A bat mitzvah celebration brought Rabbi Shay Schachter, leader of Young Israel of Woodmere, to the Friendship Circle LifeTown in Livingston, NJ. The experience had such a profound impact that a few months later, he brought three generations of his family, including his parents, Rabbi Hershel and Shoshanah Schachter, back for a tour. They spent more than two hours at the facility, exploring everything from music to the kitchen, from the LifeTown Shoppes and the playground to the art room.
The elder Rabbi Schachter, a halachic advisor at the Orthodox Union and dean of the Rabbi Elchanan Isaac Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University, was visibly moved during the visit.
“We are still talking and telling people about our visit to LifeTown and how impressed we were with the entire set up and all the work that is being done,” Rabbi Hershel Schachter noted after his visit.
Welcoming Rabbi Schachter and his family were Rabbi Mendel Herson, Associate Dean of the Rabbinical College of America, and Toba and Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, the founders of Friendship Circle and LifeTown in Livingston.
Rabbi Grossbaum shared the background of how Friendship Circle and LifeTown came into existence, inspired by the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory. Well ahead of his time, the Rebbe advocated for inclusion and unlimited opportunities for those with special abilities.
Being a musical family, the Schachters were particularly taken with the infusion of music throughout the building, calling it “the expression of the deepest part of one’s soul.”
“Lifetown makes an accommodation for children of all types and allows them to enjoy a real-life experience while learning skills that they can use outside of LifeTown as well.” said Rabbi Shay Schachter. “How many would otherwise know how to navigate a supermarket, nail salon or speak with the teller at the local bank?”
The younger Rabbi Schachter shared that he continues to draw inspiration from what he called the “noble” work of LifeTown, even as he moves forward confronting other local and global issues, seeking ways to provide for those in need.
“It was incredible to host the Schachter family and to see that they care so passionately about the impact on children, families, teens, and volunteers,” said Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum. “Knowing that our work can inspire them to recommit to helping others just underscores the impact we can all have on one another.”
I have the Zchus to have started the first Mivtzoim Route in Livingston and West Orange when they were desolate. In 1981.
Beruch Hashem, it is amazing to see my results.
I remember S. Barnebes Hospital. Harav Gordon was the Chaplain.
Bracha veHatzlacha to all there now.
I go on that route now
that’s crazy that you still remember
To call WO and Livingston desolate in 1981 shows a real lack of understanding of the area.
So many Jews , thriving shuls etc etc etc
I grew up there. Back then. The shuls and torah community were pretty small back then with little infrastructure. Desolate may be a bit much but it was far from robust
I must disagree.
Robust means strong and healthy, and the shuls in both towns were definitely strong and healthy. It does a disservice to the communities to depict them any other way.
1984 – 1986, would walk the streets, stores and office’s practically every Friday. No visible yiddishkeit. I recall a restaurant with a Jewish name, not kosher obviously. We were once stuck there for shabbos because of a snow storm, so we slept, ate and learned in the young Israel shul where rabbi kazinetz is/was rabbi.
Same. I grew up in the Morristown area, and although communities then, in general weren’t robust like today, WO in the late 70’s+ had a few shuls, a bakery, pizza shop, fleishig place, mishmar, area day school (that I went to). Desolate, it was not, but didn’t have Chabad centers.
Rav Schachter’s שליט׳א Was Close תלמיד to Rav YB Solivaichick, he has many stories between Lubavitch and the Rav