2024 Journal Dinner

The Young Israel of Holliswood’s annual dinner is  back and is pleased to have JJ and Rachel Klein as this year’s honorees. 

JJ and Rachel Klein have been members of the Holliswood community since 2010 when they moved in with their 3 kids - Lana, Kerenna and crazy haired baby Judah. They had never spent a Shabbat here or frankly knew much about what they were getting themselves into, but had heard that Holliswood was “eclectic and friendly”. They decided that those were characteristics they liked so why not just buy a house? JJ and Rachel figured if all else failed, they’d invite their friends over for Shabbos and make do. They were soon put on the recruitment committee and between their Shabbos invites, lengthy emails describing the beauty of Holliswood and “Discover Holliswood” Shabbatons, they helped in getting the Schicks, Zweihorns, Farbers, Chernikoffs, Starks, Marks, Daniels, Brombergs and Adlers to move in. (We won’t list all the families who chose to move out during the Kleins 13.5 years here). 

JJ was quickly recruited to join the Shpiel committee. He was given a choice to either write for shpiel or wear a dress on stage. Somewhat surprisingly, he chose to write, but then all he did was volunteer Rachel to write instead. Rachel joined the shpiel writing committee the following year so she could tell the other writers to make things funnier and have an excuse to buy all the snacks she could find at the supermarket. JJ atoned for his sins by consistently wearing a kilt to the Young Israel of Holliswood’s annual golf tournaments. 

JJ found a role better suited for his talents and became the President of the Young Israel of Holliswood’s kiddush club. He isn’t just the president but also its most active member. JJ and Rachel self-appointed themselves as the unofficial committee to Make Holliswood Fun Again. They helped organize chulent cook offs, crazy sock Shabboses, and other community fun-raising events.

 In addition to having fun in Holliswood, Rachel has served her time over the years by being on the Shul’s board. She is also co-chair of the aveilut committee, a member of the chesed committee and the Israel action committee. After October 7th, Rachel helped focus the Holliswood community towards productive ways we could all pitch in to support Israel. Now she spends most of her time volunteering for Boots for Israel. She has helped create an inspiring community of Boots Volunteers, and is honored to collaborate with the best people in all of NY and NJ to get more boots on the ground. She also gets to yell at Yakir a lot. Avi is a malach. 

Speaking of angels, the Klein’s three children are awesome in their own right. After traveling all around the world last year, Lana is currently a first year student at Reichman University in Herzliya, studying sustainability and government. Kerenna is a senior at SAR High School, and is a talented musician and math kid. Judah still has his curly hair and easy-going personality and is now a freshman at SAR High School. In their spare time they all can be found on their phones. 

JJ (the tax attorney formerly known as Jay) has quite the impressive career resume (Sullivan & Cromwell, Morgan Stanley, PWC and now Millenium) but no one in Holliswood cares about that. What’s most important is that JJ is an amazing friend who always has a smile on his face, a topic to debate, and a willingness to help whenever he can. Especially if the help is for neighborhood pranks and shenanigans! 

Rachel spent 3 years in law school to be qualified to become a stay at home mom. She uses negotiation tactics and legalese fine print on the regular, probably more often than tax lawyer JJ. In addition to creating a warm home, she is a kosher foodie expert, unlicensed interior designer, and an amazing vacation planner. She is always up for experimenting new recipes on her guests, wearing crazy outfits, and anything involving a theme. 

The Klein family truly loves their Holliswood family and is excited to celebrate with everyone at this year’s dinner! 

The Young Israel of Holliswood is proud to recognize its own Boots for Israel project at this year’s 33rd Annual Dinner.  In the frightening and frenzied days after October 7, 2023, Jewish communities across the diaspora clamored to help the families of hostages as well as IDF soldiers in any way they could.  The Young Israel of Holliswood, led by Rabbi Moshe Taub, was no exception.

On October 11th, IDF General Daniel Jacobs reached out to Yakir Wachstock, Chairman of the Board of the Young Israel of Holliswood, and conveyed that his soldiers were in desperate need of tactical combat boots.  Yakir regretfully had to admit that while during the Pandemic he sold Barbie dolls and pots and pans on Amazon, he knew nothing whatsoever about boots.  General Jacobs explained that many returning reservists had broken, old, ill-fitting boots which would be a liability in missions to Gaza and Lebanon, and insisted that Holliswood and Yakir were the answer to his problems.

Yakir remembered that in his own community there was an online shoe wholesaler, Avi Shakarov, and contacted him.  Coincidentally, Avi had just received and posted tactical army boots on his Amazon store that were the exact models the IDF requested.  As the boots were already sitting in Avi’s warehouse, he offered to pull the listings and donate them to the soldiers.  Duffels had to be procured for the boots.  People were needed to pack the boots.  Drivers had to be found to get the boots to the airports.  Once El Al was on board with the mission, they had their own set of rules.  And Boots for Israel was born.

The first shipment of 88 pairs of tactical boots was packed on October 21st.  By late afternoon on October 22nd, the boots were on the soldiers’ feet.  But Yakir and Avi’s work was only just beginning.  Avi continues to provide boots at cost for this initiative, and more than 400 volunteers from various communities in the tri-state area as well as in Israel are assisting with fundraising, packaging, and transporting.  In addition to the boots, the initiative has expanded to include notes of thanks and support from schools and communities worldwide.  Since that first shipment of 88 pairs of boots, Boots for Israel has sent more than 30,000 pairs to IDF soldiers and raised more than $1.5 million.  At this point, every Israeli soldier knows the name Boots for Israel.

Those who live in Holliswood are not surprised that their gorgeous mosaic of a community has come together in support of our Israeli soldiers.  At a time that feels uncertain and frightening for Jews across the world, the members of the Young Israel of Holliswood community at large feel the most important thing is to show its support for those defending the State of Israel and hope that others will support this mission to get boots on the ground where they are most needed.  Am Yisrael Chai!