Our Harbatzas HaTorah awardees, Rabbi and Mrs. Zev Davidowitz, are eminently suited for their honor. They both grew up in true Torah homes, and together they have continued on the path forged by their esteemed parents and grandparents, continuing a golden chain of mesoras haTorah and service to the Klal.

Rabbi Zev Davidowitz grew up in Rochester, New York, home of the famed Yeshiva of Rochester, a branch of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim of Queens, where Zev's father, Rabbi Baruch Davidowitz, shlita, was the Menahel and one of the key rebbeim at the yeshiva for four decades. Zev, passionate, dynamic, and deeply intuitive, has applied the vital concepts he absorbed from his parents throughout his career in chinuch.

After receiving semicha from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, Zev became the Menahel of Mesivta of Roslyn before moving to Vancouver to serve as the Menahel at the Pacific Torah Institute. In 2016, he accepted the position of Menahel of the Mechina Toras Avraham Middle School of the Yeshiva of South Shore, where he has infused his talmidim and their parents with the contagious joy of limud haTorah, while remaining connected to many of his former students.

Mrs. Nechama Davidowitz (nee Golding), a native of the West Side community in Manhattan, was raised in a family of devoted askanim. Her maternal grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Yosef (Yossel) Friedenson a"h, were Holocaust survivors. Rabbi Friedenson, an Agudah activist, became the voice and pen of those who had perished in his numerous articles in Dos Yiddishe Vort (later translated as Faith Amid the Flames by Nechama's father, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Golding). The Golding family was renowned for hosting many Torah luminaries before and after the Holocaust. Rabbi Yosef Chaim and Rosie Golding, established their home with the cherished values of their parents, and have served the Klal through their work with Agudas Yisroel, RCCS and many other organizations.

Nechama has a Masters' degree in Special Education from Adelphi University, and has been a beloved and dedicated seventh grade Chumash Morah at Bais Yaakov of Queens for almost a decade. Additionally, Nechama uses her time and talent to reach out to others as a teacher and mentor for numerous kiruv organizations and programs.

The Davidowitzes have a long history with Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe: Zev is an alumnus, as well as their sons, Menachem and Moshe, while Yehuda is graduating this year. They also have a daughter attending TMM High School; their oldest daughter is married with a young family of her own.

Hearing Rabbi and Mrs. Davidowitz, masters of chinuch in their own right, praising the yeshiva for the love of Torah and Hakadosh Baruch Hu instilled in their children, is truly the ultimate approbation for the work of our hard-working rebbeim and teachers, and the admiration is mutual. We wish the Davidowitz family continued success in their avodas haKodesh and may we continue to share much nachas with them from their children, our YTM talmidim, as well as the rest of their lovely mishpocha.

This year's decision to honor Mr. and Mrs. Shmulie Diamantstein with the Kesser Shem Tov Award was "perfect"ly clear: they are a most deserving couple who are beloved and respected by the Kew Gardens Hills community and beyond.

Shmulie was raised in the heart of Boro Park, Brooklyn, a scion of a family with Chassidishe heritage, who greatly valued knowledge and education; an erudite ancestor published several sefarim. His parents, Shloimie, a well-known, caring pharmacist and the owner of Lieb Pharmacy, and his wife, Chanie, have ties to many members of the Kew Gardens Hills community. The Diamansteins sent Shmulie to the Skolya Yeshiva and then Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. In the tradition of his family's derech, Shmulie set his sights on higher education and became an attorney. He is currently a partner in Korsinsky and Klein, LLP, a premier law firm servicing New York and New Jersey; Mr. Diamanstein is the co-manager of the firm's guardianship department and a seasoned litigator in many other legal arenas, as well. As dedicated as he is to his clients, ensuring the best possible outcomes for their individual situations, Shmulie is equally dedicated to his shul, Bais Medrash of Kew Gardens Hills, and his mora d'asra, Rabbi Bergman, having taken the responsibility to be the ba'al koreh for nearly two decades, as well as regularly attending the Daf Yomi shiur. Somehow Shmulie has figured out how to squeeze even more into 24 hours than most people: he is a regular member of Rabbi Mordechai Hodkin's Ohr Yisroel Kollel night seder and often spends many hours helping his wife, Chaya, with her clothing business. Hard-working, forthright, scrupulous in his dealings bain adom l'Makom as well as bain adom l'chaveiro, it is no wonder that Shmulie's shem tov is readily acknowledged by his family, friends and clients.

Chaya is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and thankfully, has never left. She attended the local schools, Bais Yaakov of Queens and Shevach High School, and spent her seminary year in Michlala. Chaya has followed the well-established tradition of communal involvement that she witnessed in the home of her parents, Avi and Renee Herskowitz, long-time active members of Rabbi Oelbaum's shul. Before her marriage, Chaya was already volunteering at her parents' shul, Khal Nachlas Yitzchok, and since her marriage, she expanded her chesed efforts to include her family's shul, being president of the YTM Parents' Association, participating as an active member of the N'shei Ohr Yisroel, headed by Rebbetzin Yardana Hodkin, as well as many other thoughtful acts of kindness for others on a regular basis. Chaya, ever bubbling with enthusiasm, joy and positivity, has found the "perfect" outlet to give to others: through offering quality merchandise for babies, teens and women at her stores, Petit Perfection and Perfection Couture. Unbeknownst to many, Chaya also covertly donates many of the store's beautiful outfits to those in need.

Despite Shmulie and Chaya's incredibly full schedules, they have created a home that is an oasis of warmth, chesed and comfort for their family, which is also a magnet for Shabbos guests and their children's friends. They are the proud parents of their three YTM talmidim: Chaim, currently in his second year of bais medrash in Yeshiva Aderes Torah in Israel; Shimmy, a tenth grader at Yesodei HaTorah High School; and Moish who is currently in YTM's 7th Grade, as well as their daughters, Nechama, who will be graduating Shevach High School this June and attending Nachlas Seminary next year; and Hindy, a sweet third grader at Bais Yaakov of Queens.

Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe is grateful to the Diamantsteins, two genuine, brightly sparkling gems of our community, for accepting this honor, especially after all the time and energy Chaya devoted as the PA president. May Shmulie and Chaya be blessed with the gezunt, koach and resources to continue all their activities that benefit their family and our community that have truly earned them the glowing Kesser Shem Tov they richly deserve.

Dr. and Mrs. Adam Cohen are role model parents who have been supportive of YTM throughout the years and certainly worthy of the Parents of the Year Award. They have not only raised their own children with beautiful middos and true Jewish values, but they have impacted many other children in the community as well.

Adam grew up in Jamaica Estates and then Kew Gardens Hills, the second of three brothers, in a proudly Sephardic home that stayed strongly bound to its rich heritage and was machshiv Torah. Adam attended YCQ, then Yeshiva Far Rockaway for high school, followed by two years of post-high school learning in Yeshiva Ohr Yerushalayim (OJ) in Israel. When he returned to the United States, Adam attended Yeshiva Shaar Yashuv while completing all his coursework at Touro University to acquire his doctorate in Physical Therapy. Currently, Dr. Cohen owns and practices at the Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Centers in Ozone Park and Kew Gardens Hills, where he devotedly treats patients for acute trauma, accidents and work-related injuries with state of the art equipment and experienced staff. Known as a "miracle worker", he is also the address for members of the local community, often making "house calls" to those in need of his services or telling people to come to his home for treatment if they can't make it to one of his offices. Dr. Cohen "treats" children, too, in a very different form of therapy: he is a beloved Little League coach, who not only works on each player’s swing, but on boosting each child's self-esteem and ability to interact with the rest of the team. Dr. Cohen is also known for his ability to make anyone feel comfortable, children and adults alike, and is always ready to share a good d'var Torah or story. He and his aishes chayil, Chanie, have successfully built a home that exudes warmth, calm and joy.

Chanie (nee Barbanel), currently a speech pathologist working for the DOE in Forest Hills, grew up in Pelham Parkway and attended Breuers' elementary and high school. She acquired her BA and MS in Speech Language Pathology from Lehman College and has been helping children overcome language barriers ever since. A true akeres habayis, Chanie has fully invested herself in raising her children, is involved in their chinuch and has created an environment of open communication that encircles the family with love and understanding. The Cohen home is known for its "open door" policy; Chanie often hosts families and friends of her children for Shabbos or other occasions with an easy-going smile that belies any effort expended. Chanie also arranged for her mother a"h to move to Kew Gardens Hills after her father's petirah, and dedicated much time and energy to her care, a profound living lesson in the gold standard for kibud eim. In terms of the Cohen family, when it comes to the big get-togethers, it is Chanie who is elected to research, plan and organize the event, which she does with her trademark class, dignity, grace and resourcefulness.

Adam and Chanie's children reflect their parents' sterling character traits and are following their path of Torah im derech eretz. Their daughter Tamar, a graduate of Bnos Malka, Manhattan High School, and Machon Ra'aya in Israel, is currently enrolled in Touro's PA program. Their son, Dovid, a YTM alumnus, will graduate from Mesivta Ateres Yaakov and plans to attend Rabbi Senter's yeshiva in Israel, and their second son, Yaakov, is graduating from YTM this year. Their youngest Avigail, attend Bnos Malka. In a classic case of juggling responsibilities, the Cohens, baruch HaShem, are busy with the upcoming chausnah of their daughter Tamar while preparing for the YTM dinner. We wish Dr. and Mrs. Cohen a heartfelt Mazal Tov on this special simcha, and it is our sincere hope that they will continue to derive much nachas from the wonderful family they have nurtured and parented, not just this year, but every year.

Mr. Harvey Brodsky a"h, a legend in his own time, spent most of his career teaching English to the 7th and 8th grade students of Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe. A master of his subject, Mr. Brodsky instilled a love of the English language and a passion for communicating effectively in thousands of young boys. Many of his former students attribute their excellent writing skills to the superior foundational instruction they received from Mr. Brodsky.

Without fanfare or hi-tech support, Mr. Brodsky immersed his pupils in the world of English literature and poetry, cultivating their interests and bringing forth their creative talents with innovative lessons and assignments. He expended incredible amounts of time and energy to hone each student's technical skills by compiling individualized listings of common grammar and spelling errors for each student. Humble and approachable, the boys felt comfortable in his presence to discuss other topics with him, respecting his opinion not only on their essays but on life in general. He was also the yearbook advisor for YTM, and was the graduation and awards coordinator in other schools he taught in, as well as an advisor to the Arista Honor Society.

As dedicated as he was to the yeshiva, Mr. Brodsky was equally devoted to his family, undertaking the burden of financially and emotionally supporting his mother and five siblings at a young age. As his sister commented, "He was always there for us." In addition, he invested his personal resources in charities and organizations such as Save the Children and Doctors without Borders.

The staff, students and parents who were fortunate to benefit from Mr. Brodsky's teaching will always remember the love, passion and commitment he had for his students and his favorite subject.

May his caring and compassionate neshomah have an aliyah.