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Overlooking poor choices and seeing the good in our children

Balancing the needs of our struggling children and their siblings

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Dear Readers,

In this week’s parsha, we encounter the four expressions of redemption that Hashem used to promise the geula from Mitzrayim: Vehotzeisi, Vehi’tzalti, V’gaalti, V’lakachti. Each word symbolizes a profound step in the miraculous liberation of Bnei Yisroel. The Sfas Emes explains the nuanced difference between Vehotzeisi (“I will take you out from under the burdens of Mitzrayim”) and Vehi’tzalti (“I will save you from their slavery”). One refers to our physical removal from slavery, while the other speaks to an even deeper transformation, our spiritual and emotional release from a slave mentality. This distinction is crucial: physical freedom without emotional liberation is incomplete. A person shackled by the mindset of a slave cannot truly thrive. Only once the burdens of servitude are lifted can one rise to their full potential and begin the journey toward greatness, as Bnei Yisroel did in accepting the Torah and becoming Hashem’s chosen nation.

This lesson has never felt more poignant than this past week, as we witnessed the heart-stirring images of Israeli captives being released from the horrors of Gaza. Watching families embrace their loved ones after countless months of anguish was an indescribable sight, a blend of relief, joy, and gratitude. Yet, beneath the surface of these powerful reunions lies a sobering reality. Physical freedom is only the first step. The trauma these individuals endured, the demons, the nightmares, the emotional scars, remains a heavy burden. Their road to

recovery will be long and arduous. They have emerged from physical captivity, but their emotional and spiritual liberation is still ahead.

The imagery of these captives’ release resonates deeply with the dual aspects of redemption described in the parsha. Just as Hashem physically freed us from Mitzrayim and then performed the even greater miracle of liberating us from the slave mentality, we pray for the full redemption of these individuals. Hashem’s hand was clearly present in their initial release, but our tefillos must continue.

May He grant them the strength to overcome the inner chains that still bind them. Without this second stage of geula, their physical freedom alone cannot allow them and their families to truly rebuild their lives.

This past week also marked the inauguration of a new president who was widely credited for negotiating the release of these captives. We hope and pray that this new leader will serve as the proper shaliach to end the ongoing saga and bring lasting peace to Israel. May this presidency usher in a time of stability and safety for our brothers and sisters, and may it lead to the resolution of conflicts that have weighed so heavily on Klal Yisroel.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Shabbos

Aaron Menachem

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Around the Community

A Vision Fulfilled: Suburban Orthodox Celebrates An Historic Chanukas Habayis

By: BJLife Newsroom

Photos: Gobbie Cohn

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim marked a joyous milestone with the celebration of the Chanukas Habayis for its new edifice. The event featured divrei bracha from HaRav Yaakov Hopfer, shlita, Rav of Shearith Israel and President of the Vaad HaRabbanim of Baltimore. Eleven-year-old Netanel Goetz, son of Daniel and Tzippi Goetz, made a siyum hamishnayos on Masechta Eruvin, followed by HaRav Menachem Goldberger, who recited the siyum kaddish.

Racheli Fine, daughter of Dr. Derek and Mrs. Lauren Fine, spoke as a representative of the heart of the shul, offering heartfelt reflections that beautifully captured the essence of the Suburban Orthodox community.

The remarkable growth and vitality of Suburban Orthodox Congregation are a direct reflection of the extraordinary leadership of Rabbi Shmuel Silber. With his visionary strength, deep compassion, and unmatched warmth, Rabbi Silber has embraced the Baltimore community—and more specifically, the Suburban Orthodox congrega-

tion—both figuratively and literally, transforming the shul into a beacon of Torah and chesed.. Together with Rebbetzin Aviva Silber, whose dedication and support inspire the community, the congregation has expanded manyfold. The couple’s ability to create meaningful learning opportunities and foster acts of chesed has drawn individuals and families from all over, necessitating the construction of this magnificent new building to accommodate the growing community.

The building, named in memory of Esther Ann (Brown) Adler, stands as a testament to her legacy. Her father, Howard Brown, who spearheaded this monumental project, and her mother, Dr. Frona Brown, shared heartfelt reflections on its significance. Matt Schoenfeld, the current shul president and son-in-law of the Browns, addressed the congregation, emphasizing the community’s unity and dedication in bringing the vision of this shul to life.

The celebration was a profound moment of unity, memory, and inspiration for the Suburban Orthodox

community, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its storied history.

Following the ruchniyus, guests were treated to a beautifully curated

buffet, featuring an elegant assortment of gourmet dishes and delicacies, thoughtfully arranged to complement the joyous occasion.

L’Chaim Day Program Visits Bais Yaakov Exhibit

These were some of the reactions from a group of seniors from L’Chaim Day Program, who visited the Bais Yaakov Exhibit this past week:

“I have been to many places in my years. Many museums in different cities. But I have never, never, seen anything like this.”

“How did they do that!”

“Spectacular”

In their wheelchairs, with cane in hand, the group maneuvered from one highlight to the next. From the entrance, to the hallways, to each and every room, a feeling of wonder and

pride in our mesorah enveloped this group. “V’heishiv lev avos al banim v’lev banim al avosam”. This visit was

a true example of children teaching and guiding their elders, with kindest and sensitivity. Thank you Bais Yaakov!

Rabbi Reznitsky Tribute Melava Malka

Torah Institute hosted a Melave Malka to honor Rabbi Yisrael Reznitzky for nearly 50 years of dedicated service to the Cheder. As the Executive Director, Rabbi Reznitzky played a pivotal role in transforming the school from a small institution into a thriving Cheder of nearly 900 boys. Under his visionary leadership, the Cheder

flourished, becoming a beacon of Torah education and growth.

The evening was filled with heartfelt speeches and personalized songs, expressing profound hakaras hatov for Rabbi Reznitzky’s decades of commitment and accomplishments. Friends, family, and staff joined together to celebrate his legacy and recognize the lasting impact he has made on the school and its students.

As Rabbi Reznitzky steps into retirement, his indelible mark will continue to inspire and shape the Cheder for generations to come.

Around the Community

Mesorah Baltimore Melave Malka

Women from Baltimore and beyond gathered for Mesorah Baltimore’s annual Melave Malka. The event, chaired by Mrs. Suri Reiner and Mrs. Esther Weiner, featured a lavish dairy buffet by Yevents and paid tribute to Mrs. Julie Meister who was the recipient of the Student of the Year Award and Mrs. Bracha Poliakoff who received the Young Leadership Award. The Mesorah Baltimore Melave Malka was sponsored in memory of Celia Firestein by her loving niece and nephew, Yitzchok and Barbara Lehmann Siegel and family from Silver Spring.

The evening’s program included a video presentation entitled “V’yehi Ohr: Kindling the Light” and featured Rabbi Yisrael Motzen, Mrs. Shifra Rabenstein and Mrs. Shalvie Friedman. Each speaker is a frequent contributor to Mesorah Baltimore’s cadre of classes. Mrs. Shalvie Friedman followed up the video program with a trip to Baltimore as Mesorah’s Scholar in Residence which was sponsored by The Charles Crane Family Foundation.

Mesorah Baltimore is an educational organization for women providing quality classes and programming guided

by Torah wisdom to enhance spiritual and intellectual growth. Mesorah’s winter semester begins Sunday, January 26th. Women of the community are

encouraged to visit our website, www. mesorahbaltimore.org to view our class offerings and to try out the first week of in-person classes for free.

HIRINGHIRING

Shemos Vol. 1

Shemos-Yisro

Coming Soon: SHEMOS VOL. 2

Mishpatim-Pekudei

New Volumes for Sefer Shemos

A Phrase-by-Phrase Expanded Elucidation, with Comprehensive Introductions, Annotations, and Insights

RAV DRUCK ON CHUMASH

Unlocking the treasures of the Torah SHEMOS

by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Druck

Coming Soon: VAYIKRA

Shemos Vol. 1

Shemos-Yisro

KLI YAKAR

The Torah: With the Commentary of RABBI SHOMO EPHRAIM OF LUNTSCHITZ Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated

New Compact Size

Midrash Rabbah with an Annotated, Interpretive Elucidation and Additional Insights

Shemos Vol. 1

Shemos-Beshalach

Coming Soon: SHEMOS VOL. 2 and 3

WITS Launches Inaugural Health Science Cohort For Alumnae

Many WITS alumnae have devoted their lives to caring for others. Now, WITS is ensuring these women are supported as well.

Last week, the Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College (WITS) launched its inaugural Alumnae Health Science Cohort, an initiative aimed at supporting alumnae in the health science fields. With nearly 20 alumnae in attendance, the event was a resounding success as participants gathered to connect, grow, and inspire one another.

The launch event, hosted at the Kelemer home, focused on the theme, “Navigating the Hustle: Balancing Life as a Frum Health Professional.” Esteemed speakers included:

• Moshay Cooper, MD, Pediatrician at Johns Hopkins Medicine and WITS Board Member

• Yaffa Stern, MSN, RN, CPN, Nurse Manager at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital and WITS Alumnae Council Member

The evening featured an open, candid, and heartfelt discussion about the unique challenges frum women face in the demanding field of healthcare. Topics included navigating dating, marriage and motherhood, having difficult workplace conversations, and balancing professional growth with personal values and community involvement. Attendees left inspired and energized and appreciated the opportunity for meaningful dialogue, setting a strong foundation for the cohort’s mission: to provide chizuk, mentorship, and professional development for frum women in health sciences.

The WITS Alumnae Health Science Cohort is tailored to address the unique needs of frum health-

care professionals. With a blend of in-person and virtual gatherings, future activities will include Q&A sessions with Rabbanim, expert speakers, interactive panels, and opportunities for networking and skill-building.

“By creating a space for collaboration and growth, we hope our alumnae can thrive in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives,” said Oriana Kelemer, president of the Alumnae Association and a Physician Assistant at Johns Hopkins, “We are thrilled to see this initiative come to life and look forward to creating similar opportunities for alumnae in other fields as well.”

For more information or to explore starting a cohort in your field, please email alumnae@wits.edu

Left to right - Yaffa Stern, MSN, RN, CPN, Moshay Cooper, MD, Sarah Brody

613 Seconds with Rabbi Asher Stein of Shoresh

BJH: Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Rabbi Asher Stein: I have been employed as a rebbe in the middle school at the Beth Tfiloh Community Day School for the past 25 years. My wife and I have raised five children, and thank God have a number of grandchildren. I have also worked at Camp Shoresh for the past 45 years.

BJH: How did you get involved with Shoresh?

RAS: My parents moved from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Baltimore in 1980 and I had nothing to do that summer, so Sam Finkelstein gave me a job as a counselor. Over the years, I was also Head Counselor and then the Field Director. Today my title at camp is Dean of Jewish Life. I still lead a davening group and

teach a Torah class every day, and I help mentor the next generation of counselors and campers.

BJH: What makes Shoresh unique?

RAS: Rabbi Kosman, founder of the camp, taught early on to embrace Jews from all backgrounds. We have campers from different cities and religious backgrounds who come together as proud Jews. We daven in the morning, study Torah after a ruach-filled lunch, and the rest of the day is filled with wonderful programming throughout our 107-acre campus, including sports, swimming, ropes course, arts and crafts and other special activities. We also have a brand-new Israel Rec Room which we built in order to increase education about Israeli history and culture after the horrors of October 7th

BJH: Is Shoresh just a summer camp?

RAS: No! We have programming all throughout the year. As our Executive Director Rabbi Finkelstein (Rabbi Dave) always says, we serve everyone from Baby to Bubby. We have holiday events, including Chanukah and Purim, carnivals and festivities. We have a meaningful Simchas Torah program for families at our campus.

We take a special winter break trip with our teens so they can learn to find Jewish connections anywhere they go after high school (including places like Florida, California, Arizona, Texas and Israel). They daven and learn each day, do lots of fun activities, and connect with our caring staff and each other. We host a number of Shabbatons throughout the year, most notably our Family Shabbaton, where the campers’ families come to enjoy Torah classes and many learn about Shabbos for the first time. It’s a truly beautiful, life-changing experience.

BJH: What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

RAS: Studies have shown that a strong Jewish day camp experience plays an extremely important role for Jewish youth. It gives them a solid foundation in life and they create lifelong connections. This is one of the biggest reasons why I have stayed with the program these past 45 years. Knowing that so many kids count the days until the first day of camp gives me a sense of pride and brings tremendous meaning to the work that we do.

BJH: How can people learn more about Shoresh?

RAS: Shoresh is always looking

for wonderful campers and talented counselors from around the region, whether Baltimore, Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Frederick or Northern Virginia.

If you would like more information about Camp Shoresh, please visit shoresh.com/camp.

Camp registration is open (with an early bird special through February 1) and staff applications are being accepted at shoresh.com/staff.

New for 2025, there will be special bonuses for those who commit to work the full summer!

We are also currently running our annual campaign to support our yearround Jewish outreach programs at shoreshcampaign.com. Tizku l’mitzvos!

L-R: Rabbi Tzvi Tuchman (Assistant Director), Rabbi David Finkelstein (Executive Director), Rabbi Menachem Goldberger (B. Stanley Resnick Memorial Scholar-In-Residence), Rabbi Asher Stein (Dean of Jewish Life) and Rabbi Yakov Majeski (Assistant to the Head Staff)

The Week In News

The Week In News

Fuel Tanker Explodes in Nigeria

At least 86 people died from a gasoline tanker explosion in Nigeria, which occurred in the early hours on Saturday. People had been attempting to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator. But things when horribly wrong when the fuel transfer sparked

an explosion, leading to the deaths of those involved in the transfer of the gas and those observing the event.

Hussaini Isah of the National Emergency Management Agency noted that an additional 55 people were injured and are receiving treatment at three different hospitals in the Suleja area.

“There were people that were burnt to ashes. How can we get that figure?” the official said, indicating that the death toll might be higher than 86.

“We won’t know the exact figure without forensics.”

A crowd had gathered at the scene, which resulted in the huge number of fatalities.

Gasoline prices in Africa’s most populous country have soared after the administration of President Bola Tinubu removed subsidies on the product more than a year ago in an attempt to channel the resources to more developmental purposes.

Scooping gasoline from a fallen tanker is common in Nigeria as some people see that as an opportunity to get free product that they could either use or resell for a profit.

More Prison for Imran Khan

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been in prison in Pakistan since August 2023, as he faces dozens of cases against him, ranging from charges of graft and misuse of power to inciting violence against the state after being removed from office in a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022.

He has either been acquitted or his sentences suspended in most cases. Last week, though, a Pakistani court sentenced Khan to 14 years in a land corruption case. Previously, he had been convicted on another charge of inciting supporters to rampage through military facilities to protest against his arrest on May 9, 2023.

The verdict in last week’s case was delivered by an anti-graft court in a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan has been jailed since August 2023.

Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi was also found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. She was out on bail but

was taken into custody after the judgment was pronounced.

“The accused Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi is hereby held guilty for commission of offense of corruption and corrupt practices,” read the detailed court order shared by Khan’s party, adding that his wife was also found guilty of “aiding, assisting and abetting” corrupt practices.

Omar Ayub, an aide of Khan, said the party will challenge the verdict in higher courts. A number of government ministers welcomed the verdict, calling it based on evidence.

The former premier, 72, had been indicted on charges that he and his wife were given land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favors. Khan and Bibi had pleaded not guilty.

Greater Washington Weekday Minyanim Guide

6:15 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah M-F

6:25 am Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

6:30 am Beth Sholom Congregation M-F

Beit Halevi (Sfardi) M, T

Chabad of Silver Spring M-F

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY M-F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S YGW M, Th

6:35 am Ohr Hatorah M, Th

6:40 am YGW S, T, W, F

Magen David Sephardic Congregation M-Th

6:45 am Beit Halevi (Sfardi) S, T, W, F

Kemp Mill Synagogue M, Th

Ohr Hatorah T, W, F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah M, Th

6:50 am Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah M, Th Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County M-F

6:55 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah T, W, F

7:00 am Kemp Mill Synagogue T, W, F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S Silver Spring Jewish Center S

BETHESDA

Magen David Sephardic Congregation [S] 11215 Woodglen Dr, North Bethesda, MD 20852 GAITHERSBURG

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County [Ari] 11520 Darnestown Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

OLNEY

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah (OSTT)

18320 Georgia Ave, Olney, MD 20832

Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah T, W, F

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac T, W, F

7:05 am Kesher Israel M, Th

7:15 am Kemp Mill Synagogue M, Th Kesher Israel T, W, F

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue M-F

Ohr Hatorah S

7:30 am Chabad of DC M-F

Chabad of Potomac M-F JROC M-F

Kemp Mill Synagogue T, W, F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi) M-F

7:45 am YGW (Yeshiva Session Only) S-F

8:00 am Beth Sholom Congregation S

Kemp Mill Synagogue S

Kesher Israel S

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY S

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County S Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah S

POTOMAC Beth Sholom Congregation 11825 Seven Locks Rd. Potomac, MD 20854

Chabad of Potomac [Ari] 11621

8:00 am YGW (High School; School-Contingent) S-F

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac S Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi) S

8:05 am Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville M, Th

8:15 am Ohr Hatorah S Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville S, T, W, F

Kehilat Pardes / Berman Hebrew Academy S-F

Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

8:30 am Chabad of DC S Chabad of Potomac S JROC S

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue S Silver Spring Jewish Center S YGW (Summer Only) S-F

8:45 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S-F

9:00 am Chabad of Silver Spring S Kemp Mill Synagogue S

12:30 pm YGW Sunday

1:00 pm Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

1:10 pm YGW M-Th

3:00 pm YGW Middle School School Days mincha

mincha/maariv

Before Shkiah (15-18 minutes), S-TH

Beit Halevi (Sfardi)

Beth Sholom Congregation

Chabad of Potomac

Chabad of Silver Spring

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County

Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville (20 min before, S-F)

JROC

Kemp Mill Synagogue

Kesher Israel

Magen David Sephardic Congregation

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue Ohr Hatorah

Silver Spring Jewish Center

Southeast Hebrew Congregation, Knesset Yehoshua Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Asheknaz) Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sefarhadi) maariv

6:00 pm YGW School Days

7:30 pm Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

8:15 pm OSTT (OLNEY) S-Th

SHC, Knesset Yehoshua M-Th

8:45 pm Silver Spring Jewish CenterFall/Winter

9:30 pm YGW Fall/Winter

Silver Spring Jewish CenterSpring/Summer

9:45 pm Ohr Hatorah M-Th

shacharis

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“I want to strengthen my Emunah”

“I want to help my children with homework”

“I want to connect to davening in a meaningful way.”

“I want somebody with whom I’m comfortable to help me achieve my goals!”

Torah Together will provide you with a carefully selected Torah mentor for an hour a week of study and discussion.

The Week In News

The case is linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-government welfare body the couple set up when Khan was in office. Prosecutors say the trust was a front for Khan to illegally receive land from a real estate developer. In the judgement, the court ordered the land to be confiscated.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says the land was not for personal gain and was for the spiritual and educational institution the former prime minister had formed.

The verdict is the biggest setback for Khan and his party since a surprisingly good showing in the 2024 general election when PTI’s candidates – who were forced to run as independents – won the most seats, but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.

New Pres. in Mozambique

Decades ago, Mozambique’s liberation party, Frelimo, easily attracted

adoring crowds. The promise of salvation from Portuguese colonizers, and a life with jobs and housing for all, was an easy sell in a southern African nation suffering under racist rule.

But when Daniel Chapo of Frelimo became president last week, he assumed leadership of a country more dissatisfied with his party than at any point during its 50 years of independence. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets after the October election, which voters, international observers, opposition leaders and rights groups have roundly criticized as fraudulent.

At least 300 people have been killed in clashes with police during protests in the past several months.

Chapo and his party had likely hoped that the inauguration on Wednesday would help move the country toward reconciliation and stability. But early signs suggested a difficult path toward unity. The police quickly moved to disperse a few dozen peaceful protesters about two blocks from the inauguration in the capital, Maputo.

“We’re going to burn Mozambique,” said Angelina Chissano, one of the protesters in the capital on Wednesday.

Such demonstrations offer a glimpse of the new reality that Frelimo must contend with.

“Frelimo became used to seeing themselves as the chosen party,” said Gabriel Muthisse, a former top party official who remains an active member.

“They believed that elections were only a formality for the people to confirm their leadership. Over the past five, 10 years, things are showing that that is false.”

After taking the oath of office, Chapo vowed to cut state spending by downsizing the government and reducing expensive perks that ministers receive. (The government is often criticized for spending lavishly on officials, while failing to meet many citizens’ basic needs.)

“I know many of us feel that leaders are distant, inaccessible and disconnected from the real concerns of the people,” Chapo said. “This will change.”

Chapo appeared to be taking a page out of his rival’s playbook. Venâncio Mondlane, the opposition leader, is seen by many to be the true champion of ordinary Mozambicans. The fiery populist claims to have won the election and has drawn a huge following.

When Mondlane returned to Mozambique last week after a self-imposed exile, police responded with deadly force against supporters who took to the streets. Mondlane has called for continued protests, though this week has not attracted the mass demonstrations that shut down the capital in previous months. (© The New York Times)

Prison for Navalny’s Lawyers

Three lawyers who had represented deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were sentenced to jail on Friday after being convicted of aiding the Anti-Corruption Foundation,

an organization that Russian authorities consider “extremist.”

Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser were arrested in October 2023, four months before Navalny died at age 47 at a remote correctional facility inside the Arctic. The three were jailed on charges that they were acting as go-betweens, relaying messages from Navalny to his colleagues.

Their arrest left Navalny without any legal representation and completely cut off from the outside world in the months before his death. Authorities said that Navalny died of natural causes at the Polar Wolf penal colony 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow.

Kobzev was sentenced to 5½ years in a penal colony and Lipster to five years. Sergunin’s term was reduced to 3½ years in exchange for pleading guilty. All three were also banned from practicing law for three years.

Kosbev’s lawyer condemned the case, saying that the evidence used to convict the men was inadmissible because it was obtained by listening in on client-attorney meetings, which was illegal under Russian law.

“They’re not allowed to eavesdrop on meetings between a lawyer and a client in a penal colony in principle –there’s a direct legislative ban.”

Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, also condemned the lawyers’ imprisonment and called them “political prisoners.” The U.K.-based Amnesty International called the long sentences handed down to the three “shameful,” saying “their only crime” was standing up for justice and human rights and demanded they be set free.

Cuban Dissident Freed

Jose Daniel Ferrer was arrested in October 2019 and was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison. He served most of that time under house arrest. Last week, the Cuban dissident and human rights activist was released from jail, part of a broader plan negotiated

The Week In News

with the Vatican to gradually free more than 500 prisoners from Cuban jails.

The Cuban government began liberating a small number of prisoners last Wednesday, following talks with the Catholic Church that prompted U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to announce it would significantly loosen sanctions on the crisis-racked nation.

Many, if not all, of the prisoners released last week were arrested in association with unprecedented anti-government protests that took place in July 2021, the largest protests since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

Those arrests had been criticized by the United States and European countries as heavy-handed.

Ferrer is the highest-profile prisoner and dissident to be released thus far.

“I am at home, in fair health, but with the courage to continue fighting for the freedom of Cuba,” Ferrer declared.

Ferrer is the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), once the communist-run country’s largest and most active opposition group. At the time of his arrest four years ago, Cuba called Ferrer a U.S.-financed dissident but said he was not arrested for his political views. Critics said Cuba’s government had made up the accusations in order to arrest and silence Ferrer.

The long-time dissident was picked up again by police on July 11, 2021, as he tried to join a protest in Santiago de Cuba, the Caribbean island nation’s second largest city, violating the terms of his house arrest. He was charged with public disorder and returned to prison.

Ferrer was also one of 75 dissidents arrested in 2003 during a nationwide crackdown known as the Black Spring. He was released on parole in 2011.

More prisoners are set to be released in the coming weeks.

Sea Turtle Concerns in India

The east coast of India near the city of Chennai has seen an abnormal

amount of sea turtle washing up onto the coastline. More than 400 of the endangered sea turtles have come ashore over the last two weeks, in an event not witnessed in over two decades.

Olive ridley turtles travel thousands of miles to land on India’s coast, a place perfect for nesting. In a typical year, there can be around 100 to 200 deaths. But this year, the numbers are overwhelming.

Shravan Krishnan, a volunteer with Chennai-based Students Sea Turtles Conservation Network, noted, “This year, we’ve already crossed 200 dead turtles in a little more than two weeks.”

He added that there are low numbers of turtles nesting on the shore. He and other conservationists walk along the city’s beaches at night to collect and transfer turtle nests so the eggs are not vandalized by beach-goers or eaten by dogs. “We have found only four nests so far, which is also really worrying,” he said.

Environmentalists have been seeing at least ten dead turtles every day for the past few days, sometimes much more. It’s the highest number officials have seen since 2014, when more than 900 olive ridley turtles were found dead along the southern Indian coast. Most of the deaths can be attributed to fishing nets on the sea floor.

Manish Meena, the city’s wildlife warden, said groups have been actively trying to create awareness among fishers to release turtles that might get caught in nets and have also asked the coastguard to monitor fishing activity.

A local government order was also implemented in 2016 to stop trawl boats from casting giant nets that sweep up everything on the ocean floor from getting within five nautical miles of the coastline during turtle nesting season. The law also mandates devices known as turtle excluder devices, that can help turtles escape nets.

Olive ridley turtles’ eggs need two months to hatch. Over 500,000 turtles nest every year in beaches further up India’s east coast in Odisha state — a

mass nesting phenomenon that turtle conservationists call Arribada. But only one in about 1,000 turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood.

Russia-Iran Partnership Treaty

Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, the presidents of Russia and Iran, respectively, met in Moscow on Friday to sign a 20-year agreement that strengthens the two countries’ relationship economically and militarily and in areas such as science, education, and culture.

The treaty was lauded by Putin as a “real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region.” Pezeshkian framed the agreement as “a new chapter of strategic relations” that would boost trade ties and “security cooperation” between the two countries.

Putin shared his hopes for Iran and Russia’s trade ties to improve by using Azerbaijan to transport Russian natural gas to Iran and by constructing transport corridors to Iranian ports in the Gulf.

The treaty came just days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump has vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and to adopt a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran. Russia and Iran likely signed the agreement to counter potential sanctions and tariffs from the Trump administration. Though the U.S. has sanctioned Russia, Tehran fears economic punishment from the West, as it’s already grappling with a worsening economic crisis and a multitude of recent military setbacks, such as the ones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon. Thus, Iran and Russia’s new agreement, which boosts trade between the two nations, is intended to help the two countries survive and respond to U.S. attacks on their economies.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, has rejected speculation that the treaty was intentionally scheduled

with Trump’s inauguration in mind, asserting that the meeting’s date had been set a long time ago.

Last year, Russia signed a treaty with North Korea. In that situation, Moscow and Pyongyang agreed to assist each other militarily, while Russia and Iran have made no such agreement.

Tehran is particularly interested in purchasing Russian weapons, including long-range air defense systems and fighter jets, to defend against and attack Israel.

“They come from another side of the world to make chaos in the region,” Pezeshkian said to Putin, condemning the United States for its involvement in global conflicts. “These ties will defuse their plot, definitely.”

Regarding the prospect of peace in Ukraine, Pezeshkian declared that “war is not a solution,” and said that the U.S. and European countries should “avoid imposing excessive demands” and recognize the “security concerns” of other countries.

This is Pezeshkian’s third visit to Russia since he became president in July. In 1991, after the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia and Iran became trade allies. Notably, Moscow has become a crucial weapons and technologies supplier for Tehran, since other countries have sanctioned Tehran. In 2013, Iran opened its first nuclear plant, which was Russian built. Russia is currently constructing two other nuclear reactors in Iran. In 2015, Russia and six other nuclear powers agreed to the Iran deal with Tehran, which lifted sanctions against Iran if it agreed to stop developing nuclear weapons. After the U.S. exited the deal, Russia sided with Iran politically.

Throughout Syria’s civil war, both Russia and Iran supported ex-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose government fell to rebels in December.

S. Korean President Arrested

Last Wednesday, South Korea, for the first time in its history, arrested a sitting president. Authorities arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached on December 14, on suspicion of insurrection following his surprising declaration of martial law on December 3, which ended shortly thereafter.

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Since Yoon has refused to speak to authorities, investigators on Friday requested an extension on the deadline for holding the president. The following day, a judge approved the request, allowing authorities to hold Yoon for another twenty days, given concerns “that the suspect may destroy evidence.”

In response to the court’s decision to extend Yoon’s detention, hundreds of his supporters attacked a court building early Sunday. According to footage, some of which was live-streamed on YouTube, rioters entered the building after breaking windows, blasted fire extinguishers at police guards, destroyed office equipment, fittings, and furniture, and reportedly injured nine police officers, all while chanting Yoon’s name. It took a few hours for police to

gain control of the situation. Authorities promptly arrested 46 demonstrators and said they hoped to arrest others involved in the riot.

“The government expresses strong regret over the illegal violence…which is unimaginable in a democratic society,” said acting President Choi Sangmok, urging police to increase security around gatherings.

Yoon’s legal team also called the incident “unfortunate,” while maintaining the president’s innocence.

According to an emergency responder, around 40 individuals sustained minor wounds.

Currently, Yoon is being detained at the Seoul Detention Centre in a solitary cell. The Democratic Party, which is behind the president’s detention, branded the court’s warrant a “cornerstone” for restoring stability and slammed “riots” by the “far-right.” The People Power Party (PPP), Yoon’s party, called the extension a “great pity.”

Yoon’s attorneys allege his arrest was unlawful, as the issued warrant was from the wrong jurisdiction, and it wasn’t within the prosecutors’ right to

launch this investigation.

South Korean presidents are not immune to insurrection charges, which Yoon may face. Those guilty of insurrection could face the death penalty, though South Korea hasn’t executed anyone in almost three decades.

A separate investigation is being carried out by the Constitutional Court, which is considering whether to finalize Yoon’s impeachment by ousting him or to return him to power.

Immediately following Yoon’s declaration of martial law, public approval for the PPP fell. Since then, however, support has gone back up. As of Friday, 39% support PPP, while just 36% support the Democratic Party.

Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and in Judea and Samaria, including some carried out by Israeli citizens.

Another seven members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in Judea and Samaria. Much of the violence has been concentrated near Nablus, Jenin and other Palestinian cities in the northern area.

At least 6,000 wanted Palestinians have been arrested in Judea and Samaria since the October 7th massacre; more than 2,350 of them were affiliated with Hamas. At least 850 Palestinians in Judea and Samaria have been killed in that same time period, most of them terrorists.

Trump Removes Biden

Sanctions on “Settlers”

More Pain

Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda was killed when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Tamun, in Judea and Samaria. Four other soldiers from the Ephraim Regional BriReserve Battalion were wounded in the attack late Sunday

Eviatar, 31, was the driver of the vehicle. The battalion commander, who was sitting next to him, was seriand have been killed by roadside bombs in Judea and Samaria. frequently plant improvised explosive under roads to attack Israeli forces carrying out arrest raids. The IDF endeavors to destroy these devices by ripping up roads with armored bulldozers before entering with light-

Violence in Judea and Samaria has increased tremendously since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Since then, 46 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in

On Monday, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order rolling back sanctions implemented by President Biden targeting Israeli “settlers” in Judea and Samaria.

Trump signed the executive order just hours after being sworn into office at a rally in front of thousands of supporters.

Biden had issued the sanctions by executive order on February 1, 2023. He had said that violence in the “West Bank” was destabilizing.

Biden’s sanctions targeted 17 individuals and 16 entities in eight separate actions over the past year. The most recent sanction by Biden sanctioned the Amana development arm of the settler movement. The leaders of Amana were invited to Trump’s inauguration on Monday, highlighting the huge contrast between the Trump and Biden administrations in their stance toward Israel.

Earlier in January, two of the Israelis sanctioned by Biden sued the Biden administration for targeting them, arguing that they were ineligible because they are also U.S. citizens. The executive order had only covered foreign nationals. Last week, two U.S. officials ad-

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mitted that the administration didn’t properly vet the two plaintiffs and wouldn’t have designated them had it known that they were dual nationals.

IDF Chief to Resign

Citing his failure to prevent and predict the October 7, 2023 massacre, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi announced on Tuesday that he will be resigning from his position on March 6.

Halevi sent his resignation intentions in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. He will have served two years and two months for a position that generally has a three-year term.

Despite the failure of preventing the massacre, Halevi noted his and the IDF’s recent successes, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Assad regime in Syria, against Iran, and in forcing Hamas into a hostage exchange deal that started this week.

In addition, Halevi said that the IDF, during his tenure, managed to hold down terror in Judea and Samaria to low enough levels, which allowed the military to focus most of its efforts on the two major fronts with Hamas and Hezbollah.

The IDF chief recognized that the country’s war aims are still open, including eliminating Hamas’s political control of Gaza and returning the remaining hostages to their families. Over the next six weeks, Halevi said he will make sure to issue the IDF’s report on the October 7 failures and help to manage the current ceasefire and potential transition to a permanent ceasefire.

Since Katz took over the defense ministry from Yoav Gallant in November he has been pushing for Halevi to retire. Many see Halevi as the one to blame for the October 7 attacks. Others believe that he stayed in his position too long after the massacre.

Katz Frees “Settlers”

On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would release Israeli “settlers” who are under administrative detention orders.

He made the decision in response to the hostage-ceasefire deal Israel and Hamas agreed to last Thursday, which is expected to see the release of up to 1,900 Palestinians, including at least 700 terrorists, in exchange for 33 of the hostages the terror group took on October 7.

“In light of the expected release of terrorists from Judea and Samaria as part of the hostage release deal, I have decided to release the settlers held in administrative detention,” said Katz, adding that his decision was made to “convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the settlements, which are at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and face growing security challenges.”

“It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists,” added Katz.

Katz’s move follows his decision in November to end new administrative detention orders for Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria. Administrative detention orders, which allow authorities to detain suspects without charges, would thus only be used against Palestinians suspected of terrorism.

“In a reality where the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria is subject to serious Palestinian terror threats and unjustified international sanctions are taken against the settlers, it is not appropriate for the State of Israel to take such a severe measure against the people of the settlements,” Katz stated in November.

As of Katz’s November announcement, seven Israelis were detained under administrative detention orders issued by Yoav Gallant, Israel’s ex-defense minister, who also ordered the administrative detention for nine others during his tenure.

The Shin Bet said the defense minister didn’t inform the agency of the move

before making the announcement, nor did Katz seek advice from the Shin Bet. Last June, Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, said ending administrative detention orders for Israelis “will result in an immediate, severe, and serious harm to the security of the state” in situations where authorities have reason to believe that an Israeli may attack Palestinians.

Katz’s announcement also coincides with the Israeli government’s latest initiatives to fight terrorism in Judea and Samaria, a measure meant to persuade Betzalel Smotrich, the finance minister, against exiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition in a demonstration against the new ceasefire agreement.

Bringing Them Home

Three female hostages were returned home to their families in Israel after 471 days of being held captive by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. Their release came as a result of a ceasefire-hostage deal reached last Thursday.

Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released on Sunday to the Red Cross, which transported the three young women to top Israeli officials in Gaza around half an hour later. Romi was kidnapped at the Supernova music festival. Hamas abducted Emily and Doron, a veterinary nurse, from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The three hostages are believed to be in good physical health. After the Red Cross brought them to Israeli officials in Gaza, the three were brought to an IDF complex, where they would receive initial treatment, meet with military representatives, doctors, psychologists, and mental health officers, and, at long last, be reunited with their mothers.

Images were later released by the IDF of the mothers and daughters hugging one another at the complex. After reuniting with her mother, photos show Emily, a British-Israeli citizen, and her mother smiling on a video call with fam-

ily members. In one shot, Emily held up a bandaged hand, revealing that she lost two of her fingers on October 7 after her hand was shot.

Hamas gave the three hostages what the terror group called “gift bags” and “certificates” prior to their release, as shown in a propaganda video. Reportedly, images of the hostages while in captivity were inside the bags.

After spending some time at the complex, officials flew the three by military chopper to Safra Children’s Hospital at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, which was chosen due to its quietness and privacy, where the three women were reunited with the rest of their families and received new clothes, toiletries, beauty care, and specially prepared meals. Special medical staff examined them, while support personnel looked after the three.

Hundreds gathered near the hospital to wish the released hostages well. When the ambulances arrived at the hospital, the girls sang the song, “Am Yisrael Chai,” while a crowd of people cheered.

According to Dr. Yael Frankel-Nir, the director of Tel Hashomer Hospital, the freed hostages were physically healthy enough “to focus on the important thing, which is reuniting with their families, and to postpone delving into medical issues for a few hours.”

When news of their release was reported, around 2,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and watched as pictures of the freed hostages were shared on a screen. After officials confirmed the release, the people applauded, with some releasing yellow balloons curled into a yellow ribbon’s shape in solidarity with the hostages.

According to Channel 12, the women were not held alone in their time of captivity. They said they were moved to various places throughout Gaza, including the designated “humanitarian zone” in the south of the Strip. Most of their time was spent underground.

They said that from time to time, they were exposed to television and radio news, including protests calling for the government to secure the release of the hostages held in Gaza.

“We saw your struggle,” the former hostages were quoted as saying. “We heard our families fighting for us.”

One of them said, “I didn’t think I would come back. I thought I’d die in Gaza.”

As per the hostage deal’s first phase,

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which should run for 42 days, Israel is expected to release almost 2,000 Palestinians, including many terrorists and murderers, in exchange for 33 hostages who were abducted by Hamas during the terror group’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel. Most of the 33 named abductees are supposed to be alive and are either women, children, men older than age 50, or men who are sick or wounded.

On October 7, Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. In November 2023, a short-lived hostage deal saw the release of 105 of those abductees, while the IDF has since rescued eight hostages and recovered the bodies of 40. Currently, 91 hostages are in captivity, at least 34 of whom have perished, according to the IDF.

On Saturday, four more female hostages are expected to be brought home.

Oron Shaul, HY”D, Recovered From Gaza

During the 2014 Gaza war, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on July 20 in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, during which seven soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion died, including Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul,

thanks to a covert operation conducted in northern Gaza late last week and early this week by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and multiple special forces units.

The news, which came Sunday morning just before the ceasefire began, was announced by the Israel Defense Forces. Authorities brought Shaul’s remains to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Israel for identification, after which his family was informed.

“I embrace the dear Shaul family, and congratulate the Shin Bet and IDF forces for their resourcefulness and courage,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that pictures of Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, another deceased soldier whose body has been held in Gaza since 2014, “have been on display in my office for many years as a daily reminder of my responsibility to bring them home.” Terrorists murdered Gordin later in that same war.

The premier added that the Jewish state has now “completed the mission to bring back Oron, and we will not rest or be silent until we bring home Hadar Goldin. We’ll continue to work to bring all of the hostages home — both the living and the fallen.”

Israel Katz, the minister of defense, issued a similar statement, adding that he embraces the Shaul family and “salute[s] the soldiers and commanders of the security forces who worked for years with dedication to return Oron for burial in Israel.”

Katz shared that it was “a difficult moment, but also [a moment of] coming full circle for the Shaul family, who never stopped working to bring their son home.”

ister Itamar Ben Gvir, resigned from the government in protest of the ongoing hostage-ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Ben Gvir, Amichai Eliyahu, the heritage minister, and Yitzhak Wasserlauf, the minister of the Negev, Galilee, and national resilience, stepped down from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, leaving the premier with little time to select replacements.

Otzma Yehudit’s exit decreases Netanyahu’s coalition majority in the Knesset from 68 out of 120 to either 62 or 63, depending on the solutions of complicated deals between Otzma Yehudit and Betzalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, which ran jointly in 2022 and later split.

It is believed that Netanyahu will replace Ben Gvir with someone from the prime minister’s Likud party, thus giving the now-former national security minister a chance to return to the position if he changes his mind. However, Netanyahu doesn’t have many options, as some prospective successors, including Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and Social Equality Minister May Golan, are involved in police investigations.

One source claimed that while “nothing is ever final until announced,” Netanyahu is eyeing Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a former Shin Bet director and veteran of the IDF’s elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, to succeed Ben Gvir. Israel Hayom daily, however, reports that if Ditcher declines the offer, which he very well may, then Netanyahu could potentially select Cohen, even amid an investigation into allegations that the energy minister improperly issued diplomatic passports to Netanyahu’s son Yair and a number of top Likud members.

Eliyahu’s decision to step down will force Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot to resign as well. If Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich chooses to reoccupy his Knesset seat, he would force the resignation of Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, which would in turn lead to an empty spot on the Judicial Selection Committee.

Otzma Yehudit member Limor Son Har-Melech, the former chairwoman of the Special Committee for Oversight of the Israeli Citizens’ Fund in the Knesset, said her party might rejoin the coalition “when the right will truly be the right.”

Biden Commutes More Sentences

Joe Biden became super busy the last few days on the job. The outgoing president said on Friday that he was commuting 2,500 criminal sentences for nonviolent drug offenses that he described as “disproportionately long” compared to modern-day sentences. The commutations went to people who received lengthy sentences based on “discredited” and “outdated” sentencing practices, including distinctions between crack and powder cocaine. As a senator, Biden helped craft a 1986 bill that gave someone who sold 5 grams of crack cocaine the same punishment as a 500-gram-powder-cocaine seller.

According to reports, David Amsalem, the minister of regional cooperation, “is angling” to become the next minister of the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience. Eliyahu’s post as heritage minister could potentially be merged with another ministry.

In late 2023, the Finance Ministry found the ministries of Wasserlauf and Eliyahu to be superfluous and thus recommended shutting them and several other ministries down.

The 100:1 disparity meant street-level sellers got harsher sentences than wholesale dealers, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Many of those affected were Black offenders. In 2010, Congress reduced the ratio to 18:1.

“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” Biden said on Friday.

Biden had previously pardoned his

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son, Hunter, on December 1, despite consistent denials that he would do so. Hunter had been convicted of gun- and tax-related offenses after a jury trial in one case and a guilty plea in another.

On December 12, Biden granted 39 pardons to people convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted 1,499 sentences. On December 23, Biden commuted the sentences of most federal death row inmates to life in prison – 37 of the 40 prisoners.

“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden exulted on Friday.

U.S. Sues Southwest Airlines

The federal government sued Southwest Airlines last Wednesday, accusing the airline of harming passengers who flew on two routes that were plagued by consistent delays in 2022.

In a lawsuit, the Transportation Department said it was seeking more than $2.1 million in civil penalties over the flights between airports in Chicago and Oakland, California, as well as Baltimore and Cleveland, that were chronically delayed over five months that year.

“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said in a statement.

Carriers are barred from operating unrealistic flight schedules, which the Transportation Department considers an unfair, deceptive and anticompetitive practice. A “chronically delayed” flight is defined as one that operates at least 10 times a month and is late by at least 30 minutes more than half the time.

In a statement, Southwest said it was “disappointed” that the department chose to sue over the flights that took place more than two years ago. The airline said it had operated 20 million flights since the Transportation Department enacted its policy against chron-

ically delayed flights more than a decade ago, with no other violations.

Last year, Southwest canceled fewer than 1% of its flights, but more than 22% arrived at least 15 minutes later than scheduled, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines all had fewer such delays.

In the lawsuit, the government said that a Southwest flight from Chicago to Oakland arrived late 19 out of 25 trips in April 2022, with delays averaging more than an hour. The consistent delays continued through August of that year. On another flight, between Baltimore and Cleveland, average delay times reached as high as 96 minutes per month during the same period. In a statement, the department said that Southwest, rather than poor weather or air traffic control, was responsible for more than 90% of the delays.

The government said Southwest had violated federal rules 58 times in August 2022 after four months of consistent delays. (© The New York Times)

Marco Rubio Confirmed as Sec. of State

On Monday, the first day of President Trump’s second term in office, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Marcio Rubio as Secretary of State, handing Trump the first member of his Cabinet on Inauguration Day.

“Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy,” Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the senior-most Republican, said as the chamber opened.

The Republican senator from Florida was among the least controversial of Trump’s nominees and the vote was decisive, 99-0.

It is often tradition for the Senate to convene immediately after the ceremonial pomp of the inauguration to begin putting the new president’s team in place, particularly the national se-

curity officials.

With Trump’s return to the White House, and his Republican Party controlling majorities in Congress, his outsider Cabinet choices are more clearly falling into place, despite initial skepticism and opposition from both sides of the aisle.

Rubio, who was surrounded by colleagues in the Senate chamber, said after the vote that he feels “good, but there’s a lot of work ahead.”

“It’s an important job in an important time, and I’m honored by it,” Rubio said.

More Cabinet members are expected to be going through confirmation hearings this week.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously advanced Rubio’s nomination late Monday. The Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee, respectively, voted to move the nominations of Hegseth and Ratcliffe. The Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced nominees Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary and Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget, but with opposition.

As secretary of state, Rubio would be the nation’s top diplomat and the first Latino to hold the position. He was born in Miami to immigrants from Cuba and has long been involved in foreign affairs, particularly in South America. He has been vocal about China’s influence around the world and has been a staunch ally of Israel.

During his confirmation hearing last week that focused heavily on Israel, Rubio said he supported revoking visas of anyone in the country who supports the Hamas terror group and backed an expansion of the Trump-era Abraham Accords.

“Without speaking out of turn, I’m confident in saying that President Trump’s administration will continue to be perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history,” Rubio said.

Rubio will be taking over for Antony Blinken, who served under the Biden administration.

FDA Bans Red No. 3

The Food and Drug Administration approved Red No. 3 dye for use in foods

in 1907. Last Wednesday, the FDA announced that it will be banning the artificial dye—which gives a bright red cherry color to 9,200 food items, such as candies, cereals, and milkshakes— because of the dye’s links to cancer in animals.

Food companies will have until January 15, 2027 to remove the dye from their foods, while companies who use the dye for ingested drugs, including dietary supplements, will have until 2028.

“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals,” stated Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy director for human foods. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a food and health watchdog, and other advocacy groups and lawmakers have called on the FDA to ban Red No. 3. CSPI’s president, Dr. Peter Lurie, said, “At long last, the FDA is ending the regulatory paradox of Red 3 being illegal for use in lipstick but perfectly legal to feed to children in the form of candy,” referencing the FDA’s 1990 ban on the dye’s use in cosmetics, based on concerns that the coloring is carcinogenic.

In the 1980s, a study showed that male rats developed tumors after being exposed to high doses of Red No. 3.

The FDA’s move came days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump nominated as health and human services secretary, said he would work to ban artificial colorings in food items if he’s confirmed by the Senate.

Some links have been found between the consumption of artificial dyes and hyperactivity in children, although the FDA rejected such findings in 2011.

In 2023, California became the first state to ban Red No. 3. Jesse Gabriel, a Democratic assemblyman who introduced the California School Food Safety Act and the state’s ban against the dye, said he was happy with the FDA’s move.

“To me, this is a clear indication that our strategy of putting pressure on Washington and putting pressure on the FDA to look at these issues more closely, to step up to the plate and take their regulatory responsibilities seriously, is working,” said Gabriel, who pointed out the bipartisan nature of the war against artificial dyes.

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TikTok Talk

Following the Supreme Court ruling to uphold a ban on TikTok, the social media app briefly shut down in the United States on Saturday night, with Apple and Google deleting TikTok’s parent company ByteDance’s apps off their app stores in compliance with the law.

However, just over 12 hours later, TikTok’s app was restored in the U.S. after then-President-elect Donald Trump vowed to delay the ban on TikTok upon his return to the Oval Office.

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the TikTok Policy’s account on X posted Sunday. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over seven million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

TikTok, which has become the world’s most downloaded social and entertainment app since its launch in 2018, can avoid a ban in the U.S. if ByteDance, a Chinese company, sells the app. Several parties have placed bids or expressed interest in purchasing TikTok, including Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and Trump’s newly appointed advisor for the Department of Government Efficiency; MrBeast, a famous YouTuber; and Project Liberty, which was founded by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

President Donald Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint ven-

ture.” Trump on Friday said he discussed a number of issues, including TikTok, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“It’s not the platform that members of Congress are concerned about. It’s the Chinese Communist party,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said, suggesting that China uses TikTok to collect information about U.S. citizens. “The Chinese Communist Party is not our friend, and we have to make sure this changes hands.”

Following its brief shutdown, TikTok users flocked to alternatives, including Chinese social media app Rednote, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Fanbase, and Twitch.

TikTok has been banned or restricted in other countries besides the U.S., including China, where users can only use a separate app specifically for Chinese users; India; the European Union, which bans the app on government staff devices; Canada, which bans TikTok on government-issued phones; Britain, which bans the app on government or civil servant devices; Australia, which bans the app on federal government devices; Taiwan; Pakistan; and New Zealand.

In 2023, the U.S. banned TikTok from government-issued devices. In 2024, Congress passed the TikTok sellor-ban bill, which was signed into law by then-President Joe Biden.

A Boar-ing Best Friend

Rillette is Elodie Cappe’s perfect pet. In fact, the wild boar has been living with Cappe for more than a year.

But French authorities weren’t too happy that a huge, 220-pound pig was living with her and demanded that Rillette either be killed or moved to another, more fitting residence.

Animal activists worldwide decried the decree. Several petitions were enacted on the web calling for Rillette to remain as is. Last week, the court ruled that non-domesticated animals can only be held by private individuals if they are from a recognized breeding center.

“Nowhere,” the court said, did the law state that “they need to be born and bred in captivity.”

Cappe, a horse breeder, found Rillette in 2023 when he was a piglet near a complex of stables she runs.

Cappe’s lawyer says that Rillette is the perfect pet, having met all the requirements, including being vaccinated.

Sounds like he’s the whole hog.

Sad Sunfish

A Japanese aquarium noticed that its sunfish wasn’t doing well. But how do you make a fish happy?

Well, the fish began to show signs of sadness when the Kaikyokan Aquarium closed for renovations in December. One staff member had a great idea.

“We couldn’t figure out the cause and took various measures, but one of the staff members said, ‘Maybe it’s lonely because it misses the visitors?’ We thought 99% chance ‘No way!’ But we attached the uniforms of the staff members (to the tank)” with a little bit of hope, the aquarium said.

The aquarium stuck cardboard cut-

outs of people onto the tank, to convince the fish that it was receiving visitors.

“Then…the next day, it was in good health again!”

Staff have been waving at the sunfish, too, in an effort to cheer it up. Staffers say that maybe the fish is curious about who was visiting and swam up to the front of the tank. After the visitors left because of the renovations, employees saw that the fish stopped eating its jellyfish meals and began to rub its body against the tank, leading staff to suspect that it had developed digestive issues or was infected by parasites.

Now, it’s happily swimming, as its fake visitors give it the wave.

And that’s the o-fish-ial story.

Pineapple on a Pizza

Like pineapple on your cheesy slice? In the UK, it may cost you.

It costs around $15 for a pie of pizza at Lupa Pizza in Norwich. But if you’re ordering pineapple on top of your dinner, you’ll be charged $122 for the topping.

The pizza is available on the restaurant’s menu, alongside the caption: “Yeah, for £100 you can have it. Order the champagne, too. Go on, you Monster!”

Turns out that the owners of the shop don’t love pineapple as a pizza topping.

“I absolutely loathe pineapple on a pizza,” co-owner Francis Woolf explained.

The debate between pineapple-toppers and pineapple-loathers is intense any way you slice it.

The shop is encouraging people to state their views loud and clear.

“We are looking forward to an influx of pro- and anti-pineapple campaigners voting with their feet and wallets! Little scuffle in the street. All televised,” the shop wrote on Facebook. That’s all we “knead.”

Torah Thought Blood Money

By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

The onslaught begins. The Almighty unleashes a series of ten plagues that will reveal to a world that has descended to darkness, the truth of His mastery of the universe. Theses ten plagues correspond to the ten utterances the world was created with, since its intent is to restore this absolute truth. A perfect world that began its descent as a result of the first sin committed by Adam and Chava, followed in suit by the faulty generations of the flood, deluge and denizens of Sodom and Amorah, would now revive through the Children of Israel, the beloved descendants of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, who would bear the original mission of Man by leaving Egypt and journey to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and the full Torah embodied within it, that would express G-d’s original intent in creation.

Each of the plagues is an assault against those who have corrupted this truth in attempting to exert power and control alleging total independence from a Higher Power, claiming their exclusive control of their own destiny.

These plagues will not only exhibit G-d’s domination of all forces in the world but will punish the Egyptians in the manner of ‘measure for measure’, being precisely sent to exact from them retribution for their specific abuses they foisted upon the Jewish people.

The Midrash reveals that the transforming of all bodies of water into blood was meant to reprove them for having prevented the Jewish wives from immersing in water to purify themselves from the impurity of their monthly cycles, that cruelly dis-

abled them from returning to family life with their spouses. These entities of water would now come to taunt them in kind, crippling them from any of the life supporting benefits of water, chief among them the drinking and nourishing of their bodies from these vital waters.

Rabbeinu Bechaye points out it is for this reason that the Torah explicitly mentions the length of a seven-day plague exclusively by Blood to intimate its parallel to the weeklong impurity of a menstruant woman

Although restricting the women from adhering to the laws of family purity was certainly a painful reality, but was this appropriately the very first crime, among the long list of heinous offenses, to be dealt with? What about the killing of their babies?

The torturous backbreaking labor? Risking their lives by sending them into areas infested with man-eating animals? The pressing of children into walls to supplant the quota of bricks? What is it about this agony that warrants it being addressed first?

The Midrash also mentions another fascinating detail that made this plague unique.

The Egyptians were literally dying of thirst as the verse states this plague lasted a week. How did they survive? The Midrash relates how although when the Egyptians attempted to drink from the clear water in the Jewish-owned vessels, the water nevertheless turned into blood, however, when they proffered money to purchase the water it would remain freshwater. The Jews took advantage of the situation during this time, becoming very wealthy.

It seems that the stereotype of the Jewish capitalist goes back to the onset of our journey as a nation.

What is the message?

The first sin of man, we are taught, was due to a lack of appreciation of Chava by Adam. After Adam was challenged by G-d as to why he sinned, he immediately blames it on his wife — emphasizing in his response to G-d — “The woman whom You gave to be with me”. As a result of her not feeling valued she became vulnerable to the seductions of the snake. And the rest is history.

Amongst the punishments meted out to Adam and Chava, was the impurity of Niddah. Every month a couple would have to remain physically apart. This wasn’t meant to create greater distance but rather to remove them temporarily from the physical drive that bonds them — often inaccurately — and give them time to perceive each other more objectively, focusing on the person they truly are, the greatness that resides within them, removing from the equation the material pleasure they may receive from one another.

The refusal to properly appreciate an individual leads us down the path of not only destroying the relationships of those closest to us but invades and infects our attitude towards everyone at large. We become preoccupied with our own needs, ultimately becoming insensitive at best or abusive at worst, to those in our social circle or in our employ, blinded by selfish need and ambition.

That is precisely where the decadent Egyptians ended up, eventually

treating their ‘slaves’ worse than they would their animals.

When the owners of the Jewish slaves came begging for water in desperation one can only imagine the reluctance of these tortured slaves to have pity on them. The Egyptians obviously offered to pay for the water. The great Maggid Reb Sholom Shvadron would animatedly describe these negotiations adding that proportionate to the level of pain and agony they inflicted on their slave was the price the Jewish slave placed on the water.

This activity was a lesson to their owners to gain renewed appreciation for their charges and begin to fathom the insensitivity they foisted on these poor souls. It was the very first step in bringing humanity back to G-d’s original plan, and correctly the point from where to begin that ascent.

The illustrious disciple of the holy Baal Shem, Reb Yaakov Yosef of Polana, suggests in jest, that when the Torah states, םד היהו — there shall be blood, לכב— throughout, םירצמ ץרא — the land of Egypt, the word םד, can alternately mean ‘value’, as the word used for ‘money’ is םימד, alluding to the opportunity to rake in the money as illustrated in the Midrash.

Perhaps it is no joke, and the Torah is teaching us to look deeper into the value of things, appreciating them — not for the personal pleasure it may bring — but in the opportunities it provides each one of us to utilize those values in positive ways to restoring our world to those idyllic days in Gan Eden.

You may reach the author at: Ravzt@ ohelmoshebaltimore.com

PARSHA

OVERVIEW

Hashem speaks to Moshe Rabbeinu about the redemption of the Jewish people. Moshe and Aharon are appointed as the redeemers, and Hashem promises to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Aharon performs a miracle in front of Pharaoh. The Ten Plagues begin: Blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, death of cattle, boils, and hail. Hashem hardens the heart of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh still refuses to send out the Jewish people.

TSorahparks

Inspiration Everywhere

Parshas Vaeira on

QUICK VORT

Quotable Quote

“To build a society of freedom, you have to let go of hate.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l

GEMATRIA

The gematria of

is 1,176.

One of the messages of this phrase (see quick vort) is the importance of not limiting one’s spirituality.

- when there is a limitation and reduction of spirituality, then

we often experience hardship, i.e. a life stripped away from meaning and spirituality is a life of suffering.

The passuk in Tehilim (116:17) -

also has the gematria of 1,176. Instead of limiting our spirituality, let us increase our spirituality and connection with Hashem!

Rabbi Ori Strum is the author of Ready. Set. Grow. (Mosaica Press).

His shiurim and other Jewish content can be found on Torah Anytime and Meaningful Minute. He also likes your feedback: rabbistrumo@gmail.com

We can learn a valuable lesson from the passage in the Torah that tells us the Jewish people experienced השק הדבעו

- shortness of breath and hard labor.

On some level, perhaps the phrase השק

רצק can be understood as an if-you-do-thisthen-this can happen.

The Jewish people are successful when their spiritual intake and focus is up to G-d’s par, so-to-speak.

When we are experiencing חור רצקa shortness, a limitation, a reduction of חור , i.e., spirituality, then that is a recipe for a life of השק

, great hardship and toiling, ch’v.

The more spiritually focused we are in life, the easier our “work” is going to be, because the more we include Hashem in our lives, the more He helps us along the way.

Have a holy Shabbos!

Pesukim - 121

Likutei Moharan teaches that the words

are referring to their being of little faith, and ergo, needing avoda kasha, difficult devotions, fasting, etc.

When there is “smallness” and blemished faith, one has to perform difficult work.

May we work on instilling proper faith in Hashem, which makes us bigger, not smaller!

Every time the Egyptians hit the frog, more and more frogs emerged. Why did the not stop hitting the frog?

What was going through their mind?

Do we fall into a similar trap in our lives?

Every president strives to create a legacy that will be part of the headline in their obituary. They crave policy achievements or a foreign triumph with which their name will always be associated, while at the same time seeking to avoid the sort of disgrace or defeat to which they will also forever be linked.

In just the last century, though there are cogent critiques to be made of even those presidents considered successful, leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan will always be remembered for their great successes. Though not in the same class as those two, Barack Obama will go down in history as the nation’s first African-American president, who created an eponymous national health-care plan that will likely endure. On the other end of the spectrum, Richard Nixon’s and Bill Clinton’s places in the annals of the presidency will be confined to their scandals. George W. Bush’s blundering into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that turned out to be disastrous quagmires will overshadow his post-9/11 leadership.

But Joe Biden is in a class by himself.

No president in living memory—or perhaps ever—has been supplanted even before he left the White House in the way that President Joe Biden has been by Donald Trump, who is both predecessor and successor. Trump played a decisive role in the ceasefire/hostage deal between Israel and Hamas while Biden was still technically the commander-in-chief. Trump eclipsed Biden on a policy question in a way no other president-elect and his aides had ever done.

The Absent President

As appalling as that may be, it’s a fitting end to a presidency that will likely be primarily remembered for his mental decline, as well as an undistinguished

Israel Today

The Pathetic Finish to Joe Biden’s Failed Presidency

By Jonathan S. Tobin

four-year interregnum bookended by Trump’s two administrations.

But as it fades into memory, it’s important for his successors to learn from his many mistakes and never repeat them.

Evaluations of a president about whom the best it could be said that, as a largely favorable review in Foreign Policy magazine put it, “He meant well,” will inevitably be impacted by partisanship.

Yet Democrats who supported him and his policies are even more hostile to Biden these days than Republicans. That’s because they blame Trump’s victory on Biden’s stubborn refusal to give up a bid for a second term, despite his obvious growing mental incapacity. His decline was conclusively exposed in a June 2024 presidential debate. That led to a coup by party elites to force his withdrawal from the race and replace the candidacy by Vice President Kamala Harris, who was equally unlikely to beat Trump.

The last months of Biden’s presidency have been largely characterized as a shadow game in which it isn’t clear who is

actually in charge. There’s good reason to believe that it wasn’t the president, who seemed even more out of touch with reality and less mentally present than ever. Fears that Biden would mimic Obama and stab Israel in the back at the United Nations on his way out of office turned out to be unfounded. But the reason for that may be as much a function of a power vacuum at the top of the administration as anything else. That made it hard for the Jewish state’s many foes in the West Wing and the U.S. State Department to make as simple a decision as not exercising a veto on an anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. Security Council.

This kind of cluelessness was on display in both of the president’s farewell speeches.

His boastful address at the State Department when he made the astounding claim that he had improved America’s standing in the world, strengthened alliances, and weakened foes was a classic exercise in denial, if not completely delusional.

Weakness Set the World on Fire

Biden admitted no mistakes—not even the over-hasty and poorly planned withdrawal from Afghanistan that turned into a bloody rout that left Americans and Afghan allies dead and put the Taliban back in power. The episode epitomized the fecklessness and weakness of the administration with war in Ukraine and the Middle East as the inevitable result.

The president took credit for helping Ukraine hold off a Russian invasion, but that initial success took place before the massive infusions of $175 billion in U.S. aid arrived. Moreover, the war would never have occurred had not Biden convinced Russia’s authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin that he would never respond with strength to provocations the way Trump had done. The main impact of Biden on that war was to ensure that it dragged on pointlessly, while casualties grew on both sides as he refused to work on ending the conflict, rather than prolonging it.

One of the main themes of American foreign policy during the last four years was a return to Obama’s strategy of appeasing Iran. The 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran proved to be a disaster since far from stopping its push for a weapon of mass destruction, it guaranteed that the Islamist regime would eventually get one. Biden’s attempt to revive it was even worse since Tehran not only happily accepted the relaxation of Trump’s tough sanctions and the unfreezing of billions of frozen funds; its leaders accelerated their push for a bomb and doubled down on their support for terrorism throughout the region.

The attacks in Jewish communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the war that followed an orgy of Palestinian atrocities were in no small measure caused by the Biden foreign-policy

team of Obama alumni’s mindset about the Middle East. Their former boss was convinced that the United States needed to pivot away from traditional allies like Israel and s audi Arabia. This was partly rooted in a belief in multilateralism and diplomacy for its own sake.

Yet there was something more to it than that. Obama embraced woke ideas about critical race theory and intersectionality even before most Americans had heard of them. That was why he proclaimed misguided guilt about past American sins against muslim nations and other Third World people. Biden was merely mimicking Obama’s desire to create a new balance of power in the Middle East centered on a rapprochement with Iran that the Islamist regime wanted no part of.

Instead, they viewed Washington’s pathetic attempts to tempt them to return to the weak nuclear pact as a signal that the West was vulnerable. The seven-front war against Israel organized by Tehran was their response to such weakness.

s o, far from strengthening America’s allies, Biden weakened them throughout the world. Instead of leaving Trump a stable and strong position from which

to operate, the president-elect is inheriting a world set on fire by a longtime Washington insider who was incapable of learning from his predecessors’ mistakes—or his own.

Gaslighting, Censorship and Antisemitism

His subsequent farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office was in some ways even more troubling. Sounding themes that were standard Democratic campaign rhetoric these past four years, he claimed that Trump and the Republicans were threatening democracy and instituting an “oligarchy” where the wealthy ruled and took away the rights of everyone else.

This was as ironic as it was untrue since it had been during his four years in office that the Democrats had completed their journey from its old stance as the party of the working people to one that is now solely aimed at protecting the interests of the credentialed elites.

Yet in the same speech, he lamented the end of “fact-checking” on Facebook, which was supposedly aimed at stopping “misinformation” but was really a censorship regime. Indeed, in his announcement and subsequent interviews about

the decision, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg confessed that it was a scheme largely driven by politics and used by the Biden administration to silence views on a wide range of issues that dissented from their policies.

As he had for four years, biden was gaslighting the country. He claimed that his foes were against democracy. But it was his Department of Justice that prosecuted Trump, his chief political opponent. It treated Americans who differed from liberal orthodoxy on gender ideology, critical race theory or abortion as if they were domestic terrorists while largely ignoring the very real threat of Islamist terror.

Biden was no ideologue; he was an unprincipled politician who always followed his party’s fashion of the day, whether it tilted right, as it did in the 1990s, or hard left, as it has in recent years. Elected as a moderate who would restore normalcy to the nation, he took his cues from left-wingers on most domestic issues. That’s why he became a supporter of the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and imposition of it throughout the government.

His policies not only enabled the same leftist ideology that fueled the un-

WEEKLY CALENDAR JANUARY 27TH-

precedented post-Oct. 7 surge of Jew-hatred that happened on his watch. His inability to unreservedly condemn those who engaged in antisemitic agitation on college campuses and elsewhere was motivated by a futile effort to rally support from his party’s intersectional left wing that he previously done so much to appease.

Biden proved that having a half-century of experience in government is no guarantee of wisdom, political or ethical principles or an ability to learn from the past. He also showed what happens when weakness is treated as a virtue rather than a liability.

he leaves office as a forgotten man who, regardless of one’s opinion of Trump, was largely overshadowed by him even when his opponent was out of office. Though historians will likely treat him as an accidental president better remembered for his decline in office than any achievements, his mistakes must be remembered. As pathetic as his exit from the White House has been, the record of failure he leaves behind is his true legacy.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate).

L CHAIM

Stimulating Activities For Adults - Delicious Kosher Meals

Tuesday January 28th Monday January 27th Wednesday January 29th

9:30 am

Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:00 am

Baking with Ms. Hirschman

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpParsha Issues in Parshas Va'era

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

2:00 pm

Music with Mr. Fried

9:30 am Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:15 am

Anagrams with Malka Zweig

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpKosher Wine History

1:00 pm BINGO 1:45 pm Guitar with Yossi K

9:30 am

Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:15 am

Anagrams with Malka Zweig

10:30 am

Bais Yaakov Middle School Visit

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi Karp- Halachos of meat, fish, and dairy

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

1:45 pm Guitar with Yossi K

Thursday January 30th

9:30 am Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:15 am

Anagrams with Malka Zweig

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi Karp - Hilchos Brachos

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra 1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

Friday January 31st

10:00 am

Baking with Ms. Hirschman

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpParshas Bo Overview and News from Israel

1:00 pm

Music with Aharon Grayson

Zmanim

courtesy of MyZmanim and are for the 21209 area. Havdalah Zmanim are at 40 minutes past Shkiah.

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah: EVERY 15 MINUTES

M-F: 6:15 AM, S-F: 6:30 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:30 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:15 AM, 8:30 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:00AM, 9:15AM, 9:30AM, 9:45AM, 10:00AM

Neitz Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] M-F

Ohel Yakov S-F

6:00 AM Shomrei Emunah Congregation M-F

6:10 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, Th

6:15 AM Kol Torah M, TH

Shearith Israel Congregation M, TH

6:20 AM Agudah of Greenspring M, TH

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's) S-F

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park M-F

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Kehilath B'nai Torah M, TH

Pikesville Jewish CongregationM, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S, M, TH

6:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring T, W, F

Chabad of Park Heights M-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Kehilath B'nai Torah T, W, F

Khal Bais Nosson M-F

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek M-F

Kol Torah T, W, F

Ohr Yisroel M-F

Pikesville Jewish CongregationT, W, F

Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

6:35 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) M, TH

Ohel Moshe M, TH

6:40 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) T, W, F

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M, TH

6:45 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelM, Th

B”H and Mesivta of Baltimore (Dirshu Minyan) S-F

Beth Abraham M, TH Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue M-F

Ner Tamid M-F

Ohel Moshe T, W, F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim M-F

6:50 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] M, TH

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh M, TH

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh M, TH

Derech Chaim M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center M, TH

6:55 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelT, W, F

Beth Abraham T, W, F

Kol Torah M, TH

7:00 AM Aish Kodesh (upstairs Minyan) M-F

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's)S

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh T, W, F

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kol Torah T, W, F

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah M-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shearith Israel Congregation S, M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh M-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center T, W, F

Tiferes Yisroel M-F

7:05 AM Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) M, TH

7:15 AM Kedushas Yisrael S Kol Torah S Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S, T, W, F

Baltimore Weekday Minyanim Guide

Ner Israel Rabbinical College S-F

Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah CongregationS

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelS

Tzeirei Anash M-F

7:20 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Beth Tfiloh Congregation M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

7:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] S

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore S-F

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh S

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Chabad of Park Heights S

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh S-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Kedushas Yisrael S-F

Khal Bais Nosson S

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) S-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

7:45 AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Talmudical Academy S-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Mesivta Kesser Torah S-F

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim S-F

7:50 AM Derech Chaim S

Ner Tamid S

Ohel Moshe M-F

8:00 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit ParkS

Beth Abraham S

Chabad Israeli Center M-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kehillas Meor HaTorah S

Ohr Yisroel S

Pikesville Jewish CongregationS

Shearith Israel Congregation S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch CenterS

Tiferes Yisroel S

Tzeirei Anash S

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah S-F

8:15 AM Kehilath B'nai Torah S Kol Torah S

8:20 AM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

8:25 AM Ohr Chadash Academy (School Days Only) S-F

8:30 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Chabad Israeli Center S

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Shomrei Mishmeres HakodeshS

9:00 AM Aish Kodesh S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S

Beth Tfiloh Congregation S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Moses Montefiore Anshe EmunahS

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F

Mincha

Mincha Gedolah Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek

Mincha

continued

10045 Red Run Blvd Suite 295

Milk & Honey Bistro 1777 Reisterstown RD

1:25 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

1:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

1:45 PM Ohel Moshe

Wealcatch Insurance

1:50 PM One South Street, 27th Floor (M-Th)

2:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

Big Al @ The Knish Shop Party Room

Kol Torah (Sunday)

Market Maven

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Reischer Minyan - 23 Walker Ave 2nd Floor

2:15 PM Pikesville Beis Medrash - 15 Walker Ave

2:30 PM Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Tov Pizza Mincha Minyan

Ner Israel Rabbinical College

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

Shearith Israel Congregation

2:45 PM Kollel of Greenspring

Shearith Israel Congregation (S-Th)

3:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

3:05 PM Kedushas Yisrael

3:15 PM Hat Box

3:22 PM Ohr Chadash Academy (School Days Only, Call to Confirm)

3:30PM Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

4:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-Th)

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

10 Min Before ShkiAh Chabad Israeli Center

14 Min Before ShkiAh Kol Torah

Mincha/Maariv

Before Shkiah

Aish Kodesh

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Agudah of Greenspring

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Beth Abraham

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation

Darchei Tzedek

Kehillas Meor HaTorah

Kehilath B’nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill’s), 5:00pm Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Ner Tamid

Ohel Moshe

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi]

Ohr Yisroel

Pikesville Jewish Congregation

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Shomrei Mishmeres

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center

Tiferes Yisroel

Maariv

8:50 PM Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

8:55 PM Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

9:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Arugas Habosem

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

9:20 PM Kol Torah

9:30 PM Agudah of Greenspring

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Kedushas Yisrael

9:40 PM Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi]

9:45 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Kollel Erev Birchas Yitzchok (Luries)

Kollel of Greenspring

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's)

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi]

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

9:50 PM Aish Kodesh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Ohel Moshe

10:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Darchei Tzedek

Kehilath B'nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

10:05 PM Kol Torah

10:10 PM Ner Israel Rabbinical College

10:15 PM Derech Chaim

Khal Bais Nosson

10:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

11:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Agudah of Greenspring - 6107 Greenspring Ave

Agudath Israel of Baltimore - 6200 Park Heights Ave

Ahavat Shalom - 3009 Northbrook Rd

Aish Kodesh - 6207 Ivymount Rd

Arugas HaBosem - 3509 Clarks Ln

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park- 6800 Sylvale Ct

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim - 3120 Clarks Ln

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore - 6823 Old Pimlico Rd

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh - 6618 Deancroft Rd

Beit Yaakov - 3615 Seven Mile Ln

Beth Abraham - 6208 Wallis Ave

Beth Tfiloh Congregation - 3300 Old Court Rd

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation - 6602 Park Heights Ave

Chabad Israeli Center - 7807 Seven Mile Ln

Chabad of Park Heights - 3402 Clarks Ln

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh - 3800 Labyrinth Rd

Darchei Tzedek - 3201 Seven Mile Ln

Derech Chaim - 6229 Greenspring Ave (Weekday)

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue 6611 Greenspring Ave.

Kedushas Yisrael - 6004 Park Heights Ave

Kehilath B’nai Torah - 6301 Green Meadow Pkwy

Kehillas Meor HaTorah - 6539 Pebble Brooke Rd

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek - 6811 Park Heights Ave Khal Bais Nosson - 2901 Taney Rd Kol Torah - 2929 Fallstaff Rd

Kollel of Greenspring - 6504 Greenspring Ave.

Machzikei Torah - 6216 Biltmore Ave

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah - 6500 Baythorne Rd

Mesivta Kesser Torah - 8400 Park Heights Ave

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim - 3702 Fords Ln

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah - 7000 Rockland Hills Dr

Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber One South Street, 27th Floor

Ner Israel Rabbinical College - 400 Mt Wilson Ln

Ner Tamid - 6214 Pimlico Road

Ohel Moshe - 2808 Smith Ave

Ohel Yakov - 3200 Glen Ave

Ohr Chadash Academy - 7310 Park Heights Avenue

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] - 6813 Park Heights Ave

Ohr Yisroel - 2429 Lightfoot Dr

Pikesville Jewish Congregation - 7644 Carla Rd

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

12:50

PM One South Street, 27th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202

Kol Torah

1:00

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

8:45

PM Darchei Tzedek

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina)

Ohr Yisroel

Shearith Israel Congregation - 5835 Park Heights Ave

Shomrei Emunah Congregation - 6221 Greenspring Ave

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh - 2821 W Strathmore Ave

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim - 7504 Seven Mile Ln

Talmudical Academy - 4445 Old Court Rd The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel - 5915 Park Heights Ave The Shul at the Lubavitch Center - 6701 Old Pimlico Rd Tiferes Yisroel - 6201 Park Heights Ave

Tzeirei Anash -

Forgotten Her es Jewish Marine Heroes

By Avi Heiligman

One of the smallest branches of the American military during World War II was the Marine Corps. Less than 600,000 people served in the branch that had just 15,000 when the U.S. entered the war. Even though they were small in numbers, the Marines made headlines with their successes in the Pacific campaign. Even though only a small percentage of the 550,000 Jewish service members during World War II served in the Marines, many of those that did see action were awarded medals and citations for bravery in battle. Here are some Jewish marines who were awarded medals for bravery during World War II.

First Lieutenant David Goldwater, from Reno, Nevada, joined the Marine Corps just six days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to the Second Battalion, Eighth Marines, Second Marine Division and was a .37 mm gun platoon leader. On August 1, 1944, his battalion was on the island of Tinian in the Marianas fighting against determined Japanese soldiers. Despite being wounded, Goldwater insisted on staying and leading his platoon in the tough terrain. The Japanese fire was heavy, but Goldwater remained in position until the enemy attacks were driven back. For his courageous leadership and bravery

in the face of heavy enemy fire, he was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his wounds.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Second Lieutenant Herman Abady was another Marine officer to earn the Silver Star. He joined the Marine Reserves before Pearl Harbor and was a platoon leader with Company K, 3 rd Battalion, 1 st Marine Division on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The Guadalcanal

the marines were left on the island for a while without much in the way of supplies. Still, they fought with such tenacity that they were able to hold out until they were resupplied, and the Japanese left the island in early 1943.

On the night of September 13, 1942, Abady and his platoon were deployed on the Overland Trail and fought with an enemy formation on their way to attack Henderson Field. Soldiers from

Still, they fought with such tenacity that they were able to hold out until they were resupplied.

Campaign started just seven months after the U.S. entered the war, and the Marines were sent ashore to stop the Japanese from completing an airfield. The Marines named the airfield Henderson Field, and it became a focal point of the fighting as the Japanese tried to retake the soon-to-be-functioning airbase. However, due to Japanese naval activity and attacks on American ships,

the Japanese Kuma Battalion with fixed bayonets entered the platoon’s perimeter and fierce hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Abady took cover as he aimed his pistol and killed several enemy soldiers. He gave encouragement to the marines as they held their positions through the night. The next morning, they discovered dozens of Japanese that had been killed in front of the platoon’s position

and dozens more that were stuck in the barbed wire. For his actions in the successful defense of Henderson Field, Abady was awarded the Silver Star.

Starting on December 7, 1941, American and Allied outposts in the Pacific were the targets of Japanese air and ground attacks. One of the largest American bases that were targeted was in the Philippines Islands. Known as the Gibraltar of East, Corregidor Island was a key defensive position to this base as it was fortified with coastal artillery units and the 4th Marine Regiment. Private Alexander Katchuck was with the 3 rd Battalion, 4th Marines when the attack came on December 29, 1941. The attack was intense and destroyed half of the island’s wooden structures and other key infrastructure. Katchuck and another marine noticed an abandoned truck with two wounded men in the back. Together, the marines raced towards the truck despite the heavy bombardment and drove the truck to an aid station. There, they searched for medics and saved the lives of the two men. Katchuck and the other marine were the first two marines to be awarded the Silver Star during World War II. Corregidor fell a few months later, and Katchuck was held as a prisoner of war for the rest of the war.

Marine patrol on Guadalcanal, 1942

Marines landing on Iwo Jima

A Marine mortar team preparing for action against the Japanese

The fighting on Iwo Jima was one of the biggest and most intense battles of the Pacific Campaign. Casualties were extremely high for the Americans, as close to 7,000 were killed in the battle that lasted from February 19 until March 26, 1945. Sergeant Werner Julius Heumann was a Jewish refugee from Germany who moved to New York in the 1930s. After completing Marine boot camp, he was assigned to Company G, Third Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Ma-

rines, Fifth Marine Division. During the assault on Iwo Jima on February 19, he was a rifle squad leader, but his unit was pinned down by heavy enemy fire. He repeatedly exposed himself to assemble the squad. Finally, they were able to move inland but were met by a series of pillboxes and bunkers with one housing an anti-tank gun. Heumann was instrumental in helping his unit destroy these bunkers that were causing major problems for tanks in the sec -

tor. Two days later, they encountered a similar situation, and he used the phone on the outside of one of the American tanks to direct fire on the enemy position. Later that day, Heumann was seriously wounded when trying to help his wounded platoon leader. For his courageous leadership in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, Sergeant Heumann was awarded the Silver Star. Receiving the Silver Star for bravery in battle is a much-respected

honor in the military and especially in the Marines. The stories of these Forgotten Heroes, and many that haven’t been told yet, were from battles that changed the tide of the war.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

Bentzi Azose (Chicago) & Leeba Goldenhersh (Baltimore)

Eli Hoschander (Queens) & Miri Lefkowitz (Baltimore)

Yehuda Reach (Baltimore) & Chelly Morris (Columbus/Baltimore)

Mordechai Krupp (Baltimore) & Minka Nussbaum (Monsey)

Aitan Lewis (Baltimore) & Racheli Adest (Cedarhurst)

David Goldwater

Herman Abady

Alexander Katchuck

To Raise a Laugh

Simcha Stress

I’m pretty sure that by the time my wife and I finish making our daughter, Adina, her upcoming bas mitzvah party, everyone in the family is going to be upset at us. It’s great when you’re having a simcha, you’re supposed to be happy, and your prime concern is, “How do we celebrate this in a way that the fewest amount of people will be upset?”

The plan is to have a low-key party. Extremely low key, because Adina’s school has a policy that you can’t invite friends. Just your parents’ friends. Or relatives. So we’re going with relatives. We have a pretty big family, and by the time we’re done inviting relatives, we have no room for friends anyway.

Nevertheless, we felt that we had to base the party around something. There has to be that part of the party that people aim to get there for. For example, every wedding has a chuppah, and people try to be there for that. An upsherin has the haircut, as in, “Hurry up; we’re going to miss the part where everyone cuts his hair! Okay, now you’re just running with scissors.”

But what’s our draw here? Her speech? “Come on time; there’s going to be a speech!” “Hey, where’re you going? There’s going to be a speech!”

We needed something. What do girls do when they become bas mitzvah? Bake challah, right? But it’s not like she’s going to make challah while everyone watches, and then they get to sit around waiting for it to rise so they could all wash.

So we wanted to have some kind of activity. And it turns out that Adina loves craft projects, and my wife has a friend who just opened a place in town that lets people paint glass. So we figured, “Why not? It sure beats people sitting around chewing.”

On the other hand, the glass-painting place is kind of small. And sure, we could pack people in, but that might not be the best idea, because there’s literally glass all over that place.

Then my wife played with the numbers, and she discovered that if we didn’t invite men altogether, we could cut our guest list in half. I wasn’t offended. Plus I discovered that if we do this, I don’t have to speak. I just have to write my daughter’s speech. Which she’s upset about, by the way.

But now all the men are offended that they weren’t invited. My sons are upset that they don’t get to take off school, and now they’re saying that when they have their bar mitzvahs, they want it to be men only. And my wife is saying that’s fine with her.

Meanwhile, my father’s offended that he can’t come, especially since this is his own granddaughter, and meanwhile my fatherin-law’s cousins are coming, one of whom thinks my daughter’s name is Dina. And my father-in-law’s upset that he’s driving four hours each way and staying for Shabbos just to bring my mother-in-law to a simcha he won’t get to go to. And I’m upset that they’re coming down for Shabbos.

Meanwhile, even without men, we’re short on space. We sent out invitations, and everyone was like, “We have to say yes, or they’ll be offended that we’re not coming!” Never mind that we’re actually hoping that someone isn’t coming. There’s no specific person that we don’t want there, but the number is too big.

So there’s even less space than we thought. We were going to serve the food buffet style, but if we have to use every table for guests, where do we put the food? And how do we arrange things with enough room that people could actually get to it while other people are eating soup?

So her idea is to limit the menu. If there’s not much variety, she says, it takes up less

By Mordechai Schmutter

space. Meanwhile, I’m afraid that people will get there and go, “We travelled 4 hours for this?” When it comes to food at a simcha, I’m a firm believer that more is more. Because it IS more. Mathematically.

So I came up with an idea: I’m going to cater. I’m going to be in the back, putting food on plates, and no one has to get up. I also figure that if I cater, I can sneak in extra foods, and maybe my wife won’t notice. Until she does.

We also have to figure out the schedule. As it is, we’re convinced that some people are going to show up dressed for a seudah, and we’re going to make them paint with little-to-no elbow space. In fact, there were some people who RSVPed in the first place by saying, “I’ll come, but I don’t have to paint. Just let the kids paint.” And my wife said, “There are going to be like 6 kids at this thing. Adults are painting.”

So now they all think my daughter doesn’t have friends.

At least that means they’ll sign the poster. We’re going to have one of those big posters that says Adina’s name in big lettering, which I now think will totally embarrass the relative who keeps getting her name wrong. Should we write it wrong on the poster?

How to upset everyone you know in one fell swoop: Just invite them all to the same location.

Or maybe all this stress is for nothing. It’s a simcha. Maybe people will just be happy for us. For what? I don’t remember anymore. Something to do with Adina, I think. I only know this because there’s a poster.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books and does stand-up comedy. You can contact him at MSchmutter@gmail.com.

Mental Health Corner

The Secret of Mindful Living

By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

Mental health has entered our collective consciousness as a cornerstone of our general wellbeing. The quest for that magic ingredient that will guarantee

our mental wellness has become a public obsession, which in turn has led to all types of too-good-to-be-true shortcuts. Are there any practices out there that are

actually conducive to preventing anxiety, depression, and the gamut of mental illnesses? One possibility is mindful living.

We all understand that healthy eating habits, proper sleep and exercise have both physical and emotional benefits. But what exactly is mindful living and how can it improve one’s emotional health?

Let us begin by defining mindfulness. The word “mindfulness” means to fill your mind. More specifically, allowing your mind to be filled with everything your senses are experiencing in the present moment without any judgement. This highfalutin jargon might give you the heebie-jeebies, so let us provide you with a real-life example.

Imagine that you were walking to shul. If you live five minutes away, your walk is generally an uneventful experience that is often done somewhat mindlessly using your internal autopilot. What would that walk be like if you allowed all of your senses to be aware of everything they are experiencing? You would hear the birds chirping, feel the crisp morning breeze brushing against your face, see the tapestry of green that is crowning the trees, and smell the unique aromas of the season. This passive allowance of your mind to absorb the experience of your senses transforms your run-of-the-mill walk to a rich and vibrant experience. In other words, your mindless walk becomes a mindful experience.

This is just one example. The same approach can be applied to any of your mundane activities such as eating, talking to a friend, taking a shower, etc. It can even be applied to more spiritual endeavors such as davening and learning.

This all sounds very sweet, but how does this improve your mental wellness? The answer to that question lies in the nature of mental illness. Many forms of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, have their roots in a runaway brain. Our minds are capable of spewing out all kinds of garbage such as, “I am a good-for-nothing because I made one mistake.” “This bridge that has been standing for one hundred years might

suddenly collapse just when I go over it.” “My job is not so distinguished, so life is not worth living.” The list goes on and on.

Brains that are deprived of their sensory nourishment are more likely to engage in this kind of activity. However, if your mind is filled with the full experience of life, then your mind tends to be quieter and less reactive. Furthermore, the practice of mindfulness trains your brain into viewing its experiences through a relaxed and nonjudgmental lens. This skill can then be applied to your garbage thoughts as well. When such a thought pops into your head, you will have the headspace to view it with curiosity without getting entangled in its web.

Perhaps you have noticed that we have not mentioned a word about meditation. There is a practice called mindfulness meditation which deserves its own article. What we are discussing has nothing to do with meditation. Rather, it is a sea-change in how you go about your everyday activities. The fast pace of today’s society runs the risk of placing us on the treadmill of life without having a chance to experience that which is staring us in the face, and mindful living, even without any meditation, gives us the chance of getting off that treadmill and experiencing each and every moment to its fullest.

All of this is nothing new. Chazal mention this specifically in Masechta Berachos (Daf 57b), “Three things calm the mind; sounds, sights, and aromas.” Chazal recognized that as human beings we must have a calm mind (Yishuv HaDaas) in order to function, and that is only possible through allowing ourselves to experience the full sensory input from our environment. Allow yourself to experience each moment in its fullest, and you will be one giant step closer to emotional wellbeing.

This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-448-8356 or at yslansky@reliefhelp.org

When and how was the term “nebach case” coined. By some yenta in a faraway neighborhood? A bored housewife in need of someone to put down while admiring her own life in the mirror? A happy not-nebach who’s just thrilled about not being placed in that category?

Who is it commonly used for? A person who is not married, a couple who doesn’t have children, an orphan, a widow, a baal teshuva, someone who is not well, someone who is off the derech, has no money, is divorced, or is learning disabled? If you don’t have any of these complications, you are safe. If you do and live in a community: watch out.

People tend to have this ideal life in mind for themselves, and if they don’t achieve it, they feel like failures. But really, if you look at it a different way, who have you failed and how is it your fault? G-d decides whether or not you get married, have children, or get divorced. There is not one person in the world that comes into this life hoping to be infertile, divorced or single. In the flow of life, we make our decisions based on what we know best at that time and place. We try our hardest to have a good

Voice N tes

Winners of Fate

By Goldie Young

life full of love, joy, and purpose. But what if G-d gives us a life that we didn’t expect or pray for? Who are we to even decide that that life is a disappointment? Who said that we can’t be happy? And who said that we can’t be fulfilled with that specific life?!

Peer pressure is a double-edged sword in our community. While it holds everyone accountable to our lifestyle and ensures longevity of the Jewish nation, it leaves little room for imperfections. These often get swept under the rug, ignored, and, yes, pitied by others who think that or seem to have it all. There is a map that is supposed to measure our success. From birth to death, we must follow it, and lest something arises and we don’t see the black and white picture perfectly, we and the people around us deem it off the map. Not successful. Nebach.

But is it really nebach? Only if you believe it to be so.

Time has come to stop feeling left out, different, and misfitted. Everyone has different qualities about ourselves that deem us winners, special, and give us the opportunity to lift our head up and be proud. There is so much more to life

than fitting in and following a map made for the very few. The amount of people who don’t follow the perfect line is actually the majority of the population. Maybe some are better at hiding it than others, but we all have our stories.

We have to find joy and peace within ourselves instead of constantly looking around us. Stay in our own lane. Find our own measuring stick for success and disappointment. Discover what feeds us and keep doing it. Using energy to try and fit in is a waste of time and effort, because sometimes you will never be like them. Sometimes, G-d says no. So even though she will be forever known as the girl without a father, she will find joy in her memories, stay close to her family, and be forever grateful for her kids and husband. And even though he still hasn’t gotten married, he will appreciate his parnassah, his friendships, and his mom and dad always being there for him.

The examples can go on, and they are endless. It’s best to surround yourself with people who don’t put you down for your G-d given path in life. Self-talk is super important as well. After years of being told how and when, we have to

learn to reprogram ourselves to a new tune: your how and your when. For there is a good time for everything, and if not, there is always something else. Pride and nachas are very subjective: it depends on who is looking at the picture. Those who leave people out because they don’t fit their definition of perfect are cruel and soulless human beings, sticking to a system which does not work. They think that they are doing something good, or maybe they even know that they aren’t, but olam hafuch hazeh. They live in an upside-down world. They will be very surprised – or not – by what greets them on the other side of where the olam is emes. In fact, they might very well be responsible for people who will actually leave the map altogether and find acceptance somewhere else

Yes, life sometimes seems dependent on the throw of the dice. Yes, sometimes, G-d says no. And it feels unfair and lonely. And we have questions. And we cry. And people hurt us. But nothing is arbitrary, and nothing is unplanned. And you can always plant flowers in a desolate place. And you can always find people like you. And you can always be a winner of your own fate.

Common Cents

By Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST

Tax Planning Strategies To Maximize Savings And Minimize Stress

Tax season doesn’t have to be stressful. With proper planning, individual taxpayers can reduce their tax liability, take advantage of deductions and credits, and align their finances for long-term benefits. Whether you’re filing as a single taxpayer, head of household, or jointly with a spouse, these strategies will help you make the most of your hard-earned money.

1. Start Early

Effective tax planning begins well before filing season. By reviewing your finances throughout the year, you can identify opportunities to reduce your taxable income and avoid last-minute surprises.

Action Step:

Set reminders to review your income, deductions, and tax withholdings quarterly. Use tools like the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to adjust withholding if needed.

2. Maximize Retirement Contributions

One of the best ways to reduce your taxable income is by contributing to retirement accounts like a 401(k) or traditional IRA. These contributions lower your current taxable income while helping you secure your financial future.

Example:

If you’re in the 24% tax bracket, contributing $10,000 to your 401(k) reduces your taxable income by $10,000 and saves you $2,400 in federal taxes.

Pro Tip:

For 2024, the maximum contribution limit for 401(k) plans is $23,000, with an additional $7,500 for those aged 50 and older.

3. Take Advantage of Tax Credits

Tax credits provide dollar-for-dollar reductions in your tax liability, making them more valuable than deductions. Some common credits include:

• Child Tax Credit: Up to $2,000 per qualifying child.

• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): Designed for low- to moderate-income taxpayers.

• Education Credits: Such as the American Opportunity Credit (up to $2,500) or the Lifetime Learning Credit (up to $2,000).

Action Step:

Review your eligibility for credits annually, especially if your income or family situation has changed.

4. Itemize or Take the Standard Deduction

For 2024, the standard deduction is:

• $14,600 for single filers

• $29,200 for married couples filing jointly

If your deductible expenses (e.g., mortgage interest, charitable donations, medical expenses) exceed these amounts, itemizing could lower your taxable income further.

Pro Tip:

If you’re close to the threshold, consider “bunching” deductible expenses into a single year to exceed the standard deduction limit. A donor advised fund is a great tool for “bunching” charitable contributions and saving money.

5. Optimize Capital Gains and Losses

If you have investments, tax planning can help you minimize the taxes you owe on capital gains or maximize the benefit of capital losses.

• Offset Gains with Losses: Use capital losses to offset taxable gains, plus up to $3,000 of ordinary income.

• Long-Term vs. Short-Term Gains: Aim to hold investments for more than a year to qualify for lower longterm capital gains tax rates.

Example:

If you sell a stock at a $10,000 gain and another at a $5,000 loss, you’ll only pay taxes on a $5,000 gain.

6. Leverage Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

HSAs offer a triple tax benefit:

1. Contributions are tax-deductible.

2. Growth is tax-free.

3. Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free.

For 2024, the HSA contribution limit is $3,850 for individuals and $7,750 for

families. If you’re 55 or older, you can contribute an additional $1,000. You can even invest your HSA funds to really turbo charge your retirement savings completely tax free!

7. Plan Charitable Giving

Charitable contributions to qualified organizations are tax-deductible if you itemize. Strategies like donating appreciated stock or setting up a donor-advised fund can maximize your tax benefit.

Example:

Donating $10,000 in stock that has appreciated from $5,000 saves you from paying capital gains tax on the $5,000 growth while providing a $10,000 deduction.

8. Stay Informed About Tax Law Changes

Tax laws change frequently, and staying informed ensures you don’t miss new deductions or credits.

Action Step:

Subscribe to IRS updates or work with a financial advisor or CPA who can alert you to relevant changes.

9. Keep Good Records

Accurate record-keeping makes filing easier and helps you substantiate deductions in the event of an audit. Keep receipts, tax forms (like 1099s), and documentation for at least three years.

10. Work with a Tax Professional

A tax professional can help you navigate complex tax situations, ensure compliance, and identify opportunities to save.

Pro Tip:

If you have unique circumstances—like self-employment income, rental properties, or substantial investments—professional advice can pay for itself in tax savings.

Conclusion

Tax planning isn’t just about April— it’s a year-round process. By implementing these strategies, you can reduce your tax liability, save money, and align your financial decisions with your goals. Start early, stay organized, and don’t hesitate to seek professional guidance..

Subscribe to Common Cents digitally on LinkedIn @CommonCents613

The decision to start saving and investing is yours, but the “how” can be hard. Email commoncents@northbrookfinancial.com to schedule a financial planning consultation with our team.

Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST is Co-Founder of Northbrook Financial, a Financial Planning, Tax, and Investment Management Firm. He has developed and continues to teach a popular Financial Literacy course for high school students.

A Delicate Relationship: The Crew and Passengers Living Kiddush Hashem

RBy Rabbi Shraga Freedman

av Elchonon Wasserman Hy”d once shared a parable to explain why the Jewish people were given 613 mitzvos while the rest of the nations received only seven.

When a large ship embarks on a voyage, the passengers are expected to follow a few basic rules. These include not damaging the ship, not standing on the railings, and ensuring the journey proceeds smoothly. The crew, however, must

people, however, are the crew, charged with steering the ship of creation toward its ultimate purpose: a world where Hashem is recognized as King, and His glory fills the earth.

As crew members, we bear an immense responsibility. We answer not to the passengers but to the owner of the ship—Hashem Himself. Our mission requires discipline, focus, and unwavering commitment to the manual He has given

sures, we must stay aligned with the boss’s directives, keeping our sights fixed on the ultimate destination.

Rabbi Shraga Freedman is the author of Sefer Mekadshei Shemecha, Living Kiddush Hashem, and A Life Worth Living.

Email LivingKiddushHashem@ gmail.com for a free sefer. Visit LivingKiddushHashem.org for more resources

This relationship is delicate but profound. As crew members, we remain distinct in our roles. We take a higher level of responsibility for fellow crew members. But at the same time, we are not indifferent to the passengers. We know that our interactions with them are intertwined purpose while maintaining our unique role with integrity and dedication.

Iparticipated in my first challah bake to celebrate and remember the Bibas family.

As we await the details of the hostage deal, angry over the published demands being put forth by Hamas, we continue to carry the heavy burden of worry over the fate of our imprisoned, long-suffering men, women and children. I am not alone in my total lack of understanding about the conditions that are being put on the table by Hamas.

Even more puzzling, so angry, is the response of people, especially world leaders, who support Hamas and promote the destruction of Israel and the Jews. A trusted friend recently recommended a book by Dara Horn, “People Love Dead Jews,” a collection of essays exploring the exploitation of Jewish history, the rise of antisemitism, and, among other concerns, advocating for Jewish respect.

I believe Horn’s premise is right as certainly it seems that more and more, people are not happy with live ones.

Israel and its people are tired.

I don’t bake challah, although I have always thought about doing it. I guess that desire will now reside in the place wherein Bob wants to learn to do it. Our daughter Rachel (a private chef who bakes delicious ones) lovingly cautioned him that in order

School of Thought

Still Waiting for the Bibas Family

By Barbara Deutsch

to make good challah, you need powerful hands; he may no longer have the hand strength needed in his aging fingers.

Undeterred, he wants to try.

Challah and Jewish women enjoy a visceral connection; challah is a celebratory bread that sits proudly on the table at simchas, all holiday meals (not Pesach) and every Shabbat. Women baking challah to -

lated causes after the outbreak. Women, young to old, from all over Jerusalem and the world come together to sing, dance, eat (of course, there is food) and daven for the hostages. The Bibas family event that I attended marked the 60th challah bake.

Not everyone actually bakes a challah; there is a designated one that is prepared by the guest speaker, in this case the Bibas

As they soared, the balloons found each other in the sky and flew away together.

gether as a group is considered universally healing – gathering the ingredients, mixing them together, working the dough, adding water to get the right consistency, etc., all makes for a lot of hard work.

Waiting for the soft, doughy mixture to rise adds to the anticipation of the final step of separating a piece of dough, saying the special bracha, and burning it. This process reinforces a Jewish core belief of not “having it all” by making an offering.

Chabad of Talbiya and Mamilla began hosting Challah Bakes to benefit war-re -

family sister; some women bring their prepared dough from home so that they can participate in the communal hafrashat challah bracha: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah.

It’s a very powerful communal moment.

All participants were asked to write messages of support to the hostages. These small strips of paper were then attached to the strings of hundreds of

balloons. We stood together holding our message-bearing balloons as the Bibas family’s sister/aunt made the bracha for her very first time.

It is customary to give tzedakah, small change, after the recitation. I searched my bag for some change and came up empty. But when I put my hand in my pocket, I was surprised to feel a hard, round object; it was the 10 shekel coin I had found on the ground that morning.

The women then gathered in the courtyard with our balloons and tears. Together, we carefully released the balloons to their fate. As they soared, the balloons found each other in the sky and flew away together.

I closed my eyes and imagined that the balloons would be spotted by the hostages and seen as the sign for the long-awaited freedom that should and must be theirs now!

Barbara Deutsch is the former associate principal at HANC, middle school principal at Kushner, and Dean of Students at Yeshiva of Flatbush. A not-retired educator, she is trying to figure out life in Israel through reflections on navigating the dream of aliyah as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Political Crossfire A House at Auschwitz Opens Its Doors to a Chilling Past

By Andrew Higgins

OSWIECIM, Poland — The mother lived for 42 years in a three-story house overlooking a former gas chamber and a gallows at Auschwitz, sometimes losing sleep at the thought of what had happened on the other side of her garden wall.

But the house in Oswiecim, in southern Poland, once the home of the death camp’s wartime commandant, Rudolf Höss, was “a great place to raise children,” said Grazyna Jurczak, 62, a widow who raised two sons there.

The home, the subject of the Oscar-winning movie “The Zone of Interest,” had “safety, silence, a beautiful garden,” easy access to a river across the road, and, in winter, space for an ice-skating rink for her two boys, she said.

Alone in the house after her husband died, she finally decided to leave. One reason, she said, was that she was disturbed by people who, after watching “The Zone of Interest,” were tramping through her garden, peering through her windows and reminding her of her home’s connection to the Holocaust.

Last summer, Jurczak agreed to sell her stake in the home to the Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based group

that wants to open the house to visitors. She moved out in August, and in Octobe,r the New York group completed its acquisition of the home and an adjacent house built after the war.

“I had to get out of there,” Jurczak said at her new home in a modern apartment block in Oswiecim, a mile from her former house. She declined to say how much the house was sold for, but indicated that it was somewhat more than the property’s estimated value of around $120,000.

Mark Wallace, a lawyer and former U.S. diplomat who is the CEO of the Counter Extremism Project, also declined to give the price, saying once other family members were paid for their stakes in the property, the total price was “significantly more” than what Jurczak had indicated. He also said his organization “wanted to do right” by Jurczak’s family but “did not want to pay a big premium for a former Nazi property, even if we could.”

Now the house, at 88 Legionow St., just outside the camp’s perimeter fence, is being prepared to receive visits by the public for the first time, as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the Soviet army’s liberation of Auschwitz.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Mu-

seum, a Polish institution in Oswiecim committed to the remembrance of Nazi victims, will be hosting dozens of world leaders on Jan. 27.

At the house, workers hired by the new owners have removed 14 dumpsters of debris and stripped away wallpaper and other postwar additions. That has left the property much as it was when the Höss family lived there from 1941 to late 1944, including the Nazi-era lock on the bathroom door reading “frei/besetzt.,” German for free/occupied.

A mezuzah, a parchment containing biblical verses, has been attached to the front door frame to honor Jewish tradition — and repudiate the fanaticism of its former occupant, the Auschwitz commander. After the war, Höss recalled how the successful experimental gassing of Russian prisoners in 1941 “set my mind at rest, for the mass extermination of the Jews was to start soon.”

He was hanged in 1947 at a gallows placed between his former home and a Nazi crematory.

On a table in a downstairs corner room that Höss used as a home office lies a heap of torn and crumpled Nazi-era newspapers and other wartime artifacts found after the

house was sold. There is also a coffee mug, embossed with the seal of the SS, and German beer bottles.

Retrieved from the attic, where they had been stuffed to block a hole, were the striped trousers once worn by an Auschwitz prisoner. Researchers are trying to work out who wore them by deciphering a faded prisoner number, written next to a small red triangle signifying that the wearer was a political prisoner and a nearly vanished yellow star designating a Jew.

“This house has been closed for 80 years. It was out of reach to the victims and their families. Finally, we can open it to honor survivors and show that this place of incredible evil is now open to all,” Wallace said.

The plan, Wallace said, is to turn the house, along with the adjacent property, into the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization, a new organization that will work to expand the pledge of “Never Again” from historical memory to current action.

Piotr Cywinski, a Polish historian and director of the Auschwitz-Birkanau Museum since 2006, said his state-run institution wanted to preserve its core mission of remembrance but saw value in supporting

a project focused on the present and future, as well as the past.

“Fighting against today’s reality is easier for an NGO than for a state institution,” he said, lamenting the rise across Europe of populism, which he calls “the cancer of democracy.”

The new center will encompass the entire territory of Höss’ wartime property, including a long sealed-off garden area where he met with Hitler’s security chief, Heinrich Himmler, Josef Mengele, the “angel of death” doctor, and other Nazi dignitaries tasked with exterminating Jews. Daniel Libeskind, an American architect, has been commissioned to redesign the property.

Libeskind said he had drawn up preliminary plans that envisage turning the interior of the house into “a void, an abyss” — the external walls are protected by a UNESCO preservation order — and the construction of a new partly buried structure in a garden area with meeting rooms, a library and a data center.

More than 2 million people visit the former Auschwitz camp each year and, the architect said, come away “horrified and mesmerized by death” but also need “to engage with contemporary antisemitism and other extremism in our political culture.”

Jacek Purski, the director of a Polish

anti-extremism group, who is involved in the project, said he wants to use the house and the past Nazi horrors as a weapon against what he sees as a resurgence of extremist ideologies.

“A house is a house,” Purski said, looking out of a second-story window of the

After

former Höss house toward the chimney of a former Nazi crematory. “But it is in uninteresting, regular houses like this where extremism is happening today.”

Jurczak, the former owner, said she still struggles to reconcile happy, ordinary memories of the house with its gruesome past.

Reminiscing about her family’s time there, she suddenly stopped herself: “I wor-

ry that I sound like Ms. Höss,” she said, referring to the commandant’s wife, Hedwig Höss. In the movie, Hedwig Höss gushes about her Polish home as “paradise” and is shown trying on a fur coat stolen from a prisoner sent to slaughter by her husband.

The commandant’s wife, Jurczak decid-

ed after watching the movie, “was perhaps even worse than her husband,” in her indifference to human suffering.

While awaiting execution in a Polish jail after the war, Rudolf Höss, the former commandant, wrote an autobiography that Primo Levi, an Italian writer and Auschwitz survivor, described as the work of a “drab functionary” who “evolved step by step into one of the greatest criminals in history.”

The house where Höss lived was built between the two great wars of the last century by a Polish military officer serving in an adjacent army camp, which was seized by the Nazis after their 1939 invasion of Poland and turned into an extermination factory. At least 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered there, mostly in gas chambers.

Grabbed by the SS as a home for the Auschwitz commandant, who changed the street number to 88, a numerical code for Heil Hitler, the house was returned to its original owner after the war and later sold to the family of Jurczak’s husband, who owned it until last year.

Cywinski, the Auschwitz-Birkanau museum director, said he was eager to work with the Counter Extremism Project, in its efforts to combat extremism.

Extremism, he said, “is unfortunately not a mental illness; it is a method” that exploits widespread feelings of frustration.

Ordinary people with ordinary ambitions, he added, can turn into monsters.

Höss, he said, “was a wonderful father to his kids and, at the same time, the main organizer of the most brutal killings in the history of the world.”

© The New York Times

TJH Centerfold

White House Trivia

1. Which president installed a secret taping system in the White House?

a. Harry Truman

b. Dwight Eisenhower

c. Richard Nixon

d. Bill Clinton

2. How many fireplaces are there in the White House?

a. 28

b. 4

c. 2

d. 0

3. On average, how many people visit the White House per day?

a. 500

b. 1,000

c. 3,000

d. 6,000

to get married inside the White House?

a. James Madison

b. James Buchanan

c. Grover Cleveland

d. Woodrow Wilson

5. Which president had a special “Diet Coke” button installed on his desk in the Oval Office?

a. Donald Trump

b. Bill Clinton

c. Ronald Reagan

d. George W. Bush

6. What secret feature exists beneath the White House for emergency situations?

a. A nuclear-proof bunker

b. A network of underground tunnels

c. An escape chute from the Oval Office

7. Which part of the White House is said to have the most reported ghost sightings?

a. The East Room

b. The Lincoln Bedroom

c. The Rose Garden

d. The West Wing Answers: 1-C 2-A 3-D 4-C 5-A 6-B 7-B

Wisdom Key:

6-7 Correct: You know a lot about the White House. Are you the ghost of Lincoln?

3-5 Correct: You know your way around, somewhat. As long as you know where the DC button is, you are good (DC, as in Diet Coke).

4. Who was the only U.S. president

d. A surveillance room with live feeds of all rooms

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

A man calls the White House and asks to talk to President Biden. The operator tells him that Biden is no longer the president.

Two minutes later, the man calls again and asks to speak to Pres. Biden. Again, the operator tells him that Biden is no longer the president.

0-2 Correct: Mr. Biden, how is your retirement going?

He calls a third time, and the frustrated operator asks the caller, “Did you not understand what I told you twice already – Biden is not the president! Why do you keep calling and asking for him?!”

The man responds, “Because nothing brings me more joy than hearing that Biden is not the president!”

The Spooky House

Abraham Lincoln Contemplating First Lady Grace Coolidge claimed to have seen the ghost of Lincoln standing at a window in the Oval Office, hands clasped behind his back, looking out over the Potomac River.

Andrew Jackson Laughing Mary Todd Lincoln claimed to have heard the ghost of President Andrew Jackson laughing and cursing.

First Lady Abigail Adams’s Laundry Abigal Adams used the East Room to do her laundry. According to legend, at times, there is an odor of detergent that wafts through the East Room.

Doors Suddenly Closing According to former White House chief Usher Garty Walters (1986 through 2007), there was one occasion when he and two other people were standing near two doors that were wide open. Suddenly, the two doors started slowly closing. They checked to see if there were any other doors down the hall that may have been opened or closed, creating a wind tunnel, but there were none. His theory? It was the ghost of a prior president walking through.

Sounds like Fun!

“The White House is the finest prison in the world.”Pres. Harry S. Truman

“The White House is not a home. It’s an office with a bedroom attached.”- First Lady Nancy Reagan

“Being in the White House is kind of like being a teenager in your parents’ house – nobody really tells you exactly what you can and can’t do.”- First Lady Michelle Obama

“The White House is a strange place. On any given day, somebody’s out to get you.”- President Richard Nixon

Something Happening on The Third Floor Wilson Jerman, who worked as a butler during Pres. Lindon Johnson’s tenure, claimed that he heard some noise coming from the 3rd floor at 3:00 AM. Why was he concerned? Because there was nobody staying on the 3rd floor. He went up to investigate but did not see anybody…although he remained certain that something was going on up there.

Lights On Dennis Freemyer, who served as an usher in the Reagan White House, claims that he went into the Lincoln Bedroom one night and shut the lights and then left the room. He suddenly noticed that the chandelier went back on, so he went back into the room, but there was nobody there. Suddenly, he felt a very cold chill and felt the presence of someone there, but there was nobody else in the room…that he could see, at least.

“I told my wife living in the White House would be like a vacation. She hasn’t spoken to me since.”- President Lyndon B. Johnson

“The trouble with living in the White House is you have to drive 20 miles just to go for a walk.”- President Herbert Hoover

“I have to confess that it’s an honor to live in the White House. It’s just not as good as living above a pizza place.”- President Bill Clinton

“Living in the White House is like being in a fishbowl –if fish could leak to the press.”- President Ronald Reagan

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Biden used his last speech as president to warn us about a new American oligarchy. And you can tell the message hit home because of how many people — and this is true — how many people immediately went to Google to search “What is oligarchy?” And weirdly, Google responded: “Don’t worry about it.’”

— Jordan Klepper

Where was this guy? Biden couldn’t sing “Happy Birthday.” Suddenly he pulls out “oligarchy” and “tech industrial complex”?

— Jimmy Fallon

In his speech, Biden proposed higher taxes on billionaires, a ban on congressional stock trading, and term limits for the Supreme Court. Man, if only Biden were president.

— Jimmy Fallon

During his farewell address last night, President Joe Biden seemed sleepy and bitter as he mumbled for only 13 minutes. Who did he steal this speech from, Ozzy Osbourne?

— Greg Gutfeld

Instead of making highly produced clap back videos with social media influencers, you should get to work helping Californians. You’re the leader of a state in crisis, and you should finally start acting like it.

- Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) responding to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) during a podcast appearance accusing him of playing politics with relief funds

No. We have to recognize there was a Palestinian state. It was called Gaza. Look how that turned out.

- Incoming U.S. Ambassador to Israel Micke Huckabee, when asked by Fox News if he believes in the “two-state solution”

It’s really sad on so many levels that, when people are at their lowest and in their most difficult times, people are doing things like this.

- Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver after most of her grand slam trophies were stolen from her car after she evacuated her home because of the California wildfires

In May 2024, I read an article that talked about Trump’s speech in Charlottesville, where he said there are good people on both sides, and the article said it was completely propaganda and didn’t actually reflect what he said that he denounced the Nazis a bunch of times in his speech, so then I went and watched that video. And that was my red pill moment.

- Tech billionaire and lifelong Democrat Mark Pincus on “The AllIn Podcast” talking about why he switched to the Republican party

I think it was for a lot of people because it wasn’t just the media or politicians spinning it. That speech was one of the pillars of why you were supposed to hate Trump— that speech. Then you see Biden say that’s why he had to run a second time, and Obama says it, and Biden brings it up again at the DNC.

- Ibid.

I’m not going to that rat-infested place out in San Francisco.

- NBA Hall of Famer and current NBA broadcaster Charles Barkley declaring on air that he will not go to the Allstar game in San Francisco

Never before in history has a side claimed that they suffered a genocide and at the same time that they won the war they had started.

– Hillel Neuer on X, after Hamas claimed victory in Gaza

I hate politics… There is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine.

- Ivanka Trump on a recent podcast explaining why she is not going back to Washington for her father’s second term

Senator, I’m here to answer your questions. I’m not here to do your homework and study for you.

- Pam Bondi, at her Senate confirmation hearing to become the new Attorney General, responding to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) who asked her if she knows what the 14th Amendment says

[Donald Trump] didn’t become the president of the United States because of merit. He hasn’t really, he had no political experience whatsoever, he had no business experience. He was given everything he has. He is a legacy hire. He is if anything a DEI hire, a “didn’t earn it” hire.

- Sunny Hostin on “The View”

What concerns me is these are the questions you believe are most important to ask the U.N. Ambassador.

- Trump’s pick for UN Ambassador Rep Elise Stefanik (R-NY) at her confirmation hearing when Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CN)repeatedly claimed that Elon Musk did a Nazi salute (he did not do that) and asked Stefanik if she was concerned about that

With TikTok Ban, Americans Now Only Being Spied On By Pentagon, Google, Facebook, Apple, Samsung, Doorbell, Toaster

- Babylon Bee headline

Ohtani Generously Donates 7 At-Bats’ Worth Of Salary To California Fire Victims

- Ibid.

I thought this was an incredible speech, honestly, and truly watching Donald Trump indict these gangsters to their faces while they had to sit right in front of him in that intimate setting in the rotunda for Republicans was remarkable. They had to sit there and take it just minutes after Biden, who we’re looking at here, pardoned his entire family. I mean, it was glorious.

- Scott Jennings on CNN

The two-state solution is something which, on record, I supported in the past, many times. But I would say that I had a wake-up call following October 7.

- Israeli President Isaac Herzog in an interview with Fareed Zakaria at the World Economic Forum in Davos

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I’ve noticed this as a common thread in my daughter’s 5-plus years in shidduchim. The guys she is best fit for and who like her the most are the ones she makes the most ridiculous excuses to end things with – the guys who my husband and I think will be the best for her, fine men with amazing middos and good character. Then, when the more glitzy men come along who aren’t as best matched and frankly have bad middos and character, she goes ga-ga over and then gets so upset when they end it.

In the past, we have tried explaining what is truly important in a marriage, but it falls on deaf ears. We have stepped back over the past year and have allowed her to do her own thing but would love to get some advice. Is there anything we can do to show her the light?

Thank you,

Sam & Marla*, concerned parents

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

The Panel

Dear Readers,

We want to offer YOU an opportunity to be part of the discussion! Please email us at MichelleMondShadchan@gmail.com, subject line “reader’s response,” if you would like to participate in the new “A Reader’s Response” columnist spot. We will send you a question and publish your answer in an upcoming Navidaters edition. If you have a question you would like the Navidaters to answer, please reach out to this email as well.

Looking forward!

Michelle, the “Shadchan”

Rebbetzin

Lisa Babich

Rebbetzin 5th Ave Synagogue

Thank you so much for your question as it is an important one. There is this phenomenon in life in which we tend to be attracted to either those who are not good for us or those who create a certain “chase.” It feels more fun and exciting for some people to experience a chase as it’s not as “boring” as the solid, stable guy. It is very hard to watch someone you love keep making immature choices and going for the wrong type of person. I do feel, however, that at a certain point, we have to let our kids make their own choices and learn through experience. This is not to say that if she is making a dangerous choice that you can’t step in, however, it may take some maturing or difficult experiences for your daughter to figure out what is truly important.

She should definitely be excited to marry her future husband, but I always describe the right one as bringing a feeling of immense security and safety. It may not be the same fireworks as the “bad boy” or the “chase,” but it is usually a very calming feeling.

It is hard not being able to make her see the light, so to speak, but you have been explaining these ideas to her for years and you are trying your best to get the message across. Perhaps a dating coach can help guide her and help her realize why she is attracted to the wrong things. There are many wonderful coaches out there who can help her gain some clarity and maturity to be ready for the right one.

Wishing you the best and lots of mazal.

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

What you are describing is actually quite common, and I appreciate you bringing this question to the panel. Although, unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer anybody can give you, it is important for you as parents to know that you are not alone. The most important first step in every problem one faces with their children is to recognize that our children (as young or old as they may be) are their own person. As we navigate toddlerhood, elementary age, teenage years, and then as our kids enter adulthood, we, as parents, must undergo a cognitive transition that is extremely difficult. Our children become adults who must make their own choices and learn their own lessons, and sometimes these lessons will hurt. It understandably hurts as a parent to see your child making mistakes that you know could have been avoided. It is emotionally and physically painful to see the years go by as your daughter navigates her shidduchim in a way that resembles fake Hollywood movies rather than real, unfiltered life.

As someone who has been through life, you know what factors are important in a relationship and marriage. Your daughter, however, is navigating her dating life with the complete opposite perspective. She does not seem to have the ability yet to process what is truly im-

portant in a long-term marriage partner. Her maturity level might be significantly low, or her ta’aiva for the “glitzy external” factors, as you describe it, might be too much for her to overcome.

The only thing you have control over right now is your relationship with your daughter. My advice for you is for you to develop a very raw and real accepting relationship with her, so she will get to a place where she will start to accept your advice. In the meantime, be positive and effusive when the nice, menschlech guys come around. Do not say anything negative about any insignificant factors which you may see in these guys. You both should work towards creating an atmosphere of a safe-haven for your daughter vs. an atmosphere of negativity and judgment zone. If the atmosphere at home towards her is the latter, she will just negate any advice you have altogether; remember, your goal is for her to truly want your input. Once she is able to accept your input, you can talk straight with her, offer book suggestions, and recommend a great therapist who can help her navigate her feelings.

I will never forget a conversation I had years ago with a close friend who gave me permission to share this without using names. She had broken off an engagement with a nice young man because he was (in her words) “not cool enough, and so nice it creeped me out.” Eight months later, she got engaged to a new guy, and I watched as she saw stars and described how amazing the banter was, and how perfectly handsome, cool and adventurous he was. “He’s literally everything I was looking for,” she said as I congratulated her, however on the inside I was feeling very hesitant. Unfortunately, I spent many nights on the phone trying to be a listening ear while her marriage unraveled. Simply put, the guy she married turned out to be the absolute perfect boyfriend but the most horrible husband. She confided many times that had she gotten engaged to the first guy, she would have been so much happier. As we all know, everything is meant to be, but the lesson learned is obvious.

May your daughter have clarity, peace of mind, and find her true bashert very soon!

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Y our letter reminds me of what my mother always used to say: “The way you make your bed is the way you will sleep in it.” Unfortunately, sometimes, we must live with the unpleasant consequences of our actions.

It sounds like your daughter is personifying the well-known phenomenon, known as the Bad Boy Syndrome. A psychologist friend of mine explained that “some girls are attracted to ‘bad boys’ for a variety of reasons – whether it’s the thrill of the unpredictable nature of the relationship, a desire to ‘fix’ them, or the allure of taboo.”

A sociologist once pointed out that “bad Boys exude confidence like no one else. They walk into a room with a sense of self-assurance, oozing charisma. They offer a sense of boldness that is something that some women, especially those with a bit of self-doubt, find irresistible.”

Sadly, despite all the advice and explanations well-meaning parents or therapists may offer, it can be hard to change someone’s behavior. Your daughter is an independent adult, and while it’s difficult to watch, she might need to experience this lesson firsthand before it sinks in.

Nevertheless, here’s a suggestion that might be helpful. Why not watch a movie together with your daughter that deals with this very theme? There are plenty of films that depict the dangers of getting involved with a Bad Boy.

One recent example is a movie from 2018 where the lead character, Elle, falls for the classic Bad Boy, her best friend’s older brother, Noah. Another, much darker example, is from 1996, where a young girl is swept off her feet by a charming but dangerous man who turns out to be a sociopath.

Perhaps our readers can recommend other movies, or books, with a similar premise. Watching these movies, or reading these types of books, together with your daughter might open up an opportunity to have a discussion about the reality of such relationships. Perhaps you and your daughter can discuss the lessons these characters have learned.

It might help her see that, while excitement and rebellion can seem enticing, qualities like kindness, stability, and mutual respect are what really matter in a long-term relationship.

Reader’s response

Yehuda Weingarten

Ican’t imagine how difficult this must be for you as parents, watching your daughter go through such an emotionally exhausting process. Dating truly is a journey of self-discovery. As one goes through it, the hope is to learn more about oneself, aspirations, and life goals while meeting new people. However, it can be especially challenging to navigate that process at a

younger age, all while watching peers get married and move forward in their lives.

As parents, it’s important to understand that—regardless of cultural norms—choosing someone to marry is a monumental decision. This is your daughter’s future life, the one she will be building and living every single day. It’s a deeply personal decision, and ultimately, she is the one who must feel confident in the choice she makes. Your role, then, becomes one of support: creating an environment where she feels empowered to explore her own values and priorities.

If your daughter was asking this question herself, the focus would likely be on helping her clarify what she is looking for in a partner. This clarity is vital for her to make a decision she can stand by

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. It’s clear how deeply you love your daughter and how invested you are in her happiness. Watching someone you care about make choices that feel misaligned with their best interests can be incredibly painful, especially when it’s your own child. Your letter reflects not just frustration but also wisdom and a heartfelt desire to guide her toward a fulfilling and meaningful relationship. First, I want to validate how hard this must be for you. You’re seeing your daughter gravitate toward partners who don’t seem to be the right fit while letting go of those who, in your eyes, hold the values and character traits that would support a strong marriage. It’s natural to want to intervene, but it’s also clear you’ve recognized the importance of stepping back and allowing her to learn from her own experiences. That’s a

courageous and wise choice, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

Dr. Shefali Tsa - bari talks about the concept of surrendering control when it comes to our children. As parents, we want to guide and protect, but ultimately, our children’s lives are their own to navigate. The process of growth often requires experiencing discomfort, disappointment, and even heartbreak. This doesn’t mean we step away completely—it means we shift from trying to control the outcome to being a steady, loving presence as they figure things out. It sounds like you’re already on this path, and I commend you for it.

Your daughter’s journey in shidduchim may be teaching her lessons she wouldn’t otherwise learn. Perhaps the more “glitzy” men are revealing what doesn’t work for

with confidence. For you, as parents, the best approach is to ask: How can we best support her in this process? This involves offering tender love and care, regardless of whether or not she seems to be fully listening at the moment. Your consistent support will go a long way, both now and in the future.

There are many approaches that could help her during this time, such as working with a dating coach, mentor, or someone who can guide her throughout the process. Having an impartial figure she can talk to might help her gain clarity in a way that feels supportive and nonjudgmental. Encouraging her to reflect on her aspirations and what truly matters to her in a marriage can also be incredibly helpful, but this often comes more naturally when it’s done in a safe, judgment-free environment.

It’s also important to acknowledge how difficult it is to have these broader

her, even if she doesn’t yet fully realize it. Growth often happens in the space between what we think we want and what we discover we need. Every relationship she enters, even the ones that don’t end well, offers her valuable insight into herself, her needs, and what truly matters to her.

Instead of focusing on what she might be missing in her decision-making, consider gently encouraging her to reflect on how she feels in each relationship. Without directing her to a specific conclusion, you might ask questions like:

• “How do you feel about yourself when you’re with him?”

• “Do you feel seen, respected, and supported?”

• “Does this relationship make you feel safe and authentic?”

These questions are not about pointing out flaws in the other person but about helping her tune into her own inner wisdom.

I also wonder if, as parents, you might explore your own attachment to the outcome. Dr. Shefali reminds us that our children’s paths are not ours to control or shape, but sometimes, without realizing it,

conversations with someone who has never experienced the complexities of marriage yet, feels the societal pressure to get married, and is excited for what this next chapter of life may bring. By focusing on understanding her perspective, listening deeply, and putting your own thoughts and feelings aside as she speaks, you can help her feel supported in navigating this process.

Sharing in the highs and lows of this journey is equally important. Celebrate the excitement of good dates, empathize with the disappointments, and be present with her throughout this process. People often take guidance from those they feel truly understand them. By being that understanding presence, you create an environment where she may feel more comfortable reflecting on her choices and recognize what’s truly important for her future.

May she find her zivug b’karov, iy”H !

we carry unconscious expectations about what their lives should look like. When these expectations aren’t met, it can stir feelings of disappointment, fear, or even frustration. Taking a step back to explore those feelings in yourselves—not to judge them but to understand them—can bring clarity and peace.

Lastly, it’s important to hold onto hope. Your daughter’s story is still unfolding, and she’s learning, even if it’s not immediately visible. Trust that the seeds you’ve planted, the values you’ve modeled, the love you’ve poured into her will guide her in time. She may need to take the scenic route, but the lessons she learns along the way will be uniquely her own.

For now, being her safe space, her source of unconditional love and support, is the greatest gift you can give. It may not “show her the light” in the way you’re hoping, but it will ensure she feels secure and grounded as she navigates her journey.

You are wonderful parents doing the hard work of loving and letting go. Keep trusting in her process—and in your own.

Warmly, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

Health & F tness Breaking Free from the Anxiety Trap

How to Stop Feeding the Fear and Reclaim Your Life

By Rivka Kramer, PMHNP-BC

Sari is a 30-year-old woman who is intelligent, successful in her career, and well-loved by her family and friends. On the surface, she seems to have everything together, but beneath that exterior, anxiety is a constant companion. Despite her outward confidence, Sari’s anxiety grips her daily, influencing everything from social interactions to her personal routines.

For Sari, one of the biggest triggers is her close friend. Just thinking about spending time with this person sends her mind spiraling into a whirlwind of worry—What if I say the wrong thing? What if they judge me? What if I embarrass myself? These fears often make social events feel insurmountable, and she feels the urge to avoid them altogether. But avoiding anxiety-provoking situations doesn’t make the anxiety go away; in fact, it feeds it.

In this article, we’ll explore how anxiety disorders develop, how the people around us can unintentionally fuel the anxiety cycle, and how Sari’s experience highlights how we can stop feeding anxiety and break the cycle for good.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is more than just a passing feeling of nervousness—it’s a persistent, overwhelming sense of fear or dread that can linger even in the absence of a clear threat. Anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Specific Phobias, occur when the brain misinterprets normal situations as threats. As a result, a person with an anxiety disorder can find even the most mundane tasks daunting.

For Sari, her anxiety is triggered mainly by social situations, especially when she anticipates spending time with her friend. Even though her friend has never been anything but supportive, Sari’s mind runs wild with fear of judg-

ment or saying something awkward. The thought of these interactions makes her heart race, and the anticipation becomes overwhelming.

This kind of anxiety is especially tricky because it tends to be self-perpetuating. The more Sari avoids social situations or seeks reassurance, the stronger her anxiety becomes. Over time, instead of diminishing, her fears intensify, trapping her in a cycle that feels nearly impossible to escape.

The Anxiety Cycle: How Avoidance Fuels Fear

Anxiety disorders create a cycle that repeats itself over and over, often escalating in intensity. In Sari’s case, the cycle begins with a trigger, which might be a simple social situation with her friend. The fear of being judged or saying something wrong sets her mind racing, and the cycle kicks into full gear:

1. Triggering Event

Sari’s anxiety might begin with the thought of meeting her friend, leading her to imagine worst-case scenarios: What if I embarrass myself? What if they judge me? What if I say the wrong thing? These anxious thoughts send her mind spiraling, making the upcoming event seem more like a threat than a simple social gathering.

2. Anxiety Response

Once triggered, Sari’s body enters a heightened state of alert. Her heart starts racing, her palms sweat, and her stomach tightens with tension. Even though the event is not truly dangerous, her brain perceives it as a threat, activating the fight-or-flight response. This intense physical reaction makes the situation feel much more dangerous than it actually is.

3. Avoidance or Reassurance-Seeking

To cope with the overwhelming fear, Sari might cancel plans with her friend or back out at the last minute. Alternatively, if she does go through with it, she might seek constant reassurance from others: Do you think everything will be okay? Should I wear this? What if they don’t like me? While these behaviors provide temporary relief, they don’t address the root cause of her anxiety and ultimately reinforce the cycle.

4. Reinforcing the Anxiety

Avoiding the event or seeking reassurance only strengthens Sari’s anxiety over time. By avoiding the social situation, her brain doesn’t learn that these events are manageable, reinforcing the idea that they are too dangerous to face without assistance. With each instance of avoidance, the anxiety grows stronger, making it more difficult to face similar situations

in the future.

This cycle can feel exhausting, but it’s important to recognize that it’s self-reinforcing. The more Sari avoids or seeks reassurance, the more her anxiety grows, turning ordinary social interactions into daunting challenges.

Enabling Behaviors: How Well-Meaning Actions Can Make Anxiety Worse

One of the major challenges for people with anxiety disorders is that well-meaning family and friends can unintentionally reinforce the anxiety cycle. Sari’s family and friends, including the friend who triggers her anxiety, often try to ease her distress by offering reassurance or accommodating her fears. While their intentions are good, these behaviors can actually make it harder for Sari to overcome her anxiety.

Enabling occurs when others respond to a person’s anxiety by making things easier for them—by avoiding triggers or offering constant reassurance. While this may reduce anxiety in the short term, it prevents the person from learning how to face their fears on their own. By shielding someone from situations that cause anxiety, you reinforce the belief that they can’t handle the situation without help.

In Sari’s case, her friend might avoid certain topics of conversation or repeatedly reassure her that everything will be fine. Though this is done out of care, it inadvertently reinforces Sari’s belief that her fears are valid, preventing her from learning how to manage them on her own. Over time, these enabling behaviors create a cycle where Sari’s anxiety continues to grow, as she becomes less and less confident in her ability to cope.

Breaking the Anxiety Cycle: How to Take Back Control

The good news is that anxiety can be managed and even overcome. Breaking

the cycle of anxiety requires a shift in how Sari responds to her fears. By facing anxiety head-on rather than avoiding it, she can start to take back control. Here are some strategies that can help break the cycle:

1. Gradual Exposure

Gradual exposure is one of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety. This involves slowly and intentionally confronting feared situations in small, manageable steps. For Sari, this might mean starting with shorter interactions with her friend—like a quick coffee or a brief chat—before working up to longer, more complex social events. By taking small steps, she can desensitize herself to the anxiety-provoking situations, making them feel less intimidating over time.

2. Encouraging Self-Sufficiency

It’s essential for Sari to learn how to manage her anxiety independently, rather than relying on others for constant reassurance. This could mean practicing deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation before and during stressful situations. These techniques can help Sari stay calm and grounded when anxiety arises, allowing her to regain control of her physical and

emotional responses.

3. Cognitive Restructuring

Much of Sari’s anxiety is rooted in irrational, negative thoughts. Thoughts like “What if I mess up?” or “What if they don’t like me?” are often exaggerated and don’t reflect reality. In therapy, Sari can learn to identify these distorted thoughts and challenge them. Instead of assuming the worst, she can ask herself: What’s the evidence for this thought?

For example, simply attending a social event for a brief time, engaging in a light conversation, or showing up without feeling overwhelmed are all small victories that reinforce her ability to cope. With each success, Sari’s confidence grows, and she begins to view anxiety-provoking situations as less daunting.

5. Support Without Enabling Family and friends can provide cru-

A person with an anxiety disorder can find even the most mundane tasks daunting.

How likely is it that something bad will happen? Reframing these negative thoughts helps reduce anxiety by putting the situation into perspective.

4. Building Confidence Through Small Wins

Each time Sari faces a feared situation and successfully manages it, she builds confidence. These small wins accumulate over time, gradually changing the way her brain responds to anxiety.

cial support, but it’s important that they don’t enable Sari’s anxiety by constantly reassuring her or accommodating her fears. Instead, they can offer emotional support while gently encouraging her to face her fears. By offering encouragement without “fixing” the situation, Sari can begin to feel empowered to handle anxiety on her own. Support without enabling helps her build resilience and develop the skills necessary to break the cycle.

Reclaiming Your Life from Anxiety

Sari’s journey with anxiety is ongoing, but by understanding the anxiety cycle and recognizing how enabling behaviors can perpetuate it, she is beginning to break free. Through gradual exposure, building self-sufficiency, and challenging negative thoughts, Sari is slowly taking back control of her life.

Overcoming anxiety isn’t easy – it requires time, patience, and consistent effort. But with the right strategies, support, and persistence, anyone, including Sari, can stop feeding the fear and break the cycle. The key is to recognize that while anxiety may feel overwhelming, it doesn’t have to control your life. By taking small, deliberate steps, you can reclaim your peace of mind and begin living with confidence once again.

Rivka Kramer is a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She has an Integrative psychiatric private practice based in Cedarhurst, NY. She serves as a member of the board of JANPPA, the Jewish American Nurse Practitioner Psychiatric Association. She can be reached at 516-945-9443.

Tara & Shai Kornblau on the birth of a son

Toba & Duvie Bergman on the birth of a daughter

Mr. & Mrs. Maier Borenstein on the birth of a son

Yehuda & Shira Weinberger on the birth of a daughter

President Donald J. Trump

“The Golden Age of America Begins Right Now”

Below is a transcript of President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural address after being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States

Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very, very much. Vice President Vance. Speaker Johnson. Sen. Thune. Chief Justice Roberts. Justices of the United States Supreme Court. President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris and my fellow citizens.

The golden age of America begins right now.

From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first.

Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end. And our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free. America will soon be greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before.

I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before. But first, we must be honest about the challenges we face. While they are plentiful, they will be annihilated by this great momentum that the world is now witnessing in the United States of America.

As we gather today, our government confronts a crisis of trust. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from

our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair. We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad. It fails to protect our magnificent law-abiding American citizens, but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.

We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders, or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer give basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina. Been treated so badly. And other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago.

Or more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn. From weeks ago, without even a token of defense, they’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our

country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don’t have a home any longer. That’s interesting. But we can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change. We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world. And we have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves in many cases, to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.

My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed, their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over.

Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied. And we will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government.

Over the past eight years I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history. And I have learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our Republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom, and indeed, to take my life.

Just a few months ago, in that beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by G-d to make America great again.

That is why, each day, under our administration of American patriots, we will be working to meet every crisis with dignity and power and strength. We

will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed. For American citizens, January 20, 2025, is Liberation Day.

It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country. As our victory showed, the entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda, with dramatic increases in support from virtually every element of our society: young and old, men and women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, urban, suburban, rural, and very importantly, we had a powerful win in all seven swing states, and the popular vote we won by millions of people.

To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records, and I will not forget it. I’ve heard your voices in the campaign, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come. Today is Martin Luther King Day and his honor, this will be a great honor. But in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.

National unity is now returning to America, and confidence and pride is soaring like never before. In everything we do, my administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success. We will not forget our country, we will not forget our constitution, and we will not forget our G-d. Can’t do that.

Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense.

First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.

Under the orders I sign today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gang criminal net-

works, bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities.

As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Next, I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive

“I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do.”

overspending and escalating energy prices. That is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill.

America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth, and we are going to use it. We’re going to use it.

We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again, right to the top, and export American energy all over the world.

We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid

gold under our feet that will help to do it. With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers. In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago. And thank you to the autoworkers of our nation for your inspiring vote of confidence. We did tremendously with their vote.

I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens. For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service, to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues. It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our treasury, coming from foreign sources.

The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before. To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government, my administration will establish the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency.

After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.

Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents, something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law. And we are going to bring law and order back to our cities.

This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.

This week, I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate, with full back pay. And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It’s going to end immedi-

ately. Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission: defeating America’s enemies.

Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.

My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier. I’m pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families.

America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. And we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich, through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama after the United States. The United States — I mean, think of this — spent more money than ever spent on a project before and lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal. We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made. And Panama’s promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated.

American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form. And that includes the United States Navy. And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back.

Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization. So as we liberate our nation, we will lead it to new heights of victory and success. We will not be deterred. Together we will end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy and disease-free.

The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons. And we will pursue our manifest destiny into

the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.

Ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation. And right now, our nation is more ambitious than any other. There’s no nation like our nation. Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds

“We will not forget our country, we will not forget our constitution, and we will not forget our G-d.”

from within our souls. Our American ancestors turned a small group of colonies on the edge of a vast continent into a mighty republic of the most extraordinary citizens on Earth. No one comes close.

Americans pushed thousands of miles through a rugged land of untamed wilderness. They crossed deserts, scaled mountains, braved untold dangers, won the Wild West, ended slavery, rescued millions from tyranny, lifted billions from poverty, harnessed electricity, split the atom, launched mankind into the heavens and put the universe of human knowledge into the palm of the human hand. If we work together, there is nothing we cannot do and no dream we cannot achieve.

Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today, here I am. The American people have spoken. I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do. In America, the impossible is what we do best.

From New York to Los Angeles, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, from Chicago to Miami, from Houston to right here in Washington, D.C., our country was forged and built by the generations of patriots who gave everything they had for our rights and for our freedom. They were farmers and soldiers, cowboys and factory workers, steel workers and coal miners, police officers and pioneers who pushed onward, marched forward and let no obstacle defeat their spirit or their pride. Together, they laid down the railroads, raised up the skyscrapers, built great highways, won two world wars, defeated fascism and communism, and triumphed over every single challenge that they faced. After all we have been through together, we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in American history. With your help, we will restore American promise, and we will rebuild the nation that we love, and we love it so much.

We are one people, one family and one glorious nation under G-d. So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I am with you, I will fight for you and I will win for you. We are going to win like never before.

In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly. But we are going to bring it back and make it great again, greater than ever before. We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable.

America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith and good will. We will be prosperous, we will be proud, we will be strong and we will win like never before. We will not be conquered, we will not be intimidated, we will not be broken and we will not fail. From this day on, the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation.

We will stand bravely, we will live proudly, we will dream boldly, and nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans. The future’s ours. And our golden age has just begun. Thank you, G-d bless America, thank you all.

Parenting Pearls Bringing Them Home

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Last week, the proposed hostage deal was the major conversation topic. Emotions were high, and the discussions were very serious. Every one of us wants to see each of our brothers and sisters return home safely, but there were mixed opinions on the other details. While there are those with strong political influence that can make a practical change, most of us are not in that category, and our private arguments with each other will not change the eventual outcome. Ultimately, tefillos and tears are the only means we have to positively influence these events.

I avoid politics in this column, and I plan on continuing that policy. During all the arguing and debating, I noticed two comments that really made an impression on me. The first was a call for united tefillos with the awareness that whether we love or hate the details, we all recognize the need to appeal to our Father in Heaven. The second comment said simply that whatever deal goes through was the ratzon Hashem, because otherwise it wouldn’t have happened. This second

comment provided much comfort and a crucial reminder of Who is in charge and moving the players.

We have an obligation to do our hishtadlus and to daven, but ultimately, it’s not in our hands. The exact role of hishtadlus and tefillos and their impact is beyond understanding, but all of us can enhance our awareness of Hashem’s leadership and control over the world and our personal lives.

While some of the topics in this article feel a little overwhelming to discuss, this is a parenting column and I firmly believe that children learn best from their parents’ (hopefully) positive examples. When we live a life of truth then our children can absorb the message naturally. With this in mind I wanted to spend a little time discussing the ways we can bring this crucial message of Hashem’s continuous presence into both our lives and our parenting. This article is written with much humility and hope that only the emes will be conveyed. I am not a rav or rebbetzen, and I advise families to seek their own guidance for more details.

A Few Thoughts On Hashgacha Pratis

As Torah Jews, we know nothing can happen without Hashem’s permission or awareness. Nothing is haphazard, and every detail is with intention and wisdom. While we have free will and the ability to choose, that does not take away from Hashem’s total oversight. The lives of each hostage are guided by the same Hand that holds ours here. Every detail of any deal, each moment that it is implemented, and the results are all with the same wisdom that oversees even the most seemingly mundane aspects of our lives.

It can be overwhelming to think of this concept with our finite mental capabilities, yet we can still apply this awareness throughout our daily lives. It’s easy to say, “Hashem is in control,” but it takes deep introspection and practice to implement this in our personal day. Our children know when we are saying mere words, and they respect us when they see us actively live this truth.

We reassure children that everything is in Hashem’s Hands and for the best, but

that can be misleading to a young mind. Children may erroneously think this means they are getting what they want. Children can become disappointed, frustrated and upset if they expect the Divine Plan to run according to their personal expectations and that doesn’t happen. Being aware of Hashem’s presence doesn’t mean we get what we want; it means that whatever does happen was with intent and purpose. Seemingly bad and painful things can happen, but that doesn’t take away from there being intent behind it, and we don’t need to fully understand something to remember The Source of it.

Similarly, everything being “for the best” doesn’t mean it’ll be what we hoped for or what feels like the best option to us. We know painful things exist in this world, and we don’t need to understand why it’s part of the plan to recognize that there is a plan. Hashem can love us more than humanly possible yet still give us challenges and discomfort or pain on our journey.

There is so much uncertainty and stress but having an awareness that

Emily Damari with her mother Amanda

Someone is running things can do much to relieve some of this tension. People with this awareness will tell you how much calmer they are and even how much easier it is to forgive others for small slights since they recognize they were meant to have this experience.

As much as working on this middah will improve our personal lives, it will change the way we think and act, a side effect that will naturally spill over on to our children. Children repeat what they hear, and they learn from what they see. Even young children can make comments demonstrating emunah, bitachon or another deep concept, and you know they learned it somewhere.

Media Precautions

Over the next few weeks, I expect the news to have a greater place in our daily schedule. As parents, we need to be mindful of how each of our actions affect our children.

Children should not be exposed to disturbing photos or details. Without even knowing the nuanced details, we already know their experiences were horrific.

likely be many more reports providing information of what these individuals experienced. While I question the appropriateness of publishing photos and details of their painful and private moments, it’s certainly not something children should see. After October 7, many adults expe -

Children will hear things are happening, and parents should anticipate difficult questions. The reality is that many of these questions don’t have answers because some things are beyond human comprehension. Still, children will look to us to provide understanding and comfort.

While we have free will and the ability to choose, that does not take away from Hashem’s total oversight.

rienced a variety of symptoms, such as trouble sleeping. Children, too, are at risk of displaying signs of trauma and terror after being exposed to information that isn’t appropriate for them.

Parents should be mindful to not check the news or discuss it – even among themselves – with children in the vicinity. Children tend to have excellent vision and hearing when they want to. I suspect

Don’t avoid their questions but do use developmentally appropriate language.

Parents need to self-regulate and think carefully about how much news is healthy for themselves. For many, checking the news can become almost obsessive and the details all consuming. Daven, say Tehillim, but try to limit your news intake to what you can emotionally tolerate.

Parents should not hesitate or be embarrassed to seek professional help for themselves or their child. Perhaps help is

needed to assist in answering their questions or to provide support during a turbulent time for Klal Yisroel. As parents, the stronger we are emotionally, the more we can devote to our precious children. It’s important to remember that seeking help is ultimately a strength and not a sign of weakness.

While I know our family members returning from captivity are unlikely to read this column, I still want to give them a warm welcome home and let them know we love them and waited for them. One important lesson we learned from this painful time period is how truly connected we are to each other. Keep davening – our tefillos are more important than ever, and our brothers and sisters will still need a long-term refuah once they are back. May Hashem bring all of Klal Yisroel home and protect us wherever we are as we await the ultimate geulah, bimheira b’yameinu.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

Miri Motzen, 4

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Avi Frank, 11

In The K tchen

Shivas Haminim Salad

Pareve / Yields 8 servings

By Naomi Nachman

I developed a minim salad several years ago while on a visit to Israel during Tu B’Shvat. This salad calls for all the shevah minim to be used, making it the perfect Tu B’Shvat salad for the holiday coming up this month.

Ingredients

◦ ²⁄₃ cup barley

◦ Oil, for deep frying

◦ 1 Tablespoon flour

◦ 5 cups arugula or spinach

◦ 1 cup green grapes, halved

◦ ½ cup pomegranate seeds

◦ 8 dried figs, quartered

Dressing

◦ ¼ cup olive oil

◦ 2 Tablespoons silan

◦ Juice of 2 limes

◦ ½ teaspoon whole grain mustard

◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

◦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook barley according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat.

3 Toss ½ cup cooked barley with flour. Add to hot oil; fry for a few minutes, until golden and crispy. Set aside.

4. Prepare the dressing: Place all dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk until combined.

5. Assemble salad: Place greens, grapes, pomegranate seeds, figs, and remaining cooked (not fried) barley into a large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to combine. Garnish with fried barley.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.