Itkin of Chabad of Greene County and Rabbi Shlomie Deren of Chabad of Ellenville. “Daily Connection classes were at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.—every 12 hours,” Hecht noted proudly. He invited the Woodstock rabbi to teach Tanya on Mondays, and the New Paltz rabbi to teach about holidays on Tuesdays. Hecht leads a “Shmooze with Friends” class on Wednesdays, and Rabbi Yaakov Raskin teaches parsha on Thursdays.
Hecht is proud of the learning program he has designed and built. “It is here to stay, no matter what, even after the pandemic.” And it reaches far beyond Kingston. Hecht references a member of the community who recently relocated to a small town in Mexico, noting that “she has her Yiddishkeit and community because of this.”
Vichinsky and Hecht speak with excitement about the mikvah, which will soon serve the community. Hecht has also helped expand the Chabad shluchim presence in Kingston and in Ulster County, noting that now “my sister and brother-in-law are here in Kingston. My brother and sister-in-law are 20 minutes away in Rhinebeck. And more young people are coming here.”
In addition, there has been a Chabad presence on the SUNY New Paltz campus—14 miles to the south—since the Plotkin family arrived 17 years ago. Vichinsky notes that “they do wonderful work with the college students. It gives them a religious alternative in a liberal college.”
Hecht has seen a shift in Kingston’s Jewish community over the years, “from mostly 50-year-oldplus adults who attended shul mostly on the High Holidays to younger singles and married couples in their upper 20s and 30s.”
He notes another important sign of growth—the fact that “we are slowly finding more kosher products in the stores.” Kingston isn’t far from major Jewish population centers with extensive selections of kosher food; both Monsey and Albany are an hour away.
The local Chabad shluchim have also found a creative solution for helping their children receive a Jewish education. “Four shluchim families drive their kids each day to Albany,” reports Hecht.
Families relocating from urban areas are already finding Kingston to be a desirable destination. Vichinsky has already noticed that “some families left the city during Covid and came to Kingston. It is touted as a place to be.”
Musician Ellie Macias had been planning to relocate from Brooklyn to Kingston even before the pandemic. In 2018, as their children got older and some were already out of the house, he and his wife purchased a house in Historic Hurley. They completed renovations just before March 2020. “Being in nature was very attractive.” Macias noticed a movement of others seeking an “alternative lifestyle and wanting to be in nature.”
Kingston’s cultural life also appealed to Macias. “There is a movement of musicians to the Hudson Valley. It has become a center for musicians.” Macias, originally from Gibraltar, studied Ladino Flamenco and jazz guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He now has a recording studio in his house.
Macias has noticed some young couples moving into town and feels there is “potential for more people to start to come.”
He acknowledges that the marketing of a shul can be a challenge. But he credits Hecht for his ongoing efforts to grow the community. “They are a great team, and they are amazing shluchim in terms of how much they give of themselves. They know everyone and genuinely enjoy chatting with everyone,” says Macias.
Macias is particularly pleased by the thriving congregation, as he has been saying kaddish daily this year in the synagogue thanks to the minyan there.
He also sees great potential in the future of Kingston as a whole: “It is a well-kept secret but once people know about this ideal lifestyle, they will come.”
Vichinsky feels the secret is already getting out. “Chabad in the Hudson Valley has grown exponentially over the last decade,” he says. As Hecht steps back and reflects on what the shluchim families have accomplished thus far in Ulster County, he reports: “This is what the Rebbe wanted from us—to see and feel a need, and to fill the needs of the community.”
