Philanthropist: Community's generosity outshines wrongdoing

Several hundred people gathered in a small restaurant in Long Branch last weekend to promote peace and support those who have been impacted by terrorism in the Middle East.

Held at Stingers on July 25, the event was spearheaded by local resident Israel "Izzy" Steinberg, who is known for his philanthropic work in the local Syrian Jewish community and beyond.

Against a backdrop of arrests that shocked his community, Steinberg said he wanted to shine a light on the good that the vast majority of the Jewish community does.

"While media attention is focused largely on scandal this week, it is important to note some of the good our community does here and around the world," Steinberg said in a press release regarding the July 25 benefit.

"The wrongdoings of a few should never overshadow the kindness and generosity of many.

"Maybe show the world that we do a lot of good things, too, despite what you've heard in the papers," Steinberg said last week.

A passionate humanitarian, Steinberg has been working with victims of terrorism through the One Family Fund, a Jerusalembased nonprofit that provides direct financial, legal and emotional assistance to victims of terrorism in Israel.

"This is my passion, to help people that have been affected by terrorism," Steinberg said last week.

One of the founders of the One Family Fund, Steinberg holds a benefit each year to help raise funds for the victims of terrorism in Israel and elsewhere.

While the primary focus of the One Family Fund is to help provide support to victims of terrorism in Israel, Steinberg has also managed to help Israeli and U.S. soldiers injured during various combat operations.

During the July 25 event, two Israeli citizens who were injured during separate terrorist attacks spoke of their firsthand experiences with terrorism and its impact on them.

The benefit came just days after the Syrian Jewish community was rocked by the news that two local rabbis were among those arrested by federal authorities in connection with a wide-ranging political corruption and international money-laundering ring.

Long Branch resident Rabbi Eliahu Ben Haim, the principal rabbi of Congregation Ohel Yaacob in the Deal section of Ocean Township, and Ocean Township resident Rabbi Edmund Nahum, the principal rabbi of Deal Synagogue, also in Deal, were among the 44 prominent political and religious leaders indicted last week as part of a broad criminal investigation that ran the gamut from money laundering to political corruption and trafficking in human organs.

The joint investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, which was announced July 23, garnered international headlines and brought a microscope down on the local Jewish community.

In a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ben Haim and Nahum are alleged to have been active in a money-laundering ring that filtered tens of millions of dollars through charitable and nonprofit entities controlled by rabbis in New York and New Jersey.

Law enforcement authorities charge that the alleged scheme involved members of the Syrian Jewish community that stretches from the Elberon section of Long Branch and the Deal section of Ocean Township to Brooklyn, N.Y., and as far as Israel.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the investigation began when law enforcement personnel, with the assistance of a cooperating witness, infiltrated the alleged money-laundering network.

It has been widely reported that the witness was, in fact, Ocean Township resident Solomon Dwek, whose family is prominent in the Syrian Jewish community. However, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on those reports.

In the press release, the cooperating witness was referred to as an individual who was arrested in May 2006 on bank fraud charges. Dwek, who served as vice president of the Deal Yeshiva School, was arrested at that time on similar charges.

Despite the negative headlines, Steinberg said he hoped the July 25 benefit would shine a light on the generosity of the majority of the Syrian Jewish community.

This weekend's event centered around the lives of two Israeli residents who were critically injured in separate terror attacks.

Forty-year-old Gavriel Zada's life changed dramatically when, as he was casting his vote in a primary election in Israel, two terrorists opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades.

In the chaos, Zada, a father of four, was shot twice in the head, leaving him in a coma for days. As a result of his injuries, Zada was hospitalized for nine months.

With the help of the One Family Fund, Zada is nearly fully recovered. While he now walks with a cane and has a bullet-sized scar on his forehead, Zada is in good spirits.

Like Zada, 32-year-old Hila Samila also turned to the One Family Fund in her time of need. Samila was injured when in 2008 a missile exploded outside her kitchen window.

Samila underwent

emergency surgery to tend to her injuries, but was released from the hospital prematurely when beds were needed for wounded soldiers during an Israeli military operation.

While attending a One Family retreat, Samila's wounds became dangerously infected. Facing death, Samila was hospitalized again and underwent several surgeries to save her life.

"I wouldn't have made it through without One Family," Samila said. "They were beside me the entire time. They still are."

The July 25 benefit was the second of its kind that Steinberg has held this year. In January, the One Family Fund sponsored an event at Congregation Magen David of West Deal in Ocean Township to support Israeli citizens and soldiers who had been injured during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip region.

For more information on the One Family Fund, visit www.onefamilyfund.org.