Rabbi Paysach Krohn speaks for OJC Motzai Shabbos Dec. 30.

We all know our children are our future. Our Jewish Children is a Queens- based organization and an affiliate of Chazaq, that helps fund students to attend yeshiva and to stay in yeshiva, who would otherwise attend public school.

BH, over the past decade we have funded many students per year in various yeshivas. Due to Chazaq’s major initiative the past two years, we are now funding 80 students.

There are 10,000 children Jewish children attending public school in Queens. Sadly, Queens has the largest number of Jewish children attending public school of any borough in New York. Rabbi Yigal Haimoff spoke about this on Tisha B’Av. He called it a chilul Hashem. Jewish education, as we know, is the single most important way to stave off intermarriage and assimilation. Our Jewish Children is run by this writer’s husband and this writer. During Chazaq’s yeshiva night in August, we met many parents and children who want to send their children to yeshiva. It is heart-wrenching to hear so many difficult stories of families who because of finances are not able to send their children to yeshiva. How can we say no to someone who wants to send their child to yeshiva? We can’t! While sitting there collecting pages of names and listening to parents who really want the best for their children, I felt frustrated because we don’t have the ability to fund all of them. Then I thought of something I heard in the name of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a” h. She said that sometimes even if you can’t do anything, it helps for others to know you feel their pain. Thinking about this helped me deal with the fact that even though I can’t promise everyone tuition help now, I can daven to be able to help everyone. Our Jewish Children needs your help to help bring more children to yeshiva. This past year, in response to Chazaq ‘s initiative to move students in public schools into yeshiva, it multiplied its commitment by a factor of 700%. Before the event, it had already committed to assist 25 new students to attend yeshiva in this upcoming year not only in New York City and its suburbs, but also in Miami and Denver. That commitment is continuing to grow. Our Jewish Children cannot do this alone, just as Chazaq cannot do this alone. The community needs to step up and help with donations. R’ Meirov pointed out that there are another thousand who didn’t come to the yeshiva night event. I just sat there thinking about all those many years ago when I was in college and we went to so many rallies to try to free the Jews in the Soviet Union. B”H, so many of our Russian brothers and sisters came to America. Now, a new generation of children needs to have the gift of a Jewish education. This is what we prayed for all those years ago.

Our Jewish Children greatly needs assistance to help fund these students in yeshiva. Our Jewish Children is a registered 501(c)(3) charity, and is fully tax-deductible. It has no salaries, and all work is volunteer. It’s only expenses are related to publicizing its mission to seek out funding. Please take advantage of the opportunity to gain a share in the tremendous mitzvah of enabling Jewish children to learn about their heritage, and help build the future of Judaism in the United States. Tax deductible donations can be made to Our Jewish Children, 147-37 70th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367 or at www.ourjewishchildren.com.

“This is an eternal investment,” Mr. Robbie Neuman, noted. “Investing in Our Jewish Children is like Chickens for Shabbos.” IY”H, may all the thousands of Jewish children in Queens and all over the world leave public school and enroll in yeshiva and may we stop assimilation and inter-marriage and bring Mashiach now. Our organization needs the community’s help to meet this financial obligation and IY”H, our goal is that every Jewish child in America should be able to attend yeshiva. IY”H, Rabbi Paysach Krohn will be speaking at 147-37 70th Avenue, Kew Gardens Hills (the Garber home) next motza’ei Shabbos, December 30 at 9:15pm. Please come and show your support and enjoy sushi and a great speaker! For more information, please call, 718 268-2448.