By COLlive reporter
Photos: Shimi Kutner/COLlive
The new board of directors of Associated Beth Rivkah Schools of Crown Heights hosted a cozy rooftop barbecue to connect with parents of students and discuss the plans they have for the future.
On a rooftop deck at the Crown Condos, members mingled and answered questions as the crowd enjoyed the sunset view of New York City, grilled delicacies, and live entertainment by singers Eli Levin and Mendy J.
“Many people don’t fully comprehend the enormity of the many challenges that we took on when we entered the school,” Yerachmeal Jacobson, a real estate businessman and board member, told COLlive.
“The school is in years’ worth of heavy debt, and at the same time, many people are not paying their tuition bills,” he said, referring to the school’s financial woes and the board’s efforts to begin the upcoming school year smoothly.
Due to past debts still being paid down, the new board is still working to settle the finances, and plans to finish paying the teachers for past due payrolls, he said.
“We have secured the funds for payroll owed the teachers,” Jacobson said, pointing out that “they are owed from before we were instated as the board.”
An idea to help parents cover their children’s tuition, even if their finances are low, is to hold a raffle program in which parents will sell raffle tickets in exchange for tuition, “dollar for dollar.”
Before the new school year, the board is working to make sure that all families reach a tuition agreement to ensure timely payments from all students, as Bais Rivkah is a community school which accepts all of the community’s children.
“We are working with all parents,” Jacobson said. “This is the Rebbe’s school, everyone will be accepted. Those who need to supplement their payments can sell raffle tickets, which will be counted as tuition.”
Bais Rivkah’s Director of Development Rabbi Moshe Pinson said that the purpose of the barbecue was for parents to “get together, to see that there is a dedicated group of people that is working behind the scenes, day and night, to make a difference.”
In addition to Jacobson, members of the board are Rabbi Avrohom Shemtov, Chairman, Mr. Mendy Gansburg, Rabbi Ephraim Goldfein, Mr. Dovid Junik, Mr. Yoseph Kazarnovsky, Mr. Yigal Niasoff, Mr. Itchik Orimland and Mr. Dovid Sputz.
Jacobson remarked that their motivation to take on the leadership role came when the news was announced last year that a new Chabad Center is opening in South Dakota, the last remaining state in the U.S. that didn’t have Shluchim.
He said it was a somber wake-up call to him and some of his friends. “Everyone was celebrating that Chabad finally conquered every state, but ironically, our own flagship Chabad school was closed that week, with the teachers on strike,” he recalled.
“That gave us the push to realize, this is just not right,” Jacobson said. “We have the biggest Chabad school in the world in our backyard, and it’s not functioning. If we don’t get involved, then who will?”
Jacobson said the school plans in the future to maintain “an open dialogue between board and parents, board and teachers, and teachers and parents. This is just the first such event of many in the future.”
Assisting Pinson’s work is Rabbi Yossi Baumgarten, a Crown Heights resident, who has recently been hired as Assistant Director of Development for the school.
Baumgarten says there are many new programs in the works, such as the new raffle program. A gala dinner is also being planned for sometime in the near future, and Pushkas will be distributed to all Crown Heights homes.
“Our goal is to not only survive but thrive,” Baumgarten told COLlive. “This is our school, this is our community. We are educating the future mothers, Shluchos and leaders in Chabad. Charity begins at home.”
Oholei Torah, Lubavitcher Yeshiva and Bnos Menachem all have substantial funds coming in from renting their halls.
Bais Rivkah does not.
Why? Lack of sufficient air conditioning.
Dear Board Members – please invest in bringing the hall up to par, and you will see an easy half million dollars a year ROI [return on investment].
An added benefit will be the availability of more simcha spots in CH.
You hit the nail on the head !!
Your comment is 1000% correct
Through -the -roof rent prices is not allowing us to pay
Tuition (and other important expenses) properly !!!
For all those complaining why women were not invited,please keep in mind two things. 1. The board members are all male. 2. Mingling between men and women is assur. Remember that Bais Rivkah is the Rebbe’s Mossad! Thank you to all the Board Members who are working to save our Mossad. As long as you remember who you are working for, I am sure you will be successful. Moshiach Now!
why not have a chinese auction?
I mean bais rivkah hasnt really done any actual fundraisers since it was started, no dinners or auctions or things like that.
It is demeaning to a parent who is busy raising a family and working to be ordered to sell raffle tickets after their exhausting days. Political advocacy for tax dollar funding for parochial school education is what the Rebbe wanted.
Finally BH. הצלחה
Thanks to the board for all your time and dedication
Great! Legendary comment!
I know its not all mothers there, but u bring up a good point.
המעשה הוא העיקר
Thank you to all the board members who dedicated themselves to making br thrive! They should be blessed
Catskill Mountains
Geographical feature
The Catskill Mountains lie in southeastern New York State. The area is known for the Catskill Forest Preserve, with its rich wildlife and hiking trails, and ski resorts including Hunter Mountain and Belleayre Mountain. The Hudson River School Art Trail includes the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill village, plus sites like Kaaterskill Falls and Sunset Rock, which inspired 19th-century landscape painters.
Highest point: Slide Mountain
Im sick of the commenst above complaining about no women….always same parenst bla bla bla!!! Maybe its because its ALWAYS the SAME parents volunteering and getting involved. Thank you to the board for all your hard work and i hope you continue in your success and prove all the naysayers wrong. I have faith in you and commend you for getting into this difficult mess…not sure i would be able to.
Let’s hope there will be real positive change
Where are the women? An all-girls school and not ONE woman on the board? Ridiculous.
They came up with an idea, I’m sure they have more but from all these articles there are so many excuses for why parents can’t possibly pay more, or how ludicrous it is to volunteer or ask for someone to buy a raffle ticket! I’m a bt who was raised by a single mother. Us not going to public school was so important she managed to work 50 hour weeks plus commuting in California is so much time in itself. We were always reminded the importance of this act, because our Jewish education mattered. Mind you she was paying 15k… Read more »
Amazing… All events feature exactly the same set of parents. Out of thousand girls in school…..always the same 25 people.
Regardless, I respect the board for giving of their time, effort and money to stabilize the school and set it on a course of financial accountability and transparency which will help it function, grow and be what it really can.
We all gain if they are successful.
This board is def putting up with a pretty hi pressure position. I hope they got to relax a bit
We as a community are very lucky to have these outstanding men on the board of bais rivkah!! They are working tirelessly to help build up the REBBES SCHOOL! Bh bais rivkah will be seeing BRIGHTER days ahead with only change for the GOOD!!!
Thank you to the new board for all they are doing. However I don’t think raffle tickets is the solution. First of all its embarrassing. Second of all, its once again shoving the tuition back into the parents court. Third of all, its petty cash. We need to learn from Boro Park etc. Their Yeshivos charge low tuition & they do not shove it back into the parent’s court. Rather they have set up a proffessional fundraising apparatus. They have a number of fundraisers. In other heimishe kehillos the mosdos don’t pressure the parents as much. They understand that the… Read more »
In the Seryan community all attendees would pre-wire 10K-25K to show up to event !! I’m affraidd no one has done that.
Looking forward to the positive change much luck
Hatzlacha Rabba!
Raffle tickets sound nice in theory.
But who will they call?
Who will buy the tickets? Relatives?
For Parents that are very poor and struggling to make ends meet, this could be very shameful and extremely stressful experience.
Selling raffle tickets is a good idea if parents thought like businessmen and had businessman personalities ( but then maybe they’d be in buisness and doing well , and not needing to sell raffle tickets!)
My dear friends please please remember , we are paying INSANE rent. HOW can we demand our YOUNG HARDWORKING MIDDLE CLASS COUPLES TO PAY EVEN MORE!! WE are the ones that dont get ANY benefits!!! EVery trip to the store costs at least a hundred dollars. ITS ALL CONNECTED!!! Stable rent will help people have a open hand towards tuition!!!
and no woman invited. Doesn’t seem to make much sense.
Were the mothers of those future chabad leaders included in this event?