SHABBAT SHALOM, THE OU TELLS AMERICAN TROOPS, AS IT SENDS 300 MORE NCSY BENCHERS TO KUWAIT, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ AND KOREA
The Orthodox Union, which fulfilled a request of military chaplains to provide 300 NCSY Benchers to Jewish troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea for the High Holy Days last year, is now sending 300 more via koshertroops.com, an organization dedicated to sending kosher food and holiday gift baskets to the armed forces. Koshertroops conveyed last year’s request as well.
More than one and a half million copies of The NCSY Bencher have been distributed since its first printing in 1982, making it one of the best-selling Judaica publications of all time. The iconic OU/NCSY publication contains all the mealtime blessings, prayers and songs recited every day, on Shabbat and on Jewish holidays, as well as the blessings after a meal and a wide range of songs. It is an immensely popular choice for use at weddings, bar/bat mitzvah and other celebrations.
NCSY | Jewish Youth Leadership is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union.
According to Ava Hamburger of Monsey, NY, co-founder of Koshertroops with Sara Fuerst, also of Monsey, the Benchers “were mainly included in our Rosh Hashana packages. The rest are sent in the Shabbat packages to individual soldiers with challah, grape juice, kiddush cup, candles and other goodies. We will use your next donation in the same way.”
“On behalf of the Jewish military personnel of Korea,” Chaplain Shlomo Shulman wrote to Koshertroops: The NCSY Benchers look great! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You don’t want to know what we’ve been using. These are fantastic; the NCSY version is the best. Now we can start singing zemiros again on Friday nights at the chapel.”
David Olivestone, Senior Communications Officer of the OU, who edited and translated the NCSY Bencher, said, “It’s a great privilege for us at the OU and NCSY to be able to help our troops celebrate Shabbat and yom tov, and to bolster their observance of Judaism in this way.”
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