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When I tell people that Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer zt”l was my rabbi before he came to West Hempstead, they immediately think that I am from Brookline, Massachusetts. After all, Rabbi Kelemer was the rabbi there from the early 1970s until 1983, when he became the rav of the Young Israel of West Hempstead. However, I never lived in Brookline (a Yankees fan in Boston?), so how was Rabbi Kelemer my rav? Simple! The first congregational position Rabbi Kelemer ever held was as the rav in Congregation Sons of Israel – Ahavas Achim of Middle Village, Queens – where I was born and raised!

Introducing Mission: Siyum

Shuvu was founded by Moreinu Horav Avrohom Pam ZT”L three decades ago on the simple belief: Every immigrant Jew should have the schools and support to connect to their heritage and thrive in Eretz Yisroel. 

With the passing of Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer, the West Hempstead Jewish Community has lost its pillar of nearly four decades. Rabbi Kelemer was as essential to the town as any of the institutions that reside there. He was the Rav to countless thousands over multiple generations, and no device has been invented that can measure the impact he had.

Introducing Mission: Siyum

Shuvu was founded by Moreinu Horav Avrohom Pam ZT”L three decades ago on the simple belief: Every immigrant Jew should have the schools and support to connect to their heritage and thrive in Eretz Yisroel. 

A Sibling’s Story

For as long as I can remember, I knew my brother wasn’t like other kids his age. There was something very special but different about him. Avi is only 20 months younger than me, but as I grew and matured, he lagged behind.  Even so, we were always very close: goofy, sweet Avi and his protective older sister.

A mob, including a man with a tee shirt saying Camp Auschwitz, incited by the President of the United States, ransacked the US Capitol. Some of them may well have been the same “good people” who marched with torches through Charlottesville shouting, “Jews will not replace us.” As rioters trashed the Capitol, carrying the Confederate battle flags, others placed that same symbol of racism on the Museum of Jewish Heritage here in New York.