Classic Edition Mobile Edition

This website is dedicated in memory of Helen & Ben Kershenbaum and Ceil & Nat Nathanson

Help Available for Those In Need

The Young Israel of West Hempstead has compiled information on various career counseling, financial assistance and other resources for families experiencing economic hardship. Our shul urges those needing services to take advantage of these programs while others are encouraged to contribute to the best of their ability.

See below for a brief listing of services followed by descriptions of these useful employment and financial resources:

The West Hempstead Food Bank

The West Hempstead Food Bank offers fresh food, a fully-stocked pantry of dry goods and weekly distribution of Tomchei Shabbos packages to those in our neighborhood in need of food. The distribution methods have been designed to ensure confidentiality and the anonymity of the recipients; even the volunteers involved with the Food Bank do not know the identity of the recipients.

Store-bought dry goods can be deposited in the Food Bin located outside the Rabbi’s office, at the other shuls in West Hempstead or at I&D Glatt. The food bin and I&D is only for food bought at I&D and then donated. I&D gives a 15% discount for the donated food.  Checks can be made payable to the Young Israel of West Hempstead with ‘Food Bank’ indicated on the memo line. Cash donations can also be made at any of the local establishments, including BagelTown, EJs Too, Hunkis, I&D Glatt, The Chocolate Tree and Wing Wan.

An individual’s identity is not a requirement to obtain food. Visit the website to understand how the Food Bank provides services to those in need in West Hempstead while maintaining complete confidentiality. whfoodbank.org 

Tomchei Shabbos

Packages of food prepared by Tomchei Shabbos of Queens are available to be picked up on a weekly basis at the West Hempstead Food Bank.

To ensure your privacy, the Tomchei Shabbos package will not be delivered to your home. The package of food will be available for you at the West Hempstead Food Bank. If you would like more information about Tomchei Shabbos in West Hempstead and how you can obtain a weekly package, please visit whfoodbank.org.

To make contributions to Tomchei Shabbos - please contact David Lubin.

There is a related program to reduce your food shopping bill by 30% - contact Rabbi Kelemer for more info.

Stop and Shop Card Program

Stop and Shop cards are available confidentially from Rabbi Kelemer. You can use these cards to buy food at any Stop and Shop Supermarket. (The cards are the same cards that are available for purchase at the supermarkets, ensuring confidentiality and discreetness).

 

 

Rabbi’s Fund and Sarah Moskowitz Loan Fund

These funds are to provide those in need with significant financial help as determined by Rabbi Kelemer. The funds are administered by Rabbi Kelemer and obviously all requests are confidential and discreet. You may contact Rabbi Kelemer at (516) 481-7429, extension #1.

The Sarah Moskowitz Free Loan Fund was started in 1994, with the express purpose of providing interest free loans to members of the West Hempstead community who have lost their jobs or suffered some other temporary financial setback. The fund was dedicated in memory of Avi Moskowitz's mother, Sarah Moskowitz, who was known for her chesed activities and who ran a free loan fund in Boro Park for many years before her untimely death at the age of 45 in 1978.
The maximum loan available from the fund is $2500. The fund is administered by Rabbi Kelemer and he is the only person who is aware of the identity of the recipients of loans. Since its inception, the fund has made of loans totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because the money raised is loaned rather than given as gifts, the repayment of the loans enables the money to circulate over and over again.
 

The Eliezer Project

The Eliezer Project offers career counseling, financial assistance and other resources to families experiencing economic hardship with the goal of restoring financial stability to each household. Our shul urges those needing services to take advantage of the program while others are encouraged to contribute to the best of their ability.

The Eliezer project provides the following services and more:

  • Employment counseling and job placement
  • Financial planning and budget management
  • Assistance with debt modification legal and consumer advocacy
  • Referrals to health care and mental health professionals
  • Help with critical living necessities

The Eliezer Project is located at 466 Central Avenue, on the second floor. To apply for services or to volunteer your professional assistance, please visit eliezerproject.org or call (516) 284-2942.  To contact the staff via e-mail:

Executive Director Gideon Bari: gbari@eliezerproject.org
Employment Director Ellen Aronovitz: ellen@eliezerproject.org
Financial Manager Esthy Hersch: esthy@eliezerproject.org

UJA Connect to Care

The UJA Connect to Care initiative provides

  • Employment and career-transition services
  • Financial consulting, debt counseling, and budget assistance
  • Legal services
  • Supportive counseling and Jewish spiritual care

For help and additional information, contact connect-to-care@ujafedny.org or call UJA-Federation’s J11 information and referral center at 1-877-UJA-NYJ11 (1-877-852-6951). Or click here to find a Connect to Care center near you.

Yeshiva University Career Development Center

YU Alumni Career Development Center created a web page in an effort to provide resources to assist alumni in conducting career and industry research, searching for jobs, and preparing for interviews, whether you are thinking about advancing in your current field or making a career transition. Click here for the Career Development Center website.

Additionally, job postings for alumni are posted here (note: the majority of these positions are geared towards alumni approximately 3+ years out of undergraduate. For recent alumni, you can still check YU CareerLink for positions).

Other PAGE CONTENTS
Resources for Career Research and Exploration
Resources for Conducting a Job Search
YU InfoLink (informational interviewing database)
Upcoming Events
 

Career and Job Counseling

Rabbi Kelemer may be able to refer you to a career and job counselor. 

United Jewish Council Career Center.  Contact them at 212-477-8644, avivaujc@aol.com or via the web at http://www.ujces.org/Training4.htm. All of the United Jewish Council’s services are free of charge.

Resume Writing and Networking

Our community has over 650 family members. This provides a strong networking base to post your resume. Bob Shelly is available to help you in this process. You can choose to send out your resume to as many of our members as you wish. You can do this confidentially (without stating your name, e mail or address) or if you wish you can do this by sharing your name , email, address). You can contact Bob Shelly at Rshelly827@aol.com 

JOB LISTINGS- JOB BANKS

YIWH Resources:

To list job listings: Please contact Scott Moskowitz at moskowitzscott@gmail.com.  If you know of any job listings, please send them to this email address only. Rabbi Kelemer, shul employees and board members will need to forward your email to Scott if you send job listings to them. 

To access the job listings: Visit the YIWH Job Bank at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/yiwhjobs/ Search and/or join the list to get jobs and advice emailed directly to you. In addition to job openings, Scott regularly posts information regarding interviewing, resumes, LinkedIn advice and other job tools for those looking for employment.

LinkedIn:

We also suggest you join www.linkedin.com and link to Bob Shelly and Scott Moskowitz, and try to search for a job in our network. Please join the LinkedIn Young Israel of West Hempstead YIWH group to help grow your personal network. LinkedIn also enables you to get introduced to people within companies you may be applying for.

OU Job Board:

We suggest you take advantage of their free or inexpensive Job workshops and webinars as well as other resources located at www.ou.org/jobs

Contact Srulie (Michael) Rosner at the OU for their job board:
Srulie (Michael) Rosner Director
OU Job Board-"Changing your life-forever"
11 Broadway New York, NY 10004

rosnerm@ou.org or jobs@ou.org

We suggest posting resume directly onto the Resume Board/Job Board which enables you to edit your resume content at any time. Should the OU post your resume for you, you will not have this ability.

To post your resume on the OU Job Board, go to www.ou.org/jobs/addresume and follow the instructions on that page.

Emergency Parnossah Initiative

EPI has launched multiple programs to address the family needs and business requirements of those who have lost their income source. To use their resources to look for a job or tell them about job openings that you are aware of, call them at (212) 612-0202, or visit their website epinetworking.org.

Summary of Job Bank Sites

Jewish Organizations Other
YIWH Job Bank Monster.com
The Eliezer Project CareerBuilders.com
Hatzlacha Job Bank HotJobs.com
National Council YI Job Bank Dice.com (tech jobs)
OU Job Bank Indeed.com
Emergency Parnossa Initiative LinkedIn Jobs

Gemachs

A comprehensive and extensive lists of a wide variety of gemachs is available by contacting the shul secretary.

There is a NY Gemach hotline to get info:  718-436-0678. 

Gemilas Chessed Magazine, a free magazine handout placed in local stores, periodically publishes a list of local gemachs.  

Kallah Magazine has a broad listing of Wedding Gemachs on their website which can be found here

Short Term Counseling

The PICC program (Partners in Community Care) has a part-time social worker at the Friedberg JCC in Oceanside available for short term individual and family counseling. Rachel Bruckenstein, LMSW can be reached at 516-766-4341 x131 for more information and to make an appointment.