Madua I Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz & Chaverim

David Fadida and Yossi Rubin present: Madua? – A New Single by Shlomo yehuda Rechnitz and Friends. Featuring Ohad, Itzik Dadya, Eli Klein, Shira Choir and Uzia Tzadok. 

Composed and produced by Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz. Musical arrangements by Eli Klein and Yitzy Berry.

Noted Askan Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Came to Israel to Strengthen Chareidi Political Parties

The Charedi media in Eretz Yisrael has been reporting that philanthropist Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz arrived earlier this week with a small entourage of close associates to negotiate Achdus in the Charedi political camp.

YWN – ISRAEL has been monitoring the visit and the events that let up to it, and is now able to share the facts with the Tzibbur at large.

Realizing this, and out of great concern, the Novominsker Rebbe SHLITA, Yoshev Rosh of Agudas Yisroel of America, as well as various other Gedolim asked Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz to go to Eretz Yisrael to intercede and convince Aryeh Deri to return to Shas to restrengthen them.As the Oilam Hayeshivos eagerly await the outcome of the future elections, the Chareidim understand the importance of their own parties accumulating the most possible seats in the new upcoming Government. The recent sudden resignation of Aryeh Deri dealt a big blow to the Chareidi Shas party. If Shas’s numbers were to greatly diminish R’L, the ramifications to the Oilam Hatorah would be devastating. This comes on the heels of the outgoing 19th Government and its harsh Gezeiros against Yeshivos and Kollelim throughout Eretz Yisrael.

The Novominsker’s request was followed by a letter and phone call to Shlomo Yehuda from HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Kaminetzsky Shlita, a member of the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael in the USA and Rosh Yeshiva of Philadelphia.

Shlomo Yehuda complied, on the condition that he receive permission from Hagaon Harav Aron Leib Shteinman Shlita, which he received that evening. He was hesitant as to what he could accomplish, since he told the gedolim that even though he supports Sefardi Mosdos in the U.S. and Eretz Yisrael, he has never met with Deri, had no connection to him and was never involved with the Shas party.

Undeterred and armed with Berachos from the Roshei Yeshiva, Rechnitz arranged for close associates Zvi Weinreb, Moshe Mendlowitz, Duvy Blonder and Yisroel Friedman to accompany him on this important Shlichus.

Shlomo Yehuda first headed to Bnei Brak where he met with Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita for two hours, seeking the gadol hador’s advice in tackling a problem that Shas Rabbonim seem to have been unsuccessful in solving.

The necessary calls were made and Aryeh Deri agreed to come to meet with Mr. Rechnitz in his hotel. This alone was no small feat, as since announcing his resignation as Shas leader, Deri has refused to meet with anyone or speak to the media. Accompanied by his wife Mrs. Yafeh Deri, they met with Rechnitz and his associates for a short period to get comfortable with each other. Then Mrs. Deri and the Rechnitz team exited the room, and Shlomo Yehuda and Aryeh Deri sat with one another and hammered out the issues for three hours.

It should be pointed out that in addition to Rav Shteinman, Rechnitz has met with other gedolim in Eretz Yisrael as he strives to complete his mission and bring back a successful report to the gedolim shlita in the United States.

Following that first meeting, Rechnitz and Deri met again on Wednesday, 16 Teves, once again for three hours at the home of Aryeh Deri. Sources tell YWN that Rechnitz literally debated and pleaded with Deri to make the correct and necessary moves to save the chareidi tzibur in Eretz Yisrael.

As he exited the room, Deri was quoted as saying “Even if nothing else comes of this, I acquired a great friend, yet someone I wouldn’t want sitting across the aisle”

We now eagerly await Deri’s response, which will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the role played by chareidi political parties in the 20th Knesset.

As a Bochur, Rechnitz 43 years old, learned in Mir Yerushalayim. In 1998, he incorporated TwinMed, LLC in Los Angeles with his twin brother, Yisroel Zev. Until today, they work and contribute Tzedaka together.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Reb Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Contributes to Netanyahu and Likud in Effort to Aid Chareidim

Reb Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz is well-known in the Torah world for his philanthropy. He is a baal chessed with a giant heart, whose days and nights are spent listening to the pleas of fellow Jews and others in need. On both individual and communal levels, Reb Shlomo Yehuda has a virtual antennae up at all times seeking out ways in which he can help the yochid and the tzibbur.

The reach of Reb Shlomo Yehuda’s askanus extends well beyond the world of Torah andchesed into the halls of power. Reb Shlomo Yehuda thinks big when it comes to acting on behalf of the chareidi tzibbur. It is in this light, Matzav.com has learned, that he has given a generous 44,517 shekel donation to the election campaign of Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu and the Likud party.

The past year has seen a strong disconnect between the chareidi parties in Israel and the prime minister. Reb Shlomo Yehuda’s goal is to use his influence to positively impact the state of affairs in the post-election Knesset for the betterment of the chareidi public.

Reb Shlomo Yehuda is known for, among many other things, his remarkable musical talent, and his latest foray into Israeli affairs is music to the ears of those concerned for the welfare of the chareidipublic in the coming years.

Reb Shlomo Yehuda’s uncle, Mr. Bobby Rechnitz, is the leader of the western division of the American Friends of Likud and a longtime personal friend and supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

In an exclusive exchange with Matzav.com, Reb Shlomo Yehuda explained his intentions.

“We are trying to bring frum money to [Netanayahu's] campaign to encourage him to add thechareidim in the next government, thereby bringing back the money to the yeshivos and avreichim that [Yair] Lapid took away,” he said.

R' Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Speaks at the Mir Yerushalayim Sukkah on Chol HaMoed Sukkos 2014 / 5775

 

Brand New From Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz - Shir - Preview

Yossi Rubin & David Fadida present, 1 composer, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, and 18 of his compositions. The superstars of Jewish music sing on this amazing new album, “Shir”, including MBD, Avraham Fried, Benny Friedman, Itzik Dadya, Lipa, Ohad, Shloime Daskal, Kinderlach, Levy Falkowitz, Yoeli Greenfeld, Moishe Mendlowitz, Motty Steinmetz, Uzia Tzadok and the Shira Choir. 

All proceeds are going to the Keren Hashviis fund. No singer accepted financial compensation, only this important mitzvah l’shma.

This album will be available in stores and online for download shortly!

MBD Steinmetz & Shira "Vseirov"

Shira Choir singing "Rechnitz medley"

The Shira Choir with the Aaron Teitelbaum orchestra and production conducted by the legendary Yisroel Laam featured at the "Wedding of year", On February 19 2014 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel Los Angeles CA. singing a heart warming medley composed by R' Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz at the wedding of his daughter.

חתונת השנה של ביתו של הפילונטרופ האגדתי שלמה רכניץ שיחק לידם של מפיקי הערב בביצוע מוזיקאלי מיוחד של מחרוזת שירי הנגיד שידועים ברחבי העולם חלקם כנסי צאן ברזל
ביצוע תזמורתו של אהרן טייטלבוים בניצוחו של ישראל לאם
ומקהלת שירה הידועה מארצות הברית

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I Prayed for This Child

The moving story of Hannah appears in the first and second chapter of Samuel I: Hannah had no children, and she begged Hashem in the holy tabernacle at Shilo that if He gives her a child, she will dedicate this child to the service of Hashem. Hashem heard her prayers, and Samuel was born.

When Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to the High Priest Eli in Shilo, where the little Samuel grew up devoting his entire life to serving Hashem. As Hannah presents her son to Eli, she says, "This is the lad I prayed for; Hashem granted me the request that I asked of Him" (Samuel I, 1:27).

In a beautiful age-old Jewish tradition, when we check on our sleeping children at night, and we see them like little angels fast asleep, we repeat the above passage as an expression of gratitude to Hashem, and we continue to pray for their spiritual and physical welfare and development.

Shraga Gold and the Shira Choir sing Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz's lovely rendition of Hannah's moving expression of gratitude in the following beautiful clip, which we hope you enjoy as much as we did. Shabbat Shalom!

Shira Choir Sings New Song "Im Hashem Lo Yivneh Bayis" Composed by Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz At Bar Mitzvah of the son of Shira Choir Leader Shraga Gold in Williamsburg

Local Entrepreneur Donates $250K To Repair LA Jewish Cemetery

Local Entrepreneur Donates $250K To Repair LA Jewish Cemetery

Master of Ceremonies, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, opening speech at the Twelfth Siyum Hashas

Shlomo Rechnitz interviewed by Larry King

Philanthropist and businessman Shlomo Rechnitz was interviewed in a "Profiles in Philanthropy" special by Larry King.  Highlights of this interview were featured on the 2012 Chabad Telethon.   
King and Rechnitz discuss the motivation behind Rechnitz's massive global charitable efforts, the secret behind his business success, his views on the future of the healthcare industry and his commitment to Chabad.  Rechnitz also talked about a special program at his company, TwinMed, LLC, which hires graduates from Chabad's national drug and alcohol treatment center in Los Angeles, helping to integrate them back into the community.   
Rechnitz co-founded TwinMed in 1998, and it has grown to become the largest medical supply distributor of the West Coast and one of the nation's fastest growing distributors of medical supplies and services, serving as the primary distributor to over 2500 Skilled Nursing Facilities nationwide.  In 2004, Rechnitz  founded Brius Healthcare Company, a quality care provider with over 8,000 employees nationwide.   
Rechnitz has utilized his success in the healthcare field to give back to the field of medicine, and has contributed millions of dollars to cancer research. He is President of Toras Emes Academy, the largest Hebrew Day School west of the Mississippi, and is Chairman of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation in New York.   In 2011, Shlomo and his brother Steve were the winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award.  In May 2012, Rechnitz was honored by UCLA with Sidney Poitier, Terry Semel and Morgan Freeman when he received the ICON Award for Visionary Leadership in Business and Philanthropy.   
In August 2012, Rechnitz hosted the largest celebration of Jewish learning since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., when 90,000 Jews gathered at New York's MetLife Stadium to celebrate the completion of the study of Talmud, a rigorous seven-and-a-half-year-long cycle of Talmudic learning.  
In September, Rechnitz was featured at the Chabad National Telethon as the recipient of the Chesed Award, Chabad's most prominent award.  
Rechnitz is a pillar of the Los Angeles community, where he spends much of his time engaged in philanthropic and community efforts in the field of education, medical and humanitarian assistance.

Bais Yaakov of Boro Park Tribute to Shlomo Rechnitz of LA

Shira Choir sings MBD's Sholem Aleichem Composed by Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Motzei Shabbos January 07 2012 in Detroit, Michigan

On the Money By David Suissa

What do you do when you run out of money? When you're about to be evicted from your home, or having trouble feeding your kids, or simply can't afford the basic necessities of life? What happens, also, when you can't afford certain things you consider crucial - like sending your children to a Jewish day school?

And what if you don't want to go through the formal hoops of organized charity to fill out a bunch of forms to see if you qualify for help?

Over the past few weeks, I've met some people who have taken on these issues in distinct and refreshing ways.

The first is Shlomo Rechnitz, a 40-year-old Orthodox businessman who lives in the La Brea/Fairfax area. For the past seven years, Rechnitz and his family have followed this simple model for helping those in need: You ask, they give.

No forms to fill out, no matching grants, no performance metrics. Just a check.

The scene unfolds every Saturday night, and you'd think you were in a Polish village in the 18th century. A line of people extends outside the Rechnitz house and leads right to a dining room where Shlomo Rechnitz, dressed in a white shirt, sits at the head of a long table, waiting for people to come.

Each person in need sits next to him for a few minutes of conversation, receives a check, says thank you and then goes home. Some might bring "evidence" of their despondency - like an eviction letter from a landlord - but they hardly need it. Everyone walks out with a check.

He sees about 100 people on an average Saturday night, and they are diverse: religious, secular, old, young, Sephardic, Chassidic, mothers, fathers, businessmen down on their luck, young people out of work, etc.

Rechnitz allowed me to play observer one recent Saturday night, because he wants to encourage other wealthy people to pitch in. He feels there is too much suffering in our community, and too much money out there that is not being used to help those in need.

I know what you're thinking: This is not the best way to give charity. Rechnitz should be helping people "learn how to fish" rather than just handing out the fish; he should be checking their qualifications to make sure they really need the money; and he should be monitoring where his money is going.

Yes, he should be doing all those things, but then he wouldn't be Shlomo Rechnitz. Many of these people have nowhere else to go, and they need immediate relief. That's why he makes it so simple.

Rechnitz gives to many causes, including the school where he serves as president (Toras Emes Academy), but it's the Saturday night ritual that makes him stand out. Obviously, he doesn't expect every wealthy Jew to give this way, but, especially in this rough economy, he'd love to see them give more than they're currently giving.

A week after witnessing the old-school approach of Rechnitz, I met three Jews who are fighting another community problem - the soaring costs of Jewish education - in a whole other way. Instead of offering financial aid, they have started a new school, Yeshiva High School, which reduces tuition costs dramatically through an innovative "blended learning" model of education.

The model combines online learning with traditional learning in a classroom setting, with a teacher/facilitator addressing the individual needs and pace of each student. It is a fully accredited college-prep program with national standards and a daily flow of data to monitor individual progress.

But here's the upshot: Because the model is so cost-effective, instead of paying an annual tuition of $20,000 to $30,000, parents will pay $8,000 a year when the school opens next September.

The founders of the school, Rabbi Gabriel Elias and Rabbi Moises Benzaquen, and its director, longtime local educator Rebecca Coen, speak about the blended model as a "new paradigm" that will give them a sustainable model of Jewish education for years to come. Rabbi Benzaquen will lead the Jewish studies program, which will follow Orthodox tradition with an emphasis on Jewish values and interactive learning.

The new school has already created a buzz. I went to its open house last week - the school will be located at Congregation Mogen David on West Pico Boulevard - and the place was packed.

Will the school succeed? No one can say until we see results, but I can tell you this: There's something very Jewish - and very brave - about trying all kinds of approaches in order to tackle chronic problems.

For those who need immediate relief, there is the refreshing hands-on approach of Rechnitz, who meets people face-to-face in his own dining room, feels their pain and never says no.

And for those desperate for a more affordable Jewish education, there is now an alternative school that uses new technology in a way our grandparents would never have dreamed possible.

Either way, this is what it means to be Jewish. We are restless, we feel others' pain, we try to improve things any way we can, and we all want our kids to become the first Jewish Doctor-Mensch-President of the United States.

Whether we have money or not. 

David Suissa is President of Tribe Media Corp and Jewish Journal. He can be reached at davids@jewishjournal.com.  

Donor Pulls Through for Chabad

COLlive.com has the exclusive on the individual who stepped forward at the "11th Hour" to stop the foreclosure on the Chabad West Coast Headquarters building in Los Angeles.

By COLlive reporter

It appears that the individual who recently donated $5 million to save the Litvish Yeshivas Mir-Yerushalayim is the same person who stepped forward at the '11th hour' to stop the foreclosure on the Chabad West Coast Headquarters building in Los Angeles.

Sources close to the events have disclosed to COLlive.com that the person was Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, a Los Angeles-based communal activist and known philanthropist.

Rechnitz quietly made the contribution to the Mir Yeshivah as his way of honoring the life and achievements of its revered Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel OBM, who passed away on Cheshvan 12, and with whom Rechnitz had a close relationship over the years.

In helping alleviate the Yeshiva's crushing debt, Rechnitz was seeking to fill some of the void left in the wake of the Rosh Yeshiva's passing, as it was the Rav who shouldered the burden for many years.

We were told that it was the same magnanimous conscientiousness that prompted Rechnitz to prevent the irreversible loss of Chabad of Westwood, the world's first "Chabad House" and central office for Chabad of California.

All efforts to try to ward off the court's sale of the property had been exhausted and the note-holder was said to be literally moments away from taking legal ownership when Rechnitz stepped forward and bought off the note for $2.6 million, bringing the dreadful proceedings on that fateful Friday afternoon to a grinding halt.

Thanks to him, the Chabad House has since remained open and fully functional. Rabbi Chaim Nachum Cunin has comfirmed this information with COLlive.com on Sunday.

LIKE REB BEREL

Observers have said that they cannot even imagine what a huge blow it would have been to the strength and morale of Chabad of California had it, G-d forbid, suffered the loss of its original, most prominent and key facility.

Though usually inconspicuous in his efforts, Rechnitz has come to be recognized as one of the most active and impactful philanthropists in the Torah-observant world.

Friends describe him as an "equal opportunity giver," donating generous sums to all Yiddishe circles - be it Chassidish, Litvish, Modern-Orthodox and so on. "Shlomo is trying to emulate the example of his role-model in the realm of Tzedokah, Reb Berel Weiss."

Reb Berel, who passed away Iyar 27 of this year, was legendary for his philanthropy - not only in the sums that he gave, but to whom he gave them. He never turned away a situation of genuine need.

Upon his passing, many despaired that his loss would adversely affect the numerous vital causes he sustained - whether it was support for widows and orphans, the unemployed, gemilas chesed, hachnosas kallah, and countless Torah institutions and social organizations.

At the community's Shloshim memorial for Reb Berel Weiss, Rechnitz has publicly pledged to do his utmost to try to pick up the slack in the wake of Reb Berel's physical departure from this world. Apparently, the man has remained true to his word.

In addition to his generosity, many in the Torah-observant world are taken by Shlomo Rechnitz's amiability and approachability. He has an unassuming and disarming way about him - an affable personality - that allows people from all walks of life to feel comfortable and respected in his presence.

"Shlome Rechnitz is chesed personified," added that friend who has worked with the entrepreneur and philanthropist on many a project.

When not overseeing his business, attending a shiur or carrying out his charitable endeavors, Rechnitz enjoys indulging in his penchant for Chassidic music. He has helped produce a number of albums for Chassidic superstar Mordechai Ben David, and has composed a number of his hit songs, including Ana Melech and Shulem Aleichem on MBD's final album Kesufim.

Thanks to this understated hero, Jews in Jerusalem and California (and many places in between) are singing happy tunes today - in more ways than one.

Mordechai Ben David sings new hit song "Eitz Chaim" at the Simchas Bais Hashoeva of congregation Shaarei Torah Los Angeles, CA. Composed by Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz

MBD: Kisufim - The Album Trailer

Mordechai Ben David, Shloime Dachs, Yeedle, Yumi Lowy and Shira Choir At the C C H F Dinner