Baltimore Jewish Home - 10-29-15

Around the Community

BaltimoreJewishHome THE

‫ ל׳ חשון‬- ‫ט״ו חשון‬

oct

29 -

nov

12 . vol 2, #17

All around the Seasons at Bais Yaakov PAGE 6

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion (BJSZ) Launches Torah Partnerships Campaign

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WEDDING EXPENSES GETTING OUT OF HAND?

Wedding Expenses Getting Out of Hand?

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME OCTOBER 29, 2015

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME OCTOBER 29, 2015

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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CONTENTS

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

COMMUNITY Around the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

JEWISH THOUGHT The Jarring Episode of Shabbetai Tzvi. . . . . . . . . . . 36 Vayera: Companionship & Consolation. . . . . . . . . . 52 Out of Left Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

COVER STORY Remembering Henny Machlis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 We are One People The Baltimore Shabbos Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

LIFESTYLES 613 Seconds with Sam Shnitzer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Kollel Chatzos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 AMEX Small Business Saturday Update . . . . . . . . . 40 8 Portable Space Heater Safety Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Tax Man Makes $1=$10,001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Do You Want to Be On Top of Google?

Or Do You Want to Make Money?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 In the Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

NEWS

Dear Readers, In a way, we’re all dreamers. We all have moments of inspiration when we desire to change or work on something or create something. But then, our lives become busy. And as time goes on, we may wistfully remember that moment when we wanted to create something big, and we wonder what would have happened if we would have seized upon our inspiration.

Mrs. Henny Machlis a”h was a dreamer.

But she was more than just a dreamer. She took action and she made her dream a reality. With her partner, Rabbi Machlis, at her side, and with her children and neighbors, Mrs. Machlis created an oasis in Yerushalayim where every soul could find a place for a warm Shabbos meal, a listening ear, and a caring heart. She brought Jews from all walks of life together and treated them with dignity and respect. There were those who didn’t have a home, and they called the Machlises their family. There were those who were shunned by their relatives, and they called the Machlises their family. There were those who needed a place to belong, and they called the Machlises their family. To see her bustling in the small kitchenette with her warm smile was inspirational. There was no stress or tension in preparing a meal for hundreds every week. She was relatable; there were no airs about her. She made you feel comfortable and welcome in her home.

During my year in Yeshiva, I ate at the Machlises one Shabbos. It was certainly a Shabbos that my friends and I remember for both the amazing experience at seeing Rabbi and Mrs. Machlis and their family but also for the interesting people who felt drawn to them.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Shabbat project took place so close to her petira. Who knows how many people keep Shabbas today because of Mrs. Machlis. There were

certainly many people in Baltimore last week, experiencing Shabbos for the first time. Mrs. Machlis a”h held onto her dreams. She lived her dreams; she made them real. May she be a source of inspiration for us all.

If I may switch gears for a moment as we can’t ignore it, when looking at the current situation in the world, one can’t help but get a sense that it’s all being led from above. Yes every single terrorist attack is the end of the world and at the same time no nation would be able to survive and thrive notwithstanding the worldwide hate and indifference shown them.

There is a miracle happening in front of our eyes and it is just a taste of the great miracles which will accompany the ultimate redemption.

This letter wouldn’t be complete without addressing the hypocrisy of the world leaders when we Jews are involved. Though nothing new, it still hurts as we are forced to experience it again. They relentlessly refuse to realize that every single method of terror was first tried on the Jews and when overlooked, was subsequently used to terrorize the world and more severely.

It is as clear as ever that nothing we Jews did or didn’t do, and nothing that we said, has anything to do with the murderous expressions of anti-Semitism taking place now or in the past. Let’s see it for what it is; a naked hatred for Jews or anything Jewish.

In Yerushalayim, regular people are arming themselves with knives, crow bars and metal sticks, as they are the first responders in this fight. Let us enlist ourselves as well, every one of us, men, women and especially children, to do everything we can to tip the scales in favor of goodness and kindness, bringing peace and harmony to the world at large.

With blessings for a peaceful Shabbos,

Yaakov

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

Global News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 National News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. 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.

5 Nearly four decades of Torah Literacy

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by Rabbi Avrohom Neuberger The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation helped teach us how to make shemiras halashon an integral part of our lives. Now they show us that shemiras einayim, even in today’s world – especially in today’s world – is both essential and doable. These daily readings pack a powerful punch.

They’re short, illuminating, practical, often funny, always right on target.

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by C.B. Weinfeld C.B. Weinfeld has a knack for uncovering engrossing true stories everywhere — in a tire factory, a pawn shop, a beis medrash, an elegant accounting office. And as she shows us the greatness of other Jews, we find that we can discover greatness in ourselves as well.

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1. Explanatory phrases woven into the words of the Mishnah, for quick learning 2. A detailed commentary, combining breadth and variety, for a clearer understanding 3. Questions and answers, discussion and depth — the lomdus of the Mishnah 4. A Halachah section that summarizes the halachah l’ma’aseh derived from the Mishnah

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Around the

Community

All Around the Seasons at Bais Yaakov www.baisyaakov.net/aroundbaisyaakov

If you saw a line of traffic heading north on Park Heights on Sunday, October 18th, chances are those happy drivers were heading to our Preschool Fall City – Wide fall activity. This year’s theme, “All Around the Seasons – Mah Rabu Ma’asecha Hash-

em” drew a record crowd of happy preschool age girls and their families.

As the sun dipped behind the cloud and light sleet sprinkled the campus, the girls busied themselves indoors with seasonal projects and activities like sifting sand in the summer room,

creating snowmen in the winter room, eating pretzel/dried fruit fall “trees” and jumping around a seasonal obstacle course. Even a broken-down tractor that resulted in a cancelled hayride couldn’t dampen the smiles of our visitors. After watching and singing

along with our Moros at the popular puppet show, the girls picked up their framed photos as a memento of their fun-filled afternoon. IY”H we hope to see many of those new faces in our classrooms next fall!

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion (BJSZ) Launches Torah Partnerships Campaign

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

Zevy Wolman

Last Shabbos, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion formally kicked off their Torah Partnerships program. The goal of the program is to have the membership of the Shul donate funds on a monthly basis, 50% of which will go to support local day schools and 50% will go towards Kollel Choshen Mishpat - Jerusalem Institute for Dayanim.

While there is no question that the support of Torah and charities in Eretz Yisrael must play a crucial role in our Tzedakah priorities, the BJSZ Torah Partnerships campaign recognizes that our primary obligation is to support local Day School education. And while support for the day schools is provided by members of the commu-

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

nity in many different ways, the Torah Partnerships Campaign wishes to emphasize this primary obligation by distributing half of all monies donated to this program to local Baltimore day schools.

The Kollel Choshen Mishpat Jerusalem Institute for Dayanim is an extraordinary institution based in Yerushalayim that offers a ten year program to men that covers the study of the entire Choshen Mishpat- the portion of the Code of Jewish Law that deals with financial matters and court procedure. The Kollel also provides its members with practical training and experience to prepare them to become Dayanim, judges in Jewish

courts.

In addition, the Kollel runs a website - dinonline.org - that responds to questions from around the world. At this time, more than thirty five questions are received daily, and the website generates tens of thousands of hits per month. In addition the Kollel maintains a Bais Din on site that not only provides a much needed public service, but also serves as a training ground for the Kollel’s members to observe and prepare for their role as future dayanim.

Joining BJSZ for Shabbos to kick off the partnership was Rabbi Asher Flegg, Associate Rosh Kollel. Rabbi Flegg spoke on Shabbos morning

about the role of judges in the preservation of society and how crucial it is for every generation to have qualified judges to ensure the society’s integrity. On Shabbos afternoon Rabbi Flegg gave a shiur on the Halachos of e-commerce on Shabbos, and at a Motzaei Shabbos Melave Malka at the home of the Reitbergers, Rabbi Flegg took questions in an informal setting and discussed the incredible commitment and dedication of the Kollel students and their families, among many other topics.

To participate in the worthy program, please go to www.bjsz.org

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This past bein hazmanim was one long struggle to keep my mouth shut. Each day as I watched my son shuffle out of bed close to noon, I’d force myself to remain silent. As he wasted the rest of his day in the company of undesirable friends, I knew nothing I’d say would make a difference.

EVERY MIDNIGHT the distinguished talmidei chachomim of Kollel Chatzos gather in locations across the globe.

I called up, partnered with the kollel for the duration of the coming zman, requested that the Ketores segulah be done on my son’s behalf, and sent my him off to yeshiva.

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I felt compelled to do something to change things before my son left to yeshiva for the new zman, but I felt powerless.Then I heard about Kollel Chatzos and the Ketores segulah.

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This dramatic turnaround seems unbelievable, but in truth it's pretty simple: I supported the purest form of Torah learning, and Hashem rewarded me be giving my son renewed cheishek to learn.

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Around the

Community

Champagne Brunch Honors Levindale Auxiliary Members and Toasts Lifelong Friendships Margie Pensak

Although the beautiful second annual Champagne Brunch in Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital‘s Schwaber Multi-Purpose Room, yesterday, was held to honor its auxiliary members, it is quite obvious that it was also a celebration of lifelong friendships.

As Levindale Auxiliary President Esther Jacobson remarked, “The paid up membership brunch recognizes and thanks our Auxiliary members for their support through the years. It is a way of letting them know that they are appreciated. We love our members to get involved and come to events. There were twelve past presidents here today, which shows that once you are committed and involved in this organization, it stays with you.

“A nursing home means so much more than a safe place to live,” continues Esther. “It’s important that there is a quality of life for our residents that will bring enjoyment and enrichment in their everyday life. Our mission statement is: ‘To brighten and enhance the lives of the elderly.’ That is what the Levindale Auxiliary strives to do.”

Thanks to its fundraiser this past spring, the Auxiliary raised over $21,000. Just some of the remarkable work that the Auxiliary does is fund activities such as field trips to restaurants, the ballgame, and Pimlico Race Track. It also provides a variety of entertainment, Netflix, ice cream parties and more. And, it is not unusual to spot Auxiliary members donned in aprons when they work as guest bartenders at the residents’ Happy Hour or hosting snowball parties in the Levindale Auxiliary Sensory Garden, for which the Auxiliary raised $250,000 and donated in 2012 to Lifebridge.

Past Levindale Auxiliary President Linda Hurwitz, who is the incoming Chair of the Board of The Associated, corroborated Esther‘s sentiments: “Of all my organization work, nationally, internationally and locally, this is the one organization where everyone comes back because it is such a feelgood make-a-difference organization.”

Past Auxiliary President Betsy Narrow, who has been part of the Levin-

Photo Credit: Esky Cook

dale Auxiliary for 25 years, commented, “It’s a wonderful organization….It has done an amazing job for the residents, as well as for us.”

Just one of the several Brunch attendees who feels she has benefited from volunteering at Levindale is Marcia Bornfriend. “When I retired from teaching in the Baltimore City school system, Betsy Narrow and her mother said, ‘Now you are retired; now you can be part of the Board’, because she knows I enjoy giving of myself.”

Past Auxiliary President Trudy Magarill, who presided 55 years ago, painted a real picture of the Auxiliary’s earlier days. Even then, the Auxiliary acted as a backdrop for the warm camaraderie that its members continue to exude and share today.

“This is a family of women,” explained Trudy. “When I was a very young bride, we had nothing to do. We were not supposed to work; we were supposed to run the family. We knew of no women who worked. We would bake, cook, and have parties. On Mondays, the Auxiliary women would bake at Levindale. We had a bake shop here and made a fortune. We sold what we baked the rest of the week, starting with the bowling alley when we went to bowl on Tuesdays. In fact, the Auxiliary wrote a fabulous cookbook.

“By the time I was 25, I was a mother of four children and I had a whole family of 30 or 40 Auxiliary friends,” continues Trudy. “This is why this is so wonderful. Women learned to do things for each other; we learned to help each other. We all had kids; this was our freedom. We met new people and did new things. We loved the residents and we vowed that we were going to paint the rooms, get them all new beds and all new equipment for the rooms. We lived very well and we didn’t have to work. We were married to men who had money, and we accomplished so much here. They have been my friends forever. Only three women were allowed to go to the Board of Directors--the immediate past president, the president, and her vice president.

No women were allowed on the Board, back then.”

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Pointing to the Multi-Purpose Room’s portrait wall of past Levindale presidents, including Lee Dopkin, Lerory E. Hoffberger, and Julius Offit, Trudy continued, “Every one of the presidents of Levindale were in business in those days. They owned businesses such as department stores, supermarkets, a bank, and practiced law.

When we had our Levindale Fair, we asked the businessmen to donate things that they sold. That’s when we made all our money. We always dressed our best and wore white gloves to solicit prizes for the Fair. They gave us whatever we wanted. They could never turn us down. These presidents were the leaders of the whole community and I was

part of that. As much as we gained we got 15 times more back. We got new friends. When you do good for someone, you do good for yourself, and you become friends. This is an opportunity to make yourself grow and for your children to see what you do.”

After a while, the Levindale Fairs ceased to exist, as Past Auxiliary President Elissa Ness, noted. “It was extremely rewarding to be president,” recalls Elissa, who presided from 1998-2000. “It was a wonderful, wonderful experience, and of all of my volunteering jobs I have ever had, this is, by far, the nicest one. It was the 100th anniversary of the Auxiliary, when

I was president. It was a huge milestone and we recreated the Levindale Fair that was held every year for many, many years.”

The Levindale Fair is defunct, once more. However, the Auxiliary’s creative fundraising efforts allowed it to donate the Levindale Auxiliary Sensory Garden. Through ongoing donations to the Sensory Garden Donor Wall, the Auxiliary raises much needed funds while creating a remarkable tribute to loved ones. The latest Donor Wall plaques were revealed during the brunch. They include donations made by: David & Regina Weinberg Family Foundation, Family of Lillian Narrow, Miriam F. Levi, Joan & David Uhlfelder, Linda & Ron Berger, Family of Harold Balser, Friends of Nicky Restauro Carr, Alfred Windesheim, Family & Friends of Bernard Aiken, Family & Friends of Frances L. Kuff, The Pressman Family, The Levindale Auxiliary in Honor of Levindale’s 125th Anniversary I had the pleasure of meeting Shirley Vogelstein at the Brunch, whose mother was in Levindale years ago, and whose daughter-in-law, Eve Vogelstein, was a past auxiliary president.

The Donor Wall artwork was dedicated in loving memory of her parents, Rabbi Jacob and Tova Pearlmutter.

Shirley shared, “I’m honored to be with such a wonderful group. They do good work every day.”

Just one of the recipients of the Auxiliary’s good work is Baltimore native, Miriam Levi, an 88-year-old Levindale Household resident, who attended the Brunch. In November, it will be two years that Miriam has been living in Levindale.

“My first choice was always Levindale and I planned to come here and spend the rest of my life,” noted Miriam, who spent many years of her life volunteering. “Although it was hard to leave my home, this is another phase of my life and it is a very exciting one and it has opened up a lot of new avenues.

I‘ve made many new friends and have met many old friends, so I don’t feel alone at all.”

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The Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program consists of learning a daily amud of Mishnah Berurah and an amud of “Biurim Umusafim” contemporary halachic applications from today’s Gedolei Haposkim, as well as a selection of Mussar from Sifrei Chofetz Chaim. To join, simply learn the daily Halacha limud of Mishnah Berurah.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

10

Around the

Community

Mrs. Leah Rubashkin Shares Her Positive Attitude Tips with Baltimore’s Nshei Chabad Margie Pensak

The first thing I noticed about Leah Rubashkin when I was introduced to her before she spoke to Nshei Chabad at the home of Nuchy Zirkind, Tuesday night, was her sparkly AlephBeis-Gimmel necklace. I knew the letters weren’t her initials; my curiosity was settled about half-way through her talk when she explained how she, her imprisoned husband--former Agriprocessors’ CEO, Sholom Rubashkin-and their family keep their positive attitude in the face of his 27-year prison sentence that he has been serving since 2010.

“In one second things can change,” noted Mrs. Rubashkin, using lessons learned from Parshas Beraishis and Parshas Noach. “If every minute Hashem is creating the world anew, it makes it very easy not to dwell on the negative aspects of life and it helps a person to be more positive, because if you know that any second Hashem could just decide that whatever was one minute could be very different another minute, why would you want to put yourself in a negative place? You would want to keep upbeat and daven to Hashem for that good…Hashem renews the world every moment, so it follows that things that don’t seem good or just can change in a moment.

As it says; the salvation of Hashem can come in the blink of an eye. That helps to keep us in a positive mood and a positive state of mind and to see things in a positive way. We get that koach by going into the taiva--by enveloping ourselves in Torah and in tefilah--and then take that strength out of the taiva, rather than insulating ourselves.”

Mrs. Rubashkin shared details of the Federal immigration raid that targeted her husband’s family kosher meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa--a small one-mile by one-mile town surrounded by cornfields in the middle of nowhere--and the United States of America vs. Sholom Rubashkin lawsuit that ensued.

“We knew that only by strengthening our emunah and bitachon in Hashem would we get through our

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

nisayon,” recalled Mrs. Rubashkin.

“Yiddishkeit is based on emunah and bitachon. The Rebbe says that we have the “aleph” standing for “emunah” and the “beis” standing for bitachon. They are really the foundation stones of Yiddishkeit--emunah is faith in Hashem

or to the imprisonment, she tried to be a very good wife and bring her husband lunch daily. One day, while her husband was so consumed by everything going on at the office, she took aleph-beis-gimmel pretzels that she bought and scattered them around his

that He can do anything, and bitachon is trust in Hashem that He will do what we are asking of Him. The Rebbe says that when we internalize emunah and bitachon, then we get the “gimmel”-geualah, a personal liberation; we are worry free. We each have things going on in our lives that are challenges that are really hard for us to get through.

We are bogged down by them. We are sluggish because we can’t think about anything else and when we throw this problem emunah and bitachon and say, ‘Hashem, this is way too big for me,’ we liberate ourselves and are able to have our simchas hachaim back. We are able to function as human beings by taking this trust that we have in Hashem to really help us have a normal life. We learned this concept and it became our motto: ‘Aleph, Beis, Gimmel’. We always kept it at the forefront.”

Mrs. Rubashkin recollected how although they were living through a very stressful time after the raid, pri-

office as reminders that although they were going through hard times, Hashem is with us and we are going to get through them and bring the geulah.

“We have to keep in mind that Hashem is with us in a really personal way,” concludes Mrs. Rubashkin.

“Hashgacha pratis was taken to a different level, for me…“Besides the learning, we also have to open up our eyes to all the brachos that we have-what I call the winks and the smiles to coast us along while we are going through something. When a person is going through personal challenges

and thinking how he or she can keep a positive mindset, the way we’ve learn to do it is by really seeing and watching how Hashem is really with us all along the way. We know that whatever is happening, whether it is good or seemingly not good, it is all coming from Hashem, so it is all good. We have to see every little single stepping stone to get to that final place, because otherwise it is a very hard journey. So, we’ve chosen to really open up our eyes to see how Hashem is with us all along the way--how He is mamash making nissim happen--sometimes unbelievable things, sometimes little things--like my husband can take food out of the mess hall.

“Let’s open up ourselves to really getting that if Hashem is with us for one thing, He is with us all the time, continues Mrs. Rubashkin. “The word “daaga”, worry, is spelled ‘daled’, ‘alef‘, ‘gimmel‘, ‘hey’. It is just missing the ‘beis’. If you have worries, you are missing bitachon….There is big bracha in achdus, and Baruch Hashem our story has brought together a lot of different type of Yidden all caring about one situation, and there has been tremendous bracha because of that.

The Rubashkins have put their trust in Hashem and know that their salvation is a “blink” away.

It‘s been a humbling experience and equally humbling has been the tremendous outpouring of Ahavas Yisrael…The geulah prati will bring the geulah klali--the liberation of my husband is going to be like a forerunner for Moshiach.” After the approximately sixty women attendees listened to Mrs. Rubashkin’s uplifting, inspiring, spellbinding talk, they made challah.

Prior to the program, they recited Tehillim for the matzav in Eretz Yisrael.

May Hashem schep nachas from our achdus, and may we soon experience the geulah shelaima, bimheira b‘yomeinu!

Around the

Community

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Rosh Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, member of Moetzes Gedolei Yisroel; Rav Moshe Heineman, Mora D’asra of Agudas Yisroel and Posek of Star-K Kashrus; and Rav Yisroel Reisman, Rosh Yeshivah of Torah Vodaas and one of the Gedolei Poskim in Flatbush. The pivotal work of Toras Hamishpacha and the services offered were discussed and received unanimous approval and warm endorsements.

Rabbi Melber attended the ASRM conference, making connections with leading pioneers and experts in the fields of fertility and gynaecology and gathering the most up to date research on the latest technology and treatments available in the USA. Volunteers and activists from different communities also met with Rabbi Melber to brainstorm different methods of disseminating knowledge and providing access so that every Frum couple can receive the information they need to help them deal with issues that may arise.

The highly trained advisors on the Tahareinu hotline deal with hundreds of cases each month, brining Health, Halacha and Harmony to the Jewish Home. Tahareinu USA/Canada: 1-855-482-4272

Community by community, with a huge amount of activity throughout the USA over recent months, Tahareinu has been reaching out to empower every Frum couple and Rov throughout the world to deal with matters of Tahara and Women’s Health.

Rabbi Yitzchok Melber, Founding Director of Toras Hamishpacha and Tahareinu filled his most recent trip to the USA with conferences and meetings to reach more communities and to better equip Tahareinu with the tools to help every couple who turn to them for guidance.

An Asifas Rabbonim in Baltimore hosted by Rav Yosef Berger of Kehillas Kol Torah and attended by twenty local Rabbonim was gratefully received. Rabbi Melber addressed the Rabbonim with information and solutions to common Shailos with which they are presented but lack the medical knowledge to deal with. Rav Berger thanked Rabbi Melber stating that Rabbonim are dealing with these issues on a daily basis and now have an address to turn to and refer couples to for advice.

Meetings were held with individual Rabbonim and Poskim in Baltimore and Flatbush including Rav Aharon Feldman,

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Tahareinu Asifas Rabbonim in Baltimore

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NCSY Social Action Workshop help out at these organizations. We have several days set aside this year to volunteer at each of these organizations. We also spent time assembling packages for Bikur Cholim and writing cards for A Lone Soldier organization. Thank you to all the representatives who came and spoke to us!

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

Thank you to all the teens that came out this past Sunday to hear from several organizations in our community and volunteer their time to contribute their services. We heard from DC Central Kitchen, A Lone Soldier, Bikur Cholim, and A Wider Circle about what the teens can do to volunteer and

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Around the

Community

Hascholas Gemara for 5th grade at Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok/Torah Institute of Baltimore Rabbi C. Daniel Skurnik, Director of Development

The 5th grade of Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok / Torah Institute of Baltimore celebrated a beautiful milestone on Sunday, 5 Mar Chesvon/October 18: they began what will BEZ”H their life-long pursuit of learning Gemara!

The YKY/TI Bais Medresh was full as fathers, grandfathers and even at least one great-grandfather joined in this momentous occasion. The crowd listened intently as Rav Zvi Dov Slanger, Rosh Yeshiva of Bais Hamedresh and Mesivta of Baltimore, addressed the talmidim. Rav Slanger warmly shared how the youngsters are part of a vibrant mesorah of Torah She’ba’al Peh that has been transmitted since Moshe Rabbeinu stood at Har Sinai. Rav Slanger stressed that Torah Shel Ba’al Peh is the key to understanding Torah She’beksav and now they will have the great pleasure to really understand and appreciate Torah.

Rav Slanger used the occasion to stress to the talmidim how fortunate they are to be learning Torah, a blessing which cannot be taken for granted, since most Jewish children today, sadly, are not given that opportunity.

Rav Slanger related how his great rebbeim, Maran Rav Elya Lopian zt”l and Maran Rav Elozer Menachem Mann Shach zt”l each often emphasized to their talmidim how we must empathize with the misfortune of Jew-

ish children who do not have the opportunity to study Torah. He related a story of how Rav Shach always ate a late breakfast since during the Yeshiva’s regular breakfast time, thousands of Israeli children were being bused to secular schools where Torah would not be taught and Rav Shach was too distraught to eat at that time. We must thank Hashem from the depths of our hearts for the privilege to learn Torah, and, at the same time, we must daven that those who unfortunately do not attend Yeshiva should still have a connection to Yiddishkeit. After Rav Slanger personally gave each talmid a gemara and a heartfelt bracha, the entire gathering began dancing and singing. With arms locked and spirits high, Toras Hashem Temima and Bauch Hu Elokeinu were gleefully sung as everyone danced around the Bais Medresh.

Following the dancing, the talmidim returned to their classrooms to begin learning Bava Metzia. Fathers and grandfathers looked on with pride as their sons and grandsons were engaged in the class’ learning and discussion.

Mesorah is the foundation of Yiddishkeit. Beginning to learn Gemara is not only a haschola, it is the hemshich, the continuation and eternity of the Chosen People.

NCSY Summer Programs Latte & Learning This past week, Baltimore NCSY had their weekly Latte & Learning at Starbucks in the Woodholme Shopping Center. The teens who have previously gone on an NCSY summer programs took the initiative to promote summer programs by wearing their summer program giveaways!

While many teens wore their pro-

gram’s t-shirts, many teens brought out their fanny packs and bandanas.

We heard about the different summer programs that NCSY offers, and some inspirational words of Torah from Miriam Tashish. We can’t wait till our Summer Programs Info Session this Wednesday night! Parents and teens are all invited!

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Reception to follow.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Join parenting expert and author Rabbi Yakov Horowitz for a workshop to guide mothers and fathers raising mentschen in modern times.

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Sunday, November 15th 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Shomrei Emunah

men are born; mentschen are made.

This project is supported by Grant No. 2013-CY-AX-K010 awarded by the US DOJ, OVW. The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this do not necessarily reflect the views of the US DOJ, OVW.

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

Learn more at boytomentsch.com or call CHANA at 410.234.0030.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

{ V 3 e g a k c a P g n i d d e W e In tr o d u c in g th

Vonderful Vendorful V e d d in g s

comments

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That alone could be thousands of dollars!

Not all options are available at all locations.

250 Wedding invitations, reply cards & envelopes

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You haven’t seen that before!

8-Hour pHotograpHy session WitH pictures on cd

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Say cheese!

videograpHy WitH Basic edited video

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2-piece orcHestra or 1-man-Band WitH singer

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Hall rental monday, tuesday or Wednesday at sHomrei emunaH, moses montefiore ansHe emunaH greengate jeWisH center (ljc), Bnai jacoB sHaarei Zion & otHer participating locations; includes sky HatcH cHuppaH and/or outdoor options on Beautiful grassy knoll, cHandeliered Ballrooms, cHoice of sHul or social Hall.

fresH floWer kallaH Bouquet, fresH or silk floWers on ladies’ tables; large candles or votives on men’s tables; kallaH cHair & elegant kaBBalas panim Backdrop

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makeup (face painter) for kallaH, motHer & sHvigger

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Haircut, (WHite) sHirt & tie for tHe cHosson

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organZa overlays & upgraded napery masHgiacH and supervision fee!!!

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Really? All that!

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Yes, white for the Chuppah.

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Looking for sponsors for this

same items at chosson’s tisch & Kabolas Panim

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up to 100 extra cHuppaH guests included

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I bet prime rib is extra!

yayin for tHe cHuppaH and sHeva BracHos glass & plate to Break, candles for tHe sHusHBinin 3 Hots at tHe sHmorg, plus fruits, veggies, turkey salad, crackers, salads & cakes

Hot artesian Bread carving & dip on tHe taBle

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

{

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Wedding Expenses Getting Out of Hand?

appetiZer: cHoice of fresH salmon, meat knisH WitH gravy, Beef vegetaBle or musHroom Barley soup cHicken top, Bottom or cutlet entree + sides

4-flavor gelato station & fresH-Baked cHoc. cHip cooKies for dessert & simchas chosson v’Kallah

add’l desserts for simchas choson v’Kallah friends

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Yummy!

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For dancing bochurim & bochurettes

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Or dimes, as the case may be

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Does this package ever end?

Read on!

free snoods, car cHargers, travel kits, tax return & Budget consultation, oil cHange, gift certificates galore, first sHaitel WasH & set for tHe kallaH

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no coat cHeck fee & no Bus needed for local friends

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upgrade to any orcHestra, florist, pHotograpHer, videograpHer or oceanograpHer (on your dime) cHoose an additional upgrade: 50 free meals, satin cHair covers, 25 sHeva BracHos meals, martini stations... more upgrades on tHe Way!

2 Hot piZZas delivered for pre-Wedding family snacking

Kugel, lo mein & margie’s creations for your vort sHeva BracHos accommodations - private & semi-private

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If booked early enough

Thanks to a generous benefactor, the first 5 reservations with deposit for weddings before Purim 5776 (we’ll give you an extra Adar just to make it Beauty by will receive this amazing $3,000 discount! If you know of any other easier) benefactors, let us know and we’ll lower the package price further! If you know of any other vendors that want to participate, have them contact us.

Beauty by

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$

rEG. $15,000

Adina ----•---AdinaB.

Adina Adina

Beauty by

FAQs

PArticiPAtinG VEndOrs

What if I want to use a different vendor or add more of the vendor’s services?

Margie’s Creations

full-service salon

Shomrei Emunah

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah florist

To Advertise in the 2015-2016 Eruv List call 410-358-2579

Greengate Jewish Center

Yizkor What if I’m not one of the first 5 to book with a Servicesdeposit for a wedding before Purim 5776?

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Is every vendor available every night?

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Yizkor Dates

You may use any outside vendor or upgrade the services of any participating vendor at your cost without sacrificing the other package benefits.

Not necessarily. First come first serve. Please call for availability.

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Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah

Congregation

Greengate Jewish Center A

OCTOBER 29, 2015

You can split it 50-50 with the mechutanim, and pay only $6000.

Or, you can use the famous 2/3-1/3 split and pay $8000 & the mechutanim $4000.

Or with this price, you can try to convince the mechutanim to pay the whole thing, and you pay $0!

Beauty by

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

“the 3V Wedding Package is simply the most innovative and exciting thing to happen in the chasunah world since the invention of the hot chafing dish!” Dov Ber*

*Or was it Yogi Ber-ra?

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Then you can be one of the first to enjoy this amazing $12,000 package for only $15,000.

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swwga, 2013-2014What are the hidden costs?

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Shemini-Atzeret

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Pesach

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Shavuot

Thursday, June 5, 2014

We wouldn’t exactly call them “hidden” but prices do not include bar, wine service, additional chair rentals & setup if neccessary, postage for the invitations, and applicable MD tax.

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Shabbos, September 14, 2013

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Are pipe & drape mechitzas extra?

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Nope – they’re included!

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How about soda and seltza all night?

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ONE-MAN BAND

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That’s in there too!

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yellow-book.indb 301

HARRIS AUTOMOTIVE

7000 Rockland Hills Drive

What about Mashgiach and supervision fees?

Productions

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They’re included too! Who brings the Mashiach? We all try to, but we’ll make sure the Mashgiach is there so we can get cooking.

www.mmae.org

Can I bring 2-3 Star-K approved bottles of schnapps to the tish? www.mmae.org

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Vendorful Veddings is an equal opportunity consortium promoting local skilled talent at reasonable rates.

Don’t see your name or logo here?

We’d love to have you join.

Contact us today!

If you wish!

But I bet tips & gratuities are extra, right?

They’re included as well, but if you try to slip the maitre d’ a Ben Franklin, it won’t hurt!

When do I have to choose my vendors?

Within 21 days of booking.

What are the hidden benefits?

If you have it in Baltimore, you can have more of “yunz” and less of “thems”*. Your rabbonim get to daven mincha and maariv in their own shuls, your friends get home in time to get to work the next day without their eyelids drooping. And as far as all the money you’re saving, we’re sure you can figure out something to do with that!

for more information and (un)solicited comments to improve this great plan, contact:

VendorfulVeddings@gmail.com

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

Zoimen Suites

8/13/14 11:00 AM

*Yars and thars

Yom Kippur

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your New Home Awaits

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

Sam Rosenblatt

Mortgage Planner | NMLS #75844

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

What is important to know about the business consulting process and the interaction with a client?

Before you take on a client you should let them know what they should expect and when they should expect it by. Make sure things start off on the right foot. Set up a kickoff meeting to understand the scope of the project and its timeline after the meeting type up notes detailing your conversation and

send them to the client. Make sure you are both on the same page at all times.

Communication is important!

Can a consultant solve everything?

That would be nice! Success is based on the defined goals of a project and delivering on them. The client plays a huge role in implementation of any plan. The client needs to be on board and committed to see success.

What area of business speaks to you?

Operations - I love processes. I like to create efficiency through the use of processes. When taking on a client with operational issues I like to understand the flow of the business and its current processes. We then map the current process out and see where we can start tweaking.

Are there any common issues that you see in small businesses that you work with?

Allot of small businesses will experience rapid growth and do not have their systems set up and in place to support that growth. Often businesses end up using the same processes with 100 customers that they used when they had 20 customers and start to feel overloaded.

Small businesses that are on a tight budget sometimes hesitate to invest into the proper infrastructure and often end up fighting uphill battle. In most cases we can find a solution, the problems are usually not unique and there are often affordable software options hat similar business have used or other solutions that we can put into place. Doing the

proper research and successfully implementing an affordable scale-able solution can do wonders for a business.

Can you give us an example?

I work with a client that operates a service based business that has a strong retail aspect to it as well. This client was looking to grow the retail side of her business but was overwhelmed on the service side. After spending some time understanding her operation it was clear that she was managing her business in an inefficient manner. She had no clue how many service customers she had nor did she have any past customer records. How would she know which customers have dropped off or who to up sell?

Her scheduling system was a nightmare and was eating up too much of her time on the phone making appointments. We found a CRM software (customer relationship management), which incorporated a scheduling module, for her to implement. This helped streamline her operations.

One piece of data she did know clear was that her all retail clients were also service clients. She had tried marketing before and this seemed to always hold true. She needed to grow her service base to expand retail sales. With our systems in place we were able to focus on acquiring new service business and expanding existing service clientele via up selling and other methods. All this has translated into tremendous growth on the retail side.

What is your favorite Jewish holiday and why?

Sukkos. I love sitting in the Sukkah.

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

Where did you grow up?

Staten Island, NY What shul do you daven at regularly?

Rabbi Heber’s Shul How did you get into business consulting?

My degree and background is in business. I had been working for years in different roles within small businesses and I had been helping a few small businesses out on the side with operational issues. One client led to the next; that’s how it is in referral based business.

What is the difference between a consultant and a business coach?

A consultant is a business expert and usually works closely with ownership and management. They are interested in all aspects of the business as whole. A consultant may focus on one aspect of the business: manufacturing, marketing, social marketing, etc.

The consultant’s job is to teach and suggest direction for specific aspects of the business. They function like an outsourced employee. They bring an outside view that you cannot get otherwise.

Consultants are usually temporary and brought in for something specific.

A coach, on the other hand, is someone who works on bringing out the best in you and your business. Coaches primarily usually work one-on-one with business owners or management to create more than just a better business. A business coach sees everything in a holistic way and works to better you rather than your business.

A coach’s job is to encourage, support, motivate, and inspire. They find what isn’t working with your life and your business look for ways for you to fix them. Business coaches can be a permanent fixture for a business, becoming a part of the business owners or managers overall team.

Often I find that business owners are quick to look to hire a consultant or a coach and sometimes can end up disappointed with the results that they get.

They think they are hiring a consultant to come fix things but had received more coaching than consulting. As a client, it is important to know what your needs really are and what type of relationship your business needs.

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Sam Shnitzer

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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nov. 26 Losed , C y e A b d L s L r i hu We W ng dAy, T i v i g s k n ThA

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The Week

determined to back President George W. Bush in his invasion plans, whether or not it was supported by the public, Parliament or legal opinion.

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Although he admits that ousting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was the right and moral thing to do, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has acknowledged that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was partly responsible for the emergence of the Islamic State militant group in the Middle East. Blair added in an interview that the Arab Spring revolutions, which began in 2011, had also played a part by allowing the Islamic fundamentalist militant group to flourish in civil war-torn Syria and then Iraq.

And he said the “sectarian policy” of Iraq’s Shiite-led government was also a factor in destabilizing the country.

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Every country and government run by humans suffers from some level of corruption. Bribery, backroom deals, rigged elections, fraud, propaganda, terrorism… Some of the world’s most prominent countries are particularly plagued by corruption and scandal.

Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals how each country around the world scores.

The United States of America received a score of 74 (that’s out of 100, where 100 equals no corruption).

This is considered relatively low on the scale and is most likely due to our country’s extensive anti-corruption legislation.

Ireland, Hong Kong, and Barbados also scored a 74. Japan, though, came in as less corrupt than the U.S., with a score of 76. The Japanese are fortunate to live a life relatively free of corruption in both the economic and political sphere. However, the county is let down by a practice called “amakudari” where senior politicians retire to executive or high-profile positions within the corporate realm, in particular the pharmaceutical, transportation, and construction sectors.

The United Kingdom scored even

Blair’s decision to take Britain into the Iraq war — based on claims of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction — remains hugely divisive at home and contributed to his Labour Party’s loss of power in 2010.

Blair apologized, as he has before, for failures in post-war planning. “I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong,” he said. “I also apologize for some of the mistakes in planning and, certainly, our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you removed the regime.”

Some 179 British personnel died in Iraq between 2003 and 2009. A public inquiry into decisions and mistakes in Britain’s planning and execution of the war began in 2009 but has yet to issue its findings. The process has been held up while people criticized in the report are given a chance to respond. Critics of the war hope the inquiry will conclude that Blair was

OCTOBER 29, 2015

What Country is the Most Corrupt?

higher, with a score of 78; they also have heavy anti-corruption laws in place. Iceland and Germany received a 79 and Australia an 80.

Although 30% of business executives in Canada claimed that bribery and corruption are an issue with the nation not having any significant anti-bribery measures in place, the country scored an 81.

Denmark, according to this study, is the least corrupt nation in the world, earning a score of 92. New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland followed close behind. Singapore, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Canada rounded out the top ten least corrupt nations in the world.

On the other side of the spectrum, Somalia and North Korea tied for the title of the most corrupt country in the world. Sudan, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Libya, and Eritrea rounded out the top ten.

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The Week In News

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The Week urging consumers to avoid processed red meat.

The WHO claims that cured and processed meats—including bacon, ham and sausages—are in the same toxic category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco. The report from the WHO’s cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said there is enough evidence to rank processed meats as group 1 carcinogens, because of a causal link with bowel cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, deli, and non-kosher meats like bacon and ham.

The WHO also warns of the dangers of red meat but labelled that group 2A, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Eating red meat is also linked to pancreatic and prostate cancer, the IARC says. The IARC’s experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” Dr. Kurt Straif, head of the IARC monographs program, pointed out.

“In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

Supposedly the IARC made these discoveries a year ago and had international scientists reviewing the results to ensure that the findings are accurate. Quite expectedly, this announcement triggered an immediate and frantic response from the meat industry, who obviously rejected the comparison between cigarettes and meat, calling the comparison harsh and inaccurate.

“What we do know is that avoiding red meat in the diet is not a protective strategy against cancer,” said Robert Pickard, a member of the Meat Advisory Panel and emeritus professor of neurobiology at the University of Cardiff. “The top priorities for cancer prevention remain smoking cessation, maintenance of normal body weight and avoidance of high alcohol intakes.”

The World Cancer Research Fund has advised eating no more than 500g a week of red meat.

Prof Tim Key, Cancer Research UK’s epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, said: “Cancer Research UK supports IARC’s decision that there’s strong enough evidence to classify processed meat as a cause of cancer, and red meat as a probable cause of cancer. We’ve known for some time about the probable link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer, which is backed by substantial evidence. This decision doesn’t mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat. But if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down. You could try having fish for your dinner rather than sausages.”

The North American Meat Institute said defining red meat as a cancer hazard defied common sense.

According to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle one should consume 2-3 servings of protein and that includes red meat as an option.

Russia’s Suspicious Underwater Movements Below the ocean runs thousands of miles of fiber optic cables that carry almost all of the world’s international internet communications. They carry more than $10 trillion a day in global business, including from financial institutions that settle their transactions on them every second. Recently, Russian submarines and spy ships have been noted to be aggressively operating near some of these vital undersea cables. Their proximity has been raising concern among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of conflict.

Inside the Pentagon and the nation’s intelligence agencies, the as-

In News sessments of Russia’s increasing activities are highly classified and not publicly discussed in detail. American officials are secretive about what they are doing to both monitor the activity and find ways to recover quickly if cables are cut. But more than half a dozen officials confirmed in broad terms that it had become the source of significant attention in the Pentagon.

“I’m worried every day about what the Russians may be doing,” said Rear Adm. Frederick J. Roegge, commander of the Navy’s submarine fleet in the Pacific, although he did not elaborate.

Privately, commanders and intelligence officials have been more direct.

They report that from the North Sea to Northeast Asia and even in waters closer to American shores, they are monitoring significantly increased Russian activity along the known routes of the cables, which carry the lifeblood of global electronic communications and commerce.

NATO ally, Norway, is so concerned that it has asked its neighbors for aid in tracking Russian submarines. Adm. James Stavridis, formerly NATO’s top military commander, said in an email last week that “this is yet another example of a highly assertive and aggressive regime seemingly reaching backwards for the tools of the Cold War, albeit with a high degree of technical improvement.” The operations are consistent with Russia’s expanding military operations into places like Crimea, eastern Ukraine and Syria, where President Vladimir V. Putin has sought to demonstrate a much longer reach for Russian ground, air and naval forces.

“The risk here is that any country could cause damage to the system and do it in a way that is completely covert, without having a warship with a cable-cutting equipment right in the area,” said Michael Sechrist, a former project manager for a Harvard-M.I.T. research project funded in part by the Defense Department.

Mr. Sechrist noted that the locations of the cables are hardly secret.

“Undersea cables tend to follow the similar path since they were laid in the 1860s,” he said, because the operators of the cables want to put them in familiar environments under longstanding agreements. The exception are special cables with secret locations that have been commissioned by the United States for military operations; they do not show up on widely available maps, and it is possible the Russians are hunting for those, officials said.

Former Comedian Wins Presidency

Guatemala’s got something to laugh about. Its new president is actually a comedian.

Jimmy Morales, a former TV comedian who has never held office, won Guatemala’s presidential election this week. Morales tapped into the public’s anger over a corruption

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Thousands attended the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Yechiel Rothman, Hy”d, who died last Shabbos of injuries he sustained during the deadly terror attack on a Har Nof synagogue almost a year ago. Rabbi Rothman, 55, was laid to rest in the evening in an emotional ceremony at the capital’s Givat Shaul cemetery. He had been in a coma ever since two East Jerusalem terrorists armed with a gun, axes and meat cleavers stormed the Bnei Torah Synagogue last November and attacked whoever they could find.

Five others were killed in the attack — four men who were davening in the shul and one policeman. The attackers were eventually killed in a shootout with police.

The Rav of Bnei Torah, Rabbi Mordechai Hacohen Rubin, eulogized Rabbi Rothman. “It’s been almost a year and our hearts are boiling again,” Rabbi Rubin said. “It’s been a year since the attack and we cannot forget what our eyes have seen or return to a normal routine. Again death is at our window, as if the heavens are reminding us to ‘remember, and not to forget,’” he said. “Remember what Ishmael did to you.” he added. “The two villains slaughtered and shot people, leaving five widows and 35 orphans.”

Rabbi Rothman’s daughter, Yaffa, confirmed her father’s death on Motzei Shabbos in an emotional online eulogy. She praised him for confronting the terrorists and saving others

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OCTOBER 29, 2015

by pledging to tag teachers with GPS devices to ensure they attend class. He has also floated the idea of reviving a historic land dispute with neighboring Belize.

6th Victim in Har Nof Attack Laid to Rest

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scandal that deepened distrust of the country’s political establishment to win over constituents.

Despite his lack of experience, Morales, 46, beat former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote. Morales belongs to the National Convergence Front (FCN) party; 68 percent of the population supported him in the landslide victory.

Voters were weary after Guatemala’s political class was caught doing fraudulent transactions. It is currently under a U.N.-backed investigation into a multi-million dollar customs racket that led last month to the resignation and arrest of former president Otto Perez.

“As president I received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that is consuming us,” Morales said on Sunday night. He was a household name throughout the country following a 14-year stint on a popular TV comedy. The self-proclaimed centrist from a humble background wooed voters with promises to tackle corruption and hand out millions of smartphones to children.

“We were tired of the same faces of people who get rich off our money,” said Eduardo Tablas, a maintenance man who voted for Morales.

“He knows that if he does something corrupt, all of Guatemala will be demanding that he resign.”

It was almost a joke when Morales started to run. Last year, he quit his TV show, but in April, he barely registered in opinion polls. Soon, though, his luck changed as Perez’s government and a candidate who was then leading the presidential race became caught up in corruption probes. Morales further targeted voter frustration with Guatemala’s failing institutions

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The Week during the attack. “Dad is gone… He was killed by animals lacking humanity,” she wrote. “But he fought them, and saved other worshipers.” “May his memory be a blessing, and please, come join us in honoring the best man there is one final time,” she wrote.

The Toronto-born rabbi, who immigrated to Israel 30 years ago, is survived by his wife and 10 children.

gev-area residents.

Penthouse Rental Sets Record

Bad for Business The people of Israel are, of course, its most important asset. That being said, the latest rise in terror attacks have also affected the country in ways other than the extremely tragic loss of life. The Israeli business sector is also suffering, eroding mistrust between Jewish and Arab business partners.

60% of Israelis polled by the New Wave Economic Institute stated they have refrained from buying from Arabs or being in touch with Arab-owned businesses since the terror wave began last month. One-third of respondents said they have switched to Jewish business owners on a permanent basis or turned elsewhere to avoid dealing with Arab businesses.

Surprisingly, caution regarding Arab businesses is only second-highest in Jerusalem; 70% of Jerusalem residents polled have stopped business transactions with Arabs over the past month – a close second to the Sharon area, where 72% of residents have boycotted Arab businesses.

57% of Tel Aviv area residents and Golan Heights/Galilee residents have also avoided business with Arabs, followed by just 51% of Ne-

And I thought my rent was high!

In the very popular “old north” section of Tel Aviv, a Russian foreign resident has signed a record $45,000 a month deal to rent an apartment in the prestigious Remez Tower. The massive transaction was reported by Israel Sotheby’s International Realty, the local arm of Sotheby’s International Realty.

Almost more unbelievable than the price is the fact that the foreign resident agreed on the rental without having seen the apartment – and that he was not involved in any of the negotiations. The rental period is for six months. The rental sum does not include management fees, which stand at around NIS 4,000 per month (a little over $1,000).

The apartment is located near the top of the tower and spans an entire floor, covering 320 meters. It comes with a balcony overlooking the sea and includes six bedrooms, a guest quarter with its own entrance, and an electric heating system. The apartment is also fully furnished with Italian-made items.

According to Sotheby’s Israel, the average cost for a standard apartment in a sought-after block in Tel Aviv is around NIS 60,000 (around $15,500) per month. What’s more, the current rate is around three times that of the market average.

“Statistics such as these place

In News Tel Aviv among the most expensive cities in the world along with New York and London,” says Isidora Fridman, an executive director at Sotheby’s Israel. On Fifth Avenue [in New York City], a similar-sized apartment to the one in Remez Tower goes for $50,000 per month,” Fridman added.

Netanyahu May Cancel East Jerusalem Residency Status In light of recent attacks and ongoing violence by Palestinians, on Monday it was related that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the possibility of revoking benefits and travel rights of some Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. “There is no enforcement there, no law,” Netanyahu said. “We need to examine the possibility of canceling their residency.

There needs to be a discussion about it.”

Although he raised the notion of putting plans into place, some a move does not appear to be imminent or feasible. Its mention, though, has raised concerns as it seems to go against a firm Israeli assertion that Jerusalem is a united city where both Jews and Arabs can enjoy equal rights.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the step,

if adopted, would deprive Palestinians in Jerusalem of the most basic rights and services and provoke confrontations. “This alarming escalation, an inhuman and illegal measure, must be stopped immediately.”

Israel regards the whole city of Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem, which was captured along with the West Bank in 1967, as its indivisible capital. Unlike their brethren in the West Bank, Palestinians in East Jerusalem receive Israeli social benefits and can move freely in Israel.

Many of the Arab assailants in one of the worst waves of Palestinian-Israeli street violence in decades have come from East Jerusalem. Since October 1, ten Israelis have been killed in stabbings and shootings perpetrated

by Palestinian attackers.

About 100,000 Palestinians—a third of Jerusalem’s Palestinians— live beyond the barrier within East Jerusalem. The wall was built around a decade ago during the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign against Israel. Jerusalem Palestinians are not Israeli citizens, but they hold Israeli-issued blue IDs that grant them permanent resident status.

20,000 Sue Facebook for Allowing Enflaming Posts

In a class action suit filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, 20,000 Israeli plaintiffs accused Facebook of ignoring widespread Palestinian posts calling for violence against Jews. “Facebook’s

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shan-Leitner, the director of the Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center; and Asher Perlin of Fort Lauderdale, Florida — filed the suit.

An article published on Saturday

by The Associated Press said that social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, is the “number one source of news among young Palestinians.”

Some 3.7 million Palestinians follow the Quds News Network, believed to be affiliated with Islamic Jihad, on the social media platform and 4.2 million follow the Shehab News Network, which is believed to be affiliated with Hamas.

The Times of Israel reported last week that Facebook pages such asQuds News Network (3.6 million followers on Facebook, 264,000 on twitter); Shehab News Agency (4.1 million followers on Facebook,

99,000 on twitter), and Urgent from Gaza (282,000 followers on Facebook) flood Palestinian computer screens with gruesome images of dead Palestinians and caricatures encouraging more attacks, often accompanied by a hashtag ordering “stab!” or warning “al-Aqsa is in danger!”

Approximately one third of Palestinian society in Jerusalem and the West Bank is active on social media, said Orit Perlov, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) who specializes in Palestinian social media.

“There are no borders in social media,” she said. “The same message resonates in Gaza, Jerusalem and Umm al-Fahm.”

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the social network to “immediately remove all pages, groups and posts containing incitement to murder Jews; to actively monitor its website for such incitement that all incitement is immediately removed prior to being disseminated to masses of terrorists and would-be terrorists; and to cease serving as matchmaker between terrorists, terrorist organizations, and those who incite others to commit terrorism.”

The lead plaintiff, Richard Lakin, 76, died of his wounds on Tuesday after he was shot and stabbed by Palestinian terrorists while riding on a crowded Jerusalem bus on October 13. Two other Israelis were killed and more than 20 were wounded in the attack.

Three attorneys — Robert Tolchin of New York; Nitsana Dar-

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algorithms and platform connects inciters to terrorists who are further encouraged to perpetrate stabbings and other violence attacks against Israelis,” the suit said.

According to a news release issued by the plaintiffs, many recent assailants “were motivated to commit their heinous crimes by incitement to murder they read on Facebook — demagogues and leaders exhorting their followers to “slaughter the Jews,” and offering instruction as to the best manner to do so, including even anatomical charts showing the best places to stab a human being.”

The suit alleges that Facebook has a “legal and moral obligation” to block much of this content but that it chooses not to.

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against Facebook requiring

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The Week

Carson Trumps the Donald On Tuesday, it was victory for the Carson campaign, as a national poll showed Ben Carson leading the Republican 2016 primary race—the first time Carson’s numbers trumped Donald Trump’s.

Carson won the support of 26% of Republican primary voters, compared to 22% who are backing Trump, according to CBS News/New York Times. Though within the poll’s margin of error, it marks the first time since the billionaire businessman’s dominant rise over the summer where he has been bumped from the top spot nationally. A little more than a month ago, Trump was leading Carson 27%23%.

yet settled on who they will be voting for come elections. Trump’s supporters, though, were more firm in their commitment to their candidate.

On the other side of the political aisle, according to a Monmouth University survey released on Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has opened up a 41-point lead over rival Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Iowa. The poll finds Clinton taking 65 percent support among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, while Sanders takes 24 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley garners a mere 5 percent support.

Clinton leads among every demographic in the poll — men, women, very liberal Democrats, somewhat liberal Democrats, and self-described moderate voters. Her biggest lead is among women, with whom she commands a 73 percent to 16 percent advantage over Sanders.

First U.S. Casualty in War against ISIS

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

Master Sergeant Joshua L. Wheeler is the first American combat death in Iraq since American troops returned in mid-2014 to train, advise and assist the Iraqi military to fight ISIS, military officials said.

The results of this most recent poll has Trump telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “I don’t get it.”

CBS/New York Times pollsters found Carson outpacing Trump among women and evangelicals and running even with him among men.

Trump performed better with moderate Republicans and voters without college degrees.

No other candidate cracked double-digit support in the latest poll.

Marco Rubio won 8% support, Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina tied for fourth place with 7%, and Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and John Kasich each got 4%.

Trump shouldn’t be too worried: 70% of those polled said that had not

Wheeler was part of a mission to free 70 hostages from an ISIS prison in northern Iraq; he was a veteran member of the elite Delta Force, U.S. military sources say.

Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Oklahoma, “died Oct. 22, in Kirkuk Province, Iraq, from wounds received by enemy small-arms fire during an operation,” the Defense Department said in a statement, which also noted that he

In News was assigned to “Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.” He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Wheeler joined the Army at 19 and was just a month short of turning 40 when he died – a long, 20-plusyear career in combat. In the course of that heroic career, Wheeler earned a stunning 11 Bronze Stars, including four with the “Valor Device” for particular acts of heroism.

He served as a U.S. Army Ranger and then joined U.S. Army Special Operations Command in 2004, after which he deployed 11 times in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army said. Those deployments would have been as part of Delta Force, according to U.S. military sources.

At a Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Ash Carter praised Wheeler’s heroism, noting he played a pivotal role in the mission’s success.

“The plan was not for the U.S. advise-and-assist and accompanying forces to enter the compound or be involved in the firefight,” Carter said.

But when a firefight ensued, Wheeler “ran to the sound of the guns, and he stood up, and all the indications are it was his actions and that of one of his teammates that protected those who were involved in breaching the compound and made the mission successful,” Carter said.

“It wasn’t part of the plan, but it was something that he did. And I’m immensely proud that he did that,” he said.

Carter also said he expects more raids in the future, noting the success in rescuing hostages and the significant intelligence on ISIS recovered as part of the mission. “When we find opportunities to do things that will effectively prosecute the campaign, we’re going to do that,” he said. “I suspect that we’ll have further opportunities in the future, and we would want to avail ourselves of them.”

Col. Steve Warren, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said, “It is always a tragedy when we lose one of our own. In the end, we saved 70 people from execution that was planned in a few hours.”

Wheeler’s remains were returned

to the U.S. on Saturday to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. He gave his all for his country.

Joe Says No Joe Biden has gracefully stepped out of the presidential race.

After months of speculation, last Wednesday, the vice president formally announced that he will not campaign for the 2016 presidential nomination.

“I believe we’re out of time – the time necessary to mount a winning campaign,” the vice president said from the White House Rose Garden flanked by his wife, Jill Biden, and President Obama.

This past summer, Biden’s son, Beau, 46, died of brain cancer, and the vice president said one of the reasons he was slow to decide about running was that he wasn’t sure his family had the “emotional energy” to endure another campaign.

“As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I’ve said all along – what I’ve said time and again to others – that it may very well be that process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for president … that it might close,” Biden related.

“While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent,” Biden continued. “I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation.”

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in the year. Dallas and Tampa in recent weeks were on pace to surpass 2014 murder totals.

“Far more people are being killed in America’s cities this year

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It’s been almost a year since residents of Ferguson, Missouri, protested loudly against the police force while accusing them of racism after the shooting of Michael Brown, a young black boy who was shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer.

Although the protests have quieted down, the issue remains as there is severe tension between civilians and police, and many homicides happening each day across the nation.

in violent crime in some cities. The crime spike is apparent in cities big and small. Cleveland and Milwaukee have suffered increased murders since 2014, with more than two months left

OCTOBER 29, 2015

The Aftermath of Ferguson

FBI Director James Comey strongly supports the notion that restraint by cops, a result of recent protests, is partially to blame for a surge

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The vice president said the Democratic Party and the nation would “be making a tragic mistake” if they were to walk away from or attempt to undo the Obama legacy.

“Democrats should not only defend this record and protect this record, they should run on the record,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to get done over the next 15 months ... but let me be clear that we’ll be building on a really solid foundation.”

The vice president also declared his intention to work on curing cancer. While acknowledging the issue is personal for him, after his son’s battle with brain cancer, Biden noted that the administration has increased funding for cancer research and development.

“I’m going to spend the next 15 months in this office pushing as hard as I can to accomplish this because I know there are Democrats and Republicans on the Hill who share our passion to silence this deadly disease,” he said. “If I could be anything, I would have wanted to be the president that ended cancer because it’s possible.”

Had Biden decided to run for the Democratic nomination and won and then ran for president and been elected, he would have been the oldest president on inauguration in the history of the U.S. He will be 74 on January 20, 2017, the day on which the next president of the United States will be sworn in.

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The Week than in many years – and let’s be clear: far more people of color are being killed in America’s cities this year. And it’s not the cops doing the killing,” Comey noted.

Comey says that recent high-profile police shooting incidents, many caught on omnipresent camera phones, have caused protests over policing tactics that critics call heavy-handed.

In some cities, police officers privately report holding back on making stops for fear of ending up the next YouTube “bad cop” sensation. They call it the “Ferguson effect.”

The FBI chief repeatedly used the phrase “all lives matter” in various contexts during his discussion led

by Ruby Garrett, editor of University of Chicago Law School’s Legal Forum and president of the Black Law Students Association. The phrase has drawn controversy because some view it as a response to the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was counteracted by Police Lives Matter.

Ray Kelly, the former commissioner of the New York Police Department, said on Monday that police are no longer “taking the initiative,” which he said accounts for some of the rise in crime.

“I commend Jim Comey for telling it like it is,” Kelly told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.”

“Officers are not engaging in proactive policing, not engaging in the levels they engaged in the recent past.”

But White House press secretary Josh Earnest scrambled on Monday to say that there was no evidence that police officers were “shirking” their duties given increased scrutiny on law enforcement, seeming to rebut FBI Director James Comey’s assertion last week.

“The available evidence at this point does not support the notion that

law enforcement officers are shying away from fulfilling their responsibilities,” Earnest said at the daily briefing.

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton claims he is not seeing the so-called Ferguson effect in his city. In an interview with CNN, Bratton said he believes what’s happening around the country is part of the “evolution of policing” which will eventually make officers better.

“A cop sitting in his car is not what a cop should be,” Bratton said.

Paul Ryan for House Speaker After much anticipation, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) officially announced that he will seek to replace Rep. John Boehner as the speaker of the House.

Ryan previously ran for vice president alongside Mitt Romney in the 2012 elections.

Earlier in the week Ryan told the House GOP conference that he will only run for Speaker if every committee endorses him, according to lawmakers in the room. By Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, Ryan was endorsed by each of the House GOP’s major factions.

Previously Ryan had firmly and adamantly said he did not want the position and many are wondering what changed his mind. Initially he had said that he wasn’t willing to sign up for the intense public pressure from the Republican caucus. He expressed concern that it would affect his family life as well.

“It’s not a job I’ve ever wanted [or] I’ve ever sought,” Ryan said. “I’m in the job I’ve always wanted here in the Congress. I came to the conclusion that this is a very dire moment, not just for Congress, not just for the Republican Party, but for our country.

And I think our country is in desperate need of leadership.”

“I cannot and will not give up my family time,” Ryan told reporters. “I may not be on the road as often as previous Speakers but I pledge to try to make up for it with more time com-

In News municating our vision, our message.”

The speaker of the House is the third in line to the presidency.

Group Searches for MIA Troops from WWII

It’s been almost seven decades since the end of World War II but there are some relatives who never really got full closure.

Over 100,000 American military personnel were killed during service in the Pacific War. A few years ago a private Japanese organization discovered the remains of five American World War II soldiers on Saipan.

Saipan is one of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Four of the bodies were identified and returned to the U.S. for reburial. Now another excavation is being planned on the Pacific island in the hopes of finding more unmarked graves, including those of American servicemen still listed as missing in action.

The leaders of Kuentai-USA related that a team of about a dozen Japanese and American volunteers plans to search an area of Saipan where the U.S. Army’s 27th Infantry Division was struck by the biggest suicide attack of the Pacific ground war. The division’s 105th Regiment had nearly 1,000 killed and wounded during what became known as the “banzai attack” on July 7, 1944. The New York National Guard unit suffered hundreds of casualties, many of them New Yorkers.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the Pentagon arm in charge of recovering the remains of U.S. soldiers from foreign battlefields,

said this week that the remains of the fifth soldier discovered by Kuentai a few years ago are still being analyzed.

Mackenzie Waterston, a college student from Glens Falls, New York, will be accompanying the group on the excavation. She had met Kuentai’s leaders, Usan Kurata and Yukari Akatsuka, two months earlier when they visited the New York State Military Museum to research its records on the 27th Division at Saipan. Waterston, who was working as a museum intern that summer, departed on Friday for her second trip to Saipan.

“If I ever had a family member who was an MIA, I would want him returned for burial,” said Waterston.

The Pentagon isn’t involved in the Saipan project, although it pledges its support. “The department recognizes these efforts as critical to the mission and is eternally grateful for this assistance and support,” Air Force Lt. Col. Holly Slaughter said.

Akatsuka said that the group’s main Saipan excavation will be conducted in an area where 17 soldiers from the 27th Division could be buried in unmarked graves. They’ll also excavate a nearby property where two U.S. Marines listed as MIA may have been buried. The group expects to start excavations next week and will continued until November 8. Hopefully their mission will be successful and will bring closure to many families still suffering from their loss.

Crash at Parade Leaves Four Dead It was supposed to be a celebratory event but it quickly turned tragic when a car plowed into the crowd. On Saturday, Oklahoma State University hosted a homecoming parade in Stillwater when at about 11am tragedy struck. A car rammed into the crowd gathered for the parade, killing 5 and injuring 47 people, four in critical condition. The youngest victim that died was just 2 years old. 11 of the injured were 13 years old or younger.

The car was driven by Adacia Chambers who is not facing four second-degree murder charges after driving into the crowd at the homecoming parade. Each murder count could carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Payne County District Attorney

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The Week Laura Thomas said in a statement that prosecutors will consider additional charges in the coming weeks related to the surviving victims.

“Based upon the Probable Cause Affidavit and information presented by the police, the state believes the acts alleged demonstrate a depraved mind and indifference to human life,” Thomas said. “The evidence suggests this was an intentional act, not an accident.”

According to one Oklahoman newspaper, Chambers suffered from insomnia and had not slept for three days before the crash. This theory has yet to be confirmed. It was reported that she did not seem intoxicated. Her attorney said she may have been suffering from mental illness.

The victims in the crash have been identified as Nash Lucas, 2; Nakita Prabhakar Nakal, 23; and a married couple, Bonnie Jean Stone and Marvin Lyle Stone, who were both 65.

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

A Hard Look at Standardized Testing

Parents despise them, teachers fear them, and students agonize over them, and now Standardized Testing may undergo reform.

According to a study of the nation’s 66 largest school districts, the average student spends about 20 to 25 hours a school year taking standardized tests. That study did not account for the classtime students spend preparing for tests that became mandatory, starting in third grade, under the No Child Left Behind law.

This week, President Barack

Obama called for capping standardized testing at 2 percent of classroom time and said the government shares responsibility for turning tests into the be-all and end-all of American schools. “Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right bubble,” Obama said in a video released on Facebook. “So we’re going to work with states, school districts, teachers, and parents to make sure that we’re not obsessing about testing.”

In all, between pre-K and 12th grade, students take about 112 standardized exams, according to the Council of the Great City Schools report. It said testing amounts to 2.3 percent of classroom time for the average 8th-grader. “How much constitutes too much time is really difficult to answer,” said Michael Casserly, the council’s executive director.

Obama cannot force states or districts to limit testing, which has drawn consternation from parents and teachers. But Obama directed the Education Department to make it easier for states to satisfy federal testing mandates and he urged states and districts to use factors beyond testing to assess student performance.

The report also found that 40 percent of districts have to wait between two months and four months before getting state test results. While some pockets of the country had substantial numbers of students opting out of standardized tests, the overall opt-out rate was usually less than 1 percent.

6,000 Prisoners to be Released On November 1, 6,000 drug felons will be released from prison as part of a national effort to reduce what the U.S. Sentencing Commission now deems to be overly harsh — and expensive. The original drug laws were enforced during the era’s “War on Drugs.”

As thousands of inmates rejoice at their freedom, they may find entering the real world again quite difficult. Sad-

In News ly there isn’t enough support in place for them despite the lawyers, prisoner advocates, parole officials and a federal judge working on their behalf.

“Some are coming out after three years, some after 20,” said Elizabeth Toplin, a federal public defender who reviewed about 800 drug cases in the Philadelphia region. “It’s a different world. These guys come out of jail and they’ve never seen a cellphone. ... Unless we intervene properly, when people come home, they just don’t have the resources not to go back.”

The prisoners, though, are not anticipating a rocky transition, according to their petitions for early release.

One prisoner, Jose Antonio Pagan, said he plans to seek work, possibly in marine mechanics, after his sentence for smuggling hundreds of kilos of cocaine by boat from the Bahamas to Florida was cut from 14 to 11 years.

Pagan said his life derailed after he “drifted to a singular crime of monumental consequences.” He and his wife are divorcing, but he said his parents will take him in.

“You’ve got a bunch of people coming back, and once they’re here they have very basic human needs, and those are housing, employment and the family reunification factor,” said Tina Naidoo, executive director of the Dallas-based Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative, which has 10 fulltime employees and hopes to recruit volunteers to handle the additional caseload.

Each year, about 50,000 federal inmates are typically released from prison. The early release program will save taxpayers millions, given the $30,000 annual cost of a prison stay, compared with $3,900 for supervised release. About 2,000 of the 6,000 being released soon are set to be deport-

ed.

In Philadelphia, five or 10 people of the 45 getting early release will be tapped for an intensive probation program for at-risk offenders known as Re-Entry Court. The program offers a broad array of social services, including counseling, tutoring, housing, health care and job training, most provided by volunteers.

“They can’t do it alone. And I think for too long society really ignored that reality,” said U.S. Magistrate Timothy Rice, a former federal prosecutor who helped start the program in 2007.

“The odds are stacked against them unless somebody reaches out to help walk them through this.”

The Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found high rates of recidivism, a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, among released prisoners.

One study tracked 404,638 prisoners in 30 states after their release from prison in 2005. The researchers found that within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year. According to the study, 76.9 percent of drug offenders were rearrested.

Clinton Remains Firm at Benghazi Hearings On Thursday, Hillary Clinton appeared at the Benghazi hearings. As expected, she admitted to no wrongdoing, nor to breaking any laws. She repeatedly shirted the blame elsewhere and said mistakes were made by others. She claimed that security decision were handled by lower levels of the State Department professional staff and not by her directly.

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a planned terrorist attack perpetrated by an Al Qaeda-like group. That’s what she told her family and foreign leaders, according to newly released emails.

At the hearing, Clinton insisted that she never received Ambassador Stevens’ requests for more security, implying that had she received the notifications, things would have panned out quite differently.

Despite the nearly eleven hours of questions, Clinton remained calm and kept her cool.

Interestingly, despite the scandal swirling around her thousands of emails, Ms. Clinton insisted that she didn’t even have a computer in her office as secretary of state. In terms of the work she did in the position of secretary of state, she related, “I conducted it in meetings, I read massive amounts of memos, a great deal of classified information. I made a lot of secure phone calls… If you were to be in my office in the state department, I did not event have a computer.”

During the hearing it was revealed that Clinton met the plane carrying the bodies of the four Americans who died at Benghazi and that the Obama administration had initially lied about what happened. Experts believe that the Obama administration lied in order to win the election which took place just eight weeks after the terrorist attack. As she stood over the flagdraped coffins of four dead Americans, Clinton blamed their deaths on an Internet video, which caused a demonstration outside the consulate to turn into a deadly attack. However, the then-secretary of state had already known the truth. Clinton was aware that the four Americans had died from

The Nation of Zaqistan

In News try of Zaqistan and maybe buy some souvenirs? Landsberg is keeping that piece of info under wraps—he doesn’t want a wave of tourists getting lost finding the world’s newest country.

Even so, he’s loving the desolate country of Zaqistan.

“Out here, it’s not that crazy of an idea to have your own little spot, and to do your own thing and to have your own space and the privacy to do that,” said Landsberg.

He does have some visitors, though. His friend, Mike Abu, can get his passport stamped when he visits Landsberg.

“Legitimacy is one of those things that’s fairly subjective to begin with,” Abu, the philosophical tourist, said.

“But when we’re talking about it, does it exist? There’s no question about it.”

A Costly Cookie It is the most valuable biscuit in the world and for good reason: it’s worth almost $23,000 and is over 100 years old.

They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Well, it seems that a New York man has taken this to heart.

Zaq Landsberg is now living in Utah—I mean, Zaqistan. He has created a yellow and red flag, official looking passports and a border control gate for his own sovereign nation. And he’s determined to make it happen.

“The conceptual goal is I want it to become a real country,” said Landsberg, its president. “I mean, that goal is not going to happen. It’s impossible, but going through the motions, [I’m] trying to make that happen.”

The country of Zaqistan even has its own motto: “Something from nothing.” In fact, the area really is from nothing. When Landsberg bought the stretch of Utah backcountry a decade ago, he was amazed at how removed it was: 60 miles from the nearest town and 15 miles away from a paved road.

So how can one visit the coun-

A biscuit cracker that survived the sinking of the Titanic has sold for £15,000 ($22,968) at auction in England. It was bought by a collector in Greece.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge related, “It is the world’s most valuable biscuit. We don’t know which lifeboat the biscuit came from but there are no other Titanic lifeboat biscuits in existence to my knowledge.”

It was part of a survival kit found on one of the lifeboats. James Fenwick, a passenger onboard the SS Carpathia, which went to the aid of survivors from the ship, kept it as a “souvenir” of the disaster. He put the snack in a Kodak photographic envelope with a note that stated: “Pilot biscuit from Titanic lifeboat April 1912.”

Aldridge added: “It is incredible that this biscuit has survived such a dramatic event – the sinking of the world’s largest ocean liner – costing 1,500 lives. In terms of precedence, a few years ago a biscuit from one of Shackleton’s expeditions sold for about £3,000 ($4,593) and there is a biscuit from the Lusitania in a museum in the Republic of Ireland.”

Another item that was sold at auction was a “loving cup,” presented to the captain of the Carpathia. It was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by survivor Molly Brown and was paid for by donations from wealthy passengers after the disaster. The cup sold for $197,531, making it the third most expensive Titanic item ever.

The Carpathia raced through an ice field to reach the Titanic on that fateful night. It rescued 712 people.

The Titanic sank in April 1912 during its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton after the supposedly “unsinkable” ship struck the iceberg on April 14, 1912.The ship sank at around 02:20 on April 15.

A Bear on a Tear

Is that toy driving you crazy?

Does it not stop singing—even at the

The Week a “hacker house” is $1,000, and a studio apartment is out of reach for the non-millionaires among us. Even if she was willing to pay rent here, she related, she would resent being unable to put that money toward student loans.

Living in a van does have its price. Patterson spent what’s equivalent to around three months’ rent to buy the van, which came with two holes between the engine and the interior, broken gauges and a temperamental ignition. She ripped out the

carpets, spent three hours sweeping and dusting and scraped a “strange velcro-esque material” stuck to metal interior parts of the van.

Then she went to the perfect store to outfit her new home: IKEA. In the do-it-yourself superstore, she

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME OCTOBER 29, 2015

worst times? Do you want to throw it at the wall just to make it stop?

It seems that someone understands your pain—and just wants to make you hurt even more.

Eight-year-old Mikayla Wilson, along her father, Cornelius Malcolm Wilson, has invented the toy of your nightmares: a teddy bear that won’t stop singing until you destroy it.

The duo has spent more than two years developing the annoying bear, endeavoring to have it sing for hours on end. In fact, the bear can now sing “Happy Birthday” for three and a half hours straight.

Mr. Wilson explains that he and Mikayla came up with the idea for the bear together. “We love to play jokes on people and thought what an awesome idea it would be to ship a musical teddy bear to someone that would not stop singing.”

Sounds like they have a wicked sense of humor.

In News

31

Home on the Range B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

Rent in San Francisco is too high.

So high, in fact, that some people are eschewing houses and living on the streets.

Katharine Patterson is one such person. With rentals going for exorbitant prices, the software engineer moved to San Francisco and is now living in her red 1969 Volkswagen camper van since starting her job at an unnamed “multi-million dollar office complex” in Silicon Valley.

Patterson notes that a single room with a shared bathroom in San Francisco can go for $2,000, a bunk in

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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The Week bought a dressed, carpet and crates.

She made her bed. And then on October 11, she finally came home. Her home, named Jamal Junior after a bike she had in college that she called Jamal, is now home sweet home.

Sleeping in a car on public property in California is illegal, but so far Patterson hasn’t been ticketed.

She parks in different places at night and has friends who let her use their shower and other facilities.

And there are others like her who are living in their cars instead of more stable, long-lasting places.

“I am not technically one of them, and in doing this by choice I am inevitably appropriating their hardships,” she said. “However, I am also saving hard, trying to pay off my debts, and learning a few invaluable life skills — like carpentry and how to be a fairly competent mechanic — in the process.”

She’s also learning how to live in a van—a most important life skill.

Child-Made Passwords

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

Need a really good password? Just ask a sixth grader.

Mira Modi, an eleven-year-old from New York, recently started selling cryptographically secure passwords for $2 each. You can count on her password creations to be stronger than anything you would normally come up with, because she uses a method called “diceware.” Created by Arnold G. Reinhold in the ’90s, diceware is a tried-and-true method of designing a password that’s tough for a computer to crack—but dead simple for a human to memorize. (The problem with our passwords is that they are typically the opposite: relatively each for a computer to guess, but end up becoming difficult for users to memorize.)

For how technologically innovative it is, diceware works in a relatively lo-fi way. You start by rolling a six-sided die five times to create a string of numbers, which you then match to a numbered list of short and simple English words (16655 =

In News clause, 16656 = claw, and so on).

This is done a few times to create a random string of words, or a passphrase. The longer the passphrase, the higher its “entropy” or randomness, and the stronger it is, because it’s harder for computer to guess. A five-word diceware passphrase looks like this: alger gene curry blonde puck horse. (Reinhold recommends using at least six words, to thwart modern-day computers.)

Modi writes every password by hand and then sends it to customers through the mail. Worried that’s not secure? Well, Modi’s not worried. She reminds customers that the government cannot open letters sent through the U.S. Postal Mail without a search warrant. (Smart girl.)

And what about Modi stealing your password and using it for her own gain? On her website, she recommends switching up the capitalization and adding symbols. Plus, she says, “In reality, I won’t be able to remember them all.”

Yes, it’s true. Your kids really are smarter than you when it comes to computers.

China’s Obama Is he Obama? Well, he looks like Obama, he acts like Obama, he just doesn’t speak like Obama. Oh, well.

Xiao Jiguo, a Chinese Obama impersonator, says it’s all about the eyebrows.

The migrant-worker-turned-actor lacks the U.S. president’s stature and, with limited English, can’t easily mimic the stop-and-start cadence of

his speech. So when Xiao, 29, wants to channel his muse, he must focus on the face: A forceful furrow. Narrowed eyes. That contemplative, commanding frown.

“It’s a look you can use all the time,” Xiao said, shifting from serious to skeptical with a signature tilt of the jaw.

A beat. More brow. “Pause like this if you run out of things to say.”

Xiao has never met the American president, who he calls “Brother Obama” or “Brother Ma.” He hear about the United States on television and he’s seen some American movies.

Then, in 2008, a friend mentioned that he looks like President Obama.

Xiao, then working as a security guard, said, “Who?” Seven years later, he spends most of his working life pretending to be the 44th president of the United States, whether it’s for television, an ad or the opening of a shopping mall in Hefei.

Xiao likes to picture the two of them as stars in the same, vast sky.

Obama fell to earth in America and grew up to be president. “Will my career in the entertainment industry also rise?”

The president impersonator didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was born in 1986 to peasant parents in rural Sichuan province and was mostly raised by his grandpa in the village. He dropped out of school at 16 and went to join his mom and dad, then toiling as cleaners in in the southern city of Guangzhou. He found work as a waiter and later as security guard at a factory making shoes amid the “Made in China” boom.

In 2008, when people noticed the resemblance between Xiao and Obama, “I looked in the mirror and I knew it was true,” he said.

Eventually, he started marketing himself on social media, booked gigs and got some press. Business is pretty good, he said, but unpredictable.

Xiao earns more than he did as a security guard, but not so much that he’s left the family home. (Is he saving for an apartment? “Yeah, right next to

The Week

Eat a Burrito, Win a Restaurant Want to own a restaurant? No problem, just chow down on this 30-pound burrito and one margarita and you’ll be the lucky part-owner of the Don Chingon Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn.

toddler-size burrito made with steak, chicken, pork, rice, beans, salsa and drinking a ghost pepper margarita.

Upon successful completion, the challenge’s winner will get 10 percent ownership of the restaurant.

“Don Chingon is a modern taqueria, so we take a lot of traditional recipes and put our own spin on them,” owner Victor Robey said “This is basically a modern take on an eating challenge.”

He adds, “While we don’t just want to give away the restaurant, we do want someone with that kind of eating credibility to come in and give it their best shot,” he said.

To see how much one would have to chow down in order to become the proud owner, a classic chicken burrito weighs a paltry 1.72 pounds.

And if you think the contest may give you heartburn just thinking about it, contestants must complete the

challenge in under an hour without any bathroom breaks or discharge of bodily fluids. The restaurant also will not accept responsibility for illness or death incurred while participating in the challenge. Sounds comforting.

George Shea, a partner in the International Federation of Competitive Eating, notes that the contest is a “great PR stunt.”

“What they’ve done is take the challenge to an absurd level, and it’s funny,” he said.

So, with such a daunting task, does Shea really think anyone could win?

“There’s no human alive who could eat a 30-pound burrito, in my opinion. But I’ve been proven wrong before,” Shea said.

Especially when there’s something really big at steak—I mean, at stake.

OCTOBER 29, 2015

It’s a business transaction not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. For $150, Don Chingon patrons can take a stab at eating the

In News

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

the White House,” he joked.)

Xiao practices his Obama by studying pictures and videos he finds online. He’s also invented what he calls “jia-English,” or fake English, a stream of sounds that usually starts with “hello everybody” and devolves into “English-sounding” nonsense words. Crowds love it.

His new life is happier and more hopeful but also often strange.

He commutes from Sichuan to far-flung corners of the country with a single brown suitcase and his Obama outfit — dress shirt, Navy suit, tie.

His hair, like Obama’s, is speckled gray.

And then, at the end of the day, he sheds his presidential garb and turns into Xiao once again. The Oval Office is never truly within reach.

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Kollel Chatzos ly felt within the walls of Kollel Chatzos.

Many seforim hakdoshim also bring that during the winter nights one can poel yeshuos like during Neilah on Yom Kippur.

Unwilling to miss the opportunity to have talmidei chachamim be mispallel for them at such a powerful time, many special Yidden are grabbing the chance to be a part of the limud haTorah at Kollel Chatzos throughout the long winter nights.

With the start of the heavy wedding season, there’s also a strong demand from mechutanim to reserve a “wedding night” with Kollel Chatzos, where Torah is learned as a zchus for the chosson and kallah throughout the entire wedding. At the start of the reception, Kollel Chatzos in Meron begins their learning, and at chatzos in New York the kollels in Monsey, Williamsburg and Monroe begin to learn until dawn. This

ensures that Torah as a zchus for the new couple is learned non-stop throughout the wedding night. The powerful segulah of midnight Torah is the greatest gift parents can give to chosson & kallah as they embark upon building their bayis ne’eman.

Ensure your share of the power of Torah at chatzos on a winter night. Call today: 1-855-CHATZOS (2428967) Beautiful New Seforim Shranks Installed in the Meron Branch at the Tzion of Rashbi Seeking a Sponsor for New Tables and Chairs for the Chamber of Torah Kollel Chatzos in Meron fulfills the dictum of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who wrote about the greatness of rising at chatzos in the Zohar many times, by having chashuva, elevated talmidei chachamim

learn every night without fail at the holy tzion of Rashbi.

Beautiful, new seforim shranks, courtesy of a generous donor, were installed in the Meron branch at the start of the new zman. The talmidei chachamim expressed appreciation for the new furniture, mentioning that they now have an easier time finding the seforim they need, which gives them peace of mind and enables them to be fully engrossed in their learning.

According to the hanhala, the chairs and tables in the kollel are very old and in bad repair, which distracts the talmidei chachamim as they attempt to absorb themselves in their learning. A sponsor for new chairs and tables is urgently needed.

We’re sure that someone special will take advantage of this opportunity to support the exceptional talmidei chachamim of Meron, whose primary goal in life is to toil in Torah with great devotion.

OCTOBER 29, 2015

The winter zman at Kollel Chatzos is successfully underway, and the close to 100 talmidei chachamim who learn in the four kollel branches are filled with joy and gratitude for the privilege to participate in such a holy empire of Torah. Some shared how they feel blessed to be able to learn Hashem’s Torah at the holy hour of chatzos, and described how the powerful growth in learning they experience throughout the nighttime hours is impossible to achieve at any other time.

According to the menahalim of the kollels in Williamsburg, Monroe, Monsey and Meron, the zman started with an energized and uplifting kol Torah that echoed through the kollels as if it were in the middle of the day. Rabbi Zalmen Leib Friedman from the Monsey branch emotionally described the intense hasmadah as “inspiring and heartwarming.”

Citing Rebbe Hershele Ziditchover, who wrote that the winter nights have the kedusha of Chol Hamoed, Rabbi Zalmen Lieb Friedman exclaimed that this is clear-

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Winter Zman Commences in Kollel Chatzos Branches around the World

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Aaron Hirsch

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OCTOBER 22, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Jewish History

The Jarring Episode of Shabbetai Tzvi, Infamous Messianic Deceiver

By Rabbi Pini Dunner

Part II

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

F

ollowing the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal and a sudden focus on Messianic belief in the teachings of the Tzfat kabbalists, a young rabbi from Izmir called Shabbetai Tzvi would become one of the most infamous Messianic pretenders in Jewish history. In the first article of this series we discovered how he began to show signs of severe bipolar disorder as a young man, how he was married and divorced twice, and how he eventually came to the attention of the rabbis in Izmir as a result of his strange behavior.

After some deliberation, the rabbis of Izmir told Shabbetai Tzvi to stop behaving so bizarrely or face the consequences – but their warning was to no avail.

Consequently, in 1651, Shabbetai Tzvi was expelled from Izmir and he began to drift from community to community.

Before we follow him on his journey, let us pause to consider Shabbetai Tzvi the man. Numerous people who knew him during these wil-

derness years – detractors, supporters and neutral observers – would subsequently offer their observations and reflections, describing all the facets of his fascinating, if troubled personality.

The picture that emerges is mesmerizing. He was incredibly charming and charismatic. He was also musically talented, handsome, extremely kind and generous spirited, diplomatic, and a brilliant conversationalist. He was fluent in several languages, and extremely knowledgeable in numerous subjects. All this, combined with his family’s relative wealth ensured he was welcomed wherever he went. It also enabled him to befriend anyone he met. Those who met Shabbetai Tzvi were immediately impressed, and he was always able to win people over with his endearing personality and acute intelligence. Sadly, this also meant that people were blinded – at least initially – to his severe mental illness.

After his expulsion from Izmir, Shabbetai Tzvi proceeded to Salonika, now known as Thessaloniki, Greece. There he was well received, and he quickly befriended the local rabbis. But

the honeymoon was shortlived. Within weeks his behavior had deteriorated dramatically. One fateful day, he invited all the local rabbis to his residence. They arrived to discover he had set up a wedding canopy under which he proceeded to perform a marriage ceremony between himself and a Torah scroll. Within days he was unceremoniously evicted from Salonika.

He drifted onto Athens, then Peloponnese, then Patras, and finally in 1658, he was back in Constantinople (Istanbul), where he remained for several months.

By now his outlandish behavior had escalated even further. In one notorious incident, he purchased a large dead fish, and publicly dressed it up in baby clothes and put it in a crib, announcing to startled onlookers that fish represented liberation and salvation and that this particular fish was the childlike Jewish nation in need of salvation. Shortly after this bizarre episode, Shabbetai Tzvi implemented a “three festival week.” During the course of seven days he celebrated every major Jewish festival – Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot – with all the

associated laws, customs, and prayers. He claimed he was atoning for all the sins committed by any Jew throughout history who had ever sinned during any of these festivals, or had not observed them properly.

At the conclusion of this strange week, Shabbetai Tzvi innovated a blessing over sin – “mattir issurim” – a corruption of the daily blessing “mattir assurim.”

“Mattir assurim” describes G-d as “He who liberates the imprisoned.” “Mattir issurim” describes G-d as “He who permits the forbidden.”

At this stage he was in full manic mode, announcing to the group of bewildered spectators that a new era had begun with new laws and commandments, and by doing what he was about to do, he would effect the final mystical perfection of G-d’s physical creation. He then took a piece of pork, uttered the “mattir issurim” benediction, and proceeded to eat it.

The local community went into complete shock.

Local rabbis, infuriated and compelled to react, arranged for him to be publicly flogged and then had him excommunicated. No one was per-

mitted to speak to him, feed him, or house him. Shunned by every Jew in the city, Shabbetai Tzvi returned to his birthplace, Izmir, where he kept a very low profile for about three years. By 1662 he had recovered his confidence, and he departed for Eretz Yisrael. On his way to the Holy Land he spent time in Egypt, where he once again befriended rabbis and community leaders, and in particular a man called Raphael Joseph, the government appointed “Chelebi” or Community President of Egyptian Jewry.

A few months later he arrived in Jerusalem, where he impressed the small community. After spending a year there, Jerusalem’s community leaders trusted him sufficiently to send him back to Egypt as their official fundraiser. On March 31, 1664, in Egypt, Shabbetai Tzvi wed for the third time.

Sarah, his bride, was a girl with her own remarkable life story. Orphaned during the infamous Chmielnicki massacres of 1648/9 in Poland and Ukraine, she was brought up by gentiles as a Christian. In adulthood, she discovered her Jewish origins, whereupon she began

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 22, 2015

wreaked havoc across the Jewish world.

In 1665, Raphael Joseph heard about the young man in Gaza who claimed to be having spectacular visions and was being visited by countless pilgrims. Joseph

He purchased a large dead fish, and publicly dressed it up in baby clothes and put it in a crib, announcing to startled onlookers that fish represented liberation and salvation and … was the childlike Jewish nation in need of salvation. informed Shabbetai Tzvi about Nathan, and he decided to visit the “healer” and ask for help with his tormented soul. He travelled as quickly as he could from Egypt to Gaza, and sought an appointment with Nathan.

Upon entering Nathan’s room, the young healer fell to the ground in a trance.

When he awoke, he gushingly informed Shabbetai Tzvi that he was none other than the Messiah himself.

Shabbetai Tzvi burst into laughter and dismissed Nathan’s pronunciation, but Nathan refused to give up.

For three weeks he relentlessly cajoled Shabbetai Tzvi to see the light, and to concede that he was the King Messiah, destined to lead the Jews out of exile and back to the Promised Land. Nathan accompanied Shabbetai Tzvi to Jerusalem and Hebron to pray at holy sites. When they returned to Gaza, Shabbetai Tzvi fell into one of his periodic depressions. It was the festival of Shavuot, and during the first night Torah study session, Nathan once again fell into a trance, and in that state said some incredible things about Shabbetai Tzvi. Once awake, he

defiantly, they were never to return.

The rabbis of Jerusalem were not yet done. Extremely concerned by the actions of the two intoxicated fraudsters and their awestruck supporters and alarmed by the possible repercussions of their actions and claims, they wrote dozens of letters to rabbis across the world to warn them of the dangers posed by this double act and to inform them what had transpired in Jerusalem.

Sadly, getting Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan out of their jurisdiction had been fairly simple, but putting a stop to the nascent false-Messianic movement would prove to be completely beyond their grasp.

NEXT TIME: The Messianic campaign goes viral, and Shabbetai Tzvi travels to Constantinople to confer with the Sultan of Turkey. But as Jewish communities across the world welcome the news of the Messiah’s arrival, the movement hits a brick wall when it becomes evident the gentiles are not taking the Messiah declaration seriously, and the Turkish authorities are becoming concerned that Shabbetai Tzvi’s campaign might lead to violent insurrection.

How did this episode conclude, and what was to become of Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan? Find out in the final article of this series.

Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills in California.

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

dividual, but he had many qualities that Shabbetai Tzvi did not. He was by nature a persistent campaigner for his ideals, highly motivated and focused; he was consistent, and unimpeachably mitzvah observant, with none of the highs and lows or aberrant behaviors of Shabbetai Tzvi.

He was an original and systematic thinker and fast on his feet. Last but not least, he was an exceptionally talented writer, which would prove critical in the Messianic propaganda campaign.

Nathan would ultimately be the catalyst that allowed a messianic movement to flourish around the flawed character of Shabbetai Tzvi.

Before him, Shabbetai Tzvi had not succeeded at anything much, except for attracting attention to himself for the wrong reasons in a dozen communities across the Jewish world.

Most likely, without Nathan, Shabbetai Tzvi would have disappeared without trace, confined to the trashcan of forgotten historical weirdos who have proliferated throughout Jewish history.

But that was not to be. Their fateful meeting would create a toxic partnership that

informed his stunned audience that numerous visions had informed him that Shabbetai Tzvi was the Messiah.

With the pressure now piling on, it took just one more week for Shabbetai Tzvi himself to concede, and on 17 Sivan, coinciding with May 31, 1665, Shabbetai Tzvi publicly declared himself as the Messiah, King of the Jews and Redeemer of Israel. His first act as Messiah was to abolish the fast of 17 Tammuz. In Gaza the decree was greeted enthusiastically, and not only did the community not fast – they recited hallel, they feasted, and they rejoiced with live music, singing and dancing.

The community in Hebron was next to join the believers. But in Jerusalem the story was quite different.

That community knew Shabbetai Tzvi, and the rabbis were incredulous, refusing to accept that the man they all knew so well was truly the Messiah.

When Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan arrived in Jerusalem, they were ridiculed.

Shabbetai Tzvi tried to gain entry to the Temple Mount to bring a sacrifice, but was prevented from doing so.

Soon a fight erupted about monies he had collected in Egypt for the community, which some people claimed had been misappropriated. The case was brought in front of the local Muslim ruler, and Shabbetai Tzvi was exonerated, with his supporters claiming this legal victory was a miracle that proved he was the Messiah.

Soon he was in trouble again. At a victory celebration he personally cooked and served non-kosher meat, and recited the “mattir issurim” benediction.

Nathan’s teacher and former mentor, the highly regarded Rabbi Jacob Chagiz, called together the local rabbis and they decided to excommunicate both Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan. The two imposters were expelled from the Holy City, and although they left

OCTOBER 29, 2015

N

athan was born in approximately 1643, in Jerusalem. Despite being born into an Ashkenazi family – hence his last name – his father lived among the Sephardim of Jerusalem. In truth, however, his father was rarely there, as he spent the majority of his time collecting money for the Jerusalem community in communities outside Eretz Yisrael. Nathan was highly intelligent, extremely learned, and a gifted writer.

At the age of 20 he married the daughter of a wealthy Jew from Gaza, and with the promise of full support by his wife’s family, moved there and took up the study of kabbalah.

The change from Talmud and Jewish law to kabbalah seems to have been explosive for Nathan. He withdrew from society, began to fast regularly, and to engage in intense prayer and ritual bathing, as well as other forms of self-mortification. Before long he let it be

known that he was regularly having visions, with angels appearing to him to tell him about the past, present, and future.

Like Shabbetai Tzvi, Nathan was an incredibly talented and engaging in-

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drifting from community to community, possibly in search of her family; a rootless girl, very beautiful, and very seductive. She gained a reputation for immoral behavior, but nevertheless often made the strange claim that she was destined to marry the “Messiah,” a prediction that was treated with great amusement by all who knew her. How she came across Shabbetai Tzvi in Egypt and what convinced her to marry him, or indeed him to marry her, is hard to determine – but the wedding took place at the home of Raphael Joseph.

At this point let us turn to the one person besides for Shabbetai Tzvi himself whose prominence in this tragic story cannot be overstated: Abraham Nathan ben Elisha Chaim Ashkenazi, known to Messianic believers as Natan Hanavi (Nathan the Prophet,) and to everyone else as Natan Azzati (Nathan of Gaza.)

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Notable Quotes

This is the AlAqsa Mosque that Adam, peace be upon him, or during his time, the angels built.

“Say What?!”

- Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the Muslim cleric in charge of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, arguing on Israel’s Channel 2 that there was a mosque on Har Habayis “since the creation of the world”

We have seen Iran almost serially violate the international community’s concerns about their ballistic missile program.

In contrast to the repeated violations of the U.N. Security Council resolution that pertains to their ballistic missile activities, we’ve seen that Iran over the last couple of years has demonstrated a track record of abiding by the commitments that they made in the context of the nuclear talks - White House press secretary Josh Earnest, when asked about Iran’s recent ballistic missile activities

Well, I had my whole team come over to my house, and we sat around eating Indian food, and drinking wine and beer. That’s what we did. …

We were all talking about sports, TV shows. It was great, just to have that chance to, number one, thank them because they did a terrific job, kind of being there behind me, and getting me ready, and then just talk about what we’re going to do next.

- Hillary Clinton on MSNBC, when asked what she did after she completed her full day of testimony in front of a Congressional panel investigating the terrorist attack in Benghazi which killed Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans

I’m glad that Mrs. Clinton had an Indian food, A new study of the candidates’ Facebook fans found wine, and beer that Donald Trump’s fans have the worst grammar. party. It’s too Which isn’t surprising, since Trump’s whole bad my nephew campaign has been one, big run-on sentence. “We and Ambassador need to build a wall and fix the economy and get back Stevens, you know, at China and Rosie O’Donnell and I’m very rich and couldn’t show up.

here’s a red hat and...”

– Jimmy Fallon

PS!

- Michael Ingmire, the uncle of Benghazi attack victim Sean Smith, on Fox News

We failed to look close enough at the Mel Gibson quote which was printed last week. Turns out that it is totally false, he never said that, and he doesn’t have a daughter who converted. We regret the error. Our bad.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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– Conan O’Brien

I want to play for a long time, maybe 10 more years.

- Patriot’s QB Tom Brady, who is 38 and has already been in the NFL for 15 years (the average NFL career lasts 3.3 years), when asked last week what his plans on for the future

– Republican candidate and famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Meet the Press, responding to Trump’s allegation that he is low energy

Can I give you my take on this race? You have two frontrunners on the Democratic side, right? The number two guy went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon — and I don’t think he ever came back.

The leader felt that she was flat broke after her husband was president for eight years — and that’s maybe why they stole the china. On our side, you’ve got the number two guy [saying he] tried to kill someone at fourteen years old and the number one guy is high energy and crazy as he[ck]. How am I losing to these people?

– Republican candidate Lindsey Graham giving a very honest assessment of his own campaign skills on MSNBC

I’ve got a lot of really cool things I could do other than sit around, being miserable, listening to people demonize me and me feeling compelled to demonize them. That is a joke.

Elect Trump if you want that.

- Jeb Bush at a town hall meeting stating that he will only take the job as president if there is bi-partisanship (because there are cooler things to do than be president)

– Jimmy Kimmel, after Trump canceled an appearance on his show

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– Adolf Eichmann’s daughter-in-law, Carmen Bretin Lindemann, who was running for mayor in a village in Argentina, in a TV interview. (Due to backlash from her comments, she was forced to withdraw from the race)

You know, I am soft-spoken. I do have a tendency to be relaxed. I wasn’t always like that. There was a time when I was, you know, very volatile. But, you know, I changed. As a teenager, I would go after people with rocks and bricks and baseball bats and hammers. And, of course, many people know the story when I was 14, and I tried to stab someone.

And, you know, fortunately, you know, my life has been changed. And I’m a very different person now.

OCTOBER 29, 2015

The history that you know is not the real one, the version that you know from movies and books is written by the Jews, and all the world accepts that history.

He wasn’t a bad person, he obeyed orders and did not personally kill anyone.

Donald Trump was supposed to be here tonight.

Last night his people called and canceled on us and were cryptic as to why he canceled. They said he had a major political commitment but wanted me to relay the message to you that if he had been here, he would have been great… I’m dying to find out what this major political commitment was. Usually that means he had to go on CNN and call someone an idiot… Don’t worry. Tonight we’re going to give everyone in the audience a basketball dipped in cologne so you can fully experience what it would have been like had Donald Trump been here.

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Jeb Bush’s campaign has a contest now where someone will be flown to Houston to meet him, his dad, and his brother. No word on what the winner gets.

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Oprah Winfrey is buying a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers. Oprah’s financial advisor asked her if she wanted to buy a large stake and Oprah said, “Oh, yeah!”

– Conan O’Brien

Bush has no money. He’s meeting today with Mommy and Daddy, and they’re working on his campaign.

He’s a guy [who] wants to run our country and he can’t even run his own campaign. Think of it.

- Donald Trump commenting at a Florida rally about news that Jeb Bush spent several days conferring with family members about the state of his campaign

Last week, the firefighters’ union announced that it was no longer supporting Hillary for president. You know your campaign is in trouble when firefighters are like, “Even we can’t put out that many fires.”

– Jimmy Fallon

The Chinese community, the Communist Party, has banned gluttony, excessive drinking… Hey, if you guys don’t want American tourists, just say so!

– Conan O’Brien

Travel AMEX Small Business Saturday Update (and it’s not a good one…)

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

Eli Schreiber

One of the great perks enjoyed by Amex credit card holders across the Country occurred each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (dubbed “Small Business Saturday”), whereby Amex would offer a number of perks and incentives to encourage purchases at small businesses including statement credits for purchases made at small businesses.

In 2014, Amex offered a $10 statement credit after spending $10 at a small business, up to 3x per card In 2013, Amex offered a $10 statement credit after spending $10 at a small business, up to 1x per card In 2012, Amex offered a $25 statement credit after spending $25 at a small business, up to 1x per card In 2014, when the statement credits rose to $25 per each AMEX credit

card used at a participating merchant (on a purchase of $25 or more), many consumers took advantage of this promo by opening up multiple credit cards including adding authorized users for each card to really take advantage of the 25$ incentive (each authorized users counts as its own credit card….).

We recall the web being awash with pictures of customers holding onto numerous AMEX credit cards, and merchants complaining of individuals spending up to $1,000 in increments of $10 on the AMEX credit cards they had been approved for!

This year, though, it looks like Small Business Staurday is no longer going to be what it used to, as in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Small Business Saturday, Amex displays the following:

Is there an American Express Statement Credit Offer for Card Members for Small Business Saturday this year?

As in years past, American Express will continue to drive awareness of Small Business Saturday and encourage consumers to shop small through local and national advertising.

This year we are not offering a statement credit offer for Card Members on Small Business Saturday, but are instead increasing the support and resources we provide to help small business owners market the day within their communities and truly make it their own.

Like you, we are sure this will disappoint a lot of AMEX consumers as we all really looked forward to receiv-

ing these credits, though we figured this would happen sooner or later, given how much money in statement credits people were getting out of this promotion by adding up to 100 authorized users on certain eligible AMEX cards.

At the same time, the purpose of the Small Business Saturday was to encourage consumers to shop by small businesses. Offering marketing materials, online ads, merchandise kits, and educational event guides can only go so far in getting people into stores….

How do you feel about Amex not offering statement credits for Small Business Saturday this year? Join the conversation by visiting www.getpeyd.com

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Vice President of Mortgage Lending

1-844-SHIMMYB (1-844-744-6692) shimmy@guaranteedrate.com www.guaranteedrate.com/shimmy

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Shimmy Braun

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Shimmy Braun has built his business by providing the best service possible for your home loan. That’s why he has closed 60 million in loans since entering the Baltimore market and was named #4 loan officer in the country according to Scotsman’s Guide.

See for yourself why so many people choose Shimmy for their mortgage needs.

Call today for a low rate mortgage–

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Rates are back down to historic lows!

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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home

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TJH

Centerfold

Mr. Met and His colleagues (What are they mascots or something?)

D When he debuted in 1964, “Mr. Met” was Major League Baseball’s first modern live action mascot. In April 2012, Mr. Met was voted as the No. 1 mascot in all of sports in a poll conducted by Forbes Magazine. (Hopefully this year we will have other things to celebrate!)

D “Phillie Phanatic,” the big, green ungainly mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies, has been sued so many times he is known as the “big green litigation machine.” In 1994, a man who suffered back injuries after being hugged too hard by the Phanatic was awarded $2.5 million; in 1993, someone was awarded $25,000 after accidentally being kicked in the stomach by the Phanatic; in 2010, he was sued for climbing on an elderly woman’s knees, causing injury. (Sounds like he needs a little sensitivity training or something. People are feeble these day … they don’t like being kicked in the stomach or squeezed halfway to death anymore.)

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

D “Crazy Crab” was the mascot of the San Francisco Giants during the 1984 season and only lasted the one year. He was meant as a mascot that the fans were supposed to boo. Things went south when the fans began the custom of throwing batteries at him. Yeah, he only lasted one season. (“Son, before we leave for the game we gotta remember to gather the batteries from around the house!”...Now, that’s real normal.)

D “Slugerrr” of the Kansas City Royals—booooooooooo!—really did a “good job” in 2009 when he was shooting hot dogs into the stands and ended up hitting a fan right in the eye, causing permanent injuries. The injured fan lost his lawsuit because the court ruled that as an attendee at a baseball game he was responsible to be aware of everything going on around him.

(Watch out all you guys making the trip with our team to KC!) D In 1998 poor “Oriole Bird” was trying to have a good time during a miserable season when a visiting Phillies fan (those Phillies fans are always so frustrated!) pushed him off of the right field bleachers, causing him to fall 15 feet and injure

riddle me

this?

If brownie mix is on first base, chocolate chips on second, and cookie dough on third base, who is hitting at the plate?

See answer below

himself. The injured dude who was acting as the mascot was awarded $60K. His lawyer said during the lawsuit, “It is kind of sick to attack the mascot. Why don’t you just take the candy out of the baby’s mouth and tip over the stroller?” (Really?! Leave it to the personal injury attorney representing a mascot to come up with the worse possible analogy in the history of the world.)

D “Youppi,” who goofed around for the Montreal Expos, was the first mascot with the unique distinction of being ejected from a game in 1989 after Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda complained about him dancing atop the Dodgers’ dugout.

(Lasorda should have been ejected for complaining about that… “Ow, I can’t concentrate on splitting my sunflower seeds properly if he is dancing on top of me.”)

D “PAWS,” who is the Detroit Tigers mascot, was sued in 1995 when a foul ball hit a fan and he suffered injuries. So, what did PAWS do wrong? Well, the fan argued that he was concentrating on the mascot and therefore wasn’t paying attention to the foul ball that came flying into him. The fan not only lost the lawsuit, but was also required to reimburse the Tigers $8,650 for their legal fees because the case was so frivolous. (Who’s the mascot now?)

Answer to riddle: The cake batter

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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1. Who managed the Mets to their 1969 World Championa. ship?

1. a. Gil Hodges b. Wes Westrum c. Casey Stengel d. Yogi Berra

3. The Mets beat the Orioles in five games in the World Series.

Which was the only game that the O’s won? a. Game 1 b. Game 2 c. Game 3 d. Game 4 e. Game 5

5. Who was the closer for the Mets in Game Seven in the 1986 World Series? a. Rick Aguilera b. Jesse Orosco c. Doug Sisk d. Bob Ojeda

A reporter wanted to know where Major League baseball player Alex Johnson’s power surge came from. So, while interviewing him, he asked, “Last year, you hit two homers and this year you have seven. What’s the difference?”

“Five,” Johnson replied.

(This really happened.)

7. Who pitched the only game that the Mets won in the 2000 World Series? a. Mike Hampton b. Bobby Jones c. Al Leiter d. John Franco

Answers: 1. A 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. D Scorecard: 6-7 correct: Your blood is blue and orange! Stock up on Halls, you are really going to get hoarse this week!

3-5 correct: Not bad, not great. You are like the 1973 Mets. Unless you picked option “e” for question 3, in which case you are the Bill Buckner of TJH Centerfold trivia.

0-2 correct: So, Yankees fan: How does it feel now, Mr. October?

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You gotta be kidding

6. Who was MVP of the 1986 World Series? a. Gary Carter b. Mookie Wilson c. Ray Knight d. Bob Ojeda

OCTOBER 29, 2015

2. Which Mets pitcher won 2 games in the 1969 World Series? a. Gary Gentry b. Tom Seaver c. Jerry Koosman d. Nolan Ryan

4. In 1973 the Mets lost the World Series in 7 games to the Oakland A’s. What was historic about that World Series? a. The Mets only had 3 starting pitchers on the active roster. b. It was the first time that a team was down 3-0 in the Series and came back to win 4 straight games. c. It was the first time that every game was played at night. d. The Mets had the lowest season winning percentage ever of any team to make it to the World Series.

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Mets World Series Trivia

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What qualified Henny Machlis, who passed two weeks ago away this past Friday at the age of 58, as one of the world’s greatest Jewish women?

J

erusalemites would say it was her cooking for and serving up to 300 guests every Shabbos in her cramped Jerusalem apartment.

The guests – almost 150 for the Shabbat night meal and over 100 for the Shabbat day meal – ranged from curious tourists and university students to lonely widows and singles to drunks and mentally ill people who considered the Machlis family’s love and warmth more delectable than even their ample food. Henny cooked 51 weeks a year (except only for the week of Pesach) from her tiny kitchen. Starting as newlyweds 35 years ago, the Machlises’ open Shabbos table expanded gradually over the years until the overflow of guests had to be seated in the courtyard and

R E M E M B E R I N G

Henny Machlis A Truly Great Jewish Woman

by Sara Yoheved Rigler

outside the front door. Henny’s great dream was to enclose the courtyard so guests could sit there even in the winter. Alas, she never lived to see her dream’s fulfillment.

The Machlises’ chesed was not restricted to Shabbat. Homeless people slept on their couches, some for weeks at a time, and those whose

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mental instability might have endangered the Machlises’ fourteen children were accommodated in the family van. When Rabbi Mordechai Machlis would leave for work as a teacher in the mornings, he would know how many van guests he had by the number of shoes in the windshield.

For those who gauge greatness by the level of selflessness a person attains, Henny also scored off the charts. At her funeral her oldest son Moshe recalled how, after he got married and moved away to start Kollel (full-time Torah learning), his mother encouraged him: “If you ever aren’t making it financially, tell me and I’ll sell my jewelry.”

“Ima,” Moshe called out in a tearful voice, “you forgot that you didn’t have any jewelry. They had all been stolen by the guests over the years.

And your diamond ring – you loaned it to someone twenty years ago and never got it back.”

Being treated for cancer in New York’s Sloan-Kettering, Henny was sometimes visited by the unfortunates who – even those decades older than she – considered Henny their mother. When one homeless woman came to visit, Henny gave her her bed. A relative discovered Henny, wrapped in a hospital blanket, wandering in the hospital corridor looking for a place to lie down.

Henny’s son Moshe was pushed aside at the crowded funeral by one of the Machlises’s mentally ill “regular guests,” who proclaimed, “I have to get closer. She’s my mother.”

For those who equate spiritual greatness with G-d-consciousness, with the ability to see G-d’s hand always and everywhere, Henny had indeed achieved those spiritual heights. At the funeral, a tearful Rabbi Machlis related just one story: He invited a destitute man whom he always saw at the Kotel (Western Wall) to come home with him to eat.

That day Henny served her homemade whole wheat pizza. The man loved it. He came back to their house every day asking for a slice of whole wheat pizza. Finally, Henny suggested that she could teach him how to make whole wheat pizza himself.

Painstakingly and with infinite patience, Henny taught him how. One night several days later, at 3 AM, there was a knock on the door. “Not on the front door,” Rabbi Machlis related. “Our front door is always unlocked. Someone was knocking on our bedroom door.”

The loud knocking woke them up.

Alarmed at what must be an emergency, Rabbi Machlis went to the door and asked, “Who’s there?” When the man identified himself, Rabbi Machlis asked, “What’s wrong?”

The man replied, “I forgot how to make whole wheat pizza. I need your wife to explain it to me again.”

Rabbi Machlis was exasperated. “At 3 o’clock in the morning,

you need to remember how to make whole wheat pizza?”

But Henny calmed him down.

“It’s a test,” she assured him. “It’s from Hashem.”

Then Henny reiterated to the man, step by step, how to make whole wheat pizza.

F

or me, personally, the sign of Henny Machlis’s greatness was the radiant joy she emanated all the time. Whenever I ran into her, her wide smile and the joyful light

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 22, 2015

decided to drop in at her house and braced myself to see the battle-weary and fear-worn look that characterized other cancer patients I had known. On the path to the Machlis house, there was Henny with one of her daughters, on her way to go to pray at the grave of the tzaddik Rav

Henny Machlis stood.

The last time I saw Henny was several months ago, when she was briefly back in Jerusalem between surgeries and treatments at Sloan-Kettering. She had already been battling metastasized cancer for a couple of agonizing years. I

Usher. When she saw me, she gave me that same radiant smile and jubilant greeting that had always been her trademark – unmitigated by the cancer, the surgeries, the chemo, the long separations from her family, and the unexpected – and unwanted – turn her life had taken. Her joy-

going.

As Henny once told me: “We are living in the midst of a spiritual holocaust. Most Jews today have no idea of the beauty and depth of Judaism.

How can we not do everything in our power, including going into debt, to reach out to our fellow Jews?”

The only difference between Henny Machlis and the rest of us is the voice that asserts, “I’ve done enough.

I don’t have to do more.” Henny never harkened to that voice. She kept on going and giving and loving and inspiring – until last Friday, when she was called to her Heavenly reward.

Now it’s up to the rest of us.

Tax-deductible donations to the Machlis Shabbat project can be made at http://www.machlis.org/ donate.php.

Sara Yoheved Rigler’s new book, Heavenprints, is available from your local Jewish bookstore.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015

And although I knew that she greeted everyone the same way, I nonetheless was charged by this encounter with a holiness and saintliness that lit up the world – or that tiny piece of the world where Henny Machlis stood.

ful smile conveyed not just her stoic acceptance, but her happy acquiescence with the way G-d was running His world.

A mutual friend told me after Henny’s death, “When I was with her, I felt embraced by G-d.”

The question – indeed the challenge – of Henny’s life is: How did an ordinary Jew born to a regular middleclass family in Brooklyn in 1957 become so great?

Like the rest of us, she went to college. (She graduated Stern College with a B.S. in education.) Like most of us in our twenties, she had an ideal. Hers was to share the beauty and joy of Shabbos with the whole world.

Like most of us, “reality” intruded in the actualization of the ideal. For the Machlises, the tremendous scale of their success cost them over $2,500 every Shabbat, a financial load that defied Rabbi Machlis’s modest salary as a teacher supplemented by donations from well-wishers. But unlike most of us, their adamantine faith in G-d and love for the Jewish people kept them from compromising on their ideal. They mortgaged their apartment to the hilt, took out personal and bank loans – and kept on

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she radiated conveyed that seeing me was the best thing that had happened to her all day. And although I knew that she greeted everyone the same way, I nonetheless was charged by this encounter with a holiness and saintliness that lit up the world – or that tiny piece of the world where

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OCTOBER 29, 2015

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My own, personal, uplifting Shabbat Project experience began last Wednesday, when I covered the grandfather-father-son kickoff themed Magic of Shabbat event, which featured world-renowned magician,Arnie Kolodner, in addition to four Shabbos themed crafts and activities, at the Rosenbloom J.C.C. in Owings Mills. As Rabbi Nitzan Bergman, cochair of the Baltimore Shabbos Project was kibbutzing with the hundreds of men and boys as they entered the event, I had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron Polun, one of the Steering Committee members of the Magic of Shabbat.

“One of the things that this Shabbos is about is unifying the Jewish community,” noted Mr. Polun. “The Steering Committee was comprised of people representing a cross-section of our community--from Yeshiva Lane to Baltimore Hebrew and everything in between. Through this whole process, the most encouraging thing was the amount of respectful dialogue that went on in the planning of this weekend. It was really extraordinary and a testament to what we can do if we try to see our similarities instead of our differences. This is why I would call it a success, regardless of how many people come, just because it is the beginning of a dialogue: we have more in common than we have apart and Shabbat is something that can unify us all. I hope that this committee, this group of people, can continue the dialogue to find other ways to unify our community. It doesn’t have to be under such grand circumstances. It can be greeting someone you see walking down the street on Shabbos who is

not wearing a yarmalke or wearing a different yarmalke. That’s all it really takes.”

Mr. Polun’s observations set the tone for my magical Shabbos Project experience. On Thursday evening, as some of my friends were baking challah with seniors at Peregrine’s Landing at Tudor Heights, I joined the estimated 4000 women and girls at the Great Challah Bake at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. As I walked up and down the floury aisles between the hundreds of tables in the huge Cow Palace, observing the several participants kneading their dough to the rhythm of (and later, dancing

ca, who started the initiative in 2013.

Last year, the Shabbos Project went global, partnering with 1,800 organizations and individuals in 465 cities in 65 countries. This year, 5,000 partners were on board in 560 cities involving over 1,000,000 Jews worldwide.

Reena Roshgadol, who volunteered at the Challah Bake registration table shared, “It was amazing to see the people that walked through the door at the Challah Bake from every walk of Jewish life--every age, from little kids to elderly grandmother matriarchs--generations coming together.

It was really an incredible thing.”

I had the pleasure of speaking to

names, and omissions.

Danielle Sarah Storch, Baltimore: “Wow, this is unbelievable. Hashem is smiling down at us.” Her daughter, Bnos seventh grader, Shulamis Tova Storch: “It’s so much bigger and nicer than last year. I can’t believe they did all this in such a small amount of time.”

Rochel Schnur, Baltimore: “It’s awesome to be in the holy Cow Palace.”

Beverly Hirsch, Baltimore: “I was wondering if this is the equivalent of the men’s big learning siyums.”

Saralee Bernstein, Randallstown: “I wanted to do something together

to) everything from Am Yisrael Chai to the latest Israeli tunes, there was a female energy that was quite palpable. And as I watched the bonding of strangers-turned-friends, of all ages, stages, stripes, and walks of life, as they braided their individual challahs, I felt that I was witnessing a symbol intertwining of Jewish unity--both on a local level, and as part of the International Shabbos Project celebrated by a million plus Jews in hundreds of cities across the world, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Afri-

just some of the thousands of Challah Bake participants. Kudos to the organizers for allocating tables for the deaf, with a sign language interpreter, as well as a Russian-speaking table and Hebrew-speaking table, in addition to vegan-free and gluten-free tables, and tables for those bound to wheelchairs. Many of my interviewees were first-time participants that either heard about the event through family, friends, coworkers, or social media. Just one disclaimer: due to the high decibel level in the Cow Palace, I apologize for any misquotes, mistaken

with my daughter, Jessica [who traveled all the way from New Freedom, PA to join the Challah Bake], that we have never done before. We are starting a new tradition.”

Eileen Baylin, Randallstown: “I like the camaraderie of all the women.

Just bringing all these women together. It was a tradition that my grandmother and my mother did. I never made challah myself.”

Sharon Bloom, Owings Mills: “I’m having so much fun, I want to go to another table and make another challah!”

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Shabbat Project

11-year-old Lauren Cohen (a Pikesville Middle School student who was there with her mother, JWRP madricha, Sherri Cohen, and her grandmother, Helene Newman): “I think it is a great opportunity for all female members of the family to come together and have a good time.”

Becca Friedman, Cheswolde: “It’s really beautiful. I’m here with my sister, Ariel. It’s a really nice experience on two different levels--it is a very intimate connection between sisters,

lanta): “A lot of power. A lot of excitement. Jews together. Everyone dancing. It is a good atmosphere. You feel the ruach. There is something in the air.”

Merrie Guyton, Randallstown: “I feel happy. I feel a feeling of togetherness. I feel one large neshama.”

Dr. Shari Cohen, Stevenson: “This is my first Challah Bake and it is absolutely worth the trip. Just being with all these people together is amazing.

I just met two people at our table that

Rebbetzin Toby Kaplowitz, of Netivot Shalom: “It’s amazing. At our table we made new friends, talked to old friends, made new connections. It was a great experience.”

Rebbetzin Sarah Dinin, of Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation: “I think that this is an incredible event. It is amazing to look around and see all different types of Jews at different places in their lives, at different places in their Judaism, all connected for a common cause. All

doing this together for a mitzvah. It is really beautiful.”

Shirley Gordon, Pikesville: “Fantastic! It’s a wonderful experience for Jewish mothers, children, grandmothers, and grandchildren to be together and make something. I think it’s great. I love it!”

Toni Brafa-Fooksman, Owings Mills: “I had a great time. It’s a really nice feeling to be together with a bunch of other Jewish women--even if I don’t know them.”

Julie Klein: “I think it was a Kiddush Hashem, and I think for the girls and women it was a great venue to have self-expression in their simcha of avodas Hashem….There was this whole energy that was so positive and it was all about feeling connected to each other and connected to Hashem. I told the women at my table, this is exactly what we need to be doing to help the situation in Eretz Yisrael, because being unified is what Hashem wants us to be doing, and hopefully this is a major merit for Klal Yisrael.”

Susan Heneson Kornblatt: “At the Challah Bake I found it challenging to make the challah and to roll and braid it… When I got home I redid the challah and put raisins in it and I had fun doing it…it really inspired me. I also made a point of not turning on my computer, because I would normally use it over Shabbos. Everyone is talking about next year. What will we all do next year? What will the program be? It would be great to have something even before next year.”

The Challah Bake was the perfect segue into the Shabbos night joint Suburban Orthodox-Baltimore Hebrew Congregation dinner I attended at Suburban Orthodox. It was just one of over 50 shuls and organizations across Baltimore hosting Shabbat activities for the Baltimore Shabbat Project. Other large formal meals included: The joint Temple Emanuel-Beth Israel dinner, the Ner Tamid luncheon, Beth Tfiloh dinners and a lunch, the Moses Montifiore, Chizuk Amuno and Beth El dinners, the Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion lunch, and the Har Sinai Shabbat Rock.

There was hardly an empty seat in Suburban Orthodox during the lively, inspirational Kabalas Shabbos dav-

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I had never met, and I saw people I knew that I didn’t even know were coming. It’s incredible!”

7-year-old Beth Tfiloh student Leah Warschawski, came with her mother, Rachel, her bubby, Mrs. Eve Kresin Steinberg, and her aunt and cousin: “It’s really fun! We had to reschedule my piano lesson so I wouldn’t be late to come here.”

6-year-old Ohr Chadash student Layla Lasson: “It’s fun baking with Chana, mommy, my cousins and my aunt. I got to come because tomorrow is my birthday.”

Marcia Wagner, Pikesville: “I think it is a wonderful experience. We are celebrating as Jewish women together and baking challah--something that Jewish women do that distinguishes us as Jewish women. It’s a wonderful thing to do with a lot of women. I’ve also been thinking about my motherin-law, a”h, who did a lot of programs for Jewish women in Los Angeles, devoting her life to the Jewish community. She was my role model. I know that she would have loved this; she would have been very excited.”

OCTOBER 29, 2015

sharing the experience together, and on a greater scale, to see all of the Jewish women from various walks of life and various backgrounds-- it is really nice to see all the Jewish women coming together as a whole.”

Ariel Levy, downtown Baltimore: “I came last year. This is much more open, a lot bigger turnout giving an opportunity for more women to come.”

Dr. DeeDee Shiller, Pikesville: “It was amazing last year and this year it is on a much grander scale. I love the fact that it is multi-denominational and multi-generational and inspirational.”

Oshrit Solow who moved to Baltimore three weeks ago from Kiryat Gan (and was enjoying the evening with her new friend, Helen Altman, who recently moved to town from At-

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Nicole Rothouse, Reisterstown: “The turnout is amazing. I saw it on Facebook and it said there was like 600 people. Then, I walked in and I heard there was about 4400. I had never heard of it and it is really a great event.”

Heather Lev, Reisterstown, JWRP madricha, who was there with her 12-year-old daughter,Bethany: “This is the most amazing thing, to get friends together that we haven’t seen for a long time--from Owings Mills and Pikesville. It‘s fun. We all got together to do this together. Two of the people at my table are from the JWRP. We went to Israel together. All these different events have really gotten us together even closer and closer. It’s amazing!”

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Shabbat Project ening. The congregants couldn’t help but sing, sway, and clap while the baal tefilah inspired them with his heartfelt singing; some men even danced, briefly, around the bima, in expressing their excitement over the arrival of Shabbos.

The beautifully set up dinner hall hosted 347 guests--primarily Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and Suburban Orthodox members, in addition to those affiliated with Beth El, Chizuk Amuno, Ohel Yakov, Darchei Tzedek, Ner Tamid, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion, Shomrei Emunah, and Beth Tfiloh, among other shuls. Several new bonds were formed and some old ones were even rekindled--like when two former Talmudical Academy students, Dr. Aaron Goldberg and Craig Neuman, had a surprise reunion with their kindergarten arts and crafts teacher, Mrs. Beser. Dr. Goldberg was “randomly” seated with Mrs. Beser and her family, who are members of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, at the dinner.

“It was nice to see Mrs. Beser after 53 years; I was totally floored,” shared Dr. Goldberg. “We need to do that [have communal get-togethers] more often. It was really a great experience.”

City Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector was in attendance, as well, and remarked: “To be able to participate in this memorable event as a member of the Baltimore Jewish community was truly inspirational. “I give great thankfulness to the organizers and the beneficiaries in our Jewish community for making this wonderful purposeful happening and know it will be celebrated for many, many years to come--Lech Lecha, all together as Hashem promised Abraham. Am Yisroel Chai!”

Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, a Democratic Central Committee member who is campaigning for the position of Council in Baltimore City’s fifth district, was also in attendance. “The tremendous outpouring of the community to join together for a unity Shabbos dinner was very inspiring,” mentioned Mr. Schleifer. “It was a truly unique opportunity for two seemingly diverse synagogues to bring together people

whose paths may not cross that often, to experience Judaism and celebrate Shabbos in a meaningful spiritual and social event. Hopefully it will be the start of a community trend to expand collaboration between synagogues that come from different religious spectrums, and the new friendships that were created should blossom and benefit the broad Baltimore Jewish community.”

There were some tents pitched around town, to accommodate some of the approximately 150 lay-led Shabbat dinners and luncheons held.

As I passed those pitched at Yeshivas Lev Shlomo and at the home of Dr. Michael and Mrs. Linda Elman (who hosted Shabbat dinner for about 80 people connected to the Acharai leadership program with participation of NCSY student leaders, and Shabbat lunch for about 80 members of the CJE board.), on my way to and from Suburban Orthodox, I couldn’t help but think how appropriate it was that the Shabbat Project was held on Parshas Lech Lecha. Avraham Avinu’s hospitality has certainly been carried down the generations, down to the tent!

The lay-led dinners and luncheons have been an initiative for community members to invite people that they don’t ordinarily invite, for example, from their synagogue, neighborhood, place of employment, etc.

the atmosphere was one of incredible warmth and openness to all,” recalls Mrs. Neuberger. “At one point during the meal a member of each family was invited to express a few words describing themselves and a sense of what Shabbos or this Shabbos meant to them. Each comment was unique, meaningful, illuminating, movingly heartfelt, leaving all with a sense of great respect, closeness and deeper bonding to one another.”

I was thrilled that Past Levindale Auxiliary President Linda Hurwitz, who is the incoming Chair of the

better than October 24, 2015!

“Each Shabbat not only is a gift, but makes me feel one with our people: the only religion that celebrates this unique holiness for 25 hours Friday night through Saturday night,” continued Mrs. Hurwitz. “YET, this Shabbat was on steroids. Truly sharing, experiencing, embracing and loving Shabbat with so many literally and figuratively, locally and internationally, in shuls, tents, and homes.

Each time I say the Shema, I get goose bumps knowing that my entire people are not only reciting it exactly like I

Board of the Associated, was among the many wonderful guests in the neighborhood tent who spoke from her heart. After Shabbat she shared, “Did you notice how instantly we all felt a connection, a family-like bond, a shared relationship? This feeling is similar to the defining moment I spoke about when I welcomed Natasha, the Russian teenager, from the plane to

am, but that we are one: one people with one purpose, one passion, one G-d and one past, present, and future.

The Shabbat Project gave us a forum to live our unity, to celebrate our oneness and to partake in the joy of being Jewish. The success of The Shabbat Project indicates the desire for every Jew to embrace their Judaism, to celebrate what we have in common and to feel the joy and closeness of one Jew to another.”

I also had the pleasure of eating lunch at the same table with Saralee and Bobby Jacobson, who relocated to Greengate to be able to walk to their shul, Moses Montefiore.

“It was such a moving experience celebrating Shabbat with different Jewish people in the community; celebrating Shabbos has changed our lives,” shared Mrs. Jacobson, who started to keep kosher at the age of 57. The Jacobsons’ religious journey took them from a Reform to a Conservative to an Orthodox lifestyle. Fourteen years ago, when the Jacobsons were members of a Conservative synagogue, Mrs. Jacobson shopped for a hat in Hats to Hose and hit it off with proprietor Sima Goldstein, whose Orthodox lifestyle she and her husband chose to emulate.

THE ATMOSPHERE WAS ONE OF INCREDIBLE WARMTH AND OPENNESS TO ALL I was fortunate to spend one of my most wonderful Shabbos lunches, ever, in the warm, welcoming Hal Circle community tent (MC‘ed by Avi Greenlinger), together with about 100 people. I enjoyed sitting with Yaakov and Rachel Neuberger and their son, Yissocher. Mrs. Neuberger was just one of the many gracious neighborhood hostesses.

“From the very first moments,

Israel. There is an innate love for a fellow Jew that is in each of our DNA and it is our responsibility as a people and a community to provide opportunities for every Jew to experience and discover this trait. One success story was at the neighborhood tent on Hal Circle/Court. Anyone lucky to share in this beautiful festival of Shabbat will grow from it, remember it and spread this warmth to others. It does not get

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Shabbat Project and respect each other as who we are as one Jewish people.’ It’s important.

We have different traditions; we have different practices, though we are all Jewish. So, here we are coming together to celebrate, rather than grieve or mourn or operate in fear or in horror, which we automatically do as a people, but now we get to get together to celebrate being Jews together, as one people. That is what this is about.

That is what this is for, here and all over the world.”

Shabbat Project co-chair Rabbi Nitzan Bergman concurred: “King

all lived together. There was nothing more important to him than his grandchildren and the Jewish community.”

The special Shabbat Project culminated with the motzei Shabbat outdoor One People One Heart Concert, starring the Moshav Band, on the lawn of the Rosenbloom Owings Mills J.C.C. An estimated 2000 community members attended, marking the end of a very special Shabbos, using the 600 Havdalah candles and 1200 spice bags that Hebrew school students and preschoolers throughout Baltimore made.

I was warmly welcomed into the concert by Randy Glassman, who participated in the Shabbat Project by taking part in the Challah Bake with her cousins, daughters, granddaughters, and sister-in-law, enjoying Shabbos dinner with her family, as she does weekly, in addition to participating in a special Shabbos Project luncheon at her shul, Chizuk Amuno.

“I love seeing this diversity,” noted Randy. “If we all remember we are all Jews, we are all Hashem’s children, made in the image of G-d, the world would be a better place. It is just a wonderful thing to see, especially at the Challah Bake, all women from different types of Judaism were there. It was wonderful.”

little bit late, but still we were able to have a fabulous Challah Bake, a little bit of Shabbos programming, and a small concert. We decided to up everything this year…Every program was planned for a year.”

I also met Rabbi David Finkelstein, director of Camp Shoresh, in Frederick, Maryland, at the concert, who had just returned from camp after hosting over 100 people there for a Shabbaton. “This is a tremendous Kiddush Hashem,” said Rabbi Finkelstein. “Remember: We’re not keeping the Shabbos; the Shabbos is keeping us--so, the Shabbos should still keep us all these years. It’s the only thing that keeps us going all these years as a Jewish people.”

On the way out of the concert I met Shabbat Project program manager, entrepreneur Nisa Felps, who worked with 1000 volunteers for nine months to create the 2015 Baltimore Shabbat Project. “I feel very gratified at this moment,” said Mrs. Phelps.

“Last year, as successful as the Challah Bake was, I felt Baltimore could do better. I wanted to get involved because I wanted Shabbos to be the center part, because Shabbos is the most important part, and I feel that Baltimore stepped up in a big way

tov (gratitude) to Rabbi Goldstein. He started this. It is just not a project, it is a movement for Yiddishkeit--even for frum people. Frum people need to be ignited and this project is igniting people to become alive and to cherish what they have within their heart already. It‘s beautiful and I feel so honored. It is not kiruv (outreach), it‘s achdus (unity)!”

As Emma Michelsohn said, “I think those who are already affiliated are given a chance to have an extra elevation to what they normally celebrate. They celebrate every week, but they get an extra elevation, an extra shiur, a meal with new people, or a class, or divrei Torah, and a chance to meet some new people, and to see the vast diversity of our family--but we’re still family and that’s the beauty of it….I think the overall Shabbos point was unity, and I think that was definitely achieved.”

Shabbat Project co-chair Liora Hill, a member of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and founder ofZoetic Workshops, best summed up the Shabbat Project event, perhaps, noting: “We have so many people who have just jumped up and said, ‘Yes, we really are one people and it really is important for us to dignify, honor

David said, “In the multitude of people is the king’s glory.” (Proverbs 14:28). The Baltimore Shabbat Project has happened: Something so beautiful, almost surreal, transpired. The multitude of people who participated led to this project taking on a life of its own. No individual stood out because it was simply too big. Yet at the same time each individual meant everything, like the screw which keeps the airplane window closed tight – itself insignificant but in relation to the whole, vital. The energy created was due to each and every individual, bar none, who participated. This phenomenon could happen in other settings.

Big sporting events often have this energy. This Shabbos was different though; it was about doing a Mitzvah. Whatever thoughts people had, the simple reality was that they came together to celebrate Shabbos and the Jewish people. G-d’s presence was plainly felt. The Glory of The King was palpable and that is the most awesome experience a human can have.

We read in the Parsha about Abraham and how G-d told him to leave his family and travel to the Promised Land. He was sent on a mission. This Shabbos we got a glimpse of that mission -- to bring Glory to The King!”

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this year with over 50 shuls and organizations having activities all around Baltimore and over 150 lay-led host meals. People took it and people were excited. I was at Ner Tamid, today, and there were 350 people there and 100 people on the waiting list. People were everywhere wanting to be a part of this project, wanting to be a part of something global, of something huge.

Baltimore is an incredible community.

I’m proud to be from Baltimore and I’m proud to be involved in this project with so many dedicated, incredible volunteers. I have a lot of hakaras ha-

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Scheping nachas at the concert was Sora Wolasky, who was on the Steering Committee of theBaltimore Shabbat Project and the One People One Heart Concert co-chair.

“This is a dream that I had after getting excerpts of the program from Rabbi Warren Goldstein in South Africa and hearing about how well their Shabbat program went,” shared Mrs. Wolasky. “I was so excited, I spoke to a couple of friends in the community and said, ‘We have to do this!’ Last year, I helped initiate the first Shabbat Project in Baltimore. We started a

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Phil and Sherrie Blank also joined the Hal Circle tent and really enjoyed all the “positive energy” during the meal. “My father [Albert David Blank, who was the first generation owner of the Blanks Dollar Stores-more recently known as Blanks Fabrics--founded by his father, Isaac, in 1904] would be so proud of the Jewish community coming together like this because the Jewish community was so important to him,” shared Mr. Blank.

“When he came to Baltimore he lived in East Baltimore, in the Jewish community, and he liked the fact that we

Real Estate

OCTOBER 29, 2015

8 Portable Space Heater Safety Tips

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

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Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder VacancyFillers.com

With the cost and hassle of replacing central heat, a lot of people are investing in space heaters. They can lower your energy bills by adding direct warmth to the rooms you use most. But while these portable heaters can be both efficient and economical, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

To help you choose a portable space heater wisely and use it safely, here are 8 tips for space heater safety:

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Whole-Room vs. Personal Heater: Select the Right One When you purchase a portable heater, be sure to buy one that is rated for your need. An electric space heater that is too large for a certain area will consume lots of energy and lead to higher utility bills. On the contrary, buying a portable gas or electric heater rated for a small space and expecting it

to cover a large area will make it work harder to heat the space. Look for a portable space heater with overheat protection and fits your space.

If you need a whole-room heater, consider a fan-forced or wall heater.

For quiet whole-room warmth, look for a mica-thermic panel or oil-filled radiators.

There are also offer radiant heaters for personal warmth. In order for your heater to run safely and efficiently, it’s important to find one that fits your needs.

Look for Space Heaters with Tip-Over and Overheat Protection Today’s portable heater models include a variety of safety features that help take a lot of the worry out of using them. A heater equipped with a tip- or tilt-over switch will automatically shut off if it’s tipped over for any reason.

This is a useful control, particularly in areas with active children or pets.

Room heaters with overheat protection switches function in nearly the same manner.

It uses a temperature sensor, detecting when internal components become too hot.

When an unsafe temperature is detected, the switch automatically shuts off the unit to prevent overheating.

Keep Safety Certifications in Mind Portable space heaters that are listed by Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) have been tested, proven, and certified

to meet specific safety standards. The manufacturers of these heaters are also required to provide important information about the safe usage and care of their products.

Some common testing laboratory certifications to look for include UL (Underwriters Laboratories), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), and ETL (Intertek Group). If your product has one of these certifications, you can

be confident it’s safe to use at home using the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pick the Right Place Give your single-room space heater the clearances they need. A few models can be hung directly on your wall, but others need a little more space. It’s generally suggested that space heaters be placed at least 3 feet away from furniture, window treatments, bedding, clothing, rugs, and other combustibles. These items can cause a risk of fire if they come in contact with a unit’s electric heating element or too-hot surface. Never sit or drape anything on top of a portable heater. In addition, be sure that the heater is placed on a hard, level surface.

Plug Directly into an Outlet As a rule of thumb, plug a portable electric heater directly into an outlet with sufficient power capacity. Attaching an extension cord to the unit increases the chance of overheating, fires, and electrical shock injuries. If an extension cord must be attached, use one that is properly rated and sized for the portable heater appliance.

Regularly Inspect and Maintain Your Purchase You should occasionally inspect your space heater, particularly when

you first purchase it. Frequently clean and maintain it to ensure it’s working safely. Wiping yours down will also help reduce the amount of dust and allergens that may be dispersed around your space. Of course, never use a defective heater.

Shut Off and Unplug if Not in Use Upon leaving an area, turn off the portable space heater and unplug it.

Many models, like Vornado heaters, feature programmable timers that can be used to program automatic on and off times for when you sleep or head to work.

Keep Heaters Away From Water Unless it is specifically designed for use in damp spaces, refrain from running a heater in a bathroom or a humid basement. Moreover, do not touch the heater if you are wet or have wet hands, as this increases the risk of electrical shock. Some DeLonghi heaters, including the DeLonghi TRN0812T Oil-Filled Radiator Heater, feature GFCI plugs that makes them safe for use in bathrooms.

Educating yourself about the safety hazards that come with the improper use of portable heaters will help you achieve better peace of mind as you keep your home warm, comfortable, and fire hazard-free this winter!

Are you wasting time, money and patience trying to find a tenant for your vacant property? Are you constantly being distracted from you family and career, and stressed because you are not getting results from your current placement efforts? VacancyFillers. com can help! We are your one-call tenant placement solution! For more information, please visit: www.vacancyfillers.com or call 410.941.4813

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Your

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Money

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Tax Man Makes $1=$10,001

By Allan Rolnick

watch his equity climb ever higher.)

Drive two hours east to the Hamptons (or better yet, fly 45 minutes on a helicopter) and the story is much the same. A million bucks buys you something the real estate agent might describe as “shabby chic,” but that anyone without

apartment sold there went for $71 million (do the math), it adds up fast!

Here’s the lesson for the week.

Buying big-ticket items like a house, an apartment, or business equipment can involve much more than just running down to the store

Want to join New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, fashion designer Vera Wang, and the rest of the billionaires hanging their bespoke hats at 740 Park Avenue?

a vested interest in the sale price would just call “shabby.” You’ve really got to make it rain to get something most of us would consider a “mansion.”

Governments aren’t the only ones to hustle some extra cash when a property changes hands.

Many of the city’s finer cooperative apartments impose a so-called “flip tax” to buy or sell. Want to join New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, fashion designer Vera Wang, and the rest of the billionaires hanging their bespoke hats at 740 Park Avenue? You’ll pay the building an extra 3%. That might not sound like so much — but considering the last

and whipping out your American Express card. And selling those sorts of assets the wrong way can cost you even more. So don’t make those decisions alone. Make sure you have a plan to buy and sell right!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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T

he good news, if there really is any, is that the higher tax applies only on the amount of income above the new threshold. If your income is $413,201, you’ll pay the higher rate on that 413,201st dollar of income, but no higher on the first $413,200. Paying the higher tax on that last dollar hurts a little more, but not as much as if it meant paying more on every dollar.

But not all taxes are progressive

in the same way. Sometimes governments impose taxes on certain transactions that kick in at a certain level but are based on the entire amount. Naturally, those sorts of taxes get buyers and sellers to sit up and take notice before they act.

And we may be about to see that effect in one of the country’s frothiest housing markets — the “Big Apple.”

In 1989, New York Governor Mario Cuomo signed the “mansion tax” into law. It’s a flat 1% surcharge you pay to close on property costing $1 million or more. Last year, it raised $362 million. That’s a drop in the Empire State’s $72 billion bucket. But it’s a big deal for the buyers! If you pay “just” $999,999 for your new home, your mansion tax is zilch. But pay one dollar more, and you owe the tax on the entire $1 million. That single extra dollar of price just took $10,001 out of your pocket!

Back in 1989, $1 million really bought you a mansion. But today in Manhattan, the median sale price is a record-high $999,999, according to the Corcoran Group real estate brokers. You can drop $1 million just for a one-room studio. At the high end, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman just paid $91.5 million for a condo at the One57 building in the heart of 57th Street’s new “Billionaire’s Row.” (He’s not actually going to live there, mind you — he’ll just host an occasional party and

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Here in the United States, Uncle Sam imposes a “progressive” income tax. As your income goes up, so does your tax rate.

However, those rates go up incrementally.

If you’re married, filing jointly with your spouse, the 39.6% top rate kicks in at $413,201.

(We use the term “kicks” deliberately because that’s how it feels when you’re giving Uncle Sam nearly 40 cents on the dollar.)

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

OCTOBER 29, 2015

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A Parsha Thought Vayera: Companionship & Consolation Rabbi Shmuel Silber

Now the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot (Genesis 18:1).

Old habits are heard to break.

Avraham Avinu was a true embodiment of chessed, loving-kindness and selflessness. He spent his years reaching out and forging bonds with others in an effort to bring them closer to God and to one another. And so it comes as no surprise when only a few days after his circumcision we find Avraham sitting at the entrance of his

tent, in the middle of a blistering day, eagerly looking for guests to welcome into his home. Three angelic visitors, disguised as desert nomads appeared, were ushered in and told Avraham and Sarah they were going to have a son.

When learning this story our attention is drawn to the angelic emissaries, their missions and the events that unfold over the rest of the parsha. We often overlook the first event the Torah recalls – revelation. God appeared to Avraham. But there is something missing. In most instances Divine Revelation is followed by dialogue. w

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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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When God appears to someone it is usually to convey a message or a set of instructions, yet here, God appears but there is no dialogue or conversation with Avraham. What was the purpose of this Divine appearance and encounter?

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook zt’l (1865-1935) explains that to understand the nature of this revelation we must go back to the events in last week’s Parsha. God commanded Avraham to circumcise himself and the members of his household. This “bris” was to create a physical covenant between God and the Abrahamitic family. Avraham was scared. Not sacred of the pain or discomfort, but scared of the ramifications this newly issued command would have upon his life’s work. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 47) states, “Avraham said (to God), until now people would come to me, now they will stop coming.” Avraham’s success in disseminating the message of God was in great part due to his ability to connect with people. He understood them; he grew up among them and he possessed a keen appreciation for their realities and struggles.

The people who visited Avraham saw in him a person whom they could relate to and as such were receptive to his monotheistic message. However, when God commanded Avraham to perform the Bris, Avraham feared that people would hear about this strange form of allegiance to the Divine and would distance themselves from him.

After all who has ever heard of such a thing? The people would say, “If we maintain a relationship with Avraham, he may try to impose this practice on us.” Avraham realized that the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Bris Milah would separate him both physically and spiritually from the people around him and in doing so limit his ability to impact others. Rav Kook explains

that Avraham felt he had to choose between listening to God and effectively impacting others. Avraham actually contemplated disobeying the circumcision command so that he would be more effective in spreading the message and word of God throughout civilization. Ultimately, Avraham chose to adhere to the command of God and readied himself for estrangement from the greater community of mankind.

We like to fit in. We find comfort and security in being part of a group; whether it is within a family unit, a community or a peer group. But there are times in life when we must take a stand. There are times in life when we must do or accomplish something even though it may estrange or separate us from those around us. There are times when we must make unpopular decisions, simply because they are the right decisions to make. But it is hard to stand alone; it is hard to feel separated from the collective.

Herein lies the beautiful message of the opening phrase of our Parsha.

After the Bris Avraham felt so isolated and alone and it was in that very moment that the Torah says, VA’YERA ELAV HASHEM, God appeared to him - there is no dialogue because this is a not a dialogical revelation, it is a companionship revelation. God is not in Avraham’s tent to give him instructions or a message, He is there to show Avraham that he is not alone, that he will never be alone. It is through this revelation that God teaches Avraham and his offspring a very important lesson. God whispers to us, “My dear children, in those very moments when you feel alone, forsaken and estranged from those around you because of the difficult decisions you had to make know that I am with you, I am holding your hand; I am by your side and always will be.”

It Could Have Happened To You

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Out of Left Field Rabbi Eli Scheller

and set the stage for the experiences that followed. I was again stunned.

There had been no davening rehearsal and the singing and dancing were not accompanied by musical instruments.

Nevertheless, the pure and raw emotions of Jews singing together left an impression on the students.

What I learned is that often the results or success that you were expecting occurs in the least expected way. What you believe will help you get the job, marriage partner or new

home will not necessarily happen, nevertheless, you still must make that phone call, and do whatever it takes to help you get there. The effort is up to you and you must give it all you can.

However, the results are not. Once you have done everything in your control take a step back and be prepared for the unexpected.

Rabbi Eli Scheller is the author of the popular series ‘A Minute Vort’ on the parsha. To receive his weekly dvar torah email schellereli@gmail.com

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That showed me spontaneity and initiative”. I was stunned by the irony.

What I had prepared and practiced for hours seemed to go unnoticed but the act which I did haphazardly and which took only a minimal amount of effort impressed my future employer.

This past shabbos I spent a weekend with a number of college students from Penn State who were not Shabbos observant. For a majority of the students it was their first time experiencing shabbos within a religious community and an itinerary was made to make it a most memorable one. The planners of the Shabbaton had spent many hours of time and many thousands of dollars making sure the tables, the decorations, and the food were all at the highest level. The students were invited to a Friday night dinner in a beautiful tent hosted by a meat ‘foodie’, and he indeed served the most succulent roast I had ever tasted. After dinner they celebrated an uplifting oneg with dozens of young couples from the neighborhood. The next day another elaborate meal was served for lunch. At the final meal in the late afternoon they had the opportunity to meet and discuss Middle Eastern and American politics with a prominent leader of AIPAC. The Shabbos was concluded with a guitar accompanied ‘Carlebach’ type of Havdala service. After Shabbos the students were polled to choose their most memorable moment of the weekend, and to my surprise their responses were unanimous. They were most touched by the Friday night tefillos.

I asked a number of the students what it was about the tefillos that felt so special. Again, the responses were unequivocal. The sense of spirituality and devotion through the singing and dancing served to welcome Shabbos

OCTOBER 29, 2015

I applied for a job as a kiruv professional while I was still living in Israel, and the person in charge responded that he was impressed enough with my application to go on to the next stage in the process - a two week interview. Most people are familiar with a two person interview or a two hour interview, but in this case the founder was bringing a group of interested young professionals to Israel on a two week tour, and he wanted me to join the group for that period to see how well I connected with them on a day to day basis.

“Two weeks,” I thought with trepidation. How could I impress someone repeatedly over such a long period of time? I tried to accumulate all the inspiring stories and divrei Torah I had used in the past and to put those into a notebook for quick reference. I pulled my guitar out of the closet and brushed up on the most soul stirring tunes for those new to the fold.

At the end of the trial period, to my pleasant surprise, I was offered the job by the head of the program. I was eager to learn which of my efforts had earned me this position - was it the lectures, the stories, or perhaps my singing and guitar playing? I was taken aback by the response of the director’s wife. She said, “You connected well with the group, your classes were good, and your music was inspirational but there was something else you did that made me feel you were the right guy for the job. When we had a kumzitz on the shore of the Kinneret you brought out your guitar and then realized there was no room to stand in between the group and the edge of the lake. Instead of giving up, or asking the group to move, you rolled up your pants, stood in the water, and went on with the performance.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Digital World Do You Want to Be On Top of Google?

Or Do You Want to Make Money?

I often get calls from people asking me, “How do I get to the top of Google for “fill in dream keyword”?” While there are definitely a number of things you can do to boost your rankings in Google that is not always my response.

I like to get to the root of their question before giving my answer. I usually ask “Why do you want to get to the top of Google?” To which they always respond “Because I want to make money”.

There is a basic assumption that they make, which is: Getting to the top of Google equals making money.

That assumption completely wrong, getting to the top of Google will get you more web traffic. But in order to make money you need to have a website that can convert that traf-

fic into money or leads.

Assuming that your website’s design is up to date and does not scare people away, here are a number of elements that every website needs to convert its’ traffic into money: Unique Selling Proposition The first things users should see on your website is your USP (unique selling proposition). What makes you stand out? Summarize it into a single phrase and make it shine.

User Friendly Don’t try and stuff too much information on every page. Make it clear what the page is about and what you want visitors to do. Keep your navigation simple and message clear.

Tip: Do not use rotating image banners; although they look pretty,

they are terrible for conversion. (This has been tried and tested) Lead Bait If you are a lead generation business, make sure your website has conversion points that make it easy for the visitors to give you their information.

For example at Digital Trax we offer a free website audit. Other examples are: free consultations, free quotes, e-books and whitepapers.

Clear Call to Actions Many times people invest money into their websites making sure they are beautifully designed. However, they forget that the main purpose is to get their traffic to convert. Always make sure you clearly and aggressively state the main action that you want your web visitors to take. For example if you want them to call then state “Call Now” or if you want them to fill out a form to contact you then state “Fill Out This Form”.

Social Proof

Always give your website visitors a reason to believe. Your website should be full of testimonials, case studies and examples of other happy clients. This creates trust with your brand and will make it easier for visitors to follow through on the call to action.

Conclusion In conclusion before focusing on how to get more traffic make sure you have a website that can potentially convert the traffic into money. Your website should be user friendly, believable, and conversion focused.

Shlomo Trachtenberg manages online marketing at Laureate education, a nine figure international corporation, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Shlomo is also the CEO of Digital Trax, LLC, a digital marketing agency focused on adapting corporate digital marketing strategies and strategically applying them to small and intermediate businesses. To contact Shlomo email hello@digital-trax.com or call (410) 697-1256

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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In The

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

K tchen Sweet and Sour Turkey Breast Roast

This week, while I was recipe-testing, I used a turkey breast roast rather than a whole turkey. It was so juicy and moist. Using a temperature probe to help with the cooking helps get the turkey just right and helps prevent overcooking.

All poultry should be cooked to the internal temperature of 165°F.

SWEET AND SOUR TURKEY BREAST ROAST For the Turkey Ingredients 5 pound boneless turkey breast roast tied with string Garlic powder Onion powder Paprika Kosher salt Canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of your sauté pan) Preparation Rinse and then pat the turkey dry. Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

Heat pan, then add oil. Once oil is hot, add turkey and sear on all sides for a few minutes. Place turkey in a baking dish.

For the Sauce Ingredients 2 onions, cut into rings 4 carrots, sliced into rings 4 cloves garlic 1 cup ketchup ¾ cup brown sugar Pinch cinnamon 1 can pineapple chunks with liquid 1 cup water 2 TBS cornstarch

Preparation In the same sauté pan, place onions and carrots and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for two minutes. Add ketchup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pineapple. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer for five minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until smooth. Add it to the simmering sauce. Bring back to a boil until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over turkey and then insert a temperature probe to the thickest part. Cover the turkey. Set the probe to 165 and bake for 1 ½ hours at 350°, making sure to not overcook it as turkey dries out fast.

Slice when it has cooled. Serve warm with sauce.

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH Ingredients 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed 2 TBS olive oil 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp cumin Salt and pepper, to taste Preparation Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss all ingredients together on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast until fork tender and edges are tinged brown. Serve alongside the turkey roast.

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

Naomi can be reached through her website,www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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With Thanksgiving coming up next month, I have started testing new turkey recipes. I have always looked forward to this time of the year; it’s usually not too cold outside, and I love the foliage.

On Thanksgiving itself, we usually get together with friends and play board games, eat fabulous food and even catch a little football. (Boy, I have become so American!)

OCTOBER 29, 2015

By Naomi Nachman