Sloatsburg, NY – Like every year the popular Mincha/Maariv area, utilized every summer by tens of thousands of Orthodox men traveling to the Catskills, is set to re-open for the summer on June 20, 2013.
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Located at the Sloatsburg rest area past Exit 15A, midway between the city and the mountains on the northbound side of the New York State Thruway, the area was designated as a “prayer zone” in 1993. The Mincha area was the brainchild of Rabbi Edgar Gluck who initiated the idea in order to serve the many members of the Jewish community who travel frequently to the Catskills during the summer months and also led intense negotiations with the Thruway Authority in order to bring his idea to fruition.
The Sloatsburg rest area is named “Mincha Area Tfilos Mordche”, in memory of Rav Mordche Friedman of Kiryas Joel, NY who passed away in 2010 at the age of 56. Rabbi Friedman served as a liaison between the Jewish community and the Thruway Authority, volunteering every Thursday night in order to assure Thruway officials that the no rules were being broken and that the area was being used exclusively for prayer services.
sometimes this weather just doesnt feel like summer
This is the nicest part of the summer season , seeing all types of yidden davening together. May hashem bestow on all of us a nice and relaxing summer. See ya in sloatsburg.