his past Tuesday, in a ceremony in New York State Capitol, State Senator Simcha Felder honored Ellie Kastel, a prominent member of the Flatbush community. Ellis is the Executive Director of the Boro Park Y and has devoted many years to public service. She was honored with the “Women of Distinction” award, at the annual Women of Distinction

I want to wish a hearty “Mazel Tov” to Club Nissim, a Claims Conference-funded program of the Boro Park YM-YWHA in Brooklyn, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.  Four days a week, some 1,200 survivors attend crafts, trips, and meals through Club Nissim, which held a celebratory luncheon on Sept. 18 that included 200 survivors who regularly attend its programming. Attendees heard moving stories from survivors who rely on Club Nissim for social and learning opportunities, and also received a copy of “Living History: The Photo Album,” a collection of family photos from Europe preserved by Club Nissim’s members.

BOROUGH PARK — More than 250 guests celebrated the 10th anniversary of Club Nissim, a day program for Holocaust survivors, at a luncheon on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Boro Park YM-YWHA. The gala honored the survivors and the role they continue to play in the Jewish community. Approximately 200 survivors attended, many of whom participate at the club daily.

Holocaust survivors and their advocates at the Boro Park Y Senior Center in Brooklyn were breathing a sigh of relief this week — and congratulating one another’s activism — following the recent approval of the New York State budget that restores funding to 105 such centers citywide.

For 250 or so Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn, Club Nissim and the Boro Park Y Senior Center provide a daily sanctuary to their members. The closely connected programs provide the opportunity for people like Sara Sussman to exercise, socialize and break kosher bread with friends whose pasts link them in special ways.

The table is set with flowers and a festive tablecloth; the cake is ready to be sliced; upbeat music is playing in the background. But the eighty year-old woman sitting at the table does not look happy, rather as if she is in the grip of a violent emotion. Her ravaged face still shows the remains of what must once have been striking beauty, and her emaciated body reveals a steely strength. I have never had a birthday party before in my whole life, she says, in a voice that defies me to feel sorry for her. That makes it an even greater privilege for us to make this celebration, I tell her. After a speech and a rose and many congratulations and the crowd singing Happy Birthday, we offer her a slice of birthday cake. She is smiling...