Habayit Event - Full Coverage

I want to first welcome everyone for coming here today for showing support for Habai. It truly means so much to everyone in the organization. We really worked hard to get this event together and we hope that you all enjoy your time here. The auction, the farmers market, the speakers, we hope you enjoy everything. I just want you guys to know that when we held our first event two summers ago, I said, "I'm never doing this again." I said, "One and done. I'm out." But here we are, third summer and we're here again. So when we decided to do our first event, it was a difficult time for many of us because we were still grieving the loss of our dear friend Leslie Cass and I love Shalom. Her passing left a hole in our heart. Even now 2 and 1/2 years later, it feels like she was just with us. reflected something meaningful to keep her memory alive, something that would reflect who she was and what she stood for. That's why we at Habite decided to dedicate our summer event in her honor. And every year since, we've used her art theme, a small special way to keep her creativity alive. Leslie was not only a devoted mother but also a wonderful friend, teacher, sister, niece, cousin, and someone who had a warm smile on her face and made everyone feel at ease. She had a way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. She listened and gave her full heart and she gave you her full attention. Being around her felt like home. If you don't know what Habite does, we're an organization that provides short-term stays for those who come to the US for medical treatment. When I reflect on Leslie's life, I realized how perfectly she reflected the values of her bite. She always was there to help those in need, to support her fellow Jews and community members with a warm smile, and most important, to show us what family truly means. That's exactly what we strive here to do at Habite. Helping one another, making everyone feel at home and like family, especially when they're far away from their homes and countries during medical treatments. We try to give them the comforts of home in a place that's not their own home. Leslie, you may be gone, but your light and love is still with us and will always be. I want to introduce Elliot Shelby. Give him his undivided attention. Hello everyone and welcome and thank you all for all coming. I want to start by saying the thank yous. First and foremost, I want to thank Hashem for making another beautiful, beautiful Habay event. I want to thank our hosts, Relle and Elliot Franco. You've been great. The house is beautiful and it's very, very, very special. Thank you so much. I want to thank the engine behind Habay that drives Habay, Eva Shama. I want to thank Natalie Amar Shalom who spearheads the auction every year. I want to thank Gloria Shabit who's been a tremendous addition to our team. Thank you, Gloria. I want to thank my cousin Michelle Barano and her partner in crime Beth Heene. I want to say aside from all the hard work you've put into this auction, I want to tell you both that I have a special hakarat to for what you guys do with me all year long and helping run Habay. Thank you. [Applause] I want to thank Eva Mitude for designing this beautiful event. Hannah Sutton and Lorraine Salem, Reene Shrem, Erica Cohen, Rachel Safy who did all the graphics and the printing, and Eddie Sid who helped us with our website. And I want to I want to thank some of the tremendous volunteers that we have during the year. Um, Joy Gada and Sari Azar, you guys are unbelievable. You really uh breathed a a new energy into Habay. Thank you. um my very special Gloria Mahana [Applause] who loves Habay and Habay loves Gloria. You should have a long long life and continue to work with Habay. We love you. I want to thank all the restaurants, the caterers, the vendors for the farmers market, Tina Amani, the photographers, the volunteers, and the captains. and a special shout out even though he's not here I think he's in the mountains we have a a supporter his name is Isaac Pear him and his family are really pillars behind Habay thank you Isaac and God bless you I just wanted to share a few words to the volunteers and supporters of Habay and those that make Habay so special I want you to know I'm going to say some detto Torah to show you how tremendous the work that you guys are doing. We know that the three weeks started on Sunday with the with the fast of the 17th of Tamuz because the walls of Jerusalem were breached culminating with taba the fast of the 9th of A 3 weeks later which is because the beta mikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred. our our Jewish nation and Hashem's went into exile. The only thing to revert that is to do the exact opposite and that is an organization that is about we love everyone. We take care of all Jews, all stripes. We don't ask questions. If they're sick, they have a home. and our volunteers take care of each and everyone in a remarkable way. We never dreamed that it would become what it is right now. And that's all you. It's all you. This past week's haft had a puk at the end and it's telling that it's right before the three weeks. The is telling us what is it that is good in life and what is that Hashem wants from each and every one of us. And then it gives a list of three things. These are the three things that Hashem wants from us. The first one is I'm not going to give you the simple meaning. I'm going to give you the Ezra's definition. He says it's talking about or not. We have to be careful how we talk to one another and how we treat each Jew. The second one is which we mentioned a second ago is to love to do the and really again this organization is about every volunteer and who every supporter who specializes in and finally then we could walk um with Hashem in her own private way but we see how Hashem puts the people ahead of himself. It's more important. Hashem wants us to take care of one another. That's what's going to reverse the exile that we're in currently. A few months ago, we had an event in in Great Neck with Rabbi Mansor. It was very special. I recommend everybody to listen to the class. It's on It Torah. It's called the Habay event and it's really something deep and unbelievable. Well, I'm going to share a few points that he said cuz I don't I know there's other speakers and I want to try and make it faster. Number one, he says that the mitzvah of we're taking care of all these guests that are coming to to our our neighborhoods to to be taken care of. The rabbi says, "Every time we do the mitzvah of we are bringing the God's presence into our homes, into our lives." What other mitzvah can we say that about? It's unbelievable. The second thing the rabbi said, actually he says a lot of things, but we're going to mention three of them. The balmtov says that the mitzvah of guest it's it's a it's it's a combination of the word or light and the number eight and we understand what is the number eight the number eight represents above what's natural seven days of a week cycles seven the number eight represents above that It's godliness. And he's telling us by doing we are able and he brought many proofs from the Torah when miracles happen just because people did by doing and I want to say I attribute Habay is a miracle. The whole organization is a miracle. We took a little rinky dink apartment and we never dreamed that this would would happen. But Hashem, we're up to 20 apartments and with Hashem's help in a little more than a year, we're going to be building a sevenstory building only on Ocean Parkway and Avenue Oashem. Please God. And and the third thing that the rabbi that I wanted to mention from the rabbi was the Mishna says that the world stands on three things to aim to we understand is prayer and is the doing of so the question is we know Torah we have the the forefathers right and each one represents another one of those Abraham was Ged wasra. So they asked a question why is it that the order is it should be Abraham was first so it should be then a and isra. So the rabbi said something unbelievable. The rabbi said that we have a concept that the further we get from Sai, we have what's called we're getting further away from the holiness of Matan Torah when we receive the Torah and and the level goes down and down and down and down. So we see in Torah we don't have the rabbis, the gdim that we had from the times the we don't have that level anymore. And the same thing with prayer. We might have a lot of prayer, but it's not the same level. We don't have an Arizal. We have those special kavanote or the rashash. It's not the same level. It keeps going down. But he said when it comes to it's the exact opposite. The rabbi said that as time went on, the got greater and greater and greater and it's going to culminate. He was saying that the order of Torah is not the order of the it's the order of the time. First they got the Torah then they were able to specialize and work on the but at the end of time what is going to bring the Gul is. So I want you all to know that you all are bringing the Gulah. And another name for the beta mikdash is habit hagul. So our habit and you are going to build the habit hagadul. I want to welcome Shelley and Matan Alobe. They came all the way from Canada to speak at this event. Their mother Karen Alha Shalom spoke the last two auctions. She came to Habay. She became a special friend. And before um before Matan comes up, I'm going to read something that Eva and the girls put together. So just bear with me one minute. Our beloved friend Karen was not only a guest at Habay, she was family. In her own words, Habay helped keep her alive. The warmth, dignity, and care she experienced here brought her comfort, strength, and joy during her most challenging years. Karen often called us her habitat angels. But in truth, she was a light in our lives. Gracious, brave, and deeply appreciative. She carried a great she carried a quiet strength that inspired those around her, facing every day with courage and a gentle spirit. Her kindness was unwavering, and her smile brought comfort even in the hardest moments. Karen had an extraordinary way of making people feel valued and loved, reminding us all of the power of compassion. Her presence illuminated every room, leaving a lasting warmth in the hearts of everyone fortunate enough to know her. Her light continues to shine through the love and memories she left behind and through the community she cherished. Her presence reminded us why Habay exists, to be a home and a haven for every soul who needs one. God bless you all. And without further ado, I invite Matan up to say a few words. Thank you, Matan. [Music] [Applause] Thank you for the amazing words, amazing wishes for my mom. It's really appreciated. Man, good afternoon everybody. Uh, thanks so much for having me and my family here. It's it's my pleasure to be up on this stage and I don't know if you guys know uh last 2 years it was my mom giving this very same speech and since she passed away it's my way of honoring my mom's legacy. It's my way of you know very rare in life do you get to walk the very same steps your mom walked. Um so this is one of them. So wow what a turnout. First of all, my mom always told me so many people show up and I get to see it. It's incredible. And especially for such an incredible cause, fundraising for Habitat. Um to Eva and Natalie and to all the amazing volunteers. What you do is nothing short of holy. And thank you to Michelle and Elliot Franco for so graciously hosting this gathering. Um, now I'm not from the beautiful Brooklyn Jewish community. I'm from a little far up. I'm from Montreal. But like he said previously, what connects me to this community and to all of you here is a lived experience that was only made possible because of Habay. Uh now while most of you probably don't know me personally like I said prior you listen to my mom hear Karen speak in the last 2 years she considered it a personal mission to give back to Habayatt after receiving the incredible support really starting from March 2023. So how do I even begin to describe this organization Habayatt? I I I can't find the words. But I I think to to say this story I'll start off by talking about my mom who she was. I'll give you a bit of the the story and then I'll I'll describe how Habide came in. My mom Kirin was born in Ramataviv April 24th 1972. She was Sphartic but born with blonde hair, blue eyes and a soul full of light. She was um raised in real and that's something she passed on to us. Now, as fate would have it, she attended elementary school in Israel with my father. So, that's in Israel. You're all swimming in the same small pool. It's a small world. Their childhood interactions were s were sweet and funny. They reconnected years later in Israel. Fell in love quickly, married, and boom, I I I showed up. Uh eventually we moved to Canada during the second inif. My dad was working for the government in Jerusalem and there was a big balagon. My mom said, "Kalas, let's move to Canada." My grandparents were there. She wanted to give me and my siblings the very same childhood I had, which was or she had rather, which was incredible. Um, now my mom was a model, a model mother. She was loving, nurturing, always encouraging. Literally all our hobbies, our interests, our desires were nurtured. Um, and most importantly, she always taught us to see Hashem's gifts everywhere, to say thank you for every little thing. And really, she gave us that little ump in our heart of Judaism. It's because of my mother. She instilled in us not just love, but strength, humility, and gratitude. She was also a Judeaic studies teacher at Hebrew Foundation School in Montreal. In fact, um just in this past Shiva, I had parents of the school that I didn't even know. They'd come up to me, they'd say, "You're Karen's son." I'd say, "Yeah." And they would tell me, "We registered our children at HFS simply so they could be taught by Moroc Karen." And that's the biggest compliment I could receive uh from my mom and that really highlights the quality of the person that she was. She was also very passionate about Holocaust education. Every year she would bring her students to ceremonies in Ottawa. Ottawa is like our capital. It's Washington but very small, boring. But she would bring all her students to Ottawa. On the second year even the prime minister of Canada came and recognized her. He said, "Karen, you're here again. What an amazing event." That was her her essence. She was magnetic, spiritual, thankful and uh and powerful. Now she paused teaching in 2018 to take care of her parents. they both fell ill to cancer and she really gave us a a lesson about how to respect their parents kibbu. Uh then came the hardest chapter. April 21st, 2021, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, non-smokers. Uh and in Montreal, Canada, as you hear, the healthcare system isn't incredible. It's not what you have here. So, I quickly connected with an amazing Jewish doctor out of NYU. His name's Josh Sabari. Amazing, amazing, amazing gentleman. Uh now things were going good for the first two years but on m March 2023 our journey in Canada came to a dead end. The doctors told us there's no more hope for mom. Just because they found a small finding on an MRI. They told us to come back once she has seizures. Now we all have loved ones. If someone gives you news like that, you don't accept it, right? So we looked. What's another possible avenue? Well Josh Sabari, that oncologist called me. I was crying on the phone. I don't want to lose my mom. I'm big mama's boy. So he said, "Listen, there's this organization, two organizations in in New York. One is RCCS that provides the whole medical." So the medical was covered. But then again, we're a middle-ass family coming from Canada. How do we even afford? Forget it. Not even like a few months, a few weeks in New York and we're talking living, commuting, utilities, the food, living. It's so expensive, you know? So he connected us with Habad. Now when we heard what Habay stood for, we said, "Nah, impossible. What do you mean? Somebody's going to give me where to stay. Someone's going to take care of my food. Someone's going to give take care of our utilities and all we have to do is to show up and focus on my mom's health. We showed up and that's exactly what happened. We were connected to angels. Eva Natalie Shioon Cohen, Rachel Galadi, and the amazing Isaac Pear. Isaac Pear showed up to our to our apartment in Brooklyn every evening with food every Who does that? Who does that without even calling? You just knock. We play a game of chess. That's it. Now, Habay, like I said, not just provided a place to stay. They gave us a home, a place of peace, of dignity, of Shabbat meals, a fridge stocked, a support system that let us focus on what mattered, my mom's healing. Treating cancer is like going to war every day. Habite gave us the ability to really battle with strength. Now, in January 2024, her cancer researched. We moved to Brooklyn full-time. And again, Habite surrounded us with unconditional love. We didn't feel like patients and we really really felt like family. We showed up to Shabbat dinners. I'm still in touch with many of the folks my age. Each time I come to New York, we go out. Now, one story that comes to my mind is my mom went through 2 weeks of intense radiation. I'm talking to you. We would drive out from Brooklyn to Somerset 2 hours, get radiated 1 hour, drive 2, 3 hours to Manhattan for neurological exams and back home. So you can imagine we're commuting 8 n hours a day. It's exhausting. But my mom's a fighter and she was willing to do it. Now that day we showed up exhausted, overwhelmed and walked into a warm, beautifully prepared Shabbat setting, ready and waiting for us. My mom looked around and said, "This is Hashem's hand, isn't it?" And I believe she was right. And here's the truth. Without your efforts, everybody here, my mother would not have had access to the treatments that I believe added two or two and a half years to her life. And those years, they were filled with memories of infinite worth. Every hug, every I love you, every small trip somewhere, every movie night, every Shabbat for me was worth an infinite infinite amount. She saw our graduations, she celebrated birthdays, she came on vacations, she saw me get engaged. How do you put a price on that? You can't. And it's all due to the help of Habay. Without Habay, we wouldn't be able to do that. Your made it possible. Habay made it possible. And I'm here today to say to you all and to inspire you, to remind you that what you're doing here is pure, is holy, and it's lifegiving. Now, just yesterday, I was studying with my Rabbi, and we were learning about um Rabbi Jonathan Sax's book, The Home We Built Together. I as I was listening to the lecture, I said, "You know what? I'll mention it today." So, I'd like to share a passage that speaks directly to Habitat's mission, and hopefully you guys draw a connection. Moses was faced with a problem not unlike ours. How do you turn a group of people into a nation with a shared identity? His answer, God's answer, with dazzling simplicity. You get them to build something together. That act of voluntary giving creates a sense of belonging. The best way to make people feel I belong is to let them say I helped build this. And I hope you all feel like your contributions helped contribute to what Habitat is today. You hear today, you're building something sacred. And finally, I want to close with my own mom's words written last year in preparation for this very same event. Habay is a true reflection of Hashem's qualities. Hashem is merciful. Hashem is loving. Hashem is caring. Hashem is generous, helpful, strong, smart, abundant, filled with kindness. He's powerful, gracious, and able to resolve problems. And for that, I believe you will all be blessed. She mentioned 23 of Taim. Though I walk through the valley of the deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Habay is our comfort. Habit is our rod. Habite is our staff. Being under your care was like being sheltered under Hashem's wings. My mom wouldn't be here today. Well, wouldn't be here without you. And thank you all. Thank you. [Music] [Applause]