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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

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CONTENTS

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

JANUARY 7, 2021

COMMUNITY

Dear readers,

Around the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

The Jewish nation has often been compared to a symphony. All types of instruments—which on their own may make opposite, clashing sounds—blend together to offer a melody full of body and character.

JEWISH THOUGHT

While attending the annual HASC concert a year ago it dawned on me just how good a parable this is:

Rabbi Zvi Teichman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

1. All are playing one tune,

PEOPLE

3. At times the focus is on one instrument having a solo.

613 Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2. …but with different ways of expressing it.

4. Instead of negative feelings, the other members either play low background music or are ready pick up the song at with even more enthusiasm once the solo is done.

FEATURE

5. The beauty of the orchestra is because it’s a blend of so many different sounds.

Did You Get Your Vaccine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

6. The more cohesion there is between members of the orchestra, the better the result.

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

LIFESTYLES My Israel Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 World Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Health & Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Dating Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Political Crossfire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Jewish History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Mental Health Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Gluten Free Recipe Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Life Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

7. They all have their eye on one person; the conductor of the orchestra. He knows all the instruments, knows their strengths and weaknesses. And he knows when to call on a given instrument to lead the rest. The teachings of kabbalah tell us that we all originate from one soul. This soul was split and resplit through the generations and became the Jewish people. We may have very different talents. Some are great learners, some great organizers. Some pray with all their heart, and others have a burning Ahavas Yisrael. At times a specific way is highlighted for its beauty, at other times a different one is. And yet at other times, we focus on the entire orchestra together. Our beauty is that we play an ancient tune. This tune is the heart of civilization. Yet our orchestra is missing a main ingredient; the conductor. Without one, the band is in disarray at times. The wrong instrument may take the limelight, or the wrong song may be played altogether. We long for our Moshe Rabbeinu, a leader who knows each of us and knows how to lead us, when to defend and when to demand. We yearn for the descendant of David HaMelech who will lead the world out of darkness and confusion and into a world of light and revelation. We yearn for Mashiach Tzidkeinu. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos, Shalom

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NEWS Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 National. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. All opinions expressed by the journalists, contributors and/or advertisers printed and/or quoted herein are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, Internet or another medium. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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128 Olim from Maryland Made Aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh in 2020 By: BJLife Israel Newsroom BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

ndeterred by pandemic, these Maryland natives were among 3,168 individuals who moved to Israel from North America in the past year Despite a challenging and tumultuous 2020, 128 individuals from Maryland decided to make Aliyah and move to Israel with Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) over the past year. The Maryland natives were among the 3,168 individuals who moved to Israel from North America in 2020 – 2,625 persons since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. On December 30, 2020, NBN and its partners welcomed 48 new Olim to Israel on the final Aliyah group flight of the year. Due to the efforts of NBN and its partners in navigating a complex year for Aliyah amid a global pandemic, the organization succeeded in assist-

ing nearly 90% of the total number of Olim that arrived in 2019. Since its founding in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and Jewish National FundUSA, has assisted in easing the Aliyah process for over 65,000 Olim. Altogether in the past year, 811 families chose to move to Israel, along with 1032 singles and 332 retirees. There were 61 physicians and altogether 198 medical professionals who arrived in Israel in the last year, most of whom joined the frontlines in Israel’s fight against the coronavirus. Also, 390 young men and women stepped off the plane with the desire to serve Israel as lone soldiers. In addition to the Olim who arrived throughout 2020, Nefesh B’Nefesh received 6704 Aliyah applications (in contrast to 3035 in 2019) marking a 126% increase in interest in Aliyah. Most of the Olim came from New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Ontario,

Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas “From the earliest days of the Jewish State, no matter how trying or difficult the circumstances, Aliyah has always continued in order to preserve what was once a distant dream for our parents and grandparents,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “As we look back at the challenges everyone faced in 2020, we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished together. We look forward to watching each Oleh grow and build their new lives in Israel, and eagerly look ahead to 2021, a year with the potential to exceed all expectations in Aliyah.” “I welcome the dozens of new Olim who chose to leave everything, especially during the time of a global epidemic, and fulfill their dreams of building new homes for themselves in Israel,” said Minister of Aliyah and Integration, MK Pnina Tamano-Shata. “Many will surely remember 2020 as a challenging and complex year, but the Olim who arrived (last week) from across the US and are part of the last group of Olim this year, are enabling it to be shaded in more encouraging and optimistic colors. Despite COVID-19, the Jewish nation is thriving and Aliyah is continuing. In the past year, more than 20,000 Olim from 80 countries around the world made Aliyah. It is a great privilege to head an office that continues to work day and night to allow Diaspora Jews to come to Israel even in times of crisis and ensure their optimal and full integration here

in Israel.” NBN reports the top ten cities in Israel that new Olim chose as their homes this year were Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, Haifa, Herzliya, Netanya, Modiin, and Be’er Sheva. The Olim most commonly worked as educators, physicians, nurses, social workers, and lawyers as well as in the fields of marketing, sales, and business. The average age of an Oleh this year is 30, with the oldest Oleh being a 97-year-old and the youngest being only 35 days old. “The thousands of new Olim from North America and around the world, during a year of a global pandemic, lockdowns and almost complete paralysis of international air travel, emphasizes how much the longing for Zion is deeply ingrained in the hearts of the Jewish people around the world,” said Chairman of The Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog. “The Jewish Agency proudly accompanies these newcomers in their first steps in the State of Israel and I wish them much success in their new lives. I congratulate our dear friends at Nefesh B’Nefesh, an important organization, for their crucial work during such a complex year for all of us.” When the pandemic began in March 2020, NBN quickly pivoted its programming and transitioned into holding virtual meetings, webinars, and informational sessions instead of large in-person informational events in North America. Through its online operations and due to increased demand, Nefesh B’Nefesh hosted 113 online Aliyah informational events (in comparison to 27 in 2019), marking a 318% increase year from last year, with a total of 15,277 participants (in comparison to 1,953 in 2019), representing a 682% increase. The online seminars have allowed the organization to reach a much wider audience as potential Olim have been able to virtually attend from 57 different US states and Canadian provinces. Online seminars have included a wide range of subjects, from choosing communities and special webinars for medical professionals, to how to pack and ship for Aliyah.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

JANUARY 7, 2021

The College Campus Challenge - Answering the Need

ollege campuses today have become a challenging place for frum young adults. Thankfully, the women of Baltimore have another option. Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College (WITS) provides Orthodox women with a quality undergraduate education and prepares them for graduate school and the professional world, all within a positive, frum environment where they can continue to grow. “College campuses just aren’t what they used to be,” said Bryna Sperling, a WITS parent. “The way the students talk and dress these days, the liberalism, it’s just not the environment my daughter wanted to be in.” Mrs. Sperling shared her thoughts on how hard parents work to shelter their children, sending them to Jewish schools and then off to seminary. “How can we just let them go onto a college campus without any tools?” she asked. Her daughter, Ilana, attended WITS and then continued on to nursing school, feeling fortified and confident that she had the tools needed to maintain her Torah values in a confusing and challenging secular world. WITS’ mission is not only to provide a strong values-centered, academic experience but also to provide a bridge between the frum and secular world. WITS teaches students how to succeed professionally and thrive as frum women. “Both of my girls have expressed that WITS gave them practical and advanced learning that took seminary to the next level and can be used in daily life and in building their own homes,” said Beth Broodo, another WITS parent. Attending WITS does not mean sacrificing a solid education. Courses are added regularly to meet the needs of students. WITS graduates are entering many different fields including nursing, computer science, speech, OT, graphics, education, psychology, medicine, law, neuroscience and more. A 96% graduate school acceptance rate demonstrates that students are getting into the programs of their choice. “WITS provides a professional and Torah environment, with excellent academic standards and a tailored focus on supporting each individual

student,” shared parents Daniel and Yehudis Hutman. “Our daughters also benefited tremendously from the guidance through the application process and academic advisory sessions. Rivka has just been accepted to Towson’s PA program, and Bracha is attending University of Maryland’s Law School. Thank you for giving them the foundations for the next step in their journeys!” For students returning from Israel, having a seminary and college like

WITS is a true gift. The opportunity to earn a recognized degree in a strong Torah and social environment, is extraordinary, and students feel fortunate to have a place like this in their own community. “It’s so incredible to have the opportunity of having prominent Rabbanim and Mechanchos as teachers,” said alumna, Racheli Rappaport. Alumna Malka Motzen agrees.

“WITS was a lot more than just a Jewish girl’s college. Here I was thinking that seminary was the pinnacle of spiritual attainment for girls. So I thought, as a frum college, WITS would bridge the gap between seminary and real life. WITS did more. WITS built upon seminary and gave me real life,” she said. Indeed, one of the goals of WITS is to provide students with teachers and mentors for life. Many alumnae are still connected to their former teachers and turn to them for ‫ שאלות‬and ‫הדרכה‬. There is no one right path for WITS graduates. After graduating, some go straight into chinuch and the business world; others continue on to graduate school, including PhD programs. The Leadership and Advisors work with students to help them fulfil their personal aspirations so they can succeed as frum young women, wherever life takes them. For more information, visit us online at www.wits.edu.

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JANUARY 7, 2021

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Around the Community

Maryland Launches New Health Insurance Enrollment Period

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

JANUARY 7, 2021

By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

ov. Larry Hogan on Monday announced a new special enrollment period to allow uninsured Marylanders to enroll in health coverage. The enrollment period, established in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, will run until March 15. “I am pleased to announce this new special open enrollment period,

Feb. 15 will be covered effective Feb. 1. Later enrollees will be covered effective March 1. “We are encouraged by the overwhelming response during the last special enrollment period,” said Mi-

chele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. “As the pandemic continues and job loss remains an acute consequence, we are working to make health coverage accessible to all and to support the diverse communities in Maryland.” The previous special enrollment period ran from March through Dec. 15. In that time, nearly 107,000 enrolled in health coverage. Most of them enrolled in Medicaid while 35,000 enrolled in private plans.

Maryland Coronavirus Positivity Rate Highest Since June By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

aryland’s seven-day coronavirus positivity rate is at its highest

since June 2. The 9.47% rate is a lagging indi-

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in addition to last year’s COVID-19 special enrollment, which saw record enrollment as one of the longest periods in the country,” Hogan said in a statement. “This additional special enrollment period is another way we are helping Marylanders weather the pandemic and come back stronger and healthier in the new year.” Health plans cover the cost of coronavirus tests. Marylanders who enroll by Jan. 15 will be covered retroactively to Jan. 1. Those who enroll between Jan. 16 and

cator of coronavirus spread potentially tied to Christmas travel. Though passenger numbers overall cratered compared to 2019, Transportation Security Administration officials said passenger counts rose in the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. The days before and after Christmas saw more activity at

checkpoints nationwide than on any day since the outbreak hit the U.S. in mid-March. State health officials have advised Marylanders to avoid non-essential travel outside the region. To date, the state has recorded 247,802 cases of COVID-19 and 5,859 deaths.

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The Week In News

U.S. & Israel Vote Against UN Budget

The United States was the only country to vote with Israel against the United Nations’ (UN) annual budget in protest of the body’s widespread anti-Israel bias. The vote in the General Assembly to approve the annual $3.231 budget passed easily, with 167 voting in favor

and only the U.S. and Israel objecting. Key to the U.S. State Department’s decision in opposing the budget was a line-item funding an event marking 20 years since the World Conference against Racism in Durban. While organized in order to combat racism worldwide, the UN-funded conference rapidly deteriorated into a festival of anti-Israel hatred, as the Jewish State was repeatedly likened to Nazi Germany and other rogue regimes. The rampant anti-Semitism led then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to order the U.S. delegation to leave early after organizers issued a declaration defining Zionism as racism. After the UN refused to defund the event marking 20 years since the Durban conference, U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft announced that she would vote against the budget in protest. The United States “called for this vote to make clear that we stand by our principles, stand up for what is right and never accept consensus for consensus’ sake,” said Craft. “Twenty years on, there remains nothing about the Durban Declaration to celebrate or to endorse. It is poi-

Charedi Population to Double A new report highlights the charedi sector’s rapid growth, finding that

Israel’s charedi percentage of the population is likely to double within 16 years. The conclusions came as part of a survey commissioned by the Israeli Democracy Institute, a leading left-leaning think tank. The report used data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, government ministries, and the National Insurance Institute to study the charedi community in a range of areas including employment, education, and lifestyle. Israel’s charedi sector numbered 1,175,000 people, 12.6% of the general population, and a rise of 2.6% since 2009. The community is characterized by rapid expansion, with its 4.2% annual growth almost double Israel’s average of 1.9%. Key to the aforementioned growth is the high charedi birth rate, with the average family having 6.5 children. However, researchers found that the overall charedi birth rate is on a downswing, noting that it dropped from 7.5 children in 2003. “It is highly probable that the future will bring a decline in the ultra-Orthodox growth rate, due to low-

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soned by anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias,” she added. Israeli envoy Gilad Erdan thanked Craft for voting against the UN’s budget, predicting that the Durban Conference “will become another meeting demonizing the Jewish state – it will be used once again to slander us and to launch false accusations of racism against Jewish self-determination.” “Today we must all speak out against commemorating the disgrace that was the Durban Conference,” Erdan added. “Israel opposes any measure aimed at allocating a budget for this purpose. We all know that such funds will not be used to support human rights but to spread even more anti-Semitism and hate towards Israel.”

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In Memoriam

Rebbetzin Dr. Aviva Weisbord 1948 - 2020 The officers, Board of Directors, staff of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, SHEMESH and our entire system of agencies mourn the passing of our beloved friend and colleague, Rebbetzin Dr. Aviva Weisbord. A deeply committed educator, Aviva brought compassion and dedication to her role as executive director of SHEMESH. Having joined the organization at its inception, she worked tirelessly to ensure that thousands of students with learning differences succeeded in classrooms with their peers. Her leadership was defined by her caring and warmth, as she forever changed the lives of so many families.

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Yet, Aviva’s reach went well beyond the classroom. Over the years, she held many roles in local and national Jewish organizations. Aviva will forever be remembered as a Woman of Valor, who was devoted to her family and our entire Jewish community. She embodied the Jewish tenet, Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh, all the Jewish people are responsible for one another. Our hearts are with her family, her colleagues and many admirers. May her memory be for a blessing.

Beth H. Goldsmith Chair of the Board

Marc B. Terrill President

The Week In News er fertility rates and rising age of first marriage,” read the report. Even so, the high fertility and retention rate mean that if current trends continue, the charedi population will double in size every 16 years. In contrast, the general Israeli population is expected to double only every 37 years, and the Jewish non-charedi population every 50. The charedi community’s rapid growth can be seen in their growing numbers in Israel’s school system. Fully 25% of Jewish Israelis between grades 1-12 are charedi, with a consistent 3.5% annual growth since 2013. While charedi children continue to populate Israel’s education system, graduation rates remain wildly uneven between boys and girls. The percentage of charedi girls taking the state matriculation exam rose to 55% from 31% in 2009; the number of males dropped during the same period from 16% to 13%.

Zarif’s Slander

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is alleging that Israel will soon attempt to murder American troops in Iraq as part of a “false flag operation” designed to plunge the region into war. According to Zarif, Israel is targeting U.S. troops as a means to force the U.S. to declare war against the Islamic Republic during the final days of the Trump administration. He added that such an attack would be “transparent” and warned that it would “backfire badly.” “New intelligence from Iraq indicate[s)] that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans — putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli [act justifying war],” Zarif tweeted. Zarif’s remarks came a day after a slew of high-ranking Iranian dignitaries threatened the U.S. and Israel during a ceremony marking the oneyear anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Sulemei-

ni. The Quds Force commander had been killed by a U.S. drone strike last January as he left the Baghdad airport on his way to meet with the heads of Iranian-backed militias. At the memorial, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Hussein Salami threatened the U.S. not to go to war on Iran, saying that any attack on Tehran would receive a harsh response. The commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, warned that if war breaks out, Iran would not distinguish between the American bases in the region and the Arab states that host the American forces. “If something happens here and a war breaks out, we will not distinguish between U.S. bases and the host countries. Naturally, the very same Arab countries in the region will bear the brunt,” said Hajizadeh. The U.S. currently has large military bases in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

A Murderer Celebrated?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security detail were left red-faced after it turned out that the premier had unknowingly taken a picture with a convicted murderer. Netanyahu had arrived on Friday to the Israeli-Arab city of Umm El-Fahm to take a picture with Abd al-Wahhab Jabarin, who is said to have been the millionth recipient of the coronavirus vaccine in Israel. Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s rapid inoculation campaign during the visit and called for the entire Arab community to increase their lower-than-average vaccination numbers. “We are breaking all of the records. We brought millions of vaccines to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “We are ahead of the entire world…with our excellent HMOs.” But on Sunday, it came out that the 66-year-old Jabarin had recently served out a 20-year prison sentence

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The Week In News for a double murder he committed. The revelation is said to be a major security blunder, as the prime minister never should have been allowed to get so close to someone who did time for serious crimes. Commonly, anyone slated to meet with Netanyahu is required to undergo a background check. Speaking with the press on Sunday, Umm El-Fahm officials said that they were astounded to see that Jabarin made it through the stringent security precautions and assumed that the Shin Bet security service knew of his criminal past. “This is a serious foul-up if a killer was allowed to get so close to someone like Netanyahu without his bodyguards knowing,” noted Menachem Landau, who previously headed the Shin Bet’s Executive Protection Department. “I assume that heads will begin to roll in the near future.” Meanwhile, Jabarin was enraged at the publicity, complaining in a radio interview on Sunday that he is now known to the entire country as a murderer despite all the work he invested to rehabilitate his name. “The truth is that I was offended. Why hurt me because of Netanyahu? I am an honest person. The crime was done 30 years ago,” Jabarin said. “It is good that he came to Umm ElFahm, but it is not nice what they did to me this morning. I sat in prison 21 years ago. I did not choose this meeting.”

Another Iron Dome to the U.S.

velopment (DDR&D). It will be used to protect U.S. troops from short- and medium-range missile attacks. “The delivery of the Iron Dome to the U.S. Army once again demonstrates the close relations between the Israel Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, the effectiveness of the system against various threats, and the excellent technological capabilities of Israeli industries,” said Defense Minister Benny Gantz. The battery is the second such system received by the U.S., with the first having been delivered in September. The Pentagon had signed a contract with Israel’s Defense Ministry in 2019 to purchase two Iron Dome batteries to protect troops deployed within rocket range of adversarial terror groups. Each unit includes missiles made by Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd., an advanced radar system from the ELTA defense contractor, and a command-and-control center developed by Israel’s mPrest. Produced by Israel’s Rafael, Iron Dome uses advanced interceptor missiles to shoot down incoming projectiles in mid-air. The cutting-edge system was developed with U.S. financial aid in order to protect Israeli communities adjoining the Gaza Strip from incessant Hamas rocket fire and has since proven itself repeatedly in battle. “In the coming year, the Iron Dome system will complete 10 years of operational activity, with over 2,400 interceptions,” said Israeli Missile Defense Organization head Daniel Gold in the announcement of the delivery. “The very fact that we are handing over the first battery, a year after the agreement was signed, is an achievement in itself.”

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Israel handed the United States the second of two Iron Dome batteries over the weekend, 18 months after signing the purchasing agreement. The battery was delivered by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and De-

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is banking on the Israeli-Arab community to enable him to remain as the country’s longest-serving leader. With the upcoming Knesset elections in March approaching, Netanyahu has unveiled a large-scale campaign to convince Israeli Arabs to cast their vote for the Likud. While the effort appears to be a lost cause, as the com-

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The Week In News

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A CHANUKAH MIRACLE, 5781 SURGERY CANCELLED

This year, s o Z C h a n u ka h came out on Friday, Parshas Mikeitz. M a n y Y i d d e n around the world took advantage of the potency of the day by connecting with the power of Tehillim. The Tehillim Kollel recited Tehillim three times at the mekomos hakedoshim in Meron, Kiryas Yoel and Ribnitz on their behalf. Just two days later, on the following Sunday morning, Tehillim Kollel received a fresh personal account, firsthand. The person who experienced the miracle, expressed his gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and told over the turn of events. His son, a sixteen-year-old bachur, had been seriously complaining about a particular health issue. They tried everything, from all sorts of natural healing to standard medical routes, but nothing relieved the extreme pain. That Thursday, on Chanukah, the doctors decided there was no choice but to perform an emergency operation. They scheduled the procedure for the very next day, early Friday morning. The worried father didn’t take any chances. Along with the tefillos of the parents and relatives, he rallied another zechus. With one phone call, he added his son’s name to the Zos Chanukah list. The father wanted the dozens of talmidei chachamim davening in Meron, Kiryas Yoel and Ribnitz as part of the Tehillim Kollel minyanim, to plead on their behalf. It’s hard to believe this occurred this very year – on Zos Chanukah 5781! But, still in the middle of that very night, the pain subsided, the aching disappeared. Amazingly, things began to stabilize from one minute to the next. The following morning, the doctors admitted that surgery was entirely unnecessary. The problem disappeared. “Something very rare happened here,” they asserted, “We don’t have any logical explanation…” The professors have no explanations when it comes to the power of Tehillim, of the holy tzaddikim and their kevarim, and of the minyanim that split the heavens every morning to bring yeshuos for Yidden the world over…

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munity largely identifies with their Palestinian neighbors, Netanyahu believes that the campaign can earn the Likud between 3 and 5 Knesset seats. According to political pundits, the collapse of the Arab Joint List party grants the Likud a unique opportunity to pick off Knesset seats from its remains. A union of four Arab parties, including the communist Hadash faction and the Islamic Movement’s “Ra’am,” the Joint List had gained an unprecedented 15 seats in the previous election but disintegrated due to ideological differences. Now, Netanyahu is pulling out all the stops, making frequent campaign stops in Arab cities and promising to dedicate budgetary funds to Israel’s non-Jewish citizens. The effort is a sharp turn from the virulent anti-Arab campaign Netanyahu ran during previous election cycles, famously warning that “they are coming out to vote in droves” on election day in 2015 and calling Arab lawmakers “terror supporters” last year. Netanyahu kicked off the campaign with visits last week to Umm El-Fahm and Taibe, two Israeli Arab cities near Hadera that are renowned for their fervent opposition to the Jewish State. While the sojourns were ostensibly to promote more residents to vaccinate against COVID-19, Netanyahu publicly called on the locals to vote Likud at the ballot box. A few days later, Netanyahu said at a Likud secretariat meeting that he would earmark billions to fight crime in the Arab community. Tackling violent crime, said Netanyahu, would allow the aforementioned sector to integrate into Israeli society and serve a key national interest. Netanyahu also suggested nominating an Arab minister in the government, the first in Israel’s history. According to the premier, the Likud stood to gain from the widespread support in the Arab community regarding the peace deals Israel recently signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. “I’ll sit tomorrow with [Public Security] Minister Ohana to bring [about] a plan against crime and violence in Arab society,” Netanyahu said at the meeting on Saturday evening. “For many, many years, the Arab public was outside the mainstream. Why? For no reason. People are working. Let’s go to the end. Be part of Israel’s complete

success. This is what I would like to see in the next election.” He added, “Arab citizens can see the great things that we have achieved. We signed four historic peace agreements with Arab nations that have changed the face of the Middle East and of Israeli society,” Netanyahu touted.

Netanyahu’s Revised Charge Sheet Prosecutors issued a revised indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a judge said that the previous slate of charges was too broad. In the investigation known as Case 4000, Netanyahu is accused of granting billionaire Shaul Elovitch billions in regulatory benefits for his telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage on his Walla news portal. Prosecutors allege that the illicit quid pro quo constituted bribery and breach of trust. In December, judges ordered prosecutors to issue an amended indictment, ruling that the existing charges weren’t sufficiently specific regarding the criminal aspect of Netanyahu’s behavior. The original document had failed to list every instance of alleged criminality, arguing instead that the multitude of items added up to a general “pattern of criminality.” On Sunday, the State Prosecutor’s Office filed a new indictment that detailed the various instances in which the prime minister is said to have ordered favorable media coverage from Walla editors. The revised indictment lists 315 times in which Netanyahu and his close associates pressed Walla to alter media content. According to prosecutors, the prime minister was directly involved in 150 of the requests and was fully aware that the remainder constituted an illegal transactional relationship with Elovitch “at a considerable scale and in a consistent manner.” The hundreds of instances include requests from Netanyahu to feature diplomatic events in which he participated, to bury negative stories about him and his family, and to junk an interview he granted Walla on election day in 2015. A significant amount of Net-

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The Week In News anyahu’s direct involvement was dedicated to smearing political rival and Yamina faction head Naftali Bennett, such as reporting that his wife worked as a chef in a non-kosher bakery. Apart from planting positive articles about Netanyahu while besmirching his rivals, the new indictment alleges that Walla “self-censored against the background of the demands.” Netanyahu and his allies celebrated the revised indictment, alleging that the aforementioned actions constituted common behavior characteristic of every spokesperson and spin doctor. Saying that the “balloon of Case 4000 has burst,” Netanyahu pointed to the charges as “proof” to his contention that left-wing prosecutors had criminalized attempts to engineer positive media coverage in an “undemocratic” effort to remove him from power. “The prosecution barely managed to find 10 media requests from the prime minister to Walla in four years, an average of one request every half a year, during a time in which 10,000 articles were written about the prime minister in Walla,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. Netanyahu, Shaul Elovitch, and his wife now have until January 11 to respond to the revised rap sheet. A hearing on the matter will take place on January 13, with the trial to begin in mid-March. Netanyahu also faces criminal charges in a similar criminal probe known as Case 2000, which revolves around his attempt to pass legislation shuttering the right-wing Yisrael Hayom daily in exchange for favorable press coverage by Yediot Aharonot. In Case 1000, Netanyahu has been indicted on charges of breach of trust and fraud for accepting jewelry and champagne from wealthy friends.

The IDF in 2020

A summary of the IDF’s activity during the 2020 calendar year paints a picture of a military struggling to bat-

tle the coronavirus while engaged in relentless warfare on multiple fronts. In Syria, the IDF, and primarily the Israeli Air Force (IAF), continued its “war between the wars” to prevent Iran from establishing itself on its borders. This effort includes contiguous intelligence gathering to foil attempts by Tehran to transfer “game changing” weapons to groups such as Hezbollah while targeting Iran’s infrastructure in Syria and Lebanon. According to the figures released by the IDF, Israeli warplanes flew more than 1,4000 combat sorties over the past year and conducted 50 airstrikes along with 1,000 combat missions by transport aircraft. Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) clocked 35,000 flight hours in an indication of their increasingly important role, while helicopters flew for 400 hours. While the IDF battles Iran in Syria and Lebanon, soldiers in Judea and Samaria continued operating in the West Bank, where 10,000 troops guard Israeli citizens from Palestinian terror. Two civilians and one soldier lost their lives over the past year to terrorism, the lowest figure in Israel’s 72-year history. The fatalities included Rabbi Shai Ohayon, who was stabbed to death in August in Tel Aviv, and Sgt. First Class Amit Ben-Ygal, who lost his life after a terrorist dropped a cinderblock on his head during an arrest in May. The most recent attack occurred in late December when Esther Horgan, a 52-year-old mother of six, was bludgeoned to death while jogging in a northern Samaria forest. There were 60 total terror attacks in 2020, a rise from 51 in 2019, lower than the 76 in 2018 and 75 in 2017. Palestinian terrorism remains at bay in part due to the nightly raids by IDF troops in Arab villages, with the military conducting 2,277 arrests in 2020, down from 2,328 in 2019; 3,173 in 2018; and 3,627 in 2017. Another reason for the low amount of security-related deaths was the military’s effort to locate and shutter illegal weapons laboratories. The IDF prioritized eliminating attempts by Palestinian terror groups to manufacture homemade rifles, with troops closing 50 workshops, a significant rise from 14 in 2019 and four a year prior. Meanwhile, the IDF played an

important role in combating the coronavirus pandemic, establishing the national contact tracing center that is overseen by the Home Front Command. More than 3,000 reservists were called up for the effort, while hundreds of civilian contractors were hired to staff the military’s hotels for coronavirus patients. At the height of the crisis, the IDF took command of the charedi cities of Bnei Brak and Elad, distributing 380,000 packages of food and supplies to residents in lockdown. In addition, the Home Front’s information hotline fielded 1.4 million phone calls, while the IDF’s website was visited 7.7 million times.

PA Woos Biden Administration

The Palestinian Authority is hoping that changes to its notorious “pay to slay” policy will allow it to reset its ties with the U.S. under the Biden administration. The PA suffered a barrage of shockers during President Donald Trump’s tenure, watching its annual funding slashed by hundreds of millions of dollars and its Washington, D.C., embassy shuttered. Surrounded by solidly pro-Israel figures such as Amb. David Friedman, Avi Berkowitz, and Jason Greenblatt, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved the U.S. embassy, and declared that West Bank settlements do not violate international law. But with Joe Biden replacing Trump, the PA hopes that it can mend its fraying ties with the United States. With less than a month to go before Biden enters the White House, the PA has embarked on a strategy designed to woo the new leader of the free world. In an interview with the Times of Israel, senior PA officials revealed that its campaign is based on its willingness to pull back on the stipends it affords convicted terrorists. The policy that

generously rewards jailed murderers and their families has long rankled both Israel and the U.S., leading Congress to condition annual aid on ceasing such payments in 2018. But in November, the PA announced that it would alter how such payments work. Rather than calculating the monetary reward based on how many Israelis the recipient killed, the sums would be based on each prisoner’s financial need. While sparking severe criticism amongst the Palestinians, the change is designed to demonstrate to the Biden administration that the PA is serious about combating terror. Ending the “pay to slay” policy would ensure that Ramallah does not run afoul of the Taylor Force Act, which cuts U.S. foreign aid until salaries to terrorists end. While the PA policy shift made headlines, some experts remain unconvinced. Pointing to former President Yasser Arafat’s habit of ostensibly fighting terrorism for an international audience while secretly directing murderous attacks, they say that the PA has no intention of changing its ways. An effort to amend the practice would be “a step forward…if it means that the welfare allocations will be similar to those of needy families, which are less than a tenth of what the terrorists earn,” said Brig. General. Yossi Kupferwasser, a former IDF Intelligence chief. “If not, this is a trick.”

Stone Throwers Nabbed IDF troops arrested several Palestinian rock-throwers on Sunday who were suspected of seriously injuring an Israeli motorist hours earlier. The suspects were detained in the Palestinian village of Deir Nidam north of Ramallah. They were transferred to the Shin Bet internal security service for interrogation. “IDF troops will continue operations in the area of Deir Nidham until the completion of the search and investigation, and checkpoints have been set up in the area,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. Security officials say that the suspects are responsible for the Sunday afternoon rock attack that left 40-yearold Rivka Teitel in serious condition.

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The Week In News Teitel had been driving her two children home from school when she was hit in the head by the volley of stones, causing her to black out and lose control of the vehicle. Her two children guided the car to safety. Police called it “a miracle” that there were no fatalities. Rivka was evacuated by helicopter to Ramat Gan’s Tel Hashomer hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery on her skull. Speaking with reporters on Sunday afternoon, Tel Hashomer trauma unit head Dr. Yoram Klein said that Teitel’s condition remains serious. He added that doctors were working feverishly to prevent Teitel from sustaining permanent brain damage. Palestinian stone-throwing has remained a constant problem in Judea and Samaria, with the winding and narrow roads alongside spotty cell phone reception making Jewish motorists tempting targets for terrorists. The IDF invests considerable resources to combat the phenomenon, including installing advanced cameras and deploying troops at major junctions.

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Vaccine Sabotage A Milwaukee pharmacist was arrested last week for intentionally destroying hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines at a local hospital. Police say that the man purposely removed 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the freezer at the Advocate Aurora Health hospital and left them out for two days, causing them to spoil and be thrown out. He faces charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug, and criminal damage to property. A hospital technician had notified police after finding hundreds of vaccine doses lying outside the pharmacy freezer. The subsequent investigation found that the pharmacist removed the vials from the freezer on December 24 before returning them the next morning and repeated his actions a day later. The pharmacist remains behind bars. His identity has not been released to the public. Authorities are

still searching for a motive but said in a statement that the pharmacist admitted “to intentionally removing the vaccine knowing that if not properly stored the vaccine would be ineffective.” The FBI, the Food and Drug Administration, and local police have since opened a joint probe into the case. “We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic,” Advocate Aurora Health said in a statement. “We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us.” The Moderna vaccine must be kept at a temperature of between 2° and 8°C (36° to 46°F) for 30 days prior to inoculation. Hospital personnel were able to salvage 57 of the vaccines before they expired. The discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000. “We continued vaccinating until the remainder of the vaccine was discarded due to being rendered ineffective,” confirmed Aurora Health Care President Dr. Jeff Bahr. “This was a situation involving a bad actor as opposed to a bad process.”

We’re on the Move The COVID-19 pandemic has led to one of the largest migrations in the United States in recent memory. As working from home became widespread amid the COVID-19 pandemic, millions have chosen to move from pricey cities to cheaper locales across the United States. The rise in telecommuting has enabled many Americans to leave urban hubs in favor of suburbs and rural areas. Adding to the phenomenon were the race riots last summer that left some of the country’s biggest population centers in flames. With crime rising and the need for personal space becoming more valued amid seemingly endless lockdowns, Americans are choosing to spread out. According to data provided by UPS, upwards of 15.9 million people moved across the continental United States during 2020, a rise of more than 2 million from years prior. “About a quarter (28%) told us [they chose to move] because they feared getting COVID-19 if they

stayed where they were living,” said D’Vera Cohn from the Pew Research Center. “About a fifth (20%) said they wanted to be with their family, or their college campus closed (23%). A total of 18% gave financial reasons, including job loss.” The most population relocation destinations are Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, with Austin doubling the amount of new residents from 2019. Adding to the popularity of the aforementioned locales is the more relaxed approach elected officials have taken to combat the coronavirus. While “blue” states order mass lockdowns that hamper the ability for small businesses to survive, Republican governors in Georgia, Nevada, and Texas have refrained from shuttering commerce. Texas, for example, does not mandate mask wearing, while Governor Greg Abbott pledged “never to implement another lockdown” in late November.

Stock Market Ends on Record High Despite the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in soaring unemployment rates and widespread economic devastation around the world, the stock market closed 2020 at a record high. If early 2020 saw the stock market crash amid a mass sell-off, the country’s most important indexes finished the year riding high on a roaring bull market. The S&P 500, a stock index viewed as an important gauge of overall economic performance, closed out 2020 up 16% with a total return of 18.4%.

With tech stocks booming due to the extended lockdowns, the Nasdaq composite skyrocketed 43.6%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 7.2% due to strong gains by Microsoft and Apple. The strong showing of the aforementioned indexes caps off a record

comeback from a financial shock caused by the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. The virus pandemic shocked markets early in the year, causing the S&P 500 to plummet by 8.4% in February followed by a further 12.5% decrease in March. As governors across the United States issued stay-at-home orders, the stock market was buffeted by rampant volatility. By April, the Dow Jones had several straight days where it lost, and then regained, 2,000 points while the S&P 500 rose or fell by at least 1% more than any other period in its history. But record government stimulus spending along with investor optimism from the COVID-19 vaccines led stocks to rebound, sending the S&P 500 rising 68% from its lowest point in March. Market analysts predict that the record highs will only increase, with Goldman Sachs predicting 5.9% growth for 2021, the biggest jump since 1984. The bull market is confounding experts, who point to the disparity between the soaring stock market and the widespread unemployment and poverty caused by a pandemic that has already killed 340,000 Americans. “That a pandemic-induced economic shutdown of epic proportion has been digested with stocks ending the year 15 percent higher is mind-blowing,” said Michael Farr, who heads a Washington-based hedge fund. “2020 has been stunning.”

Targeting Chinese Cellular Firms

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) reversed its plans to delist three Chinese cellular firms from its index. The NYSE said in a statement on Monday that it had scrapped the decision after “further consultation with relevant regulatory authorities.” It said, however, that the companies may be kicked off in the future.

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The Week In News Citing President Donald Trump’s executive order forbidding Americans from investing in companies connected to Beijing’s military, the NYSE had announced last week that it would ban China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom Hong Kong. The decision would have gone into effect as early as January 7. The China’s Ministry of Commerce condemned the proposed decision, vowing to “take necessary measures” if the aforementioned companies were banned from trading. “China opposes the Americans from abusing national security by listing Chinese companies into the so-called ‘Communist China Military Companies’ list and will take the necessary counter-measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” said a spokesperson. The Ministry added that “we hope that the U.S. and China will work together to create a fair, stable and predictable business environment for enterprises and investors, so as to get bilateral economic and trade relations back on track.” Shares of all three firms dipped 3% in Hong Kong’s stock exchange in the first day of trading following the announced delisting, along with shares of Chinese oil companies amid fears that they would be next. The NYSE’s delisting came following an executive order Trump issued in November prohibiting trading in companies owned directly or indirectly by the People’s Liberation Army. The order listed 31 companies with alleged connections to China’s military and intelligence agencies. While a slew of Chinese firms has since been removed from smaller exchanges across

the United States, Thursday would have been the first time that they were delisted by a major index such as the NYSE. The order is the latest salvo in a wide scale effort by the Trump administration to limit China’s expanding influence that saw the president ban the popular video app TikTok and levy unprecedented tariffs on Beijing. As part of the effort to contain China, the U.S. has urged allies to ban China’s Huawei from their 5G network and deported Chinese academics studying in the U.S. that have ties to Beijing’s defense industry.

The Right to Bear Arms

Washington, D.C.’s police chief said that he would speak to Congresswoman Lauren Boebert after the gun-loving representative vowed to carry her Glock pistol into the nation’s capital. Chief Robert Contee III told reporters on Monday that he would remind the Congresswoman-elect that Washington forbids concealed carry for anyone other than law enforcement. “What I will say to that is, there are no exceptions in the District of Columbia,” said Contee. “We plan to reach out to the congresswoman’s office to make sure that she is aware what the laws of the District of Columbia are, what the re-

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strictions are,” he added. “And that congresswoman…will be subjected to the same penalties as anyone else that’s caught on a District of Columbia street carrying a firearm unlawfully.” Contee’s remarks came after the Colorado Republican vowed to continue carrying her handgun at the Capitol complex. In a video released earlier this week on social media, Boebert said that she would not give up her right to bear arms despite moving to Washington. “Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refused to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights,” said Boebert. “I will carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress.” While the District of Columbia has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the United States, lawmakers are exempted from the restrictions and are allowed to bring weapons into the Capitol as long as they are transported safely and kept unloaded. They are, however, prohibited outside the Capitol complex, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Capitol Police. Boebert has made gun rights a central part of her platform and kicked off her campaign by telling Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke at a rally that she would never surrender her firearms. Before entering politics, Boebert owned the Shooters Grill in Rifle, a gun-themed eatery in Colorado.

Stuffed Crust If you love stuffed crust more than pizza, Pizza Hut has come up with a good concept for you. According to the non-kosher pizza chain, 50 residents in Dallas and Los Angeles will be able to enjoy “Nothing But Stuffed Crust” for three days in January when they make a $10 purchase.

According to Pizza Hut’s Chief Marketing Officer George Felix, “The Original Stuffed Crust pizza was a game changer 25 years ago, and while there have been many imitators, nothing beats Original Stuffed Crust from Pizza Hut.” He added, “In fact, over the years, we’ve had fans ask us if they could order just the stuffed crust by itself because it’s that good.” The lucky customers will receive a ring of cheese-filled crust – and nothing else in the box. Because when all you want is stuffed crust, that’s all you need.

From Pineapple to Plane

Some drones in Malaysia have some prickly origins. Malaysian researchers have developed a method to transform the fiber found in discarded pineapple leaves to make a strong material that can be used to build the frames for drones. According to Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan, who heads the project, the drones made out of the pineapple fibers had a higher strengthto-weight ratio than those made from synthetic fibers and were also cheaper, lighter, and easier to dispose of. Additionally, the drone is biodegradable and can be buried underground and would disintegrate in a few weeks. These high-flying “fruity” drones can fly as high as 1,000 feet in the air and can stay airborne for about 20 minutes. Sort of makes SpongeBob jealous for just living under the sea.

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the new year at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market on Tuesday when it reopened after the holiday break. Although that figure may seem steep for a fish, last year, the highest-selling tuna came in at an eye-popping 193 million yen. That’s a lot of tuna sandwiches.

One major bidder, Kiyomura Corp, had refrained from bidding high this year out of fear that a large number of customers would be inspired to flock to their restaurants since high bids for high quality tuna usually attract media attention. The winning tuna weighed 208 kilograms. Sounds like this year’s tuna is a big fish in a small pond.

mont Hotel, Cottages and Bungalows provides free tests, with results available in 24 hours, as part of its amenities. At the Nobu Hotel in Palo Alto, California, medical professionals administer corona tests while dressed in full protective gear; guests at Sofitel hotels in London are provided with self-administered saliva tests that are rushed to a lab that delivers results in time for their next-day flights. According to Bruce Rosenberg, chief operating officer at the HotelPlanner booking site, “It might boost consumer confidence and ease the guest’s mind knowing that everyone who stays at that hotel has either the vaccine or a negative test result.” As if hotels aren’t chockfull of other people’s germs and nail clippings.

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Looking to take a vacation but concerned about corona? Have no fear. Some hotels are now offering corona tests to guests in addition to mini soaps and fluffy towels. The tests are many times administered at the patrons’ expense and results generally come back within 24 hours. Still, some customers are excited that they’ll be able to test upon arrival to ensure everyone’s safety. Other hotels are offering antibody tests for guests. At the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, guests can receive a corona test along with an antibody test – with discounts for those who take the tests with certain spa treatments. In Hollywood, the Chateau Mar-

On November 27, a businessman left a valuable surrealist painting at the Duesseldorf airport on his way to Tel Aviv. On his flight to Israel, the man realized his error and frantically contacted Duesseldorf police to help locate the painting by French surrealist Yves Tanguy. But by then, the cardboard-wrapped painting worth $340,000 was gone. Although authorities searched high and low, they were unable to locate the piece of art. Dejected, the man’s nephew traveled to Duesseldorf from Belgium and spoke with police in-person. The face-to-face inquiry did the trick. An inquisitive inspector managed to trace the painting to a paper recycling dumpster used by the airport’s cleaning company. “This was definitely one of our happiest stories this year,” police spokesman Andre Hartwig said. “It was real detective work.”

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Torah Thought

Kosher Kvetching By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

The story is told about a husband who brought his wife to a hospital in Israel to deliver her ninth child. All their previous children were daughters. When the doctor came out of the delivery room he sheepishly wished the father, once again, mazal tov on the birth of a girl. The disappointed father starts to scream and rage, shouting to the doctor how it simply can’t be. The doctor retreats quickly back to the new mother and child and discovers that he had erred and indeed they are the proud parents of a little boy. He rushes back to the father tell-

ing him the good news. After hearing the good tiding the relieved and happy father turns to the fellow next to him and declares, “You see in this country if you complain long enough you get results!” Inevitably throughout our lives we will all face frustrating situations. We will sometimes feel as if life is unfair and too difficult to tackle, often instinctively blurting out, “Why, oh why!?” Does complaining really work? Is

one even permitted to kvetch?

destroy them.

Moshe had revealed to the people the encouraging news of the approaching exodus as promised by G-d. He had also confronted Pharaoh challenging him to let the people leave for a three-day journey to the wilderness to bring offerings to G-d, threatening him with plague or death if he refuses. Pharaoh rejects outright their request and goes on to increase the already impossible workload.

Moshe is flabbergasted. After all this time, despite G-d’s promise to him to free the nation, there has not only been any improvement but the situation has worsened.

The Midrash reports that from the moment Pharaoh decreed that the Jews will no longer be provided straw for the brick making and will need to provide their own straw, Moshe returned to Midyan to bring his wife and children there. Several months go by and Moshe finally returns. He encounters the Jewish foremen who immediately accuse him and Aharon of having caused, through their earlier intervention, to instigate the Egyptians to abhor them even more and ultimately attempt to

Moshe returns to G-d and utters the famous words,‫ — “למה‬Why have You done evil to this people, ‫— למה‬ why have you sent me?”)‫(שמות ה כב‬ But G-d doesn’t respond to the questions. Giving no explanation to Moshe to resolve his painful query, G-d merely replies, “Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh...” So indeed, complaining seems to work! Is that all it takes? What is really going on here? This double '‫'לָמָ ה‬, the ‘Why, oh why’ approach, is implemented in two other places by Moshe, with seemingly similar successful results. After the sin of the Golden Calf,

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G-d indicts the people for their grievous sin and threatens to annihilate them. Moshe pleads to G-d, “‫— למה‬ Why, G-d, should Your anger flare up against your people..., ‫ — למה‬Why should Egypt say the following: ‘With evil intent did He take them out to kill them...” )‫יב‬-‫(שם לב יא‬ Once again with no attempt is to justify His actions, the Torah merely reports that G-d reconsiders His decree and rescinds it. You see, if you complain long enough you get results! Finally during the second year of their forty year sojourn in the desert, the nation, despite their having miraculously sustained themselves on the delicious Manna, complains about their lack of meat.

B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

In despair Moshe expresses his frustration and complains, ‫— למה‬ Why have You done evil to your ser-

vant; ‫ — ולמה‬why have I not found favor in your eyes, that you place the burden of this entire people upon me? )‫(במדבר יא יא‬ Here too, G-d makes no effort to explain His ways but simply instructs Moshe to enlist the aid of the seventy elders who will assist him in dealing with difficult task of carrying the burden of the people. Complaining clearly works! What are we to make of this pattern of the double ‘why’ that always seemed to do the trick? The word ‫לָמָ ה‬, which we use to express ‘why’, has dual connotations. It can simply be an earnest query, inquiring to know the purpose of any given action. Alternately, it could serve as an expression of bewilderment, surprise and frustration, where the why is suspended, not really expecting or requiring an answer, merely an uttering of distress. To simply instinctively react when

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confronted with difficulty with a ‘why’ of despair and frustration is treif, not kosher. Everything has a purpose, a rhyme and a reason, though we don’t always see it with clarity. As long as we first affirm that we genuinely pine for understanding in our relationship with G-d and truly desire to fathom the purpose of all that we face, we are permitted to kvetch, and share with our Father our personal state of pained confusion. There is a tradition of taamim, cantillation marks, which guide us in how to pronounce and accent each Hebrew word properly. There are times when tradition places the accent beneath the ‫ ל‬of ‫ ָל֥מָ ה‬, and at times it appears under the ‫ לָמָ ֤ה‬,‫מ‬. When the emphasis is at the onset of the word it reflects an impulsive utterance of ‘why’, which indicates frustration more than it does an honest question. When the stress is on the second letter in the word ‫לָמָ ֤ה‬, it implies the notion of the two sentiments inherent within this word, ‫מַ ה‬-ְ‫ל‬, and meaning: ‘to what’, stressing a sincere and contemplative probe for understanding and purpose. In each of these three instances where Moshe complained, ‘why? why?’, the first why finds the accent on the ‫ מ‬and the second on the ‫ל‬. He first asserted his sole goal for understanding the predicament and its purpose, and then first shares his personal despair that stems from this frustrated lack of clarity. When we put our ‘complaint’ in that context, G-d delivers results. Man’s first expression of ‘Why’ in the Torah appears in the episode where Avram is forced to conceal his relationship as the husband of Sarai when they descend into the ‘jungle’ of Egypt to escape the famine. He fears that were Pharaoh to know his true identity he would first slay him before taking his wife, Sarai. So Avram presents himself as her brother. Pharaoh’s henchmen proceed to fetch Sarai for their master. G-d afflicts Pharaoh and his entire household with a plague of skin disease that prevents him from cohabitation. Pharaoh realizing that something is amiss, summons Avram and says, “‫ — למה‬Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ‫— למה‬ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’, so that I would take her as my wife?”

In this verse ‫ למה‬also appears twice, but in this instance the first one’s emphasis is at the beginning of the word and the second on its second letter. In the realm of the beastly Pharaoh impulse is primary and the pursuit for knowledge secondary, if necessary, at all. He first blurts out his angry frustration because all he truly cares about is the disturbing of his lecherous plans. He then goes on to feign ‘decency’ by inquiring as to the motivation of Avram in keeping that information from him. When the Pharaoh of our story is troubled by Moshe’s request for the Jewish nation to break from their work to bring offerings to G-d, he once again blurts out, “‫ — למה‬why are you, Moshe and Aharon, disturbing the people from their work?” Once again the inflection appears here at the beginning of the word, since Pharaoh has no interest in really understanding, but only the need to react like the disturbed creature he is. So go ahead and complain! G-d wants us to share our every pain and frustration with Him. But there is one caveat. It must stem from a deep yearning to discover his plan for us so that we may rise to the challenges we face knowing that He seeks closeness with us. We may then share the pain of our plight and G-d will respond, because He knows that it stems from our earnest desire to become close, not simply because we are seeking an easy way out. My daughter, Mrs. Dassy Freidlander, shared a remarkable original insight. Whenever we ask G-d ‫לָמָ ה‬, why, we should always remember that the letters in this fascinating word ‫ה‬-‫מ‬-‫ל‬, stand for the sentiment: ‫לא מבינים הכל‬, we can’t understand everything! If we start with that premise and strive to comprehend, to the best of our ability, G-d’s loving providence, when we reach the point of frustration, we must share that with Him too, and hopefully in the merit of our honestly seeking to be near Him, G-d will bring about our salvation.

N’shei Agudaa Israel of Baltimme

33 BS”D

would like to invite the women of our community to our

Lecture and Demonstration Rabbi Sholom Tendler Kashrus Administrator at the Star-K

Workshop Tanya Klein of Precision Organizing

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How to Conquer and Organize the Zones in Your Home

Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.

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Virtual Winter Events

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Hilchos Shabbos Shiur Rav Moshe Heinemann Rav of Agudath Israel of Baltimore 9:00-9:45 p.m. every other Monday (On the phone, the web, and in-person in the Agudah Balcony)

Middos and Character Development through the Weekly Parsha Rabbi Yisroel Roll, LCPC, JD Motivational Speaker and Psychotherapist 8:30-9:30 p.m. every Wednesday (on Zoom)

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soraeisemann@gmail.com

Ongoing Shiurim

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World

JANUARY 7, 2021

Third Time’s a Charm

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By Raphael Poch

Shoshana and Daniel at the second delivery of the day

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Builders

arly Monday morning, the very dedicated father, grandfather, and United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Daniel Katzenstein received a phone call from his daughter wishing him mazal tov and telling him that he just became a grandfather once again. In spite of the hour, 2:30 a.m., Daniel didn’t wait for the morning and began to head out to the hospital to visit his daughter and see his new grandson. On his way to the hospital, at 3:19 a.m. Daniel received an emergency alert on his communication device regarding another woman who was in active labor on Pardes Street, right near his location. Without hesitating, Daniel changed directions and drove to the address in order to help the expectant mother deliver her baby. When he arrived, he was joined by another United Hatzalah EMT, Shoshana Primak, who works as a doula and volunteers as part of the organization’s women’s unit that specializes in assisting women during medical emergencies. The pair of EMTs assisted the woman through the birthing process and helped her bring into the world her new baby daughter before the ambulance was able to arrive. Shoshana and Daniel cleaned the baby, and when the ambulance arrived, they helped the mother and daughter board the vehi-

cle to be transported to the hospital. The pair of volunteers parted ways. Shoshana, who had started her night on a previous call transporting a different woman in labor to Bikur Cholim hospital just before midnight on Sunday, went home to sleep. Daniel went to the hospital, visited his daughter and new grandson, and headed back home for a bit of sleep, and then pray the morning prayers.

and both headed back home. “I thought, okay, two births and one transport was all that it was going to be for the day, but I was wrong,” said Shoshana. Both EMTs were called out again at 9:30 a.m. to another active labor on Zevin Street. “Today, certainly has been a bit different,” Daniel said after returning home from the third birth of the

“I have never had a morning with three deliveries in such a short time frame.”

Just as Daniel was finishing his prayers and Shoshana was getting up to begin her day, they each received another emergency alert about a woman in active labor on Neiman Street in their own neighborhood. Both EMTs once again rushed over to the address, and once again met one another at the emergency. The pair got to work once again and assisted this new mother in delivering a son, also prior to the ambulance’s arrival. After finishing their work, they parted ways once again

morning. “I’ve responded to births before and even have merited to assist in deliveries, but I have never had a morning with three deliveries in such a short time frame. These are people in my neighborhood and being able to help bring life into the community is something that is very inspiring to me. “United Hatzalah is an organization that is based on the idea of first responders assisting their own communities. Our volunteers are primarily active in the communities

in which they live. Helping fellow community members is what we specialize in doing. Being able to assist my neighbors, friends, and loved ones when they need medical assistance is something that I cherish. Being able to do that, and also bring new life into the world, is a special experience that I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to do.” Shoshana adds, “One of the main reasons I became an EMT is to help women who arrive in this situation of giving birth at home, outside of the safety and comfort of a hospital, so that they will have the most pleasant experience possible in that given scenario. Ideally, I try to help as much as I can so that they go through the experience with as little trauma as possible. Having a woman at the scene to assist, to comfort the mother, and to be able to be the one who helps her to deliver can make a huge difference. If I can make the birthing experience a positive one, then so much the better. “I was happy to be able to be there for these women, to help calm their nerves, ease the process, and to give them the opportunity to have a woman present to help deliver them.” The final birth of the morning was Shoshana’s fiftieth time assisting a woman in a home delivery since she began volunteering as an EMT.

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Take advantage of your time at home to grow in Torah:

Tevet 27

Tevet 20

Monday

Tevet 28

Tevet 21

Tuesday

12 WIT Scholar in Residence;

Shvat 6

See page 15

Mrs. Sara Aliza Scheinerg 9:30am Mrs. Ruhama Welcher 1:00pm

Shvat 13

Tevet 22

Wednesday

Next BJH Issue

Shvat 15

Friday Tevet 24

4:42 PM

Shvat 2

4:49 PM

Shvat 9

4:57 PM

Shvat 16

5:05 PM

5:14 PM

6:15 PM

Shvat 24

6:08 PM

9 Shvat 17

6:00 PM

Shavt 10

5:53 PM

Shvat 3

5:46 PM

Tevet 25

Saturday

Tevet/Shvat 5781

Community Calendar Thursday Tevet 23

Shvat 1

Tevet 29

Shvat 8

WIT Scholar in Residence;

Shvat 14

WIT Scholar in Residence; Mrs. Rivka Segal 9:30am See page 15

Mrs. Shira Smiles 1:00pm

Mrs. Shalvie Friedman 9:30am

Shvat 7

See page 15

Mrs. Michal Horowitz 7:00pm

JEWELS Match Campaign cmatch.me/jewels See Back Cover

WITS Maalot Charidy Campaign charidy.com/witsmaalot See page 9

D-1 C OV I E TO ED DU EDUL ESCH EEN R 2 E BShvat 20 3 Shvat 22 5 Shvat 23 6 19 AV Shvat 21 4 S H TShvat Shvat 12

Shvat 5

WIT Scholar in Residence; Mrs. Esther Wein 9:30am Mrs. Shanie Warman 8:00pm See page 15

January/February

Sunday Tevet 19

Tevet 26

Shvat 4

Shvat 11

Shvat 18

EVEN

N’shei Agudath Israel Workshop See page 33

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or many, 2020 was filled with a lot of stress and anxiety. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives, and many are still suffering from the effects of the coronavirus. As we take a look back,

we endeavor to walk you down memory lane and give you a glimpse of the year that was. But, after much thought, we decided not to focus on the hardship that we endured. Instead, we tried to give you a brief overview, TJH-style, of what took place the past 12 months and bring a smile or two to your face as you remember that there were some interesting, exhilarating, momentous, and even confusing events that made up the year 2020.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci

aise your hand if you heard of Dr. Anthony Fauci before March of 2020, and we’ll give you an extra spray of hand sanitizer. Few knew of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director a year ago but he shot into fame over the past few months with his press conferences, observations, guidelines, and edicts about the coronavirus pandemic, and, of course, his prowess at pitching. Last week, on Fauci’s 80th birthday, Time magazine named Fauci, as well as the world’s frontline health workers, as its Guardians of the Year for 2020. What’s more, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser declared last Thursday “Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day,” recognizing the octogenarian for “sacriﬁcing so much to keep our communities healthy and safe.”

Zoom

Cardboard Cutouts

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X AE A-12

ocked in our homes and quarantined for what seemed like forever, a new trend emerged. Instead of phone calls that had become passe, a new-fangled way of communication took over our lives. At ﬁrst Zoom calls and video conferences seemed cute – isn’t it fun to see all your cousins on one screen?! But then, as reality set in and students and employees had to grapple with Zoom classes and meetings, we became more Zoomed out. Now? Well, at least there’s no need to put pants on while conferencing with the judge before trial. No one has beneﬁted more from our stay-at-home work and school guidelines than Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom. Revenue at the company quadrupled this year, and its stock is easily one of the top stocks of the year. Yuan is now one of the world’s richest people – his Zoom shares are worth almost $17 billion.

hat, my friend, is not a typo. That is the name of Elon Musk’s baby boy, born in May of this year. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO announced the birth of the baby boy in a post on Twitter, revealing his son was called “X Æ A-12 Musk.” What was the thought (if there was any) behind the baby’s strange moniker? According to the baby’s mother, a Canadian singer, “X” stands for “the unknown variable.” Meanwhile, “Æ” is the Elven spelling of AI, which is shorthand for artiﬁcial intelligence and the word for “love” in several languages, including Japanese. “A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent,” she added. The “A” in the name also represents “Archangel,” which she described as her favorite song. Oh, and how do you pronounce the gibberish? According to the mother, “It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I.” And then, to make it interesting, Musk changed the baby’s name to X Æ A-Xii. Because, you know, that’s much more normal.

uestion: What’s a sports game without screaming, beer-soaked fans on the sidelines? Answer: A sports game with cardboard cutouts silently cheering on the players. Unable to attend games in person, avid fans have been paying to have their photos printed and mounted onto seats at baseball games and soccer matches. The idea of cardboard fans silently cheering on sports players came to fruition in March, when Ingo Muller of Germany complained to his wife that he couldn’t attend his favorite soccer team’s matches. “Just take a photo and send it there,” she told him. Muller sprang into action. He contacted a local printer and team and printed out photos of avid fans for a sweet sum of $21. He anticipated around 1,000 purchases; more than 21,000 people so far have purchased a cutout. Muller’s idea went international. Shaquille O’Neal’s cardboard face even turned up for a soccer match in England. For now, it’s a great way for teams to earn some revenue and for fans to show their support – although there’s nothing like standing in the bleachers, holding two hot dogs and a cola, and screaming at your favorite players.

Absentee Ballots

bsentee voting used to be reserved for dedicated citizens who were overseas or knew that they couldn’t make it to the ballot box on Election Day. But 2020 saw an inﬂux of Americans who decided to mail in their votes for president. According to The New York Times, more than 159 million ballots were cast in the 2020 presidential election. A whopping 73 million of those votes were absentee ballots – 46% of Americans chose to vote absentee or mail in their vote in this year’s election. Controversy swirled (or shall we say “is still swirling”?) about the legitimacy of the said inﬂux of absentee and mail-in ballots. Regardless of any theories as to what exactly went on during election season this year, it was obvious that coronavirus and other factors drove people to cast their votes in the most-participated-in election in all of U.S. history.

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Asian Giant Murder Hornets

Gastrodia Agnicellus

orget bumblebees and their stings. 2020 brought us murder hornets. The Asian Giant hornets have a 1/4-inch stinger which injects a large amount of potent venom in its prey. Although the murder hornet is native to Asia and parts of the Russian Far East, entomologists discovered two of the species in Washington State on October 22. Two days later, entomologists managed to eradicate the ﬁrst-ever known nest in the U.S. – vacuuming out 85 surviving hornets. Scientists hope to study the surviving insects, who are known to kill oﬀ an entire honeybee hive in a few hours. Not to scare you, but multiple stings from these hornets can even kill a human. So 2020.

ne of the world’s “ugliest” flowers turned up in 2020. The Gastrodia agnicellus is one of 156 plants and fungal species that had been named this year. The flower has been called “the ugliest orchid in the world.” It depends on fungi for nutrition and has no leaves. Although the flower has been assessed as a threatened species, it has some protection because it is located in a national park. Along with the orchid, other new species for 2020 included a webcap toadstool mushroom and a strange shrub found in southern Namibia.

Qasem Soleimani

resident Trump was swift in his reaction after Tehran attacked U.S. bases in Iraq, in which an American contractor and Iraqi personnel were killed. On January 3, 2020, Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, was killed by a U.S. airstrike. Soleimani led the terrorist organization since 1998 and was the mastermind behind Iran’s military operations in Iraq and Syria, supplying Iraqi insurgents with specially made bombs that could penetrate armor, a deadly weapon against American forces. It wasn’t just the Middle East that felt Soleimani’s malevolence. He was involved in a notorious plot on American soil in which operatives attempted to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States at Washington’s upscale Cafe Milano.

Megxit

Alex Trebek

hen Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, decided to “step back” as “senior members” of the British royal family, the media dubbed their audacious decision Megxit, a play on words of the Brexit from the EU. Although Harry and Meghan thought that England’s “loss” would be America’s gain, hardly anyone blinked an eye when they ultimately settled in Hollywood. Their splash was a mere ripple in a city teeming with actors and actresses who could care less about a prince from across the Pond and his B-list actress wife.

SpaceX

our lucky astronauts soared into space on November 15 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The capsule docked at the International Space Station the next day. Three NASA astronauts were joined with an astronaut from Japan’s space agency. They spent 27 hours in orbit before hitting their destination on the ISS. The liftoﬀ made headlines as the ﬁrst fully operational crewed mission for SpaceX.

lex Trebek was the dinnertime guest in millions of households in the U.S. for ﬁve decades, sharing interesting tidbits and asking thought-provoking questions – or giving thought-provoking answers. The genial host of Jeopardy! passed away this year at the age of 80 after bravely ﬁghting pancreatic cancer. He had hosted Jeopardy! for over 37 seasons, starring in more than 8,200 episodes, the most by a presenter of any single TV game show. Interestingly, Trebek didn’t start out wanting to be a TV darling. He studied philosophy before becoming a journalist and working as a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Asked in 2014 about his long-running position as host of Jeopardy! Trebek said, “I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I’m happy to have a job. I like the show, I like the contestants, and it pays well.”

Sinai babies are

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Redskins & Indians

2020 Olympics

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oodbye, Washington Redskins. Hello, Washington Football Team. In July, Washington’s NFL team decided to abandon its name after Native American and Black Lives Matter groups argued that the name was considered racist. Everything related to the previous name was removed, although the burgundy and gold team colors were OKed to use henceforth. Months later, in early December, the Cleveland Indians baseball team followed suit, deciding to change its name. In contrast to the Redskins, the Indians will continue to be known as the Indians – the name it carried since 1915 – until a new name is chosen. “The process of moving away from Indians is not going to be easy,” team owner Paul Dolan admitted. “We understand it’s going to be diﬃcult for a lot of people to make that adjustment. But I hope, over time, we embrace the process of reimagining our name.”

okyo in July of this year should have been teeming with people. Instead, it was quiet in Japan, as the 2020 Olympics were cancelled – er, postponed – until 2021. According to International Olympics Committee president Thomas Bach, the venues for next year’s Games are all set. “Athletes from all around the world will live together under one roof in the Olympic Village, sharing meals together, celebrating together, discussing together and forming these unique Olympic communities,” he said of next year’s scheduled Games. Tokyo lost out on millions of visitors this year with the loss of the Olympics. It was expected that 10 million people would show up in Tokyo to watch the celebrated competition. Now, they hope those visitors will be gung-ho about watching the Games next year in July.

Kamala Harris

t was a year ago when we thought we saw the end of Kamala Harris. On December 3, 2019, Sen. Kamala Harris ceremoniously ended her bid for the Oval Office. “To you my supporters, my dear supporters, it is with deep regret – but also with deep gratitude – that I am suspending our campaign today,” she said in a video to supporters. Harris had struggled for months to see an uptick in the polls. Ultimately, lack of support and money forced her to concede that America didn’t want to see her as commander-in-chief. “But I want to be clear with you: I am still very much in this fight,” Harris continued. “And I will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about. Justice for the people. All the people.” But 2020 saw Harris with a different trajectory. In August, Joe Biden chose Harris to run alongside him in his bid for the presidency. Now, Harris is set to become the U.S.’s first female as second-in-command.

Polish Invasion

Pete Buttigieg

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ccording to Poland, it was a “misunderstanding” that led it to accidentally invade the Czech Republic in May near the town of Pielgrzymow. Polish soldiers mistakenly crossed the border and set up in the Czech Republic, turning away Czech citizens when they rightfully attempted to enter a church in the Czech Republic. After the Czech citizens complained, the Polish government swiftly assured the Czech embassy that it was a mistake and asserted that there was “no hostile intention” in the soldiers’ occupation of the Czech town.

ust when we got used to pronouncing his name – never mind spelling it – his candidacy dissipated in the wind. Now, though, Mayor Pete is back. Pete Buttigieg seemed to be the darling of the Democrats in the crowded arena of the Democratic primaries earlier this year, winning the Iowa caucuses. But then, right before Super Tuesday, the 38-year-old mayor from South Bend, Indiana, dropped out and endorsed Biden for president. His endorsement went a long way – in getting him another position. Now, Buttigieg is Biden’s nominee for Transportation Secretary – and would be the youngest member of the cabinet, if he is conﬁrmed.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Alexei Navalny

RBG to ACB

hey called her the Notorious RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the darling of the left and an icon for women across the United States. The Supreme Court Justice was appointed in 1993 to the bench by President Bill Clinton and kept her position, wearing a multitude of starched collars, until this year, when she passed away at the age of 87. Ginsburg held on tightly to the position, hoping to leave an opening on the bench for a Democrat president. But it was not meant to be. She died less than seven weeks before Election Day, and President Trump wasted no time nominating a replacement for Ginsburg. Amy Coney Barrett was sworn into SCOTUS a mere 38 days after Ginsburg’s passing, cementing the Court’s conservative majority. Barrett, 48, a former federal appeals court judge and law school professor, has been keeping a low proﬁle on the court so far, although she has been siding with fellow conservatives in key decisions.

Impeachment

JANUARY 7, 2021

t was the Novichok nerve agent applied to the inside his underwear that poisoned Russian opposition leader and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in August of this year. Navalny began to feel unwell on a return flight to Moscow from Tomsk, a Siberian city. Thankfully, his plane made an emergency landing, and medical teams managed to whisk him to the hospital in Germany, where they saved his life. Initially, Navalny thought that poison had been slipped into his tea. A recent debriefing surreptitiously given by Navalny to one of the Russian agents revealed that the poison was applied to the inside of his underwear. Once he began to sweat, the poison was activated. This week, the Russian prison service gave Navalny an ultimatum: to fly back to Moscow by Tuesday of this week or be jailed if he returns after the tight deadline. Russia has denied any evidence that Navalny was poisoned; the Russian prison service is accusing Navalny of violating terms of a suspended prison sentence he is still serving over trumped up theft charges from 2014.

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e’re still trying to get the full picture of why President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives less than a year ago. Most of the U.S. was able to ascertain that it had something to do with Ukraine and that the Democrats were scratching at straws to get the President on the stand. Although Schiﬀ and Nadler steadily plowed ahead, it was clear that, in the President’s words, it was all a “nothing burger,” a burger full of nothing or just a bunch of hot air. And so, in early February, the Senate voted – mostly along party lines – to acquit the President of all wrongdoing. And Americans across the nation wondered what in the world the Democrats were thinking when they dragged them through this ridiculous charade.

Fly Guy

hen protesters started to march across the country earlier this year, some demonstrators in Seattle refused to go home. The group erected a zone, originally self-declared the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) zone, in Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill as a place free from police “occupation.” The crowd threw rocks and bottles at police officers, shining lasers into officers’ eyes. Officers responded with flashbangs and pepper spray. The community of chaos took over six city blocks. Without official organization or leadership, the zone quickly descended into a place of anarchy, with looters roaming the streets at night. At least four shootings erupted, and at least one teen was killed by occupiers. Just a few weeks later, though, on July 1, the zone was cleared of occupants by police.

fly took centerstage when Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris duked it out at the vice presidential debate on October 7. The black fly landed on Pence’s white hair and stayed there for two minutes during a serious moment, taking much attention away from the gist of the debate and refusing to buzz off. Pence didn’t move while the fly took up residence on his head. He passed the stoic test with flying colors.

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CHOP & CHAZ

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Around the Globe 2020 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> Iran On January 5, Iran announced that it would no longer limit itself to restrictions contained in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, essentially telling the world that it is going back to pursuing nuclear goals.

>> China On January 7, Chinese authorities confirmed that they identified a fatal virus that killed Chinese citizens as a novel coronavirus. On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. On March 11, it declared it a pandemic.

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>> Ukraine Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 bound for Kiev, Ukraine, crashed after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, on January 8, killing all 176 people onboard. On January 11, it was confirmed that Iran shot down the airliner.

>> Lebanon >> United Kingdom The UK became the first country to leave the European Union when it officially left the EU on January 31. It took three-and-a-half years and three prime ministers to get the job done. On a lighter note, England faced another exit of some sort when Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, decided to leave the UK and their roles in the royal family for Hollywood.

At least 204 people were killed and more than 6,400 were injured when a warehouse housing explosive material blew up in the port in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4. It is said that Hezbollah had been housing the ammonium nitrate for nefarious reasons.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Residents of Africa can now breathe a sigh of relief. In August, the continent was declared free from wild type polio after a decades-long campaign to stamp out the virus, which had, at one time, paralyzed more than 75,000 children in Africa annually.

After President Aleksandr Lukashenko was declared the winner in this year’s elections in Belarus – long described as Europe’s last dictatorship – protesters took to the streets almost daily for several weeks after the August 9 vote. Still, Lukashenko remains in power. His challenger, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, fled to Lithuania and is still popular with supporters.

JANUARY 7, 2021

>> Belarus

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

>> Africa

>> United States

>> Israel Never had the State of Israel been so busy making agreements with its neighbors than this year. With the Abraham Accords, the Jewish State shook hands with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But that was just the beginning. Since August, the U.S. has helped to broker normalization agreements with Israel and Sudan and with Morocco, with more countries hopefully on the horizon.

By mid-December, it was revealed that coronavirus had hit Antarctica, the last continent on Earth to have been spared the pandemic, when Chile’s armed forces confirmed that its staff had been infected at its base on the tip of the frozen peninsula.

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>> Antarctica

“Black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe” were chants that rocked the nation after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, on February 25, and George Floyd on May 25 while in police custody. Thousands of people took to the streets. In many cities, rioters and looters smashed store windows and looted stores. Subsequently, masses pulled down statues that they said were connected to racism including those of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ulysses S. Grant.

By the Numbers 2020 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Expected to take in $65 million to $80 million in an online auction by Sotheby’s, Francis Bacon’s Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus commanded a price of $84.6 million by the time the hammer fell, making it the most expensive piece of art sold this year. We can’t, for the life of us, tell you why someone would pay that price for these three painting, but then again, it’s, you know, art.

3.3 Million

$1.845 Million

Passengers

$84.6 Million

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It was a mere 33 days between the nomination of Justice Amy Coney Barrett and her confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court on October 26. She is the third Supreme Court justice to have been nominated by President Trump. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh were sworn into SCOTUS during the Trump administration as well.

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Harshit Bansal earned a Guinness World Record for the most diamonds set in a ring when he designed “The Marigold: The Ring of Prosperity” with 12,638 diamonds. The finger adornment weighs 5.8 ounces and has eight layers. According to Bansal, “It’s wearable and comfortable.”

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12,638 Diamonds

Yes, you read that right. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, world’s wealthiest person, purchased a 9.4-acre estate in Beverly Hills from David Geffen this year for the eye-watering price of $165 million. Even more eye-watering is the fact that Geffen bought what is known as the Jack Warner Estate in 1990 for $47.5 million.

That’s the number of votes counted in the November U.S. presidential election this year, according to state reporting. Four years ago, in 2016, 137 million Americans voted in the presidential election.

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JANUARY 7, 2021

$165 Million

Votes

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158 Million

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Instead of playing in front of a live audience, musicians from UceLi Quartet, a string quartet, performed “Crisantemi” by Puccini for an audience made up of 2,292 plants on June 22, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. The plants were later delivered to 2,292 healthcare professionals.

33 Days B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

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2,292 Plants

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

This dismal number is the lowest number of passengers whose flights landed or departed in the United States in April since at least 1990. Airlines reported a loss of $14.9 billion between January and June of this year.

A LeBron James trading card is now the most expensive basketball trading card to be sold at auction. The bidding skyrocketed to a whopping $1.845 million in the July auction this year. Only 23 versions of the card exist. It’s fitting for King James to have a card that tops all others.

Exp. 1-20 -21. Maximum Value $10.

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Winners & Losers of 2020 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Winners nk 8 Hour Pla 196 Math Questions

NADUB Gill is only 10 years old, but he’s better at math than most adults. The Pakistani boy was able to solve 196 math questions in just one minute this year. He said he was “very thrilled and excited” upon earning the Guinness World Record for his achievement.

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$110.3B Gain

ELON Musk must be smiling. In 2020, he had the biggest one-year gain of any billionaire since Forbes started tracking wealth. Musk started out the year with a net worth of $26.6 billion – not too shabby. But the past twelve months saw him aggregate his wealth. The Tesla CEO and SpaceX enthusiast is now worth an eye-popping $136.9 billion. With SpaceX launching a manned orbital mission this year and with permission to shuttle astronauts from NASA to the International Space Station, we’re thinking that the sky’s the limit when it comes to Musk’s wealth.

DO not stand next to George Hood at the gym. The retired police officer and current personal trainer managed to break the world record this year for the longest plank. The 62-year-old held a plank for a whopping eight hours. He admitted, “There are times you get selfdoubt. You get bored. You wonder if it’s worth anything.” It better be worth something, George, if you’re spending eight hours doing it.

$67.5 Billion+

WHERE would 2020 be without Jeff Bezos? Millions of people around the globe survived lockdowns and quarantine because of the Amazon boxes that faithfully showed up at their door. This year was really good for the founder of Amazon. Bezos’s net worth skyrocketed by an extra $67.5 billion (that’s billion with a B) from just March to June this year. In fact, in August, Bezos became the first person in history to have a net worth above $200 billion. Oh, and if 2020 was brought to you by Amazon, it was also brought to you by Zoom. Eric Yuan, the founder of the video-conferencing platform (can you unmute me? I can’t hear you), grew his nest egg by over $2.5 billion.

7B Views

d n u o r g r e d Un Concert

I like to celebrate my birthday with balloons and a cake. Jeremy Liang dares to be different. The teacher, who lives in Japan, ate more udon noodles in three minutes than anyone in history to celebrate turning the big 4-0. His record-breaking bowl had 39 ounces of noodles, which is equivalent to about 10 normal bowls of udon noodles. Ooh!

EVEN though there were no spectators cheering her on, Claire the Scottish Deerhound was named the best in show at this year’s National Dog Show. She battled it out against six other pups to nab the title. Following the win, her handler said that “Claire’s day is every day, to be quite honest. She is as wonderful on the inside as she is on the outside.” Woof, woof.

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WE wish that this wasn’t so, but this year, the Word of the Year brought to you by Merriam-Webster’s was, quite anticlimactically, “pandemic.” According to the online dictionary, the first spike in lookups for “pandemic” took place on February 3 – when it was searched 1,621% more than it was searched the year before. By early March, the word was being looked up an average of 4,000% over 2019 levels. When the WHO officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic, there was an increase of 115,806% lookups over that same day in 2019. “Pandemic” is Greek in origin. Pan means “all” or “every”; demos refers to “people.”

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Best in Show

Word of the Year

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YOU’RE not crazy if you think that the “Baby Shark Dance” is coming out of your ears. This year, the catchy children’s rhyme, created by Pinkfong (Republic of Korea), was the most viewed music video on YouTube and the most viewed video on YouTube overall. It is now the number one viewed video in YouTube history. Yup, that’s not saying much about our generation. The video was originally uploaded on June 17, 2016. Between then and November 2, 2020, the dance was viewed a whopping 7,042,967,886 times. Hope Segoine, a Korean-American singer, sings the catchy Baby Shark tune. From where did the song originate? It’s possible that it came about in summer camp in the 1970s. Regardless of when and where it originated, the song has been eliciting strong reactions. It also has over 22 million likes and 10 million dislikes, making it both one of the most liked and disliked videos ever on YouTube. Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.

THIS is the epitome of a rock concert. The Shaft Bottom Boys, a band of four musicians, performed the world’s deepest underground concert this year when they rocked deep in the Vale’s Creighton Mine in Ontario. The mine is 6,213 feet below sea level, making the performance the deepest concert underground, according to Guinness World Records. Rock on!

Oodles of Udon

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Losers

ity C k r o Y w e N

Retail

2020 was a brutal year for restaurants and stores. According to Coresight Research, as many as 8,400 American retailers closed this year. In terms of restaurants, around 17% of restaurants in the U.S. permanently closed – a devastating 110,000 eateries that have closed for good. Along with the closures of retail stores and restaurants came a wave of bankruptcies from companies that we had grown to take for granted in malls across America. Pier 1 Imports called it quits in February; Modell’s shuttered in March; and J.Crew Group went bankrupt in May, although it exited bankruptcy in September and named a new CEO in November of this year. Neiman Marcus also was hit hard, and JCPenney closed a third of its stores this year. Lord & Taylor called it quits after nearly 200 years in business, and New York’s beloved Century 21 said sayonara to all its 13 locations after six decades in the Big Apple.

USPS

WHAT was once the most coveted real estate and business center in the world saw a dismal decline this year. Aside from the horrific number of tragedies the Big Apple saw in 2020 due to corona, scores of protests turned the city into a third-world country. Rioters and protesters smashed storefronts and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise. Furthermore, Mayor Bill de Blasio brought hundreds of homeless into hotels in swanky areas, ostensibly to keep them safe and healthy while forcing NYC residents to flee either out of state or to the shores of Long Island. Lawlessness and crime skyrocketed in 2020 on the streets of New York. And companies began offering their employees a work-at-home option. What, then, was keeping NYC residents in the Big Apple? Not much. According to the United States Postal Service, around 300,000 residents have fled New York within the last eight months – and that translates into more than that number, as the USPS doesn’t consider all members of a household in its numbers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more residents escaped from New York over the least year than from any other state. Depressing, for sure. But don’t count New York out just yet. As “The Boxer” famously says, “I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.”

er p p i R e h t y Nanc IT was the rip heard around the world. After President Trump gave his State of the Union address on February 4, 2020, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stood up and ceremoniously ripped a copy of the President’s speech in half. Although Pelosi stayed throughout the speech – other Democrats walked out in protest – she made her disdain for Trump clear with her tantrum-y act that would get most 3-year-olds sent to their rooms. Of course, if Pelosi was sent out of the room for her actions, she would take her $12 tubs of ice cream with her – because that’s her way of getting through tough times. The Speaker did not apologize for tearing up Trump’s speech – which she called a “manifesto of mistruths.”

THE United States Postal Service has a really bad rap as it struggles to deliver mounds of circulars, political ads, bills, and overdue notices to millions of Americans through the snow, rain, heat, and gloom of night. Although it had been going through a tough time for tens of years, the USPS was thrown into the spotlight this year when citizens doubted that their mail-in ballots would get into counting centers on time – or even get there at all. On November 4 – and even days after Election Day –the USPS asserted that it came through for Americans and democracy in a big way. There are, certainly, critics who doubt that the USPS delivered the mail and delivered it on time. Still, the agency is in peril. Its 644,000-person workforce delivers and sorts the mail mainly by hand, hardly an efficient system. In November, the USPS reported that it suffered a net loss of $9.2 billion in fiscal year 2020 – up $363 million in losses from 2019 due to a decline in mail due to the pandemic. The $10 billion loan it received from Congress this year is a mere Band-Aid on the struggling agency, as Americans turn more to email and texts and less and less to handwritten notes of appreciation.

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Lichv od Chica Rabbi Fu go Ch erst a esed Fund nd , I just want ed main reaso to let you n was f k or z’ why I cam now that chus e the to is 33 f years or a frien this event d of last n old and BORU mine wh ight o CH HA was h SHEM is L’C , haim . May we co ntinu good e to h news ea f r om a r the s l l ingle s.”

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We are all looking for ways to help those that we know are looking for their bashert. In a day of Torah learning and achdus, Shas for Shidduchim gives you the opportunity to gather real z’chusim.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH

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Centerfold

What’s It Called? Each of the following, except for one, is the real name of a car that is either sold in America, Australia, China or Japan. Can you figure out which one is not a real car name? >> Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan

>> Toyota Chaser Avante Lordly

>> Honda That’s

>> Suzuki Every Joypop Turbo

>> Great Wall Wingle

>> Isuzu Bighorn Plaisir Long

>> Toyota Deliboy

>> Mitsubishi Mini Active Urban Sandal

>> Mazda Scrum Wagon

>> Mazda Bongo Friendee

>> Mitsubishi Lettuce

>> Mazda Carol Me Lady

>> Honda Excel

>> Geely Rural Nanny

>> Honda Life Dunk >> Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard

>> Mitsubishi Toppo Guppy >> Mitsubishi Minica Winky Answer below

Paula was having a hard time selling her car because it had 250,000 miles on it. When telling Jane about her problem, Jane mentioned George the mechanic who could turn back the mileage for a couple of bucks. A few days later, Pamela met Jane again on the street. Jane asked her, “Well, did you sell the car?” “Are you crazy?” Paula replied. “It only has 50,000 miles on it – why would I sell it?!”

Riddle Me This? Four cars come to a four way stop, all coming from different directions. They aren’t able to decide who got there first, so they all move forward at the same time. They do not crash into each other, but all four cars go. How is this possible? Answer below

Answer to "What's it Called?": Honda Excel

Answer to riddle: They all made right-hand turns.

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You Gotta be Kidding Me!

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

2. When the traffic light turns green and the car in front of you doesn’t move right away, how long do you wait before honking your horn? a. I wait patiently and don’t honk b. I honk even before the light turns green c. What? The light turned green? d. I don’t honk my horn, I flash my headlights. That is much more effective. e. 1 second

4. When on the highway and a car ahead of you is going 10 miles over the speed limit, what do you do? a. I shake my head in disapproval and continue to obey the speed limit b. I whiz by him because I always go at least 20 MPH over the speed limit c. I don’t notice other cars because I’m into my own chill d. I go 1 MPH less than him so that he gets the ticket and not me 5. Which of the following best describes the type of food you eat in your car? a. Ricolas b. Double pastrami burger with extra mayo, ketchup, and cole slaw c. Oats and stuff like that d. I don’t really eat in my car because it messes with the aerodynamics of the vehicle e. When you are 30 feet from an intersection which you know has a red light camera, what do you do?

6. What’s a red light camera? a. I gun it just because I always gun it. But the truth is, I don’t care if I get a ticket because I have a guy that gets me out of all of my tickets. Yes, even red light camera tickets. b. I wave at the camera. Who knows? Maybe it will be a good picture. c. I tend to avoid streets that have red light cameras because those intersections tend to have shorter yellow lights, which means that they generally create congestion ahead due to a lack of synchronization. I tend to drive on the most effectively synchronized roadways. Your driver personality: If you answered A to four or more questions: How is the weather in Florida treating you? If you answered B to four or more questions: Hey, Brooklyn guy, any way you can stay off of the Five Towns’ roads? If you answered C to four or more questions: Dude, where’s my car? Peace out, bro! If you answered D to four or more questions: Don’t you realize that when you give people rides they are not interested in hearing how you are the “driving efficiency guru”? “Hey, watch this, I am going to go left here and then turn around and catch that light, yada, yada, yada…” Just drive, for crying out loud! We know you are amazing!

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3. When you are in traffic and one lane is cleared for an emergency vehicle, do you try and get behind the emergency vehicle? a. I immediately pull over to the side of the road and wait on the shoulder until further notice b. Yes, I get right behind it and sometimes I even go in front of it! c. I’m not down with the noise of the sirens because it messes with my groove

d. I get behind it, but I make sure that there are 3-4 cars between me and the emergency vehicle, this way those cars have to fend off all the other cars that want to jump into the line as soon as they see the emergency vehicle.

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1. When stuck in traffic, which of the following do you do? a. I keep my hands on the steering wheel and wait patiently for traffic to move b. Honk like a lunatic c. I usually just chill and play drums on my steering wheel d. Whip a U-eey and take the backroads which only you know “because I am so great.”

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Driving Personality Quiz

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

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Father Daughter Mother Son - Among the words that the Democrat-led House of Representatives has banned in its chamber because they are not gender neutral

This is stupid. Signed, - A father, son, and brother. - Tweet by Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), in response to the craziness

It absolutely does the very opposite of that and it’s the height of hypocrisy for people who claim to be the champions of rights for women to deny the very biological existence of women My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies. We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch up that our adversaries may try to exploit. But as I said from the beginning, we have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility. - Joe Biden, in a press conference last week

The Department of Defense has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials, and provided over 5,000 pages of documents – far more than initially requested by Biden’s transition team. DOD’s efforts already surpass those of recent administrations with over three weeks to go, and we continue to schedule additional meetings for the remainder of the transition and answer any and all requests for information in our purview. – Statement by Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller in response

- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)

Their first act as this new congress could have been to make sure that elderly Americans are able to get the COVID vaccine now alongside frontline healthcare workers, elderly Americans who have the highest mortality rates from this virus, but instead of doing something that could actually help save people’s lives, they’re choosing instead to say, well, you can’t say mother or father in any of this congressional language. It’s astounding. - Ibid.

As a standup comic, I can tell you, my entire life is concentration fatigue. Whether it’s writing or performing, my brain and my body, which is the same thing, are constantly hitting the wall. And if you have [Transcendental Meditation] in your hip pocket, you’re Columbus with a compass. - Comedian Jerry Seinfeld talking about Transcendental Meditation during a recent episode of the podcast, “The Tim Ferriss Show.”

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Manual Entry Doors

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58 I went from being A-list celebrity, I was going to all the fashion shows, all the Met galas, all the operas, all the Broadway shows, I was on David Letterman, I was on Jimmy Kimmel, I was all over. But Israel was just pulling at me. … It was definitely an experience for me, a humbling experience. I truly had to humble myself completely, to go from this top-level situation to more of a downgrade, but for the sake of Torah. So that was the idea and why I made that decision. - Amar’e Stoudemire during a recent Zoom call organized by the UJA Federation of New York, as reported by JTA

With 3,000 Americans dying every day, what are the president and a big chunk of Congressional Republicans focused on? Undermining the results of the election, essentially a bloodless coup. – Jake Tapper of CNN, which spent years spreading the Russian Hoax

This was something far worse than occurred in Watergate. - Journalist Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame, claiming that a phone call that Pres. Trump had with the Sec. of State of Georgia was worse than Watergate, adding to the dozens of other times that he made that same claim about any number of Trump’s actions

Senator Kamala Harris started her life’s work young. She laughs from her gut, the way you would with family, as she remembers being wheeled through an Oakland, California, civil rights march in a stroller with no straps with her parents and her uncle. At some point, she fell from the stroller (few safety regulations existed for children’s equipment back then), and the adults, caught up in the rapture of protest, just kept on marching. By the time they noticed little Kamala was gone and doubled back, she was understandably upset. “My mother tells the story about how I’m fussing,” Harris says, “and she’s like, ‘Baby, what do you want? What do you need?’ And I just looked at her and I said, ‘Fweedom.’”

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- From a recent profile about Kamala Harris, in a noted magazine

There is a growing body of evidence that the lab is likely the most credible source of the virus. - U.S. national security adviser Matthew Pottinger positing that coronavirus came from a lab in China

I never will forget a moment in Birmingham when a white policeman accosted a little Negro girl, seven or eight years old, who was walking in a demonstration with her mother. “What do you want?” the policeman asked her gruffly, and the little girl looked him straight in the eye and answered, “Fee-dom.” - From a 1965 interview of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m willing to take it but I’m not the priority... Granted I’m an elected official but whoop dee doo. At the end of the day, let’s focus on where the risk is.

Thanks @Walmart for your insulting condescension. Now that you’ve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor?

- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when asked whether he will get the Covid vaccine

- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeting a response to Walmart after its official Twitter account called him a “sore loser” for questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election

So here’s the thing about uprooting systemic racism: one, it’s everywhere. It’s almost like the air we breathe. - Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza on MSNBC

MORE QUOTES

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

59 Black business ownership: 40% decline.

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Eviction risks: 40 mil. people Black families are struggling to keep roofs over their heads, food in their bellies, and healthcare covered. This isn’t about a stimulus. This is about survival. And $600 aint it. We demand monthly checks. - Tweet by Black Lives Matter

- Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) finishing the first daily congressional prayer of the new session

Amen is Latin for “so be it.” It’s not a gendered word. Unfortunately, facts are irrelevant to progressives. Unbelievable. – Tweet by Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA)

That’s just arrogance. Does he think that our health care professionals are uninterested in vaccinating people? How about trusting the people who have been our heroes?

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Amen and awoman.

- Mayor de Blasio responding to Gov. Cuomo’s threat to fine hospitals that don’t distribute the Covid vaccine fast enough

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating

Dialogue

What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I am engaged to a girl who comes from a well-known family in our big community.

I think the problem is we only went out for a month and a half, but I did not know what I was getting into when it comes to her family. Her parents dictate the way they want things, what they want their kids to do, how they want the wedding to be, and my family must adhere to all of

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it with no questions asked. I knew my kallah, Malka*, did not have the closest relationship with them, but what I did not know was that she was so intimidated by them that she cannot say no. She feels obligated to them and expects me to go along with everything without having a say. What in the world do I do? I am second-guessing spending my life attached at the hip to this family. Thanks Naftali*

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.

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. aftali, this must feel very scary to you right now, and rightfully so. Although it is normal for issues to come up between the families during an engagement and cause strain on the couple’s relationship, you are seeing deeper issues. Your kallah seems to be unwilling to assert herself as an independent person. Her parents seem controlling and in power as they are big players in the community. These are two serious issues. Get yourselves to professional help quickly. Share what is going on with your mentor(s). See if Malka understands herself and her reaction patterns to her parents and other strong people. Determine if your kallah understands the dynamics of how this is affecting your relationship with her and with them. Then, together with your support team, the professional and the mentors, you will have to make a decision about whether you want to marry her. You will do some soul searching and growing yourself along the way. And this will be a good thing before you make the biggest adult decision in your life. Hatzlacha.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

s I am sure the other panelists will address the toxicity that seems to be emanating from this family, I would like to comment on another part. The other part I would like to address is getting to know the person, and the family, that you are marrying into. I have had people ask me, “Do I have to wait until I’m engaged to get to know his/her family?” My answer is always the same: “No!” You can get to know his/her

family as soon as you feel comfortable. Do you see this shidduch going somewhere? Go for a Shabbos, stay by a neighbor, and get to know the family dynamic. Some people claim that it is way too premature. I say, if a couple is going out and it’s veering in a positive direction, and the other side is claiming it is premature to get to know the families, dig deeper. As for your case, Naftali, Hashem had ordained the situation to be as it is for a reason but that does not mean you shouldn’t get help. Take your kallah and go for premarital counseling. It is so common these days that it’s almost a given. Speak to the therapist about your particular concerns, and (s)he, along with your Rav, can help guide you through these difficult scenarios. You must also be very open and honest with Malka about how you are feeling. It would be a whole different ballgame if she agreed with your assessment and came up with a game plan to make sure your relationship is your own, separate from her parents. I would also like to address parents and families. Do you have a child in the parsha? Take a look at yourselves – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Take assessment of the things you can work on as a family to make yourselves “a marriageable family.” We are not talking about if you give the most tzedaka, have your name on buildings, or are on the board of every organization. As this letter as a testament, we see that when your child gets married, you will be agreeing to merge families, sort of a marriage in and of itself. Agreeing to marry your child off is also agreeing to share your child with someone and meld worlds. It is not a one way street where only you call the shots. Agreeing to marry your child off is agreeing to be mevater on things. These things might even seem very important to have done “your way” but will make a world of a difference for shalom bayis.

Don’t be the reason your child’s chosson or kallah runs the other way. Be the reason they not only want to marry into your wonderful family but actually opt to come for Shabbos.

The Single Rivka Weinberg

“S

o, does your family do weekly Sunday BBQs or is it the type that you all only gather together at simchas once in a while?” This question was once asked to me by a boy whose rebbi insisted on bochurim knowing the answer to it before a relationship progressed. Many people say that a person is marrying another individual and not necessarily that individual’s family as well. While I agree with that idea to an extent, I believe it’s important to know whether you are marrying into a “Sunday BBQ” family or an “occasional simchas” family. Naftali, it sounds to me like you are headed into a strongly connected and intense “Sunday BBQ” family, and while that can be beautiful, like everything in life, there are positive and negative impacts. With regard to the wedding, I think you should leave that up to yours and Malka’s parents to figure out. I don’t see any positive impact of a chosson and kallah getting involved in the stress and drama that occurs when two different families join together to make a simcha. If need be, a rav can intervene to help smooth the process and work things out. As a chosson, you should play your proper role in the simcha and encourage your kallah to do so as well. What I believe to be the main focus here is your concern about spending your life attached at the hip to Malka’s family. I would be interested to hear more about the depth of your relationship with

Are there other major worrisome pieces of information you are not currently privy to which will unfold as you start your life together?

Malka and how you were able to get engaged without her communicating to you how intimidated she is by her family. My gut reaction is to wonder whether you know the real genuine Malka, or if you are familiar with a fearful version of her. Are there other major worrisome pieces of information you are not currently privy to which will unfold as you start your life together? The two of you should have an open and honest conversation about the type of lives you each want to live and the practical vision accompanied by that. Where do you see yourselves and how much of a role would you each like your families to play? If Malka wants to be attached to her family and has no interest in going elsewhere, you may want to consider what that is going to look like for you in the long term and how that will play out. Although this may be a taboo topic, based on the lashon you used to describe Malka’s family as “wellknown” in your “big community,” I wonder how much financial support they will be providing to you in the future. Again, we revert back to positive and negative impacts of our choices. While being financially supported by Malka’s family may

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sound appealing to many, the negative impact is that her family can continue to “dictate” and “obligate” you in various areas. If that is the case, you may want to think of a different plan in terms of parnassa to release some of this “power” you feel her family has over you. I encourage you to have a serious conversation with Malka and daven to Hakadosh Baruch Hu to gain clarity and allow yourself to make the decision you feel is right.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

his is not a good situation. Your dilemma underscores

how very, very important it is for couples to spend a lot of time with each other’s families before getting engaged. The problem is a lot more serious than simply having in-laws who merely insist on controlling every aspect of a five-hour wedding. (For example: There is a possibly true story told about Rav Pam, zt”l. One of his students was getting married, and asked the rabbi, “What is our proper custom? I saw that at the wedding of one of your daughters, you and your wife escorted the kallah down the aisle and the chosson was escorted by his mother and father; at the wedding of another one of your daughters, both mothers escorted the kallah, and both fathers escorted the chos-

son.” Rav Pam answered, “My custom is to agree with whatever the in-laws want.”) Unfortunately, it seems clear that even after the wedding your kallah’s family will still be very hands-on, overwhelming, and in tight control of every aspect of your life. For many husbands, this would not be an acceptable situation. Ask yourself: *Will you be relying on your in-laws for parnassa (even for just a few years) or are you completely self-sufficient financially? *Will you be living near them, or will you and your kallah be able to move far away? *Does the kallah have brothers-in-law who enjoy autonomous lives, independent of their domineer ing

Don’t be the reason your child’s chosson or kallah runs the other way.

in-laws? Perhaps you should consult with a therapist or rav. But, prepare to dis-engage. If you do cancel the engagement, then, in the future, make sure to spend a lot more time not only with potential mates but also with their families.

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

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ear Naftali, I’m going to keep my answer short and sweet. You have valid reason for concern. Malka may be the most incredible woman in the world, but her relationship with her parents will most likely impact you in a variety of ways. I strongly suggest that you and Malka see a couples therapist who does premarital therapy. There are some issues you need to discuss together and learn more about. A therapist will help facilitate very important conversations surrounding Malka’s family involvement in your lives once married. You will also hopefully gain

more clarity as to Malka’s readiness to shift her priorities from her parents to you. There shouldn’t be a conflict of interest when it comes to parents and spouses. When everyone understands the natural order of priorities – spouse, then children, then parents – couples can enjoy a healthy relationship with parents and in-laws. When the priorities are not respected, and parents believe their married child’s priority must be “them,” this naturally causes problems for the young couple. Unfortunately, sometimes fam-

ilies w ith incredible status or wealth believe that they have every right to “call the shots.” A nd young adult children struggle to assert their independence because often the price is too high. Children may stand to be cut off financially and or emotionally. The most important thing right now for you to figure out is Malka’s readiness to assert herself, if need be. What would Malka do if you’ve made plans for dinner but suddenly she is told to cancel and join the family BBQ? What if you want to spend Pesach with your family one year, and her family insists you come away with them because “this

is what we’ve always done and we expect this to continue”? I think you may benefit from more clarity. Malka needs to know how you feel. And you need to know if Malka takes your feelings to heart and what, if anything, she is willing to work on. This will show you her ability to compromise and be flexible. Those are very important qualities for your teammate in life to have. Invite her to a premarital therapy session...and see where it takes you. If Malka shows no ability to compromise, or hear you, or make changes to make you feel comfortable, you will have to take that into account while you make your decision. All the best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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Mental Health Corner

Social Status Hierarchy and Teenagers By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

Adolescence is a very confusing period resulting in social phenomena that leaves the adults scratching their heads. One such issue is the enormous disparity between popularity and lik-

ability. We would like to assume that teenagers who are friendly, kind, empathetic, and overall likeable would be the most popular kids. However, this is often not the case. This can cre-

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ate a situation where young teenagers will fall prey to the allure of being associated with the popular kids, even if those kids are not the nicest. Schools tend to have a social status hierarchy, whether we like it or not. As children pass through adolescence and they try to create a personal identity, they will invariably look around at other children and see how they compare socially. As cliques form, they start viewing their own identity through the lens of their clique association. Being in the popular clique then becomes a sought-after prize. This does not mean that this phenomenon does not exist by adults. But in the teenage years, this issue tends to be much more acute. The problem is that sometimes the popular kids have established themselves at the top of the social hierarchy by being domineering or bossy. These children are often very talented in social skills and they use it to their advantage, thus securing their leadership status in spite of not being from the most likeable kids in the group. For this reason, if you were to poll middle school or early high school teenagers and you would ask them who are the most likeable kids and who are the most popular kids, you will find that very often the ones they identify as the most popular are not the ones they identify as the most likeable. It is very hard for parents to watch their children suffer the effects of social rejection at the hands of the pop-

ular clique, at times reaching the level of bullying. It can also be very difficult for parents to see their children modify their own behavior in negative ways in order to fit in with the popular crowd. One way parents can help their children is by educating them about the value of genuine friendships. One way this can be accomplished is by asking them questions that help them understand the nature of a true friendship. Questions such as, “Is he/she a good friend?” “How do you feel when you are around them?” “How do you think he/she feels about you?” Ultimately, our role as parents obligates us to instill in our children the importance of fostering friendships that are genuine, compassionate, and reciprocal. However, there is one catch. If you have not internalized this value system yourself, you cannot expect your child to be any different. Children are primed to live up to these ideals when they have role models who themselves have authentic friendships and relationships and are not busy comparing themselves to others who are higher-up in the social status hierarchy. This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-448-8356 or at yslansky@reliefhelp.org

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Linzer Cookies what you will need:

preparation:

2 sticks margarine, preferably Fleishman’sroom temperature 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour (I used Great Value from Walmart) 2 Tbl.Vanilla 1 cup confectioner’s sugar ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt ¼ cup jam- whatever flavor you like

1. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. Beat all ingredients except jam together. If the dough is very sticky add more flour, 1Tbl at a time. 3. Roll out ½ of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper, which has been sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. Leave the other half of the dough in the freezer while working with the first half. Roll dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out circles. Punch a hole with a small cookie cutter or some other device- into one half of the total number of cookies. 4. Place cookies on baking sheets, and bake for 9 minutes. 5. When cool, turn over the cookies without the holes. Place ½ tsp of jam on each of the whole cookies, and spread the jam. Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the cookies with the holes, and place those “holey” cookies on top of the jellied ones. Enjoy! Makes about 30 double cookies, if using a 2 inch cookie cutter.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Sweet & Savory Onion Deli Roll By Naomi Nachman

JANUARY 7, 2021

When I first got married, deli roll was all the rage. I first had it at a friend’s house, and once she gave me her recipe, I made it over and over and over�because who can resist fresh hot puff pastry?! One of my favorite things about deli roll is there are so many ways to add a personal twist to it. Over the years, I have tasted so any different combinations, and now, I developed my own that my family devours.

Preparation

b1 sheet puﬀ pastry, thawed b2 tablespoons canola oil b2 large onions, sliced into half-moon rings b1 teaspoon kosher salt b2-7 oz. packages of your favorite Empire Kosher® deli slices (I used Turkey Pastrami and Turkey Salami), sliced into strips b2 tablespoons barbecue sauce b2 tablespoons mayonnaise b1 teaspoon Dijon mustard b1 egg, lightly beaten Sesame seeds for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Roll out the puﬀ pastry to about 10”x12”. 3. In a large skillet on medium, heat canola oil on high heat. Sauté onions until soft. Add in salt, followed by deli slices and simmer on low until heated through. Set aside and cool slightly. 4. In a small bowl, mix barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, and mustard. Spread over the pastry, leaving a ½ inch border around all the sides. 5. Place the deli/onion mixture over the sauce. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll and place seam-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 6. Brush deli roll with egg wash, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

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.

B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

Ingredients

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

Money

JANUARY 7, 2021

It Was a Very Good Year

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

merica has always been a land of opportunity, and there are many paths to fame and fortune. If you’re physically gifted, consider professional sports. If you’re blessed with good looks, Hollywood beckons. If you’re born with the gift of gab, consider used cars (or politics). And if you’re just plain brilliant, Silicon Valley begs for your tech unicorn. But what if you don’t have physical gifts, good looks, charm, or intelligence? Don’t give up hope! You can be completely devoid of any redeeming qualities at all and still grab headlines through the awesome power of reality TV. And so, it’s only fitting that we close out 2020 with a story ripped from that collection. Best of all, there’s even a hidden tax angle! Since 2009, the Real Housewives of New Jersey have been hard at work repairing the damage those Jersey Shore knuckleheads did to the Garden State’s reputation. Sadly, not all of those housewives and their posses have upheld that sacred duty. In 2012, cast member Dina left her husband, Tommy. And while some jilted husbands accept their fate with

dignity and grace, Tommy did not. Most men in Tommy’s situation would content themselves with therapy, or maybe some a night out with friends. But Tommy wanted more. So he reached out to an associate named

was bound to attract attention. And so, in July, FBI agents indicted Tommy and Perna on the usual laundry list of charges you might expect. Earlier this month, Perna pleaded guilty to committing a violent crime in aid

Count Perna as one guy who doesn’t get to say “at least 2021 is going to be better.”

John Perna, a “made man” in an organization called “the Lucchese Family.” (Think of it as an Italian-American social club or maybe a mutual-aid society.) The two men decided to swap favors. Perna would beat up one of Dina’s friends. In exchange, Tommy would host a lavish wedding reception at the restaurant he owned, for a fraction of the usual price. Perna probably fancies himself a thoroughly discreet, “professional” hit man. But a high-profile beating involving a popular reality-TV show

of racketeering activity. He’s facing up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines when he’s sentenced on April 28. (Count Perna as one guy who doesn’t get to say “at least 2021 is going to be better.”) What does any of this have to do with taxes? Well, Perna contracted to do a job (the beating) in exchange for payment (the discounted reception). And while that payment didn’t come in the form of cash, it’s taxable just as if it had. We’re probably safe assuming Tommy didn’t issue the appropri-

ate 1099-MISC, and Perna certainly “forgot” to report the discount on his 1040. But it’s easy enough to calculate the taxable amount involved here – it’s the discount Tommy gave Perna. Now, if this had been a strictly business transaction – say, an attorney trading professional services with a publicist – both parties would enjoy offsetting deductions, with no actual tax due. Sadly for Tommy, hiring a goon to beat up your ex’s new friend is a nondeductible personal expense. 2020 has brought us a whole new set of challenges that few of us were prepared to meet. But we made it through, battered as we may be. So this week, raise a toast to a better future, or just go to bed early for some much-needed peace and quiet. We’ll be here in 2021 to help you accomplish your business and financial goals with the least interference from taxes possible! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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