Community

Spirituality

Orthodox
Union honors
Oak Parker
for helping
others.

SUSAN TAWIL
Special to the Jewish News

tiN

2/25
2000

62

effrey Lazar, 25, recalls how
he once felt more comfort-
able going into a Christian
Bible store instead of
Borenstein's Book &Music Store or
Spitzer's Hebrew Book & Gift
Center, because he was embarrassed
Jeffrey Law received the NCSY Ben
by his lack of knowledge about
Zaakai Honor Society Award om the
Judaism. "I didn't want anyone [he
Orthodox Union in New York City.
knew] to know_I didn't know any-
thing," he says.
Times changed.
According to Rabbi Bezalel (Tzali)
The Oak Park resident was hon-
Freedman, NCSY regional director,
ored on Jan. 30 by the Orthodox
"the message of NCSY got to him."
Union's National Conference of
Lazar began attending NCSY pro-
Synagogue Youth with induction
grams and learning Torah with Rabbi
into the Ben Zaakai Honor Society
Freedman and also Rabbi Avrohom
at NCSY's annual dinner in New
Jacobovitz of Machon L'Torah, the
"York City. The . society recognizes
Oak Park-based Jewish Learning
NCSY alumni who have demonstrat-
Network of Michigan. Although
ed personal Torah growth and the
Lazar had planned to join_the Army
promise of meaningful future service
after graduation, he changed. his
to the Jewish community (Oak Park's
plans to study for a year at Yeshivat
Gary Torgow, president of Yeshiva
Ohr Somayach in. Jerusalem.
Beth Yehudah, earned the award in
"My parents were extremely sup-
1984).
portive of my-going to Israel," Lazar
While a student at Berkley High
says. "When I got back, my mother
School, Lazar — then a secular Jew
kashered the house from top to bot-
— answered a Jewish News want ad
tom. I'm really grateful to my par-
for a respite caretaker to an
ents for putting up with me."
Orthodox young man with special
Upon his return, Lazar worked as
needs. Among his duties, Lazar chap-
special-projects coordinator for the
eroned his charge to Yachad meet-
local NCSY chapter. His innovative
ings, a program of NCSY for devel-
program, "Thursday Night is Chesed
opmentally disabled youth.

e se d

Night," met with great success. In this
program, Lazar led groups of teens on
different community-service activities
each week. They visited nursing
homes, homeless shelters and hospi-
tals, went on outings with JARC
(Jewish Association for Residential
Care) residents, and more.
Receiving a Ben Teitel
Charitable Trust grant from the
Agency for Jewish Education of
Metropolitan Detroit enabled
Lazar to expand his programming.
Involving hundreds of teens from
both public schools and day
schools, Lazar ran programs like
the "Chametz Mobile," which col-
lected food before Passover to
donate to Yad Ezra (the Oak Park-
based kosher food bank) and
"Driving Shabbos Home," which
brought grape juice; challa and
Shabbat candles to seniors living
in the former Jewish Home for
the Aged (now Menorah House)
in Southfield and other Jewish
senior citizen complexes.
"The kids loved him," says Rabbi
Freedman. "Jeff is the life of the
party. He's an inspiration, a remark-
able role model."
Doing chesed (helping others) is
nothing new for Lazar. When
Lazar was only 5, an older brother
in the B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization got him to help his
chapter collect for muscular dys-
trophy. The boy raised $500.
As a teen, Lazar worked at
SCAMP, a camp for special-needs
children in Bloomfield Hills. On
his own initiative, he made carni-
vals to raise money for muscular
dystrophy, walking from store to
store along Woodward Avenue in
the blazing summer heat to solicit
sponsors — and became the

largest fund raiser for MD
younger than age 18 in the state
when he raised $17,000 one year.
His chesed work "definitely inter-
fered with school," Lazar says.
Still, it was difficult for teachers to
punish him: "What were they going
to take away? That I can't help a kid
in a wheelchair?"
In the Jewish News, Lazar was
honored as a "Mitzvah Hero" in
1990. He was one of the first 30
youth to receive the "Giraffe Award"
from the Giraffe Society, a national
media group that recognizes special
individuals who "stick their neck
out" for others. He received a cultur-
al-exchange trip to the Soviet Union,
sponsored by Ben & Jerry's Ice
Cream.
"I've been involved in community
work for as long as I can remember,"
says Lazar. "Finding Yiddishkeit has
helped me become more successful
with my individual growth and com-
munity growth."
Now married, Lazar says he hopes
to "grow in Torah" with his wife,
Susan, and to "become a stronger
person in the community and con-
tinue to do things for others.
"The most important thing for me
is to help other people." 111

NCSY alumnus earns
prestigious honor for
lovingly reaching out to
those in need.