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Dear Readers,

R’ Abie Rotenberg offers a beautiful insight into why השנמכו

is the universal bracha for Klal Yisroel’s children.

Ephraim and Menashe were the first brothers in Jewish history who lived in harmony without jealousy or competition. When you look at earlier brothers in the Torah — Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav, even Yosef and his brothers — all these relationships were fraught with tension, rivalry, and even conflict. But Ephraim and Menashe were different. Despite being placed in different roles by their grandfather Yaakov — Ephraim receiving precedence over Menashe in the blessing — there was no animosity between them. Menashe accepted his younger brother’s higher position with humility, and Ephraim did not lord it over his older brother.

This harmony is what parents wish to bless their children with: Shalom and achdus. The ability to respect one another’s unique roles, to live together in peace, and to support each other without jealousy. This is the foundation for a strong family, a unified community, and ultimately, the strength of Klal Yisroel.

In this bracha, we are not only blessing our children to emulate Ephraim and Menashe’s spiritual and moral greatness but also their ability to live with mutual respect and unity, qualities essential for success as individuals and as a nation.

This bracha takes on added significance in the context of our broader hopes and prayers for peace, not only within Klal Yisroel but also between us and the nations of the world. As we navigate a turbulent

political climate, we yearn for a time when unity and understanding will prevail, both among the diverse factions of our people and in our relationship with the nations around us. The harmony embodied by Ephraim and Menashe serves as a model not only for familial and communal unity but also for the global peace that we so desperately need.

Today, we are still suffering under the dual threats of Esav and Yishmael, whose spiritual and physical challenges continue to weigh heavily on Klal Yisroel. With the upcoming inauguration and a new President entering office, we remain cautiously optimistic that this transition will usher in a period of greater stability, cooperation, and understanding. However, we know that true peace and harmony do not come solely from political leaders or human efforts. The pasuk reminds us that ׳ה

hearts of kings and rulers are ultimately in the hands of Hashem. We fervently daven that this change in leadership will serve as a conduit for Hashem’s will, leading to policies and decisions that protect and benefit Klal Yisroel.

At the same time, we remain acutely aware that our ultimate hope lies not in the hands of any government or leader but in the Geula Shleima. Our prayers for peace are part of our greater yearning for the coming of Moshiach when the world will finally know lasting harmony. May the bracha of Ephraim and Menashe inspire us to live with unity and faith as we await that day speedily in our times.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Shabbos Aaron Menachem

Send us your: community events,

& photos, and mazal tovs to editor@baltimorejewishhome.com to be featured in coming editions!

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Car Parade, Grand Menorah Lighting And Concert Light Up Baltimore! Over 2000 Participate

The Baltimore Community was looking forward to one of the highlights of Chanukah, the Car Parade and Grand Menorah Lighting.

Close to 100 Menorah topped vehicles and Police vehicles paraded through Northwest Baltimore and Baltimore County led by Baltimore City and County Police Departments, spreading the light and joy of Chanukah. The Parade was led by Police Motorcycles and a Cyber truck topped with a Menorah and vehicles from Baltimore Hatzalah, Shomrim and Chaveirim as well as Northwest Citizen Patrol.

Hundreds of people came out of their houses to watch the parade pass by. The Parade passed by the 770 building of Yeshivas Lubavitch of Baltimore.

The Parade ended at Quarry Lake where once again a Grand Menorah Lightning, Gelt Drop with the Pikesville Fire Department, Laser Light Show and a concert by, Issac Ben took place sponsored by Chabad of Maryland and Chabad of Park Heights and was organized by Regional Director of Chabad

of Maryland Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan and Shliach to Chabad of Park Heights Rabbi Shmulik Raices who emceed the event. Over 1000 people attended.

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan noted, the growth of this event year by year is the fulfillment of the Rebbe’s vision and a vivid demonstration of how powerful an effect this has on all kinds of people, and Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon, director of Chabad of Park Heights shared words of inspiration.

The parade was organized by Baltimore Shliach Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland-Chabad, and Chabad Centers of Baltimore with the assistance of Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, Regional Director of Chabad of Maryland.

The parade was made possible through the coordinated efforts of Baltimore County Police and Captain Shawn Hanley and Baltimore City Police.

A special thank you to Obrecht Properties

Photos: Price Photography

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The Zidichover Rebbe’s Maamid Hadlaka And Zos Chanukah Tish

At Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

On the final night of Chanukah, a memorable Maamid Hadlaka and Zos Chanukah Tish took place at Mercaz, presided over by the Zidichover Rebbe. Hundreds of attendees packed the Bais Medrash to witness the Rebbe lighting the last flames of Chanukah and to participate in the inspiring event.

The atmosphere was electric, with perenches (bleachers) filled to capacity by children, bochurim, and families, as the oilam joined in stirring zemiros led by the talented Mezamrim.

Prominent local rabbanim graced the occasion with their presence, including Harav Moshe Heinemann, Harav Pinchas Gross, Harav Simcha Wein, Harav Menachem Goldberger, Harav Amrom Jungreis, and Harav Zvi Teichman, shlita, among others.

Community leaders and askanim, such as Councilman Yitzy Schleifer,

also attended the event. Harav Nosson Newman, Rosh Yeshiva of Bais Medrash of Owings Mills, delivered an uplifting drasha, highlighting the kedusha of Zos Chanukah and the power of tefillah.

The evening concluded with a beautiful distribution of Chanukah gelt by the Rebbe to all attendees, creating a heartfelt and joyous finale to Chanukah.

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Electrifying Maamad Sereifas Hapesilos At The Tent @ Ahavas Chaim

This past Thursday night, The Tent @ Ahavas Chaim was transformed into a vibrant scene of inspiration and reflection during an electrifying Maamad Sereifas Hapesilos. Hosted by Rabbi Shaya Kohn, the event featured the uplifting presence of HaRav Amrom Yungreis, shlita, Rosh Kollel of Khal Chasidim.

Rav Yungreis delivered stirring divrei hisorerus, delving into the heart of Chanukah’s message—our deep and unbreakable connection to

Hashem—and offering guidance on how to carry its glowing warmth into the colder months ahead. The evening concluded with the ceremonial burning of the pesilos and a mouthwatering Toameah, leaving everyone spiritually uplifted and satisfied.

Special Piano Recital At L’Chaim Day Program

Ms. Zahava Segan-Kohanim and her talented piano students conducted a special recital for the L’Chaim Day Program. L’Chaim participants and the student’s family members were treated to an array of piano compositions ranging from intermediate to advanced playing levels.

Ms. Segan-Kohanim and her students (Reyna Menda, Shimmy Menda, Shaul Menda, Yosef Menda, Shalva Salhanik, Yocheved Kaplowitz, Yedida Segan-Kohanim, Chagai Segan Kohanim, and Ava Eagle) had the goal of putting a smile on the faces of the audience, which was certainly achieved! But they performed not only

musical pieces, they each performed an incredible mitzvah which resulted in the creation of a real kiddush Hashem.

Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic Hosts Unforgettable Chanukah Party For 400+ Attendees

Chai Lifeline Mid- Atlantic was thrilled to host 400+ parents, children and volunteers for an incredible Chanuka party on the 7th night of Chanuka! Tremendous ruach and energy filled the room at Ateres Elka as young and

old sang and danced along with Yoni Z. and Menachem Manevich. Candle making, face painting, donut decorating, and catering by Y Events rounded out a memorable evening. It was a special night for a special crowd!

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Around the Community Kulam’s Chanukah Mesiba At Chabad Of Silver Spring

Kulam hosted an exciting Chanukah mesiba at Chabad of Silver Spring, which was filled with fun and creative activities. The boys enjoyed a brisket taco station, donut decorating, and a captivating magician, while Akiva Mond provided background music.

The evening also featured exciting prizes, a game show, and a highlight video of Kulam events over the past few months. Kulam aims to give the boys opportunities to give back to the community. As a testament to this, all the helpers of the night—who played an essential role in the event’s success—are past participants of Kulam programming, demonstrating how the program empowers its alumni to contribute and lead.

Chanukah Candle Lighting Around Silver Spring

Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington menorah lighting at medstar Montgomery in partnership with Chabad of Olney
BCGW menorah lighting at suburban hospital

613 Seconds with Yehuda Tenenbaum

BJH: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

Yehuda Tenenbaum: I was born and raised here in Baltimore. I grew up on Strathmore and davened at Rabbi Goldberger’s shul. I attended TA through high school and returned to Baltimore after five years away in Yeshiva. I was lucky enough to meet my wife, who is also from Baltimore, and we settled down here.

BJH: What inspired you to pursue your career path and get involved in the work you do?

YT: Already from a young age I was business-like minded, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I ran a band back in high school called The TA Band. For our first bar mitzvah we split $150 between all four band members. This was one of my first lessons on performing customer service and marketing my talents.

When I was in Yeshiva, my mother gave me a strict budget. I tracked all my receipts in a spreadsheet on the Yeshiva

computer. When I needed more money, I just sent her the spreadsheet and asked which thing I shouldn’t have spent money on. I knew then that spreadsheets would play an important role in my life.

BJH: Can you share a bit about your professional background and how you got to where you are today?

YT: My first tax return was for a camp my wife ran. Shortly after that, I became a licensed Maryland tax preparer, and over time, my side gig morphed into a full-blown profession. To level up, I became an Enrolled Agent—think James Bond, but for taxes. EAs are experts in tax preparation, with unlimited rights to represent clients before the IRS.

BJH: How is this different from a CPA license?

YT: While a CPA is tested on a broad range of knowledge stemming from financial accounting, auditing, and taxes, a CPA may not specialize in taxes at all. While working at a regional accounting firm, I was surprised to learn that some of the CPAs in the firm had no idea how to prepare a tax return because they specialized in other areas. That being said, I’m also pursuing my CPA license. I’m a Maryland notary as well, so if you need something notarized, I’m your guy.

BJH: What sets your approach apart? What unique value do you

bring to your clients?

YT: Most people shudder at the idea of filling out a tax return. My goal as a tax preparer is to simplify the process for my clients, teaching them proper financial principles and tax planning along the way. My specialty is working with individuals and small businesses because I focus on giving every client the attention they need, a service not often found when working with larger firms. I run a tech-first, low-overhead business with no fancy offices or receptionists, just personalized, professional service. Clients upload documents to a secure online portal, and automation handles routine communication, allowing me to focus on the more detailed, complicated work.

BJH: What’s a particularly meaningful experience you’ve had in your line of work?

YT: Once, a new client—a therapist—came to me stressed about taxes. I told her, I’m the therapist’s therapist. Let me handle the tax anxiety so you can focus on your clients. She laughed, but it’s true. I love helping people breathe easier when it comes to money.

BJH: What’s something interesting you’ve noticed or experienced in your work?

YT: My clients amaze me with their creativity. There are so many ways to earn a living beyond the standard

doctor-lawyer-firefighter trio we grew up hearing about. I get inspired daily by the unique businesses and careers people build—and I’m grateful we don’t all want to be accountants, or I’d have no one to buy meat from for my cholent

BJH: How do you contribute to the community beyond your professional work?

YT: When I’m not knee-deep in spreadsheets, you’ll probably find me with a guitar in hand. Whether it’s singing and playing at a wedding or a siyum, music is a huge part of my life. Recently, a client asked me to do his taxes and play at his wedding—just not at the same time.

BJH: What advice would you give to someone looking to improve in the area you specialize in?

YT: Start with the basics: create a budget, set financial goals, and educate yourself. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. A good advisor can save you time, money, and a whole lot of stress.

BJH: How can people connect with you or learn more about what you do?

YT: You can visit my website at y10tax.com for more information about my services. I’m also available via email at yehuda@y10tax.com or by phone at 443-750-9606. With tax season approaching, I recommend reaching out soon—slots are filling up quickly!

The Week In News

The Week In News

Sickness at Sea

According to the CDC, there were 16 known gastrointestinal cruise outbreaks that occurred in 2024, up from 14 in 2023.

“While 2023 and 2024 both had higher numbers of cruise ship outbreaks than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend,” said a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Few outbreaks were recorded from 2020 to 2022, as the COVID-19 pan-

demic had, at the time, paralyzed the cruise industry. According to the CDC, ten outbreaks were reported in 2019, having dropped since 2006.

If 3% or more of those on board a ship come to the cruise’s medical staff with gastrointestinal symptoms, the CDC considers the situation an outbreak. Additionally, the CDC only deals with infections on ships that depart from a port in the U.S., travel internationally, and have over 13 individuals onboard.

Most of the outbreaks in 2024 were caused by norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Norovirus hit hundreds of passengers in December on five cruise ships, including those from Cunard Line, Holland America, and Princess Cruises.

“This is a virus that can infect you with very few viral particles. In other words, the infectious dose is very small,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “It can persist for days or even a week on environmental surfaces, which means that if you put your fingers on a contaminated surface, you can pick up a few vi-

ral particles, touch your mouth and then initiate an infection.”

Schaffner said norovirus is “known obviously as the cruise ship virus,” due to how easily it spreads in confined spaces, such as onboard a ship. He added that the virus is most common during the winter and that “this seasonal occurrence of norovirus varies in intensity.” This year’s norovirus outbreaks are “more severe” than usual, both on land and at sea, he explained.

Cruise Lines International Association, an industry organization, stated that “incidents of illness onboard cruise ships are extremely rare.”

The United States sees around 1921 million norovirus cases annually, the CDC said.

Other gastrointestinal cruise outbreaks not related to norovirus were, for instance, caused by salmonella food poisoning, which hit Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas in September 2024, and E. coli, which infected Silversea Cruises’ Silver Nova in late March going into April. The outbreak that took place on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas’ cruise in May is of unknown origin.

The CDC suggests that passengers with gastrointestinal symptoms quickly report “their illness if they are sick and following medical staff recommendations” and consistently wash their hands.

“Number one, if you’re feeling at all ill, stay home, rebook for a later cruise,” advised Schaffner. “Number two, pay meticulous attention to all the hygienic instructions that you are given on the cruise ship, and pay particular attention to hand hygiene. And in this circumstance, soap and water is actually better than using the sanitary hand wipes or lotions that we use, because norovirus is not very affected by the alcohol that’s in the hand wipes and the lotions.”

Trudeau to Step Down

In a speech Monday, Justin Trudeau, the thrice-elected prime minister of Canada, announced his intention to resign from the premiership and as the head of the Liberal Party.

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

POTOMAC

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

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

9:30

shacharis

Cheder Chabad: Lighting Up Baltimore With Torah and Mitzvos

Cheder Chabad of Baltimore has long been a cornerstone of the local Jewish community, offering a unique educational experience that brings the teachings of Torah to life. This year, the Cheder’s influence has reached new heights, as its students embraced their roles as lamplighters, spreading warmth, light, and inspiration throughout Baltimore.

For the students, living Torah is not just a lesson in the classroom—it’s a way of life. Whether organizing Chanukah celebrations for seniors, visiting patients in hospitals, or encouraging neighbors to embrace the joy of Yiddishkeit, Cheder

students have become shining examples of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s vision. Their efforts reflect a deep commitment to spreading the light of mitzvos and strengthening the community.

A Curriculum of Action

Cheder Chabad’s educational philosophy goes beyond academics, emphasizing real-world application of Torah values. This year, almost every student took on a mivtzoyim project—personal initiatives designed to bring Torah and mitzvos to others. From small, thoughtful acts of kindness to community-wide initiatives, these projects highlight the school’s mission to create leaders who live and share their Yiddishkeit with pride.

One moment that captured the school’s spirit came during a difficult time for Jews worldwide. After hearing about the tragic attacks in Eretz Yisrael, Cheder Chabad’s leadership organized a virtual rally of Torah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah. The response was overwhelming, with hundreds joining from across Baltimore. Cheder students led the rally, reciting pesukim and uniting the community in spiritual support for their brothers and sisters in Israel.

“Being a soldier in Tzivos Hashem is the currency of prestige in our school,” explains Rabbi Elchonon Chaikin, the school’s CEO. “Our students are taught to embrace their mission to bring light and holiness into the world. It’s what we celebrate and prioritize in every aspect of their education.”

Homes Changed Forever

Cheder Chabad’s impact extends far beyond its students. Families from diverse backgrounds are drawn together through the school’s programs, creating a sense of unity and shared purpose within the community. From its leadership to its youngest students, the Cheder exemplifies the idea that Torah values can bring people closer together.

“The warmth and light of Cheder Chabad touch everyone it reaches,” one parent shared. “The school’s influence is felt in every corner of the community, uniting people and inspiring them to grow.”

Double the Light, Double the Impact

As Chanukah approaches, Cheder Chabad is inviting the community to join its mission of spreading light and warmth. Through their current campaign, A Light in Baltimore: Spark, Shine, Lead, donors have the opportunity to double their impact. Every dollar donated will be matched, allowing the school to continue its vital work of shaping the next generation of Jewish leaders.

“What you give today will shape who these children become tomorrow,” Rabbi Chaikin emphasizes. “Your investment helps ensure that every student grows up connected, confident, and ready to lead.”

Cheder Chabad is not just a school—it’s a movement. Its students and their families are bringing the light of Torah and mitzvos to Baltimore and beyond, one mitzvah at a time. This Chanukah, join them in their mission to spark inspiration, shine with pride, and lead the next generation toward a brighter future.

Visit crowdspark.com/chederchabad/spark to learn more about Cheder Chabad’s mission and contribute to the campaign. Together, we can keep this flame burning strong until the coming of Moshiach.

The Week In News

Trudeau, 53, will officially step down once a successor is selected, a process that could take months.

His resignation came amid what he called “internal battles” in his party, sparked by falling approval ratings of his party and himself. Trudeau’s dismal approval rating, at just 20%, has damaged the Liberal Party, which, according to polls, is 20 points behind the Conservative Party. If the election were held today, the Conservatives’ Pierre Poilievre would win.

With Canada grappling with inflation and a housing shortage, many Canadians blame Trudeau for the country’s far-from-stellar economy.

Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the U.S. presidency has also hurt the prime minister’s public standing, as Trump threatens to levy 25% tariffs on Canada unless it stops drugs and migrants from crossing the U.S.’s northern border and has teasingly called Trudeau the “governor” of Canada, “the 51st state.”

Last month, Canadian Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a close ally of the prime minister, stepped down, attributing her resignation to her dismay with Trudeau’s failure to take action in light of Trump’s threats. Freeland or former Bank of England and Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney could very well be Trudeau’s successor.

A few days after Freeland resigned, the New Democratic Party, a left-leaning party that Trudeau’s minority government leans on, announced that it would no longer be supporting Trudeau.

In his statement this week, Trudeau also announced that the parliament’s current session would be suspended until March 24. If not for the suspension, he could be ousted with a no-confidence vote, which would lead to a snap election wherein the Conservatives have a popular frontrunner, while the Liberals do not.

Trudeau has been prime minister since 2013. A progressive politician, he promised to eliminate his country’s oil and gas industry, head an inclusive government, and turn Canada into a globally important country.

In 2019, Canada’s ethics watchdog ruled that Trudeau, through actions “tantamount to political direction,” interfered in a corruption investigation into SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., an engineering company based in Montreal. Shortly thereafter, photos surfaced of Trudeau wearing blackface, an act many consider racist. His reputation continues to suffer from those controversial acts and more, including his handling of the Freedom Convoy trucker protests and his decision to accuse the Indian government of playing a role in the murder of a Sikh activist in Vancouver.

Forty-five-year-old Pierre Poilievre, Trudeau’s main rival, has vowed to cut taxes, government spending, and restrictions for building homes, basing his vision on policies adopted by right-wing populist governments in the U.S., Argentina, and parts of Europe.

Sugary Drinks are Dangerous

Sugary drinks are dangerous, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature Medicine. The study analyzed global data on sugar-sweetened beverages consumed around the world, along with studies and the prevalence of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The results have raised concerns.

“This is a public health crisis, requiring urgent action,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University.

According to the researchers, sugary drinks “cause more than 330,000 annual deaths from diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Mozaffarian said.

Latin America and the Caribbean had the largest number of cardiovascular disease cases related to beverages; sub-Saharan Africa had the most cases of type 2 diabetes related to sugary drinks.

Younger male adults with higher education in urban areas seemed to

have been affected the most by sweetened drinks.

The researchers are not saying that the sugary beverages cause diabetes or cardiovascular disease; they are merely able to point to the correlation of those phenomena.

The researchers collected valuable data across 184 countries, but the study did not factor in all income levels and the increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease among high-risk ethnic groups.

Aside from the harm that sugary drinks may cause to your health, they also offer only empty calories with no nutritional benefits and raise blood sugar quickly and don’t fill you up.

Still, if you’re thirsty, you may not want to turn to beverages that are sweetened with artificial low-calorie sweeteners, as they have their own drawbacks. Consider, instead, drinking water, seltzer, or unsweetened tea or coffee.

Space Debris Fall to Earth

Last week, a village in Kenya got a surprise from the sky when a huge, redhot object plummeted to the Earth.

The object has since been identified as a “fragment of a space object,” the Kenya Space Agency said in a statement.

The KSA said it took custody of the object that landed in the remote village of Mukuku, in the southern county of Makueni, describing it as apparent space junk measuring about 8 feet wide and weighing about 1,100 pounds.

It’s possible that the object came from a ring from a rocket from space. Most debris coming space fall into the ocean or are burnt as they fly through the Earth’s atmosphere.

Julius Rotich, Mbooni Sub County Police Commander, told the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation that the object was still hot when officers arrived on Monday and that residents had to

be cordoned off from the area until it cooled down.

Iran Executed 901 People

More than 900 people were executed in Iran last year, with around 40 people killed in just one week in December, according to the United Nations right chief this week.

“It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said, adding that at least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024.

In 2023, Iran executed 853 people.

“It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions,” Turk declared.

Iran uses capital punishment for major crimes including murder, drug trafficking, and assault. The Islamic Republic executes more people per year than any other nation except China (although reliable numbers are not available for executions in that country), according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.

The UN rights office said that most of last year’s executions were for drug-related offenses but it said that “dissidents and people connected to the 2022 protests were also executed.” It added: “There was also a rise in the number of women executed.”

At least 31 women were executed in Iran in 2024.

The highest number of executions in Iran in recent decades was recorded in 2015, when at least 972 people were put to death.

Nazi Collaborators Exposed

“War in Court,” a Dutch project, released nearly half a million names of suspected wartime Nazi collaborators on Thursday after a law restricting public access to the archive expired on New Year’s Day.

The 32-million-page archive covers 425,000 mostly Dutch people investigated for collaboration with occupy-

The Week In News

ing German forces during World War II, Reuters reported.

Only one-fifth of those listed ever appeared before a court. Most cases involved “lesser offenses such as being a member of the Nationalist Socialist movement,” the news outlet said.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects personal data, but it doesn’t apply to dead people, which includes most of those listed in the archive.

At first, scanned files were to be available starting on Thursday with dossiers of suspects including victims and witnesses. However, after a warning from the Dutch Data Protection Authority, a decision was made to publish only names and postpone the more detailed data release.

According to Yad Vashem’s website, 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands when Germany invaded in May 1940. In the summer of 1942, deportation to the death camps began. Transports left the transit camps of Westerbork and Vught, mostly for Auschwitz and Sobibor.

A total of 107,000 Jews had been deported to the extermination camps by September 1944. Only 5,200 of them returned after the war, with more than 75% of Dutch Jews perishing in the Holocaust. (JNS)

nities in the north, 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes near the northern border. On Sunday, the Finance Ministry proposed a plan intended to help most residents return home by March 7.

With the compensation package, valued at NIS 3.4 billion ($934 million), the government would offer every displaced family NIS 23,360 per adult and NIS 12,680 per child for up to seven children if they return home on March 7 or in June if the family wants their children to finish the school year before returning to the north.

For example, a family with two parents and four children would receive NIS 101,440 (approx. $28,000).

Rebuilding the North

Since the October 7 massacre, when Hamas attacked in the south and Hezbollah started bombing nearby commu-

L CHAIM

The package consists of two grants: one that helps with the costs of moving back and another meant to help pay for damage caused by home abandonment, including broken refrigerators and other appliances. The first offers NIS 15,360 per adult and NIS 7,680 per child, while the second gives NIS 10,000 per adult and NIS 5,000 per child. Those whose homes were damaged by rockets will receive additional compensation.

“The key to returning home is secu-

WEEKLY CALENDAR

rity, and we are not going to compromise on this matter,” stated Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a Jerusalem press conference. “Residents of the north are returning to a different security reality, and we will make sure that quiet is maintained for years.”

MK Ze’ev Elkin, the head of the Northern Rehabilitation Directorate, added that local authorities and educational institutions will also receive funds.

“The message for me is not just the grants, but that there is an action plan to return our residents home,” said Moshe Davidovich, who leads the Mateh Asher Regional Council of Western Galilee. “The return of residents to a normal life, rehabilitation, and growth of the Galilee and border communities are of utmost importance to us.”

JANUARY 13TH- JANUARY 17TH

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Tuesday January 14th Monday January 13th Wednesday January 15th

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Yoga with Deborah Bandos

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11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpTopics in Sefer Shemos

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 KarpHistory of Wine in America

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- Understanding D'Rabanans

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

Thursday January 16th

9:30 am

Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:15 am

Anagrams with Malka Zweig

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi Karp - History of Wine in America Part 2

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

Friday January 17th

10:00 am

Baking with Ms. Hirschman

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpIsrael News and Parsha Overview

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Music with Aharon Grayson

The Week In News

Brazil Investigates IDF Soldier

After Brazil opened a war crimes investigation into an Israeli soldier vacationing in the South American country, the man was forced on Sunday to end his trip prematurely.

According to reports, the investigation began when an antisemitic organization reported the soldier to a Brazilian court after recognizing him from social media. The group alleged in its complaint that the Israel Defense Forces soldier played a role in demolishing a building used as a shelter by Palestinian civilians last November.

The organization, known as the Hind Rajab Foundation, stalks Israeli soldiers on social media and, in an effort to get them arrested, notifies local authorities when the soldiers travel to different countries. Thus far, they’ve been unsuccessful in getting any soldiers arrested.

On Saturday night, the foundation posted on X, asking Brazilian officials to arrest the soldier, asserting that the Israeli government was helping the man escape and that “there are also indications that evidence is being destroyed.”

The soldier vacationing in Brazil has yet to be named. On Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told its Consular Section and the Brazilian embassy to notify him

and his family, who “accompanied him throughout the event until his swift and safe departure from Brazil.”

“The Foreign Ministry draws the attention of Israelis to posts on social media about their military service and to the fact that anti-Israeli elements may exploit these posts to initiate futile legal proceedings against them,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

Brazil is reportedly investigating the soldier for allegedly playing a role “in the destruction of a residential building in the Gaza Strip while using explosives outside of combat.”

By running for many kilometers, the soldier survived Hamas’s October 7 attack on the Supernova music festival, where over 360 innocent people were murdered. On that same day, the terror group killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others, many of whom are still held in captivity.

According to the father of the soldier, his son’s friend who’d been traveling with him was told by an Israeli diplomatic office that the Brazilian court had issued an arrest warrant for him.

More Pain

On Tuesday, the IDF said that Staff Sgt. Ido Samiach was killed while fighting in Gaza, as the military announced that it was pulling a brigade from the northern Strip in order to prepare for future operations.

Ido was 20 years old. He was a

team sergeant in the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Ganei Tikva.

On Monday, two other soldiers, Cpt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, and Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, 28, also lost their lives fighting in Gaza. They were killed fighting in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.

Sadly, with these deaths, Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border is now 398.

On Tuesday, the IDF said the Kfir Brigade has been withdrawn from the northern Gaza Strip after 64 days of fighting, though an operation in the area led by the 162nd Division is still ongoing. According to the IDF, the Kfir Brigade killed more than 300 terror operatives during their operations in the towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun and in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood.

Many of the terrorists killed were actively involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre.

During the two-month operation, 12 soldiers with the brigade were killed in six separate incidents of fighting, and dozens more were wounded, though many have since returned to service, according to the IDF.

The brigade was responsible for demolishing the so-called officers’ neighborhood, where Hamas commanders had lived. The residential complex of high-rise towers had served as a “central terror complex” with anti-tank firing positions, booby traps, tunnels and rocket launchers aimed at Israel, according to the military.

The IDF said the brigade demolished other Hamas infrastructure, including 4.6 miles’ worth of tunnels and captured numerous weapons. The Kfir Brigade is now preparing for future operations in Gaza, the IDF said, including being deployed to the Philadelphi Corridor in the Strip’s south.

Hostage Propaganda Video

On Saturday, Hamas published a video of Liri Albag, a 19-year-old surveillance soldier who had been stationed at the Nahal Oz military base

when she was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, along with 250 others. At the base, terrorists murdered fifteen surveillance soldiers and kidnapped five people, including Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag, all of whom remain in captivity. Two others were also kidnapped there: one who was rescued alive and the other whose body was later recovered.

In the three-and-a-half-minutelong propaganda video, Liri said that she had been in captivity for 450 days, which suggests that the undated video was recently filmed.

“The video released today tore our hearts apart,” Liri’s family stated on Saturday, in response to the footage. “This is not the same daughter and sister that we know. She is in bad condition, and her difficult mental state is evident.

“We saw our heroic Liri survive and beg for her life. She is several dozen kilometers from us, and for 456 days we have been unable to bring her home,” they added.

“This is not the Liri we know, this is the shadow of Liri,” they reiterated. “While it is a sign of life from her, this is not the video that we were looking for. The always-strong Liri looks broken and shattered.”

The family urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a hostage release immediately, “as if your children were there.” Liri’s mother, Shira, said she told Netanyahu to make sure the negotiating team doesn’t return from Qatar until they reach a deal.

The video is “harsh and undeniable proof of the urgent need to bring all of the hostages home,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in reaction to the footage, adding that every day “in Gaza poses an immediate risk of death to the living hostages and endangers the ability to recover the fallen for proper burial.”

The Forum also referenced incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s

The Week In News

vow to punish Hamas if the hostages aren’t home by January 20, the date of his inauguration.

“We must not lose this historic window of opportunity,” the Forum declared, encouraging people to participate in protests for a hostage release and ceasefire deal.

“The prime minister told the family that he sympathizes with the suffering that Liri, her family, and all the hostages and their families are going through,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The prime minister assured them that Israel is continuing to work tirelessly to return Liri and all the hostages home and that efforts are ongoing — including at this very moment.”

“I want to tell Liri if she watches this: Liri we’re fighting for you, we’re not giving up on you. You’re coming home alive… Mom and Dad are promising you and we keep our promises. It will happen soon, with G-d’s help… Believe in it. We’re not giving up, don’t you give up. Keep fighting and surviving,” her mother declared.

Liri’s father added that if she’s watching, she should let the other hostages know that “all their families are turning their worlds upside down and want to bring their children home.”

“We will fight until all the hostages are returned,” he vowed. “Be strong. A little longer and soon there will be a deal. We are waiting for you Liri.”

Operation Many Ways

On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force shared details and video of its historic and bold operation on September 8, 2024, when Israel destroyed Iran’s underground missile factory in Syria, the country that was, at the time, controlled by the now-dismantled regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Codenamed “Operation Many Ways” by the Israel Defense Forces, the mission was to destroy a facility

the IDF referred to as “Deep Layer,” an underground, horseshoe-shaped factory Iran planned to use to provide weapons to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Syria’s Assad. The plant was inside a mountain in Masyaf, Syria, at the Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS or SSRC), just 124 miles north of the border Syria shares with Israel.

The operation was conducted by Shaldag, an elite IAF unit, together with search and rescue Unit 669, both of which trained extensively for the operation. No soldiers were hurt before, during, or after the raid.

After Israel destroyed an aboveground Iranian missile factory in 2017, Iran began building a plant 230-430 feet underground, making it immune to Israeli airstrikes. According to the IDF, the Israeli military learned about the plant’s construction immediately when it commenced.

In 2021, the factory’s construction was completed. From that time until 2024, Iran conducted tests and transported equipment to the factory. In all, two missiles were produced at the plant. When Israel destroyed the factory, it was almost operational. Had the plant been left alone, Iran would have produced between 100 and 300 missiles a year for its proxies, according to the IDF.

The operation was in the works for years. Involving 100 Shaldag members and 20 Unit 669 members, the operation began on the evening of September 8. The 120 commandos, joined by 21 fighter jets, five drones, 14 spy planes, and more, secretly traveled from Israel to Syria in four helicopters, which flew very low to avoid getting detected. Eighteen minutes later, they arrived at the plant.

Simultaneously, Israeli fighter jets, drones, and missile boats fired at several locations in Syria, including the facility. The attacks were carried out to distract the Syrian army from the real operation against the Iranian missile factory.

The Unit 669 members stayed on the helicopters on standby in case anyone got injured, while the Shaldag commandos raided the facility, killing two guards. At a nearby hill, the military flew a small drone to neutralize any threats coming towards the plant. It was nighttime when the raid was conducted, and no one was inside the structure when the commandos en-

tered.

Some of the doors to the plant wouldn’t open until soldiers forced them open with a forklift, which they’d been certified to use. Using a quad bike to move swiftly, a team of soldiers planted explosives all around the facility. Around fifty soldiers put explosives on all the equipment, including the three planetary mixers. Then, the troops exited the base and detonated the explosives, causing a powerful blast, after which the soldiers boarded their choppers again and flew back to Israel.

In all, the IDF killed around thirty enemy guards and soldiers during the raid.

Iran has since left Syria, due to Assad’s fall to rebels.

Route 55 Terror Attack

Three Palestinian terrorists from Jenin attacked drivers in al-Funduq, a Palestinian village in northern Judea and Samaria, on Monday morning.

Using assault rifles, the assailants shot at an Israeli car traveling along the Route 55 highway, killing Rachel Cohen, 73, and Aliza Raiz, 70, who were both pronounced dead at the scene by Magen Dovid Adom. The terrorists then shot at a bus, seriously wounding the 63-year-old driver, moderately injuring two women, and lightly hurting five or more others.

Cohen and Raiz, both teachers from Kedumim, were driving in the same car.

As the terrorists shot at the bus, an armed civilian approached, leading the assailants to flee the scene by car. While driving away, they shot at another car around 150 meters (490 feet) away, killing an off-duty police officer and father of two named Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein. One of Winkelstein’s sons was in the car at the time but wasn’t injured in the attack.

Winkelstein, 35, was from northern Israel’s Ein HaNatziv.

Two of the assailants are known terrorists, according to the IDF. The third’s identity remains unknown. However, the Israeli military has launched a manhunt, with Defense Minister Israel Katz ordering the army to “use strong force against any place where the killers’ tracks lead.”

“Anyone who follows the path of Hamas in Gaza and sponsors the murder and harm of Jews will pay a heavy price,” declared Katz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israel would catch the terrorists, adding that no accomplice will be spared.

No terror group has taken responsibility for the attack yet, though Hamas has praised it as “heroic.”

First Human Bird Flu Death in U.S.

Recently, someone suffering from a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States died. That person was the first person to die from the illness in the U.S.

The person from Louisiana, who was over 65 and reportedly had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalized with the flu after exposure to a backyard flock of birds and to wild birds.

“We’ve been studying the family tree of this virus for 25 odd years, and this is probably the nastiest form of the virus that we’ve seen. So the fact that it finally did cause a fatal infection here is tragic but not surprising,” said Dr. Richard Webby, who directs the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

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Yedida S., 11 Leah David, 12Miriam Leibovitch, 4Aaron Brody, 7 Chaim F., 5
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tion in the Big Apple. On Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s newest decree came into effect, raising the toll to get into the center of Manhattan by as much as $9 at some access points during peak hours.

The toll, known as congestion pricing, was supposedly meant to reduce traffic gridlock in the densely packed city while also raising money to help fix its ailing public transit infrastructure.

“We’ve been studying this issue for five years. And it only takes about five minutes if you’re in midtown Manhattan to see that New York has a real traffic problem,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said on late Friday after a court hearing that cleared the way for the tolls.

“We need to make it easier for people who choose to drive, or who have to drive, to get around the city.”

Most drivers with E-ZPass will get dinged the $9 fee to enter Manhattan south of Central Park on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. and on weekends between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. During off hours, the toll will be $2.25.

That’s on top of tolls drivers pay for crossing various bridges and tunnels to get to the city in the first place, although there will be a credit of up to $3 for those who have already paid to enter Manhattan via certain tunnels during peak hours.

Many people are angered by the toll, including President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to eradicate the program once he gets to the White House.

In November, Trump, whose namesake Trump Tower is in the toll zone, said congestion pricing “will put New York City at a disadvantage over competing cities and states, and businesses will flee.”

“Not only is this a massive tax to people coming in, it is extremely inconvenient from both driving and personal booking keeping standards,” he said in a statement. “It will be virtually impossible for New York City to come back as long as the congestion tax is in effect.”

The toll was supposed to go into effect last year with a $15 charge, but Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly paused the program before the 2024 election, when congressional races in suburban areas around the city — the epicenter of opposition to the program — were considered to be vital to her party’s effort to retake control of Congress.

Right after elections, Hochul restarted her efforts to get the toll hike into effect. She has denied that politics were at play and said she thought the original $15 charge was too much.

Alcohol Can Cause Cancer

According to the U.S. surgeon general, alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer. As such, alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label like packs of cigarettes do.

Currently, labels on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages warn about drinking while pregnant or before driving and operating other machinery and about general “health risks.”

But alcohol directly contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths each year, the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, said. He is calling for updating the labels on alcoholic beverages to warn consumers of a heightened risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and at least five other malignancies now linked by scientific studies to alcohol consumption.

“Many people out there assume that as long as they’re drinking at the limits or below the limits of current guidelines of one a day for women and two for men, that there is no risk to their health or well-being,” Dr. Murthy said. “The data does not bear that out for cancer risk.”

Only Congress can mandate new warning labels of the sort that Dr. Murthy recommended, and it’s not clear that the incoming administration would support the change.

Interestingly, President-elect Donald J. Trump does not drink, and his choice to head the Health and Human Services Department, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., swore off alcohol and drugs decades ago and says he regularly attends AA meetings.

While most cancer deaths occur at drinking levels that exceed the current recommended dietary guidelines, the risk for cancers of the breast, the mouth and the throat may rise with consumption of as little as one drink a day, or

even less, Dr. Murthy said on Friday. Overall, one of every six breast cancer cases is attributable to alcohol consumption, according to Dr. Murthy. More recent studies have also linked moderate alcohol consumption to certain forms of heart disease, including atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia.

Dr. Murthy said it was important to know that the risk rises as alcohol consumption increases. But each individual’s risk of cancer is different, depending on family history, genetic makeup and environmental exposures.

“I wish we had a magic cutoff we could tell people is safe,” he said. “What we do know is that less is better when it comes to reducing your cancer risk.”

He added, “If an individual drinks occasionally for special events, or if you’re drinking a drink or two a week, your risk is likely to be significantly less than if you’re drinking every day.”

Trump Win Certified – By Harris

In an ironic move lost on no one, Congress, presided by Vice President Kamala Harris, certified the November victory of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, clearing the way for his inauguration on January 20.

The January 6th certification of the election results in the 50 states and the District of Columbia was accomplished in a brief, formal ceremony during a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate.

The final certification backed up findings that Trump won 312 Electoral College votes to Harris’s 226.

Republicans also captured a majority in the U.S. Senate and held a narrow edge in the House in November’s election, which will give Trump the party support he needs to implement his planned agenda of tax cuts and a crackdown on immigrants living in the country illegally.

Security inside and outside the Capitol was heightened in preparation

for the certification and is expected to remain in place through Trump’s swearing-in.

Apple Siri Privacy Suit

According to a class action lawsuit filed against Apple, the company’s voice assistant, Siri, after being unintentionally triggered, frequently listens to private conversations, which are then passed off to advertisers.

Last Tuesday, Apple offered, in a federal court in Oakland, California, to pay the plaintiffs in the case $95 million. The settlement, which is pending approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Since there are tens of millions of class members in the lawsuit, each plaintiff could receive $20 for each device they have with Siri. It takes Apple, with a net income of $93.74 billion, around nine hours to make $95 million.

Siri, which is similar to Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, is generally activated by the words, “Hey, Siri.” However, some claim that Siri has listened to their private conversations, which advertisers use to cater specific ads to them.

Google Assistant has been at the center of the same allegations, with plaintiffs represented by the same law firms filing a similar lawsuit in the same district against Google.

She’s Old –Bar None

Sister Inah Canabarro has claimed the crown of world’s oldest living person. The 117-year-old lives in Brazil and was so skinny growing up that her

Chana Chazan, 8
Rena Gross, 10

The Week In News

family didn’t think she would survive her childhood.

Canabarro says that her religion is the key to her longevity.

“I’m young, pretty and friendly — all very good, positive qualities that you have too,” the nun told visitors to her retirement home in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.

In a video filmed last month, Canabarro was reciting jokes, showing off mini paintings she used to paint, and praying.

Her 84-year-old nephew spends time with her every weekend and keeps up her spirits by leaving her voice messages.

Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908 to a large family in southern Bra

27. Her great-grandfather was a famed Brazilian general.

For her 110th birthday, she was honored by Pope Francis.

Local soccer club Inter — which was founded after Canabarro’s birth — celebrates every year the birthday of its oldest fan. Her room is decorated with gifts in the team’s red and white colors.

“White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is the team of the people,” Canabarro says in one video posted on social media celebrating her 116th birthday with the club’s president.

Canabarro took the title of the oldest living person following the death of Japan’s Tomiko Itooka in December. She now ranks as the 20th oldest documented person to have ever lived, a list topped by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, according to LongeviQuest.

Not Lyin’ Around

in Zimbabwe late last month. Rescuers searched for days to find the youngster, who had gone missing from within a national park that is full of lions.

But Pudu is pretty resourceful. For five days, he survived on fruit and groundwater. He trekked around 30 miles on his own.

Rescuers had trouble locating the boy who had lost his way because of heavy rain, which made his footsteps disappear. Finally, they saw some of his footprints and found him the next morning.

Mutsa Murombedzi, member of parliament for the Mashonaland West region, which includes the national park, described the rescue as a “true miracle” in a post on X.

She said the child had “wandered away, lost direction, and unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha Game Park.”

According to the MP, Pudu at one point heard the park rangers’ vehicle and tried to run toward the noise – but was late to reach them. Fortunately, the rangers came back to the area and saw “fresh little human footprints,”

which led them to the boy.

“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” Murombedzi wrote.

The national park once had the highest density of lions in Africa, according to the non-profit African Parks, and is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including elephants, zebras, hippos, lions and buffalo.

“During this period, he survived on wild fruits and would dig a small hole along the dry riverbank to access underground water to drink, a technique that is well known in drought prone areas,” Zimbabwe Parks related.

Thankfully, Pudu is now safe and sound – and he’s not lyin’ around.

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Master Maseches Megillah With Oraysa

For Lomdei Oraysa, ‘Yom Tov continues’ was the tagline in a recent Oraysa ad, encouraging people to join as thousands of lomdim relished the feeling of being connected to Yom Tov long after the Tishrei season was over. Maseches Beitzah deals with the sugyos and halachos of Yom Tov, and by delving into its complexities, lomdei Oraysa held on to that connection for more than four months.

Now, as the glowing embers of the neiros Chanukah fade away, leaving us with the warmth of the Yom Tov of

light, lomdei Oraysa are preparing to start learning the sugyos of Purim in Maseches Megillah.

While the natural order of the Masechtos in the Vilna Shas places Taanis after Beitzah, upon the advice of Gedolei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel and the USA, Oraysa will be learning Megillah right after Beitzah, with Taanis following Megillah. This adjustment will give lomdei Oraysa the benefit and geshmak of בוט המ ותעב רבד, delving into the sugyos of Maseches Megillah as they head into Purim.

This decision has created ripples of excitement throughout the world of Oraysa lomdim, as learning a Masechta during its most relevant time is always so rewarding.

With every passing Masechta, Oraysa sees bs”d extraordinary growth, with more chaburos and hundreds of individuals joining all over the world.

Oraysa is a worldwide initiative designed to unite and empower lomdei Torah through a structured daily seder limud. It provides a daily framework to learn, review, and retain Shas while delving into its sugyos, at a pace that works.

The Oraysa Amud V’Chazara program was developed in collaboration with leading Roshei Yeshiva and Gedolei Yisroel to address the growing demand for a Gemara learning framework that balances consistent progression with meaningful review.

The program’s structured yet flexible approach makes it accessible to lomdei Torah across the spectrum, from kollel yungeleit to baalebatim and mechanchim. With Oraysa, every participant, regardless of their background or schedule, has the ability to grow in their limud haTorah and deepen their connection to their learning.

Oraysa has become a global movement, connecting approximate-

ly 30,000 lomdim in 370 chaburos across 100 cities worldwide. Participants are currently learning Maseches Beitzah, with plans to begin Maseches Megillah on January 14th, תבט

Join thousands of lomdei Oraysa as they embark on their journey into the sugyos of Megillah in the months leading up to Purim. Savor the satisfaction of learning the sugyos of a Yom Tov and come to Purim having studied almost the entire Masechta of Megillah, elevating your simcha on this special Yom Tov to new heights.

To join the program, for more information, or to help establish a chaburah in your community, contact Oraysa at 914.8.ORAYSA or email info@oraysa.org.

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Shacharis

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

12:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F) Kol Torah

Mincha

continued

1:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

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

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

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

11:30 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

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

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

8:45

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

PM Darchei Tzedek

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina)

12:50 PM One South Street, 27th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202

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

To Raise a Laugh

Real-Life Mysteries

One of the weirdest things about putting on your coat or jacket after months of not wearing it is all the weird things you find in the pockets. It’s like a time capsule. You get to find out who you were six months ago.

Apparently, I was the kind of guy who carried Advil everywhere. And a bentcher.

The first time of the year that you wear it somewhere – say, you pick it up in a rush on the way out to a shiur – you spend the entire time silently fishing things out of your pocket and making faces.

“Why do I have a fork?”

I also have Chap Stick, a pack of mints with only one mint left (but it’s soft), and a wrapper from some food I didn’t want the kids to know I had. And one glove. One glove! Why don’t I have the other glove?

Maybe this is the other glove.

I also have enough receipts for a biographer to piece together the entire previous winter. (“And then, on December 12, he returned the floating wicks and bought the cotton ones in a size 8.” “Wow! He really is just like us!”)

Your coat has a million pockets, which you think is really cool when you first buy it, but you forget that some of the pockets even exist, so one day you find yourself pulling out things that might not even necessarily be from last year. Like I just found a pocket calculator in my fall jacket. When on earth did I carry around a pocket calculator? Was I an accountant? How old is this jacket?

My weekday winter coat has at least 9 pockets that I know of, including two that I have absolutely no idea how to access while I’m wearing the coat. They’re inside the coat, protected by a zipper that goes up and down, and the pocket is to the front of the zipper. Am I supposed to reach around my back to put my hand in?

But the most perplexing thing to find is a phone number scrawled on a piece of paper. That’s it. No name, just a phone number. Whose number is this? Why did I find it important enough to write this number, but not important enough to write down whose number it was?

“Nah, I’ll remember. How could I not? It’s pretty important!”

On the other hand, if it’s important, why didn’t I put it into my phone? After all, isn’t that what most people do nowadays? Because if you write a number on a piece of paper, you might lose the number. Whereas if you put it into your phone, then yes, you might lose the phone, but then your life will be over, and it won’t matter that you also lost the number.

There’s a school of thought that if it were really that important, you would have remembered to call the person. But then there’s another school of thought that if you specifically located a piece of paper to write this down, it must be important. Which school do we pasken like?

Maybe there are clues on the paper. For instance, is it on the back of a seating card? Is it on the back of a seating card that isn’t even your seating card? Then you know it’s important.

And let’s say it is important. Who’s it important to? Did you write it down for your sake or for his? If it was for his sake, and you didn’t call, why hasn’t he called you by now? Did he put his entire life in the hands of someone who can’t even remember to write down names with his phone numbers?

I’m still waiting for the day when phone numbers are more descriptive of the people who have them, rather than being randomly-assigned numbers. They should be like email addresses, so you could at least have some clue. (“Who’s FunnyFace613? Is that a perspective employer, or the shul president?”)

And what if this number doesn’t even belong to the person who gave it to you? What if you got this number from a mutual third person, and that was the person you ran into? Now you have two names you don’t know.

So where do you go from here?

I suppose you can just call the number and solve the mystery. But let’s say you do call the number; what will you say?

“Hello, this is Yankel Friedman.”

“Who?”

“I have your number on a piece of paper, and I have no idea why. Do you?”

“I’m calling the police.”

“I tried! They weren’t very helpful.”

You’d think having a name that some people know makes it better, but it actually makes it worse.

“Hello, this is Mordechai Schmutter.”

“The writer?”

“Yes. I found your number, but I don’t know your name. What’s your name?”

“That’s funny. You’re probably going to write about this, right?”

“Obviously.”

“Well then I’m not giving you my real name.”

Though this might explain something: You know how you occasionally get a phone call where the caller begins with, “Who is this?”

“I don’t know; you called me.”

What I’m saying is, maybe he found your number in his coat pocket. He wants to beat you to the punch and ask for your name. If he waits long enough for you to ask for his, your next question is going to be why he called, and he’s going to be expected to know

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.

MIDDOS AWARDS

Mordy Kreisel (1st)

Yehuda Gradon (3rd)

Zach Gardyn (3rd)

Yehuda Eskin (3rd)

Yaakov Herman (3rd)

Shion Bielory (3rd)

Moshe Sunnenblick (3rd)

Joe Neuberger (5th)

Ari Lazar (5th)

Yaakov Yablonski (5th)

Yehuda Mirkin (5th)

Aylee Zaslow (7th)

Kalman Goodman (7th)

Yehuda Katz (7th)

Raffle Winner: Moshe Sonnenblick (3rd)

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Chaim Katz,(6th grade)

Ido Rand (5th Grade)

Zevi Dollman (2nd Grade)

GAME OF THE WEEK

In 3rd Grade, Team Holy Smokes BBQ from beginning to end showed great effort and positive attitude, even though they didn’t score that many points. They impressed everyone in the gym with their teamwork and determination, and will enjoy the ice cream cards to Sprinkles!

YOUTH HIGHLIGHTS

The Believe & Achieve Basketball League had an amazing first week! Over 350 kids from across 44 teams (1st-8th grades) competed in games held at TA’s three gyms—thank you to TA for hosting. Special thanks to our volunteer coaches, team sponsors, and league sponsor BJL/BJH. Welcome to our new commissioners, Yoel Hettelman and Zecharia Shur.

Game highlights: In 1st Grade, MDSC (Coach Rabbi Avi Landa) defeated Holy Smokes BBQ (Coach Zach Sanfield) 15-9, with a standout player asking, “If we switch sides at halftime, do we switch scores too?” In 2nd Grade, MDSC (Coach Shimon Kanter) outlasted Holy Smokes BBQ (Coach Eli Dollman) 46-38. The 3rd Grade game featured a buzzer-beater by Moshe Sonnenblick, giving Clothier the win over Jtap Tennis League, 24-22. In 4th Grade, Tov Pizza (Coach Meir Parry) beat Mamah Leah’s (Coach Howie Friedman). Abbo’s Auto Shop (Coach Hillel Goldman) edged Holy Smokes BBQ (Coach Eli Langer) 23-22 in 5th Grade. In 6th Grade, Holy Smokes BBQ (Coach Rabbi Benyaim Moss) dominated The Clubs (Coach Eli Kates) 41-21. Bella Boutique Fine Jewelry (Coach Michael Neuman) topped JCC (Coach Yitzchak Bomer) 45-33 in 7th Grade. Finally, Skye Landscaping pulled off a nail-biting 8th Grade win over Holy Smokes BBQ, 38-36.

ADULT HIGHLIGHTS

The Believe & Achieve Adults Basketball League had an incredible debut week, with six teams from Baltimore and Silver Spring competing in this bring-your-own-team league. Game 1 set the tone for the season: Fired Up, led by Aharon Moss, faced Town Appliance, captained by Avi Gunzburg. In a back-and-forth battle, Avi Goldstein scored 20, and clutch shots from Chaim Magendzo helped Town Appliance take a three-point lead with 24 seconds left. Ben Green’s deep three tied the game with 10 seconds left, but Town Appliance pulled ahead in OT, winning 51-47. Game 2 featured MDSC, led by Shmuli Sauer, overpowering Ortho Maryland, captained by Jason Mann. Despite David Mays’ 17 points, MDSC dominated, winning 50-32. Game 3 reunited the Thursday night BY basketball crew as Bella Boutique Fine Jewelry, led by Danny Solomon, faced Holy Smokes BBQ, captained by David Braunstein. Despite Meir Schwartz’s 16 points, Holy Smokes BBQ, powered by Eitan Hariri’s 26 points and Braunstein’s 14, proved too strong, securing the win.

Torah Thought Never Give Up

Just as Yaakov proceeds to bless Efrayim and Menashe, he pauses to share an observation with Yosef. He remarks how ironic it is that after having given up on ever seeing his beloved son again, here and now, Yaakov is beholding not only the presence of Yosef, but grandchildren as well.

Certainly, this is worthy of noting, but why now? Seventeen years earlier Yaakov had already discovered Yosef with his children, so why the sudden epiphany?

Additionally, how is this relevant to the ensuing blessing upon Efrayim and Menashe?

After expressing this sentiment, the Torah describes how Yosef then removed them from Yaakov’s knees and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Was he merely repositioning them to receive the blessing? What was the objective in his prostrating himself now, prior to the conferring of the blessing upon them?

The Midrash Rabasi, a relatively recently discovered manuscript (1940), attributed to Reb Moshe HaDarshan, offers a novel interpretation of these verses.

Yisroel says to Yosef, ךינפ האר — to see your face, יתללפ אל — I never even hoped, but now G-d has even let me see your children. (אי חמ תישארב)

Earlier the Torah reports how Yaakov’s ‘eyes were heavy with age’. The Midrash, quoting Rebbe Nechmiah, says this refers to Yaakov foreseeing the sinful descendants of Efrayim and Menasheh, Yeravam and Yahu respectively, in whose time the Torah became ‘aged and stale’, thus caus-

ing Yaakov to lose his ‘Holy Spirit’ and unable to confer the blessing on Efrayim and Menasheh.

This reality prods Yaakov to respond by blaming himself for his lost power to bless since, יתללפ אל — I did not resort to prayer to G-d to retrieve my child Yosef, with the word יתללפ alluding to הלפת — prayer. יתללפ, alternately means to ‘judge’, with the Midrash adding that Yaakov faulted his lack of judgment in not maintaining faith and hope in the Creator, that Yosef might still be alive and return.

The Midrash continues that Yaakov realized that contrary to his conclusion that ‘his way was hidden from G-d’, G-d was actually orchestrating extraordinary kindness in bringing back Yosef, and elevating him to a position of authority that would be instrumental in benefiting the entire family. Yaakov is not only presented with his son, but with grandchildren to boot. Yaakov senses shame and failure in his not having lived up to G-d’s expectations of him, taking this in as a subtle message of admonishment for his weakened faith, and an indication of his unworthiness in conveying a blessing upon these children, with the loss of שדוק חור — the Holy Spirit, proof of his culpability.

The Midrash depicts how Yaakov turns to Yosef, claiming he is not justified in asking for G-d’s mercy, and requests of Yosef to beg G-d instead for compassion, so that his Holy spirit shall return, allowing him to bless the children.

This meaningfully explains the very next verse where seemingly Yosef retreats from Yaakov with his children and engages immediately in prayer, prostrating himself before G-d in supplication that his father, Yaakov, be endowed with the ability to bless the children.

He succeeds and the Torah goes on to portray how Yaakov blesses them.

Despite the clarity this interpretation gives to the flow of the verses, nevertheless questions remain.

If indeed the errant descendants of Efraim and Menasheh warrant the blessing being withheld from their illustrious ancestors, how would begging for compassion overcome the reality of these unworthy progeny and the damage they would do?

What was the exact prayer that Yosef offered that brought the Holy Spirit back?

The Midrash Tanchuma provides a record of his entreaty.

—Master of the Universe, if they are worthy to be blessed, do not turn away and cause me to be turned away today disgraced.

Can the concern that Yosef not be embarrassed with coming back empty-handed, justify a blessing conferred on unworthy progeny?

Yaakov was disappointed with himself. He was embarrassed of his failure to maintain hope and appeal to G-d to possibly bring back Yosef. Often when we experience disappointment in ourselves, we feel alienated from G-d, and choose to withdraw from His presence, rather than be embraced by His love. We feel unworthy of His attention and recede from the closeness we yearn for.

Yeravam was driven by ambition, yet it is evident that despite his turning to idolatry, he clearly maintained a faith in G-d.

When a prophet was sent by G-d to admonish him while he was in the midst of bringing offerings on his altar, Yerovam is angered and extended his hand over the altar toward the prophet summoning his men to seize him, his hand shrivels and becomes paralyzed.

Yeravam turns to the prophet and requests of him to entreat now the Lord your G-d and pray for me, that my hand be drawn back to me (ו גי א םיכלמ)

The Midrash Tanchuma cites an opinion that explains that in his request of the prophet to pray on his behalf, Yeravam refers to G-d as ‘your’ G-d, not ‘my’ G-d, because he was too embarrassed to express his personal relationship to G-d, since he clearly was still intending to continue his idolatrous practices. (ו תוא

It wasn’t simply the presence of a corrupt descendant that prevented the blessing, but rather this dangerous attitude that might infiltrate others who were not equipped with the strength to ward of their sense of shame in failure, and readily submit to remaining distant from G-d, continuing the descent towards apathy and ultimately indulgent sin.

Yaakov felt that due to his distantly similar failure, he would not succeed through his prayers to merit an override on his lost Holy Spirit.

Yosef, though, who never faltered, despite many discouraging challenges, who always remained determined and connected to G-d, would be worthy to instill through his prayers the instinctive strength his descendants would need to know that G-d is always accessible, and man is always capable despite whatever shortcomings, to reach out to G-d and merit His embrace.

Perhaps that was the crux of Yosef’s prayer, that he succeeds in inculcating into the souls his descendants to never sense a shame that defeats, and always know that no matter how far we have fallen we may continue to reach out to G-d.

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

PARSHA

OVERVIEW

Yakov requests from Yosef to ensure his burial would be in Eretz Yisroel. Yakov blesses Ephraim (first) and Menashe (second). Yakov blesses his sons before he passes away, giving each one a unique blessing. Yakov passes away and is buried in Meoras Hamachpeila. The Book of Bereishis ends with the passing and of Yosef.

Quotable Quote “ ”

“Religion leads to violence when it consecrates hate.”

TSorahparks

Inspiration Everywhere

Parshas

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l

GEMATRIA

The Torah says “Yakov lived in Egypt for 17 years.”

The number 17 is the numerical value (gematria) of the Hebrew word: בוט , good.

One of the important lessons to glean from here is that even in Egypt, a place of darkness, we can live by focusing on the aspects of בוט , the parts of goodness.

Hashem is a ביטימ , a Doer of Good. The world is filled with His Goodness; it is our job and duty to find it, even amidst an “Egypt.”

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

Pesukim - 85

QUICK VORT

A Jew is always supposed to go up in levels of holiness, as we know:

- we go up in holiness and not down.

The Torah tells us that Yakov Avinu switched his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim BECAUSE Menashe was the bechor, oldest.

But shouldn’t that be a reason to keep his right hand on Menashe, after all he was the bechor, which is seemingly more chashuv (important)!?

In matters of Kedusha (holiness), we always go up. Since Ephraim was the last, the youngest, it must be he was more chashuv! This, explains the Chasam Sofer, is why Ephraim received the Brocha first!

The lesson for us is to always remember that no matter what position we are in, always strive to go up! Always strive to increase holiness in your life. Always strive to take your life to the next level.

Don’t be afraid of s piritual heights!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that because Rachel agreed and was willing to be buried outside of Israel for the sake of helping her future children, her grandkids born outside of Eretz YisroelMenashe and Ephraim - would be considered real tribes!

Chazal refer to Rachel’s devotion to her children as a הלועפ, an action. Jewish identity is based on the woman (and not the man) because of this devotion that women have for their children.

This is a deep concept to understand, try to think about why this is the case.

The name Fishel and Ephraim are related.

How so?

Bring a verse in this week’s Parshah which makes a connection.

Amb. David Friedman

The One and Only Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Amb. David Friedman served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel during Donald Trump’s first term in office. During his ambassadorship, he played a key role in the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations. Amb. Friedman, who helped reshape Israel’s relationship with the United States, was also instrumental in orchestrating the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and America’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

A few weeks ago, TJH sat down with Amb. Friedman to discuss his new book, “One Jewish State,” which argues against the two-state solution and promotes a different approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We also spoke about his ambassadorship and his thoughts on the October 7 massacre, the Middle East’s future, and the incoming Trump administration.

Below are excerpts from our conversation:

TJH: When did you start writing your new book, “One Jewish State”?

Amb. David Friedman: After October 7. I started writing it in April or May of 2024, and I finished it eight to ten weeks later, in July.

I could be very self-disciplined if I need to be. And so, I went into my office around six days a week for at least eight hours a day, every day. I did all the research and writing myself. I had no one helping me.

Where were you on October 7? What was your reaction to the massacre?

I was in Yerushalayim with my children and grandchildren. I get asked a lot, “What do you remember most about that day?” Well, Jerusalem was under attack on October 7.

There were sirens. There were missiles coming in. And we were in and out of shelters all day long.

At one point, my oldest grandchild, who was about twelve-and-a-half, asked me, “Saba, these people are trying to kill us, right?”

I responded, “Well, they’re certainly trying to harm us.”

And she said, “But they have no idea who we are. They don’t know who I am, they don’t know who you are. Why would they try to kill us if they don’t know who we are?”

And that stayed with me. I had hoped that we were past that period in our collective history where people wanted to kill us just because we’re Jews. And I realized that, unfortunately, we’re going to leave yet another generation with this curse of having to deal with a very violent world that wants to kill Jews.

I’ve been back in Israel maybe eight times since then. We’ve been watching the country slowly try to climb out of this trauma. It could take a generation for the trauma to really be gone; for people to sleep well at night, especially people who live in the north or the south of Israel. The trauma may never go away, at least for the people who were directly harmed: people whose family members were taken hostage, people whose children or parents died in battle, people who have lost limbs. The whole country’s been wounded massively, and the trauma is enormous. But the country has such unique resilience that it is starting to, at least, look over the horizon and see the future. I would say the turning point in the collective mood of the country, that I was able to observe, was the beeper operation in Lebanon. It was a clear sign that G-d is with us, we’re going to

survive, and that we’re going to be okay.

I don’t mean to minimize the trauma because it’s enormous, but the country today is way more secure and safe than it was on October 6, 2023. When I was ambassador, I knew the risks well, especially in Lebanon and Syria. Those risks were enormous, and now they’re gone. No one ever thought we’d see a day where you could say Hezbollah is 80% degraded, where Iran is out of Syria, Assad is gone. The people in the region understand what Israel does when it’s attacked. They look at Gaza, they look at Lebanon. Nobody wants to see that again. There are no weapons in Syria at all. Israel wiped everything out.

So, the country still has a lot of challenges. They have to rebuild their economy, they have to treat their wounded, they have to help nurture those suffering from PTSD. There’s a lot of anguish, and I don’t know when that will go away. But there is at least a horizon you can look towards and say, “Not only are we going to survive, but Israel’s going to come out of this stronger than ever.” Undoubtedly, the only superpower in the region is Israel.

What motivated you to write your newest book?

For the first two or three months after October 7, I was primarily on the news. I stayed in Israel for a while. I was doing Fox and Newsmax every day, giving them a report from the scene. Three things happened that drove me to write the book.

Number one, the polling in Judea and Samaria of the approximately 2 million Palestinians there—over 80% were celebrating the atrocities of October 7. These are the people that everybody says, “We’ll have a two-state solution and put these people in charge.”

Number two, Biden came out and said, “Look, at the end of the day, we can’t take our eye off the ball. We have to have a two-state solution.”

Those were the two immediate things that motivated me to do something, because there’s never going to be a more obvious time than now to make the case to bury the two-state solution. And I felt I had to do it, because I have the American perspective, the Israeli perspective, and the credibility of being an ambassador. I was able to secure peace agreements with the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Sudan, without giving up any land.

Number three—the thing that really drove me over the edge—is that I do some business in Israel. I was meeting with one of the giants of the high-tech industry. He’s a billionaire and an incredible Israeli patriot, and he’s also completely secular. This person has done as much for Israel as anybody. We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. We were sitting and we were talking about business. After a little while, we started talking about politics. I said, “What do you think about the situation in Judea and Samaria?”

And he said to me, “I don’t really go there anymore. I haven’t been there since I was in the army. I don’t want to rule over two million Palestinians. I don’t want my kids to risk their lives there.”

And I said, “Well, are you observant at all?” He responded, “I’m not. Look, my parents are Holocaust survivors. I have a lot of issues with G-d.”

I said, “I understand. I’m just curious; I’d like to get your reaction. Let’s just pick a place randomly. We’ll pick Shiloh. Shiloh is an important place in Jewish history. Yehoshua takes the Jewish people into the land of Israel. Moshe is buried on the Jordanian side, then Yehoshua takes over and takes the Jewish people into the land of Israel. They spend seven years in Gilgal, then they go into Shiloh. And they were in Shiloh for 369 years. It was the Jerusalem before there was a Jerusalem. It’s where the Tabernacle rested, where the tribes all came to be assigned their different territories. It’s where Shmuel, the third most important prophet in Judaism after Moshe and Aharon, lived. And it’s also where Chana taught the world how to pray.”

So, I said to him, “Look. This is up to you. What do you want to do? Do you want to keep Shiloh, or do you want to give it away? If you want to keep it, okay, there’ll be some turbulence. Most of the world’s going to say you don’t have a right to it. But if you keep it, you know you’ll keep this as part of our history. If you give it away, you should understand that you will eventually see a video of Palestinians coming in with bulldozers, trucks, shovels, and blowtorches. And they will destroy every single inch of archaeological evidence of Jewish life 3,000 years ago in Shiloh, of which there’s an abundant amount of evidence. So, what do you want to do?”

He said to me, “We have to keep it. It’s who we are.”

I said, “Yeah, but it’s only the Bible. You don’t believe in G-d, so obviously, you don’t think the Torah was written by G-d.”

He responded, “Look, I don’t care who wrote the Bible. It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, it’s who we are. It’s our book. We’re the People of the Book. It’s in our DNA. It’s why we’re here today after 3,500 years, while nobody else is still around from that period. And if we lose Shiloh, we’ll lose our entire connection to our Jewish history.”

I heard that, and I said to him, “By the way, there’s twenty more stories like Shiloh elsewhere. So, how come you felt totally differently twenty minutes ago?”

He told me, “I just never thought about it this way. Nobody ever told that to me in that way.”

I wish I could have that conversation a million more times, but since I can’t, I decided to write the book instead. The book is very much designed to kill the twostate solution, which I believe would be a great tragedy for the Jewish people and for the region. But it was also

written to give the reader a sense of not just why a twostate solution doesn’t work, but why it’s so important for Israel to have sovereignty over its biblical heartland.

One of the things I made sure of when I wrote the book was to get it translated into Hebrew. So, the book is everywhere books are sold in Israel. We had a book launch in late October 2024, and we had twelve senior members of Likud show up.

I think the people of Israel were waiting for this book to be written, not by an Israeli, but by an American who is looking at the global picture. And that’s what’s different about this book from other books. I’m not the first person to say Israel should have sovereignty over Judea and Samaria; not even close to the first. A lot of people have done really important work making that case. But this book is the only book that explains why it’s good, not just for Israel, but why it’s good for Palestinians, why it’s good for the region, why it’s good for America, why this is important from all different perspectives. So, whether you care about national security, regional stability, economics, faith, or human rights, this is the right solution under all those different vectors.

That’s fascinating. One of the interesting things about the book is that it’s about faith, but it’s also written for a secular audience. Where does belief in G-d fit into this?

I have a chapter in there that talks about where faith comes in. On the one hand, I make the point that you can’t have a national policy based entirely on faith; that would be irresponsible. But at the same time, America is not a faithless society. Israel certainly isn’t, either. We have “In G-d We Trust” on every every item of currency. You don’t have to believe in G-d to understand the significance of the Torah. I mean, the Bible sells 2,000 copies every hour in the United States; 20 million people buy it a year. The Declaration of Independence is a transformational document. Why is America different from all those other countries? The Declaration of Independence is a transformational document because the Founding Fathers said, for the first time in history, that every human has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—which are all Torah values that come from G-d. They don’t come from the king, they don’t come from the president, they don’t come from Congress. They come from G-d, which means nobody can take them away.

At Birchas Kohanim on Sukkos during Covid

That was the Declaration of Independence. How did the Founding Fathers know all these things? By reading the Bible. The wellspring of American society is the values in the Bible. We have to be very careful rejecting those values. That’s how we became this incredible country, the likes of which no one has ever seen before on this planet. The strongest country on Earth, the most moral country on Earth, the most democratic country on Earth. How? Because the founders were Bible scholars.

Israel gets a hard time about being a Jewish state. But there are 40 Muslim countries. There’s a Church of England, and there’s a Catholic Church that’s very powerful throughout Europe. But there’s only one Jewish state, the size of New Jersey. And it’s the only state that’s really founded on the same biblical values that America was founded upon.

So, whether you believe in G-d or not, understand that the Bible is, in very real terms, the origin of the most important values that we have in America and Israel.

Many people in Israel are hesitant to speak about our biblical and divine entitlement to Judea and Samaria. If you ask Israelis why Israel should have sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, the answer would be: We can’t have a Palestinian state. It would be a national security threat that we couldn’t overcome. It would result

in a border that, at its narrowest between Tulkarm and Netanya, would be eight miles wide, and it would enable the country to be split in half.

These are all valid arguments, but the strongest argument for the State of Israel, in my mind, should be the Bible. G-d gave this land to the Jewish people; it’s not up to us to give it away. And if you don’t like it, take it up with G-d.

I was blown away years ago when I was old enough to understand the meaning of the first Rashi. Rashi asks the question: “Why are we starting with Bereishis ? Why are we starting with the creation of the world? Who cares? We’re a people of commandments. We’ve been given 613 commandments. And the first commandment doesn’t show up until Shemos. Why doesn’t the Torah begin with the first commandment?” And the answer he gives is: “Because the nations of the world will come and say, ‘You stole the land of Israel.’ And therefore, here’s your answer. G-d created the world. Therefore, He owns the world and can give the land to whoever He wants.”

He gave this land to the Jewish people. And it belongs to us. We have a straight line of title from the Creator of the world. And that’s why we have the story of Creation. A thousand years ago, Rashi was talking about the world challenging the rights of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. So, we ought to lead with this. People respect faith, and people respect Israel’s claim to be an ancient people. How does Israel give away land that was directly given by G-d? And in the cases of the three most religiously significant places in Israel, which are the most disputed areas, they were bought by the Jewish nation. Chevron was purchased by Avraham, Dovid HaMelech bought Har HaBayis, and Yaakov bought Shechem. These places that are of enduring importance and value to the Jewish people weren’t just conquered; they were also purchased.

Those are very powerful arguments. You are a religious Jew. Do you believe that an ambassador to Israel should be religious?

Well, I believe that to understand the U.S.-Israel relationship, you need to be well-grounded in knowing what the Bible says, and you need to have respect for the text. How you worship and what you believe, I’m not sure is as important. There are certain people who will understand, just from a historical perspective, why it’s so important for the Jewish people, as indigenous people in the land, to have this territory. I think being a person of faith is an advantage; it gives you a better perspective.

We’ve had several Jewish ambassadors preceding me. And I don’t want to speak for their religiosity, but some of them claimed to be more religious, some less. That’s between them and G-d. But there are some people—I won’t mention names—who came in as religious Jews but bent over backward to prove that their faith wasn’t relevant to their diplomatic efforts. As for me, I never apologized for my faith. And frankly, there are people of faith throughout the U.S. government and other governments throughout the world. It’s a part of who you are. You bring to a job the package of your life experiences and your beliefs. Mike Pompeo never apologized for being a devout Christian, and neither did Mike Pence or Mike Huckabee.

Speaking of Mike Huckabee, what are your thoughts on President-elect Trump nominating him to be the U.S.’s next ambassador to Israel?

He is going to be a terrific ambassador. My wife and I are very close with Mike and Janet Huckabee. We’ll probably spend the weekend together before his Senate hearing, and I’ll share with him all my insights.

He’s the first evangelical Christian ever to have this position. His faith is every bit as strong as mine about the importance of Israel keeping Judea and Samaria. He wrote a blurb at the beginning of my book saying exactly that. And, frankly, given the support of the evangelical Christian community for the state of Israel, I think they deserve to have a representative in Israel. I can’t think of anybody better than him. I think he’s just terrific.

You accomplished so much as ambassador. You played a key role in the U.S.’s decision to recognize the Golan Heights, in the moving of the embassy, and then in the Abraham Accords. How did you accomplish all of that?

I’ve always believed that Israel’s ability to expand its diplomatic relationships with Muslim nations was a function, not of how America holds Israel back, but of how strong the relationship is between America and Israel. The experts before me had a counterintuitive approach. They believed that when the Arab world sees Israel’s being reined in—that they’re not building anymore in Judea and Samaria—that’s how you’ll bring in all these countries.

At the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
Addressing President Trump during the announcement of the Abraham Accords
With Marine guards in front of the Ambassador's residence in Jerusalem

John Kerry, when he was Secretary of States, said it’s impossible to make any advancement with any of the Gulf countries unless you first create a Palestinian state. I had the opposite view. I believed that these countries were looking for partners. It’s a very rough part of the world. Israel’s the strongest military there, and America is the strongest superpower in the world. So, I believe that the more America shows its alignment with Israel, the more other countries will say, “That’s a great relationship. How do we get in on it? How do we join this circle of trust?”

Strengthening Israel is the path toward peace, not the path toward confrontation. And so, we started off by pursuing that relationship of strength. The first thing was to move the embassy, which I think really sent a message to the moderate Sunni nations in the region that we’re with Israel; you’re wasting your time trying to push us apart. Why don’t you jump on board instead of trying to fight this relationship?

And then, from there, we recognized the Golan Heights, which was just an incremental step in the process of strengthening Israel. It was the strength of the relationship between Israel and the U.S. that was the key.

With Trump returning to office, what do you think lies ahead for the U.S.’s relationship with Israel?

Let me start with some objective facts. Before President Trump even selected his Secretary of Defense, he picked the ambassador to Israel. This time around, the ambassador to Israel was the sixth or seventh position he filled. Trump has already picked an envoy to the Middle East and an envoy to the Gulf nations. He’s got Marco Rubio, and he’s got Mike Waltz. Trump is very engaged in this issue. There was a report that he recently had a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the hostages.

I was with Trump a few days after the beeper incident, and he was just stunned by the audacity, the success, the ingenuity, the cleverness, and the boldness. I believe President Trump sees the relationship with Israel, going forward, as a linchpin in his overall foreign policy to create a safer world. He’s going to do everything he can to pressure Hamas to get the hostages out.

Do you think Trump will support a two-state solution?

He was asked, I believe, in Time Magazine, if he would support a two-state solution. I thought his words were very measured. He said he would only support something that works and that he’s not committing to any particular solution as of now.

He said the same thing in 2017. But now, we have a whole new set of data points. We have October 7. We have the Palestinians’ response; we have the Palestinians’ view of a two-state solution. It’s not even a two-state solution; it’s really this massive control by Palestinians over the most sensitive territory in Israel. I don’t think Israel would ever do it, and I think Trump knows that Israel can’t be put in that position again.

If you’re going to ask me what Trump thinks about “One Jewish State,” the answer is, I don’t know. I haven’t raised this issue with him yet. But I think he knows I will

do everything I can to advocate against any two-state solution. And I think the anti-two-state solution movement is growing. The book has, thankfully, sold very well. Quite frankly, I would like this book to be a textbook in high schools around the world, or around the country, at least, so that people can get a much better understanding of this. I’m hoping this book will be the template for a future solution. And I try to make the case in so many different ways.

What would you say to Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, who demand a Palestinian state before normalizing ties with Israel?

We have to go to the Saudis and the Emiratis and explain to them, “Look, if you care about the Palestinians, that’s fine. We should all care about them. They’re living

“Whether you believe in G-d or not, understand that the Bible is, in very real terms, the origin of the most important values that we have in America and Israel.”

there. We have a responsibility to them. They’re human beings. But the fact is that they don’t want a state. I know most of them don’t want a state. They have no track record of self-governance, human rights, transparency, freedom of speech, or any of the freedoms we take for granted. The people that live there don’t want a state. They want a better life. What they want is better trade, roads, hospitals, schools, and the opportunity to advance, just like the Arabs in Israel.”

Arabs in Israel have the best standard of living for Arabs in the world. So that’s the message to the Saudis: “If you care about them, we’ll help you. Israel and America will help you bring Palestinians up to a higher standard of living; that’s in everybody’s interest, but not through a state. It will become a terror state. It’ll be taken over by

whatever terrorist of the month happens to be in power, and we’ll all regret it.”

You’ve had discussions with Saudi officials. Do you believe they actually care about the Palestinians?

I’m not going to reveal my own conversations, but there have been many reports about the Saudis. It doesn’t seem like they care. They think the Palestinians are their own worst enemies. They think the Palestinians have done a lot to harm themselves and to damage other countries by stoking resentment and hatred. So, they’re not fans.

No one should be fans of the Palestinians. I mean, Palestinian leaders have never had a positive message. Their entire goal has always been destroying Israel. It’s never been about building up the Palestinians. Jews left Gaza in 2005. There hasn’t been a Jew living there for nineteen years. The Palestinians were given this beautiful beachfront territory and lots of money from America, the E.U., the Gulf, and the United Nations. They could have taken that money and built themselves a beautiful little state there, a Palestinian state.

But instead, all they built were terror tunnels and weapons of mass destruction. This isn’t theoretical. The Palestinians elected Hamas. Everybody knows that the Palestinians, at the leadership level, are a movement of destruction. The people, on the other hand, are just people. I mean, most of the people have been radicalized. It’s going to take a while to deradicalize them, but the only way to do it is by creating a better standard of living for them.

The cherry on top is that this happens to be G-d’s message to us, as well. In the course of doing this, we’re fulfilling the covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We’re realizing the prophecies that He gave to Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. It’s a win-win-win-win situation.

My favorite line in my book isn’t a line I wrote; it’s a line from Mike Pompeo’s foreword: “Why should anybody be surprised that fulfilling G-d’s will results in the best outcome for all the people who live in this territory?”

What should Israel do to adopt the solution outlined in your book?

If you polled Israelis tomorrow about whether they’re ready to assume sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, they likely wouldn’t be ready to vote yes. It’s complicated, it’s a big deal. It’s not an overnight thing. You have to really

Lighting the Menorah at the Kotel in 2018, the first time a U.S. official lit the candles with the prime minister at the Kotel

put a lot of work into it and answer a lot of questions. How does it affect the economy? How does it affect security? How does it affect national governance? How does it affect travel? Those are all legitimate points, and it has to be worked through. I think they’re all solvable, but until they’re solved, I don’t think it’s fair to ask anybody to sign off on it.

This isn’t something that Israel should do with 61 seats in the Knesset. I think that would backfire. I think this is such an important decision that it really needs national support. I think this book, translated into Hebrew, makes a good case that will convince 75% of the Israeli population to support it. I would do a referendum, and I would set the bar at 60-65. I think a referendum would give this so much more credibility as it moves forward. People will complain, but there’s a difference when you say I have a national referendum versus a bunch of guys in parliament voted for it.

Donald Trump is only going to be in office for the next four years. Do you think your peace plan could be implemented by 2028?

I think it could be done in four years. We also have an election coming up in Israel in around a year and a half. The results will give you a sense of where the Israeli public is, even before a referendum. But this is something that needs to be discussed and vetted so people understand this is coming. I don’t think this could get done within one or two years, but I think it could be done within four.

Was your role as ambassador different from the one played by your predecessors and U.S. ambassadors to other countries?

Whenever an American came to Israel, whether it was the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Defense, to meet with their Israeli counterparts, I was in the room. I had a lot of meetings with the Israeli government, where I was the only one in the room. I think the level of trust was such that I had far greater access than what prior ambassadors had.

One of the marching orders I got from President Trump was: “I’m appointing ambassadors in the U.K., France, Italy, etc. They’re going to live in beautiful mansions and do black-tie events. That’s not going to be your role.” This was after eight years of Obama. This was after December 2016, when Obama allowed a resolution to pass at the U.N. declaring that even the Western Wall is illegally occupied territory. So, President Trump told me to fix this: fix the U.S. and Israel’s relationship because it’s been damaged. And so, I came there with that mandate from the president. Nothing meant more to me than to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. So yes, I came with a different agenda than my predecessors, I’m sure.

When you were ambassador, what was your typical schedule?

The day essentially started at seven and ended at midnight.

There are multiple aspects of being an ambassador. For one, you’re the face of America in the country. And when Israel ranks their relations with other countries, number

“Why should anybody be surprised that fulfilling G-d’s will results in the best outcome for all the people who live in this territory?”

one is U.S., number two is U.S., number three is U.S.—you don’t get to the next country until you’re at number fifteen. The U.S. is everything to Israel. So, when you’re the face of America in Israel, everybody wants a piece of you.

I love Israel; I love the Israeli people. And more than anything, I think what came across was my love for the people. I went to be menachem avel every terrorist victim’s family. I went up to Druze communities because there were times when there were Druze that were killed. I told them that President Trump is mourning their loss, and it meant a great deal to them. I often went over the Green Line, which no ambassador had ever done before.

Every day, I would be speaking at three or four different places. It could be opening up a bunch of events. For ex-

ample, Ford Motor Company’s opening up its tech center in Tel Aviv, and I’m cutting the ribbon. It could be that JNF is inaugurating a school in the south where the entire school is a shelter, so kids don’t have to leave their classrooms during rocket fire. I went to a lot of yeshivas. I had many meetings. Sometimes, I’d meet with the Belzer Rebbe, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the head of IDF, etc. People would make appointments with my staff three months in advance.

Beginning at four o’clock in the afternoon, Washington starts to wake up. So, now there’s diplomatic affairs. It never ends. As ambassador, you’re managing the most dynamic relationship between two countries in the world. I did it for four years, and it was the greatest honor of my life. If you love the Jewish people and you love the State of Israel, it helps a lot.

I used to walk for fun when I had nothing else to do. If I had a couple of hours, I’d go into the shuk in Machane Yehudah. I was the second most protected person in the country. I had eight full-time bodyguards and traveled in a three or four armored car caravan wherever I went.

That’s a heavy schedule. Do you think Trump has changed significantly since 2016 in terms of his leadership skills?

Definitely. He’s had the invaluable experience of being president for four years. Nothing trains you for being the president like being the president. So, he’s coming in with four years of experience. He learned a huge amount. Most importantly, he understands the risks of not having loyal staff members on the job. Many of the people he selected for his first administration were recommended to him, but he didn’t know them. They didn’t know him. He hired them because he thought they were best for the job. It’s important to be competent, but it’s also important to share a vision with the president and to be loyal, to follow the mission that you’re given by the president. He’s not going to make that same mistake twice. He’s got the right people right on the job.

Every single person that he put into an important job this time around, I know well. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a phenomenal pick. Mike Waltz for NSA, phenomenal. Pete Hegseth at Defense, phenomenal. Mike Huckabee, phenomenal.

I think Trump has become more mature, which is a direct result of him being one centimeter away from getting assassinated. I think he understands now that he’s been put in this office by a collection of forces, at least some of which are supernatural.

Do you see yourself having a future in politics?

I think the Israel file is full right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to receive a call from the president asking me to get involved in some way, whether in an official capacity or as an advisor. The people who are charged with this value my opinion and will be happy to hear from me. So, I anticipate having some involvement, but it’ll be different than the last time.

There are plenty of people in the administration who are going to protect Israel. I worried about Israel a lot during the Biden administration. I don’t have those fears now. Israel, on its own, has performed miracles, and I believe the new administration appreciates what Israel has done and wants to help Israel actualize all these opportunities. I think we’re on the right track.

With Mike Johnson, now Speaker of the House

Health & F tness The Gut-Brain Connection How Your Belly Might Be the Key to Better Mental Health

Imagine this: Your gut is like a bustling city of microbes, bustling around, making decisions, and sending messages to your brain. But here’s the kicker – your gut doesn’t just digest food, it talks to your brain, too. This cozy little chat between your gut and your brain is called the gut-brain axis, and believe it or not, it’s one of the most exciting discoveries in mental health research today.

So, what does that mean for you?

Could a happy gut mean a happier brain?

Spoiler alert: it totally can. In fact, the health of your gut might just be the secret to feeling better mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Let’s dig in (pun intended) and see why keeping your gut in check could be the key to your mental well-being.

The Gut: Your Second Brain?

First off, let’s get a little science-y for a second (I promise it won’t be too nerdy). You’ve probably heard about the gut-brain axis, but you might be wondering, what does that even mean?

The gut-brain axis is essentially a communication highway that runs between your gut and your brain. It’s not a one-way street—your gut sends messages to your brain, and your brain sends messages to your gut. In fact, your gut is home to millions (okay, trillions) of bacteria, fungi, and other tiny creatures collectively known as your microbiome. And here’s where it gets interesting: your gut and your brain are constantly chatting through this microbiome, using your vagus nerve, the enteric nervous system (aka your “second brain”), and a host of other signaling pathways.

This little microbiome also produces neurotransmitters like serotonin (your “feel-good” hormone), dopamine (hello, motivation), and GABA (the anxiety-calmer). And guess what? About 90%

of serotonin is produced in your gut, not your brain. Yep, your gut is practically a mental health factory!

How Gut Health Affects Your Mood (And Why It’s More Than Just Digestion)

You might be thinking, “Okay, I get it—my gut is important, but how does it actually impact my mood and mental health?” Great question! The gut doesn’t just digest your food; it plays a major role in regulating your emotions, stress levels, and cognitive function. Here’s how:

1. Your Microbiome: More Than Just Gut Bacteria

Picture your microbiome as a crowded party inside your gut. There are friendly bacteria, helpful fungi, and even some bacteria that are kind of party crashers. Ideally, the good guys outnumber the bad guys. When this delicate balance is thrown off—say, because of a poor diet, stress, or antibiotics—the whole party gets out of control.

That imbalance can lead to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and even brain fog. Why? Because the gut sends

messages to the brain, influencing how you feel. If your gut bacteria are misbehaving, your brain might start to feel the effects, leading to mood swings, irritability, or even a low-grade feeling of dread.

2. The Role of Inflammation: More Than Just a Gut Issue

When things go haywire in your gut, it can also cause inflammation—the body’s natural response to stress or injury. Normally, inflammation is a shortterm defense mechanism, but chronic inflammation can cause major problems. This goes beyond your gut; it can spread to the brain.

When you experience neuroinflammation (brain inflammation), it can contribute to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Think of it as an overactive alarm system in your body that never shuts off. Too much inflammation, and your brain can get stuck in fight-or-flight mode, which isn’t fun for anyone.

Gut Health to the Rescue

Now, let’s make this a bit more relatable with a few stories that show how gut

health can be a game-changer for mental well-being.

Sarah’s Anxiety and Gut Health Reset

Meet Sarah, a 32-year-old teacher who was constantly battling anxiety. For years, she felt like she was walking on eggshells, always overwhelmed by stress, no matter how hard she tried to manage it. She’d tried medication, therapy, and mindfulness techniques, but nothing really clicked. That is, until she met a doctor who suggested looking at her gut health.

It turned out that Sarah’s gut microbiome was way off balance—too many harmful bacteria and not enough of the good guys. She was also dealing with chronic inflammation, which could have been contributing to her anxiety. Her doctor suggested a gut reset: probiotics, fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt, and a clean diet free of processed sugars and dairy. Fast forward a few months, and Sarah began to feel like a new person. Her anxiety levels dropped, she had more energy, and she could think clearly without being weighed down by worry. It wasn’t magic, but it was a powerful shift that came from taking care of her gut. Who knew?

Yaakov’s Battle with Depression and the Gut Fix

Yaakov, a 45-year-old young man, had been dealing with depression for years. He’d tried all the usual routes— therapy, antidepressants, the works—but still felt like something was missing. After a long struggle, he started working with a doctor who helped him understand how his gut health could play a role in his mental health.

Turns out, Yaakov’s gut was a bit of a wreck. He had digestive issues, bloating and was eating a diet heavy on processed foods and sugar. His doctor suggested

a gut-health overhaul: cutting out processed foods, adding in probiotics, and incorporating more fiber-rich veggies and fermented foods like kefir.

Yaakov didn’t expect much, but within a few weeks, he began to notice a difference. His depression symptoms lessened, and he started feeling more motivated. No more brain fog. No more feeling “blah” all the time. He felt lighter, both physically and mentally.

The Science Behind the Gut-Brain Axis

Okay, you’re probably thinking, “This all sounds great, but is there actual science behind it?” You bet there is! Here are some key takeaways:

• Probiotics: Studies have shown that probiotics—good bacteria found in foods like yogurt and sauerkraut—can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. They help restore balance to your gut microbiome, which can have a direct effect on your mood.

• Prebiotics: These are the foods (like fiber-rich fruits and veggies) that feed your gut bacteria and keep them healthy. When you feed the good bacteria, they thrive, and your mental health benefits.

• Gut Health and Mental Disorders:

There’s growing evidence that conditions like depression and anxiety can be linked to imbalances in the gut microbiome. Research even suggests that treating the gut could help alleviate symptoms of these conditions.

• Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT): Yep, you read that right. Fecal

brain connection? Here are some easy and fun ways to support both your gut and your mind:

1. Eat a Gut-Friendly Diet Load up on fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Don’t forget about fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir—your gut will thank you!

When this delicate balance is thrown off—say, because of a poor diet, stress, or antibiotics— the whole party gets out of control.

transplants (gross-sounding, but effective) have been used in research to treat gut-related mental health conditions. This process involves transferring healthy gut bacteria from a donor to a patient to help restore microbiome balance.

How to Improve Your Gut Health for a Happier Brain

Now that you’re fully convinced that your gut might be the secret to mental wellness, how can you nurture that gut-

2. Take Probiotics Consider adding a high-quality probiotic supplement to your routine if your gut’s been feeling out of whack. But always check with a healthcare professional first.

3. Cut Back on Sugar Sugar is like a party crasher for your microbiome. Too much can upset the balance of bacteria in your gut, leading to inflammation and mood problems. So, cut back on sugary snacks and drinks.

4. Exercise Good news: exercise

not only boosts your mood but also helps maintain a healthy gut. Even a brisk walk every day can help!

5. Manage Stress Stress can throw your gut out of whack, so find ways to manage it—whether through meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or simply taking a walk in nature.

The Gut-Brain Connection is Real

The gut-brain connection is real, and it’s not just some new-age, “hippie” trend. It’s science-backed and growing more important by the day. By taking care of your gut, you’re doing more than just keeping your digestion in check—you’re also giving your brain a boost. So next time you’re feeling stressed or down, remember that your gut might just be sending you a signal. Listen to it, nurture it, and watch as both your mind and body thank you.

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.

Yosef Pleeter & Chani Neuberger

Sam Rosemore & Yehudis Aron

Yehuda Bazelon & Avital Sobel

Eli Mitnick (Baltimore) & Yaffa Ginsparg (South Bend, IN)

Eliezer Nemani (Baltimore) & Penina Weitz (Philadelphia)

Common Cents

The Power Of Smart Money Habits

When we think about achieving financial success, we often picture grand strategies, complex investments, or striking it rich overnight. But the truth is, the most successful individuals often credit their achievements not to one big win, but to a series of small, consistent habits practiced over time. In the same way that drops of water can eventually carve a canyon, ordinary financial habits can produce extraordinary results.

Why Habits Matter

Habits are the silent architects of our lives. They dictate how we spend our time, money, and energy. Unlike one-time decisions, habits compound—they build on themselves, creating momentum and, ultimately, significant change.

Take saving, for example. If you commit to saving $10 a week, that might not seem like much. But over the course of a year, you’ll have saved $520. Factor in the power of compound interest, and that small weekly habit could turn into thousands over decades.

Financial Habits with Big Potential

Here are a few ordinary financial habits that can lead to extraordinary results:

1. Pay Yourself First

Before paying bills or buying discretionary items, set aside a portion of your income for savings or investments. Automating this habit ensures consistency, making it easier to build an emergency fund or grow your retirement savings.

Example: If you save just $200 a month in a retirement account earning an average annual return of 7%, you’ll have over $24,000 in 10 years—and over $240,000 in 40 years.

2. Track Your Spending

It’s hard to manage what you don’t

measure. By tracking your expenses, you can identify areas of overspending and redirect those funds toward your financial goals. Apps, spreadsheets, or even a simple notebook can make this habit easy to maintain.

3. Embrace the 24-Hour Rule

Before making a non-essential purchase, wait 24 hours. This habit can curb impulse spending, ensuring your money is spent on things that truly matter to you. Over time, these savings add up.

Pro Tip: Take it one step further by creating a “wish list.” When the waiting period is over, reevaluate if the item still feels necessary.

4. Increase Your Savings Rate with Every Raise

Whenever your income increases, commit to saving or investing a portion of that raise. This prevents lifestyle inflation—the tendency to spend more as you earn more—while steadily growing your wealth.

Example: If you receive a 3% annual raise, allocating half to your savings can make a significant difference over time without impacting your quality of life.

5. Review and Optimize Regularly

Set aside time each month to review your financial habits, adjust budgets, and explore better investment opportunities. Regularly auditing your financial plan ensures you stay on track and adapt to changes in your life or the market.

The Magic of Compounding Good habits don’t just add up— they multiply. Consider this example:

Imagine you invest $100 a month in a portfolio earning a 6% annual return. After 20 years, you’d have invested $24,000, but thanks to compounding, your portfolio would be worth

nearly $49,000. The longer you stick with the habit, the more pronounced the compounding effect becomes.

Overcoming Challenges

Building habits isn’t always easy. Life happens, and it’s natural to fall off track occasionally. The key is to focus on progress, not perfection. Celebrate small wins, and remind yourself of the longterm benefits.

If you struggle to stay consistent, consider these tips:

• Start small: Build confidence by focusing on one habit at a time.

• Use automation: Set up automatic transfers for savings or investments.

• Find accountability: Share your goals with a trusted friend or financial advisor.

Extraordinary Results Are Within Reach

Extraordinary financial results aren’t reserved for the lucky or the wealthy. They’re the product of ordinary people practicing ordinary

habits—day in, day out. Whether you’re just starting on your financial journey or looking to refine your approach, small, consistent actions can create a life of financial security and abundance.

The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time? Today. Choose one habit to focus on this week and watch how it transforms your financial future.

Remember, it’s the little things done consistently over time that make the biggest difference.

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.

TJH Centerfold

Strange Inventions

Cereal Serving Head Crane deviCe

Designer Dominic Wilcox created a Cereal Serving Head Crane Device. The arms are powered by syringes containing milk that act in a similar way to hydraulics on large industrial diggers. Push and pull the plungers to move the arms and then shovel cereal from the box to your bowl. The final move is to press down the white plunger that squirts out milk into the bowl ready for eating. Coming soon: Shabbos version for eating cholent.

noSe StyluS

Designer Dominic Wilcox

came up with this one as well, for those who want to multi-task. It is not muktza

You Gotta be Kidding Me!

The phone rings at FBI headquarters. “Hello?”

“Hello, is dis here da FBI?”

“Yes. What do you want?”

“I’m callin’ ta leave whut cha call one o’ them annoneemus tips. That Bubba fella over in Deep Holler is hidin mariwanna in his farwood.”

“This will be noted,” the FBI said.

Next day, a whole slew of FBI come over to Bubba’s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept,

on Shabbos if you are wearing it just for the cool style of it. (But please confirm with your LOR.)

Hey Fever Hat

Japanese inventor Kenji Kawakami came up with this gadget designed to dispense a continuous flow of tissues. The Shabbos version is just to walk around with a box of tissues on your head.

SelFie toa Ster

This device made by Hammacher Schlemmer brings new meaning to “eating your face off.” If you have this device, you ought to be included in the Meshubeirach L’hammacher Schlemmer next Shabbos.

break every piece of wood, find no marijuana, apologize to Bubba, swear at the anonymous tipper and leave.

A few minutes later the phone rings at Bubba’s house. Bubba answers and the voice says, “Hey, Bubba! Did tha FBI come?”

“Yep! Sure did,” he answered.

“Did they chop yur farwood?” the voice asks.

“Yep, they sure did.”

“Okay, Bubba,” the voice said. “Now it’s yur turn ta call. I need muh garden plowed.”

Inventions Trivia

1. Mechanical engineer Whitcomb Judson developed this idea just in time for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 but was overshadowed by the Ferris wheel. Nowadays, it’s on everything from pencil cases to coats, pants, boots, backpacks and a plethora of other items. What was it?

a. Patch kits

b. Buttons

c. Plastic fasteners

d. The zipper

2. When was sliced bread introduced?

a. 1257

b. 1786

c. 1895

d. 1928

3. Where was Coca Cola invented?

a. Kentucky

b. England

c. Georgia

d. New York

4. What was the TV remote called when first invented in the 1950s?

a. Lazy bones

b. Detached activation device

c. The Ultrasonic

d. Cellular remote

5. Who invented the concept of two pages facing each other which are filled with great fun facts, information, humor and anything else that interests this particular brilliant inventor (which is not much else)?

a. TJH Centerfold Commissioner

b. TJH Centerfold Commissioner

6. Who invented the telephone?

a. Thomas Edison

b. Adley Trenton Todem (a.k.a. “AT&T”)

c. Alexander Graham Bell

d. Elisha Gray

Answers:

1) D- Judson’s original concept of the “clasp-locker” was a hook-and-eye device intended to replace shoelaces and buttons on boots. Nowadays, if you look at your zipper, you’ll usually see the initials YKK. It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer.

2) D-Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, USA invented the first loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine. A prototype he built in 1912 was destroyed in a fire, and it was not until 1928 that Rohwedder had a fully working machine ready. The first commercial use of the machine was by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri, which produced their first slices on July 7, 1928.

3) C

4) A-The first TV remote control, called “Lazy Bones,” was developed in 1950 by Zenith Electronics. The Lazy Bones used a cable that ran from the TV set to the viewer. By pushing buttons on the remote control, viewers rotated the tuner clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether they wanted to change the channel to a higher or lower number.

5) A and B – The best inventor ever… me!

6) C-In the 1870s, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell both

independently designed devices that could transmit speech electrically (the telephone). Both men rushed their respective designs to the patent office within hours of each other; Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone first. Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell entered into a famous legal battle over the invention of the telephone, which Bell won. By the way, Bell disliked telephones so much that he refused to have one in his office. When Bell passed away in 1922, every telephone served by the Bell system in the USA and Canada was silent for one minute.

Invention Key:

5-6 correct: You really know a lot of useless information.

2-4 correct: Not bad. I am sure you are really proud that you knew where Coke started.

0-1 correct: A famous entrepreneur who owned a car company once sued a journalist for publishing an article in which he accused the carmaker of being dumb. At the trial, the attorney for the defendant quizzed the entrepreneur on several random topics, in order to show that, in fact, the entrepreneur was dumb. The entrepreneur responded that not knowing about random facts didn’t make him dumb because if he really needed that information he could just buy a $2 encyclopedia; it’s the guy who actually spends his time memorizing the useless information as opposed to spending his time building car companies who is dumb. So, as long as you own a car company, don’t feel bad.

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

It seems almost that there’s been this oppressive fog over the country that has affected the way so many people talk and are able to think about things, and that that has begun to lift. There’s this aspect that it’s actually kind of cool to be a Trump supporter among young people, but more than that, it’s cool to express different ideas and to explore different ways of thinking.

- Mollie Hemingway on Fox News

And that’s what we hadn’t had really for the last decade, where you had this complete control over the discourse and what people were allowed to say and think.

– Ibid.

The votes for President of the United States are as follows: Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes. Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes.

- Vice President Kamala Harris, in her capacity as President of the Senate, announcing the final results of the 2024 presidential election during a special session of Congress on January 6, 2025

The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech. So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.

- Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg announcing new rules surrounding content moderation and censorship on Facebook and Instagram

The fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S. So, over the next couple of months, we’re going to phase in a more comprehensive community notes system.

- ibid.

Second, we’re going to simplify our content policies and get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse. What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far. So, I want to make sure that people can share their beliefs and experiences on our platforms.

– ibid.

Guy Who Said Facebook Was Not Suppressing Free Speech Announces Facebook Will Stop Suppressing Free Speech

- Babylon Bee headline

We made it about Trump, and we didn’t make it about voters. How could I, at 80 years old, been doing this for 50 years, lapse into that level of stupidity?

- Renowned Democratic strategist James Carville on CNN, reflecting about the Democrats’ loss in the 2024 elections

It was very disturbing to learn late in the year about just how bad – how poor [Pres. Biden’s] health has become. And, like many, I did not realize that it had gotten to that point.

- Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Karen Finney

This is not a terrorist event. What it is right now is there were improvised explosive devices that was found and we are working on confirming if this is a viable device or not.

- Special FBI agent Alethea Duncan speaking to the media the morning after an ISIS terrorist mowed down 15 people in New Orleans and planted to improvised explosive devices

DEI in Action: New Orleans FBI Special Agent with Nose Ring Says Two Improvised Explosive Devices “Not a Terrorist Event”

- Gateway Pundit headline

The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification.

- Chinese President Xi Jinping in his New Years speech insinuating that China is going to try to take back Taiwan, something that most people in Taiwan oppose

Hey, look, I wish him well. He had a chance to do it in the debate. And that didn’t work out too well for him.

- President-elect Donald Trump when asked by a reporter about the report that Biden thinks he would have beaten Trump

Today, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation. He resigned at 11 a.m. He’s just like all of us — he got back from vacation, then after one hour of work, he was, like, “I’m out.”

- Jimmy Fallon

In Canada today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that after nine years in office, he will step down to focus full-time on being handsome.

-Jimmy Kimmel

Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity. Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win.

– Statement by Allstate CEO Tom Wilson after 15 people were slaughtered in an ISIS terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Years

Allstate CEO Explains If Americans Were Nicer, Islamists Wouldn’t Have to Murder Them

- Babylon Bee

We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.

- President-elect Donald Trump at a press conference

I might be the oldest president, but I know more world leaders than any one of you have ever met in your whole [gosh darn] life.

- President Joe Biden’s odd response when asked by a reporter about Trump’s immigration policies

They say we’re going to have a smooth transition. All they do is talk. It’s all talk. Everything they do is talk, “We’re going to have a smooth transition.” And then they take 625 million acres, and they essentially landmark it, so you can’t ever drill there again. Well, we’re going to be drilling soon.

- President-elect Donald Trump at his press conference commenting about Biden signing an executive action on Monday that will ban future offshore oil and gas development in parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans

Meta Says Fact-Checkers Were the Problem. Fact-Checkers Rule that False.

- New York Times headline about Meta’s new rules

I’d like to offer whoever wrote this headline at The New York Times a job at @TheBabylonBee.

- Kyle Mann, editor-in-chief of The Babylon Bee, in response

There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example. And I know there’s a lot of freak-outs, you know, and of course I would never support taking it by force. But I do think it’s a responsible conversation if they were open to acquiring it and, you know, whether just buying it outright.

- Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Fox News commenting on Trump’s call for the U.S. to purchase Greenland

[Trump] hasn’t even taken office in two weeks. And, you know, we really need to pace ourselves if we’re going to freak out over every last tweet or every last conversation or press conference.

- Ibid.

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Dear Navidaters,

My question to you is regarding a widower in my community who seems like a nice man I would be interested in. Doing anything too soon seems inappropriate. I wonder what is the right timeframe and approach for a woman interested in such a grieving man? How does one approach him and respect his loss at the same time? How long should a widow or widower mourn before trying to meet someone new?

Thank you, Esther*

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

Iam impressed by your sensitivity and respect for the gentleman and your desire to be appropriate. There are no rules with regard to a widower considering remarriage. It is considered respectful to the first spouse and children not to remarry within the year.

Nonetheless, people start making suggestions right away. One of the leaders of an organization for widows has said that by the time one thinks the widower is ready,

he is already married.

Since you both live in the same community, I suggest that you approach a friend that you trust and who has credibility in the community. Ask him or her to approach the rabbi or a trusted neighbor/friend of the gentleman to find out what is going on. Is he interested in remarrying? What is he looking for? Where are his kids with this? Has he been through grief therapy? To whom should suggestions be made?

Keep in mind that some people who have been through a long illness with a spouse may want to remarry sooner than expected. Others may need more time to grieve, especially those who lost a spouse

very suddenly. One doesn’t know what the first spouse has said about the topic of remarriage. Information and people in the know will help guide you.

Be wise as well as strategic in your pursuit.

Thank you so much for this question. It highlights your sensitive and thoughtful nature. You are correct when you state,

“Doing anything too soon seems inappropriate.” Grieving a loss is extremely personal, and there are no set timelines. If you think it may be too soon to broach the topic, it probably is. You will need to give this widow time and space, possibly offering help as needed just as a friend. Continuously check in on your boundaries to make sure you are not overstepping, just giving the option for friendship and/or help as needed.

You will have to look for clues in order to gauge whether the widow is starting to date. Is he talking about the singles events he went to? Is he suddenly talking about the date he went on last Tuesday? Then you will

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”

know he is for sure on the market.

There are other clues that might not be so obvious. When you start seeing this man venture out into social circles and going to events, spending more time shmoozing at the shul kiddush, this might be a clue that he is ready to form new relationships, but recognize that may not mean he wants a romantic relationship. Not every widow/ widower wants to get remarried; some just want companionship or friendship. You have to be socially appropriate, have proper boundaries and have a good intuition. Hopefully you will get the information you need at the proper time, and it will be well received!

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

You are in a very delicate predicament. On the one hand, you don’t want to approach too early and be seen as cold and insensitive. On the other hand, you don’t want to risk missing a good opportunity by waiting too long and finding that he is already seeing someone.

I made some inquiries, and in my community, the consensus seems to be to wait at least six months. However, clearly, there is a wide range of opinions and possibili-

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Dties, and a lot depends on individual circumstances.

The best advice would be to act sooner rather than later and ask your local rebbetzin to please inquire on your behalf, discreetly and anonymously. Or, you could ask a trusted friend or acquaintance to inquire on your behalf, discreetly and anonymously.

Alternatively, if you are sufficiently bold and extroverted, you might wish to just happen to meet the gentleman, “completely by coincidence,” at some shul event, or committee meeting, or philanthropic endeavor, and casually introduce yourself.

In 19 BC, the poet Virgil wrote, “Audentes fortuna iuvat,” fortune favors the bold.

Good luck.

The Reader’s Response

Hannah Heller Tutor, Teaching Associate, and Women’s Health Educator

Dear Esther, I am impressed with your sensitivity to the needs of the new widower. As a widow myself, I can tell you that everyone’s grief journey is different. There isn’t one set pattern or timeframe for being ready to move on to another relationship.

while for others, it can take years. What matters most is not the amount of time that has passed, but where he is emotionally in his healing journey.

As you would with anyone who has suffered a loss of an immediate family member, it is a wonderful gesture to bring food, invite him for Shabbos meals (have other guests over, of course, so it isn’t awkward), and offer to help him in whatever way you can. If there are kids at home and you have kids at home, inviting his kids to come over or to join your kids in an activity is meaningful and shows that you are thinking of all of them. If all of you are empty nesters, try including him in a group for a shul or community activity. These are ways to try to get to know him and any family members living with him.

After you have established this connection, perhaps a relationship will grow. He may or may not be ready to date yet. You can ask his rabbi or his close friends to ask him privately if he is interested in dating yet and, if so, if he would like to go out with you. This would happen after he has had a chance to get to know you in group settings. If he is not ready to date or if he is not interested in you, don’t take it personally. He may not be ready to move on and even if he thinks he is ready to date, he may not want to risk losing a friendship with you as someone in the community who cares about his welfare.

This new widower is fortunate to have you as a neighbor regardless of whether or not you ever go on a date with him.

May we all celebrate happy occasions and be comforted from our losses.

and would enjoy getting to know him better. Be mindful to offer this as a possibility, not a demand. It gives him the freedom to respond based on where he is emotionally.

ear Esther, Thank you for your thoughtful and compassionate question. It’s heartening to see that you want to approach this situation with both sensitivity and respect. Navigating these waters can be delicate, but with the right approach, it can also be meaningful for both of you.

Grief is deep - ly personal, and there’s no one-size-fits-all timeline for mourning. Some widowers may feel ready to open their hearts after months,

If you’d like to express interest while honoring his grief, I recommend starting with simple, genuine gestures. Engage him in light conversation, ask how he’s doing, or share a kind word about his late spouse if appropriate. These actions show that you see him as a whole person, including his loss, without pressuring him.

If you sense he’s open to a deeper connection, you might let him know, gently and respectfully, that you admire him

Lastly, remember that if he’s still processing his grief, his hesitation or distance isn’t about you. Allowing space for his journey will naturally show your understanding and compassion.

Approaching this situation with care, patience, and sincerity can lead to a strong foundation for connection, whether as friends or something more.

Wishing you the best, 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.

Forgotten Her es 2024 Israeli Operations

Author’s note: Due to space constraints, we can’t talk about all operations. Missions like killing Sinwar and the pager operation were discussed in previous articles relating to the Israeli military in 2024.

Israel is currently fighting its longest war since its war of independence in 1948. In response to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces invaded Gaza. In the subsequent months, the war expanded to fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, invading parts of Syria after the fall of the Syrian government, and defending against and attacking Iran and the Houthis in Yemen. With the fighting on so many fronts, there have been numerous operations and missions that have put the terrorists and Iran in an offensive position. Here are some more of the Israeli operations and heroes from the past year.

Last January, reports coming from the IDF stated that Israel was using the method of pumping seawater into tunnels as a way to reduce the effect of terrorist activity in Gaza. Combat engineers identified certain tunnel systems that wouldn’t damage the surrounding area when pumped full of seawater. This was a much easier method of disabling a tunnel than filling it up with cement and is an alternative to using explosives. According to intelligence reports, these tunnels were determined not to have housed any of the hostages. The operation eventually ended, but from reports, it seems that using explosives is much more effective in achieving the desired results.

Rescuing hostages is very risky, and only seven were successfully set free in 2024 during IDF operations. Tragically, several other hostages were brutally murdered by terrorists. In February, two Argentine-Israeli citizens, Fernando Marman and Luis Har, were successfully rescued in a joint IDF, Yamam and Shin-Bet operation. Called Operation Golden Hand, it took place in the middle of the night after the IDF received reports of their whereabouts in Rafah. The Israelis forced their way into the building where the hostages were being held by using explosives to breach a door.

At least eight terrorists were killed in the operation, and only one Israeli soldier was injured. Simultaneously, coordinated airstrikes began in the area that killed dozens more terrorists. The freed hostages were flown by helicopter to Israel where they started their recovery from their horrific ordeal.

Iranian operatives were active on all fronts of the war, and Israel targeted one particular Syrian man who was monitoring IDF troop movements on the Syrian-Israeli border. If captured alive, Ali Suleiman al-Asi could potentially provide them with vital intelligence. Anti-guerilla commando unit Egoz conducted the raid on July 18 and took the terrorist into custody without any casualties. The IDF said of his capture that they “prevented and disrupted a future attack and led to the exposure of the modus operandi of Iranian entities on the Golan Heights front.”

Others with ties to terrorist organiza-

tions were also the subject of Israeli raids. In November, Shayetet 13 captured a senior member of Hezbollah’s naval unit.

Shayetet 13 was very busy in 2024. In March, it was part of the force that surrounded Shifa Hospital in Gaza in just 12 minutes. At least 200 terrorists were killed, hundreds more were taken prisoner, and a large amount of weapons and intelligence material was confiscated.

During the last week of 2024, the IDF conducted operations in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza that resulted in over 100 dead terrorists. Hamas has been trying to recruit new members to bolster their thinning ranks, but these new terrorists are not having much success against experienced Israeli soldiers. Groups of armed Hamas members were trying to escape but fell into carefully prepared IDF ambushes.

The air force took part in many raids including retaliatory missions over Iran, eliminating high-ranking terrorists in Lebanon and Gaza, and striking Houthi targets in Yemen. The attacks on Yemen and Iran were in response to missiles and drones being used to attack Israel. In July, the air force undertook one of their longest ever missions and bombed a Yemini port, inflicting heavy damage to the Houthi base.

On October 6, Israeli planes first targeted Iranian radar systems and put them out of commission. The next two waves struck at Iranian missile production facilities, launch sites, and military bases. Most of the Iranian air defenses were destroyed, and Israel used this opportunity to attack

and destroy Syrian aerial defenses. The December 19 attacks on Sanaa, Yemen, targeted Houthi infrastructure which included the destruction of eight tugboats and several power plants that were the source of energy for the ports.

This week, Israel announced responsibility for an operation in September that destroyed an underground rocket production facility. Shaldag commandos fast-roped from helicopters and took out the Iranian-run site that Israel had been monitoring for several years. Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps operated the secret facility, and dozens of guards and terrorists were eliminated in the raid. Iranian influence in the region has suffered many setbacks, and they have lost many of their own men and proxies during Israeli operations.

2024 was a very busy year for the entire IDF. It is impractical to list all of the known missions and operations that took place in the region in addition to the ones presented in this article. Not all of their operations are declassified, but the ones that are known to the public demonstrate the IDF’s dedication to ridding the region of terrorist organizations. The heroes who serve in the IDF are constantly putting themselves in danger to protect and serve their country.

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.

An oil tank on fire after an Israeli strike on a port in Yemen held by the Houthis
Captured terrorist Ali Suleiman al-Asi
PM Netanyahu with Yamam fighters who helped to free hostages from Gaza
The IDF tried to flood the tunnels with seawater

Mental Health Corner

The Business Meeting

Business meetings can be nightmares for introverts or the socially anxious. Meetings offer opportunities for individuals to demonstrate their

contributions to the team by offering fresh insight and ideas. Someone who just sits there and says nothing runs the risk of being viewed as a

liability to the group. How does one overcome this challenge?

Let us first understand a couple of basic elements of meetings that may cause the quieter members of the meeting to clam up. First of all, you have the “meeting tyrants”. Studies have shown that in an average meeting of eight people, three of the members will do 70% of the talking! That can make it extremely difficult for the less verbal members of the group to get in their own two cents.

An additional factor that can prevent one from speaking up is the natural fear of rejection. Human beings are hardwired to stick with a group in order to insure their survival. When this reaction manifests itself in a business meeting, the result is a fear of speaking up. You do not want to sound unintelligent or uninformed, so you elect to stay quiet as a survival skill. This misplaced application of this human characteristic results in your worst fears actually coming true. You very well may be considered unintelligent and uninformed since no one ever hears you contribute anything of substance at a meeting.

In spite of the cards seemingly being stacked against the introverted and socially anxious, there are still some basic strategies that you can employ that will greatly increase your participation in meetings. The first one, and possibly the most effective one, is preparation.

Most meetings come with a known agenda, and most participants of those meetings come without any real preparation for the meeting. If you do your research and prepare for the meeting, then you will have some very intelligent and important ideas to share. Even if your participation is relatively minimal from the perspective of percentage of speaking time, your contribution will still be memorable, informative and illuminating. After a few head-turning comments,

you will hopefully experience a confidence boost that will be a catalyst for feeling less angst when sharing your thoughts at future meetings.

Another helpful strategy is to develop the skill of active listening. Active listening requires its own article, but in a nutshell, here are the basic fundamentals. Focus on the person who is speaking and really try to understand their message. Additionally, use your body language to show that you are really absorbing their ideas. Then, ask clarifying questions to help the speaker flesh out their point of view, summarize what was said, and provide other forms of feedback that indicate your attention. Active listeners are always valued, and therefore, this approach, when done genuinely, will help you be an effective and appreciated member of the team even if you did not dominate the conversation.

Goals are another important element of an effective meeting strategy. Set a goal for yourself to make your first contribution early on in the meeting to help yourself warm up to the notion of providing input. When you come into a meeting with a plan of action, your chances of succeeding in your objectives are markedly higher.

We are all born with different talents and abilities. Some of us can excel at a specific task with minimal effort, and for some of us it does not come so easily. If you are the type of person that tends to be in the background, you can still shine in your own special way. Do not set your goal to be somebody else. The person who you are has their own unique contribution.

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

An “Unlimited” Kiddush Hashem Living Kiddush Hashem

hen Esther Sara Zyskind and Aviva Rand (Director and Producer of Unlimited The Musical) hired a non-Jewish choreographer named Kelsey (name changed) to work with the performers in their production, they did not anticipate that they would radically reshape her perception of Orthodox Jews. But that is exactly what happened.

Kelsey came to work with a preexisting jaundiced view of the Orthodox community. She had been sure that she understood the religious community, which she saw as deeply flawed, based largely on misinformation provided courtesy of the secular media.

After working with this group of 16 women and girls for weeks, her per-

ceptions were completely altered. She learned a tremendous amount about the lifestyle of religious Jews, she marveled at the outstanding middos of the people she met, and she even sampled some traditional Jewish foods.

The experience left a powerful impression on her, to the point that she began working on a documentary of her own about Orthodox Jews, with the goal of sharing her awakening with the rest of the world.

Below is a letter written recently by Kelsey to the cast and crew of “Unlimited,” in which she shares her heartfelt feelings of appreciation— and reveals that they had starring roles in a remarkable kiddush Hashem

Dear cast crew and all involved with unlimited,

I want to express my deepest affection, appreciation, and admiration.

This has been a very special experience for me. As i’ve told some of you, being a native new yorker, i’ve been surrounded by jewish culture for my entire life. (i’m even affiliated with the jewish women’s theatre “the braid – ask me if you’d like to know more about that).

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the orthodox community has been limited by the films and documentaries, which are prevalent on netflix. Most, if not all of which portray disturbing stories.

I now see the beautiful ideas behind your practices and have learned that many of the common beliefs are untrue or merely a tiny fraction of the truth. There are such positive aspects to having the shared values, beliefs and mutual support that you do.

Anyone with an open mind will know that there are always two sides to any story, and i would love to help you tell the other side.

Such as: orthodox jewish women are superheroes! Capable of unlimited multitasking: raising large families, acquiring multiple degrees, holding down challenging jobs (from teaching to social work, to dentistry to ice skating instructor) and all this while baking 12 loaves of challah!

Teens (although a bit chatty :)) are unusually warm, polite and thoughtful. I’ve worked with many teen-agers and have rarely experienced an environment free of cliquishness, competition and even bullying. Good for you!

Children, you warm my heart with your open faces, imaginations and talent. You are true light and

delight! Overall, there’s a universal goodness that prevails. Thank you for being so welcoming,

Teaching me about your community and home cooked meals.

And thank you for your dedication and hard work over the past months. I know that many sacrifices (such as sleep) have been made. When i look at the videos from early rehearsals, i’m astounded by your progress. Some of you haven’t had any formal dance training, yet you’ve mastered some complicated choreography. On top of that you’re strong singers and actors as well! Bravo!

I know that audiences who come to see you are going to be overwhelmed by the talent and skill on stage. It’s a beautiful and moving show and you should be very proud (as i am).

Shalom and break a leg!

Please stay in touch, and let me know if you’d like to participate in my little documentary (which i’d love to submit to film festivals)

Much love, Kelsey

Rabbi Shraga Freedman is Director of Living Kiddush Hashem Foundation, as well as the author of Living Kiddush Hashem and A Life Worth Living (ArtScroll Mesorah) and Sefer Mekadshei Shemecha.

Living Kiddush Hashem was founded with the goal of imbuing every Jew with a powerful sense of mission — the mission to be mekadeish Sheim Shamayim in his or her own unique way. Visit LivingKiddushHashem.org for more resources.

Email LivingKiddushHashem@ gmail.com for a free sefer. for more infomation visit LivingKiddushHashem.org.

Parenting Pearls A Mom’s Tips for Sick Kids

We’re officially into winter and the season of sneezes and sniffles. Along with the snow and sledding comes the extra colds and other unpleasantries that are more prevalent this time of year. Even a mild illness leads us to greater appreciation of the complexities of our bodies as a microscopic organism can wreak havoc, causing pain and misery.

As difficult as it is when an adult is sick, children have their own unique challenges. They may not understand what’s happening to them, and they can confuse days and nights. Rather than rest quietly, they have no problem waking up an entire household to share their misery.

As their loving parents, it’s painful for us to see our sweet child sick. We feel horrible they’re suffering, as well as helpless that we can’t take this away from them. We have the additional obligation of being responsible for their care and doing our hishtadlus to guide them towards better health.

I’m not a medical professional, and I have tried to stay away from giving medical advice. Please reach out to your family’s own healthcare provider with

any questions or concerns. This article is simply intended to provide a few tips and tricks towards easing the challenges that come along with mild childhood illnesses.

Keep Hydrated

Parents will often be told to “keep them hydrated.” Dehydration is a serious, life-threatening situation, and parents need to know the symptoms to watch for. Please ask your child’s provider for the appropriate guidelines.

I have personally found that water bottles, sippy cups or other spill-proof containers allow children to have water close but with less risk of spilling. Some kids might prefer a water bottle with a straw. These options all allow the patient to keep water next to them in bed, increasing the chances they’ll drink. Anything that encourages drinking is good, and I’ve found that sometimes kids just enjoy the novelty of a different way to drink their beverage. Whatever you choose should be something convenient that the child will actually drink from and can hold enough water for their hydration needs in between refills.

Kids need to drink but are often

less than eager to comply. Reminders throughout the day to drink are helpful. I’ve often found that children completely forget to sip their water until they get that reminder. Parents should periodically check the fluid level of the child’s water bottle, refilling when necessary. If the water level isn’t going down, then you know they’re not drinking.

Sipping throughout the day is generally better than guzzling, with the latter causing the patient to feel worse. There are many options to drink besides water, including juice, hydration solutions, and ice pops with electrolytes. Your child’s provider can best advise which option is best for your child’s particular condition.

Vomiting

Stomach bugs are incredibly unpleasant and messy. I don’t have any tricks to make stomach bugs more cheerful, but I have found there are ways to help minimize the mess. In addition to containing the inevitable mess, my goal was also to maintain a quick clean up time so everyone can get back to bed as soon as possible.

Keep a bucket lined with a garbage

bag next to the child. Use a thick plastic bag and check it for holes first, keeping spare bags nearby. Little kids may not be able to correctly use the bucket on their own, but parents can assist, avoiding a long rush to the bathroom and increased mess.

We want to minimize the amount of “stuff” that gets soiled. Placing a towel or disposable waterproof under-pad under the child’s head and upper body will (hopefully) prevent the need to change the entire sheet. Oversized t-shirts that you don’t mind soiling, such as old camp shirts, can be a better pajama choice. The easy on and off allows you to quickly remove and replace the soiled clothing. Unless needed for warmth, avoid keeping extra blankets and other items on or next to the child’s bed. I like to keep extra towels (or disposable pads) and t-shirts near the bed area so I can quickly replace the soiled ones. The faster we can get the child cleaned and fresh, the sooner the child calms down and everyone gets back to bed.

Nobody likes throwing up, but little kids get very confused and unsure what is happening to them when they feel the urge to vomit. Parents should expect a

young child to be extra upset when they have a stomach bug, and they may require extra time to soothe.

General Principles

It’s frustrating and hard to function when sleep deprived, but it’s inevitable when a child is sick. It’s upsetting for children (and adults) when they get sick and expected that it may take some time for kids to get back to themselves. Parents should anticipate the extra sleep loss and crankiness (both child and adult) that comes with childhood illnesses, have realistic expectations, and try to find a little extra patience and compassion for their young, miserable patient.

While I do not have a medical degree and I will not give any advice regarding anything related to medicine or medical treatments, I will simply remind parents about the importance of accurate dosing. It’s crucial to know the correct amount of anything you need to administer to your child, whether it’s over the counter or prescribed. Don’t hesitate to clarify any uncertainties with your child’s healthcare provider or pharmacist. In addition to knowing the correct

dose, it’s crucial to accurately measure the dose. Only use measured medicine cups or droppers; don’t rely on guesswork or kitchen measurements. Many medications come with their own dosing cup or syringe, but many pharmacies will have extras if you need.

Inconveniently, most childhood illnesses are contagious and can easily

ask, clarify or mention any concerns. As parents, you know your child best and can understand their needs. Parents also may see things that doctors don’t get the opportunity to see during an exam. One time, my son had left the doctor’s office only two or three hours earlier, but I suspected the infection had spread since the visit. I called the doctor who

As their loving parents, it’s painful for us to see our sweet child sick.

spread within families. Frequent hand washing, sneezing into elbows or tissues and other measures to keep germs contained will help mitigate – but not eliminate the risk of spreading.

Many parents are embarrassed to ask questions, afraid to sound foolish or for some other reason. Providers – especially those in pediatrics – are used to all kinds of questions. Don’t be afraid to

sent us straight to the emergency room where our son was admitted for a few days’ stay. I was grateful to have called despite my initial hesitations to reach out so soon after the doctor saw him.

When possible, it’s best to ask during regular hours than to delay asking until later, but don’t push off asking an important question until morning just because the office is closed. It can also be

helpful to ask your provider in advance when you should call, such as symptoms worsening, etc. It’s always better to call than to risk missing something important.

Stressed and sleep-deprived adults are not at their best, and it’s easy to become confused. I have found it’s helpful to write down any medical instructions (such as dosing, when to follow up, etc.) while I’m still in the office, allowing me the opportunity to clarify anything with the provider.

Mild illnesses are a normal – but unpleasant – part of childhood. Knowing it should pass within a few days, and doing what we can to ease the challenges, can go a long way toward making this time slightly less miserable. Ultimately, all refuos are in the hands of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. May Hashem bless us all with good health and quick recoveries.

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.

Lesley & Aharon Wayne on the birth of a daughter

Baruch & Daniella Ruben on the birth of a daughter

Chezky & Adina Kosman on the birth of a son

Dr. & Mrs. Yoel Grunhut on the birth of a daughter

Mr. & Mrs. Dovid Teichman on the birth of a daughter

Shmuli & Shira Mond on the birth of a son

Mr. & Mrs. Aryeh Feld on the birth of a son

Orli R., 7

Tehilla

Note: Not all submission have been published. Keep sending in your artwork for another chance to be featured!

Racheli Schwartz, 3
Sadie Schwarzenberger, 8
Yosef Calko, 4
Miri Calko, 8
Sara Schwartz, 9
Zevy Seidel, 4 Yehuda R.
Chaim Avraham Benyowitz, 7 Zehava Katz, 2
Simi Slone, 4

Note: Not all submission have been published. Keep sending in your artwork for another chance to be featured!

Yehuda Nadav Cline, 9
Gavriel Gold, 8
Aryeh Kushner, 9
Aharon F. Joe & Zachy Simanowitz Batya Johnson, 9
Avraham Chaim Goldstein, 10
Eliana Kushner, 5
Eitan, 3
Shoshana Winchell, 4
Tzipora Loewy, 5
Sari, 5
Avigail T., 6
Asher Benyowitz, 5
Elisheva Schwartz, 6
Chavi Greenwald, 4
Shua Rosenstein, 4
Emmie Schwarzenberger, 5
Ayelet S. Batya Greenwald, 6
Ayala Addi, 12
Riki Kleiner, 9
Naftali Moradian Sarah F., 8
Maya Schwarzenberger, 11

In The K tchen

Citrus Salmon with Date and Herb Paste

Food and Prop Styling by Shiri Feldman. Food preparation by Leah Hamaoui.

I wrote this recipe for Mishpacha magazine a little while back, and it is always a hit with my guests. I am sharing it here during the winter months when citrus fruits are at the peak of their season, bursting with vitamin C and flavor.

Ingredients

◦ 1 side baby salmon fillet (about 2 pounds)

◦ 2 cups pitted Medjool dates

◦ ¾ cup boiling water

◦ 2 tablespoons olive oil

◦ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

◦ 2 cloves garlic or 2 cubes frozen garlic

◦ ¼ cup fresh parsley

◦ ¼ cup fresh dill

◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

◦ 1 orange, thinly sliced

◦ 1 lime, thinly sliced

◦ 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place dates and boiling water in a small bowl and soak for half an hour until soft. Blend in a food processor.

While the machine is running, add oil, vinegar, garlic, and fresh herbs; blend until a paste is formed.

Spread paste over salmon. Place citrus slices over the salmon in an alternating pattern.

Bake for 20 minutes.

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.

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