Aliya Celebrates $100K Raised

After Aliya’s most successful fundraiser in 13 years it was time for an unforgettable ​S​​habbaton.

Aliya members worked around the clock last Wednesday for an unprecedented fundraiser campaign using the fundraising tool Charidy.com to raise $90,000 in 24 hours.

The campaign began 3pm Wednesday and quickly climbed up to 75k by midnight. At that point they felt it was time to call it a night and continue in the morning. By the time the morning came it had almost reached the goal largely thanks to Rabbi Feiglin’s family members in Australia who were up and contributed during those hours.

When the goal was reached by 10am, a good friend of Rabbi Feiglin offered to put in another $5,000 of matching funds to enable the campaign to hit $100,000. Soon the goal was reached and it was time to celebrate.

With these new funds Aliya will be able to continue its new Artisan Sandwiches for learning and Tefillin campaign as well as put the building camping into full swing which required a costly variance to change the zoning laws.

A very special thanks goes to the matchers Lavie Popack, Herschel Kessler, Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov and several other anonymous matchers. Another special thanks goes to the Aliya volunteers especially ​Reb Note Shemtov, Mendy Sacho, ​Gabe Goldsmith, ​Ari Shtock, Yossi Vogel, Moishe Gurkov, Mendy Trappler, Levi Berger​ and many more. Most importantly, a big big Yasher Koach to each and every one of the donors who gave and made us reach this tremendous milestone!

Sholom Kanevsky, a dear Aliya alumn, one of the people involved in running a Shul very similar to Aliya in New Haven, CT called “the Shullounge” very graciously invited the Aliya family to join his community in New Haven.

Yase​f Deutsch, community activist in New Haven, offered one of the dorm houses from his Yeshiva for sleeping and Sholom Kanevsky and Benny Leiblich arranged the food. Rabbi Levitin and Rabbi Shemtov led a very energetic farbrengen all night long.

Every aspect of Shabbos was out of this world from the food to the camp songs that were sung at the Shabbos meal to the beautiful Rosh Chodesh davening, On Motzei Shabbos they joined for a Kumzitz/bbq and to top it all off, speed-boating and water skiing on Sunday.

​Everyone agreed that this was the best Shabbaton to date, and were very happy to be there. Everyone who got an aliya to the Torah during Shabbos had to make a hachlata, which they did, and hopefully this trip will help each and every one of us who helps and supports Aliya to have a kesiva vachasima tova in the coming year.