Hachnasas Orchim, Mishkolc, Hungary 1945

After miraculously surviving Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, my mother, Chana Leah (Manyi) bas Gershon, a"h (1923-2001), returned to her hometown of Edeleny, Hungary, to find it Judenrein. There, she learned her parents and most of her family had been murdered in the Holocaust.

Non-Jewish neighbors, to whom the family had given their valuable possessions for safekeeping, returned her father's kiddush cup, one pair of her mother's earrings, and two family pictures.

"That's all there is," the neighbors told her, even as her mother's custom-made curtains hung in plain sight. My mother proceeded to Miskolc (Mishkoltz), the closest large city with a sizeable Jewish remnant population.

My paternal grandfather, Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Tannenbaum, zt"l (1887-1980), heir to the Verpeleter rabbinate and later rav of the Sanzer Beis Medrash of Tsefas, was given a huge apartment house complex in Mishkoltz upon his marriage to Esther Rivka nee Horowitz, a"h Hy"d (1885-1944), of the renowned Horowitz-Margareten family.

His mother-in-law, Leah Horowitz, a"h Hy"d (1851-1944), was a celebrated tzaddekes. She ran a 24/7 open kitchen (soup kitchen) for the poor in that apartment house complex. She was known to be strict in demanding that the orchim (guests) wash and pronounce berachos aloud.

My grandfather, one of the few "older" Holocaust survivors, returned to his home in Mishkoltz. There, he retook the apartment complex and reactivated his late mother-in-law's soup kitchen. He also used apartments to provide free lodging for orphan girls who had no other place to stay. Food was procured by my father, Moshe Yaakov (Miki) Tannenbaum, z"l (1921-1980), who survived the Munka Tabor, Hungary's Jewish slave labor conscription, as well as capture by the Russian army, "organized" food from various black markets to feed his father's guests.

My grandfather had an ulterior motive. He sought a shidduch for my father. Discerning an exceptional eishes chayil in the orphan girl from Edeleny, my grandfather happily found a kallah for my father. My great-grandmother's hachnasas orchim was rewarded by her grandson's marriage, invei hagefen b'invei hagefen, and all of his progeny.

Igud Horabbonim At Masbia Flatbush

Every Rosh Chodesh the Rabbinical Alliance of America - Igud Horabbonim - celebrates Rosh Chodesh with a formal seudah (as detailed in the Shulchan Aruch (Orech Chayyim 419:1), hosted by a synagogue, institution, or organization. Prominent member rabbis deliver lectures to assembled scholars and discuss and resolve issues that confront and challenge Torah observance.

On Thursday evening, October 27, the Rosh Chodesh Conference for Cheshvan 5772 was hosted by Masbia of Flatbush on Coney Island Avenue. The conference inaugurated the 21^st year of monthly conferences originally established by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, zt"l (1929-2010), late Rishon Letziyon and Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel.

Every Rosh Chodesh, two member rabbis of the Igud, each a respected scholar, share insights, inspiration, and timely Torah thoughts. The conference at Masbia Flatbush introduced member rabbis firsthand, to the important functions and services provided by Masbia - hachnasas orchim perfected at the community level.

Masbia is a nonprofit soup kitchen network and food pantry, providing hot, nutritious glatt kosher meals daily for hundreds of New Yorkers in desperate need of food. Every week, in addition, Masbia hands out hundreds of weekend take-home packages of groceries.

Established in 2005, Masbia expanded in 2009 from one kitchen and dining hall in Boro Park, to a four-kitchen network throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Branch Masbia open kitchens are located in Boro Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg and Rego Park.

The soup kitchens are designed to look like upscale restaurants - without cash registers. (The Flatbush facility had previously been an expensive eatery.) Meals are prepared by accomplished chefs. Upon entry, one sees only the elegant decor and an army of volunteers continually bringing delicious gourmet food from the kitchen to the smorgasbord setting from which guests select whatever they want - and as much as they desire -from the dozens of food choices.

Many of the volunteers are students at local yeshivas and Beis Yaakovs, fulfilling their personal missions of chesed. Guests are seated at smartly appointed tables, and food is brought to their place settings by waiters and waitresses. Masbia facilities open at 4 p.m. and serve the last meal at 8:40 p.m. During regular hours on Thursdays, Shabbos packages are available for pick up.

Since its opening six years ago, Masbia has served more than 400,000 meals, which means thousands of people (many of them children and elderly) have not gone to bed hungry.

Masbia has recently developed two new initiatives. Masbia actively networks with New York State farmers and CSA (community supported agriculture) programs in order to obtain fresh and local produce donations.

This year Masbia established its Weekend Take-Home Package (Shabbos) program at all four soup kitchen sites. Through this program alone, Masbia has distributed more than 72,000 meals for people to take home.

The year has been one of incredible overall growth for Masbia, which has had a nearly 300 percent increase in meal distribution, serving more than 150,000 meals to New York City's hungry in the current fiscal year alone.

Though Masbia's vision has expanded in its scope and range, it is nevertheless guided by the organization's original mission statement: "To provide hot, nutritious meals to the needy free of charge."

Masbia works with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and, needless to say, contributions are most welcome. For more information, e-mail info@masbia.org.

Rabbi Alexander Rapaport, Masbia Executive Director

Addressing the more than 30 assembled rabbis at the Rosh Chodesh Conference, Masbia Executive Director Rabbi Alexander Rapaport described the everyday functioning of the Masbia locations.

He also shared a special function Masbia was fulfilling at that moment: The day's inclement weather had caused a power blackout at a local Jewish institution and Masbia was called upon to provide and deliver several hundred meals for hungry residents at the institution. The meals were needed that very day and for however long the power outage would persist.

Though it severely taxed Masbia's resources, the special request was fulfilled. As the assembled rabbis watched, the meals were carried out of the kitchen on their way to the needy institution.

Kobesdorfer Rav on Tzedakah

While the rabbis sat at Masbia's tables, Rabbi Leibish Koenig, Kobesdorfer Rav, expounded on halachic insights of tzedakah. It was a fitting location - the Masbia setting served to intensify the discussion of the meaning and purpose of tzedakah.

Rabbi Eliyahu Kirsh on Cheshvan

While it continued to rain outside, the rabbis enjoyed the warmth of Masbia's elegant environment as well as the delicious meal. Rabbi Eliyahu Kirsh, rav at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton, New Jersey, presented an in-depth analysis of the new month's name. It is called Mar-Cheshvan as well as Cheshvan. Rabbi Kirsh explained the origins of the different names and their applications. Rabbi Kirsh also touched on the halachic consequences of using the wrong name for wedding contracts and divorce documents.

Albert Kahan, Rosh Chodesh Sponsor

The Rosh Chodesh seudah hosted by Masbia Flatbush was sponsored by Albert Kahan.

Beginning his efforts in 2002 together with Jeff (Yochanan) Kirshblum, Albert has achieved spectacular success in his campaign for yeshiva teachers, men and women, have life insurance policies. More than half of all yeshivas in America now have their teachers covered.

Albert and Yochanan are not insurance agents, and neither is involved with any insurance company. Irrespective of its success, the campaign is being pressed forward by Albert until it reaches a 100 percent success rate, so that tragedy-stricken families are not left without the means to raise and marry off all their children.

In April 2007, the Igud Horabbonim presented Albert Kahn with a Certificate of Honor in recognition of his ongoing campaign and significant achievement in having Jewish educational institutions implement life insurance policies for their teachers.

In May 2006, Albert was the Guest of Honor at Agudath Israel's 84th anniversary dinner, at which his efforts were given their just recognition.

By his sponsorship of the Igud Rosh Chodesh Conference at Masbia, Albert Kahan sent a message. Families adequately covered by life insurance will not have to resort to the exemplary services of Masbia.

Read Comments (0)