Editorial: A good way to end the year

In the space of one day, over 5,000 people clicked on The Jewish Star’s website to read about how the Five Towns and Far Rockaway Jewish community helped stranded El Al passengers at JFK airport.

As you can read on our front page story, an “avalanche” of kindness occurred when Rabbi Benzion Klatzko reached out to the community to help the passengers, 225 of whom were college students on their way to Israel to learn more about being Jewish.

Truthfully, we can’t think of a better way to show people what it means to be Jewish than the acts of kindness perpetuated by members of the community. Yashacoach to Brach’s, Gourmet Glatt, Supersol and the dozens of community members and organizations who pitched in (we hope you’ll forgive us for not naming them all individually). Special kudos to Achiezer for their help, especially in what was an exceptionally busy day for the community-resource organization.

Every so often, we get to face a pleasant truth: Far Rockaway and the Five Towns are nice places to live — filled with caring individuals with deep concern for their neighbors. If there’s one thing to take from the story it’s that we’re a community that takes care of its own. Whether it’s attending a rally for an imprisoned Jewish man all the way in Iowa or braving snowy-icy roads to deliver bagels and crates of Tootsie Rolls. The blizzard of 2010 has got nothing on us.

This was a wonderful way to end 2010.

But we feel inclined to add one last thing; by the time you read this editorial, it will be Dec. 30 and the year won’t be over yet. This means that we all have an extra day to show how good of a community we are. While the passengers on El Al flight 002 are now safely in Israel, there is still much work to be done, both locally and nationally.

Families in our community are still struggling to make it through the recession; ask anyone who works at Achiezer and the Eliezer. Israel is still under attack, be it through the media or through actual terrorists.

Additionally, we believe that our outreach shouldn’t be confined to the Jewish community. Chaim Dovid will be performing with a Latin swing band on Jan. 5 to benefit the Five Towns One Community Fund, which provides necessary services to less fortunate families.

Like the passengers stuck overnight in the airport, we’re on our way to the promised land, but we’re not there yet.