Duchman’s Shout Out to Son

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Mendy Bleier

Close to 500 people gathered this week in the beautifully decorated Treetop Ballroom at Parrot Jungle Park in Miami to pay tribute to 51 years of Chabad-Lubavitch presence and activity in the state of Florida.

It celebrated the present and building the future of Friends of Lubavitch of Florida and Lubavitch Educational Center under the leadership of Head Shliach Rabbi Avrohom Korf and his wife Rivka.

The evening’s honorees were Platinum Grand Founders Yossi and Estie Duchman and Motti and Adina Korf, new Founders Frank and Renée Bortunk and Arik and Sima Meimoun.

The “Educator of the Year” award went to Mrs. Chaya Sara Dalfin, Principal of Lubavitch Elementary School in Miami.

Rabbi Korf, Regional Director of Chabad of Florida, welcomed each of the honorees and presented them with their plaques and awards.

Rabbi Benjy Korf, the evening’s emcee and executive director of Lubavitch Educational Center, introduced the dinner’s theme—”Hand in Hand,” a special educational program for special-needs children.

While there are a number of local institutions that are geared to the special-needs student, none of them offer a traditional yeshiva education, he said.

“It is critical to remember that, as Jews, these innocent children possess a Jewish soul that must not be neglected, and when it comes to Jewish education, they should be offered the same opportunities as other Jewish children,” Rabbi Korf said.

He quoted the Rebbe, “If an ordinary child requires an individualized approach and assessment in order to achieve his or her development potential, how much more so in the case of a special needs child.”

A video presentation introduced the program to the attendees, and Mrs. Ayelet Bortunk, a mother of a child with special needs, spoke of the challenges their family has faced in giving their son a traditional Jewish education.

One of the evening’s special highlights was a musical presentation by Lubavitch Educational Center’s very own boys’ choir. Under the direction of 4th grade teacher and extra-curricular activities director, Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel, the choir amazed the crowd with their precision and beautiful voices.

Included among the choir members were two who rose to international fame: Yisroel Amar, the junior winner of Season Two of “A Jewish Star” singing talent competition, and Eli Weiss, a fellow contestant.

Another reference to the contest, which concluded in Brooklyn this past month, was businessman Yossi Duchman’s shout out to his son Ezzy Duchman, an executive at KosherFreshDiet.com who was among the top 10 finalists.

“Ezzy, you will always be our Jewish star,” the proud father called out.

Duchman went on to praise Rabbi Avrohom Korf for his unique accomplishments in establishing 150 Chabad institutions in the State of Florida since his arrival to Florida 51 years ago.

VIDEO: