Ami Magazine Pesach 2020 Volume 1 by Ami Magazine

DOUBLE AMI PESACH ISSUE Includes 2 issues of Ami, AmiLiving, Aim, Whisk, Collection and More

MegaPesachE dition!

COOK CREAT ECT CONNE

ine Food Magaz

The Ami

T UN

APRIL 8, 2020

Child in Hidin g

Issue 463 8, 2020 5780 April 14 Nisan

Last - te minu sides

14 NISAN

5780 ISSUE 463

Rebbetzin Shulamis Volpe mother’s love and parting shares how her words saved her life

Truth Is nger Than FictStra ion

A stranger

reveals a secret

UPDATES ON STORIES WE’VE DONE

The Trip a Lifet of

4/3/20

Dvori andime Yisrael Pshednovak around the ‘s trip world 1:57

4/1/20

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ISSUE 463 APRIL 8, 2020 14 NISAN 5780

AMI TRAVELS SHLOIME ZIONCE RETURNS TO CUBA TO FULFILL A PROMISE TO A JEWISH MAN RUSSIA’S BIOLOGICAL WARFARE ITS RELATION TO COVID-19

1:08 PM

What’s in a Name?

Never assum you can tell e who is Jewish

AN ARTICLE RESULTS IN A REUNION A DAUGHTER’S RETURN; HEAR MOTHER’S HER STORY MIRIAM ISRAELI’S TUNES REACHED AN HAVE EVEN WIDER AUDIENCE YOSSI AND SARAH DWORCAN TURN THEIR SON’S DIAGNOSIS INTO A MISSION

Repr

The

ieve Szilvia Nahm ani fought for her husband’s freedo m

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YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE

Rebbetzin Feige Twersk i and Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker on navigating in-law children

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CREATING A NEW HOSPITAL IN LONDON

A COMMUNITY FIGHTS THE DISEASE

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WHEN WILL OUR LIVES RETURN TO NORMAL? CAN THOSE WHO RECOVERED LEAVE HOME?

A HOTEL CATERER DEMANDS PAYMENT

A HALACHIC BATTLE IN BEIS DIN

A Stimulating Conversation with

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Contents 4.8.2020

DOUBLE PESACH ISSUE

14 NISAN 5780 • ISSUE 463

150

Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel

36 44 46 48 54 60

PUBLISHER’S NOTE Let us sing a song to the Almighty LETTERS PERSPECTIVE RABBI HILLEL GOLDBERG

PAST FORWARD RAFAEL MEDOFF

W ORLD NEWS YOSSI KRAUSZ

NEWS FROM ISRAEL CHAIM FRIEDLANDER

SIGHTINGS AND CITINGS BEN ROSEN

AMI IN THE WHITE HOUSE

TURX

86 92

JEWISH NEWS Hatzalah of London - Liska cemetery - Dead Sea Scrolls hoax SHLOIME ZIONCE - YOSSI KRAUSZ - LAWRENCE H. SCHIFFMAN

BUSINESS ELI LEVINE

LUNCHBREAK Four entrepreneurs on how they are dealing with the pandemic NESANEL GANTZ

08 BEIS DIN 1 122 J-TANK

AMI STAFF

DOVID LAPINSKY

26 A M I M A G A Z I N E / / A P R I L 8 , 2 0 2 0 / / 1 4 N I S A N 5 7 8 0

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Contents 4.8.2020

DOUBLE PESACH ISSUE

14 NISAN 5780 â&#x20AC;¢ ISSUE 463

140

Dr. Zev Zelenko

1 34 SPYVIEW: CODE NAME: CHIMERA

How Russia unleashed COVID-19 on the world

JOHN LOFTUS

140

DID AN ORTHODOX JEW FIND A CURE TO COVID-19? A conversation with Dr. Zev Zelenko RABBI YITZCHOK

FRANKFURTER

1 50

REACHING EVEN HIGHER A wide-ranging conversation with the famed gaon and mekubal Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel RABBI YITZCHOK FRANKFURTER

MADE, 1 68 PROMISE PROMISE KEPT

168

A return to the Jewish community of Cuba to fulfill an obligatio

SHLOIME ZIONCE

28 A M I M A G A Z I N E / / A P R I L 8 , 2 0 2 0 / / 1 4 N I S A N 5 7 8 0

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‫ֲשר ָּב ַחר‬ ‫ׁ‬ ‫אֶ‬ ‫ָּבנ ּו ִמ ּכָל ָעם‬ ‫ְרומ ָמנ ּו‬ ‫ו ְ‬ ‫ָשון‬ ‫ִמ ּכָל לׁ‬

‫חג כ‬ ‫‪4/2/20 1:22 PM‬‬

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Let Us Sing a Song to the Almighty

he shirah that Moshe Rabbeinu sang with klal Yisrael after crossing the Yam Suf is prefaced, or actually begins, with the words “Az yashir Moshe uvnei Yisrael,” which translate literally as “Then Moshe and the children of Israel will sing this song to Hashem” (Shemos 15:1). It goes without saying that for the Torah to describe an event that took place in the past with a verb that represents the future is quite problematic. Chazal (Sanhedrin 91b) address this problem and clarify that this pasuk actually alludes to a future event, namely, to the time of Techiyas Hameisim, when Moshe and the children of Israel will sing this song. However, as Rashi notes in his commentary on Chumash, this interpretation is a drashah rather than peshuto shel mikra, the literal meaning of the pasuk. Rashi therefore suggests the following interpretation: “Az, then, when they saw the miracle, it entered their hearts to sing a song.” In other words, the Torah is referring to the decision to sing that preceded the song, rather than the actual act of singing. What remains problematic, however, is that while any action a person takes of his own free will is preceded by the decision to take that action, when narrating an event, we generally refer to the action itself rather than to the decision that inspired the action. Perhaps an idea advanced by the Rambam can help us understand Rashi’s reading of this pasuk. In a comparison between the worship of Hashem through mental contemplation with that of physical actions, the Rambam writes that the former is the ideal. However, since it is difficult for humans to immediately reach that elevated form of worship, prayer—and especially standardized prayers of petition and thanksgiving, as the Rambam posits at the end of his Moreh (III:51)—serves to move the individual towards that contemplative ideal, which represents the truest form of avodah shebalev: “When you are alone, when you are awake on your couch, be careful to meditate in such precious moments on nothing but the intellectual worship of G-d, that is, to approach Him in the true manner I have described to you, not

with hollow emotions. I consider this the highest perfection wise men can attain by the above training.” Moreover, as the Rambam suggests in a previous chapter (III:32), man by nature has a need to verbalize and express his dedication to Hashem through physical actions. It is for that reason that these forms of avodas Hashem were not prohibited, but were in actual fact encouraged: “It was in accordance with the wisdom and plan of G-d, as displayed in the whole Creation, that He did not command us to give up all these manners of [sacrificial] service; for to obey such a commandment would have been contrary to the nature of man, who generally cleaves to that to which he is accustomed. In those days, it would have made the same impression as a prophet would make at present if he called us to the service of G-d and told us in His name that we should not pray to Him, nor fast nor seek His help in times of trouble, and that we should serve Him in thought, and not by any action.” Seen in this light, the emotion that filled the Jewish people’s hearts after they crossed the Yam Suf, which inspired them to sing a shirah to Hashem, was a higher form of worship than the actual act of singing. The Torah thus highlights that moment of inspiration. Before we conclude, let us clarify this thought with the following qualifie . Shiras Hayam was sung by Moshe and the Jewish people before the giving of the Torah. Since there were no official mitzvos at that time, contemplation took precedence over actions. Later, at Mattan Torah, we were directed by Hashem to worship Him not only in our minds and hearts, but by physically uttering prayers. As the Rambam sets forth: “It is a positive commandment to pray each day, as it states, ‘And you shall serve Hashem, your G-d’ (Shemos 23:25). From tradition, we know that service means prayer, as it is stated, ‘And you shall serve Him with all your heart’ (Devarim 11:13). The Sages explained, ‘What is service of the heart? This is prayer’ (Taanis 2a).” Thus today, by verbalizing the standardized tefillo lishmah, one fulfills the will of the Almight .

•

32 A M I M A G A Z I N E / / A P R I L 8 , 2 0 2 0 / / 1 4 N I S A N 5 7 8 0

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LETTERS RABBI YITZCHOK FRANKFURTER

Publisher, CEO

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Chesky Kauftheil EDITORIAL

SENIOR EDITOR

Rechy Frankfurter MANAGING EDITOR

Yossi Krausz

RABBINIC EDITOR

Rabbi Moshe Taub

HALACHIC ADVISOR

Rabbi Shay Tahan

SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

Turx

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

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CONTRIBUTORS

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky Nesanel Gantz • John Loftus • Ben Rosen Rafael Medoff • Gershon Hellman Rabbi Shais Taub • Chaya Silber Isaac Horovitz • Naomi Raksin Chaya Silber FEATURE EDITOR

Yitta Halberstam Mandelbaum EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Rivka Wilenkin

COPY EDITORS

Basha Majerczyk Mendelovicii Rabbi Yisroel Benedek EDITORS/PROOFREADERS

Dina Schreiber Yitzchok A. Preis • Sholom Laine ART

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A SON’S GRATITUDE From a son writing about his father In reference to “Human Experience,” Issue 457

Dear Editor: A few weeks ago, I was privileged to have an article that I had submitted to your magazine, entitled “The Orphan’s Son,” published for distribution. It was a Thursday afternoon when my wife called me in my office. I excused myself from a patient to answer her call. To my surprise, she was crying on the other end of the line. Upon inquiring what had happened, she told me that she had just purchased Ami Magazine and found, to her amazement, that my article had been published in that week’s edition. She told me that my article, paying tribute to my father, Rav Simcha Dovid Paritzky, brought her to tears, because she had personally known him, my father, her father-in-law, for so many years during our marriage that she could not help but reminisce about everything that I had described in the article. She had personally witnessed firsthand this unbelievable individual and was only, while reading the article, truly able to fully appreciate what we, our entire family, were zocheh to have had.

The overwhelming number of calls, text messages, emails and voicemails that I have received from childhood friends, former TA classmates in Baltimore, and even total strangers from around the globe who were overcome with awe upon reading this article of tribute, has been truly an indescribable experience. My goal for initially writing the article was to hopefully make a true and sincere kiddush Hashem. I wanted to express to “my daddy” how much I think of him, miss him and love him on a daily basis. I wanted to express in words that, as a grown adult, I had come to realize that he was a true matanah from Hashem, an orphan, and that I was and continue to be so proud to be able to say that Rav Simcha Dovid Paritzky was “my daddy.” I wrote the article. You, Ami Magazine, were my shaliach to help me make that kiddush Hashem come true. You, Ami Magazine, however, did something I never imagined would have actually occurred. You became the shaliach of the Ribbono Shel Olam. You and your entire staff assisted the Ribbono Shel Olam to actually be mekadeish my father in this world. Everyone is talking. They are talking about my father. Their talking of him and about him keeps him alive. I know my father is in Gan Eden, strolling together with his chavrusa Rav

ULTIMATE YISSACHAR-ZEVULUN DEAL – ENTIRE SHAS IN 1 YEAR Ami Magazine 1575 50th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219 P: 718.534.8800 F: 718.484.7731 info@amimagazine.org

Ami Magazine. Published by Mehulol Publications LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space, and editorial sensitivities. Ami Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements in the publication, nor for the contents of books that are referred to or excerpted herein.

Ami463_Letters.indd 36

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‫לשנה הבאה‬ ‫בני חורין‬

Let them enjoy freedom W ITH OU R A D U LT DAY H A B

HCS DAYHAB I S A CHOI CE -BAS E D ADULT PROG RAM THAT F OSTE RS I NDE PE NDE NCE , E NCOURAGE S S K I LL BUI LDI NG A N D PROMOTE S A S E NS E OF COMMUNI TY I NCLUS I ON AND GROWTH. ME N' S DI VI S I ON DI RE CTE D BY MR. YANKY F RI E DMAN WOME N' S DI VI S I ON DI RE CTE D BY MRS . RAI ZY S CHWARZMER

E N R O L L M E N T N OW O P E N F O R I N D I V I D U A L S G R A D U AT I N G S C H O O L

H C S N Y. O R G

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LETTERS Yaakov Kamenetsky. He is also now with me and my family together with so many other people here in Olam Hazeh. The article has made so many people, from every corner of the earth, and every walk of life, talk about the inspiration they have garnered from the story of an orphan. To each and every one of you, there are no words to adequately express my hakaras hatov for not only allowing me to make my tribute and kiddush Hashem, but more importantly for enabling you, Ami Magazine, to be His shaliach to be mekadeish my father in this world. I thank you all. And a very special thanks to both Chaya Silber and Rebbetzin Ruchi Weisz who were instrumental in encouraging me to write my letter of tribute. Mima’amakim kerasicha Hashem (from the bottom of the heart),

“‘Ashes...human remains from the crematoriums.’ “Several feet under several sites of farmland around Auschwitz are scattered the last remains of over one million human beings. It is probably the largest Jewish gravesite in the world. NO ONE REMEMBERS. “THEY ARE THERE (my capitalization), waiting, still waiting for justice at Auschwitz...or at least proper burial.” If indeed this is true, the proper authorities, that is to say the whole Jewish Nation, the Polish government and the German government must take responsibility for the appropriate solution(s) vis-à-vis these sacred remains. It is all of our responsibility first to ascertain if these are the remains of the victims of Auschwitz. This should be done expeditiously. L. Zoberman

Dr. Michael Paritzky

WE NEED ACTION

Responsibility for remains In reference to “Spyview,” Issue 453

A VISION OF A VIRUS Rabbi Kamenetzky’s prediction?

In reference to “Streets of Life.” Issue 424

Dear Editor: Dear Editor: In the “Spyview” of Issue 453, the following paragraphs are at the end of the article: “Then he showed me rectangles of white in the empty fields to the west of Auschwitz. ‘What is that?’ I asked.

In “The Streets of Life” of July 3, 2019, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky writes: “And in the current atmosphere of heightened awareness of everything from the menacing

threats of our mortal enemies to the smallest microbes that spread disease like wildfire, we never let our guard down.” So already back in July, Rabbi Kamenetzky had contemplated (predicted?) our current matzav. Wow. I am awed. Humbly, Moshe Levitin

THE HELPERS

An opportunity we didn’t have before In reference to “The Coronavirus Helpers,” Issue 462

Dear Editor: The article about the organization that is getting volunteers to help with bringing necessities to those who need them was a welcome break from the doom and gloom that we all have been feeling, talking about, and thinking about during this period. It was good to think about something positive instead of some of the sad and scary things that have been written about. I will say that although no one knows why this is happening to us and what purpose it might have, I will say that it has been an exceptional opportunity to do chesed. There is something specifically poignant about doing chesed at a time when we really can’t come close to our neighbors

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LETTERS physically, especially the older ones who need help. And so my latest shopping trip to the store included a long list from my neighbor, an older woman who told me that she was actually scared to go out, because her sisterin-law had ended up in the hospital. I wasn’t able to greet her at her door, for fear of possibly getting her sick. Instead, I left her groceries just outside her door and told her that they were there. But despite the fact that I didn’t see her, it was perhaps a bigger connection than we’ve ever had before. I hope that despite all of the sorrows and pain that we are experiencing, we’ll get a chance to focus also on the opportunities for kindness that this terrible time is giving us. Name withheld

DAYS PAST

Older worries are gone In reference to “A Closer Look,” Issue 459

Dear Editor: This week, I looked back at a recent issue that enumerated the problems with Bernie Sanders and his run for the presidency. It’s strange to think how worried I was about that at the time and how much things have changed since then, with new worries in the environment all around us. Sometimes you find out that the old worries weren’t as big as you thought they were, in comparison to others. D. Heller

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE Halachah and sheltering in place In reference to “Coronavirus As Seen Through...,” Issue 462

Dear Editor: Thank you so much for your interview with Rav Moshe Brandsdorfer. It made me feel very different from what I had been feeling these past few weeks—more secure and happier. For one, I’ve been somewhat distraught about our inability to go to shul and daven with a minyan. I have been going to shul since well before my bar mitzvah, and like many people, I have made numerous small sacrifices to ensure that I can daven with a minyan. Shul is also my lifeline, the place I feel the biggest connection to the Eibershter. Suddenly to be without that has been very difficult. I listened to a number of hashkafah shiurim from various rabbanim on this issue, and I didn’t find that I was able to shake the feeling, no matter how much I listened. But then, when I read the article with Rav Brandsdorfer, I felt much different. I think that his attitude toward the situation was very different from what I’d seen until now, because he was approaching the issue first from a perspective of pikuach nefesh, not in a vague fluffy way but in a pure halachic way. I feel that that was the perspective that I needed. Rav Brandsdorfer himself also offered some hashkafic perspectives, such as his view that this means that Moshiach is

coming. But I think what I really needed was to feel that my actions—or maybe better my inactions—of staying inside are an avodas Hashem also, along with the Shulchan Aruch and careful and exacting halachic analysis. I feel much different about the idea of being stuck inside. It no longer feels like I am missing a piece of my avodas Hashem; instead it feels like there is a different piece that I never had the real chance to do before, that I am now getting a chance to do, and it is one that I should learn the halachos of and ask shailos about. Thank you for your work every week, but in particular I’d like to thank you for this change of perspective that has really helped me in this difficult time. Y. Gordon

SUING CHINA

Maybe we’ll get together In reference to “Spyview,” Issue 462

Dear Editor: John Loftus’ article about why it will be hard to sue China was fascinating. I’m wondering, though, with so much of the world suffering, whether there will be a broad consensus that something must be done. Dov Zeligman

AMI MAGAZINE 1575 50th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 letters@amimagazine.org Phone: 718-534-8800 Fax: 718-484-7731

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By Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

THE MOST MEANINGFUL PESACH YET THE POWER AND THREAT OF SWIFT TRANSFORMATION

Colorado state lawmaker recalled the Gestapo as he objected to the rules that have almost all of us confined to our houses. The comparison is obviously ignorant. In 2020, unlike in 1940, nobody is shooting anyone in his house or anyone who ventures outside of the house. This is obvious. We all know this. So why bring it up? Not just to condemn the lawmaker’s comparison, but to offer thoughts on another Nazi-era comparison that might seem to be exactly the same and equally wrong, but which, I submit, is worthy of consideration. Aside from the utter depravity of Nazism, I, like countless other historians, observers, survivors and ordinary citizens, have asked myself: How did Nazism happen? Specifically, how did an entire society get radically transformed in a few years? How did a civilization of culture, built up over centuries, transmogrify into an anti-civilization in less than a decade? Variations on the question: How did one person, Hitler, mesmerize an entire people? How did people lose their minds? How did hate warp millions of people? I have read perhaps 250 books on the Holocaust. I have talked with scores of survivors. The more I know, the less I understand. The more I search for the answer to these questions, the more elusive the answer becomes. There is a reason why scores of learned tomes on the rise of Nazism are published each and every year. It’s because, ultimately, no one can figu e it out. The best of the histories on the rise of Nazism may clarify one or another aspect, but never the whole, not even close. Now, however, while I cannot explain it,

I can see—certainly not “it,” not the mechanism for the transformation of German society. To be perfectly clear, there is no comparison between Nazism and any other “it.” But we are living through something that scares me: the almost total transformation of society, the nearly complete overturning of habits and mores, not in a few years, but in a few weeks. The differences are clear: The current transformation is intended to save lives, not

We are living through something that scares me: the almost total transformation of society. to take them. The current transformation is meant for our good, not for our detriment. The current transformation is neither from above, as per a single fanatical leader, nor from below, as per a mass movement, like Bolshevism. The current transformation is driven by the unseen: a virus. Radical, qualitative differences between 2020 and the 1930s—yes. Yet, here we are, witnessing the potential of society to change itself utterly. I find it frightening. Physicians who only a few weeks ago made light of the coronavirus now say that I and all of us utterly must change our ways. Just like that. Overnight. Masses

of people are one way, then another way. The physicians are right! Yet, a total transformation is scary. Perhaps that is why some people still resist the new protocols. We pray that they will keep us healthy, and that it will soon be over. True. But I ask, with trepidation: If millions or hundreds of millions of people harbor the potential to be utterly transformed in an extremely short time, then who is to say that it cannot happen again, but for a malevolent purpose? The Exodus from Egypt was an utter transformation of Israelite society for a beneficent purpose through a dramatic sequence of events in an extremely short time. As we approach Pesach this year, in these unprecedented circumstances, my prayer is that we retain the capacity to be transformed— yes, for G-d’s purposes, for holiness, for our national mission, for becoming a light unto the nations, and not for any other purpose or under any other condition. Perhaps this year, in these unprecedented circumstances, we can grasp Pesach’s meaning more than ever before. It is not how many people will be around the Seder table, but how deeply we understand the story—the meaning of our liberation from Egypt, the swift, revolutionary revelation of the Divine, beneficen plan for our ancestors, and through them, for us and all of humanity. Perhaps this Pesach, all of the attendant difficulties and oddities notwithstanding, can be the most meaningful we have ever experienced. ● ● Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, editor and publisher

of the Intermountain Jewish News, is the author of Countdown to Shabbos: Bringing the Week into Shabbos, Bringing Shabbos into the Week (OU Press).

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BY RAFAEL MEDOFF

THE FIRST NAZI CAMP TO BE LIBERATED BY U.S. FORCES

THE CAPTURE OF OHRDRUF, 75 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

eventy-five years ago this week, as Jews around the world were celebrating the liberation of the Jews from ancient Egypt, American soldiers reached Ohrdurf, the first Nazi concentration camp to be liberated by the US Army. On the seventh day of Pesach, which fell out on April 4, 1945, the 4th Armored Division and the 89th Infantry Division came across Ohrdruf, a slave labor site that was a satellite of the notorious Buchenwald camp. The German guards had already abandoned the camp and forced most of the prisoners to take part in a death march. General Dwight Eisenhower, the chief commander of the Allied forces, visited Ohrdurf on April 12. “The things I saw beggar description,” he wrote. “The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick.” Eisenhower was so disturbed by what he saw that he arranged for groups of American journalists and members of Congress to view the evidence of Nazi atrocities first hand. The name Ohrdruf would have been completely forgotten by the American public had it not unexpectedly come up during the 2008 presidential campaign. Then-candidate Barack Obama, urging more funding for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, said his great-uncle, Charlie Payne, suffered from PTSD after taking part in “the liberation of Auschwitz.” Actually, Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Red Army, not the Americans. Payne publicly corrected his great-nephew, telling reporters his army unit was at Ohrdruf, not Auschwitz. He also expressed some chagrin that Obama was using his story as a campaign point without consulting him. “I was quite surprised when the whole thing came up and Barack talked about my war experiences in Nazi Germany,” Payne said. “We had never talked about that before.” Part of the reason that Payne and other GIs were so shocked by what they saw in the liberated camps was that even though the

Roosevelt administration, including the War Department, knew all about the Nazis’ mass murder and slave labor camps, it never shared that information with the soldiers who were approaching the camps. “A concentration camp at Dachau was a complete surprise to all of us,” recalled Col. Walter J. Fellenz, a commander of the First Battalion, which was involved in liberating that camp on April 29, 1945. Likewise George Oiye, of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion: “We were not ordered to take Dachau; we just kind of stumbled on to it. I didn’t even know it existed.” Staff Sgt. Johnnie Stevens of the 761st Tank Battalion, which helped liberate Gunskirchen, a sub-camp of Mauthausen, put it this way: “At the time, we did not know those camps existed. Our government lied to us. We were not prepared for what we found.” The Army’s own publications, Stars and Stripes and Yank, were no help in this regard; they presented very little information about the Nazis’ atrocities against Jews. When Yank reporter Richard Paul submitted an article about the mass murder of the Jews in Auschwitz in October 1944, his editors told him it was “too Semitic.” They instruct him to rewrite it so that it “did not deal principally with Jews.” That approach was consistent with the Roosevelt administration’s overall policy during the Holocaust. Calling attention to the fact that the Jews were being singled out for persecution would have increased pressure on the US government to grant them refuge—something President Franklin Roosevelt did not want to do. l Dr. Medoff has taught Jewish history at Ohio State University, SUNYPurchase, and elsewhere. He has written more than 20 books about Jewish history. His latest book, which has just been published by the Jewish Publication Society/University of Nebraska Press, is The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust.

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SOME ‘SERIOUS’ TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME: FROM THE #ALWAYSWORKING EXPERTS AT BROOKLYN SQUARE

Send the kids on a wild goose chase. Hide a bunch of impossible clues around the house and let the gang struggle with the game until your “workday” is done.

Hold roundtables at the water cooler. Once a day, designate a family meeting at the kitchen sink. Debate, philosophize, share jokes, and let conversation ﬂow. Stick to a daily routine. Wake up, get dressed, daven, eat breakfast, go to work: it keeps you from feeling like a shlump.

Zoom In. When on video conferences, put on fake vacation backgrounds to get people upset and be on mute, not everyone needs to hear your family’s conversations.

Keep your desk clean. Kids toys, empty snack bags, and cluttered papers only serve as peripheral distractions.

Get some exercise in. You’re moving less, so it’s no wonder you’re feeling sluggish. Do a quick workout – and no, walks to the kitchen for another snack don’t count.

Don’t be employee of the house. When there’s nowhere to get to, it’s easy to “stay late” after work. Resist the urge; it only leads to burnout.

Select a room that’s close to the fridge. Eating well is key to feeling good about yourself and being productive. Eat chocolate and be your best.

Keep your laptop (and kids) off your lap. Even if you can work from bed, keep your working limited to a dedicated tabletop. That way, home is home and work is work.

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N AT I O N A L A N D W O R L D

NEWS

A CLOSER LOOK

When We Be Able to Go Back to Work?

ANALYZING THE NEWS THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO BE SAFE FROM THE CORONAVIRUS

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BY YOSSI KRAUSZ

he Pesach Seder will be a lonelier experience for many people this year, as around the world policies of social distancing to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus are being adhered to; the family Seder this time around will include just those in your household. But wailing sirens and funerals and the long lists of names for Tehillim should remind everyone everywhere that staying home during the present coronavirus pandemic as much as possible is necessary to keep people alive. The hospitals in major cities around the world are being inundated by patients, with too many arriving for medical personnel to adequately deal with them. Keeping away from people we’re not living with to slow the spread of the virus will keep the hospitals from being totally overrun and keep millions from dying

because of the lack of medical care. A widespread policy of social distancing is the only way to avoid total catastrophe. But at the same time, the threats to the economy and people’s livelihoods is a real and debilitating one. Some economists are predicting double-digit unemployment in the US and a global downturn that resembles the Great Depression in its severity and longevity. That economic downturn could also harm the health of millions, as well as cast them into poverty. Getting the public back to work as soon as possible is therefore important. The most obvious way would be through a vaccine. But how quickly one will be ready is unclear. It will certainly take at least a year, even with the most optimistic timeline, and there is no guarantee that there will be a successful vaccine, despite all the teams working on one. Are there any other options?

Relaxing the controls

hat about if we waited until the numbers of new infections and deaths went down? Could we open things back up, perhaps region by region? In fact, social distancing, theoretically, could accomplish that. Epidemiologists have said that if we were able to have every American stay in place for two weeks, six feet away from everyone else, the virus would basically die out, as those who were infected would clear it from their system. Everyone could go back to what they were doing before the outbreak. That’s not a practical suggestion, though, and the less complete and less perfect social distancing that we can do, practically, isn’t going to cause the virus to die out. Instead, it will cause it to just spread more slowly. What several countries and localities have found out is that when you try to end our

real-world social distancing, it may not go so well. Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan all recently relaxed their measures and saw a resurgence of the disease, which they had done a good job of suppressing. Those infections were in part due to travelers from abroad bringing the virus from elsewhere, but there were also signs that locals were also the source of some infections. Relaxing controls too early—and we’re not exactly sure yet how early is too early—can allow a second wave of infections to start again.

Can those who had it go back to work?

ut what about the people who have already had the disease and gotten over it? Could we allow them to go to work and out into society, without the fear that they will infect others?

14 NISAN 5780 // APRIL 8, 2020 // AMI MAGAZINE

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N AT I O N A L A N D W O R L D

NEWS “During this period, it’s very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines. Have to follow the guidelines. Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30 to slow the spread. We can expect that by June 1, we will be well on our way to recovery.” President Donald Trump

Dr. Vincent Racaniello, the Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University, told Ami: “If you know that you had this virus, Sars-CoV-2 [another technical name for COVID-19], it’s reasonable to assume that you have immunity that is going to last a certain amount of time, probably a year, and that you shouldn’t be infected again. And if you are infected again, it’s going to be a much, much more mild disease than the first time.” He warned that just because someone has felt sick doesn’t mean that they can assume that they had COVID-19. “It needs to be a confirmed case, because there are other respiratory viruses circulating now,” he said. But, he said, those who have definitely recovered should be able to go out without being worried about getting sick again. Can they infect others? Dr. Racaniello said that they shouldn’t be able to. “Probably not. If you wait until the symptoms have subsided, which for people who are recovering is about two weeks from when symptoms started, you shouldn’t be able to transmit it to someone else.” The CDC’s guidelines for leaving isolation are a bit different, in that they say you can start going out if you haven’t had fever for 72 hours and your other symptoms have improved and it’s been seven days since you first started having symptoms. Part of the problem with knowing about immunity against COVID-19 is that we

know that immunity to some other coronaviruses, like those that are among the causes of the common cold, can dip later and you can be reinfected. But many experts have expressed similar opinions to Dr. Racaniello and believe that there will be immunity for at least this wave of the virus.

Knowing who was sick

ut as Dr. Racaniello said, in order to go out, you need to know that you actually had the virus. Since most people aren’t getting tested, that would mean that getting better wouldn’t help them go back to work. Something that might change that would be an antibody test, which would show, even after you got better, whether you had had the disease. While the tests that we have

been relying on to diagnose the disease up until now look for evidence of the virus itself, antibody tests look for evidence of the immune cells that your body makes to fend off the virus. “If you can do a home test that said that you had antibodies, you would feel much better about going to the grocery store,” Dr. Racaniello said. And there are several different kinds of antibody tests that are being brought to the market now, though there have been some controversies. The medical device company BodySphere claimed that the FDA had approved its test, but that was quickly refuted. Instead, the FDA said that it was approving a test by the company Cellex. Other companies are also trying to bring such tests to market. In the UK, there has been an even more

“If you wait until the symptoms have subsided, which for people who are recovering is about two weeks from when symptoms started, you shouldn’t be able to transmit it to someone else.” Dr. Vincent Racaniello

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N AT I O N A L A N D W O R L D

NEWS

“The goal must be that of establishing a decent estimate for each age group as to how many people have made it through the infection and now have antibodies.” Dr. Christian Drosten

dramatic development, with the British government announcing that there will be home antibody tests made available very soon from the online retailer Amazon and the British health and beauty retailer Boots. Theoretically these tests could be used to allow people to go back to work (and the British government is using them as a way to get healthcare workers back on their jobs, which it has been criticized for not doing). But there are still questions about how soon they will be available and how accurate they are. Dr. Racaniello pointed out that home antibody tests won’t be helpful to government bodies like the CDC unless there is some way to electronically send the results to the bodies. “In that case, we could monitor them and say, ‘Oh, in this part of the country they’re 80 percent infected, so it’s okay to resume social mixing.’” Without that, the CDC or state or local government bodies would have no way of knowing that they could relax guidelines about being out in public.

Herd immunity: will it eventually save the economy?

ventually, it won’t just be people who were exposed to the virus who will be

able to go back to work. Once enough people are immune to the virus, transmission is reduced to a minimum, because the virus has fewer places it can go. That is the so-called herd immunity effect that we are used to hearing about in regard to vaccination. Herd immunity was floated as part of the British government’s original lax plan for dealing with the coronavirus. The idea then was to let people go around much as usual, allowing people to get sick and eventually create enough immune people to protect even those not yet immune. The problem with that was that allowing everyone to get sick at the same time would overwhelm the hospital system, both seriously damaging the system and allowing a large number of people—maybe millions— to die who could have been otherwise saved. But with the system we have in place right now, in which the rate of infection only very slowly grows, we will also eventually reach a level of herd immunity. Dr. Racaniello explained: “Based on the transmissibility of this virus, we can calculate what percentage of the population needs to be immune in order to stop transmission. That has to be between 50 and 70 percent of the population.” But one of the problems right now is that

we probably won’t know when we’ve gotten there. “We’re not testing anywhere near most people in this country,” he said, “so I suspect there are way more infections than we know about. Eighty percent of the infections are mild or asymptomatic; that still holds. That percentage of people infected is still rising, and it’s just a matter of findin out when it’s enough. That’s where the antibody tests could come in.” He said that as antibody tests roll out, we’ll see new policy based on that. “That’s the only way we can get back to work without a vaccine,” he said. If there is data— rather than arbitrary dates put out by politicians—we’ll be able to get people back to work quicker. In an interview with Der Zeit, the virologist who has been at the forefront of Germany’s efforts against the virus, Dr. Christian Drosten, said that “large, cross-sectional studies” could help determine what percentage of the population is already immune, so that even if everyone isn’t tested, we could still know that there is herd immunity. Dr. Racaniello pointed out that different areas are being hit by the virus at different dates, with peaks approaching in New York while other areas are just starting the process. He said that even if antibody tests aren’t rolled out widely, by June or July he expects herd immunity and warm weather to have lessened the spread of the disease enough to make it safe to come out of all of our individual enclaves, long before a vaccine. Whether the government will be able to find out that it is safer earlier than that may depend on their ability to get the population tested quickly. Right now there are signs that in the US, political decisions are swaying where the government is sending rapid testing, with states allied with the president getting them first. With millions of jobs lost already, that may not be the way to get America back to work. ●

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Two familiar letters a one-of-kind brand.

Serving you Pesach traditions for generations. Chag kosher vsameach...

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4/1/20 9:10 PM

NEWS An Israeli police officer directs a bachur near the Ponovezh yeshivah in Bnei Brak

Coronavirus in Bnei Brak A DISEASE OUTBREAK HAS POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS

ith undisguised glee, the Prime Minister’s Office published the findings this week of a group of experts from the international organization Deep Knowledge Group. They found Israel to be one of the most secure countries in the world with regard to the coronavirus. Another study carried out by Jason Oke and Carl Heneghan of Oxford University’s research institute found that the chances of death from COVID19 for an Israeli citizen are 0.37%. This low number marks Israel as a country that is outstanding in dealing with the pandemic. The reason for Israel’s success is

the emergency restrictions it put in place immediately after COVID-19 entered the country, including closing the borders, quarantines for people returning from other countries, the reduction of economic activity and the cancellation of school. The Health Ministry has said that if everything goes as expected, it’s likely that after Pesach the economy will be able to slowly resume functioning. Doctors, however, warn that the public must continue to follow the guidelines, and that even the slightest deviation could lead to an outbreak of the pandemic that would get out of control. Despite its successful efforts, it

seems that with regards to the chareidi cities and Bnei Brak in particular, the government failed. As of this writing, one out of every seven confirmed COVID-19 cases is from Bnei Brak. If that weren’t enough, experts warn that according to their mathematical calculations, by Pesach a third of Bnei Brak’s residents will be ill—approximately 75,000 people. This terrifying prediction led to sharp accusations from journalists and politicians who painted the chareidi community as “undisciplined” and “disease distributors.” The harsh criticism also led to various acts of hatred. Chareidi customers were refused service in stores in

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NEWS

Outside the new coronavirus ward at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem

chiloni cities, chareidi women were forced to give birth in isolated parts of hospitals, and much discourse with anti-Semitic undertones went on across social media. In the end the government caved to the pressure and announced that the police and the army would be placed at the entrances to the city so as to bar people from entering or leaving. Ami Magazine spoke with MK Yaakov Asher, former mayor of Bnei Brak. Last week, due to the outbreak in Bnei Brak, Asher offered his services to the municipality. He set up a command room in a house and from there he has been coordinating activities in the city between the municipality and the army, which the state rushed to the area. Although he doesn’t have an official position in the city, residents, askanim, and army commanders are all turning to him for advice. He happily volunteered for this mission, and his sole hope is that “everything will pass peacefully and we’ll get through this.” To explain the crisis within the chareidi community, Asher pointed out that the chareidi lifestyle is vastly different from that of the chiloniim. “Bnei Brak is the most crowded city in Israel. When I was the mayor, there was a very real danger of rockets being launched against Israel. The Home Front Command prepared emergency plans for each city, and they came specially to

Bnei Brak in order to form an individual plan for the city. That’s because if a missile hits Tel Aviv the chances of someone being hit are relatively small. By contrast, if a missile hits Bnei Brak, chas v’shalom, the expected casualties are about eight times more. The same should have applied to preparations for the pandemic. Unfortunately, the government missed out here in a big way by not realizing that what works for every other city doesn’t work for Bnei Brak.” As an example, Asher brings up those who had moderate symptoms and stayed in home quarantine in accordance with the instructions. “What might be good for someone

in Tel Aviv doesn’t work for someone who lives in Bnei Brak. He lives in a crowded apartment, has more children and can’t possibly be in quarantine without coming into contact with his family members. Furthermore, there are all the preparations for Pesach, the sales in the city streets, the distribution of kimcha d’Pischa and the necessity of actually getting ready for Yom Tov. What we ended up with is a crowded city where people who are ill infect their relatives who then walk around outside without knowing that they’re infectious and spreading the disease further. “Fortunately, the city is now beginning to come under control.

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‫‪MetroPlusHealth‬‬ ‫וואונטשט אייך און‬ ‫אייער פאמיליע א‬ ‫פרייליכע‪ ,‬געזונטע פסח!‬ ‫געדענקט! מיר זענען דא פאר‬ ‫אייך אויב איר דארפט אונז‪.‬‬ ‫אפילו אויב איר זענט נישט‬ ‫געווען קוואלאפיצירט פאר‬ ‫העלט‪-‬אינשורענס אן קיין‬ ‫קאסט‪ ,‬איז גאנץ מעגליך‬ ‫שום ָ‬ ‫אז צוליב די אומשטענדן האט‬ ‫זיך אייער צושטאנד געטוישט‪.‬‬

‫חג כשר ושמח!‬

‫‪CALL US AND‬‬ ‫‪FIND OUT IF‬‬ ‫‪YOU QUALIFY.‬‬

‫‪1.855.809.4073‬‬ ‫‪or visit MetroPlus.org‬‬ ‫‪4/3/20 3:17 AM‬‬

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NEWS

MK Yaakov Asher

The army has started to provide logistical solutions, and we were also able to get a few hotels that are kosher l’mehadrin, which we turned into temporary hospitals for the community. Anyone identified as carrying the virus is taken to one of the hotels. It’s difficult, because it means spending Pesach away from the family and children, but we hope that by doing so we will be able to neutralize the continuing spread of the pandemic in this city. “Another significant step has been the complete isolation of the elderly and those who have underlying conditions. The municipality has started to help by working with the chesed organizations to distribute hot food and anything else they need so that they don’t have to go

The government missed out here in a big way by not realizing that what works for every other city doesn’t work for Bnei Brak.

outside and be exposed.” Regarding the hatred against the chareidi community or its portrayal in the general media, Asher says: “Criticism is fine and even important, but when it’s exaggerated it’s

impossible not to think that it’s fueled by hatred. “For example, Carmel ShamaHacohen, the mayor of nearby Ramat Gan, has been spending the last week blaming the people of Bnei Brak for the spread of the virus in his city, and he publicly demanded of the government and the courts to seal off Bnei Brak. He’s an attention seeker and an anti-Semite; there’s no other way to say it. If there were an attack or any other tragedy in his city, chas v’shalom, the first to come and help would be volunteers from the chareidi chesed organizations. If he sees a problem in his neighboring city he should volunteer to help, but if he can’t, at the very least he shouldn’t fan the hate speech.” ●

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Freedom to Celebrate G OOD

O D O m G e s D m e N i a r o d fo o i Li e s t

o M G a e f t H e G r N i . br wisH iNG you a

!‫ר ושמח‬ ‫חג כש‬

GLATT KOSHER FOR PASSOVER

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Synopses of and excerpts from interesting items that have recently appeared here and there—and sometimes way over there—in the media

Sightings Citing

By Ben Rosen

campaign to donate to those who need financial support in the face of the coronavirus. He said that he would donate seven months of his own salary, and he said that altogether, people had already donated $11 million.

➥ But is anything as kind as his donation of the lives of millions to the economy?

Bad Times on a Boat

A navy captain begs for his sailors

De Blasio Deflects Blam

The gym-going mayor runs from criticism In an interview, CNN reporter Jake Tapper asked New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio whether his comments early on stating that people should continue to go about their business as the coronavirus outbreak was beginning was responsible for the massive growth of the virus in the city. “In retrospect, is that message at least in part to blame for how rapidly the virus has spread across the city?” Tapper asked. “Jake, we should not be focusing, in my view, on anything looking back,” de Blasio replied. “This is just about how we save lives going forward... This was a

very different world just a short time ago.” “Mr. Mayor, weren’t your actions in this outbreak also far, far behind the curve?” Tapper responded. “I think the big historical point here that will be looked back on is if this country had the testing we needed, this could have been a very different reality,” de Blasio answered.

➥ Or the big historical point that will be looked back on could be when you leave office.

Erdogan Keeps Things Working

And sets his country up for disaster

Turkey has closed down a large swath of its society because of the coronavirus outbreak, like most other countries. That includes everything from international travel to schools, sporting events, and religious services. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to order everyone to stay at home, and he has instead encouraged people to continue to go to work. Despite a rising number of coronavirus cases and union demands, Erdogan doesn’t want to stop the economy while Turkey is still emerging from a recession. “Turkey is a country that needs to continue production and keep the wheels turning under all conditions and circumstances,” he said. Erdogan has also started a

The captain of the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt has begged in a letter to be allowed to evacuate the ship and quarantine on land because of a coronavirus outbreak, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In the letter, written to Navy leadership, Captain Brett Crozier said that there were not enough facilities on board to ensure that the disease would not spread throughout the ship. While some sailors afflic ed with the virus have been removed to a hospital in Guam, where the ship is docked, there are still over 4,000 sailors on board, some in very tight quarters. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset—our sailors,” he wrote.

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ngs Givat

HANDS-ON POLITICIAN

“Congressman Max Rose Deploys With National Guard for Coronavirus Relief” —A New York Times headline about the decision of Max Rose, a Jewish New York congressman and captain in the National Guard, to don his uniform to help set up temporary hospitals in his district in Staten Island and elsewhere around New York City, saying that it was “an opportunity to serve New York City and my community, and to serve on the ground from an operational perspective.”

Size:

Naval brass said that they were attempting to cycle sailors in and out of the ship and test carefully for anyone who is sick and isolate them. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper was asked in an interview whether they should evacuate the ship, as requested in the letter. “I don’t think we’re at that point,” he responded. Esper also said that he had not read the letter in detail.

Gloss:

Done:

3.75x10.3 / 4.1x10.6 / 3.89x10.1 6x9 / ➥ 7.88x10.88 nnections 5.5x9.5 / it diverted ood “I think 7x9.6 / the attention of the government, because x 4.25x11.25 everything every day 5x13.5 x was all about impeachment.” e 5.4x8.2 / So maybe we’re at the point where you do read the letter in detail before deciding.

If we could get all the members of Congress to start setting up hospitals, they might finally be useful.

—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, claiming on a radio show that the poor US government response to the coronavirus outbreak, which is now expected to kill between 100,000 and 250,000 Americans if it can be controlled well, was due to the impeachment of President Trump.

➥ Republicans often complain about the size of the federal government. Now they’re claiming that it was so small everyone was dealing with impeachment, even the disease specialists.

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!‫חג כשר ושמח‬

4/3/20 4:01 AM

Letters of Healing, Letters of Hope.

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s the world is shaking and a dreadful disease is raging our communities; the question remains - WHAT CAN WE DO?

In a physical sense, we can take all necessary precautions, maintain proper hygiene and look out for ourselves and others. These precautions have been saving lives. Similarly, we know that our spiritual actions can have an equally potent impact and can change the destined course of this plague. In the times of the Baal Shem Tov (1752) the town of Mezibush was engulfed by an extremely contagious and fatal disease. The community leaders, at loss regarding what to do, turned to the Baal Shem Tov and asked him to daven on behalf of the community that they be spared the full wrath of this deadly disease. Rather than return to his study and immerse himself in prayer, the Baal Shem Tov told them that the power to heal was in their hands. He recommended that the community join together to write a Sefer Torah. As the quill began to move across the

parchment, filling the scroll with the holy letters, the community began to heal. Drawing strength and inspiration from the Baal Shem Tov, community leaders have initiated the creation of a ‘Miracle Sefer Torah’.

Each letter will represent an individual Jew, binding us as a nation in a massive display of Jewish unity. Over 100,000 Jews from around the world have joined in this project. You too can take part in this Miracle Sefer Torah. Secure your letter with a symbolic monetary donation, as much as your heart desires (Suggested donation: $2+). May we merit to tap into the special energy that Pesach brings of redemption, faith and healing. May we internalize it’s message and may it permeate our existence. May this Sefer Torah bring a true redemption and healing to Am Yisroel and to the world.

For more information and to take part in the writing of the ‘Miracle Sefer Torah’, visit:

unitedforprotection.com or call: (347) 252-8802

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REPORTING FROM

BY TURX

QUARAN-TEAMWORK

HOW THE LATEST WHITE HOUSE RULES HAVE AFFECTED PRESS, AND THE LONE CONSERVATIVE OUTLET THAT IS DELIBERATELY BREAKING THOSE RULES

OBSERVATION POST:

From Quarantine to Fifteen

s many of you have noticed (and others have asked), I’ve been absent from the press briefings during the past two weeks, since entering self-quarantine for coming in contact with an associate who later tested positive. I counted as many as 150 reporters, cameramen, videographers and technicians crammed into a relatively undersized Briefing Room at the final briefing I covered before going underground. Over my weeks of quarantine, the number of press approved to cover the briefings shrunk down to 25, and then down to 14, all pre-selected by the WHCA. Since slots are so limited, everyone must wait their turn. Now as far as the White House is concerned, once an outlet has been approved they’re equal to all the other approved out-

lets. Officially, there’s nothing that The New York Times would have access to that Ami wouldn’t. That said, some outlets have a slight advantage when it comes to covering the briefings. Each of the 14 seats has its own rotation and is shared among a pool of outlets. Essentially, for a reporter to get in, their outlet must be on at least one of the rotations. Let’s take the TV pool’s rotation, for example. One day it’ll be CNN, the next day it will be ABC, then CBS, NBC and Fox. But CNN also has a spot on the foreign pool’s rotation, and it’s possible that they’ll get in on consecutive days that way. Basically, the more rotations an outlet qualifies for, the more often they can expect one of the seats. Since Ami has both a White House hard pass and is also a member of the White House Correspondents Association, we qualify for many rotations.

Of course, there are some technical complications. Let’s take the foreign pool, which in addition to covering foreign trips is awarded a rotating seat. In addition to needing a hard pass and WHCA membership to join that pool, there’s an additional requirement for recognition by the Press Corps Travel Office, which Ami has obtained. But then there’s Shabbos. Since none of Ami’s correspondents would be available to travel with the president on Shabbos, we’d have to find a replacement for that seat. Even more problematic is the print pool rotation (which in addition to the above requirements also necessitates a year or two stint as members of various supplementary pools). There isn’t a lot of print media at the White House, and the rotation is relatively small. But that also means, mathematically, we can expect to get one Shabbos each month, and it’s really

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Fold here to activate

Take social distancing seriously

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REPORTING FROM

difficult to find another outlet to trade a different day with (since everyone wants the day off and there’s rarely any breaking news anyway). The easiest pool for us to get on has been the regional pool, but with the number of seats reduced down to 14, the regional pool was eliminated from contention, at least for the time being. Still, you should expect to see Ami’s correspondent at a briefing from time to time. These days I’m working with the White House to bring back Skype questions, a press briefing addition that came both in and out of use back in 2017. So far we seem to be making progress, so it’s quite likely that I’ll be able to ask questions and remain in quarantine at the same time. Be well, stay healthy, and I look forward to seeing you all on the other side!

BY TURX

FROM THE CORPS’ CORE:

Breaking, Entering and Shenanigans

ow what would happen should a reporter with a hard pass disregard the regulations and simply show up to a briefing when it’s not his or her turn on the rotation? That’s what the White House correspondent for OANN wondered. OANN, a conservative channel often praised by Trump as his favorite, did manage to get onto one of the rotations. Not only did their correspondent show up when it wasn’t her turn and stood in the back (which the rules strictly forbid), but she asked a brazenly pro-Trump question, setting off triggers everywhere. The WHCA responded by stripping OANN of its spot

WASHINGTON INSIDER BY TURX

JON KARL PRESIDENT OF THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR ABC

on the rotation, which led to accusations of anti-conservative bias. Shortly ahead of print deadline, not only has Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham overridden the WHCA’s decision and reinstated OANN, it now seems like their standing position in the back might even become permanent. The extent of the powers maintained by both the WHCA and the Office of the Press Secretary remain far from established. It’s no question that both side have been testing the reach of their limits. Past altercations between the WHCA and the OPS that went to court were ruled in favor of the WHCA. What’s unusual is the fact that, in those cases, the OPS was attempting to ban reporters, and in this case it’s the WHCA that comes across as attempting to ban a reporter.

even seats line the front row of the White House’s James S. Brady Briefing Room. One of those seats belongs to ABC News’ Jon Karl, who has been covering every president since Bill Clinton. Few have enjoyed a front row seat at the Trump Show like Jon, and his new book, Front Row at the Trump Show, provides an exclusive window into this phenomenon entirely without parallel. In this interview, Jon reflects on his experience covering Donald Trump going back close to three decades. You’ve had a front row to the Trump Show for close to 30 years. You first interviewed The Donald back in the ’90s, and I think it’s fair to say that you understand the man even better than many of his associates and White House officials. What have you learned? I’ve gotten the sense for the rhythms of his behavior and decision making, which looks from afar to be quite erratic with wild swings, but what I think actually ends up being quite predictable. He’s a fascinating political figure to say the least. This has been an incredible time to be a White House cor-

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WASHINGTON INSIDER BY TURX

respondent, because the level of interest in what is happening at the White House is incredibly high, couldn’t be higher. More than anything, he actually loves the news media. He vilifies the news media, but he loves the news media, and he loves to be the big story whatever the story is. Case in point, Jon, he loves you. (Laughs) At Trump’s very first press conference in the East Room, before he called me a liar and told me to sit down and be quiet, he said “I’m looking for a friendly reporter,” and then turned to you and remarked, “I used to say it was Jon.” I’ve heard him say something like that at least a dozen times since. He’s almost always personally very charming and engaging. He wants to build up whomever he’s talking to. Unless he’s mad at you, because then he can have a raging temper. But for the most part, he’s very skilled at pumping up everyone who is around him. He has many times said, “You used to be so nice,” “You used to do such great reporting on me,” and what I think he’s referring to, by and large, is that I did some of the first interviews with him during his presidential campaign. Even before he was a candidate, I interviewed him in Iowa in 2013, and in Washington at the Old Post Office Building when it was a construction site before it became the Trump Hotel in 2014, and we talked politics. A lot of political reporters said there’s no way the guy is gonna run for president, why give him any attention? I gave him some attention, and he remembers that: “He’s the guy who interviewed me when nobody thought I would run.”

Getting an early seat to the Trump Show seems to have paid off. My boss, Rabbi Frankfurter, interviewed Trump shortly before he announced he’d run, and as you see, it’s worked out well for Ami Magazine. Yeah, interesting. So when Trump keeps complaining about the press, and the way he keeps saying how fairly you used to cover him, what do you think he’s expecting from an ideal press corps? What he wants from the press corps, more than anything, is to be the center of the story. He has largely been able to do that for nearly five years. That’s what he wants, first and foremost. The second thing he wants is uncritical praise. And he’s never going to get that, except from a handful of outlets, that are effectively pro-Trump outlets. And that’s how you have this kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation. He loves the press corps, he loves to be in the middle of the story. No matter what the story is, the first thing that’s most important is that it’s about him. But he can have a thin skin, and he gets irritated at negative coverage. He’s getting a lot of negative coverage and that’s not gonna change. And that’s gonna help fuel his anger at the press, even as the other part of him really wants to court the press because the most important thing is that he’s being covered. You mention he has thin skin, and we’ve heard that a lot. But does he

really have thin skin or is that part of an act? For example, if I had thin skin and I made a spelling mistake on a tweet that went out to 75 million followers, I’d probably be so humiliated that I’d resolve to never make such a mistake again. Well, yeah. He does have an incredible ability to withstand criticism. That is true. I mean, you have a story about how Trump started calling you all sorts of nasty names in the middle of an interview before storming out, but then returned to the room afterwards and asked to take his picture with you. Yeah, exactly. So is he thin-skinned? Or was he perhaps trying to manipulate you by toying with your emotions? That’s a good question. I do think that he genuinely loses his temper and gets angry when he believes he’s not being treated fairly. But he also gets over it pretty quickly. All those Republicans whom he’s co-opted, look at the terrible things they had said about him. Trump is ready to forget that in a minute, so long as you say something nice about him. I think the word here is “transactional.” Yeah, it might be. That’s good. My experience asking Trump questions—and I bet you can relate to

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WASHINGTON INSIDER this—is like when you’re pulled over by a cop. If the cop has already decided he’s giving you that ticket before you even rolled down your window, no matter what you tell him, he’ll figure out a way to turn against you. I write about it in my book, and I’m still blown away by the moment he tore you apart at that press conference for asking a totally legitimate question and doing it in a very friendly way. And we saw it again just this week, when I asked him about the ventilators and he called me a “cutie pie.” He’s done it with me, with Peter [Alexander of MSNBC], with Yamiche [Alcindor of PBS], these are questions you wouldn’t expect anyone to take offense to and he goes off. But you were the first real example of that. And I have to say, you handled that with incredible poise and class. You really did. Thank you; you’re very kind. Looking back, how would you compare Bush’s response to 9/11 with Trump’s handling of the coronavirus? Entirely different. I mean George Bush tried to unify the country. I think Trump starts off trying to unify the country, but while he’s doing that he’s also going out and personally attacking Democratic leaders and the press. George W. Bush did not do that. Does it matter that 9/11 was essentially just a two-hour event while this one seems to be stretching on indefinitely? 9/11 was more than a two-hour event. There were concerns of additional attacks, the anthrax attacks, but I agree with you, this is more comprehensive than 9/11. Do you agree with CNN’s Jim Acosta that the president has changed over the past couple of days?

I don’t think Donald Trump has changed over the last couple of days. It has hit him how awful the situation is and he has seen those numbers. But I think Donald Trump remains Donald Trump. You’ve gone after Acosta, as “undermining the credibility of the press corps” and charging that he’s “playing into the explicit Trump strategy of portraying the press as the opposition party.” I’ve known Jim for a long time. I consider him a friend. We’ve traveled the world together. He’s covered Obama with me and now he’s covering Trump with me. Nothing of my criticism is in any way personal. I think he’s a good reporter. I just have some criticism of the style of being confrontational in a way that makes it appear as if he’s more of a political opponent of the president than a reporter. Keep in mind, I’ve fought really hard with the White House Correspondents Association to defend Jim Acosta when the White House tried to take his credentials away, because I firmly believe he’s a serious reporter and has every right to cover that beat. It was outrageous the way the White House lied about the reasons for taking away his credentials, and acting to do that. I understand his passion, I just have a difference of opinion about how to approach the job. During that mic-grab incident between Acosta and that press aide, we were not even at a social distance away from him. We saw what happened. Yeah, exactly. It was outrageous! Did you get the sense that Acosta asked the same kinds of questions,

and with the same passion, of President Obama? I think Jim asked aggressive questions about Obama, too. I mean, it was a different set of circumstances, but I don’t think he shied away from asking tough questions of Obama. How much longer do you expect the Trump Show to go on? He faces a reelection campaign in November, and I think it’s going to be a challenge. Because the one thing he’s not been able to do is win over many skeptics, aside from those within his own party. Doesn’t seem like he’s been trying to. He hasn’t particularly tried. I think there are moments when he tried, but they have been relatively fleeting. Can he win reelection? We’ll see. The base of his support is not a growing base. The demographic groups that are the core of Donald Trump’s base are not growing. This will be a big test. Can he win reelection without doing much to win over suburban women, for example, Hispanic voters, younger voters? Those are groups he’s not been doing particularly well with. According to the Real Clear Politics long-term average, Trump’s base of support has been hovering at around 44%. My understanding is Trump is trying to turn out as close to 100% of that 44% base instead of trying to increase his base to 45% or 46%. And if he can do that while depressing the anti-Trump base of 56% to a turnout that’s below 75% then he wins. That’s what I see as his game plan. That’s a good analysis. I think that’s a very smart way of looking at it. ●

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BY SHLOIME ZIONCE

NEWS

London Gears Up to Fight Coronavirus COMMUNITY ACTIVIST EFRAYIM GOLDSTEIN DISCUSSES A NEW TEMPORARY HOSPITAL BEING SET UP BY THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

he coronavirus outbreak is racing through London, and tragically, casualties have been mounting. But the frum community is making efforts to stop the plague, as community activist Efrayim Goldstein told me. “People are only leaving their homes if they need to,” he said, “and when they do, it’s only with masks and gloves. Sadly, there are still a few people who are making private minyanim in gardens. They simply don’t understand the danger, because they think that minyanim are not part of the government’s call for social distancing since davening isn’t actually

socializing. The local rabbanim and batei din have written strong letters condemning this and stating that it is completely against halachah to daven with a minyan.” The virus has taken a heavy toll. “Unfortunately, in our Yiddishe community, we have already had far too many deaths, with 50 or 60 Yidden across the UK who have died. We have at least another 500 Yidden across the UK who are in critical condition, and another few thousand who have contracted the virus and are in stable condition at home. “As of now, Hatzalah is treating most patients at home,” Goldstein

said. “The last thing they want to do is take people to the hospital. That is only done when one literally can’t breathe, and there is no other option. The hospitals are very dangerous; therefore Hatzalah is doing whatever it can to keep people out of them.” But the burden on them is incredible. “Hatzalah of Stamford Hill received nearly 80 calls today,” he said, “which is many times more than they usually receive. There are teams constantly at work disinfecting the ambulances. “There are paramedics going around town, checking up on people who have not been taken to the hospital, making sure that they are getting

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the medication that they deserve. The medication that is being recommended by Dr. Zelenko is also being used here in London. However, the government is not allowing it to be prescribed at the moment. The pharmacies do not have it either, but we are doing our best to do what we can.” And they’ve had to go beyond that, as well. “We have had no choice but to take matters into our own hands, because the local hospitals just can’t cope with the sheer volume of patients coming in. They do not have enough equipment or machines. That being said, the British Army has built a 4,000bed field hospital in London Cit . Many Yidden actually volunteered and helped with building the army hospital by doing electrical wiring and other integral jobs. The army hospital will provide some relief. “We, the frum community, are in the process of setting up our very own community hospital, including a full medical team who can manage an intensive care unit from top to bottom. We are looking at a few different sites and spaces that may be suitable for us to set up our medical center. We will be buying equipment from a few different sources, including a few portable X-ray machines, which will take a week or two to arrive, but the majority of our equipment will be delivered within the next couple of days. We’ve been given the green light to go ahead with this.” How can the community create a hospital? “We have a few options for how to set it up. The first thing we can do is to open a new clinic under the auspices of an existing hospital. The second option is to work with the NHS to

“We’ve had to take matters into our own hands because the local hospitals just can’t cope.”

build an emergency hospital just as the Army did, with their permission. The third option would be to rent or buy an existing hospital and essentially take it over. “At this point in time, we obviously can’t start to create new entities. Rather we will have to work with something that already exists with the proper permits and certifications. We hope to take an existing building or hotel, and convert it into the hospital with the necessary equipment. This way we can prevent the issue of machines getting unplugged because of overcrowding at public hospitals. “We’re planning to have 100 beds at our hospital. Our contractors have informed us that once we decide on the location, the building modific tions can be done within 72 hours.” He said that the community will be funding the hospital: “People have already pledged three million pounds to the hospital, and we estimate that we will need a total of between ten and 20 million pounds to get it off the ground. The money is coming from members of the public. However, we do recognize that once this whole pandemic is over, we may very well be left with a fully functioning medical center which can be turned into a profitable business for those who invested in it.” How will they get equipment?

“If you have enough money and the right connections, you can accomplish anything. We’ve imported masks and PPE from China, and we’ve been getting medical equipment from Switzerland, Germany and other countries. All our organizations, including Hatzalah and the Chevra Kadisha, numerous medical supply companies, and well-connected businessmen from around the world work together and we’re able to accomplish a lot.” Getting it off the ground will involve a lot of work. There is plenty of other work to be done, as well. “We, the organizers of this project, have three daily briefings,” he said. “One is with the people doing research on the medical side; we are working with medical experts in Israel, France and the USA. Our second daily briefing focuses on the status of the patients whom we are treating both in the hospital and at home to see how they are doing and being taken care of. The last daily briefing is to synch onize our medical research team with the patient care team to discuss what measures will be taken the next day. Doctors are telling us that they are seeing hundreds of patients per day, and that their phones are ringing off the hook. They’ve never seen anything like it in their lifetimes, and some of these are professors who have more than 50 years of experience.” There are plenty of other initiatives going on, as well. “We have also been assisting our Hatzalah members financiall , because they have been spending all day and night responding to Hatzalah calls, and they can’t manage their own businesses, so we’re going to take care of them as needed.” ●

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(left) Matzeivos of the Ach Pri Tevuah and the Tal Chaim of Liska; (below, right to left) the Liska Rebbe signs an agreement with Andras Heisler, the president of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities

BY YOSSI KRAUSZ

NEWS

The Beis Hachaim in Liska Returns AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED

he return of the institutions of Jewish life in Europe to representatives of the kehillos that used to exist there has brought numerous communities, such as Satmar, Munkatch and many more, to take possession of shuls, batei midrash and batei chaim. The need to ensure the upkeep of the batei chaim of Europe has also been a worry of askanim and organizations. Those two elements came together in the recent acquisition by the Liska Kehillah in Brooklyn of the Jewish cemetery of the town of Liska, Hungary, where the Ach Pri Tevuah and Tal Chaim of Liska and many other Jews are buried. The beis hachaim had been designated a Hungarian landmark in the 1980s, after concerns about its state had been mounting, and after it was rehabilitated and preserved it ended up as the property of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities, a non-Orthodox group, which became responsible for its upkeep, along with 1,600 other cemeteries across the

country. The agreement that the Liska Kehillah reached was with the Federation, which agreed to transfer the rights to the Liska Kehillah. The old Liska shul was acquired several years ago by the Kehillah, as well. Ezra Friedlander, a son of the Liska Rebbe, told Ami that the process took about ten years, and he sees it as a historic change. “There are tens of thousands of people who go to the Liska cemetery every year, and we have finally obtained ownership over it,” he said. That will not only allow the Liska Kehillah to directly oversee the upkeep of the beis hachaim, it will also allow them to make new facilities at the site that will enable those tens of thousands of visitors to comfortably visit. “We bought an adjacent lot as well,” Ezra said. “We plan on building a parking structure and enhancing the infrastructure of the cemetery to allow the tens of thousands of visitors to have a place where they can daven. There needs to be a restroom, security, lighting and more.”

He noted that Rav Tzvi Hersh of Liska, the Ach Pri Tevuah, was one of the founders of Hungarian chasidus and was a talmid of the Yismach Moshe, and his tzion therefore has great meaning and emotional weight. Among Hungarian chasidus, there are only a few that were able to gain control of the beis hachaim in the towns from which they came, including Satmar, Kerestir, Pupa and Ratzfert. The ohel of the Ach Pri Tevuah was one of three kevarim that were particularly visited by Hungarian Jews before the Second World War on the yahrtzeits of the rebbes buried there, the other two being those of Rav Eizik of Kaliv and the Yismach Moshe of Ujhel. Many people have stories of yeshuos that they experienced at the ohel of the Ach Pri Tevuah. Ezra Friedlander said that they plan to immediately commence construction on the upgraded amenities and that will hopefully help the many who travel there more easily find the yeshuos that they need.

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4/1/20 10:23 PM

BY LAWRENCE H. SCHIFFMAN

NEWS

Real Dead Sea Scroll fragments on display at the Pointe-a-Callieres Archeological Museum in Montreal

Forged Scrolls!

MAJOR DISCOVERY OF FRAUDULENT DEAD SEA SCROLLS REVEALED

t was the height of transparency. On Friday, March 14, the Museum of the Bible (MOTB) in Washington, DC, released a report declaring that its own treasured fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were actually intentional forgeries. This report followed an earlier study by a different laboratory indicating that five of the fragments previously on display were forged. I am a consultant to the museum, and on my suggestion, before opening to the public, the museum had placed signage in the cases exhibiting these fragments indicating that they were of questionable authenticity and that they required further research— despite passing carbon-14 tests that showed that the writing material was indeed ancient animal skin. Both scientific studies came as a follow-up to scholarly articles arguing convincingly

that some 70 fragments that had been sold to private collectors and institutions since 2002 were forged. But not to worry. The pre-2002 scrolls currently housed with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the larger scrolls exhibited in the Shrine of the Book of the Israel Museum are authentic Jewish texts and are correctly dated to some 2,000 years ago. The expert forgers played on the interest of predominantly Christian collectors and institutions in owning a piece of this phenomenal manuscript collection, usually fragments of the Tanach. Their successful fraud has probably netted them at least $25 million and probably more. The museum’s announcement came during a conference that was held amidst the threat of the coronavirus. The conference featured presentations by scientists who collaborated

under the direction of Colette Loll of Art Fraud Insights, who conducted a variety of tests on the alleged scroll fragments, and scholars who inspected these texts. The overall topic of antiquities forgeries was discussed by Professor Christopher Rallston of George Washington University, whose talk provided a framework for understanding the work of these forgers. The scientific research was supervised by an advisory board made up of scientists not affiliated with either Art Fraud Insights or the Museum of the Bible. The researchers came to the following conclusions: “We were able to confirm that the mineralogy of the surface deposits is consistent with the Dead Sea region and with other geological sites in the Middle East. In some cases, a variety of loose mineral deposits were also scattered over the forgeries after writing and while the

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Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC

ink was still wet, in order to give the impression that these were authentic Dead Sea Scrolls fragments that had come from the Qumran caves. It is our opinion that all of these methods were utilized with an express intent to deceive.” The report notes that the rigorous research sponsored by the Museum of the Bible has resulted in the development of a useful method for investigating ancient manuscripts. Many scholars had earlier concluded that the MOTB manuscripts were almost certainly forged, based on letter shapes, the presence of dirt underneath rather than on top of letters, and ink in the cracks of the writing surface. These aspects were explained by Dr. Kipp Davis of Trinity Western University, one of the scholars who first called attention to the possibility that these were forgeries, after serving as one of the editors of a scholarly edition of the museum’s “fragments” in 2014. Further, these fragments had always been the only piece of a manuscript that was supposedly once complete, whereas in the real fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls, we usually have 5 to 15 percent of the manuscript preserved— certainly more than one fragment! Also, among these 70 forged fragments there was a very high percentage of biblical material, clearly manufactured for the religious Christian market. So there was little doubt among many Dead Sea Scrolls scholars that these fragments were phony even before the new scientific tests. In explaining the full report, which is now available to the public, Ms. Loll presented a video entitled A Journey for the Truth, in which she described the various scientific methods used to investigate the fragments. She noted that after a fair and objective investi-

gation, the advisory team concluded unanimously that these fragments were intentional fakes. Among the methods they used were multi-spectral imaging; investigation of the material on which the fragments were written, the ink, and the material that was deposited on top; elemental and molecular profiles; and chemical and molecular analysis. The scientific research determined that the scrolls were written on leather rather than parchment, since parchment has fibers that are aligned, and leather has a random arrangement. Real Dead Sea Scrolls are written on parchment. The forgeries were treated with lime in the preparation of the leather, a technique unknown in the first two centuries BCE and documented only after the Dead Sea Scrolls were copied. These fragments were coated with animal-skin glue to look as though they had gelatinized over time. The surface of the leather used to create these fragments was very uneven and thick, and it had holes in it that looked as if the fragments were made of ancient shoe leather. Authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, however, are written on smooth, processed animal skins and are relatively thin. The ink was based on carbon black but was shinier and thicker than authentic Dead Sea Scroll ink. How-

ever, the ink had seeped into the leather, as well as into cracks that should not have been there if they were authentic, since the writing material of authentic scrolls would have been new. The ruling lines (sirtut)— lines from which the letters hang, as is the case in our Torah scrolls—were often not straight, and they turned out upon microscopic inspection not to be ancient. The forgers actually used pressure-sensitive tape to mimic the way previous owners might have (incompetently) repaired real fragments. Commenting on this battery of scientific tests, Dr. Greg Bearman of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory suggested that these methods should be used for continued research on the actual scroll fragments. This view was, in a sense, echoed by Professor Emanuel Tov of the Hebrew University, who had served as editor-in-chief of the international team that actually completed the publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls after long delays. Tov had edited the volume publishing the now-debunked fragments. According to National Geographic, Tov stated that he would not “say that there are no inauthentic fragments among the MOTB fragments,” but that in his view, “their inauthenticity as a whole has still not been proven beyond doubt…due to the fact that

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NEWS similar testing has not been done on undisputed Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts in order to provide a baseline for comparison.” Both these scholars are certainly correct in saying that these scientific methodologies need to be applied to the legitimate Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts. On the other hand, the Art Fraud Insight study made use of various earlier studies on the actual scrolls, and for this reason, the verdict on the MOTB and other post-2002 fragments is not likely to change. Professor Sidnie White Crawford, of the University of Nebraska, explained that the history of the discovery and sale of the scrolls to Israel and Jordan made it easier for the purveyors of these fragments to fool the buyers into believing that they were part of the original lot of Dead Sea Scrolls discovered by Bedouins between 1947 and 1956. Bethlehem Antiquities dealer Khalil Iskandar (Kando) Shahin was reported to have claimed that he was saving some fragments to be sold later at a higher price. That reasoning was used to justify the appearance of these fragments so many years later than the original scrolls and to authenticate them falsely. She argued strongly that forgeries were driven by a market that accepts unprovenanced antiquities— those that have not been professionally excavated and that circulate among collectors in violation of antiquities laws and academic standards. The current Israeli laws prohibiting removal of

We are talking here about massive, organized, and carefully executed criminal fraud.

antiquities from the country and the relevant UNESCO convention were passed in the 1970s. I was called upon to offer the final presentation—reflections on the significance of what we heard for the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I began by confirming that scientific evidence now proves beyond any doubt that the 70 or so fragments that have come on the market since 2002 are forgeries. I noted that from an academic point of view, the problem with illegitimate fragments is the influence they might have on legitimate Dead Sea Scrolls research. For example, possible readings of a fragment where letters are missing or unclear might be influenced by the “reading” of a forged fragment. Once a respected scholar cites such a reading, others will repeat the error. Thus our evidence can become contaminated by these fakes. In fact, I had actually been involved over the years in some way with issues pertaining to the purchase of some of these fragments. I should admit that none of us suspected forgeries. These fragments always came with “legal” documents asserting that they had

been exported from Israel or Jordan before such export became illegal and that they had all been in the hands of Kando, the original dealer who had supposedly kept them in reserve. This latter fact was always attested in documents coming from his son, William Kando, who still operates the family’s antiquities shop in Bethlehem and whose hands were in some way on all the recently sold fragments, whether as owner, representative, or consignee. Numerous leading scholars, looking at photographs of these “fragments,” all thought that they were authentic. Happily, the IAA refused to purchase any of them, simply citing the exorbitant price being asked—half a million to a million dollars for each. The fact is that we are talking here about massive, organized, and carefully executed criminal fraud. MOTB CEO Harry Hargrave noted, “We’re victims. We’re victims of misrepresentation; we’re victims of fraud.” Innocent collectors and institutions have lost millions and gotten phony merchandise in return. This entire episode needs thorough investigation by the appropriate government authorities, in the US, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Israel. I don’t know who the forger is, but I know one thing—all roads lead to Bethlehem! ● Lawrence H. Schiffman is the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Director of the Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies at New York University.

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NEW WAYS TO GET PAID SPREAD FARTHER

n Do you get a monthly paycheck? During a difficult ti , such as this virus outbreak, waiting for your next paycheck can be agonizing. But more and more companies are turning to methods that pay workers’ wages at shorter intervals, making living easier. Some of that is through electronic payment systems like PayPal, Zelle and Venmo. But there are also card-based systems, like DailyPay and Green Dot, which can be used like a debit or ATM card. Rather than paying biweekly or monthly, many of these programs involve daily payments. Paper checks in particular have fallen out of favor for employers because they must be printed out and distributed. In the age of the coronavirus, that adds the specter of infection. Instant-pay cards or totally electronic options can be deployed without worrying about that.

TRENDING THE SHARING ECONOMY SUFFERS FROM A VIRUS

n The coronavirus has heavily impacted workers across many industries. The app-based gig industry is just one of them. But companies are dealing with the problem in different ways Airbnb hosts, who rent out houses for short-term stays, have been suffering because of the dramatic drop-off in travel. So hosts have tried to pivot to offering their houses as more pleasant places for people to quarantine, but for most, there is nothing to do but wait and worry about paying their mortgages. So Airbnb has pledged $250 million in a host relief fund to pay for part of the cost of the many cancellations. Ride-hailing apps have also seen a massive decline in profits Yahoo Finance reported that both Uber and Lyft saw double-digit percentage drops in their revenue. But Uber has been able to swing many of its drivers into working on its food delivery service, Uber Eats, as food delivery has increased during the crisis. Lyft, on the other hand, has referred drivers to work at Amazon, signaling that they don’t have many options for the workers who have no fares.

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AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK

s we head into Pesach, the coronavirus has plunged the business world into turmoil, affecting many people. In this week’s Lunchbreak, we feature four businessmen from four different industries—each of them a leader in their field about how business has changed and what they are doing to help their employees. Venture capitalist legend Jon Medved from Israel, Joel Epstein of the popular Fabuwood, Mati Dear who is keeping a pharmacy open, and Sruly Matyas, an IT owner making waves for the way he is taking care of his employees.

n Name: Jon Medved n Company: Our Crowd n Industry: Crowdsourced Venture Investing Platform n Headquarters: Israel with offic around the world. n Employees: 100+ n Age: 64

here are giants in hi-tech and then there are legends. Jon Medved is a legend. Jon is the founder of OurCrowd, started in 2013. It was driven by the idea that the business of building startups grows bigger and better when the global “crowd” gains access to venture capital-level investment opportunities. Today, OurCrowd is a leading equity crowdfunding platform investing in global startups, led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved and run by a team

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WEEKLY INSIGHTS FROM BUSINESS LEADERS & ENTREPRENEURS

By Nesanel Gantz

of seasoned investment professionals. Offering unprecedented access to startup investing, individual investors through OurCrowd are fueling innovations that change the way people work, travel, shop, heal, and conduct business. Jon is often looked to as the voice of reason amidst panic. He is an expert who understands the way markets and investing work. OurCrowd’s companies are at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 in many areas.

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You have been very vocal about the role Israel is playing in the fight against COVID-19. Everyone has to do their part; humanity has to fight back. When you look at what Israel has been doing as far as leading the fight against the coronavirus, it’s a kiddush Hashem. No one is sleeping here. There are so many different areas that Israeli companies are leading the way in battling this virus. Whether it’s a vaccine or new ways to more quickly test for

4/3/20 8:30 AM

AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK hishtadlut to try and fight this thing. Baruch Hashem, we are fighting and we will with G-d’s help win.

the virus—Israel is working on it. Also: drugs to cure the disease, PPE (personal protective equipment), software to track patients with the disease and determine where the hotspots are, or data integration. There is so much data everywhere and we are working with many companies that are using literal robots to connect the data to systems. People are coming together and working together. You have data scientists collaborating with one another like never before. Data from scientists used to exist on an Excel sheet somewhere and now we have systems working to take all this data together and make sense of it all. You can’t just say this is a makkah and sit down. You have to make your

the government will pay them a wage. Obviously, overall it’s hard to raise money these days. Not a lot of investors are looking for a travel service company or commercial real estate; those are not hot right now.

Are people now investing in companies that are providing essential services? Yes, we are rallying investors to support these companies. We are raising money for these companies and are getting good responses from people. Entrepreneurs have to be very cautious with their spending and have to cut their budgets, and some employees have to take pay cuts when necessary. Here in Israel, many company employees are taking chufshah l’lo tashlum. They call it “vacation” but they are not working and

What advice would you give to companies looking to raise capital now? Cutting down on your spending is the easiest money you can raise right now. The easiest money you can raise is the money you cut from your burn. If you reduce your burn by 100K a month, you raised $1.2 million this year. The problem with many entrepreneurs is that they are in shock right now. When things go bad,

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AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK you can freeze, fright or fight. In order to fight, you have to make sure you are lean. Rally your troops now; don’t wait until tomorrow to change. That makes sense, but doesn’t it put a lot of pressure on entrepreneurs? Also, where do you suggest they make the cuts? You are right, it’s pressure, but once you make the cuts, the pressure is off. People running away from the problem are in denial. You cannot afford to wait three to six months to see how things are going. As far as where to cut, you wouldn’t believe what companies are still spending money on. Until a few days ago, I saw ads for “Come to Dubai” or “fly this airline”; these people are in denial. No one is flying to Dubai now. A key budget cut is making sure your marketing budget is spent wisely. I sat down with a CEO to review their annual budget and saw they had a significant allocation to “travel and entertainment.” Where are they going? Whom are they entertaining? You have to be smart in figuring out what is essential and what is not. The second piece of advice I would give is to be relevant. You might not be developing a vaccine, but try and see where you can be relevant in today’s times. You might have to transition in a certain sense, but see how you can be relevant. Are people investing in the stock market right now? Absolutely, that’s where a lot of smart money is going right now. Valuations for companies have been very high of late and a crisis often brings Valuations back to normal. Historically, market downturns have brought on great venture capital vintages. Just like a fine wine, where people say, “Oh, that was a great vintage from 2002,” the same thing happens with ven-

ture capital investing. Right now there are a lot of people investing because they can get a smart return on their money; this downturn and crisis will not last forever. People are investing but with one caveat; they are investing with winners. Investors are looking for companies that have a solid base and will not run out of money any time soon. Yesterday a company called VIA (they are a rideshare app) in Israel announced a $200 million dollar investment, giving them a valuation of over two billion dollars. Can you share some of the companies in the OurCrowd portfolio that are on the forefront of the COVID-19 battle? There is a company called Techsie that offers remote tech support. They were not a company created for this crisis, they have been doing this for years, but now their services are in high demand. All companies somehow related to this industry are booming. And I might point out that this is the future. Things will not go back to the way they were before the coronavirus; there will be a new normal. Having a technician help you remotely will be the norm. Another company is TytoCare, which allows for remote diagnosis of patients in their home. They get real clinical data from their small device tool. They have been at it for years, but right now everyone gets what they are doing. People will look back at remote medical systems and see that have been key in this virus fight We have another company called Site Diagnostics. They have found a way to run a full blood count with only two drops of blood. They have these little boxes that run the blood analysis on the spot. Now they are doing, as they say in Hebrew chaval al hazman; people are going nuts for them. Everyone understands them today.

The crisis is accentuating their goodness. We also have companies that are proving valuable for different reasons. We have a company that provides AI-based workout and that’s very popular right now. There are certain trends that people can see for themselves. We were online, but we were never online as we are now. Zoom was good before, but nothing like today. It’s a very interesting time to be an investor. The most important thing is to have cash. If you don’t have cash, you can’t take advantage of this situation. You have to be careful with companies that are not efficient. It’s difficult to say this, but many companies will fold during this crisis; they won’t make it. There will be some good ones that will fold as well, for lack of cash. How are you dealing with the crisis internally? We are a family at OurCrowd. We meet together online. We have a core group that still comes to the office while keeping with the government guidelines. We are working 24/6 with a break for Shabbat; people are really working around the clock. Everyone at OurCrowd gets what we are doing is important and I feel that there is a special brachah involved. What we are doing is helping Israel and helping the world. We get to work with companies that save lives and that really gets you going in the morning. I have a huge to-do list that doesn’t get finished even at 1 a.m. When it comes to our companies, I am not thinking that I might lose some money. Rather I am thinking that if I don’t help them, they won’t make it and they won’t be able to help people. I am proud of my team and they are working from the heart. Every Erev Pesach we take care of our employees, as well as before other Yomim

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Celebrate together. Wishing Klal Yisroel

Aaron Klein, LUTCF General Agent aaronklein@financialguide.com

Jacob Kahan, CLTC General Agent jkahan@financialguide.com

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AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK Tovim. To me, it’s not about a job, it’s about the livelihood of families. It’s a lot of responsibility. Some of our employees have had to go on “holiday.” We hope to bring them back. How are you inspiring your people? The world needs leaders. All of klal Yisrael are being called upon to be leaders; to be out there and do things. I know it’s hard. Your kids are home and your wife or husband is scared. Our whole lives have been turned upside down and topsy-turvy, but we have to get out there and do something. Once people get the message that action is more important than ever, they will get moving. How are you helping the companies you invest in? We are very busy promoting them all over social media. I am making a daily video called the “Daily Dose,” highlighting our companies. We are promoting them far and wide as they need to go above the noise level. We are also raising money from our partners and customers. We are working hand-in-hand with our companies and offering advice. We have been meeting with all our CEOs, helping them with advice and reviewing their budgets. I spoke to one company and they told me something great that they were doing and I asked them why that wasn’t on the homepage of their website. An hour later they called me back that “now it is.” Remember we have over 200 companies in OurCrowd that we support; that’s a lot of companies. What would you advise companies whose products or services are not relevant right now? We invest mostly in technology companies and the same advice applies to construction companies as well as tech com-

panies that are not essential right now. You need to make difficult decisions right now rather than later; the health of your company depends on it. Look, if you have enough cash in the bank to survive for a year or two and pay everyone like nothing is wrong, that’s great, but it’s rare. It all depends on your resources. If you only have resources for one to three months and you are going to be paying everyone even if they are not working right now, your business won’t survive. You have to be honest and have frank conversations with your employees and explain that you could lose your company. Remember if the company shuts down, it will be worse for them and you. If your company survives until things turn around you’ll be able to ramp up your staff again. One thing we have working in our favor

is that the playbook isn’t obvious. I have been through several crisis situations in the past, but this is uncharted territory. The final piece of advice I can give is to talk to your customers. Whether you are a B2B (business to business) or business to consumer, talk to your customers. Let them know how you are doing and that you are there to help them. If you service other businesses, ask them how their business is going. Stay connected with people. You have never needed to talk to your customers as much as now. Any final mess ge? You have to communicate and take action. It’s not about being frozen or afraid. We can just do our part and remember kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar meod, v’haikar lo l’fached klal. Don’t be afraid, you will get through this with Hashem’s help.

n Name: Joel Epstein n Company: Fabuwood n Industry: Kitchen Cabinet Makers n Age: 40 n Employees: 1,000+ n Location: Newark, New Jersey

itchen manufacturer Fabuwood, an industry giant, is owned by heimishe Yidden. Fabuwood operates out of their giant warehouse in Newark, NJ. where they have been on the front lines of employee safety. As we struggle with coronavirus, they have become a model as to how to operate a business during uncertain times. We spoke to Joel Epstein, one of the partners in the company.

How has COVID-19 affected your business? We have been hit hard. Almost 60% of our employees are not showing up to work; mostly because they are afraid. That makes operations difficult, as we still hav many orders that need to be filled

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Here we are, 365 days since we first hit the ground running. All we had was passion, fervor, and a couple of rubbed out pencil stubs. Never mind no identity. Some raised an eyebrow. Some raised both. We kept working. We burnt the midnight oil, tapping reservoirs of creative expression, churning out ideas and rejecting many more. We polished and finessed, after all, good is never Good Enough. We championed our clients to stand out, not just fit in. We goofed and gave it another go. Sometimes we defined futures. In between, we formulated authentic and cogent identities. (Gosh, we should work for WITSEC.) Rather than boasting and bloviating, we spoke honest, gritty and real. We disrupted, educated and, most of all, endeared. ------ Naturally we were intimidated, imitated and irked. But we just worked. We poured our hearts into every project and stayed out of the limelight, so the results could truly shine and take the credit, staying nimble while delivering world-class creative for some of the most innovative and passionate organizations. We did it! And here’s to a year of 365 blank scripts to be written. We can’t wait.

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AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK So is Fabuwood able to function as well as before the virus? We are still open for business and are taking employee safety very, very seriously. I believe that we have implemented the strictest safety protocols of any company out there. All of our office employees are working from home and we purchased laptops for those that did not have home computers. If we notice a worker isn’t feeling well, we won’t allow them to work— they need to get better. For all our hourly employees, we have increased their wages; it’s the least we can do to help them. People are still ordering kitchen cabinets in today’s climate? We sell wholesale, so the orders we are filling now were sold a few weeks ago. Additionally, we are, baruch Hashem, backlogged. We still have orders inhouse for a few months of work. The problem we face right now is that we just don’t have enough workers to complete the job. We have several large orders of custom kitchens that are in the pipeline as well. Are you concerned about what will be in the next few weeks? I haven’t lost a night’s sleep worrying about my business. I am not concerned at all; that’s all in Hashem’s hands. It’s His business; He is just letting me manage it. I am concerned however about the well being of my employees and the cholim of klal Yisrael and this is what has kept me up a few nights.

Talk to me about your safety precautions We have had a few warehouse employees diagnosed with COVID-19. After we found out that someone was diagnosed with the virus, we immediately brought in a professional disinfecting crew to disinfect anywhere he might have been. This cost several thousand dollars each time. We also informed all employees that might have come in contact with the infected person that they must quarantine for 14 days. Here are some of the things we have done to keep our employees healthy, safe and happy during this pandemic l Providing constant awareness and communication on CDC and other health officials’ guidelines, and enforcing said guidelines. l Frequently disinfecting public

spaces with COVID-19 approved spray l Encouraging whenever possible for employees to work from home l Monitoring employees’ temperatures each morning l Providing PPE (personal protective equipment) daily to all employees l Giving fresh pastries/snacks and drinks daily to all employees l Setting up tents and tables at the waterfront near our office to c eate space to promote social distancing during break times l Limiting one employee per table l Giving an across-the-board raise for all employees during these hard times l Checking in frequently on our employees who aren’t feeling well We instituted a set of new rules and they are working. In fact, the police department and health department were here several times as they heard we were open. They came to officially shut us down, but when they saw how we take safety so seriously they let us stay open and complimented us. In fact, I received a phone call from the deputy mayor of Newark. She said she’d heard about our factory and wanted to compliment us on having the best safety practices in all of Newark; that’s a kiddush Hashem that we are proud of. I think that companies that employ many non-Jews like we do need to be extra careful about how they take care of their employees. Remember, that being strict in your workplace in following CDC guidelines is not a punishment or a sanction on your business. It is to benefit you and your employees. Your workers will feel and be safe and you can continue to be open, which benefits eve yone.

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AMIBUSINESS

LUNCHBREAK

M n Name: Mati Dear n Company: Dear Drugs n Industry: Pharmacy n Age:39 n Employees: 15 n Location: Brooklyn, NY

ati Dear is part of a family-run business that services a large number of people in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, including a large clientele from the Sephardic community. Around for several decades, the pharmacy has become a hub of solace for people looking for medicine as well as advice. A popular pharmacy that has a staff of 15 (fulland part-time) to handle all the orders and prescriptions, Mati and his employees face the real danger that is COVID-19 daily. We spoke to Mati about how he is handling his employees who understandably are nervous coming into work each day. Pharmacies, especially non-chain ones like yours, are considered on the front lines of fighting the virus. How have you been calming your employees? I have been buying breakfast and lunch for all the employees that are working. We have also decided to increase the wages of

ruly Matyas is the founder of OpSec Consulting, based out of Lakewood, New Jersey. OpSec is a popular IT company that offers all-inclusive fixed-fe IT services (including hardware). They also have a low voltage division which handles all types of wiring including fi e, burglar, camera, and access control systems. Ami learned from several people that Sruly has been going out of his way to help his employees and is encouraging others to do so as well. n Name: Sruly Matyas n Owner: OpSec Consulting n Employees: 20+ n Industry: IT services + Low Voltage Division, Home/ Commercial Automation n Location: Lakewood, NJ

How are you taking care of your employees? I have committed to covering my employees’ wages and to paying them for Yom Tov, too. These days the work is being done from home. Some employees are only putting in five hours instead of

our employees during these times. We are paying them a time and a half; we call it “hazard pay.” We understand that they are putting themselves out there and risking their health to help others. We are trying to show them we care about them and are compensating them for their extra efforts. I have also been allowing them to come in during the hours that work for them and their schedule. I am working to accommodate everyone and to make it work. We are trying to help people, and our employees come first People are desperately seeking advice from many sources. Are people calling you for medical advice? Yes, more than you can imagine. We don’t just see ourselves as a pharmacy. We are a community resource, a place where people know they can come in and ask us for advice. These days, we receive calls several times a day from patients asking for a

their usual eight, but we are paying for eight hours anyway. I believe that now is the time to show your employees how much you care about their wellbeing. I have arranged group buying in order to save them money. For example, I arranged for my employees to buy directly from many large food companies. We are also offering employees advances with long-term payout. Many of my employees have spouses who are out of work, and things are tight, especially before Yom Tov. Before absolutely everyone was self-isolating, I offered to pay for babysitters to come to my employees’ homes so it would be easier for them to work. Yesterday I set up my employees with a telemedicine service so they don’t have to go to the doctor’s office if they are sick; it’s not as expensive as you may think..

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reference or advice on a medical situation. People are asking questions such as if they should go to the doctor or hospital and we try to help the best we can. We put them in touch with the right people who can help them. We’ve opened a 24-hour hotline and people are calling around the clock. I heard that many pharmacies have shut their doors. We have talked to many pharmacies and they have indeed closed up shop. We are not allowing customers to walk around the store freely and are greeting most people at the window. Most of our clients are Yidden and we understand the risks we take in staying open, but we honestly don’t feel like a business anymore; we feel like this is all chesed. We have to deal with many patients who have COVID-19 and we service them. People need their medicine to stay alive and we are trying to help.

That’s impressive. You are encouraging other business owners to do the same, correct? Yes. I have been quite vocal about this issue on my Whatsapp status and in other media. I have been telling business owners that as hard as this coronavirus is on us, it is much harder on our employees. I have offered my employees loans if needed as well. Another idea I have shared is to let employees use company equipment to help them make a living. For example, if people have many company vehicles, they should let employees use these vehicles to make deliveries and earn some money on the side. I think the most important thing to remember as a business owner or manager is this: Your employees will always remember how you treated them during these times. Be loyal to them now and they will be loyal to you in the long term.

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BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

A DEEPER LOOK: PART 2 LAKEWOOD, NJ Q&A WITH LAKEWOOD REAL ESTATE AGENT SHEA SPIEGEL ABOUT TODAY’S MARKET AMIDST THE UNCERTAINTY By Nesanel Gantz

ontinuing our series on different real estate markets, we turn our focus again to Lakewood, NJ. With the coronavirus crisis raging, there are more questions than ever when it comes to buying a home. We spoke to Shea Spiegel, one of the most sought out real estate agents in Lakewood about today’s market.

How did you get into real estate? It was a real organic transition. I moved to Lakewood from Boro Park, working a 9-5 job, not doing real estate or even thinking about it. Knowing that I had moved to Lakewood, many friends of mine from Boro Park would call to ask about the local market. As properties are generally cheaper and nicer in Lakewood than Brooklyn and Monsey (sorry, it’s true), people are naturally interested in seeing what they can get for their money. My “help” at the time was quite lim-

ited, but since I wasn’t a real estate agent myself, I couldn’t help them actually buy a home. I am fortunate to be very close to the Kossover Rebbe. A few years ago there was some talk that the Rebbe was considering having a second home in Lakewood and visiting occasionally. I spent a considerable amount of time with him discussing the local market. The Rebbe was the one who not only encouraged me but actually pushed me to go into the real estate field so I could really help all the people who were asking for my help. Today, I am fortunate to be very busy selling real estate in Lakewood and the surrounding towns, including Jackson, Toms River and Howell. I deal with new construction as well as

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beautiful existing homes; I focus on residential, but I do sell commercial as well. I know the area, I live here, and I love helping others make Lakewood their home.

don’t want to be bothered by an agent. Good point(chuckles). I wouldn’t worry about that. Successful agents are professionals. If they see someone isn’t ready to buy or sell, they don’t push. What’s the point? The goal is to make someone feel comfortable, not push them away.

How do you get your listings? About 90% are by referral from former clients who recommended me to their friends and family. Can you point out one specific reason why people who have used you recommend you to others? The airlines always say, “We know you have many airlines to choose from, and we appreciate you choosing to fly with us.” Well, I feel the same way when it comes to real estate; and I actually mean it (laughs). There are many agents in New Jersey, and I am truly appreciative when people choose me to sell their home or find them the home of their dreams. I tell my clients, “Thank you for choosing me.” I go above and beyond for my clients. I am always thinking of ways I can help, and what else I can do for them. I am grateful to be chosen as their agent, and I try to justify that choice. I feel that when people see how dedicated I am to helping them, they then feel confident in recommending me to their friends and family. The agent who helps you buy your home builds a relationship that lasts longer than the actual transaction. I have had several clients call me this week with medical issues to ask if I could help them. One man in particular was nervous about his wife’s breathing and was afraid to seek medical attention. I called a friend of mine who is a Hatzalah member. He went over and checked on the wife, measured her oxygen levels and determined she needed to go to the hospital. Baruch Hashem, she is doing better now. Many of my clients have become close friends. You represent sellers and buyers? Yes, I represent both sellers and buyers. What differences are there on your end between representing a seller or a buyer?

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At a closing with a happy client

The main difference is in the preparation. When I represent someone trying to sell their house, I will spend lots of time with them making sure their home is ready to sell. I will work with them to stage their home and put it in prime selling shape. Often minor inexpensive adjustments can make the difference between selling quickly or staying on the market for months. When I represent a buyer, I will always make sure I get to know them so I can truly understand what they are looking for before we begin our search. By taking the time to understand their needs, I can usually connect them to a property that interests them right away. What advice do you have for someone looking to sell or buy? For someone looking to sell: Trust the expert. If the agent is recommending a price or offers some advice that will make your home more sellable, he knows what he’s talking about. He wants to sell your home as much as you do. For the buyer, I would recommend this: Don’t be afraid to call an agent; you will gain much knowledge after the initial phone call, and you will have a clearer idea of what your next steps should be. I think that people perhaps don’t want to call an agent because they

What is a mistake people often make when looking for a property to buy? A big mistake people make is that they assume that just because a property is on the market for a while, it’s not good. Additionally, people think that if something just hit the market, then it’s a good deal. Generally, there is nothing wrong with a house that’s on the market for a while. Usually it’s because the price was too high for a while and the owner recently lowered it. On the contrary, because it’s been on the market for so long, the seller will be open to negotiate more and accept a lower offer, which he wouldn’t have done earlier. If there is something seriously wrong with the house, the inspector will see it during inspections. Don’t be afraid of properties that are listed for a while, it might just have been waiting for you. Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market right now? I would say it’s a real healthy market, so it’s both. In popular places, inventory is relatively low, which translates to the houses being well-priced and ready to sell. And well-priced properties leads to more transactions actually taking place. How is today’s Lakewood real estate market different from the way it was five years ago? It’s a different world. One of the main concerns people have when considering a move is the infrastructure. Will they have yeshivos and schools that fit their type? Is there a shul nearby that they would feel comfortable davening in? In Lakewood there is all that and more. There are large supermarkets like Bingo,

4/3/20 4:13 AM

BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

Recently, buying and selling have slowed down, but people are still very much looking to buy. I think that people are rethinking what it means to be home and what their home means to them. Especially with the coronavirus, people are thinking they would prefer to be quarantined in a big house rather than in a tiny one-bedroom apartment. Interestingly, these past few days I have received several messages from former clients who messaged me to thank me for helping them buy a home, because they feel they wouldn’t have survived this crisis in their former homes. People are thinking about their living conditions now more than ever.

In a meeting with the developers of Royal Grove and Mr. Asher Brodt of Imperial

Gourmet Glatt, Evergreen and Seasons, new urgent cares, and many shuls and mosdos of chinuch. There are many new developments in Lakewood and in the growing nearby neighborhoods of Jackson and Toms River, which already have over 800 families in each. Today, more than ever, I can help people find a place that suits their lifestyle and goals along with the infrastructure available to live comfortable and happy lives.

the chesed here truly stands out. You have people who funded a keren with close to $2,000,000 to help people who lost their jobs. Bikur Cholim of Lakewood is working non-stop giving out medical equipment, offering patient advocacy, meals and more. Tomchei Shabbos added hundreds of families to their weekly delivery list. BMG made a special box with all necessary utensils for those making Pesach for the very first time, all at an affordable price.

Are more people moving to Lakewood than anywhere else proportionately? Absolutely. Even with growing trends in Staten Island and the Five Towns, it isn’t even close; more people move to Lakewood than anywhere else. I believe that besides for the various communities, Lakewood also offers the widest range of homes within those communities as well. You can get large houses that can go upward of $600,000-$700,000+ as well as more affordable homes for as low as $300,000. New construction and existing homes. Developments with lots of neighbors as well as houses with an acre plus of land and lots of privacy. Lakewood offers many more options than any large Jewish community out there by a wide margin. I think here is the place to point out that Lakewood is a special place to live in. Specifically during these crazy times,

Besides for word of mouth, what’s a unique way you market yourself? It’s personal marketing; my WhatsApp status. I post many of my properties on my status, and I provide lots of general Lakewood real estate information and updates. It helps people who are thinking of moving or buying in Lakewood to get a feel and sense of the place; people love it. Message me at (917) 588-0531, and I will gladly add you to my status.

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Are people still buying and selling during these crazy coronavirus times? Right now? Yes. Obviously it all depends on how long this will last; we all hope it will end very soon. The first week after Purim things were different, because anyone who had their house on the market really wanted to sell fast, and the buyers who were looking around also really wanted to buy; I made several deals that week.

Isn’t it difficult to arrange a showing now? Great question. Most realtors aren’t doing showings now, and many sellers don’t even want to show their homes. But we are doing our best to arrange showings in a safe manner. Interestingly, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared open houses to be illegal right now, but private showings were deemed “essential retail business” and can still take place. Additionally, there are still plenty of new construction properties that people can look into. They can look at the plans, and there are even some areas like Oak & Vine, Royal Grove, Sunset Grove, Park Avenue Estates and more, where there are houses mid-construction that are vacant and can be viewed in person. In general, the banks are trying to make it easier to buy now. Appraisals can be done without entering the house, and some townships aren’t requiring new certificates of occupancy. The state gave out a special addendum called Covid-19 to protect buyers just in case things go bad and they can’t complete the purchase. So in a certain sense, now is a prime time to buy. Mortgage rates remain low, and there are many programs in place to help you purchase a home. As I mentioned earlier, people are now valuing the concept of what it means to own a home more than ever before. I would be honored to try to help you find your dream home. Feel free to call me anytime. ●

4/3/20 4:13 AM

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AMIBUSINESS

BEISDIN

AN ONGOING ACCOUNT OF THE THE PROCEEDINGS AT A JEWISH COURT OF LAW Fair judgment in beis din is a pillar of Yiddishkeit. But how does a beis din work? In this column we look at how a beis din would deal with real cases. Highlighting fascinating halachic questions, the stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at how real-life dinei Torah play out.

THE PARTIES

TOVEI’A (Claimant)

Mountaintop Mess

Moshe Yoel (“Mojo”) Teller

CLAIMANT SPEAKS

Caterer

NITVA (Defendant)

Brenda Miller Event Manager Founder & CEO of Brenda Miller, Inc.

OJO TELLER: I am a caterer. We cater

for all kinds of large-scale events, including, conferences, conventions, and hotels. We have a working relationship with Brenda Miller for some time. I send her clients, and she uses us when she can. In January of this year, I was approached by Brenda Miller’s office asking if we we e booked for Pesach. We were. However, with our three fully-loaded kitchens, we have the capacity to do multiple events for Pesach, and we do. So we asked for the details of the event they were looking to arrange.

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Rav Yehoshua Wolfe, Dayan; Menahel Bais Hadin

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I was informed that they had been approached by Welcome, the famous kiruv organization, which was hosting a Pesach retreat as part of their activities. This wasn’t one of those huge conventions or some upscale Hawaiian-Caribbean-cruise-type of Pesach. Instead, it was a kiruv rechokim, family-oriented event with lots of activities and speeches, and all of the other great things that the kiruv people do. Basically, this was a way for families in the stages of becoming religious to experience a genuine Pesach for a heavily-subsidized price. But my understanding is that this was not something that Welcome had ever tried before, and they were running this as a trial to see if it would work in the future. Brenda Miller was hired by Welcome to manage and coordinate the event, and she wanted me to take care of the catering. Although she does all kinds of events, Welcome requested a caterer with a top hechsher, and I was the only one she knew with a top hechsher.

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Rav Shea Krupenia, Rosh Beis Din Rav Eliyahu Levine, Rosh Beis Din Rav Chanoch Saltz, Rosh Beis Din L’Gittin Rav Dovid Markin, Rosh Herkev Rav Dovid Englander, Rosh Herkev Rav Yaakov Siemiatycki,

Rosh Herkev, Even Ha’Ezer and Choshen Mishpat

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Rosh Herkev and Ribbis/Shtaros Division

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Shabbos and Issurei Hana’ah Division

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I figured that if the client could ’t cover it before Pesach, there was no way of knowing when I would see the money. (Claimant)

We began with an initial meeting to outline what my role would be, but we did not sign a contract at that stage. Things dragged out a bit with other events, and finall , two weeks before Pesach, she sent me an email with a link to a Google doc, which was her draft contract for the job. The relevant line is on page 2—and I prepared copies of it for everyone, so you can all see it: “The price for food services for all the days of the event is $2,200 per adult and $1,500 per child. This price is for attendees who will be registered no less than 48 hours before the onset of the event...” I revised her version by posting my comments and edits to the document. I am going to show you two of those comments. Here I wrote (dated April 10, 4:23 p.m.): “There will be a minimum of 100 paying attendees, of which a minimum of 50 are adults.” Scroll down a little further and you will see I inserted, “Terms of payment: 50% to be paid at commencement of event, no later than April 22; the remainder to be paid no later than May 22.” The Google doc is still there for anyone to see. This was how we left it, and we proceeded full

steam ahead with preparing for the event with these understandings in place. We had the team of mashgichim come to kasher the place, and, as soon as everything was in place, we began food preparation at the hotel’s kitchen. The day before Erev Yom Tov, or April 21, I emailed Brenda Miller to confirm that we would be receiving 50% of the total bill the following day, as we had agreed. Her secretary emailed us back that she would only be able to pay us $60,000 the following day, which was only about 30% of the total bill, which was $185,000. I asked her why she would not be able to pay 50% of the bill as we had agreed. She responded that it was not her fault, and that the client was having a hard time funding the event due to a low turnout. I realized that I might actually lose money on the deal. I figu ed that if the client couldn’t cover it before Pesach, there was no way of knowing when I would see the money. So I gave her an ultimatum. I said, “There’s still enough time before Yom Tov for me to just pack up and leave. I can very easily use the food we prepared here for any of my other venues. If I don’t have a clear com-

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AMIBUSINESS

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BEISDIN

mitment from you now, I’m out.” I don’t like to play tough, but I have been burned with this type of thing in the past, and I was already dreading what was to come. So she sent me a commitment that same day, and that’s in the email here on the next page: “Brenda Miller commits to pay for 85 attendees at a price of $2,200 per adult and $1,500 per child under the age of 12, with a minimum of 45 adults. This will be paid in full no later than May 15. This will be paid only after confirmation by Mountaintop Resort of the restoration of their kitchen and dining facilities to their proper state.” After Pesach, I again called Brenda regarding the balance, but she refused to pay, claiming that we had caused damage to Mountaintop Resort’s kitchen. I thought this was ridiculous, because the damage to the kitchen had nothing to do with us—it was caused by the mashgichim—and besides, the total cost of whatever damage may have happened was nowhere close to the balance. So I had no choice but to proceed with litigation. I cannot afford to take such a loss right now. Dayan: This sounds like a clear claim: You were hired for a service, you performed the service with a written agreement, and you have not been paid. Let us hear now from the defendant.

DEFENDANT SPEAKS

BRENDA MILLER:

I was hired to make this event happen, soup to nuts. It was my responsibility to select and secure a venue, to hire a

I was misled into thinking that Welcome was a major national organization that has their funding in order, and that it is a well-run entity. (Defendant)

caterer, and to coordinate all the concerts, symposiums and speeches throughout this eight-day event. We were asked to secure for this event a place that would not be more than a two-hour drive from New York City and would also be family-friendly, with onsite activities for adults and children. We secured the perfect venue for this—a picturesque resort that had all the amenities that the client ordered. But this event—which really had great potential to become a model for events of this type—turned out to be a huge flop. Perhaps it was my mistake, but I was misled into thinking that Welcome was a major national organization that has their funding in order, and that it is a well-run entity. In truth, this is a very disorganized organization that could use much better management and probably some financial counseling. I was willing to bend my business rules for what I thought was such a prestigious and responsible organization, knowing that if it worked out this year, it would be the first of many such events, which would translate into an annually-recurring account. For this reason, I trusted them and agreed to take a very minimal

deposit that did not allow me to cover my losses if it wouldn’t work out. They hired me with the impression of a committed minimum of 100 people attending, when in fact this was not based on anything, as they had never tried to make this type of event before. I thought that they had a budget for all of this, but they didn’t. Apparently, this is how they run their organization: Spend now on a brilliant idea that has a chance of success, and find the funding for it later. By the time I realized what was happening, I began to suspect that the money was not going to come in so fast. To be sure, they did raise some money to fund the event. But whatever came in—between the organization’s funds, their online fundraising drive, and the participants’ contributions—had to be divided between all of the various vendors, the rent of the premises, staff payroll, and the various speakers and entertainers. Mojo’s fee was the bulk of the cost, so he took the biggest loss. In any case, when I hired Mojo, I was acting on behalf of Welcome. Therefore, I don’t think it’s fair of him to demand that I pick up the bill when I myself was not paid. The responsibility is with Welcome; why doesn’t he go after them? Dayan: Are you saying that you are not the one who hired Mojo? Are you saying that you were merely an intermediary? BM: I am not saying that I did not hire him. I am saying that it was understood that the money would be coming from Welcome. And since they are the ones who had a difficult time coming up with the money and were irresponsible in preparing such an event without having a clear budget for it, he should go after

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AMIBUSINESS

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them, because if I am going to be forced to pay Mojo for this, I am going to go back to Welcome to pick up the tab. So why doesn’t he just go straight to the source? Dayan: What does the claimant say to that? MT: I discussed this with a kluger Yid before I came here. He is a very wise person and always breaks things down very logically. The basic maskana is: I understand her predicament, and I do not want to hurt her, especially because we have a longstanding business relationship. So that leaves us with three choices, which are all difficult: 1) Let things go and wait until I get paid; 2) Go after her; 3) Go after Welcome. Quite frankly, I cannot afford to leave such a bill unpaid. I have no problem going back to Welcome if only I would see a reasonable chance of getting paid that way. However, I don’t see that going anywhere. If I go that route, I’ll probably spend tens of hours of begging and/or litigating, and after about a year or two I’ll end up with about 50% of the balance in my pocket and a tax write-off on the other 50%. So instead of going in that direction, I have here someone who is clearly legally responsible for this, and who I believe is responsible enough to pay up if that is her legal obligation. As I explained to her before we came here, I do not want to do this, but I have no choice. Dayan: I gather that you both agree that—at least from a legal perspective—there was a clear service agreement between the two of you, and that Brenda

I have no problem going back to Welcome if only I would see a reasonable chance of getting paid that way. However, I don’t see that going anywhere. (Claimant)

Miller is a responsible party for this bill. And although you, Mr. Teller, would rather not, you want to exercise your right to claim the money from her rather than from Welcome. Fine. Let’s proceed with the claim. We see here a copy of the Google doc that was shared between the two of you. Mrs. Miller, what is your position on that? Was this your service contract? BM: I will not deny that Mojo wrote those edits in the Google doc, but you must understand the context in which this was drafted. This was less than two weeks before Pesach. Understandably, everyone was under a lot of pressure. There were many details that needed to be worked out to make this event happen. In that environment, there was no way I was going to get into a dispute with him at that time. My modus operandi is always to make sure things run as smoothly as possible, with the least amount of hiccups. So I left his edits in place so as not to stir the pot (no pun intended). But I did not approve his edits or his

comments; I merely left them in place. There is absolutely no indication that I agreed to the conditions he inserted. On the contrary, the fact that I left them the way they are proves that I did not agree—had I agreed, I would have incorporated them into the doc. Dayan: Mr. Teller, what is your response to this? MT: I am not going to debate what her modus operandi is or isn’t. But the fact is that we just heard Brenda clearly acknowledge that she saw the edits, she knew they were my conditions, and yet she continued cooperating with me on this job up until Yom Tov. That tells you very clearly that she was working on those terms. Dayan: Apparently, she saw the edits but neither approved nor disapproved them. What is the status of such an agreement? This sounds like a legal question that will need to be decided. But here is the next question: You wanted a minimum of 100 attendees, she initially did not give her consent to that, and later you both agreed to a minimum of 85 attendees. How many attendees were there in total? BM: We had a total of 76, of which 45 were adults. There was also one family that left on the second day of Yom Tov, which brought the total down to 72. Dayan: They left on the second day of Yom Tov? BM: Israeli yordim. They were having a difficult time. The husband had not been interested in Judaism, and it was the wife

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who shlepped him there. The rabbi tried to persuade them to stay until nightfall, but he had never heard of this “galuti” idea of two days of Yom Tov. Dayan: Nebach… It seems that the difference between your respective positions is not that great. If we accept the edit in the Google doc as binding, Mrs. Miller would be obligated to pay $185,000. If we accept the second email of April 21—in which she agreed to a minimum of 85—as overriding the edit, she would be obligated to pay only $159,000. Is the entire dispute here over $26,000? BM: No, not at all. The understanding that was signed on April 21 was also signed under duress. As I began to explain, we were then at a point of no return. There was no way for us to find an alternative caterer at that point in time, so we were forced to accept this understanding that he made us sign. Both this understanding, as well as his edits to the Google doc, which were submitted less than two weeks before Pesach, were made in the context of the constraints of the last hour. In fact, when he gave us his ultimatum of “either you accept my 100-person minimum or I leave,” I made a few phone calls to see if it was possible to find an alte native caterer. But the calls I made only confirmed my feeling that finding an alt native caterer so close to Pesach who would also satisfy the client’s stipulation for the type of hechsher that Mojo carried was virtually impossible. There is another issue that we haven’t touched on yet, and that is the damages to the kitchen. I want to say that I deal with both Orthodox and non-Orthodox

The damage that was done to the kitchen, coupled with the damage to my business relationship with them, far outweighs the amount of his claim against me. (Defendant)

take a long time before I will be able to convince them to relent. Their relationship with me took ten steps backwards, because I had reassured them that kashering is not a big deal and that it happens all the time in hotels, but even I was not ready for this kind of extensive damage. Dayan: What kind of damage are we talking about? BM: Here is an email in which Mountaintop Resorts lists all the damages and their costs: •

clients. Mountaintop Resort is a relatively new venue that had lots of potential as being ideal for the heimishe crowd. However, the ownership is not Jewish, and they don’t have a kosher kitchen. I developed a terrific elationship with the manager. I have done non-Orthodox events there in the past. I am a perfectionist by nature, and this non-Jewish manager has gone above and beyond to accommodate my requests, because she wants to keep me happy. I was and still am the first one in the frum community to develop a business relationship with them, and I was planning on bringing more and more frum, heimishe clients to this place. You have to realize that heimish is a unique niche that not everyone will accommodate. We have a very unique lifestyle that is so different from everything they are accustomed to. It is something that needs to be done tactfully until things are accepted and respected. However, after what his team of mashgichim did to their state-of-the-art kitchen, I was told that they will never host a kosher event again. It is going to

• • • •

Steel table flat surface rutted and uneven: $350; Gaskets of warmers damaged: $4,000; Meat slicer motor damaged: $1,000; Dishwasher thermostat damaged: $3,000; Oven thermostat damaged: $3,000.

I believe that the damage that was done to the kitchen, for which I was obligated by my contract to reimburse Mountaintop Resorts, coupled with the damage to my business relationship with them, far outweighs the amount of his claim against me. Dayan: Were the mashgichim hired by Mr. Teller or by the kashrus agency? MT: There are certain rabbanim who will allow the caterer to hire the mashgiach. But these are not usually the “top-tier” hashgachos. If I want to be approved by a top hechsher, such as the one I have, I cannot bring my own mashgichim. It makes things more difficult for me, but

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By Shia Getter When the real estate market is slow at any time –and especially now, under the tremendous economic downtown wrought by the effects of Covid-19 – buyers in Israel will actually find themselves in an advantageous position. That's because a slow market gives buyers leverage. Buyers will have extra negotiating power with developers regarding their terms of contract. In general, this can translate to a better price, an improved payment schedule and additional securities, which the developers would not have otherwise given under normal circumstances. Similarly, it is in the banks' best interest to keep the market as stable as possible, so they are also trying to work with mortgage clients. Unfortunately, this small country has seen more than its share of catastrophes – from all-out wars to conflicts of many sizes, a constant threat of terrorism, boycotts, and more. As Paz Economy and Engineering CEO and controlling shareholder Daniela Paz Erez told Globes, "The thought that this is something that will be with us for several months finds Israel in a better position than other countries, because we know how to get through such pitfalls. As I see it, the coronavirus cannot cause a difficult situation in the real estate sector. […] I believe that we will be able to adjust in this situation, too." That ability to adapt is linked to Israel's real estate sector being a solid, demand-based market. Approximately 90% of homeowners in Israel own just one apartment, while under 3% possess more than two. Translation: the vast majority of people own homes for themselves. Israel is a continuous consumer of housing – and the government is always working to find solutions to meet this ever-growing demand. Furthermore, most foreign buyers purchasing apartments in Israel want to own property in the Holy Land. Either they or their children will eventually live in those diras, be'ezras Hashem. They're not snapping up properties to sell in a year or two, nor are they playing the flipping game. Israel does not generally grant mortgages of over 50% to foreigner buyers, while Israelis usually take mortgages that max out at 70-75%. Since it's not a market based on heavy debt, it's not a high-risk market. Buyers and homeowners won't be cashing out so quickly—or at all. We obviously have no idea what the housing market will look like in seven, 15, or even 35 weeks from now. But we do know that big decisions should always be made with a long-term perspective. We're all going to need property in Eretz Yisrael eventually, even if we don't know exactly when Moshiach will come (be'ezras Hashem, soon!). When you're ready, we're here for you. Contact The Getter Group for assistance with your property purchase in Eretz Yisrael: baila@thegettergroup.com. This article is not a substitute for professional or legal advice. Author doesn't guarantee that the information contained herein is accurate, and does not assume any liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or inaccuracies in this article

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I have nothing to do with the mashgichim; they don’t work for me. Why should I agree to be held responsible for damage caused by a third party? (Claimant)

it is well worth it considering the type of clientele I serve. Dayan: So it is actually because of Welcome’s request for a top hechsher that you ended up with these mashgichim. BM: I have done Pesach events before, and I have never seen mashgichim make such a wreck out of a kitchen. MT: I was told by the kashrus agency that some of these damages are due to certain chumros that not all kashrus agencies demand. Had you required a less stringent hashgachah, you may not have had the issue. BM: But wasn’t there a clear stipulation on April 21: “This will be paid only after confirmation by Mountaintop Resort of the restoration of their kitchen and dining facilities to their proper state”? Regardless of who was at fault, can you claim honestly that the kitchen was restored to its proper state? MT: I believe that refers to damages made by my crew, not to damage caused by the

mashgichim. I have nothing to do with the mashgichim; they don’t work for me. Why should I agree to be held responsible for damage caused by a third party? Dayan: It seems that we have a number of issues. We have the question of which, if any, of the agreements regarding the minimum number of attendees is binding. We have another issue regarding the damages that the mashgichim allegedly did to the kitchen and how that affected Brenda Miller’s relationship with the resort.

DELIBERATIONS

There is a fundamental dispute between the parties regarding whether or not there was an agreement concerning a minimum of attendees. According to the claimant, his edits to the Google doc with a clear minimum number of attendees, which his counterparty acknowledges to have read without rejecting, created a mutual understanding between them as to the minimum amount of attendees that would need to be paid for. This will be referred to as Agreement 1. The defendant, however, claims that

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from her perspective, the only binding agreement was the original one that she had drafted, which stipulated that the price would be determined solely based on the amount of actual attendees. She posits that her lack of response to his edits represented nothing more than a desire to avoid any clashes at that sensitive time. What was mutually agreed upon, though, was the stipulation that was written on April 21 (Agreement 2) regarding a minimum of 85 attendees. The halachic question in this case, then, is whether there was any agreement on any minimum, and, if there was, what that number would be. When a sale negotiation paused due to a disagreement over pricing, and then the parties came together and consummated the sale without verbalizing an agreement over the price, the final understanding in halachah is determined by who made the first move. If it was the buyer who came forward and consummated the sale, it is assumed that the buyer conceded to the seller’s price. If it was the buyer who invited the seller to consummate the sale, the buyer’s bid is the final price (see Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 221:1). This does not apply solely to differences regarding pricing; it applies to all disputed terms and conditions (cf. Pischei Teshuvah Even Ha’ezer 143:1). Initiating the resumption of a sale following a negotiation pause due to disagreement implies concession to the counterparty’s terms. In this case, where both parties were aware of a difference in the terms of the deal, the one who took initiative to resume the deal is assumed to have yielded to the counterparty’s terms. Following this rule, since it was the caterer

A claim of timesensitivity would indeed be acceptable if the defendant had agreed to something unreasonable. (Dayanim)

who took the first step by going to the site to perform his catering services, we must assume that it was he who agreed to the event planner’s position. However, there may be a distinction between a case of a disagreement over pricing and a disagreement such as this. In a case of pricing, the one who initiates the resumption of the deal is assumed to have conceded to the other’s terms, because, absent of such a concession, why would they have consummated the deal? In a case such as this, however, even absent an agreement over the minimum number of attendees, no party intended to not fulfill their espective obligations in this deal. Therefore, the caterer’s coming to the site to begin his services would not be assumed to be a concession of his position.

THE TIME CONSTRAINT The defendant claims that the agreements that were made were done under constraint of time, when it was virtually impossible to find an alte native caterer. There may be some halachic merit to this claim, which is the principle of davar ha’aveid (a time-sensitive job). This prin-

ciple teaches that if a service provider who was hired for a time-sensitive job that can’t be performed at a later time (e.g., a musician or a hairdresser for a wedding) subsequently seeks to renege, the counterparty may mislead the service provider to return to his job by bribing him with an exorbitant offer, which he will subsequently not honor (see Choshen Mishpat 333:5). From this it may be inferred that an offer made to induce a service provider to carry through on his obligation at a time when no replacement could be found for a time-sensitive job need not be honored. However, even following this line of reasoning, there may be grounds for differentiating between Agreements 1 and 2 in this regard. Agreement 1 was an addendum to their initial service contract, prior to which the parties had no written contract. Regarding this agreement, a claim of time-sensitivity would indeed be acceptable if the defendant had agreed to something unreasonable. In a similar way, when one agrees to an unreasonable price quote in a moment of dire circumstances, such as an escapee from prison who agrees to an extortionate rate for transportation out of the area, halachah says that the one who agreed to such a price may claim, “I made a mockery of you,” and pay him only the standard fare (see Choshen Mishpat 264:7). In this case, a request for a minimum number of attendees does not seem unreasonable. What does seem unreasonable, though, is the demand to be paid for 100 attendees despite preparing meals for only 76, or 72, attendees. However, with regard to Agreement 2, it would be quite acceptable for the defendant to claim that it was made under a time constraint, only one day

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The mashgichim were following the directives of the rav hamachshir, directives of which the defendant knew and requested. (Dayanim)

before Erev Pesach. But, judging by the contents of Agreement 2, it appears that this was not the case, as she did not have the lower hand in this agreement. The fact that she was able to get Mr. Teller to reduce his minimum number from 100 to 85 and add the stipulation about not paying until “the restoration of their kitchen and dining facilities to their proper state,” indicates that she was not just yielding to any demand he made. Accordingly, Agreement 1 should be disregarded, and Agreement 2 should stand.

DAMAGES TO THE KITCHEN Brenda Miller claims damage that was done to the kitchen and resultant damages to her business relationship with the resort. A very basic rule in any monetary obligation is that the burden of proof is always on the claimant. Brenda Miller has yet to prove the extent of the damage. More importantly, it was she who sought a “top hechsher” by request of her cli-

ent, which she found in the supervising agency of Mr. Teller’s catering establishment. The team of mashgichim who kashered the kitchen were her doing as much as they were the caterer’s. Without even addressing the legal angle, and judging only from a point of fairness, there is no reason to put Mr. Teller at fault for these alleged damages, when the mashgichim were following the directives of the rav hamachshir, directives of which the defendant knew and requested. Regardless, in this arrangement, the mashgichim were not employees of the caterer but of the kashrus agency. It is even plausible that had the caterer directed the mashgichim to kasher differently from the way the rav had instructed

them, it may have been grounds for losing his hechsher. If there are any grounds for claiming damages to the kitchen, and all resultant fallout with the resort, that claim would need to be made against the kashrus agency or the mashgichim. In this light, the stipulation of “the restoration of their kitchen and dining facilities to their proper state” can only refer to damages made by the caterer’s crew. Damages made by the attendees, for instance, would presumably not be part of this stipulation, since the attendees are the guests of the event planner, not those of the caterer. By the same token, damages made by the mashgichim are as much the fault of the client as the fault of the caterer.

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HINDY: People who are on low-carb diets are not necessarily cutting down on fat. People who are watching their weight aren’t so interested in the amount of carbs they’re eating; they’re more interested in low calories and low fat. We started off with these two lines, and figure we would branch out to cover any other diets that would be worthwhile. Once we had our products, our next step was figuring out how to get it onto store shelves. We packed our minivan with samples and went from store to store speaking to the store owners. After tasting our products, they were extremely impressed. In a few short weeks we were in over 50 stores around Brooklyn, Monsey, Monroe, Lakewood and Baltimore. We began receiving more and more requests for our products. We have an 80% repeat rate from our customers who order online; they order over and over again, stocking up their freezers every six weeks or so. Our website isn’t beautiful, but it has the basics so customers can see our products and order them. We also have real testimonials from our customers thanking us for giving them options. After Kosherfest 2018, we were contacted by distributors from Israel and the UK, but we couldn’t sell to them due to a lack of cash flow. We’re asking for $100,000 in exchange for 30% of the company.

the negotiations AVRAM: Are your products labeled with all of this information? HINDY: Everything is very clear on all of our labels, and we even have the Weight Watchers points on the low-calorie line. We worked with Weight Watchers for that.

HINDY: Yes. The stores actually demanded we market the product, and we’ve advertised in Ami multiple times. I called all of the stores every week, took their orders, and shipped with UPS. It was a bit of a crazy way of doing business, and the stores didn’t appreciate getting their order through UPS. They also didn’t want us calling them; they wanted someone to come down and see what’s on the shelves. We were also having trouble with the cash flow, which made it very hard to advertise. Although each time we advertised we saw the sales rise, we didn’t have the cash to advertise. Slowly our business began to drop. We realized our products could use some changes. We received a lot of requests to use erythritol and stevia in our low-carb products, because they don’t raise blood sugar levels, unlike other sweeteners. The low-calorie dieters wanted a product even lower in calories and fat. We decided to do exactly that. We perfected the low-carb diet with erythritol and stevia; it tastes delicious, and it’s FWD approved. We started with that first because low-carb dieters and diabetics are the most restricted. There’s next to nothing for them out there.

MATIS: Many Type 1 diabetics have celiac disease as well. HINDY: Right, and we are working on that for the future. For now, we have minimal amounts of flour in our products.

MATIS: Are your products gluten-free? HINDY: No, but we do have the option to expand there at some point.

MATIS: I’m the exclusive distributor for Tanya’s products. They’re kept in freezers, and the stores take them out as needed, because it won’t hold otherwise. That goes for the muffins and the cookies. HINDY: I’m aware of that, but the reason I think it shouldn’t go in the freezer is that once it’s on the shelf they can just grab one and go to work. Many people told me that their husbands take it on their commutes for breakfast because it’s high in protein.

WE HAVE AN 80% REPEAT RATE FROM OUR CUSTOMERS WHO ORDER ONLINE; THEY ORDER OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

ARON: Did you do any marketing and advertising to get into those stores?

AVRAM: What’s the base ingredient in your products? HINDY: The proteins and fibers of the flours. AVRAM: What about tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds? HINDY: We don’t have any of those in the actual ingredients, but the chocolate chips are processed in facilities that process those things as well. MATIS: What’s the shelf life of your products? HINDY: Four to six weeks, but when people buy it in bulk and freeze it, it lasts for four to six months. MATIS: Does it freeze well? HINDY: It does, but we’d rather sell it as a fresh product just like other similar non-dietetic cookies, and it tastes so good that non-dieters would enjoy it as well.

MATIS: They can take it out of the freezer the night before, too. HINDY: I understand, but most people take one or two and don’t stock up on it. MATIS: What do they retail? ZEV: The production costs between 75

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cents to a dollar, depending on the product. The low-calorie products have cheaper ingredients. We add between a dollar and $1.50 for wholesale, and they retail $3.49 for the low-calorie cookie and $3.99 for the low-carb cookie. Online everything is a bit cheaper, but there is a larger profit margin there. AVRAM: Why do you only sell them individually wrapped? Why not sell them as a box of cookies? HINDY: We can do that, but I prefer individually wrapped because each one is a serving. That helps stop people from binge eating. I’m concerned about their diets. ZEV: People usually buy a few at a time and then eat one a day. When people buy online they’ll buy enough for one month. Our average online order is for $100. HINDY: Here are samples of our products; I’m giving you three different types—the low-calorie, the current low-carb, and the improved low-carb.

BECAUSE COFFEE SHOULDN’T BE CALLED A BREAKFAST

ARON: Did you shut down while working on the improvements? HINDY: No; we just took a step back from selling in stores because we couldn’t afford the orders or the marketing, and the stores got upset. However, online our sales are still going very strong. ROBERT: You said that you had a cash flow problem. Can you give us details of your financials and explain what went wrong? ZEV: In our first year we had $100,000 in sales, of which $30,000 was profit. We put it right back into the business. ROBERT: How many cookies did you sell to get to $100,000? ZEV: 50,000.

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ARON: The biggest challenge is you need a distributor, but your margins aren’t allowing for it. ZEV: When we had the distributor it went pretty well. ARON: But how did you have room with such tight margins? ZEV: We raised our prices. The 30% profit from the $100,000 in sales was only the first year, but then we realized that as a specialty item we could charge more. ARON: Oh, so what happened in year two? ZEV: We had local distribution, and we did very little marketing, but we still had $50,000 in sales and netted $25,000 after we raised the markup. ROBERT: If you had all of the money needed, what do you project you could do in the next 12 months? ZEV: If we are in 100 stores we expect $500,000 in sales in the first year, and doubling and tripling in the following years. ROBERT: That’s a huge leap. HINDY: The reason I say that is that we have a great product that people buy again and again. It isn’t just something that they buy once. Our online customers are few, but they buy every single month. . MATIS: Do you have any customers outside of the kosher market in your online business? HINDY: Yes. MATIS: How do they know about you? ZEV: Even in the non-kosher market there isn’t much out there, so when people are looking for this kind of product we’re what comes up.

WE PRODUCED OUR RECIPES WITH A LARGE NATIONAL COMPANY, AND THEY KEPT TRACK OF EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE IT WAS ALL ACCURATE. AVRAM: The low-calorie cookie says that it’s two Weight Watchers points. Is that for the whole cookie? HINDY: No, it’s for half of the cookie, and that’s part of what we’re planning on fixing . We’ve already improved the lowcarb products, and the next step is to work on the low-calorie products. The full cookie is 75 calories and has zero fat. You’re going to be tasting a bit of that stevia. For someone who is diabetic or a low-carb dieter, they expect and appreciate that taste, because they know it’s the real thing. If something tastes too good, then it’s too good to be true. I’d like to go through the differences between a typical jumbo cookie and our low-carb cookie. A typical cookie has 40 grams of net carbs, 20 grams of sugar, two grams of protein, zero grams of fiber, and 250 calories. Our cookie has five grams of net carbs, zero grams of sugar, eight grams of protein, and ten grams of fiber. We also made sure that our cookie would be two ounces so that it’s the same size as a typical cookie. ROBERT: . I don’t know what you would be able to do with $100,000. In any case, I believe you need an accounts receivable line more than you need an investor. If you’re willing to accept it, I would be interested in an AR line with ownership, although that would have to be based on your sales and collections— if they’re collectable. It would be pending a deeper look into your financials. But to

throw $100,000 in the abstract, everyone is going to lose your money. HINDY: The $100,000 would be used half for improving the line and production and the other half for marketing. ROBERT: But you’re going to run into the same problem—you can’t afford to fill orders. Marketing is a separate discussion, but you don’t have a marketing plan right now anyway. Theoretically, if you really believe that you can do the sales, then an AR line is the way to go. ARON: How much do you think would be a reasonable return without drowning the company? ROBERT: If their numbers are correct then about 8%. HINDY: By the way, we have a copacker at one of the major kosher bakeries, and we also have an offer from Stern’s distribution in exchange for a small percentage. MATIS: Let’s take a step back for a moment. Did you have your products lab tested to ensure that your nutritional claims are accurate? HINDY: Yes. ZEV: We produced our recipes with a large national company, and they kept track of everything to make sure it was all accurate, and then we had it tested afterwards. MATIS: We distribute Tanya’s products and they sell very well. Not everyone is on her diet, but they buy her products because they’re perceived to be somewhat healthier. There’s certainly room in the market for your product, and you’re hitting the market with two lines, which means you’re filling every void that’s out there. You need a distributor, but I’ve never heard of a distribu-

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tion deal that includes a percentage of your profits as well. That doesn’t make sense to me at all. I do think that this can be a phenomenal item; the taste is pretty good, and it checks a lot of boxes. The details of the marketing can be worked on, but I don’t think you should be paying any distributor for the right to have your product distributed. That would be a big mistake. I think this has the opportunity to really move; you already have the right hechsheirim, and you have sales numbers behind it. I agree that most stores don’t want things coming in UPS boxes and being harassed, so if you go with a distributor who is out there, you’ll be able to move forward. Another benefit of working with a distributor is not having to deal with receivables. You get one check from one distributor on 30 or 40 days, depending on your agreement with them. That will improve your cash flow greatly, and you’ll have the opportunity to grow your business. AVRAM: I think this is great, but I’m interested in hearing about your online customers and sales. HINDY: We don’t have a lot of online customers, but 80% of them constantly order from us. ZEV: And they usually buy about $100 worth of items every month. AVRAM: How many people are we talking about? ZEV: About 100 regular customers, plus other customers who aren’t as consistent. MATIS: The thing is that it’s very crossmarketable to a very wide range of customers. This doesn’t have to remain in the kosher market. AVRAM: That’s what I was saying. You can grow it enough to not be in the kosher world. HINDY: We’re aware of that. The nonkosher market doesn’t have much either.

AVRAM: You can also produce it all on lines that don’t have nuts, soy or sesame, which would open things up for you even further. The food allergy market is an enormous market. HINDY: We’re working on that. AVRAM: I’m interested If Matis is interested in joining with me. He would give me the confidence to move forward with this. HINDY: He’s a distributor, but what would you bring to the table? AVRAM: Right now I’m in real estate, but before that I was the CEO of a tech company. When I came in we were only five people, but when I sold the company five years ago we had customers in 67 different countries around the world. I think I can bring a business mind and be an advisor. MATIS: I would like to add that Aron and I recently got involved in an old and wellknown company. The owner of the company knew his business very well, but he didn’t know anything about business itself. So you don’t need people to bake cookies for you—that’s your job. You seem to have a talent and a knack for developing products, and that’s where your focus needs to be. You need people who are businessmen who have worldly experience and understand financials and how to grow and operate a business. ARON: There’s still the problem that Robert brought up. Working capital and marketing are important, but as you scale, the cash flow is going to work against you. So $100,000 might be good enough for you right now, but as your business becomes more successful and you grow it, you’re going to need even more cash flow to be able to meet new demand. That’s why a proper investment in this case wouldn’t be an equity investment, because afterwards you’re going to have to find another $100,000 for another 30%, and then

you’re left with nothing. So it’s possible that you’re going to need a line of credit against receivables, that way you can continue to draw as much money as you need, and the investor doesn’t mind because there’s always an interest return without having to change the equity. AVRAM: They can also just get a line of credit. ARON: That isn’t very easy with a business like this. AVRAM: I disagree; I think once they’re off the ground and successful they’ll be able to get it just fine. MATIS: Aron, I want to understand your concern about scalability. ARON: I’m saying that from an investor’s perspective, $100,000 isn’t enough to take this business from where it is now to where it should be, and because of that I think Robert’s structure of investment is much better than the one they presented. MATIS: If they would be talking about investing in infrastructure and that would be the only way to grow the company then I would understand your concern. ARON: If they’re going to increase their orders, they’re going to have to increase their output. MATIS: Of course, but they don’t have to invest in trucks, staff or anything else. They’re whole overhead is just two people. ARON: The cash conversion cycle for this business is going to be working against you as you scale, and you’re just going to need more and more money. That’s the problem they ran into. Isn’t it? ZEV: We believe that once we have that $100,000 and can stabilize our busi-

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ness, we won’t run into the same problems again. ARON: You might have a better business, which will make them want to work out better terms, but for that reason the structure might have to be a bit different. MICHAEL: I’m interested in looking at the ingredients—it’s something that would concern me, because it has a bunch of unfamiliar ingredients. It seems like a lot of them are chemical-based. HINDY: It’s no different from any other cookie. It isn’t a vegetable or a piece of chicken; we’re trying to come up with snacks for diabetics and other people on restrictive diets. MICHAEL: I understand, but in the food market I see people moving more and more towards natural foods, whereas this seems to be bucking that trend. HINDY: We aren’t trying to go according to a trend; we’re trying to offer things that people want and don’t have. There are many people on low-carb diets who are looking for a snack to break up the monotony of what they’re eating. MICHAEL: So in a way they’re looking for non-natural foods. HINDY: Exactly. MATIS: I have one more question: How does your agreement with the co-packer work? HINDY: It’s our recipe, and we give him a ready mix. MATIS: Where are you doing those mixes? HINDY: We have a mixing company that does it for us. MATIS: So you go to a manufacturer who mixes it for you, and then you bring it to a local bakery to actually do the baking.

WE’RE TRYING TO COME UP WITH SNACKS FOR DIABETICS AND OTHER PEOPLE ON RESTRICTIVE DIETS. HINDY: Yes. MATIS: Do you have a contract with him? HINDY: No. MATIS: So in theory you can move to any bakery. ZEV: Absolutely. MATIS: Do you have concrete plans to branch out into more products and expand your line? HINDY: We do. MATIS: From my end there is still quite a bit of due diligence that has to be done, but I would definitely have an interest in further discussions about an investment, and I would certainly be interested on a distribution level. I think we would be able to offer a significant upgrade over anything you’ve done until now. Subject to due diligence, I would be willing to partner with Avram on an investment. I’m just not sure what the exact dollar amount and percentage would be, because I need to get an exact breakdown of what you’re planning on doing with the money. ARON: I have a different offer, because I believe that you’re going to need a lot more than $100,000. I would like to offer you a line of credit based on receivables together with equity ownership—possibly less equity ownership than you’re currently offering. My problem is that if you give up 30% and then realize that you need more money and can’t get a line of credit, how are you going to raise more

money at that point? Therefore, I think you should think about giving up less equity in exchange for a line of credit that is assured and backed by receivables. I would give a $100,000 line of credit with a commitment to go up to $200,000 if it’s backed by receivables, in exchange for 25% equity. HINDY: What can you help us with? ARON: I have a business background just like Avram. ZEV: Is there any way to get Matis and Aron to join together on a deal? ARON: We work together on a couple of other projects already. The main point here is that the direction of the company has to be analyzed first. The challenge you had with scalability and the ability to know whether you actually need $100,000 or whether it’s really more or even less is hard to know after such a relatively short presentation. My gut feeling is that you need a lot more. Avram’s gut feeling is that you need less. I think that proves my point that due diligence is needed. I’m definitely interested. It’s not a very large investment, and the cookies taste good. You’ve also proven that you can get into a decent amount of stores without having a real sales force, which means that you can be very successful with a real structure in place. Does the valuation make sense? I’m not so sure. But that’s something that will come up in due diligence. So, again, I’m very willing to work on due diligence, and I’m willing to work with Avram, Matis, and, if he’s interested, Robert as well. The more the merrier as far as I’m concerned. MATIS: I think the bottom line here is that there’s interest from at least three of the Moguls and maybe four. How we get to the final numbers doesn’t really make a difference right now. ROBERT: I think you have a magnifi-

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cent recipe, and the people who need it will buy it. You’ve demonstrated that by getting it out there without a sales team. What you do need are people who know how to run and grow a business, and these guys definitely know how to do that. I said in the beginning that I’m interested, but I don’t have enough information yet to know the right number for what we’ll need in equity. I would have to sit with you and go through financials and do some underwriting. You definitely have something, but while everyone wants to shake hands, we don’t have enough information to do that. My sug-

JTAKE

SLIM DELIGHTS With Zacharia Waxler of Roth & Co. Zacharia Waxler is a co-managing partner of Roth & Co. As part of JTank, on behalf of Roth & Co., Mr. Waxler uses his expert knowledge to advise the presenters on their pitches and works with them on their business plans.

gestion is that we exchange numbers and have a conference call, which is something we’ve done in the past, and we’ll tell you what we need in order to move it along. Matis is the key here because he’s the one who’s going to tell us whether the distribution is going to work. If he says that it will, you’ll have your money. I still believe, as I said before, that the way to give you the money is through a line of credit based on receivables. I believe that that’s smarter than trying to get a regular line of credit later, because this way you’ll have a flat rate without fees. It’s always smarter to go with private money.

ev Fried and his wife Hindy succeeded in winning over the Moguls with their delicious, new snack for individuals looking to lose weight. Even though their product is selling faster than they could’ve predicted, the company, Slim Delights, is struggling with various technical issues. The most significant issues that they find themselves grappling with include serious cash flow problems. Customers are not paying on time, and Zev and Hindy find themselves unable to scrape together money to fill new orders meanwhile. Though their company, Slim Delights, is having difficulty keeping their business running smoothly and efficiently, the Moguls agreed that the product is worth their investment due to its popularity. The Moguls hope that the company will thrive once the technicalities are ironed out. The grocery store industry and food industry is known for its competitive rigor. First of all, grocery stores have limited shelf space. A food store will only market the most popular items that they can fit on their shelves, hoping that customers will spend more money on food items that they enjoy. Even within

ZEV: Additionally, when you get a standard line of credit you don’t get help from the business minds, which is very important for us. As much as we’re here for the money, we’re here for the minds and the help. ROBERT: Right. From my perspective if you’re willing to have a call and go through what we need I’m happy to move forward together with everyone else. ZEV: We agree that it’s better to go with a line of credit based on receivables. AVRAM: I’m happy to be a part of it in

the kosher food industry, there is a lot of competition and limited shelf space. Secondly, it is hard for grocery stores to manage and keep track of their inventory continuously, and if the store is not aware that they are running out of a product, they may fail to keep ordering it. Food manufacturers typically hire distributors to help with these challenges. A proper distribution company is crucial for food product producers who want to market their products as effectively as possible. Besides for shipping products, which is a service that Slim Delights needs, Slim Delights needs a distribution company to advocate for them in various ways. Distribution companies have a lot of say in what the grocery stores do. For example, it is usually up to the distributor to note how much inventory is left on the shelves and to notify the grocery when it is time to place a new order. Right now, Slim Delights has little power to follow up with grocery stores about placing orders when the store is running out of the goods. Distribution companies also make sure that the food products they are delivering are sitting on the most

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BUY IN ISRAEL WITH CONFIDENCE. whatever structure it takes, so if it’s a line of credit for less equity I’m fine with that as well.

thedeal: Robert, Aron, Avram, and Matis are offering a $100,000 line of credit that can grow to $200,000 based on receivables in exchange for 25% equity. ZEV: Thank you very much, we accept your offer. ●

advantageous, noticeable shelves so that customers will buy even more of that product. Unfortunately, without capable distributors, Slim Delights does not have a proper distributor advocating for a superior location for their company’s bakery goods. Lastly and most important of all, distribution companies can help small food companies collect their accounts receivable. Without a distribution company, grocery stores find it easier to push off payments. I believe that with a proper distribution company, most of Slim Delight’s issues would quickly disappear. The Moguls will give Zev and Hindy a line of credit that allows them the necessary funds to hire a proper distribution company. Once they have a distributor advocating for their product and helping them receive their fees in a timely fashion, the product should continue to grow in popularity, and the business will start to be able to operate smoothly, independently, and without more loans or investment. With time, I hope that the company will have enough funds to function from profit alone.

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SPYview by John Loftus

How the Russians unleashed COVID-19 on the world

he real name of the COVID-19 virus is Chimera. It is a weapon of biological warfare that was produced in Russia, not in China, as I, and others, had earlier alleged. Even China’s President Xi originally believed a Chinese lab had released the novel coronavirus. However, the CIA was warned about Chimera a long time ago, but they ignored it. I cannot. China’s neighbors have long been suspicious of Beijing’s pattern of covering up and suppressing news during previous epidemics. Only two weeks after Patient Zero arrived in Wuhan on November 17, 2019, word had already spread across Asia that a new disease had arrived in Wuhan. Taiwan started screening all visitors from Wuhan on December 1, 2019. Japan and Singapore quickly followed suit. The various Asian intelligence services were telling the media that some new coronavirus had broken out in China (which was true). The rumor that swept through the Asian intelligence networks was that the Chinese had developed a new SARS-based superweapon that had escaped from the BS4 lab in Wuhan. Only President Xi and a handful of others in China knew that part was false. COVID-19 was indeed a manmade superweapon, but no one in the Wuhan BS4 lab—or anywhere

in China—had invented it. In fact, every lab, every scientist, and most of the Chinese intelligence services were frantically searching for an antidote to COVID-19 before it consumed their entire national economy. Since 2017, Chinese intelligence had ordered a massive, desperate campaign to steal vaccines from every foreign laboratory they could infiltrate. It was a hastily rushed project, and several pairs of the Chinese vaccine thieves were caught stealing vaccines from Canada and the United States. But there was no vaccine for COVID-19 anywhere in the Western nations. No one in his right mind would create a pathogen like COVID-19 without first having a vaccine. There was only one country among China’s neighbors without a single case of domestic infection. It stood out like a sore thumb. As I wrote here previously, only one nation, Russia, seemed to have vaccinated its entire

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population in advance against COVID-19. That mass vaccination was known only to the Russian military because it was Russia that invented COVID-19. It was among the latest products in a new class of stealth bioweapons called “Chimera.” Colonel Kanatzhan Alibekov, now known as Ken Alibek, was once a director of the Soviet bioweapons agency called Biopreparat. He defected to the CIA in 1992 and warned them about Russia’s continuing development of Chimera. It was so horrible that the CIA simply refused to believe him. The Chimera is a mythical beast combining parts of different animals—the head of a dragon, the body of a lion, the tail of a snake, etc. Alibek said that the Russians were researching the creation of a super-pathogen under the code name Chimera. The plan was to combine the worst of a number of diseases, such as Ebola, the Black Plague and various coronaviruses, into one unstoppable, invisible stealth weapon. In an intelligence debriefing years later, Alibek was asked why the CIA refused to believe him about Chimera. He said it was because he had told them where the Chimera was going to be made—at the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, known as Vector, near the city of Koltsovo in Siberia. The CIA ignored him. They knew all about Vector—or thought they did. Some years later, Alibek told the CIA that the Chimera research had succeeded. He claimed that the Vector facilities were manufacturing hundreds of tons of coronavirus products annually. The CIA scoffed again. Their intelligence suggested that the Vector compound could only have produced a ton of anything viral-based during its entire existence. Vector, the CIA insisted, was where Russia researched vaccines for existing diseases like smallpox or Ebola. Vector scientists were the good guys. Alibek tried to explain that every Soviet bioweapons facility had a research cover to mask its true purpose. It is a pity that no one listened. As it turned out, Alibek was right on all points, as other Russian defectors have since confirmed

Russian defector Ken Alibek, a biological warfare specialist

Only one or two percent would die from Chimera. But that would be enough to force factory closures and quarantines, destroying both the American and Chinese economies. A wave of defectors gave credence to Alibek’s insistence that Russia had never stopped preparing stealth bioweapons to use against both China and the United States. Instead of using weapons like anthrax or the Black Plague, which had very high fatality rates, the Russians focused on viral diseases with lower lethality, such as SARS and MERS, but with more rapid rates of infection. Russia had successfully used such stealth weapons against its restive Muslim minorities in the 1930s and against the Nazis in the 1940s. In the 1970s, work on a new form of stealth weapon began. The purpose of the new Chimera class of weapons was not to kill

all the enemy soldiers or to commit genocide against civilian populations. Chimera was designed as an economic weapon. It would stealthily sicken workers; only one or two percent would die from it, but that would be enough to force factory closures and quarantines. Eventually Chimera could destroy both the American and Chinese economies, and no one would ever realize the Russians were to blame. I predicted that the Russians would suddenly “discover” a miracle vaccine for the strange new disease that had no cure. Of course, the precious new vaccine would come at a price—an end to sanctions or a few hundred billion investment dollars. That sort of thing. Alibek (and most of the Russian defectors who followed him) agreed that for decades the KGB knew about every vaccine being researched in America, even in secret laboratories. It was one of many such embarrassments revealed to the CIA by the Russian defectors. If half of this were true, the Russians were light-years ahead of the West in both research and production of bioweapons. Rather than admit their failure to detect the threat, the CIA (and the Pentagon) began a cover-up of their own. Alibek says it was not the first such coverup. Back in the 1970s, there had been a “tripartite agreement” among America, Great Britain and Russia not to reveal each other’s secret scandals involving biological warfare.

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Sadly, Alibek was partly right. There was something called a Tripartite Committee involving Britain, Canada and the United States that developed defenses to possible Nazi bioweapons during World War II. After the surrender of the Third Reich, the Nazi scientists who specialized in rockets and nuclear weapons were sent to America, while Nazi experts in biological and chemical weapons were sent to Britain. In 1948, the impoverished British intelligence service sold its Nazi bio experts to America. The US used the Nazi scientists to create “bug bombs” to drop on North Korea and China. But none of these disease-infected insects ever caused terminal illness. Apparently our bug bombs made a lot of people sick, but they recovered. The CIA later learned that the Communist spies in British intelligence had given the Russians the antidote for everything the Americans used in their bug bombs. Russia gave the serum to the grateful Chinese, who gave the antidote to the North Koreans. None of them died. China made a big protest in the UN, but the US denied everything. The Russians used the information to blackmail Britain, Canada and the United States about their illegal use of biological weapons during the Korean War. Some of my sources say that the Russians are still blackmailing us over bioweapons in return for our continued silence about Russian violations of the treaty banning biological weapons. By the 1970s, the Americans had developed a somewhat reliable vaccine against smallpox. The Pentagon began mass inoculation of everyone serving in the US military from 1972 onward. The mass vaccination meant that Russia could no longer rely on smallpox as a viable weapon for biowarfare. Besides, the whole world knew that apart from CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the only other smallpox stockpile in the entire world was in the Vector lab in Siberia. After smallpox was dropped as a Russian bioweapon, Vector was given a new assignment to find a new pathogen, preferably a novel coronavirus of ambiguous origin, that

As soon as the Russian population was protected by the aerial spraying of the vaccine, COVID-19 became the perfect stealth weapon to use on China. could be used as an economic weapon against either America or China, without any obvious connections to Russia. The Russian people could be immunized against its effects by aerial spraying of the vaccine at night from military aircraft, just as they had been immunized without their knowledge against anthrax and smallpox. The “good guy” scientists who worked on legitimate vaccine research at Vector were surprised by a new boss, Professor Ilya Drozdov, a truly evil man. Drozdov, as I have written previously, was suspected of having ties to the Russian Mafia and their erstwhile protector, Vladimir Putin, who had just become the new prime minister. The good guys at Vector complained that the new director had skimmed off tens of millions of dollars for a new building at Vector that was never built. Moscow told the complainers to shut up about the missing money and said it was a matter of state security. Drozdov left Vector in 2010 under a cloud of financial scandal. He returned to Saratov, in southern Russia, home to his previous employer, the Russian Scientific Research Anti-Plague Institute, nicknamed “Microbe.” It specialized in making vaccines against diseases like bubonic plague, anthrax and cholera. Similarly, a local Siberian newspaper reported in 2017 that Vector was also searching for an antidote to anthrax. But Russia had

already possessed a vaccine against anthrax for several decades. In fact, it had secretly sprayed its entire population with the vaccine in the 1960s. Once again, it seems that Ken Alibek was right: Professor Drozdov’s vaccine research at Microbe and Vector was simply a cover for some very illegal bioweapons research. Ilya Drozdov could never have worked on an anthrax cure because it had already been invented four years before his birth. His one published scientific paper shows that he was researching coronaviruses, his specialty. Vector’s primary research was reported to be “tablet vaccines for smallpox and hepatitis B, vaccines for HIV, edible vaccines for virus hepatitis B and HIV, based on trans-gene plants, anti-flu vaccines…and development of new methods for detecting viruses.” I think the reporter’s phrase “trans-gene plants” may have referred to genetic transplants of the HIV virus into another virus’s genome, such as occurred with COVID-19. The transfer of HIV-type inserts onto the COVID-19 “spike” enabled it to attach to human beings much more efficientl , thus accounting for its very rapid spread throughout China. It is most likely that Drozdov developed Vector’s “anti-flu vaccine” at the same time that he created COVID-19. As soon as the Russian population was protected by the aerial spraying of the vaccine, COVID-19 became the perfect stealth weapon to use on China. Everyone knew that all sorts of weird diseases like SARS and other coronaviruses came from Chinese wildlife. Sixty percent of the RNA blueprint for Chimera was composed of SARS virus copied from bat RNA but also included portions of other coronaviruses transmitted by insects to animals and then to humans. Four of the COVID-19 inserts seemed to be a mix of bird viruses and HIV from humans. Scientists have no clue about the origin or utility of entire sections of the COVID-19. Chimera’s mixed RNA made for a very confusing presentation. Scientists variously

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blamed snakes, pangolins (small scaly mammals), civets, bats, dogs and birds. To this day, there are scientists still trying to convince us that a bat virus could have passed to a pangolin, which was then eaten by a human with HIV and somehow evolved into COVID-19. The problem with the natural evolution theory is that it would take many months, if not years, for the different RNA changes from any previous coronavirus genome to evolve naturally into COVID-19. No remotely similar RNA changes have ever been observed in any single bat, mammal or human. But somehow, portions of bat, mammal and human RNA have all ended up in COVID-19. This is not just a “novel” coronavirus; it is unique. No other coronavirus in history has even remotely resembled the RNA of COVID-19. The RNA of this monster did not slowly evolve from nature over long periods of time. On the contrary, all scientists agree that the genome for COVID-19 suddenly and simultaneously appeared in several nations during the last quarter of 2019, without any previous appearances and without any significant differences in the genome. The RNA found in Wuhan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and India were all identical. Could a coronavirus have evolved in the same way in different places at the same time? Highly unlikely. Nor did a swarm of infected bats fly from central China across Asia to deliver COVID-19 without anyone noticing their arrival. The absence of RNA changes in a virus found in the same month in widely separated foreign nations proves beyond a reasonable doubt that COVID-19 could not have been the product of a long, natural evolution. The lack of previous changes in the genome is strong evidence that COVID-19 was new and had been recently released on the Asian continent as a fully grown organism. The only remaining explanation for COVID-19 is that it is indeed the Chimera virus from Vector that Ken Alibek had warned the CIA about in the 1990s. Alibek’s nemesis, Professor Drozdov, was the only person with

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping

enough job experience to have known how to make both the virus and the vaccine. But Drozdov made a mistake. The fall of Communism in 1991 meant that the flood of biowarfare money from Moscow would begin drying up. In the chaos following the collapse, Drozdov did what most of the Russian oligarchs were doing to government facilities— he stole the place blind. (Ken Alibek made a timely move when he defected to the US in 1992.) In 2014, only four years after Drozdov resigned from Vector amidst fi ancial scandal, he was in trouble again. Back home at Microbe, he became the subject of a new charge of embezzlement. This time, Russian intelligence did not step in to protect him, and he repaid some of the money. Three years after that, in 2017, another more serious fraud investigation was begun, and the greedy professor suddenly disappeared. The Russian government put out an Interpol notice that Drozdov was wanted on major criminal charges. The Russian press wrote that there was some concern that Drozdov might sell state secrets about bioweapons to terrorists. In my previous article, I called Drozdov the most dangerous man in the world. He could sell what he knew about bioweapons to anyone in the world, but the Russians could find no trace of him anywhere. I believe he

simply took a train to the closest international border in nearby Kazakhstan. No passport or visa was required. Once in Kazakhstan, he could take the train to the end of the line, over the border to Urumqi, China. From there he could board China’s new high-speed bullet train and travel in comfort to Beijing at 250 miles per hour. I think it makes sense that Drozdov escaped to Beijing. He had a lot of Russian secrets to sell to the Chinese. Russia had developed a supervirus to attack China and had already immunized its people in preparation for the stealth attack. Drozdov would help China develop the same vaccine…for a price. I suspect it was Drozdov’s arrival in Beijing in 2017 that triggered the Chinese intelligence services’ mad scramble for any and all information about new vaccine development dealing with coronaviruses. No one in the world had a vaccine against Chimera, and the CIA still refused to believe any of Alibek’s warnings about what Drozdov had been making at Vector. My guess is that Drozdov would never have risked carrying a vial of COVID-19 on his person, but I suspect he told the Chinese that he had hidden some of the virus in a Vector storeroom, because in September 2019, someone broke into Vector’s storage area and stole something. A gas explosion destroyed

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any evidence of what the thieves had removed. To the Russian military, it must have been obvious that the only thing worth stealing from Vector’s lab was COVID-19. If China were allowed enough time to study it, they would eventually come up with their own vaccine. It was time to use Chimera or lose it. Whether Putin knew it or not, a decision was made in October 2019 to launch COVID19 on China. The Russians did not have to drop a bomb; all they had to do was spray a few drops on Patient Zero as he made his way home to Wuhan. By November 17, he was sick enough to go to the hospital. By the firs week of December, people were dying not just in Wuhan but all over Hubei province. As soon as the Hubei health authorities reported the novel coronavirus to Beijing, I think Chinese military intelligence already knew exactly what was going to happen— they would have to buy the vaccine. Even with Drozdov’s help, they could not produce the tons of vaccine that would have to be sprayed all over China. The only place in the world that had such enormous production capacity was Vector, which had stockpiled hundreds of tons of the vaccine. President Xi had no choice. He had to pay Russia’s ransom or watch China’s export economy get crushed under never-ending quarantines. Just before the Chinese economy went into complete collapse, I think a deal was cut for Russia to provide China with the vaccine for COVID-19. The public announcement that Chinese scientists would be working at Vector on a joint project to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 was a lie. The vaccine was already waiting there. Hubei province was ordered to stop all testing for COVID-19 and destroy all documents, tissue samples and lab results. This was not done to protect Beijing’s tardiness in acknowledging the outbreak—which was already obvious to the world—but to eradicate any trace of evidence that could suggest Russia’s connection to the launch of COVID19 in China. In return for the cover-up,

RNA viruses mutate every few months, and the old Wuhan vaccine would not protect Russia from any new strain of coronavirus that might be evolving in Italy. Russia agreed to release its vaccine stockpile from Vector. Once the deal was struck, China got tons of vaccine. By the end of February 2020, the vaccine had been sprayed at night all over China. The result was dramatic. The daily count of new COVID-19 cases in China suddenly dropped to zero. There was no gradual tapering of the bell curve experienced by other nations. One day it was everywhere; the next it was gone. Moreover, the Chinese somehow knew that COVID-19 would not be coming back. The vaccine solved that problem, too. Beijing suddenly ended all the quarantines and started sending workers back to the factories. This sudden back-to-work order should have triggered another wave of COVID-19 exposure when the workers came out of isolation and mingled in the factories, but it didn’t. Almost no one in China got sick again. For the first four months of the epidemic, no one in Russia got sick from COVID-19. The people of Russia seemed to be completely immune to it, and they were, for a while. The Russian vaccine was designed only for their Chinese strain of COVID-19. But RNA viruses mutate every few months, and the old Wuhan vaccine would not protect Russia from any new strain of coronavirus that might be evolving in Italy. This new strain seemed much more lethal,

causing fatalities of close to 10 percent in Italy, as opposed to 1 or 2 percent in China. The Chimera was mutating. In February 2020, Russia’s Patient Zero returned from a ski trip in Italy with flu-lik symptoms. The doctors in Moscow didn’t consider coronavirus, and they put him in a ward with other flu victims. This was a mistake. It took several days for a diagnosis of COVID-19 to be sent back, and Russia was completely unprepared to deal with the stepdaughter of the Chimera virus they had created! The very first Russian fatality came in March, followed by cases in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The spread of the new form of COVID-19 in Russian cities was rapid, with the number of new cases doubling every few days. The Wuhan vaccine gave no immunity to the “European strain” of COVID-19, and it will get a lot worse in Moscow before it gets better. On Saturday, March 21, President Putin telephoned the prime minister of Italy and “generously” offered hundreds of Russian military and medical experts to combat the disease that was ravaging that country. The Russian teams arrived the very next day and publicly stated that there were now two forms of COVID-19, the “Wuhan strain” and the “European strain.” The Russians said they would help the Italians collect tissue samples from the sick so that they could assemble the full genome of this new strain of COVID19. A new genome would enable the Russians to make a new vaccine for the Italians (and for themselves). It will not be their only such effort. Scientists in Iceland have now detected 40 different versions of COVID-19, each with variations in its RNA. No one yet knows what these new coronaviruses will do to human beings. The Russians made this Chimera monster and then lost control of it. May this pass over us all this Passover season and in all the seasons to come. And may justice be done to Putin for unleashing this curse upon the planet. ●

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Feature: Q&A

DID AN ORTHODOX JEW FIND

A CURE TO

COVID -19? A conversation with Dr. Zev Zelenko By Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter

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Feature: Dr. Zev Zelenko

Dr. Zelenko being interviewed on Russian national television

Every day we are bombarded with the most terrible predictions about this horrific pandemic. I wonder how you look at it. I look at it as WWIII—it’s the virus vs. humanity—and this is battlefield medicine; it’s not business as usual. The rules are different. The problem is that it’s an invisible enemy, so many politicians and doctors haven’t figu ed it out yet. Instead they’re discussing long trials that will take months. Every hour I look at the American statistics and see that another 100 people are dead. We don’t really have time, and we’re running out of resources. I know that in New York City there was a 99-year-old patient who was taken off a respirator because it was needed for a 50-year-old patient. People are making life and death triage decisions because we’re

running out of hospital equipment. The ultimate problem with the approach the world has taken is that the emphasis has been to build more hospitals, respirators and ICU beds, which is fine, but there has been zero effort to come up with a solution that prevents people from needing the hospitals. Do you feel that we should use unusual methods to cure and/or stop it rather than going according to the usual protocol because it’s essentially WWIII, as you described it? It may take six months to go through the usual protocol. Can you give me an estimate of how many dead people there will be by then? Many. I would estimate somewhere between one and two million. I think that speaks for itself. Furthermore, what I’m suggesting now may have been anecdotal two weeks ago, but it is now corroborated by dozens of physicians. I got a phone call two days ago from Dr. Robert Susskind, who is the founder of four medical schools

and the current dean of the University of California School of Medicine. He said that I can use his name and that he endorses my protocols; he applauds them and says that this is one of the answers, and that we need to attack this problem immediately. Explain your protocols. I prescribe two medications that are old along with one mineral. Azithromycin is one of the most prescribed antibiotics in the world. Hydroxychloroquine—or Plaquenil to use its brand name—is a drug that is over 60 years old. It has been used for the treatment and prevention of malaria, and it is currently used for rheumatological diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs are very familiar to most physicians, and then there’s the mineral zinc, which is just a mineral. All I’m suggesting is taking a combination of these three drugs and initiating treatment in the primary care setting—the doctor’s office—if the doctor even suspects that it’s the coronavirus, rather than waiting for confirmation through testing.

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You can do the testing, but it takes three days. Although, to be honest, Abbott came up with a test that can have results in ten minutes in the doctor’s office, and hopefully it will become commercially available soon. That will be a very good tool, but we don’t have that yet. So when do you start treating a patient with these three drugs? When a person comes in and I suspect that they have all the symptoms of the coronavirus and they had exposure, I’ll treat them depending on their risk factors. In other words, I don’t treat everyone, because the statistics show that anyone who is young and healthy—younger than 60 without medical problems—has over a 99% chance of getting better without any treatment. All they need is fluids, rest, Tylenol and follow-up. I’m selecting a specific patient group that’s considered highrisk, and I’ll explain why in a moment. How do you define high risk My definition of high-risk is anyone above the age of 60, anyone with chronic medical problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and so on, anyone who is immunocompromised, and anyone who comes into my office with shortness of breath. To explain what high-risk means in this context, depending on which

country you look at, this population has a 5-10% fatality rate. As of yesterday 911 patients were seen in my practice with either diagnosed or suspected COVID-19. Of those I cherry-picked 360 who I felt needed treatment. I initiated treatment early, and here are the statistics: I have zero dead, three patients who were intubated—one of whom is now off the respirator—six other patients admitted to the hospital with pneumonia to receive IV and antibiotics, and two of them are already home. Using the lower number of 5% we should have expected 17 dead and a multiple of that intubated or on a respirator. These results are phenomenal. How did you come up with this cocktail of treatments before you had the ability to actually research it? I was doing research, because we knew it was coming. It started in the Far East in January, and probably even before that. I was interested to see how other countries were dealing with it, and I saw a study from South Korea, where they used zinc and hydroxychloroquine, and then I saw a study from France, where they used hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin with reasonable results. Then I called Dr. Bushra Mina, who is the chief of the ICU in Lenox Hill Hospital, and I asked him how

I LOOK AT IT AS WWIII—IT’S THE VIRUS VS. HUMANITY— AND THIS IS BATTLEFIELD MEDICINE; IT’S NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL.

he was treating the intubated patients. He said that he started using the French approach with positive results. Once I knew it was being used in American hospitals I decided to look into it further to see how it works. And how does it work? It turns out that zinc stops the virus from replicating. A virus can’t reproduce on its own. It needs to get inside a cell, steal the cell’s resources, and in doing so it grows and kills the cell in the process. It’s a real parasite. There’s an enzyme involved in the replication process of the virus called RNA polymerase. Zinc throws a monkey wrench into the gears of the replication. Can Zinc accomplish that on its own? The problem is that zinc is a positively charged ion, and it has trouble crossing the cell membrane, because the cell membrane is a fat-like lipophilic. Hydroxychloroquine opens a canal that allows the zinc to enter the cell. When you put an infusion of a large concentration of zinc into the cell where the virus is, it disrupts the mechanism for growth. What do the antibiotics contribute? The antibiotics serves the purpose of preventing secondary bacterial infections, because when the lungs are damaged there are opportunistic secondary infections. The problem is that this virus damages the lungs and causes pneumonia and leads to an inflammato y reaction that causes acute respiratory distress syndrome, which has a 50% mortality rate. It becomes a race between the person’s immune system and the desire of the virus to kill the lungs. In young and healthy people their immune system is victorious in most cases before the virus kills the lungs. However, in the high-risk group for a large percentage of people the virus kills the lungs before the immune system can

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Feature: Dr. Zev Zelenko

It’s amazing to think that you found the cure. I don’t think I found a cure. I like to frame it another way: I was on the frontlines, and I saw a piece of very important intelligence that I felt needed to be communicated to the top general immediately, because I felt it could win the war. That’s the mashal.

kill the virus. The medication weakens the virus and gives the immune system time to clear the virus. What is the cost of this treatment? In total, $20. And it’s all oral. That’s important because it means you can easily scale it nationally and globally. The new treatments that are being developed will cost tens of thousands of dollars. They might work, but they’re administered by IV, and they’re prohibitively expensive. How many patients will we as a society be able to provide that for? This is an easy to deliver, cost-effective, easy to make, simple regimen, and that’s why people have such a hard time believing it. How could the answer be so simple?

And you did communicate it. I made a video to directly address the president of the United States, because I felt that it was on that level of importance. The next day I got a call from Mr. Mark Meadows, the president’s chief of staff. We spoke, and he was very interested and asked me to keep him updated, because at that time it was still a relatively small number of patients. Obviously it’s hard to make decisions based on a small number of patients. Now it’s not only my patients but many other doctors who are seeing the same results. I came up with a printed protocol and spammed every doctor I knew. A day later Sean Hannity called me for his radio show. He had read my protocol online and spoke to me about it. Later that evening he spoke to the vice president on TV about it. Two days later Mayor Giuliani called me, and I did a podcast with him for 40 minutes. Since then things have gone global. I’ve been consulted by several governments, notably Russia and Ukraine. I’ve spoken to Minister of Health Litzman in Israel. I know that it’s already being incorporated in Hadassah Hospital, and there’s a consortium of private hospitals in Israel that wants to talk to me. I had a conference call with 20,000 doctors across America to whom I presented the fin ings. There have also been a number of articles in some of the major newspapers in the country.

Do you think your message is being heard? That’s why I told you about all of these media outlets—I decided to go direct to consumer, because it’s going to take political will and leadership to make this a reality. I’m talking to heads of state and the ministries of health of various countries, and the truth is that where the United States goes the rest of the world will follow. The FDA approved the drug a few days ago, so we’re getting there, but there are still political obstacles and forces at play here that are preventing it from being used. Let me put it this way: This drug is life-saving, and this is a world war. Anyone who gets in the way of spreading this drug is committing crimes against humanity and should be taken to The Hague. Are we slowly but surely overcoming those political obstacles or are they still in place and we have to do something about them? Of course we have to do something about them. Let me start with New York. The governor of New York issued an executive order stopping pharmacies from dispensing this medication unless the patient has a positive test result. There are two problems with that: Number one, I ran out of tests. Number two, it takes three days to get the results, and within those three days is a crucial window and opportunity to treat people so they don’t end up in the hospital. Overnight my patients were not able to get these medications. Although Vice President Pence made the announcement that the drugs were approved and every American who needs them will get them, the pharmacies are more afraid of having their licenses revoked by the state, so they followed the directives of the state rather than the federal government. My patients had to scramble and go to other states to get medication. The reason for the governor’s order is a clinical study that’s being done, but it’s a misguided

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Feature: Dr. Zev Zelenko

Sean Hannity reading to Vice President Pence the letter that Dr. Zelenko addressed to Trump

study, because it’s being done in the hospitals with acutely ill patients. I’m trying to prevent them from being acutely ill. Your presence isn’t necessary, though. You don’t have to be the one to prescribe it. Any doctor around the world can do the same thing and prescribe these medications. Is that correct? I don’t know if I would say any doctor, because this is a big world and this has only evolved over the last two weeks. It takes time for information to be disseminated and for people to process it and then have the courage to try something new. You said that there are political obstacles, but are there any challenges from researchers or scientists to your findings

No. What they’re saying is that there’s not enough data and that there haven’t been enough studies. Someone said that my data hasn’t been verified, but I can tell you how to verify it: Call anyone in Kiryas Joel and ask how many people they know of who have passed away from the coronavirus in the village. Let me define what success means here: Number one, not to die. Number two, not to end up on a respirator. Number three, not to end up in a hospital. I had a patient call me to complain that the medicine didn’t work. I said, “I’m so glad you can still talk to me.” Time is very important here, because at every moment there’s a life at stake. What can we do to change things if the word is already out there? One problem, at least in the Jewish

I DON’T THINK I FOUND A CURE. I WAS ON THE FRONTLINES, AND I SAW A PIECE OF VERY IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE THAT I FELT NEEDED TO BE COMMUNICATED.

world, is that I’m being overwhelmed and bombarded by calls from people in New York and New Jersey—Lakewood, Monsey and the Five Boroughs—begging me to prescribe this medication. I’ve heard things like, “Please, you have to help me, my husband is dying.” “I don’t want my wife to die.” It is the responsibility of the community doctors to rise to the occasion and fulfill their obligations to mitigate death, pain and suffering. It’s a time not to think of themselves but to think of the patient and incorporate these approaches and treatments into their outpatient daily routine. It requires a change of habit and a bit of courage. That will make a big impact. What courage is needed here? Can they lose their license? No. It’s the fear of the unknown, and the fear of using a drug that may do something bad to the patient. I would like to point out that I haven’t seen any serious side effects, and in a time of war we do risk-benefit analyses. If I have a weapon that can save the lives of 10,000 people and, chas v’shalom, kill one in the process, it’s a no-brainer. But that’s why I don’t treat the young and healthy, because statistically they can get better without it, so why should I take the risk? But for the highrisk group, you better believe that I’m going to give it to them, because the risk of the virus is several orders of magnitude greater than the risk of the medication. Which country do you think will implement this the quickest? Ukraine. I’ve been consulted by the government, and we are kind of heading a task force to implement a nationwide prophylactic campaign with making things available. Ukraine has 40 million people, eight million of those people are vulnerable either due to age or illness, and they only have 1,000 respirators. That means that statistically you’re looking at a million dead—or a thousand people per respira-

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Feature: Dr. Zev Zelenko

crimes against humanity. Why are there such differences in the severity of the symptoms between people? Even in the high-risk group the vast majority are recovering. By the way, you realize that everyone has to get this virus, because they need the immunity to it. Hopefully there will be a vaccine soon enough so that people can get it that way. However, we don’t know when it will be available—probably another year or so— so in the interim this virus spreads four times faster than the flu.

tor. That means that anyone who ends up in respiratory distress is going to die. The only solution is to prevent them from getting into respiratory distress. This is still being worked out, but I told them that they have to organize the military and the police to be the mechanism of delivering the drugs to the people who need it prophylactically. And then if they do get sick they have to immediately start with the full dosing to mitigate the symptoms. I was also on the largest Russian television network yesterday, and I appealed directly to President Putin, saying, “You have 160 million people with 40 million at risk and only 10,000 respirators; you’re looking at potentially between two and four million dead, and you don’t have enough infrastructure. You need to mobilize your internal resources and military and use them as a vehicle to dispense lifesaving medication. Your doctors must initiate treatment immediately and not wait for someone to be critically ill.” And that’s my message to everyone I speak to. Do you think Israel is receptive? I spoke to the minister of health. He told me that he’s for it, but it’s been a hard nut to crack. Let’s put it this way: Every doctor in Israel is aware of the protocol

thanks to the efforts of askanim. I was on Channel 12 News in Israel yesterday, and the Jerusalem Post is coming out with an article today or tomorrow. Everyone in Israel is aware of the protocol; it just means that the logistics and implementation have to be taken care of. And by the way, Teva Pharmaceuticals, which makes this drug, is in Israel, so there’s plenty of supply. It has to be put in the hands of the primary care providers, and they need to administer it at the right time for the right patient. Do you think you need a partner like a PR company or something like that to really push this or do you feel that you’re able to do a good enough job on your own? It’s not on my own; I’m using the media as a vehicle, and I’ve been doing interviews with outlets from around the world. There are government looking into it, and I believe that very soon this will become part of the standard care in America. As I said, I was on a conference call with 20,000 American physicians, and they are going to start to implement this, after which the results will become obvious. Once that happens it will become a nobrainer; no politician will want to get in the way of this and be held responsible for

And it’s more lethal. It’s much more lethal, although interestingly it’s less lethal in children. The infl enza virus is more dangerous to children than the coronavirus, but the coronavirus is much more lethal to the immunocompromised, the weak and the elderly. I was surprised by how many young people have passed away. Of course every young person who passes away is tragic, but the numbers are still relatively low. You do hear about it and it becomes very public, but it’s the high-risk group that makes up the majority of the deaths. You’re originally from Ukraine? Yes. I was born in Kiev, and I came to Brooklyn when I was four years old in 1978. My family wasn’t frum; I became interested in Yiddishkeit in Buffalo, where I went to medical school, through Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, one of the local Chabad shluchim. I took a year off to learn in Eretz Yisrael, then I finished medical school and learned for another year in Crown Heights. I have eight children, baruch Hashem. My parents and my brother later became frum as well. Do you think the Ukrainians were influenced by your being a native of

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that country? The chief rabbi of Ukraine Rabbi Azman is a very close friend of mine, and he has a lot of powerful connections there; he helped me make inroads. It’s a very vulnerable country, because they don’t have the infrastructure or the resources. If we don’t have enough respirators in Manhattan… Think about it. New York City trained 70% of the country’s specialists, and it’s the most advanced medical center on the planet, yet they don’t have enough resources. It’s a kal vachomer that a country like Ukraine is going to be in dire straits. They’re desperate. I had a conference call with their top physicians who are going to man this response. They felt for the first time that there’s hope. That’s an important point here, because the whole world is living with anxiety and fear right now. They feel helpless. But I feel that this week marks a turning point where we as a world begin to fight back. Obviously there is a spiritual dimension to this. Describe the that dimension. Even though I’m not G-d’s accountant, you can see that this virus makes us cover our mouths. I would just make the suggestion that we should talk to each other in a nicer and softer way, and we should perform more acts of goodness and kindness to each other. We have to turn our trust

to Hashem, because He is the true Healer, and I think we’ll be just fine. I think we’ll come out of this as a better society and better world. It has made us reflect on what’s really important. The whole economy is shut down and everyone is home with their families. We have to remember to spend time with our loved ones and give them the emotional support they need without being distracted by the material world. This virus has made us understand what’s really valuable and priceless and what is really not so important. It’s certainly a kiddush Hashem that a religious Jewish doctor who is practicing in Kiryas Yoel would bring a cure to what’s afflicting all of mankind. I don’t know if you feel that way, but I certainly feel that way. As I said before, I’m not G-d’s accountant. Two years ago I was diagnosed with pulmonary artery sarcoma. This disease has only about ten cases worldwide every year, and it’s 100% fatal. It’s usually only found during an autopsy. I underwent open heart surgery, I lost a lung, and they had to reconstruct my pulmonary artery. I underwent terrible chemo treatment for nearly a year, and I didn’t work for over a year—that’s when I wrote two books. Even now I’m still on chemo. Baruch Hashem, I feel better and I can work, but I had a foot

MY FAMILY WASN’T FRUM; I BECAME INTERESTED IN YIDDISHKEIT IN BUFFALO THROUGH RABBI HESCHEL GREENBERG, ONE OF THE LOCAL CHABAD SHLUCHIM.

and a half in the grave. Two years later I’m at the tip of the spear against a global pandemic that’s threatening mankind. There is certainly a Divine wave at play here, and the details are slowly evolving. I wondered why G-d spared me, and maybe this is part of it. It has definitely made me not fear anything or anyone but G-d. That contributed a lot to the fact that I’m ready to fight the whole world and the politicians and academics. Everyone was against me, but I don’t care. I really don’t. When someone is as close to death as I was, you really understand what existence is, how precious time is, how precious life is. At this point I view life as the biggest gift from G-d, and my mission is to prolong life for as many people as possible. The negative people in this world mean absolutely nothing to me. How are you taking care of yourself so you don’t contract this, chas v’shalom? I’m sure you’re quarantined. Yes. My wife and my doctor don’t let me go anywhere near patients. I’m doing everything remotely. I took the same medication that I’m giving to others as a prophylactic. The truth is that everything is in G-d’s hands. I hope to hold on until a vaccine is developed, because it wouldn’t be good for someone in my condition to get this virus. I’m not afraid to die; I hope I’m around for my family, but I don’t worry about things I can’t control. I’m doing the best I can to not expose myself, but I have a very realistic understanding of my situation. I’m very sober about it. It’s important to stay positive. It’s obvious that this plague has come about during the time of yetzias Mitzrayim. In Mitzrayim only 20% of our people left while the rest stayed behind. My hope is that 100% of our people will get the message. Whatever the message is that G-d is trying to tell us, we should get it quickly, we should take an inner cheshbon hanefesh and do teshuvah if necessary. We should practice ahavas Yisrael and have faith that this is part of the redemptive process. l

14 NISAN 5780 // APRIL 8, 2020 / AMI MAGAZINE

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C OV E R F E AT U R E

A wideranging and thoughtprovoking conversation with the famed gaon and mekubal Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel BY RABBI YITZCHOK FRANKFURTER

14 NISAN 5780 // APRIL 8, 2020 / AMI MAGAZINE

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Cover Feature: Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel

My wife and children have stayed behind in a different part of Yerushalayim to participate in a Tu B’Shvat “Seder” as I hail a taxi late one rainy evening to Kikar Shabbos. I am off to meet with a renowned Kabbalist in his yeshivah, Ahavas Shalom, which is located in a cluster of buildings right next to the headquarters of the Eidah Hachareidis. I am very familiar with the neighborhood, having eaten almost every Friday night seudah in the home of Rav Yissachar Dov Goldstein, zt”l, on Rechov Rav Nachman M’Breslov when I was learning in the yeshivah of Rav Dovid Soloveitchik. Today, that same house is being used by one of Ahavas Shalom’s kollelim. The central building in this complex, which includes a large beis midrash, is imposing and impressive. I meet with the esteemed head and founder of Ahavas Shalom, Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel, in a study room that is used for the teaching of Kabbalah on the second floo . Born in Mumbai, India, to Moshe Hillel (the grandson of Rav Avraham Hillel, who served as a rav in Iraq), Rav Yaakov Hillel learned in the Gateshead Yeshiva in England. He subsequently emigrated to Eretz Yisrael and learned in the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak under Rav Shach. He later married the daughter of Rav Yitzhak Ohana, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Shmona. A prolific author of sefarim based on Kabbalah, many of the titles of his works contain the word “Hayam,” an acronym standing for Hillel Yaakov Moshe. He also founded a girls’ seminary, Bnos Elisheva, in 2002, and heads a network of yeshivos and kiruv institutions. Among his foremost talmidim are Rav Daniel Frisch and Rav Shimshon Pincus. Rav Hillel has an imposing, regal bearing, but after some initial hesitation he opens up to me. I offer to speak in Hebrew, but he tells me that he is equally comfortable conversing in English.

Yeshivah Shel Maalah “It is a big kavod to come to this holy place,” I tell him after being seated, “and especially to be in the room where the Rav gives shiurim on Kabbalah. Yerushalayim once had famous yeshivos that were centered around Kabbalah. But it seems that in Ahavas Shalom the focus is on nigleh, while nistar seems to be mei’achorei hapargod.” “I wouldn’t put it like that,” he corrects me gently. “Ahavat Shalom started off 45 years ago as a shiur I used to say in Kabbalah and then took off. From there we established kollelim, worked with baalei teshuvah and opened a Bais Yaakov. But the kernel of everything was my shiurim in nistar. It’s not at all secondary, although some may think so because I don’t want to make it an issue, and I certainly don’t want it to be tainted by show business. The derech we have from our rebbes is not to publicize Kabbalah, and certainly not to make it into a source of income. “We have nearly 5,000 avreichim in our network—approximately 1,600 in the full-day kollelim and 3,200 in the evening kollelim. Everything they learn is nigleh.

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Wherever I go to raise money—I have a budget of $4 million a month—I don’t even mention this room where we learn Kabbalah. The shiurim here are considered a yeshivah shel maalah for chashuve rabbanim and gedolei Yisrael, which means that attendance is very limited. “Even though my budget is probably equivalent to that of some of the biggest yeshivos in the world I raise every penny on my own, and I never have a fundraising dinner. I believe that publicity is harmful, and I am somewhat worried about this interview as well. “When a gvir wants to make a hachnasas sefer Torah, he comes to me and I write a letter, and they bring photographers to take pictures. I give the photographers mussar. I say, ‘Eighty years ago the gedolim were made by other gedolim. For example, Rav Chaim Ozer said about the Chazon Ish, “Ari alah miBavel.” Today, the photographers make the gedolim.’” “I guess that by teaching avreichim, the Rav is making gedolim. Do they learn Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos?” I ask. “Yes, or poskim, depending on their age. The younger avreichim learn more yeshivish, and when they’re 28 or 29 they start to include more halachah, but it’s from the sugyos of the Gemara. We made a siyum for 3,000 avreichim and had all of the gedolei Yisrael in attendance. Rav Chaim Kanievsky was there for two hours. Then there were Rav Wosner, Rav Shternbuch, the Chevron rosh yeshivah, the Mirrer roshei yeshivah, Rav Baadani, the Sadigura Rebbe, Rav Shalom Cohen and Rav Ezrachi. Even Rav Dov Landau—who doesn’t go anywhere— participated.” “So the people who learn Kabbalah with you are already well-versed in Shas and poskim?” I solicit. “Yes. Those who learn in the Kabbalah shiur are all big talmi-

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Cover Feature: Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel

dei chachamim. We have a beis horaah here that functions 24 hours a day. All of these buildings are kollelim. I don’t publicize anything having to do with Kabbalah.” “I was a frequent ben bayis in the home of Rav Yissachar Dov Goldstein, which presently houses one of the Rav’s kollelim.” “I knew him well,” he shares. “It is our custom to say Selichos throughout the month of Elul at 4:00 in the morning. Rav Goldstein’s wife took me to her husband for a din Torah, asking him to forbid us from davening here because it made too much noise. He told his wife that if they were going to start assering people from davening in Eretz Yisrael, the non-Jews would do the same thing all over the world, and the Yidden wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.” “Outside this room everything is nigleh, but is there a shiluv of nigleh and nistar in here?” “I say about three vaadim a day to different kevutzos in our various kollelim,” he responds. “In this complex of six or seven buildings we have at least ten kollelim, and there’s another complex further up by Bnei Brit. Then I learn and give shiurim in Nefesh Hachaim, Ruach Chaim, Derech Hashem and Rav Chaim Vital’s sefer Shaarei Kedushah.” “These represent the yesodos of Kabbalah that the Rav believes everyone should be familiar with?” “Yes. Everyone needs to know those sefarim because of the ikrei ha’emunah that are explained in them, and also to be uplifted spiritually. A Yid has to know that he isn’t just a chunk of meat with some sort of spirituality. The neshamah of a Jew comes from the very breath of Hashem— ‘Vayipach b’apav nishmas chaim.’ Hashem’s breath is the most powerful force in the world. This is why a Jew is able to keep creation in existence. He affects the world spiritually, and he is meant to be a spiritual being. When he understands what he is, he has the power to separate himself

from all the shmutz of the world. “Lichoira even avreichim who are talmidei chachamim and muflagi need guidance in understanding these sefarim, so I explain them. We have a big kollel with 200 avreichim in Kiryas Sefer, and I go there every Friday to give a half-hour shiur. Over the last 20 years we’ve finished Nefesh Hachaim, and we just started Ruach Chaim.” “Is the Rav’s message to everyone to at least obtain the yesodos of Yiddishkeit from Kabbalah?” “Yes. I’ve written a lot on that subject. It says that before the coming of Moshiach the knowledge of Kabbalah will be more commonplace. B’pashtus it isn’t like that, because we don’t see all of the gedolei Yisrael learning Kabbalah, and those who are

learning it maybe shouldn’t be. So I asked a question: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said that through learning the Zohar, am Yisrael will be zocheh to the geulah b’rachamim. So why isn’t everyone doing it? The answer is that today, Kabbalah is everywhere. It’s the icing on the cake in every area of Torah and avodah. For example, by the Sefardim, it’s nogei’a l’halachah, because everything they do is according to Kabbalah. By the chasidim, all of the havanah of avodas Hashem is based on Kabbalah. By the Litvish, anyone who knows Kabbalah sees it hidden in the mussar sefarim, because their authors were all mekubalim. So Kabbalah has now become the basis of halachah, chasidus and mussar, thereby encompassing all areas of Yiddishkeit. In my

KABBALAH IS EVERYWHERE. IT’S THE ICING ON THE CAKE IN EVERY AREA OF TORAH AND AVODAH.

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opinion, that is the meaning of the Zohar’s words: Kabbalah is being disseminated in this diluted form without everyone actually learning the Kisvei Ha’Ari. I explained this concept in my first sefer, Ahavas Shalom.” “This is of the Rav’s chiddushim?” “Yes, in nigleh and in nistar. There are three volumes of my teshuvos and I’m about to publish the fourth, which takes up a lot of my time. The yeshivah runs a machon that has printed close to 100 sefarim of gedolei Yisrael, Rishonim and Acharonim in all areas: pshat, remez, drush and sod.” “The Munkatcher Rebbe shared with me,” I say, “that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was very much meshabei’ach the teshuvos of the Minchas Elazar because they combine nigleh and nistar. Is that something the Rav strives for?” “Very much so,” is his candid response. “That’s really my main intention. My method is to tackle sh’eilos for which we wouldn’t be able to find answers without nistar, although every teshuvah obviously begins with the sugya in the Gemara and Rishonim, etc., after which it goes into the shitos of the mekubalim.” “What happens when there are stiros between nigleh and nistar?” “We hold like the Gra: Those who say that there are stiros aren’t understanding it correctly. If they did, they would see that there aren’t any.” “Is the Rav saying that there’s always a shiluv and a way out of these contradictions?” “Seeming contradictions,” he corrects me. “But halachah l’maaseh, there are different hanhagos. The Sefardim of 450 years ago accepted upon themselves to do everything according to the Kabbalah of the Ari, and all of the gedolei haposkim like the Chida and the Ben Ish Chai quote the Ari. For us, it’s halachah l’maaseh. The poskim made it part of halachah, and that is our Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. The chasidim followed the

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Kabbalah of the Ari, more or less, but they made many compromises. Even Nusach Sefard is really based on Nusach Ashkenaz, and wherever the Ari had kavanos that meant they had to change a word or a letter, they did it to accommodate the nusach of the Ari in Nusach Ashkenaz. But it’s a created nusach. It’s not from the makor like Nusach Ashkenaz, which was established by the early Rishonim based on an ancient tradition from Chazal.” “And the Beis Yosef?” “The Beis Yosef quotes the Zohar 800 times. For example, Hilchos Netilas Yadayim has 23 se’ifi , and for 11 of them the only makor is in the Zohar.” “It that because it’s the only possible source?” “He quotes it in the Beis Yosef. The Magein Avraham, the great Askenazi poseik, didn’t miss one instance where he could say, ‘It says in the Kisvei Ha’Ari’ or the Pri Eitz Chaim or the Siddur Ha’Ari. He quotes every single minhag of the Ari. Whether everyone follows it or not is something else, but he quotes it. Once the Magein Avraham mentions it, the Mishnah Berurah also mentions it. But then it depends on the minhagim. The Gra gave more time to learning and writing Kabbalah than he did to nigleh. On the other hand, he wasn’t of the opinion that halachah l’maaseh should be according to Kabbalah. I discuss this in my sefarim.” “Does the Rav give a different psak to Ashkenazim and Sefardim?” “Of course, because Sefardim go according to the Mechaber, while Ashkenazim go according to the Rama. But it also depends, because some of the Sefardi communities didn’t accept to do everything according to Kabbalah, whereas others, like the Baghdadi, Tunisian and Syrian communities, do. For those who aren’t so connected to Kabbalah, you have to know how to pasken the halachah according to their minhagim.”

Allegories and Hidden Meanings “Is there one sefer written by the Rav that would be considered the alef-beis of the yesodos?” I ask next. “Yes. I wrote a sefer that has two sections: Pesach Shaar Hashamayim and Binyan Ariel. Pesach Shaar Hashamayim discusses who can learn Kabbalah, how to start learning it and all of the preconditions. Kabbalah is very serious; you can’t just jump into it because you like esoteric subjects. The second section is sort of like a kitzur of the Eitz Chaim of the Ari. Someone told me that he heard I’d written a kitzur of the Eitz Chaim, but I explained that it was more like a Rambam on the Eitz Chaim. You can’t say that the Rambam is a kitzur of Shas, because he doesn’t ask questions or leave anything with a tzarich iyun. He wrote everything with havanah, but according to his understanding. So it’s not a kitzur of Shas. By the way, no other sefer in the history of the Jewish people has merited so many peirushim as the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, because it includes everything and gave room for others to explain

his words. “While there has never been another Rambam, my sefer follows his method in that it doesn’t have questions, answers or proofs. It just tells you the whole story, written according to the havanah of the gedolei hamefarshim and my havanah of their words. My sefer Ahavas Shalom contains my hashkafah about learning Kabbalah, including the topic of mashal and nimshal.” “Among mekubalim,” I posit, “there were literalists and those who understood Kabbalah more allegorically.” “Yes, there are allegories, but you can’t have a nimshal without a mashal. The Arizal didn’t create the mashal. By that I mean that it’s not as if he got the nimshal through nevuah and then created a mashal to be able to transmit it. Chas v’shalom! Rather, he received the nimshal prophetically, and it was already melubash in the mashal. This means that if you don’t understand the mashal you can’t understand the nimshal, because if there were another way to reveal this nimshal other than through this mashal it would have been used. The mashal is the hisgashmus of the spiritual concept transmitted by the mashal, sort of like a haarah coming from Above.”

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“So you need both?” “Yes, and you get to the nimshal through the mashal.” “And even after we understand the nimshal, we can’t dispose of the mashal.” “Say it the other way,” is his rejoinder. “You can never get to the nimshal without understanding the mashal perfectly. You have to understand the pshat as it’s written, after which you can then build the nimshal.” “But even when we understand the nimshal we still need the mashal?” “We do. As long as we are in a physical world, it is impossible to understand ruchniyus by itself. The more we sanctify our bodies through Torah and mitzvos, the more refined our thinking process becomes and the less dependent our understanding is on the mashal. However, discarding the mashal completely is only possible when we will discard our bodies and ascend to the worlds of spirituality.” “And that’s the avodah of the lomdus of Kabbalah?” “That’s the main avodah, because there’s a big issur of hagshamah in Kabbalah. If a person takes things in the literal sense, it’s mamash avodah zarah.” “Does the Rav always emphasize that in his shiurim?” “It’s automatic. First we learn the mashal b’iyun, and the nimshal is something that Hashem gives you in your mind and heart as a gift, but you can’t pass it on to others. Each person will comprehend spirituality according to his own level.” “Does the Rav know who among his talmidim understands the nimshal and who doesn’t?” “Maybe. When I ask a question, I can see whether he’s on the right path. It all depends on the level of his purity.” “Are there any techniques to be able to lead someone to the nimshal?” “Rav Chaim Vital set conditions for those who want to study Kabbalah. Rav Eliyahu Mani, in his sefer Kisei Eliyahu, explains

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that the purpose of those hanhagos is to enable the person to reach the necessary level of hafshatah in order to comprehend the spiritual concepts of the nimshal. The nimshal depends on the person’s hisbatlus with regard to his maasim and middos. Then, once he is learning correctly, Hashem will enlighten his eyes to understand things more b’hafshatah than hagshamah.” “I’m sure that it also comes through the koach of a rav who can guide his talmidim to the nimshal in the proper way. I’m assuming that is also the task of the Rav in his shiurim.” “I am very particular to screen the talmidim based on their hashkafos, not just their level of learning. When people like that learn, we are confident that Hashem will enable them to understand the deeper meaning.”

Early Stirrings and Olden Times “The Rav was yoneik from the yeshivishe velt, as well as from the Sefardishe velt. I guess the nigleh aspect was influenced by the renowned Litvishe roshei yeshivah.” “I learned in Gateshead as well as in Ponovezh. In Ponovezh I learned by Rav Shach for two and a half years, but we remained connected for many years after that. A profound and exact understanding of nigleh always remains the necessary basis for growth in all areas of Torah. Mussar and tikkun hamiddos, as taught in the yeshivos, is also compulsory.” “When the Rav learned in Gateshead, was there already a shiluv between nigleh and nistar, or did that happen later?” “When I was in Gateshead I was a regular yeshivah bachur. The closest I came to nistar was studying the Ben Ish Chai. Kabbalah came later, when I was an avreich.” “I saw a work of art at an auction that was made by the Rav.” “Oh! Now that’s the million dollar ques-

tion! When I was a teenager I was very good at it. I had to make a decision between becoming a famous artist or devoting my life to Torah. The Torah won, and so did I. I attribute it to zechus avos. My great-grandfather was the chief rabbi and av beis din in Bavel during the times of the Ben Ish Chai. He was a gadol hador, and his zechusim helped me make the right decision.” “So the Rav never developed it further?” “It’s still part of me; it’s not something that can be excised. But when I was in yeshivah, my mashgiach told me that I was going to paint pictures in Tosafos with my havanah. For all 19 weddings I made, I painted a kesubah for each of my children.” “Can we say that the Rav is a visual thinker?” “Yes.” “Who was the Rav’s primary rebbe in Kabbalah?” “There was a chashuve Sefardishe rav with whom I learned. He was a zakein, not necessarily a gadol, but he had ameilus to understand Kabbalah. I learned with him for a while, and then I started my own yeshivah. I learned mainly through chavrusos and shiurim as well as sefarim. Forty-five years ago there were maybe six of what you might call mefarshim on sifrei Kabbalah. To date, we have published 60 or 70 mefarshim on Kisvei Ha’Ari and the Rashash.” “Did Rav Shach support the Rav’s derech?” “Rav Shimson Pincus was my talmid for

30 years. He had a chazakah to make my cup of tea every afternoon, and no one dared touch it. It was his mitzvah, so to speak. At some point he opened a Kabbalah kollel with Rav Yisrael Elya Weintraub in Bnei Brak. Rav Shach called him and said, ‘You’d better close it. If you don’t, I’ll close it.’ Rav Shimson asked him, ‘In that case, why didn’t you tell Rav Yaakov Hillel to also close his kollel?’ He immediately answered, ‘The Sefardim have a mesorah for a Kabbalah yeshivah, but for us Ashkenazim, Kabbalah doesn’t go with a kollel.’” “But there were yeshivos for both Ashkenazim and Sefardim in Yerushalayim in which the talmidim learned Kabbalah.” “Yes, there were a few like that, such as Beis Keil—founded by the Rashash in the Old City—and Rav Shaul Dweck’s yeshivah, Rechovos Hanahar, in the Bucharim neighborhood. And Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach’s father, Rav Chaim Yehudah Leib, started Shaar Hashamayim for Ashkenazim. But the talmidim in those yeshivos had first learned in other yeshivos where they became big talmidei chachamim in nigleh. It wasn’t like today, when the attraction is for baalei teshuvah and balebatim and anyone can come—I don’t mean here, but elsewhere. “Bachurim and avreichim often come to me and say, ‘Rebbe, I think I came into this world to learn Kabbalah.’ When I ask them why, they say, ‘Because when I read it, it’s very easy and it makes sense. When I learn Gemara, it’s very difficult to comprehend.’ I tell them, ‘You came into

WHILE THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANOTHER RAMBAM, MY SEFER FOLLOWS HIS METHOD IN THAT IT DOESN’T HAVE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS OR PROOFS.

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the world to learn whatever is difficult for you. If you think that Kabbalah is easy, that means that you should be learning Gemara.’ People are always looking for an easy way out. But the truth is that they understand nothing, and it’s also very dangerous because they have misconceptions in emunah because they’re learning it all wrong.” “The Rav said in the name of Rav Shach that Sefardim are allowed to have a kollel for Kabbalah, but there are many Ashkenazim learning here in Ahavas Shalom as well.” “Of course. The majority are Ashkenazim. Even my Kabbalah shiurim are attended by a majority of Ashkenazim.” “Some chasidishe rebbes went to the Sefardishe gedolim to acquire an understanding of Kabbalah. The Minchas Elazar, for

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example.” “Yes. He sought a connection with Rav Shaul Dweck and came to Eretz Yisrael to see Rav Alfandari, even though he wasn’t known as a mekubal. He might have learned on his own, but I have all his kesavim and he never wrote anything on the subject.” “In Rav Shlomo Zalman’s father’s yeshivah Shaar Hashamayim, do they learn according to the shitah of Rav Elyashiv’s grandfather, the Baal Haleshem?” “Not really. They learn like the Sefardim: kavanos, Rashash, etc.. not necessarily the Leshem, although there might be some who do. When it comes to learning Torah, the truth is what counts, and it doesn’t matter where it comes from.” “Is the Leshem according to the Kabbalah of the Gra?”

“The Leshem is based on the Arizal, but it occasionally mentions the Gra. In any case, I understand things a bit differently. I don’t hold that there are many different kabbalos, because there is only source. Just as you can learn Shas and write chiddushim or you can turn to halachah and be mevareir sugyos according to halachah, or you can learn the Aggados of Shas and explain them, it’s still one Shas. The same applies to Kabbalah. There is only one approach, which is the Ari. The Ramchal learned the Ari, the Gra learned the Ari and the chasidim learned the Ari. They may have different ways to explain it, but it’s all based word for word on the Arizal. The Arizal invented a new language in Kabbalah, and all those who came after him use it. Beyond that, each of the gedolim developed his own specific a ea in Kabbalah.”

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Kabbalah and Avodas Hashem

“Let’s move on to a touchier subject,” I say. “While Kabbalah was considered by many the high point of their avodah, for some people it’s become an easy way out of the challenges Hashem throws their way. They go to mekubalim, get a brachah and resolve their problems. To me, it seems like misuse to utilize Kabbalah as an escape rather than an avodah. I would like to hear the Rav’s perspective.” “I’m sure that if the mekubalim are true gedolim,” he replies, “they link their advice to avodas Hashem, because Chazal say that anyone who sees that he has problems should assess his actions. They didn’t say to go to a mekubal to get a red string or let him remove an ayin hara. That’s not the shitah of anyone who is legitimate. If you go to a real gadol, he’s going to tell you that you have to improve.” “The Rambam,” I point out, “has some strong words in Hilchos Taanis about a person who says that what happened to him is happenstance. And in Shemonah Perakim, he says that every Yid has to have a doctor for his nefesh, but not to alleviate one’s worries.” “Yes. The problem is that the concept of a mekubal is greatly abused. People think that a mekubal is someone you go to when you have a problem, and he tells you what it is and what to rectify. Maybe he’s also a bit of a navi who will tell you the future. But none of these things have anything thing to do with Kabbalah. The Chazon Ish or Rav Chaim Kanievsky can be great in nigleh and say things that are impossible to understand unless they were given great siyata dishmaya, to the point that you can call it ruach hakodesh. So it’s not that mekubalim have ruach hakodesh. Also, you have to know with whom you are dealing. Not all of them are legitimate. “One of the rabbanim explained this with a mashal: a talmid chacham is a headache,

and a mekubal is a stomachache. Meaning, if a kid doesn’t want to go to school, he tells his mother, ‘Ima, I have a headache.’ She uses a thermometer to see if he has a fever, determines that he doesn’t and sends him off to school. The next day the kid plays a better trick. He says, ‘Ima, I have a stomachache.’ This time she tells him to stay home, because there are some things you can’t prove. If a person says that he’s a talmid chacham, you can ask him to say a shiur. Right away you’ll know if he’s telling the truth. But if he says that he’s a mekubal, it’s a stomachache—you can’t prove anything. Some people have told me, ‘They say that you’re a mekubal, but you can’t be one.’ ‘Why not? ’ I’ll ask. ‘Because you’re normal.’ People want to see all the phony stuff. Only then do they think that someone is a mekubal.” “Kabbalah has a component of knowledge, and it also has a mystical component. Is it necessary for the study of Kabbalah to lead to that avodah?” “First of all, learning the Kisvei Ha’Ari or even the Zohar is like learning Shas and poskim. It has all the lomdus, kushyos, tirutzim and mefarshim. The subject might be

abstract, but the same method we use for nigleh is applied to learning nistar.” “Does one have to be a lamdan to comprehend it?” “You have to be an even bigger lamdan. Nigleh involves concepts with which you’re familiar: shor, bor, maveh. With nistar, there’s a mashal and a nimshal; you’re talking about one thing, but it means something else. “Rav Chaim Vital compiled a whole list of conditions both in sur meira and asei tov. Once you’re a ben aliyah and you’ve been learning for many years, then maybe you can daven with the kavanos of the Ari or the Rashash. But these kavanos don’t mean that you’re undergoing hispashtus hagashmiyus. By this I mean that there’s no guarantee. It can be a purely mechanical process of looking at the holy names and knowing what they mean. But a person can be a gadol b’nigleh, a tzaddik and an oveid Hashem, and through his avodah reach hispashtus hagashmiyus, without Kabbalah as well.” “But the ultimate goal is hispashtus hagashmiyus?” I ask. “The Shulchan Aruch [Orach Chaim 98:1]

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says that the chasidim harishonim would work on themselves until they reached hispashtus hagashmiyus before they started to daven. That didn’t mean that they had to learn Kabbalah. We’ve seen gedolim in nigleh who were on a very high spiritual level close to ruach hakodesh, and we’ve also seen ‘mekubalim’ who are ignoramuses and even evil and immoral people.” “But is that the ultimate goal of Kabbalah?” “Yes, but there are very few individuals who will make it. Maybe some gedolei Yisrael.” “The Rav is saying that the ultimate level of hispashtus hagashmiyus can be achieved through nigleh and through nistar, and there is no guarantee that a mekubal will be able to reach that peak. But is it easier for someone who has yedios in Kabbalah to reach that level”? “If he’s a real mekubal it will make it easier, but if he’s a fake, he’s in it for the money or worse, and he’s telling people all sorts of things that he isn’t capable of knowing. Around 35 years ago I wrote a sefer called Tamim Tihyeh. In English it’s called Faith and Folly. I came out very strongly against all the phony mekubalim and their practices. Some are totally forbidden by halachah, and others are just nonsense. I went through the whole sugya in Yoreh Dei’ah that talks about it.” “There’s a machlokes between the Rambam and the Ramban about whether it’s sheker or just assur.” “The mekubalim hold that it’s emes, but if it’s coming from the occult—the sitra achara—it’s forbidden. A gadol b’Yisrael can make mofsim, not necessarily with sheimos hakodesh but simply because he’s a gadol.” “So practical Kabbalah isn’t something that the Rav endorses at all.” “It’s forbidden,” he answers firml . “I’m not saying it, it’s the Arizal who said that it’s both forbidden and dangerous. He writes that anyone who is involved in practical

Kabbalah will die, his children will die, he will convert or his children will convert.” “The Rav is certainly familiar with the phenomenon of non-frum Jews studying what they think is Kabbalah. What is the Rav’s message to those who are attracted to that?” “It’s very hard to even talk about it because many of them are brainwashed. Most of them these days aren’t even Jewish. Around 25 years ago the Badatz of the Eidah Hachareidis asked me for my opinion about the Zohar that was published by the Kabbalah Centre and whether or not you’re allowed to keep it in your house. My psak was that you have to tear it into pieces and put it in a genizah, which appeared as a lengthy teshuvah in my sefer Vayashav Hayam. But the Jews who are associated with these places are mostly tinokos shenishbu. They’re totally innocent and they’re just looking for ruchniyus. We see the same thing here in Eretz Hakodesh. Why are hundreds of thousands of Jewish kids roaming around in the Far East? When the tsunami hit they publicized the numbers. What are they doing there? Emunah and Torah were uprooted from them, so now they’re looking for it there. They want the pop ruchinyus, the show business spirituality of the gurus and the occult.” “Maybe they’re also looking for hispashtus hagashmiyus,” I suggest. “Yes, but in a dimyon from the sitra achara. They come back and think that there might be something similar in Yiddishkeit, and they’re told to go to a yeshivah. So they sit in front of a Gemara and they hear that Rabbah says like this and Rav Ashi says like that. A kushya, a tirutz, Rishonim and Acharonim. But where are all the spooky things they saw in the Far East by the gurus? They don’t see them, so they aren’t attracted. It’s a problem.” “Is there any value to the knowledge of Kabbalah without the element of hispashtus hagashmiyus?”

“Of course. The human mind strives to understand as much as it can about the Creator of the universe and the reason for creation. That’s very down-to-earth. For the earlier Rishonim, the only way to have some concept about the Borei was through philosophy, so they studied philosophy. But the Gra writes very clearly that once Kabbalah was revealed it was forbidden to study philosophy, so Kabbalah is taking its place by teaching us what we believe in. You can’t say anything that isn’t oisgehalten according to Kabbalah, even if you have to say it in a way of nigleh. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be Toras emes.” “Does it contain anything for the average person, or is it only for the bnei aliyah?” “There’s something for everyone, and the gedolim, each in his own way, gave people access to it. For example, the Ramchal’s early sefarim were written in the Kabbalah shprach, meaning that they were very abstract. But then he kept developing his shitah. A sefer like Derech Hashem, and even more so Daas Tevunos, are Kabbalah sefarim whose every word is based on the Kabbalah of the Ari. I can write mekoros on every section to show exactly where they come from. But he was mafshit the ruchni, and instead of speaking in Kabbalah shprach, he wrote his sefarim in the language of philosophy. So you get the necessary concepts of emunah in Derech Hashem and move closer to Kabbalah in Daas Tevunos, yet any ben Torah who is a meivin can learn these sefarim. I always ask, what happened to Rav Chaim Volozhiner? He was the av of the yeshivos of Lithuania and founded the Volozhiner Yeshivah, yet he wrote a sefer like Nefesh Hachaim, which has a lot of Kabbalah in it. What was he trying to do? Some claim he wrote it so that people shouldn’t think that only the chasidim knew Kabbalah.” “Or that it was a rebuttal to the Tanya,” I proffer. “Some people say that,” he concedes, “but it’s incorrect. In my humble opinion,

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the mehalech of the Nefesh Hachaim was that he saw the nisyonos of the coming generations. I see him as the navi of the doros until Moshiach comes. He understood that you have to give people an appreciation of ruchinyus: Adam nivra b’tzelem Elokim; nishmas Yisrael hi cheilek Elokah mimaal, a Divine soul; a Jew is a sulam mutzav artzah v’rosho magia hashamaymah; the concept that every action, word and thought has a hashpaah on the higher worlds and by doing so you are mesakein olam b’malchus Shakai. People need to understand that Torah and mitzvos are not just something you have to do, and if you obey you’ll be rewarded. It goes way beyond that. We’re bringing the whole of Hashem’s creation to perfection by working on ourselves and our neshamos. “Very often people ask me to speak out against the problem of technology. When they introduce me, they say, ‘Rabbi Hillel is now going to explain to us how evil and terrible these things are.’ I get up and say, ‘Look, if anyone in this audience has a connection to these things, that’s what he wants. Why is he there? Because he wants it. So the question isn’t how bad it is, because he knows that better than we do. We don’t even know what these things are!’ “What’s the solution? The first thing is to give people a geshmak in learning. If they don’t have a geshmak, they’re going to look elsewhere. A geshmak means learning b’iyun and seeing the beauty and depth of Torah. Second, in our generation we need to study sefarim like Derech Hashem and Nefesh Hachaim so people will be uplifted and understand their true nature. I’m not talking about works like Madreigas Haadam of Novardok; that’s different. I’m referring to mechabrim who wrote Kabbalah sefarim on a level that most people can comprehend. As I mentioned, man is a sulam mutzav artzah. His feet are physically on the ground, but his neshamah soars upward and is connected to all of the higher worlds. I believe that that was

WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER I WAS VERY GOOD AT ART. I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION BETWEEN BECOMING A FAMOUS ARTIST OR DEVOTING MY LIFE TO TORAH. the objective of the Nefesh Hachaim. He saw the beginning of the Haskalah and the great danger it posed to klal Yisrael, and he knew that ruchniyus is the solution.” “Would the Rav include the chasidishe sefarim in this effort?” “Yes. The chasidim learn chasidus, the Litvishe learn Nefesh Hachaim, and the Sefardim can learn a bit of both. Rav Eliyahu Mani, who was the rav of Chevron 120 years ago, wrote a mussar-halachah sefer in his youth. The mussar section is a collection of quotes from the Baal Hatanya and Nefesh Hachaim. He saw no contradiction between them. Rav Mani was a gaon in both nigleh and Kabbalah. The Ben Ish Chai considered him his rebbe.”

Outreach “Can the Rav tell me something about the huge kiruv movement he heads in Israel called Shalom La’am?” I solicit next. “We have 200 centers all over the country, and each one has two shtarke yungeleit who work with Israeli kids. We also have a big center in Tel Aviv for people who call themselves ‘Anglo-Saxon singles.’ There are thousands of academic people working in hi-tech firms in their mid-30s and 40s who have no families, and they feel completely hopeless. We make dinners and lunches for them on Shabbos and also hold very interesting events. “Right now we’re working with 6,000 Israeli kids, and we are seeing a tremendous improvement, but don’t forget that children in Israel are indoctrinated to be atheists. They are taught that there is no Hashem and no Torah. When they see a

rabbi, it’s like waving a red cape in front of a bull. But 15% of these kids end up in yeshivos, another 15% will be shomrei Torah and mitzvos, and another 15% at least won’t marry out. Then there’s another 15% who tell us that we ruined their lives because they used to enjoy doing aveiros, but now they’re ashamed of themselves and can’t enjoy them anymore.” “In what way is the Rav’s method of kiruv unique?” “A daf Gemara,” is his swift response. “The whole concept of kiruv in Israel is different from anywhere else. If someone is attracted to Yiddishkeit in America, he has to first learn how to read. Then he has to understand, which takes even longer. So a lot of time goes by until he can really start learning. Israeli kids, by contrast, can jump right into a sugya and see the beauty of Torah and love it. You don’t need philosophy, Kabbalah or anything else. We have baalei teshuvah who a few years ago were eating treif on Yom Kippur and today they’re in kollel. In fact, when we celebrate a siyum they sometimes say the siyum. When you hear their lomdishe shprach you would think that they’re the sons and grandsons of roshei kollel and roshei yeshivah. The point is that kiruv in Israel is different because you don’t need all the preparation. But to make an issue of believing in G-d or not isn’t worthwhile. If they start learning Gemara, they see G-d and that’s it. There’s no question and no need for an answer.” “Is it in the heart rather than the mind?” “No. It’s in the mind, but they see the beauty of Torah and it awakens the heart.” “So your yeshivah is different from a place like Aish?”

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“Yes, and even from Ohr Somayach, because they’re both geared towards Americans. They do have some programs for Israelis, but they’re not their main concern. We deal mainly with Israelis, except for some groups in Tel Aviv, Raanana and Herzliya.” “I understood from a conversation I had with the Belzer Rebbe a few years ago that most of the kiruv in Eretz Yisrael is for Sefardim.” “There’s a big difference between Ashkenazim and Sefardim, because the Sefardim don’t need something like Arachim. They don’t require someone to come and philosophize: yes G-d, no G-d. If you ask a Sefardi if he believes in G-d and Torah he’ll say yes, even though he might not keep anything because he wants to have a good time. That makes it much easier to work with them, and when they see the beauty of Torah they progress. This applies to some Israeli Ashkenazim as well. But ev-

erything we do is for both Ashkenazim and Sefardim. All of our kollelim are mixed. Our seminary, Bnos Elisheva, is one of the finest in Israel and has 1,800 students. We just put up a building in Ramot that’s the largest school building in Israel at 12,000 square meters. Now we can accommodate up to 2,500 girls.” “What’s the story behind that?” “Around 16 years ago Rav Elyashiv told me, ‘Reb Yaakov, start a Bais Yaakov.’ I said, ‘Rebbe, I’m in the kollel business. What do you mean by a Bais Yaakov?’ ‘Take my two granddaughters and make a school,’ he replied. ‘I’m with you. We have to have one. There are hundreds of girls sitting at home and crying that they don’t want to go to the next-best school, they want to go to the best. You have to make it the best.’ We’re all about quality. When you’re dealing with quality, it doesn’t matter what country your grandparents came from.

“By the way, the municipality gave us the Schneller Building, which was built by missionaries 150 years ago with 50 halls—not rooms but halls—to house a project called Kehilas Yisrael. It’s sort of a living museum about all of the different Jewish communities: their history, rabbanim, kisvei yad, poetry and songs. When kids coming to Israel on Birthright trips will visit, we’ll be able to connect them to their roots and show them where they come from. Up until now they thought that their grandfather was a chimpanzee. We show them who their forebears were, and they’re immediately blown away. Right now we’re working on all the Jewish graveyards in the world. We even have pictures of the graveyards in Syria despite the current situation. We also put together a book with information on 1,000 rabbanim from Marrakesh.” “How is it a ‘living museum’?” “Other museums are dead because for them the past died. They aren’t really interested in the past. They can do research into what happened, but it’s like an autopsy or a eulogy. Our museum is alive because we want the past to connect people to their kehillah, make them part of it and pass it on to their children. It will be a kosher outing that’s also educational and appropriate for everyone, including yeshivah students during bein hazemanim. We hope it will be a source of income for many people as well.” “So the objective is not to go back to the past, but to bring it forward towards the future.” “Exactly. And everything will also be accessible online.”

Shidduchim “I would like to ask the Rav about some of the problems of our generation, such as shidduchim.” “I will address that, but first I need to give you some background. I was in New

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York recently for three weeks, during which I also went on a three-day trip to Panama. Baruch Hashem, I saw tremendous development and growth in Torah and mitzvos in the chareidishe community and even in communities that are more permissive. They are certainly improving. “One Shabbos was spent in the Five Towns. I’ve been speaking there for years in a number of the larger yeshivos and in various shuls. My last Shabbos was spent in Lakewood, where I spoke in the yeshivah about chizzuk haTorah. In both places I was very impressed when I visited the homes of people who support Torah learning. Their children are burning with the fi e of Torah and they’re saying maarachos in iyun and sugyos. Baruch Hashem, things are good. There is no doubt of the achshir dara in numbers that we probably haven’t had since the times of the Geonim. In Lithuania before the war, the total number of bachurim in all the yeshivos was barely 2,000, and there were maybe five kollelim. “My first Shabbos was spent in Flatbush with the Syrian community. They are very blessed to have rabbanim who have the correct derech and get their young people involved in Gemara right away. If you go to the big shul, Shaarei Zion, at 6:00 in the morning, you would think you’re in Ponovezh. There are probably 400 businessmen, many of them millionaires, learning Gemara and shouting at the top of their voices while the rav speaks to them in learning. “Most of these people never learned in yeshivah. But because of their wonderful rabbanim who build them up, they become so involved and reach a high level of shmiras hamitzvos. This is a community that has been miraculously saved, because 100 years ago the homegrown rabbanim made an edict against accepting any geirim. Even if Rav Moshe Feinstein were to be megayer the best and most kosher geirim, they wouldn’t be given an aliyah or be buried in their graveyard, and their chil-

dren wouldn’t be allowed in their schools. This saved them. “Some of the families we visited mentioned the problem of shidduchim. We know that there’s a problem in general, even without mentioning any practices that are improper. For example, they spoke about the shadchanim taking pictures, so the bachur has a picture of the girl that he shows to his friends and asks their opinions. That’s certainly not correct. I don’t think we’ve gotten to that point in Eretz Yisrael yet; it doesn’t work like that for bnei Torah. But in America that’s how it works, and the people said they’re embarrassed that their daughters’ pictures are being passed around. Another family told me that they go to a male shadchan, who looks the girl up and down the way someone might look at a thoroughbred stallion. That’s not the way to do things. It’s humiliating. “Baruch Hashem, the chinuch in the Bais Yaakov schools is on a high level. The girls don’t know anything about things they shouldn’t know about. Let me use my family as an example. Baruch Hashem, I have 19 children, and they are all married.

The way we do shidduchim might not be the way chasidim do it, but I believe it’s a very good method. “First, I look for a shadchan who has no cheshbonos, because then there’s more room for siyata dishmaya. My shadchanim say, ‘Bas ploni liploni,” even though it doesn’t make sense, but it works. There’s room for Hashem to do His work. They make a suggestion and then both families make inquiries to find out about the parents, siblings, and of course, the boy or girl being suggested. If both sides approve, then the next stage is to discuss financial expectations. We don’t want the boy and girl to meet and become emotionally involved and then suddenly bring up a dirah, so we discuss all of that first. The third stage, if we’re talking about my son, my wife will meet the girl, and the girl’s father will meet my son. If they think there’s reason to continue, the boy and girl will then meet. Once they meet we don’t involve ourselves; they have to make their own decision. This is a very good system, because it’s better to clarify as much as possible at the parent level ahead of time. And of course, there aren’t

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any pictures or male shadchanim interacting with the girl.”

Military Conscription and Bogus Mekubalim

“Can we discuss giyus next?” I ask. “When it comes to the problem of giyus,” he answers reflectivel , “some claim that there are close to 5,000 bachurim, mainly Sefardim, in the IDF. I’m in touch with all of the roshei yeshivah, and I know that not even one bachur was taken from his shtender into the army. So what are they talking about? They’re certainly misleading, but are they lying? “There’s also a big problem because many of the younger people, boys and girls, feel that they don’t have any hope. I would say that it’s a bit better among the Ashkenazim, but there are Sefardishe bachurim who feel complete yei’ush. They feel hopeless because they don’t see a future for themselves. Even if a boy is a mufla , who’s going to give him a shtele? You can have a girl from one of the best seminaries, and now she’s working in a store and her makeup isn’t so tzniusdik. She isn’t a prutzah—far from it—but she’s lost hope, so she thinks that if she puts on enough makeup someone will marry her. “Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi makes a camp every summer for almost 1,000 boys. I speak there every year, and whenever I address a big oilam I end my speech as follows: ‘Rabbosai, every one of you has a place in the Ahavas Shalom kollelim. We pay $1,000 a month. However, we only take muflagi . So get to work, learn seriously, and you’ll learn by us.’ They need to know that there is a future for them.” “Going back to giyus, can the Rav please clarify his point?” “I’m saying that there are many boys

who left the yeshivos—many Sefardim and some Ashkenazim—because they don’t have any hope. So if the army attracts them and promises them money, support and a university education, they suddenly feel hopeful.” “What’s the solution?” “I have a suggestion, but I don’t have the backing I would need yet. I believe that we should make a big fund, farher bachurim on what they learn in yeshiva and give them $500 or more twice a year, and if possible, four times a year, if they’re successful. But instead of giving the money directly to them, we’ll put it in a bank account until they get married, and they’ll also receive $6,000 or so to get married with. In Israel, that’s a legitimate sum, and it will allow them to not feel like paupers. We have to build them up with hope and bitachon.” “So it’s not that they’re being forced, they’re leaving the system on their own, so we have to make sure that they don’t feel hopeless.” “The day that a bachur leaves the walls of the yeshivah for any reason he’s in danger. Never mind this new concept of running to kivrei tzaddikim. There’s a rich Syrian from New York who offered to pay for a minibus for any organized group to go to kivrei tzaddikim any time of the day or night. I met him once and told him that he’s a murderer because he’s killing the best of our talmidim. If a bachur didn’t understand today’s shiur and he’s feeling a bit down because of it, then he sees an announcement about a yahrtzeit along with an offer to go to the kever for free, he’s going to do it. On the bus they listen to music and the news, and they see all kinds of pritzus through the windows. When they get to the kever, it’s full of meshuga’im jumping and screaming. How do they come back to yeshivah? Destroyed, in my opinion. After I told him that, he stopped paying for the trips. “I’ve been telling the American roshei yeshivah for the past 20 years that a bachur who is sent to Eretz Yisrael to learn

in yeshivah gets a big aliyah. The girls who come here for seminary also blossom in ruchniyus. It’s beautiful. But the dangers are great, and if you don’t warn them and protect them they’re also going to be destroyed. What do I consider dangers? Number one, which is something you don’t have in America, is the political differences among religious Jews. According to one side, this gadol is a sheigetz, and they tear up his picture and curse him. On the other side, the other rav is a sheigetz. So they’re accustomed to constant bizayon talmidei chachamim, which is awful. Then you have the whole phenomenon of fake mekubalim. The Americans get immediately hooked, and they stay like that all their lives. They want them to read their palms and foreheads and tell them the future, give them kamei’os and all sorts of things.” “How does the Rav guide someone away from the phony mekubalim?” “Whoever comes here has to know that he is coming to learn Torah and nothing else. You have a rosh yeshivah; ask him for anything you need. If someone would ask Rav Avraham Yehoshua Soloveitchik if he should go to this or that mekubal, he’d say, ‘Are you meshuga? You have a daf Gemara. Why do you need mekubalim? ’ But the bachurim don’t ask, and each one brings the next. Unfortunately, there are many dangers lurking in the dark. I would even suggest having a special mashgiach for the American boys who can see what they’re doing and make sure that they’re protected. “Another problem is that being involved in politics becomes the biggest mitzvah; after all, the gadol hador is doing it. But the gadol hador is doing it because if there isn’t some sort of balance with the religious parties, they’re going to uproot the whole Torah, chas v’shalom.” “Would the Rav say that any mekubal who has a sign outside his door saying that he’s a mekubal is automatically a fake?” “Absolutely. All of the real mekubalim

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Cover Feature: Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel

did everything in their power to conceal themselves. Look in Tanach. When the wife of Ovadiah came to Elisha and told him that she had no money and her two children were going to be taken away as servants, he asked her what she had in the house, because a brachah has to come down into something physical. She replied that she had a small jug of oil. He then asked her if she had any vessels, and when she said no, he told her to borrow enough to fill her entire house. These were prerequisites for the miracle. Without them, there was nothing that could be done. Then he told her something else: Go into the house with your children and close the door. The oil poured and poured until all the vessels were filled, and she had enough to pay off all her debts and live off the leftovers. The navi then goes on to the next story, about the son of the Shunamis. After being blessed with a son, one day the boy passed away. She put him on the bed of the navi and ran to call him. He went into the room, and the Tanach tells us again that he closed the door and then brought him back to life. “Today we see that everything these fake mekubalim do is with publicity, whether it’s a refuah or exorcizing a dybbuk. So they bring in the reporters and television cameras and photographers, which is the exact opposite of the derech hakedushah. Everything was hidden. Closing the door was the main instruction for the miracle to happen. “The next story about Elisha involves Naaman, the general of the king of Aram, who was a leper. He had a Jewish captive girl in his house who told his wife to send her husband to the navi in Shomron to cure him. He spoke to the king, and the king wrote a letter to the king of Yisrael saying that he was sending his general to be cured. The king of Yisrael tore his clothes and started crying, saying that it was a trick to use as an excuse to kill him, because how was he supposed to cure a

AROUND 35 YEARS AGO I CAME OUT VERY STRONGLY AGAINST ALL THE PHONY MEKUBALIM AND THEIR PRACTICES. leper? But when Elisha heard about it, he told the king to send the general to him. “When he arrived at Elisha’s house, however, the navi didn’t come out to greet him. Instead, he sent a messenger to tell him to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be cured. Naaman got angry and said, ‘I expected the navi to come out, wave his hands over me and call out to G-d to take away my malady. He’s telling me to dip myself in the river? We have better rivers in Damascus.’ Then one of his men told him, ‘You came all the way here; you might as well follow his instructions.’ So he took seven dips and came out completely cured. When he went back to thank the navi, this time Elisha came out to greet him. The general offered Elisha wagons of gold and silver, but Elisha said that he didn’t want anything. “Then Geichazi ran after Naaman and lied, saying that his master had changed his mind and sent him to get some money. When he came back, Elisha told him, ‘Because you did this, you and your children will all be lepers,’ and it came to be. We see from this that mofsim are meant to be hidden, and we don’t take money. We also don’t make a show of curing people. “There’s a story with the Chofetz Chaim that illustrates this as well. A couple came to him after many years of childlessness, and he blessed them. Then he told them that on their way home they should go to a certain address where a tzaddik lived and obtain his brachah, because it was baduk umenuseh. They went and got the brachah, went home and had children. He told them not to reveal the story to anyone, so they kept it under wraps for 25 years. “Twenty-five years later they had a rela-

tive who didn’t have children, so they told him the story. The relative went to that tzaddik for a brachah, but nothing happened. The original couple then went back to the Chofetz Chaim and told him that their relative hadn’t been helped by the tzaddik’s brachah. Much to their surprise, the Chofetz Chaim started crying. When they later asked some of his people why he was crying they explained, ‘When you came to him the first time, he took it upon himself to fast for 40 days and finishe Tehillim every day for you. The reason he sent you to the other person was to hide the fact that it was his brachah that helped you. Now you’re coming to him when he’s much older, and he can’t fast and say Tehillim the way he did then, so he’s crying.’ “This is only one story, but there are so many others about people who would never take a penny from someone else. Forbes Magazine recently published a list of babas who have millions and even billions in their private accounts. I’m not talking about money in their yeshivos or their assets; I’m talking about dollars in the bank. At a time when the whole oilam haTorah is suffering, here you have people with millions in the bank. And many gullible Americans are running after them to shower them with money. “The derech of the gedolim—both Sefardi and Ashkenazi—was never to derive benefi from anyone, and that everything they did, especially Toras hanistar, should be hidden. It would have been anathema to them to use their knowledge to collect money or be shown kavod. On the outside, they seemed like regular people. But they were great rabbanim and tzaddikim, and no one ever recognized them for what they were.” l

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T R AV EL S PEC IAL

In This B ook

In B o o k T w o

A RETURN TO CUBA FULFILLING AN OLD PROMISE TO A CUBAN JEW BY SHLOIME ZIONCE

THE SECRETS OF MALTA THE ISLAND OF JEWISH SLAVES, SORROW, AND HOPE

page 16 8

BY I SA AC H O ROV I TZ

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Travel Feature: Cuba

Promise Made

Promise Kept

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Shloime Zionce Returns to Cuba to Fulfill a Old Vow

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hortly after the United States started allowing people to visit Cuba, I found myself in the terminal at Miami International Airport. The whole place was abuzz with excitement. News reporters were hanging around, airline executives were sipping champagne and patting each other on the back, and a Caribbean band was playing live music in the background. Everyone was waiting for the big moment: the ribbon-cutting ceremony that would officially launch the first American Airlines commercial flight to Cuba in almost 55 years. I, however, was not celebrating. I was in big trouble. But I am getting ahead of myself, so let me take you back to the beginning of the story. 170 A M I M A G A Z I N E / / A P R I L 8 , 2 0 2 0 / / 1 4 N I S A N 5 7 8 0

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Old Havava (left); Revolution souvenirs

Cuba Opens Up

It all started when I learned about a great deal from the United States to Cuba. USCuba relations had recently thawed under the Obama Administration, and commercial flights to Cuba would soon be resuming. I quickly put some seats on hold with American Airlines and then prepared myself for a real challenge: convincing my wife to join me on the trip. I’ve always been a smooth talker, but on this occasion I really excelled. Not only did I manage to convince her to come along, but I also talked her into bringing our almost sevenmonth-old-baby. I know, brilliant idea. Once the wife was on board, I began to look into the logistics involved in obtaining a visa. The usual way was by visiting the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, a process that would require at least two visits and would take several weeks to

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complete. Not an easy feat for someone who’s based in Israel. After spending a lot of time on the phone, I was informed by the airline that it was possible to purchase the visas at the boarding gate. Once that was settled, I completed my booking and started to prepare for the trip. As you might imagine, Cuba isn’t the most advanced country when it comes to anything other than cigars, meaning that arranging for lodging and transportation wasn’t exactly a breeze. Most of the hotels are on par with what the former Soviet Union used to offer visitors in the 1980s. Judging by the photos on the booking sites, the shabby accommodations were highly overpriced and under-maintained, leading me to turn to Airbnb, which had recently expanded to Cuba. The prices were great, the quality not so much, but hey, you get what you pay for. Getting in touch with a taxi company

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Caption

wasn’t easy either. It sometimes took a week to get a response. (Internet access in Cuba is very sparse, but more on that later.) Finally, after lots of back and forth, haggling, and waiting, I was able to book an itinerary with a company that sounded pretty reliable for the week-long trip around the island. Next, I needed to deal with the issue of kosher food. Since the Jewish community of Cuba is very small, and the Orthodox community is barely functioning at best, there is virtually no kosher food for sale, and certainly no kosher restaurants. Now, while I might be able to survive on Bissli and licorice for a few days, I would need a more well-rounded menu when traveling with my wife and child. Enter a tiny $10 slow cooker from Walmart, a few insulated food bags, some hot dogs, rolls, instant noodle soups, wraps, tuna, cold cuts, potato chips and a bottle of wine for Shabbos. I should also mention that my mother-in-law also froze some of her world-class chicken soup and cholent for us to take along, as we’d be staying in Cuba over Shabbos.

Cuba, Here We Come Eventually, the big day arrived. Our middle-aged Hispanic driver wished us a good morning and then asked where we were flying. “We’re going to Cuba!” I said proudly. “Oh man, I wish I could go!” he replied, “but they hate Puerto Ricans there.” He then commenced a short lesson

on the region’s petty politics. When we arrived at LaGuardia Airport, the woman at the American Airlines counter refused to allow us to check in. “I cannot allow you to check in for your flight to Cuba if you cannot show me your visas,” she said. “But I was told by the airline that we could get them at the gate in Miami!” I protested. “I don’t know anything about that,” she replied. “All I know is that I can’t let you on the plane.” The situation was absurd. After so much time planning and research, it seemed as if our trip was going to be nipped in the bud even before its first leg had begun. I asked the woman if I could talk to a supervisor, but at that hour (3 a.m.), this woman was the supervisor. There were a few other passengers standing near us who had also been booked on the same route and were trying to reason with the airline staff as well, but no dice. Suddenly, I had an idea. I walked up to the woman in charge and asked her if she could check us in for our flight to Miami only. “No problem,” she said. “But remem-

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ber, they’re not going to let you check in at Miami either, because you don’t have visas. And,” she went on, “there’s only an hour and six minutes between your two flights The way I see it it’s a lost cause, but you’re welcome to try.” I told her to go ahead and do it, and maybe we’d be able to fi ure something out once we got there. The woman reluctantly agreed, mumbling under her breath that it was a waste of time. As I thanked her and walked away from the counter, I noticed that the other people had followed our lead and were checking in for the flight to Miami as well. We were taking a chance, but hopefully things would work out.

Morning Tweetstorm After boarding the plane to Miami but before takeoff, I had another idea. I whipped out my phone and fi ed off a tweet to American Airlines. Maybe their social media team would notice it and fi ure out a way to help us. The tweet read as follows: “Epic fail@AmericanAir inaugural flight to Cuba. The airline promised visas at departure gate, but won’t let passengers check in w/o visa.” Then I attached another tweet to the first one in which I tagged DansDeals, The Points Guy, One Mile at a Time and a few other travel bloggers, as well as CNN, Fox News and CBS. Right after my little tweetstorm the plane took off for what would be one of the most nerveracking experiences of my life. Although the flight to Miami was pretty short, at just over three hours, it felt like an eternity. When we finally landed, there was a glimmer of hope when the pilot announced that all passengers should remain seated in order to allow those who were continuing on to Cienfuegos, Cuba, to disembark first As soon as we got off the plane, I heard an airline employee calling our names. Although there were at least a dozen passen-

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Travel Cuba

until I was on board with a pocketful of cash. I thanked her and quickly called my bank. After about 15 stressful minutes on the phone, we managed to get the issue resolved. Apparently, my sudden attempt to withdraw money at Miami Airport had triggered the fraud protection system at the bank, as I usually only use ATMs in the tri-state area. As the machine spat out the bills, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The door to the plane closed right behind us after we boarded, and we settled into our seats, excited yet a little apprehensive about our next adventure.

Ministry of the Interior on Revolution Square

gers from our flight who were also headed to Cuba, only our names were called. I breathed a sigh of relief; with Hashem’s help, my tweet had worked. When we approached the employee she asked us, “Are you Zionce? ” “Yes,” I replied. “We’ve been waiting for you,” she said. “We’re going to make sure you get on your next flight, but we need to act quickly. We’re also going to help everyone else who’s in the same boat.” “What about our luggage? ’ I asked her. “Here’s what you need to do,” she explained. “I’m going to guide you through security and then to the boarding gate, where the visas will be available for purchase as promised. Once you’ve received your visas bring them to me, and I’ll go fetch your luggage and have it checked in for Cuba.” She also apologized for the misunderstanding and said that the people in LaGuardia weren’t familiar with the protocol, unlike the airline employees in Miami who had been properly briefed, since that’s where the inaugural flight would be departing from. I went to the gate and approached the special desk for purchasing Cuban visas

and got them for the whole family without any hassle, at $100 a pop. Once I had them in my possession, I showed them to the woman who said she’d make sure the luggage was on our flight. There was only one thing to do before boarding. Due to the US embargo on Cuba, American credit and debit cards cannot be used there, meaning that American travelers must take enough cash along with them for the duration of their trip. Unfortunately, I had left this important task for the last minute, and when I tried an airport ATM, the machine refused to give me any cash. I tried several times, but to no avail. Making matters worse, my flight was being called for boarding. I tried my wife’s ATM card too, but that didn’t work either. By now they were announcing the fina boarding call. I was sweating profusely, knowing that if something didn’t change in the next few minutes, all of our plans would be ruined. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the kind airline employee who had helped me earlier appeared and asked me why I had not yet boarded. I explained my predicament, and she promised that she’d make sure the plane didn’t take off

Touchdown

The flight was uneventful, but landing in Cuba was not. We were greeted by two fi e engines and a ceremonial water cannon salute in Cienfuegos while the entire airport staff stood on the tarmac, happily waving Cuban and American flags. As we got off the plane, a photographer took a picture of my wife and baby, which made it onto the next day’s front cover of USA Today. After collecting our luggage, we were each handed a rose as we walked into the tiny terminal. Going through passport control was relatively easy, and the people at customs didn’t protest too much despite the fact that we were bringing lots of food into the country. Our driver, whose name I can’t recall, was waiting for us at the arrivals area. His ancient car had torn seats and no air conditioning, which wasn’t great considering the tropical weather. We then drove for six hours on the potholeridden highways until we reached the small town of Viñales, in the Pinar Del Río province. Along the way, we saw things we never imagined still existed, such as people going to work in horses and buggies as well cutting grass with long knives; apparently, lawn mowers had yet to make their way to Cuba. We arrived in Viñales before sunset, and with some

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difficult , managed to find the place we’d be staying: a tiny house at the edge of town that bordered a tobacco field. Viñales is famous for its tobacco production, and its products are considered second to none. One of the things we planned to do while we were there was see how it was done. After settling into our accommodations we made our way into town, hoping to somehow connect to the Internet so we could tell our loved ones that we’d arrived safely. This was a bit of a hassle, as Internet service is very rare in Cuba. Although the Internet itself isn’t censored, meaning that one can access anti-communist websites from Cuba, there are only a few places in each city where one can connect. In order to do so, you have to buy a onehour prepaid Internet access card from someone on the street, and then use the

access code and password printed on it to connect. Although Viñales had only one place with Wi-Fi, a large plaza in the center of town, it wasn’t hard to find, as there were lots of people sitting hunched over their devices all over the area. The Internet was actually quite fast, and we were able to let our families know that we were fine Next we went to find someone who would be able to give us a tour, and we eventually found a local named Raidel, who agreed to show us around.

A Day in the Valley Raidel was at our door bright and early the next morning. Waiting with him was an older man seated in an even older red

Russian Lada, who would be driving us into the valley for our tour. We hopped into his car and drove for about ten minutes, after which Raidel told us we had to get out and walk because the dirt road we were approaching wasn’t suitable for vehicles. We hadn’t brought a baby stroller along and Raidel told us that it was a halfhour walk to our destination, but he did offer to carry our baby, and we accepted his offer. Walking down the dirt path we came across friendly locals on horses and many orchards growing coconuts and bananas, as well as coffee and the tobacco for which Cuba is famous. Raidel even pointed out a few orange trees, and we reached our destination in what felt like only a few minutes. Raidel led us off the path and into the courtyard of small house, out of which

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President & Chief Executive Officer

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3. If You Feel Sick, Stay Home and self-care as always. If you have a fever and respiratory symptoms, call your doctor for guidance. If you have difficulty breathing, call 911 right away.

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Chair, Board of Trustees

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Travel Cuba

Scenes of Havana: pedicabs, decaying homes, fishing on the Malecón

came a Cuban farmer with a straw hat, thick moustache and a fat cigar hanging from his mouth. The farmer held out his hand and introduced himself as José as he welcomed us into his backyard, where a long wooden table and numerous benches had been set up. On the table were several big piles of tobacco leaves, a few plastic bottles filled with liquid, and a special leafcutting tool called a “chaveta.” After leaving José’s house, Raidel took us to another farm where fresh coconut and coffee made from freshly-roasted beans is served straight from the field. We were then given a tour of the farm as the farmer told us about life in Cuba and its challenges. Before leaving, I had a chance to pull the farmer aside for a moment away from his workers and Raidel. “What is it really like here? ” I asked him. “What are your thoughts on Fidel?” The farmer was silent for a moment as he looked me in the eye and sighed. “I can’t talk about it,” he finall said. I tried to get a few words out of him, but all I was able to elicit was, “Maybe one

day.” With that, we bade him farewell and made our way back into town. We spent the rest of the day walking around Viñales, snapping photos and enjoying the cheerful little town. Another incident I vividly remember also occurred in Viñales. After exploring the town for a while we were exhausted from the heat, so we decided to try and fin something to drink. We attempted to enter a small grocery store but the doors were locked, even though we could see workers inside. We were going to walk away when one of the workers came to the door,

observed us for a moment and then quickly opened it up for us, locking it as soon as were in. We had never seen anything like it in our lives. The shelves were bare. On a small shelf behind the counter there were a few bars of soap and some tissues, and when we asked for drinks, the woman behind the counter proudly produced a few cans of Coke from Mexico. After paying for our purchases, one of the workers accompanied us to the door and looked both ways before unlocking it and letting us out. It was unfathomable to me that a simple grocery store with almost nothing to sell had to keep its doors locked in order to avoid being robbed. It was a typical example of what socialism has done to Cuba. From Viñales we made the two-hour trip on Cuba’s terrible roads to Havana by taxi. The propaganda posters were impossible to miss. Huge billboards are everywhere, displaying the faces of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos, Hugo Chávez and other friends of the revolution such as Nelson Mandela. The words “Viva

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la Revolución!” (Long Live the Revolution) and “Julio 26” (July 26, the date marking Castro’s failed attempt to overthrow the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1953) are also commonly seen. It’s also hard to miss the huge murals of Fidel Castro along the road leading into Havana. The city is very colorful and its architecture is charming, but Old Havana, the area in which we stayed, was in shambles. Most of the buildings are in a state of disrepair, and giant patches of peeling paint are the norm. Buildings collapsing from structural damage are an unfortunate regular occurrence, often severely injuring or even killing their inhabitants. We saw numerous sites that had been cordoned off after partial or full collapses. We arrived in the city on a Friday, and were going to be staying until Tuesday. After bringing our luggage up to our apartment we walked over to Adas Israel, the local Orthodox synagogue, in order to make sure that we would know how to get there on Shabbos. There are three functioning synagogues in Havana. One is the Beth Shalom Temple, which is Conservative; then there’s Centro Hebreo, which is also Conservative but Sephardic; and Adas Israel, which is quasiOrthodox. The reason I say that is that while the synagogue is officially Orthodox, many of the locals aren’t Orthodox or even halachically Jewish, as intermarriage is a big issue in Cuba. When we entered the building there were a few older people sitting around reading newspapers. There were Cuban flags all over the room, and we were surprised that the people weren’t very friendly. In fact, they seemed quite suspicious of us. Whenever I meet Jews in other countries they’re always excited to meet a fellow Member of the Tribe, but such was not the case in Havana. I decided to not take it personally, figuring that these poor people probably lived difficult lives and were very unhappy, resulting in the cold shoulder I was getting. After confirming when the Shabbos prayers would be taking place we left the building, intending to head back to our apartment. As we were walking down the street, I suddenly heard somebody calling me. “Shalom!” exclaimed the friendly voice. I turned around and saw a short, clean-shaven elderly man wearing an untucked shirt, with a blue kippah on his head. He started talking to me in Yiddish, which really surprised me, introducing himself as Eliezer Szklar, originally from Poland. He asked me if I could help him with some money, as he said that he had nothing to eat. I had a pocketful of cash but it was only large bills, which I couldn’t 14 NISAN 5780 // APRIL 8, 2020 // AMI MAGAZINE

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Shimon and a ration book

give him because I needed every dollar I had, but I also didn’t want to turn him down. While cash was scarce, we did have plenty of food, so I decided to share it. “I’ll be coming back here right before Shabbos with a bag of food for you,” I told him. He thanked me and then asked if we wanted a tour of Jewish Havana. “Why not?” I said after consulting with my wife. Eliezer walked us around Old Havana, pointing out numerous shuls, schools and other points of interest. None of these places was functional, but it was still interesting to see, He also showed us a local park dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, as well as the building where Moishe Pipick’s Kosher Restaurant was once located. After 15 or 20 minutes we parted ways, promising to meet in shul later that evening. When we got back to our apartment, we started getting ready for Shabbos. While I don’t recall exactly what the problem was, I do remember that we encountered some sort of issue with warming up the food, which in turn caused me to bring in Shabbos later than I expected and miss the

davening at Adas Israel. I felt terrible knowing that Eliezer had waited for me in vain. When I showed up in shul the next day he wasn’t there, and I stopped by after Shabbos as well but the place was closed, so I had no way of tracking him down. I felt really terrible knowing that I had made a promise to a poor Jew and failed to keep it. The rest of our trip went by pretty much without a hitch. Havana is a truly fascinating city that feels like you’ve been transported back to the 1950s in a time machine. Brightly painted classic American cars are everywhere. The Cubans are quite friendly and crime is very rare, as one local told me “Havana is a city of two million people, with four million police officers. In other words, no one misbehaves. There are many things to see and do and we tried to accomplish as much as we could, even with the baby. One of the places we visited was the Museum of the Revolution, whose theme is the legitimization of the current regime. Items on display include the key to Fidel Castro’s prison cell when he was locked up by Batista, as well as the blood-stained

stretcher upon which Che Guevara’s body was carried after his execution by Nicaraguan officials in conjunction with the CIA. We also visited the Tryp Habana Libre Hotel, formerly the Havana Hilton, which has lots of historical significance in addition to being one of the tallest buildings in the city, with 25 floors. The hotel has 630 rooms, and was once the tallest and largest hotel in Central America. When Fidel Castro arrived in Havana after his successful revolution, he spent three months in the hotel’s Continental Suite in room 2324. I actually took the elevator up to see it, but there was nothing to see other than a plaque. The lobby of the hotel is quite nice, considering that the rest of Havana seems to be decaying. We also visited the Old Havana Club Rum Factory, where the country’s national drink—or as the locals call it, “Cuban gasoline”—was made for decades. Production has since been moved to another location, but the tour was still quite interesting. As no trip to Havana is complete without a stop at the “Plaza de la Revolución,” we next went to the square where Fidel would gather his patriots for rallies. Two government buildings feature gigantic images of the heroes of the revolution, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. Wherever we went we noticed the same empty stores, causing us to wonder where Cubans were actually buying anything. What we discovered by talking to the locals was that Cuba’s black market is much bus-

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ier than its legal counterpart. Everyone in Havana sells cigars—literally everyone— but what I didn’t know was that most of these cigars are fake. Well, the cigars are real, as in you can smoke them, but the bands and labels of the name brands are phony unless you’re buying them from a government-registered store. Most of them are made in people’s homes, although a very small percentage are stolen from real factories by the workers for resale on the black market. When I walked into the Hotel Inglaterra, the uniformed Afro-Cuban security guard pulled me aside and offered me some cigars. That’s how prevalent it is. In the late afternoon we sat on the hotel’s outdoor patio, where a live salsa band played and the classic cars rolled by, trying to entice tourists to take a ride. Evenings are best spent walking along the Malecón,

Havana’s coastal promenade that spans much of the city. There, the young people play music and soccer, and drink rum out of paper juice boxes. One of the things that surprised me the most was the fact that some of the most basic necessities are extremely hard to come by. This was evident when we tried to buy bottled water, as Cuban tap water isn’t advised for non-locals. Almost no one carried it, and if they did it was sold out within minutes, so unless we were literally in the store when the delivery arrived we were out of luck, Interestingly, carbonated water was in abundance. I know this is going to sound crazy, but on numerous occasions throughout our week-long trip, we had no choice but to use carbonated water to make our daughter’s bottles of baby formula. We also used carbonated water for

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instant noodle soups and to cook hot dogs. Another problem arose when I realized I’d forgotten to pack in a corkscrew for our bottle of wine for Shabbos. I was sure I’d be able to find one in Cuba, but when I asked around people thought I was insane. Thankfully, the woman who owned the apartment we were staying in had one. She’d brought it back from her most recent trip to America, and she also tried to sell us cigars. This cigar-selling thing is literally a second language to all Cubans. They all claim that theirs are real and all the others are counterfeit. It’s a mess. Mothers would often approach us, begging for money to buy milk for their children, but we couldn’t give much as we really needed to conserve our cash. We met many interesting people in Cuba, including Israeli tourists, but the

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person who probably stood out most was the young fellow who approached me near the taxi parking area outside Hotel Inglaterra. “You’re Jewish, aren’t you?” said a voice from behind me. I turned around and saw a young man who was very tan. When I said yes and asked if he was also Jewish he replied, “No, but my name is.” Now I was intrigued. “My name is Moshe Dayan,” he continued, pulling his ID card out of his pocket and showing it to me. Sure enough, it read “Moises Dayan Reyes Bello.” The guy wasn’t kidding. “How in the world did you get that name? ” I asked. “It’s interesting,” he replied. “After the Six-Day War in 1967, my father was very inspired by how Israel had fought off its enemies and won the war. Later, when I was born, he decided to name me Moshe Dayan in honor of Israel’s defense minister.” We then had a short conversation about Havana’s taxi industry. After four days in Havana our driver brought us to the last stop on our journey, the ancient city of Trinidad, where we’d be staying for one night before heading back to the airport in Cienfuegos. Trinidad is a small colonial town with cobblestone streets that once housed much of Cuba’s then-vibrant sugar production. We had a nice time walking around and taking in all the sights it had to offer. The woman from whom we rented our room was appalled to see the disposable diapers we’d brought along for our daughter, and she showed my wife her son’s cloth diapers, which are the norm in Cuba, and the process involved in laundering them. Mind you, she didn’t have a washing machine, so she also had to wring them out. Of course, she also had cigars for sale. Time, and time again, we realized how fortunate we are to live in a free society. Early the next morning we were picked up by our driver, who would be taking us to Cienfuegos. But instead of going directly

Young men in their phones; Shloime and a tobacco farmer

to the airport, he started driving to what seemed like a very rundown area on the outskirts of the city. I knew that something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t put my finge on it. When it seemed as if we were going further away from our destination, I decided to voice my concern. “Where are we going?” I wondered out loud. “Oh, we’re just getting some gas,” he replied nonchalantly. At that point I was really getting worried, as we’d just passed several gas stations and he hadn’t stopped in any of them. The

drive continued in silence for another five minutes until we reached the far end of town. The car pulled up to a small shed hidden behind a bunch of sketchy-looking apartment buildings. The driver got out of the car and made a phone call. Here’s the part where we get robbed at gunpoint, I thought to myself. Judging by the look on my wife’s face, she was also nervous. Suddenly, the door to the shed opened and a small man with curly hair stuck his head out and quickly surveyed the area before emerging with a large metal can. I breathed a sigh of relief. The man approached the car and hurriedly exchanged a few words with our driver, after which he began filling up our tank with gas. I thought it was a good photo opportunity, so I stepped out of the vehicle to get a shot. Both the driver and the gas guy went nuts. “Ayyy! Please don’t take photo!” the gas guy yelled in horror as if I’d just murdered someone. I wasn’t sure what the whole

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commotion was about, but I figu ed it was probably a good idea to get back in the car. A minute later we were on our way to the airport. “What was that all about?” I asked. He paused for a moment before telling me what had happened. “You see, my friend over there is a truck driver. Every day he siphons off a little bit of gas from his boss’ truck, which he takes home and sells. This is what he needs to do in order to survive. If we were to get caught, we could both face the firing squad.” It was an interesting way to end an already interesting trip. Although I had a great time in Cuba, there was one thing that bothered me tremendously: the fact that I’d given hope to Eliezer, that elderly Jew, and then let him down. I couldn’t shake my guilt, so I promised myself that one day I would return to Havana. I would track Eliezer down and make things right, once and for all.

Almost two years went by after my trip to Havana. I had not forgotten about the promise I’d made, but I had no idea how to turn it into reality. It’s not as if I could just hop onto a plane. How would I find this man? Was he even still alive? Or would it just be a huge waste of time and money? I couldn’t make any progress because I had no idea how to proceed. Until one day something happened that changed everything. I happened to be in Mexico at the time, pursuing a story about a group of Mexicans that were converting to Judaism. I was on the way from Mexico City to Agua Blanca, where the geirim live, and I was keeping myself busy by watching some stories online from the famed badchan and entertainer, R’ Yoely Lebovits. Yoely is an avid traveler, and he had just landed in Havana. I immediately knew that this was my chance to track down Eliezer. I sent Yoely a text message explaining the story, along with a photo my wife had taken of me and Eliezer. I asked Yoely to look out for this man, and if possible, give me his contact information. Two days later, he messaged me back. He had not only found Eliezer and left him a whole suitcase of food, but he had also obtained his phone number. I was ecstatic. Our story could now continue. Early this past summer, an opportunity finally arose for me to travel to Cuba. I dialed the number Yoely had given me, and after a few rings somebody answered the phone. When I asked for Luis (Eliezer’s civil name), the man on the other end of the line introduced himself as Luis’ son. It wasn’t easy to communicate with him because he barely spoke English, and let’s not even get started on my Spanish. Thankfully, after a few minutes I was able to get his father’s number, and I called him right up and immediately recognized his voice. I was super-excited to finally be talking to the man I had spent two years searching for. I told him who I was and why I was calling, but he didn’t seem to remember

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Classic American cars in Havana

the incident and was a little confused as to how I’d gotten his number. Nonetheless, I made it very clear that I wanted to visit him and bring him some food. He was very appreciative and asked me when I’d be arriving, so I told him that I was aiming for some time in July. He then invited me to stay in his house and gave me his address. When I got off the phone I was floa ing. I figu ed out my dates and booked a ticket to Havana. Unfortunately, little did I know that meeting Eliezer wouldn’t be as easy as I anticipated. Approximately a week before my departure, I called Luis to tell him I was arriving the following week. He seemed glad that I was coming, but in the middle of our conversation things suddenly went south. “One second,” he said. “Could you please give me the dates again?” When I told him I’d be in Havana from July 2 to July 4, he said, “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to be in Mexico then.” “What? ” I asked in disbelief. “Didn’t you tell me that July would be a good time to come? ” He then gave me some story about applying for a US visa that I didn’t understand. When the call ended I wasn’t angry but I was definitel upset. The tickets were non-refundable, and changing them wasn’t an option either, so it seemed like my trip was going to be a big waste of money. But as everything had already been paid for, I had nothing to lose by going ahead with it.

Havana, My Old Friend At the very last minute, a friend of mine decided to join me. This time, we took off from Newark and flew directly to Havana. While we were on the plane, a flight crew member handed each of us an immigration form and another form regarding our health, both of which had to be fille out and given to the authorities after we landed. When we arrived, the airport was in chaos. The baggage carousel was going

around and around but nothing was coming out. When the bags did finally start to emerge, instead of sliding from the chute and landing lightly on the carousel, they came shooting out with such force that they overshot the carousel, landing on the floor and sometimes even hitting passengers. The only way to describe it would be an avalanche of gigantic pieces of luggage. In the background, I heard someone make a joke about it being a new method of executing dissidents. I didn’t recall things being so hectic on my first trip to Cuba. As for the papers we’d filled out, someone collected the immigration form, but not the health form. (As a matter of fact, I think I still have it somewhere in my house.) After gathering our luggage and having it put through the baggage scanner to check for contraband, we were finall allowed out of the airport and came face to face with Havana’s overpowering humidity. A slew of taxi drivers vied for our attention, but we had already arranged a ride in advance. On the ride to the city I noticed several changes that had taken place since my last visit. There were a lot more newer cars on the road, most of which seemed to have been manufactured in France. The majority, however, were still the classic American Buicks and Chevrolets from the 1950s, along with old Soviet Ladas, which I assure you would never pass a modern emissions test. They emit thick black smoke, giving the air the nauseating smell of exhaust. We got to the apartment I’d rented in Old Havana and put down our bags. The place was pretty decent, aside from a couple of cockroaches we found roaming around. Only the bedroom had air conditioning and the rest of the apartment felt like a furnace, so we ended up using only that room. After settling in, we headed out to buy some water, and were pleased to find that the neighborhood store had plenty to sell. We then walked around the corner to a park (very convenient) in order to get connected to Wi-Fi so we could tell

our loved ones that we’d arrived safely. On my last trip to Cuba it had cost five CUC (Cuban convertible pesos) for an hour of Internet use, but the price had now gone down to two. I was even told that if you really know your stuff it was possible to get a card for one CUC in certain places. While we were sitting in the park, an interesting thought popped into my head. I vaguely recalled hearing about an elderly man who lived in Havana named Shimon who spoke Yiddish, and wondered if it might be possible to track him down. We had plenty of food, so we would definitel have what to share with him. While I had no idea where to even start looking for him, life is full of surprises, and eventually Hashem sent us the right messenger. But I’ll get to that later. I took my friend on a walking tour of Havana, showing him all the landmarks and tourist hotspots from the National

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Capitol Building to the old Bacardi Rum factory, eventually reaching my favorite spot, Hotel Inglaterra. A salsa band was playing live music and we took refuge in the shaded outdoor seating area, where we ordered cold drinks and cigars. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not a smoker, but when in Rome...

A Chance Encounter As we were sitting and puffing away at our cigars, enjoying the late afternoon breeze, we were suddenly approached by a man who looked like he was on vacation. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and a straw hat, he introduced himself as Jeff Katz, an American Jew living in Israel. Indeed, he was on vacation with his wife, who was seated a few tables away. Jeff found it fascinating to meet two chasidim

in Havana, and he wanted to know what we were doing there. I told him about Luis and the promise Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d made, and how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d basically come to Cuba for nothing. I also mentioned something about looking for Shimon. Jeff seemed amazed by the story. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come for nothing,â&#x20AC;? he told me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know someone who can help you. I have a friend named Leon, a Cuban Jew who is currently living in Portugal. Take his number and call him. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure he can help.â&#x20AC;? Jeff and I exchanged contact information, and he asked me to keep him updated before heading back to his table. I immediately sent off a message to Leon, telling him that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d met his friend Jeff and explaining the situation. Leon didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond right away, so eventually we got up from our seats and left. As soon as we were back on the bustling street I made out a familiar face in the crowd. Still, I was hesitant, unwilling to make a fool of myself. But as I got closer, I realized that it was exactly who I thought it was. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Moises? â&#x20AC;? I said. The man turned around, somewhat startled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Moises Dayan. Right?â&#x20AC;? He smiled but I could see that he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember me. It had been three years since we met, but there was no way I could forget someone with a name like that. What were the chances of bumping into someone I knew? As we walked around, I ended up in a conversation with some other young Cubans, who explained how the locals survive despite many not having jobs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone is selling something,â&#x20AC;? said a man who asked me not to reveal his name. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was younger, I did things that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m ashamed of today.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you care to share them? â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I asked him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I made good money selling drugs, but they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really drugs. Where would I get drugs from? What I did was that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hang out where the young Europeans hung out and sell them counterfeit drugs. They were really aspirin crushed into powder. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it now, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I had to do in order to survive.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;What do you do now?â&#x20AC;? I asked him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now

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I’m a teacher,” he replied. “And does that pay you enough?” “Of course not,” he said. “I make less than $50 a month. I have a family.” “So how do you make ends meet?” I persisted. He lowered his tone a bit. “I have students in my class whose parents are wealthy. I tutor them privately. If I were caught, I’d definitely lose my job. After saying goodbye, we headed to the Malecón for an evening stroll. Although some things seemed as if they’d gotten better since my last visit, other things seemed worse. True, there were newer cars on the road and the stores looked like they had more merchandise in stock, but the city’s overall appearance had definitely taken a turn for the worse. There were a lot more collapsed buildings, and the boardwalk was full of gigantic holes that weren’t even fenced off or marked with tape so no one should fall in. These were literally “boros bireshus harabbim.” We walked for around 40 minutes until we reached the Havana Libre Hotel, which I wanted to show my friend. Thankfully, the place was well airconditioned, so we rested up for a while before heading back to the apartment, stopping one more time at a Wi-Fi spot to check in with our families. The next morning, after Shacharis and breakfast, we set off for the Partagas Cigar Factory via a three-wheeled taxi bike, powered by a heavyset guy who was sweating buckets. The ride was a little nauseating, a combination of the extreme heat, bumpy streets and wobbly wheels. The Partagas Factory is where Cuba’s brand-name cigars are made, the real McCoy. Just picture an entire picturesque building, each of whose floors is packed with people rolling cigars. There’s even someone who’s tasked with reading the local newspaper aloud while everyone else works, keeping them entertained just like in the old days. You’d think that the country’s officia factory would be free of hustlers trying to sell cigars, but even here our tour guide managed to convince some members of

our group to buy some cigars directly from her. Although photos aren’t allowed on the production floo , as soon as her supervisor turned the other way she told us to quietly snap pictures. Then, when a supervisor noticed someone from our group doing so, she admonished the poor tourist only 15 seconds after instructing him to take a photo! Such is life in Cuba, a game of cat and mouse. If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny. After the tour was over we stopped at a Wi-Fi spot, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a message waiting for me from Leon. Leon said that he did know Shimon, but he wasn’t sure where he lived or how we could get in touch with him. He suggested that we go to the synagogue to find him. This wouldn’t have been a bad idea, except that I knew for a fact that the synagogue would be closed. We decided to try anyway. When we showed up at Adas Israel the place was locked, but there was a guy in a yarmulke and Magen David necklace

hanging out in front of the building. He introduced himself as Reinaldo and was very glad to see us. He obviously wanted money, but as he didn’t speak English we found someone on the street who could serve as a translator. Reinaldo told us that in order to fin Shimon we would have to visit one of the other synagogues; perhaps the people there would know where to find him. So we headed back to our apartment to pick up the bag of food we’d prepared for him, just in case we were successful. We hailed a taxi and gave the driver the other synagogue’s address. After approximately 20 minutes he stopped the car and announced that we had arrived. Being that I sort of knew my way around Havana, I knew that he had taken us to the wrong place, and I told him so. He insisted that he hadn’t, but I explained that we weren’t getting out of the car, nor would he get paid, until he dropped us right in front of the building we were looking for. Even-

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Moises “Moshe” Dayan

tually he relented and started asking people on the street for directions. After another ten or 15 minutes of driving we arrived at our destination. It was a good thing that I was able to stick to my guns. What a scam! The synagogue was locked, and no one answered when we knocked on the door. We were walking away in dismay and were about to turn the corner when we noticed a woman leaving the locked building. We quickly ran back and asked for her help, and it turned out that she was one of the leaders of the local Jewish community. While she too didn’t know where Shimon lived, she was able to give us a valuable tip: he worked at the Sephardic synagogue, where he managed an exhibit on the Holocaust. We thanked her for her assistance and resumed our chase. This time we were able to walk there, as the Sephardic synagogue was only a few blocks away. When we got to the Sephardic synagogue its doors were unlocked and we were able to walk right in. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, but then we heard noise coming from the basement. We went down the stairs and found three rooms, one of which contained the Holocaust exhibit. No one was inside, and aside from a few large photos on the walls there wasn’t much to

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see. The next room was pretty big and looked like some sort of auditorium. There were maybe a dozen people there who seemed to be practicing for some sort of recital. Eventually someone noticed us, but none of them spoke English so we moved on. The last room was a gym, where there were actually two people who were fluent in English. But just like everyone else we’d encountered they knew Shimon, but had no idea how to reach him. Looking back, it’s quite likely that everyone was bluffing, because in a regular community at least one person would know how to find another member, and it wasn’t as if there were so many Jews living in Havana. They were probably suspicious of us, which is why we got no answers. We left the building with the most ridiculous tip of all, which was that Shimon lived “near the zoo.” It was the same as telling us that Shimon lived near Times Square. Thank you very much. With no address or phone number, nothing short of a miracle would help us locate him. I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t upset. I’d invested so much time and effort to originally find Luis, but when that didn’t work out, I’d pinned all my hopes on finding Shimon. Now this dream was also beyond my reach. I was batting zero and I was very frustrated. When we got back to the apartment later that afternoon, we noticed that we’d run out of water. But when I went to the corner store to get another stash, I was informed that they’d run out. “When will you be getting more?” I asked. No one knew. “How can that be?” I asked. “You had tons of water yesterday.” The man behind the counter gave me a sheepish smile and uttered four words that summarized the daily lives of Cubans: “Yesterday was a miracle.” It took almost an hour of scouring the city until we were able to find a store that had a few bottles of water for sale. The next morning we left Cuba, depleted and defeated. ***

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A few weeks went by, and due to a change in my summer plans I was presented with yet another opportunity to visit. This time, however, I wasn’t taking any chances. I called Luis and he gave me his word that he would be there if I came for a visit. I immediately booked a fligh and then went out on a shopping spree, buying whatever non-perishable kosher food products I could find: rolls of salami, tuna, granola bars, oats and some other goodies. A short time later I found myself in the airport. When I landed in Cuba it was almost like coming home, considering that it was my second visit in less than a month. Thankfully, I didn’t have a hard time getting through customs even with my food, and I’d made arrangements for someone to meet in the airport with his car. He drove me to the apartment I’d booked and helped me carry in my bags. As soon as I was settled in I called Luis with bated breath. To my pleasant surprise, he answered the phone on the first ring. He was glad to hear that I’d arrived, and asked me for the address where I was staying. I didn’t know the exact house number, but I knew the name of the street. Luis told me that he’d be right over, so I waited 15 or 20 minutes before heading downstairs to wait for him in front of the building. There was no way he’d be able to find it on his own, and even if he did, he had no idea what floor I was on or my apartment number. But when I went out into the hallway and pressed the elevator button, who should emerge from the elevator but the one and only Luis Szklar! Three years after our firs encounter we were finally meeting again. Now I would finally be able to fulfill my promise! I gave him a huge bearhug as he struggled to understand what was happening. He seemed to be very puzzled by my excitement, but I told him that I would explain everything. I invited him into my apartment and offered him a cold drink.

Menorah in Havana

He quickly gulped it down so I poured him another one. Needless to say, it was a very hot and humid day. The first thing Luis told me was that the synagogue had been closed for the past several weeks. “Things are really terrible here,” he explained. “We don’t have what to eat.” The person who ran the synagogue had gone off to Panama until the end of September in order to purchase a container of food to bring back to Cuba before the holidays. Luis was overjoyed when he saw the selection of food I’d brought him. “I’ll hold onto it until the synagogue reopens, and then I’ll give it to them and tell them it’s from you,” he said naively. “No. You don’t understand,” I protested. “I brought all this food for you. Just for you.” He was shocked and thanked me profusely. “If I remember correctly, you’re from Lodz.” “My parents were from Biyale Podlovska. It’s near Krakow.” “How old are you?” “I’ll be 81 in a few weeks.”

“How did you end up in Cuba?” “When things started getting bad for the Jews in Poland my father changed his name. Their real name was Zeitspinner and he changed it to Szklar, which is Polish for glazier. That’s how he was able to escape. They weren’t allowing the Jews to leave.” “Where were you born?” “I was born here in Cuba. My parents came before I was born but I’m a Polish citizen.” “Because your parents were Polish? ” I ask. “No. I was friends with the Polish ambassador to Cuba and I helped him a lot so he made me a citizen.” “What kind of work did you do?” “I had a higher-ranking job than many Cuban ministers. I was in charge of managing government funds. I traveled the world making sure that the government’s money wasn’t being misspent. The government workers were starving in Cuba, but when they traveled abroad they had

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ENHANCE YOUR SIMCHA WITH THE NEWEST access to money with little oversight. My job was to make sure that they weren’t embezzling money or spending it on personal things. I flew all over the world: Russia, China, England, Yugoslavia, Poland and Germany.” “Are you married?” I ask. “Yes, and my wife is Jewish,” he told me proudly. “We’re the only Ashkenazi couple in Cuba.” he says. “Do you know Shimon? ” I asked him, referring to the man I had searched for unsuccessfully. “Yes. We can go visit him if you want.” “Can we go tomorrow?” “No. I have to be in the hospital with my wife. But we can go the following day.” “What happened to your wife?” “She fell and broke a bone. She was taken in for surgery, but the doctors made some kind of mistake and now she’s dying,” he informed me, the pain evident on his face. “In Cuba the healthcare is entirely free, but if you don’t pay the doctors they don’t care for you properly. A lot of people have died this way, basically from neglect. If you pay you live, and if not… One of my best friends died from a minor procedure.” “She should have a refuah sheleimah.” “Amen,” he replied. “Right now she’s been in and out of the hospital so I can’t work. I have to care of her.” “How far away is the hospital?” “Forty minutes.” “You get there by taxi?” “No, I take a bus. I don’t have money for a taxi. A taxi costs $15. If I take a bus it’s only five cents, but the trip itself can take hours.” “I’d like to visit her,” I told him. “Don’t worry; I’ll pay for the taxi.” Luis protested, but I decided to leave that talk for another time. “Did you ever meet Fidel?” I asked him next. “Not personally, but he knew who I was,” he said matter-of-factly. “How come?”

“When I was stationed around the world for the Cuban government, I—” At that point he paused for moment, searching for the right words. “I gave it all away. They’d give me an allowance, you know, money for breakfast, lunch and supper. Let’s say that I got $20 to spend. I’d spend a little bit and give back the rest.” “Why?” I asked him. “Why?” he said, repeating my question. “Because I was a foolish man.” “Were you a Communist?’ I asked delicately. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I was a revolutionary. Batista had closed the universities when I was the president of the student body. Naturally, I hated him. When I was in London on government business, I gave away 4,000 British pounds. I gave it all away,” he said softly, clearly eating his heart out. “In order to give it back to Cuba I had to convert it into Cuban pesos, and there was some extra change. I gave that back too. When Fidel found out about it he wanted to know, ‘Who is this man who even gives back pennies? ’ That’s how he knew who I was.” “Do you have a photo of yourself with Fidel?” “No, but I have one with Camilo Cienfuegos. I was very involved, helping out in the mountains during the revolution.” “Did you fight? “No, but I trained teachers to work with kids in a region called Escambray, and I already told you about my work for the Ministry of Foreign Trade. I spent 35 years doing that. I began in 1961 and finishe in 1996.” “So you started right after the revolution.” “Yes. In the beginning I worked with Che Guevara, who was in charge of the banks for about a year and a half. Then I was in was London from 1972 to 1977, and in China from 1981 to 1988. I used to travel back and forth to see my family. In Cuba, there’s an intelligence organization

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called the CDR. On every block there are people who serve as the eyes and ears of the government. It’s sort of like the KGB but worse. What happened was that I lost out on two job promotions because they said that my wife was anti-government. If I had gotten promoted, my family would have been allowed to join me in London and in China.” “Why isn’t there any food?” I asked him next, changing the subject. “Doesn’t the government give everyone rations?” “Yes. We get ration books that are good for seven pounds of rice, one pound of beans and five eggs. Per month. “That’s all?” I asked him in shock. “Yes. People are literally starving. We usually get a free breakfast provided by the synagogue, which is a lifesaver, but now the synagogue is closed until the end of September.” “So what is everyone eating?” “It’s a big problem,” he lamented. “There’s nothing to buy. Go to the shops and you’ll see.” “I have,” I told him. “That’s why I brought you food.” “What about your family?” I asked, hoping to spin the conversation to a happier place. Unfortunately, talk of Luis’ family

only brought up more heartache. “Let me tell you what happened to my granddaughter. She was studying in an Orthodox girls’ seminary in Argentina. The custom there is that when a young couple get married, the girl’s family supports them. But no one was interested in marrying her because she was poor. She was very hurt and ended up coming back to Cuba and marrying a non-Jew. My grandsons also married non-Jews because they couldn’t find any Jewish girls here. When they were born, we had Chabad send people to Cuba in order to perform the bris,” he said, trying to explain the lengths he’d gone to keep Yiddishkeit alive. “But they ended up intermarrying anyway.” “How do you feel about that?” I asked. “It hurts me terribly. It’s very difficult to accept.” “Is there Chabad here?” I ask. “No. The government doesn’t like them. Cuba is a communist country. If there’s a religious institution, there’s going to be a government infiltrato . Someone came here from Chabad a few weeks ago and was deported the same day. We’ve learned to be very careful about what we say. We only talk about religion in the synagogue, nothing else.”

“Do you want to put on tefilli ?” I asked, figuring that it was the perfect opening “I put them on already,” he replied. “I do it every day.” “You were in Mexico recently. Can you tell me about that?” “Yes. I was mugged and they took my passport. Mexico is a very dangerous place.” “I’m sorry to hear it. Why did you go to Mexico?” “To apply for a visa to the United States.” “Why didn’t you just do it from here?” “The American Embassy is closed, so you have to do it there. They told me it will take two months until I find out if I was approved.” “Why do you want to go to America?” “I was invited by some friends who said that they would pay my expenses. I would also like to write a book about life in Cuba, as well as my own experiences.” “When did you realize that it was a mistake to be a revolutionary? ” I asked him next. “After I retired 20 years ago I realized what had happened. When I was working I got $1,000 a month, but after I stopped my pension was only $10,” he explained, showing me a recent stub for 270 pesos, which is roughly $10. “How many people speak Yiddish in Havana these days?” “There are only a few of us. Me, my wife and Shimon.” “Why did the community fall apart?” “Young people didn’t move here and the old people died. That’s how it happened.” “Do you have any photos from your travels?” “Sure! They’re all at home. If you come over now, I’ll show them to you,” he said, getting up to leave and picking up his burlap sack. “Is there any chance you need some cigars? ” he asked me, revealing its contents. I politely declined. Then I locked up the apartment and we went downstairs. I offered to carry the food for Luis, but he wanted to carry it himself. After taking only a few steps, I noticed that he could barely walk. So I took the bag

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from his hands and reassured him that he would get it back as soon as we reached his house. He reluctantly agreed. Luis walked slowly, holding on to the walls of buildings for support. It was clear that a cane or walker would have done wonders, and just as clear that he wouldn’t have been able to make it home carrying the bag. I was very glad that he didn’t need to ask a stranger to help him, because it was quite likely that the person would have run off with it. I’m not saying that Cubans are bad people, but when everyone is starving, people tend to have bad lapses in judgment. We passed the Capitol Building and then made a left turn onto one of the streets. It was very dark and there were huge holes in the sidewalk. It was very hard for Luis to make his way around them. One wrong move might cause him to trip and fall, costing him a hip or a rib. People his age shouldn’t have to walk the streets of their city with such caution. After approximately 20 minutes Luis announced that we had arrived, stopping in front of a house that had been painted dark blue. Taking a key out of his pocket he unlocked the door, revealing a narrow, dimly lit stairway going up to the second floo . I immediately heard loud barking; apparently, Luis had some furry friends. He motioned for me to go first but I declined, just in case he lost his footing. As we made our way up the stairs, one of his dogs, a scrawny little fellow, ran out and starting jumping all over his master, excited that he was home. The dog then started to sniff me, catching a whiff of the bag I was holding. When we reached the top of the staircase, I found myself standing in a tiny two-room apartment. The first room consisted of a small space that could technically be called a kitchen, as it had a ’50s-era refrigerator, a sink and some pots and pans. The door to the bed-

Eliezer’s vintage refrigerator; Shimon wearing tefillin with Shloime

room was open, and I could see two small cots without any linens or blankets. The rooms were dimly lit and the ceilings were low. Luis immediately took the food bag and emptied its contents into the freezer, which was badly in need of defrosting. At least half of its capacity was filled with ice. I tried to explain to Luis that most of the food didn’t even need refrigeration, but to no avail. Considering the humidity in his apartment, maybe he knew something that I didn’t. He then asked me to be seated while he disappeared into the bedroom,

emerging a minute later clutching a thick photo album. Almost all of the pictures were black and white, and many of them had already begun to stick to the plastic sleeves. In the album I saw a younger Luis with a few more pounds on his frame, smiling happily at family functions and at work all over the world. He pointed them out one by one, adding an appropriate caption. He looked much happier in the photos than he did at present, before he was reduced to relying on others for help. We sat there for at least an hour as Luis reminisced, the dogs jumping all over us the whole time. Eventually it was time for me to leave. He apologized that he wouldn’t be able to spend time with me the next day, but we made plans to get together the day after that, my final day in Cuba. He offered to walk me home, but there was no way I was going to let him do that. Besides, even if I did, I would then feel obligated to walk him right back. On the way back to my apartment, I made a stop in the park with the Wi-Fi to

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check in with my wife. There were police officers patrolling the premises, and not a seat to be found. The whole place was filled with young Cubans busy with their phones, temporarily connected to the rest of the world. A budding young magician was making his way around the park doing card tricks, and a lone rooster wandered around aimlessly pecking for food. There were even a few young children no older than three or four, clearly bored out of their minds while their parents swiped and scrolled on their handheld devices.

Singing in the Rain The next day was spent chilling in Old Havana. In the afternoon I decided to go back to the park. No sooner did I arrive then I saw a flash of lightning, followed by a crack of thunder and a heavy downpour. Most of the people ran to seek shelter under the awnings of nearby buildings, but as the Wi-Fi didn’t extend beyond the park,

many of us remained behind. A few minutes later someone arrived with a boombox blasting loud Latin music, and I was fascinated when the whole crowd got up and started to dance. Amidst all their trials and hardships the Cuban people have chosen to stay joyful. Some would argue that they have no choice but to be happy, as the sadness would be far too painful. Eventually the rain stopped and I quickly sent my family a message before leaving. Bright and early the next morning I walked over to Luis’ apartment and knocked on the door, sending the dogs into a frenzy of barking. A few minutes later he had shuffled down the stairs to open it. “Are you ready to leave?” I asked him. He nodded affirmatively and attempted to lock the door as one of the dogs tried to escape. After a bit of yelling, door slamming and physical shoving, he managed to convince the dog to stay home. We then walked a few blocks until we reach a more central area where we could hail a taxi.

Mouth Shut

Along the way, Luis gave me a little briefing. “A city bus costs five pesos for a ride. A shared taxi van costs 15 pesos, and a regular taxi is 25 pesos. Now, these aren’t the same pesos used by tourists; these are only for locals, and they’re worth a lot less. We’ll be getting into a shared taxi but we’re going to pay the local price, so you need to keep your mouth shut and not utter a word until we get out. That way, no one will know that you’re a foreigner and it won’t be expensive.” I agreed to his plan, and he immediately got to work flagging down a taxi. In under 60 seconds I was seated in an ancient Chrysler, along with a few other Cubans. As we drove off towards Varadero, an area in the newer section of Havana, Luis casually asked me for some change to pay for the taxi. I silently handed him a few coins. A few minutes later he pointed out a pres-

tigious-looking building that used to be a bank but now functions as a hospital. “The government stole the people’s money and used it to finance guerilla wars all over the world,” he lamented within earshot of the other passengers. “None of it was used to benefit us.” No one seemed to be bothered by Luis’ statement. In fact, they all seemed to agree. The car made stops every now and then to pick up or drop off other passengers. Eventually we arrived in Shimon’s neighborhood. Luis told the driver to let us off and handed him one of the coins I’d given him. Of course, I had no hard feelings. Luis led me across a busy street and then down a newer city block. It was obvious that this part of Havana was much more “modern” than other areas. A short time later we entered a building that he identified as Shimon’s, but a locked gate was blocking the stairway. With no intercom to alert him to our presence, we commenced waiting. In the meantime, Luis noticed that I was carrying another bag of food and began to plead with me to give him some. “Please,” he begged. “If I give the doctors some food, I know they’ll treat my wife better.” It was impossible to refuse his request, so I took out two packets of tuna and handed them to him, but he wasn’t satisfied. “Please give me two more. I want her to live.” I did. Just then a Cuban woman arrived with her child and unlocked the gate. We went upstairs and knocked on Shimon’s door. A second later it was opened, and I was overjoyed to finally meet Shimon in person. After making the introductions, Luis told me sotto voce that he had to go to the hospital, and asked if I could give him five CUC, approximately $6. Not wanting to give it to him in front of Shimon, I told Luis that I would accompany him back downstairs and give it to him there. After telling Shimon that I’d be back in a minute, Luis and I took the elevator downstairs and I handed him 50 CUC, the equivalent of six months’ salary. Needless to say he was ec-

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static, giving me a big hug and thanking me for all the help I’d given him. But it was impossible to see someone living in such dire conditions and not open your heart and wallet. Back upstairs, Shimon welcomed me into the apartment, which was a far cry from Luis’. These digs were much newer and bigger, and seemed to have most of the furnishings necessary to live in relative comfort. Shimon brought me into his living room, which was a little dim but was more than compensated for by the sunlight. Overlooking the Malecón, it was cool and airy, with a refreshing ocean breeze. In the middle of the room were several armchairs placed opposite each other, two of which were covered with velvet challah dekels with the words “Lekavod Shabbos Kodesh” embroidered on them. I assumed that this had been done to make them more comfortable, as living in Cuba gives one no choice but to improvise in all areas of life. Shimon introduced me to his wife and offered me coffee or tea, but I politely declined. We then got down to brass tacks. “My name is Simon Goldstein Rosenfeld,” he said proudly. “And your name is?” “Shloime Zionce.” “Where do you live?” “Israel.” “Where? In Jerusalem?” “Not far from there,” I told him. “I brought you some kosher food from America.” “Thank you,” he said, clearly surprised. He got up from his seat and I handed him the bag filled with salami, rice cakes and whatever else I had left over. “Let me put it in the refrigerator,” he then said, excusing himself for a minute. “When did you arrive in Cuba? ” Shimon’s wife asked. “Two days ago,” I replied. “I love your pillowcases,” I offered, referring to the challah covers on the seats. She smiled. “The gas in the kitchen isn’t working,” Shimon said when he returned. “The re-

pairman was supposed to come two days ago but he hasn’t shown up yet. This is Cuba; you have to be patient. What brings you here?” he asked, taking a seat. “I came to meet you and Luis, the Yiddish speakers of Havana,” I explained. Shimon began to tell me a little about himself. “I work in the Hebrew Sephardic Center. For many years, the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities lived side by side and flourished together. I was an electrical technician, but after I retired they offered me a job there. Yiddish was my first language. My father came to Cuba in 1928 from Warsaw because he couldn’t get a visa to the States. He had two older brothers who had gone to America in the early ’20s. He originally thought that he’d be able to get a visa to the States in Cuba, but it didn’t work out and he ended up staying. My mother came to Cuba from Lublin, Poland. Her sister had arrived years before and was married

and the mother of two small kids. They were living in a town some 37 kilometers from Havana where they owned a shoe factory, and my father worked there; that’s how they met. My parents spoke Yiddish at home, and I never forgot it. I love to practice my Yiddish with tourists, but we almost never get tourists who know how to speak it.” When Shimon told me that his birthday was coming up in two days, I utilized the opportunity to ask him if he wanted to put on tefilli in honor of the occasion. He answered in the affirmative. I helped him wrap the straps around his arms, and instructed him to pray for his family. After he finished, I sang “Happy Birthday” and his face lit up with joy. “A shainem dank,” he said. “That was a very nice surprise.” “When was the last time you put on tefilli ?” I asked him. “Well, I used to go to the synagogue every day, when they still held daily services,” he replied. “But that stopped a long

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Eliezer Szklar and Shloime; local butcher (above)

time ago, so it must have sometime before the year 2000.” He then showed me some photos of the members of the shul when the minyan still existed. “Do you have a ration book?” “Yes. I’ll show it to you.” He left the room for a moment and returned with a small wallet-sized booklet bearing the names of both Shimon and his wife, as well as the dates when they’re supposed to receive their food. “What kind of rations do you get?” “We get a quantity of eggs, beans, rice, bread, sugar, salt and vegetables.” “Is it enough?” “No, but it helps. If we want more, we have to pay higher prices.” “Where do you get money to buy stuff?” I asked. “I work, but it’s not easy.” “May I ask what your salary is?” “240 Cuban pesos per month, around $10. It’s very difficult to buy things because the prices are very high.” “But you still look pretty happy,” I told him. “I try to find things to be happy about. I’m happy because I finished high school. After the revolution most of the rich people left the country, so I lost my job because I was working for one of them, but I got another one working for the government. Then, as soon as the universities

reopened I started to study to become an electrical engineer. I was overjoyed, because when the universities closed I thought I’d never get a chance to study again. I’m also happy because there isn’t any racism or anti-Semitism in Cuba and everyone is equal. Things are especially hard for us because of the American sanctions, but we understand that it’s directed against our government and not our people.” “You have a very nice apartment,” I told him. “It was built in 1957.” “Do you have any connections to people in the government?” “For four years I worked under the capitalist system, after which I worked for the Ministry of Industry, when Che Guevara was in charge.” “Did you know him?” “I saw him all the time.” “Was he nice?” “Yes. He was a very nice person. He was a physician, you know. He had asthma.” “I was in Havana three weeks ago,” I said, changing the subject, “and I ran all over town looking for you. I had some food for you.” “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Tourism is slow in the summer, so I only work on Thursdays and Fridays.” “I was here on a Wednesday,” I told him. “Did you get a chance to see the exhibition?” “Yes.” “I’m happy to hear that,” he replied. It was obvious that he takes great pride in his work.

Last Licks of Communism It was almost time for my flight and I had to leave. I unloaded a bag of rice cakes and peanuts and whatever else

I’d brought for my hosts and they were thrilled. Shimon then insisted that he accompany me back to where I was staying. I tried to dissuade him, saying that it wasn’t necessary, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Plopping a baseball cap on top of his yarmulke, he led me out the door. When we got downstairs we walked down a few streets until we got to a bus stop. “We’re going take the bus,” he informed me. I’d been planning on taking a taxi, but I figu ed that if we took a bus, which would be a few hundred times cheaper than a cab, I’d be able to give him all of my leftover cash. While we were waiting, Shimon told me to stay put while he went off to take care of something. He returned a moment later holding a crisp copy of Granma, the official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party. I was very confused, politely informing him that I didn’t read Spanish. Shimon laughed heartily, a sly smile on his face. “That’s the whole point!” he exclaimed. “If you open the newspaper, no one will know you’re a foreigner. That way, you won’t get ripped off on the bus.” I was pleasantly surprised by his ingenuity. Even in his old age, Shimon was quite the chevraman. The bus arrived and we hopped on, and despite my protests Shimon paid my fare. Because all the seats were taken, Shimon and I stood near the front holding onto the poles. With each passing stop the bus got fuller and fuller, pushing us further towards the back. Shimon might have been frail and thin, but he stood strong in the hot crowded bus, like a youngster. When I ask him if he was okay he replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m used to this.” Eventually some seats became available and we are able to sit until we reached my stop. The time had come to say goodbye. Shimon thanked me for the food I brought him. I reached into my pocket and give him all of my spare change, which turned out to be 23 CUC. “What’s

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this? ” he asked me, surprised. “For you,” I said. He tried to give it back to me, but I forced him to keep it. “You never know. Maybe you’ll need it,” I said. He nodded his head shyly. At 82 years old, Shimon was old enough to be my great-grandfather, but as I pushed the money into his hands, I felt like a father sending his child off to sleepaway camp. We hugged and promised to keep in touch. He then got onto another bus in the reverse direction, as I waved to him from the sidewalk. An hour later, my taxi driver was waiting outside to take me to the airport. At the end of the half-hour drive, I realized that I still had two bottles of water in my possession. I really needed only one, so I handed the second bottle to the driver and said, “This is for you.” His face lit up, and he told me something unforgettable. “It’s not for me. I’m going to give it to my daughter. She always wanted one of these things.” My mind was blown, I would have never imagined that a simple bottle of water could be gift-worthy. Visiting Cuba really makes one appreciate the simple things in life. In the airport, I was stopped by security after they noticed the huge number of Cuban cigars I was bringing home for my friends. For some reason the Cuban authorities consider this suspicious, and it held me up for quite a while. Eventually, after proving that I had bought them legally and had the proper documentation, I was allowed to proceed to the gate. For some odd reason, while there was Wi-Fi at the boarding gates, prepaid WiFi cards weren’t for sale at the airport, making it almost impossible to go online unless you happened to have a prepaid card. Because I’d already noticed this issue during my previous trip to Cuba, I’d already purchased an Internet card. After

Shimon with the local paper

sitting down at the gate, I learned that my flight was delayed, and soon my onehour Internet card was spent. I davened Minchah and kept myself busy in other ways, but eventually I realized that my wife would be worried if I didn’t tell her when my flight was scheduled to land. Not wanting to worry her, I made up my mind to find some way to let her know that my flight was delayed. I went from shop to shop, asking if there was any way to get online, but no one seemed willing or able to help me. Finally, in the last store in the terminal I found a friendly clerk who told me that while Wi-Fi cards weren’t for sale, he happened to have one on him for personal use. I asked him if he’d be willing to sell it to me but he refused. His eyes opened wide when he spotted the colorful wristband with the words “UMAN 5779” that I was wearing, and told me that he was willing to give me a card in exchange for my wristband. I happened to really like that particular wristband so I declined the offer, but made him a counteroffer. I was wearing another wristband, bearing the words “Thank

You Hashem.” I offered it to him but he refused, saying that he wanted the multicolored one. We were getting nowhere. Suddenly, I had an idea. On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Houston with United Airlines, a member of the crew had given me a handful of plastic pilot’s wing pins with the United logo printed on them. They were sitting in my carry-on bag, so I took one out and offered it to the clerk. He was thrilled, and handed me the Wi-Fi card with glee. I let my wife know that we’d be taking off late, and was now able to sit back down and wait for my flight You haven’t really experienced communism until you’ve traded something you have for something you don’t need. I got to work writing while waiting at the gate, and forgot to keep track of the time. Eventually I raised my eyes from the screen of my laptop and was horrified to see a United plane cruising past the terminal. Apparently, I hadn’t heard my flight being called. I quickly grabbed all my belongings and ran towards the tarmac like that crazy guy in the movies who thinks he’s going to stop the plane. I spotted a United employee, and breathing heavily, asked him if there was anything he could do to help me make my flight. The man just smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Your plane just arrived from the United States. The passengers have to first disembark before you can board.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t be spending Shabbos in Havana. I soon found myself seated on the plane, soaring above the island of Cuba, glad that I had merited to fulfill the promise I had made years earlier. l

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