The hungry will not go without turkey on Thanksgiving, as soup kitchens muster up all their resources to provide for them on a night when, traditionally, Americans give thanks by helping those in need.
Though not a well-celebrated holiday among the Charedim, come Thursday night, Masbia – a soup kitchen that serves hot meals five nights a week in the heart of Borough Park – will also partake in the festivities.
The mixed crowd the soup kitchen attracts – Jew and non-Jew alike – will get a taste of two traditions, side by side. Thursday’s menu will include a serving of turkey and cholent, as part of a four-course meal planned to begin with coleslaw and pickles and end with dessert.
Weeks in advance, Jews were already calling Masbia, looking to volunteer at the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving – a holiday many use as an opportunity to thank God and give back to the community.
This year, food pantries can use all the help they can get, as shortages have reached an all-time high. The scarcity has been caused by steady cuts to a federal food program over the last five years, combined with growing demand.
Masbia’s founders witness the growing poverty daily. Not a week goes by when Alexander Rapaport, who co-founded Masbia with Mordechai Mandelbaum, doesn’t see a member of his community searching through the garbage bins.
On its opening night two-and-a-half years ago, Masbia served eight meals. Today, it serves 160 dinners a day.
(Jerusalem Post)
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20 Responses
Stories of Masbia every day in a different Newspaper; someone seems to be doing a good job over there. To have a picture of a Boro Park Chusen in serving food MASBIA a night before the Chasunah on the front page of the Jerusalem post that’s something.
I think that Masbia & Oneg shabes are written up this week’s NY Jewish Week.
Although Rav Moshe Feinstien shlit”a has a teshuva about eating turkey on thanksgiving, I heard from my Rosh Yeshiva (who I don’t want to mention) that Rav Moshe was fed (no puns intended) wrong information as to the nature of the holiday, and if he understood the hisory behind the turkey, he would have prohibited it – lo selchu bedarcehi hagoyim. Ask your local orthodox Rabbi…..
what masbia is doing is real nice but if someone is not shy to walk in to get food.. i have a next door neighbor (married with 6 kids) he lost his job 7 months ago his family is starving. he told me for the first time and asked me please dont tell anyone we are losing are house we dont have food on the table.he asked me what he sould do ? he goes on job interviews at least 3 times a week but no one is hiring him i told him to go to a rav and ask for help well the rav told him go to work…
kortzunsharf:
tel him to call the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty they claim to help pepole like this
#5- Why is the family starving if they are eligible for food stamps?
serious if any one knows a organization that i can call for them that can help please let me know
#8 – But Daas Torah says that if Daas
Torah is fed wrong information, THEN IT’S NOT DAAS TORAH !!!!! The torah logic is correct but it is based on faulty information. Your intentions are good, but you are mistaken.
#4 stam
How do you have the right to say that reb moshe was wrong and wrote teshuvos only though haersy Afra lipuma . Which teshouvos should we listen to and which not? Do you always pick and choose? Till today they still serve turkey thurs night by the agudah convention i have a friend who is a mashgiach in the kitchen at the convention.Look up yourself how and why thanksgiving was established. Why do you always only write negitive.There are people out there that still do deeds of kindness as we see from this article. Instead of not mentioning your rosh hayeshiva think twice before you mention your ill comments
What #4 said about R’ Moshe being fed wrong information sounds strangely familiar to those who say that R’ Moshe would approve of an Eiruv in Brooklyn if he would have accurate data.
By the way, I heard the same opinion (that R’ Moshe would not have allowed turkey) from my Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Meir Stern of Passaic.
Sam the Deah,
Even Reb Moshe would agree to me (if my rosh yeshiva is correct in his assessment of turkey). Chas Veshalom that I would say Rav Moshe is wrong. So you can take the afra out of mouth. By the way Sammy, did you copy that expression (together with my name) from my earlier post regarding chabad? Do you perhaps have a (turkey) bone to pick me shlo leshem shamoyim?
by the way, read Rav Moshe’s hakdama that says that anyone can disagree with him on his pesakim how much more so if it is based on faulty information.
I know about another shaalo paskaned by REB MOSHE that “little people aka am horazim ” sais HE DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION,I feel that to speak like that about REB MOSHE, GODOL HADOR respected by all Jews is DISGUSTING
stam,
you mean to say all that useful time that you can be learning but instead spend it reading and writing on yeshivaworld is leshem shomayim? chas vesholom a turkey bone reb yakov kaminetsky held its always assur to eat turkey for there is no mesorah on that type of bird.so you can take the turkey bone out of my mouth, and save room for the tooth or was that a nail? Why do you always mix in chabad.by the way its 11 to 1 here and the name is sam.
#13 – I ALSO learnt in Passaic – but that was not the Rosh Yeshiva I was talking about. I know for a fact that one year turkey roll was served on thanksgiving by accident and the Rosh Yeshiva shlit”a was furious. For all you Am Haratzim out there – Rav Meir Stern is THE DAAS TORAH of America eventhough he does NOT go to the Agudah dinner.
#16 – Check out the Teshuva (yoreh deah chelek 4 number 11) and see in what way he permitted it before you enjoy your meal. And while you are enjoying your goyish meal, don’t forget to turn off the music. Rav Moshe held it’s a issur doraisa to listen to music outside of a seudas mitzvah which he says clearly in this teshuva it is not (I guess he thought that fools like you would consider it to be one.) But, I’m sure that doesn’t bother you to much. Pick and choose…..
#17 – Without getting into specifics, Rav Moshe’s information did not always come from reliable sources. And Mr. Emes Hurts, you are quite foolish as well if you think I diminished the stature of Rav Moshe in anyway whatsover.
#18 if rav moshe teshuva is a mistake so then maybe you can also listen to music???if Rav Moshe’s information did not always come from reliable sources you mean to say that there are more of his teshuvos that we dont have to listen to. Did you hear that from rav meir stern the das torah of america also.btw why doesnt he go to the agudah dinner.one more thing what does turkey roll have to do with a thanksgiving dinner(there aint much turkey in turkey roll)???? & are you allowed to say hodu on thanksgiving for one your giving thanks and its thanksgiving and secondly a turkey is called tarnigol hodu??? please advise with your dass torah
Sam the Deah,
Your comparison is silly. The teshuva on thanksgiving was based on his information on the history of the holiday and why a turkey was eaten two hundred years ago in the first place. Music is music and there’s nothing to know inorder to prohibit the listening of it.
Illini07,
You are right I have no idea. But this Rosh Yeshiva who is an enormous talmid chacham felt that way. Perhaps Sam the Deah can join your party – but he only eats Rubashkin.
#22 Stam
Rubashkin ???? You can get Mad Turkey Disease and that aint the music i want to hear at my dinner!
The comments of #5 are very very disturbing…..Please if someone can help this family, they must come forward! This situation needs to addressed at once!! People stop debating over rules of turkey eating and help your fellow Jews!!
#10: Wow! Could you imagine a present-day President using such a loshon in a proclamation? Even the goyim then had the Sheim Hashem shogur befiyhem.
We live in a dor of chutzpah. Ikvesa d’mishicha.
kortzunsharf,
withour being specific, can you give a general description of where you are?
If in Rockland, please call tomchei shabbos and kupas ezra.
If anywhere else, maybe someone on this board who is from that area can give you a contact.