ODA Community Development is a non-profit, tax exempt 501C3 organization established in Brooklyn, New York, in 1974 under the vision and leadership of the late Rabbi Zvi Kestenbaum Z”L, with the goal of assisting minority and low-income communities that are often ignored. Rabbi Kestenbaum strongly believed that they, too, deserve to be served, and worked tirelessly for more than three and half decades to create a wide range of programs responsive to community needs. Today, by offering generous help on the personal and commercial levels, ODA continues to fulfill Rabbi Kestenbaum’s mission of providing these communities with a better quality of life. We are proud of the numerous initiatives that have been implemented over the years, many of which have been officially recognized and awarded by the Federal Government, New York State, and notable charitable foundations. As we look back at these achievements—the scope of our services as well as our personal involvement with the community—we feel gratified by the confidence placed in us, and encouraged to build upon our past successes.


From the beginning, we have been committed to providing the community with services that are most needed and most productive. To that end, we offer a broad spectrum of business/entrepreneur and housing/personal-care services:

ODA Weatherization Program (WAP) supplies government grants to landlords/building managers toward upgrades of windows, heating systems, appliances, etc., which help reduce utilities’ expenses and raise the value of the homes. Ultimately, this improves not only individual developments, but also the entire neighborhood.

ODA Housing Program offers seminars and private sessions for first-time home-buyers and foreclosure counseling for homeowners struggling to keep their homes.

ODA Merchants Program has worked with local businesses to provide a welcome environment for business. We have created dialogues between business and local officials to address storefront improvements, safety, security and sanitation concerns.

ODA Neighborhood Beautification program has, among other things, refurbished storefront facades, planted thousands of trees, and contributed free window flower boxes to homes.

ODA network of Health Centers offers vital services to more than 50,000 clients – every day of the week, 365 days a year. No needy individual is ever rejected.

ODA WIC Program, WIC provides checks for nutritious foods and supplement diets in the approx. amount of ten million dollars ($10 mill.) annually, as well as literature and classes on healthy eating, including breastfeeding promotion and support. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, is the largest individualized WIC program in the United States. With close to 10,000 current participants (and thousands of past participants), we’ve helped countless families eat nutritionally sound meals by providing approx. ten million dollars annually of WIC checks.

ODA HDA Program, a home health care agency, supplies nurses, home attendants and assistance to the elderly and infirm in the comfort of their homes..

ODA’s network of health centers currently offers vital services to more than 50,000 clients – every day of the week, 365 days a year.