Baltimore Jewish Home - 12-22-22

Dear Readers,

Yosef HaTzadik had a very difficult start to his life. At a young age he was thrown into a pit and soon thereafter thrown into another pit following the incident with the wife of Potifar. He was all alone without family, food, and support. Yet, despite the difficulties, he managed to burst out of these lockdowns even stronger - like a seed that sprouted forth. How did he manage to grow without water or sustenance? Rabbi YY Jacobson explains that throughout the time Yosef was gone, Yaakov refused to be comforted and to believe he was buried. He cried for his son who was no longer with him. Yaakov never gave up and pressed forward with his tefillos. And it was these tears that allowed Yosef to grow despite his hardship. Yosef not only came out safe and sound, he came out firing away on all cylinders and flourished!

Similarly, during the times of Chanukah, the Jewish people were facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge. They were cast aside and stripped of their ability to serve Hashem as they were accustomed. Yet, despite these

challenges, and despite “being buried,” they never gave up, remaining steadfast in their beliefs. This is symbolized in the Pach Shemen, the little “tear” of oil that lasted eight nights and what is the basis for the entire holiday. One little tear of oil was all that was needed to propel the Yidden forward.

Throughout our times there are challenges that can bury us. It can range from the antisemitism that leads to millions of people being wiped out, to our personal day-to-day difficulties. We can feel like there’s no way out, but we should always remember that as long as we’re underground, we can still be watered. The tears that are shed for those going through hardships are resulting in the growth of beautiful flowers. As we light the neiros each night of Chanukah, we are commemorating and reinforcing the age-old grit of our Nation. Our history is littered with our ancestors facing seemingly insurmountable adversities, yet they always prevailed. We can prevail as well.

Wishing everyone a joyous Chanukah!

Aaron Menachem

Bais Yaakov Teams Achieve Stellar Results!

Both the Bais Yaakov Robotics Teams, under the guidance of Mrs. Ora Attar and Mrs. Sarena Schwartz, and the Debate Team, under the guidance of Mrs. Leeba Steen, achieved stunning results in their respective interschool competitions on Tuesday.

At the CIJE VEX Tournament in

Long Island, the Robotics Team achieved finishing positions of Second and Third Place out of twenty-seven schools! In Philadelphia, the Debate Team achieved All Around Best Team in a competition of seven yeshiva high schools, including Prospect Park High School, Shevach High School, and Kosloff Torah Academy. Congratulations to First

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah Inaugural Ma’amad Hadlaka

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah held its inaugural “Ma’amad Hadlaka” on the 1st night of Chanukah. Simply put, the “Ma’amadHadlaka” is where the Kehilla came to participate in the personal Hadlakas Ner Chanukah of the Rav, Harav Yissochor Dov Eichenstein Shlit”a. The goal of this event was to give the Rav the opportunity to impart the Ruach and feeling of what an ideal fulfillment of this special Mitzvah should look like.

The event featured the “Chevraya” Choir who led the Zemiros and singing, both before and after the Hadlaka. In addition, the “Bachurei Mercaz” (Mercaz’s Shabbos group of 7th and 8th grade Bar-Mitzvah Bachurim) also formed a choir and sang select Niggunim together with the adult choir.

The Beis Medrash was setup with 6-row bleachers to accommodate both the choirs and many of the kids who came to watch. The setup also included a large “Tish”, where fol-

lowing standing by the Neiros for a half hour, Harav Eichenstein sat to share Divrei Torah, make a L’chaim and give out Chanukah Gelt.

All the participants received a beautiful “Mesivta” Seder Hadlakas Ner Chanukah, which they used to follow along with the choir as they

and Third Place debaters respectively, Ayala Shoob and Baily Levin.

We are proud of our competing students not only for your success but for the beautiful ways of team work, derech eretz, and tzniyus, with which you represented our school, our community, and our Torah way of life!

sang the Zemiros. Everyone was encouraged to take the booklet home, to use for their own Hadlaka throughout the rest of Chanukah.

This Ma’amad is sure to become an annual highlight to set the tone for this most special Yom Tov of Chanukah!

Worthy Insurance wins 2022 JCFL by Shimz Cars Championship

Any casual follower of the Jewish Community Football League by “Shimz Cars” could’ve predicted before the season that Worthy Insurance and Tripping Kosher would meet in the JCFL Championship Game presented by “Chef Dan’s Cafe.” In the last 9 seasons, it was a guarantee you would see either Captain Chaim Finkelstein (Worthy) or Captain Shulie Hochman (Tripping Kosher) or both, competing in the Championship Game. Hochman is an All-Pro WR/DB but stepped up this season as a firsttime Captain & QB, while Finkelstein has been a Captain & QB/LB since the league’s inception. (Note: anyone wanting to play QB next season should reach out to Dovi Ziffer (davidziffer@ gmail.com)

Unfortunately, Hochman was placed on IR (hamstring) after the regular season matchup between Tripping Kosher and Worthy, but the team maintained their momentum when he

was replaced by last season’s Championship-winning QB, Moshe Tuchman. TK’s only loss of the season was to Worthy back in week 4, and they came into the Championship Game riding a 4-game winning streak, determined to beat Worthy this time. But Worthy, coming off an incredible comeback performance in the Final Four, knew they matched up well against TK, and would win the Championship if they stuck to their gameplan.

Championship Sunday was cold and raining. The ball was wet, the field was slippery, but the players were fired up to play on the “ActualEyes” turf field in front of fans and family members. Worthy won the coin toss and deferred to the 2nd half. On TK’s first possession, they were stopped on 4th down when Worthy CB, Pasey Wealcatch, swatted down a pass near the goal line. Worthy’s high-powered offense wasted no time scoring. A 40 yard TD pass from Chaim Finkelstein to brother Yoni Finkelstein was called

back after a holding penalty, but 3 plays later, the two connected on their patented back-shoulder throw for the first Touchdown of the game. The 2 point conversion was shockingly returned by TK for 2 points, and the score was 6-2. After another 4th down stop by Worthy, this time courtesy of Shloime Scheinfeld, the Finkelstein brothers connected again on a long completion, a 35 yard acrobatic catch by Yoni on a tipped ball, setting up a 10 yard Touchdown strike to Scheinfeld in the front of the endzone. The brothers connected on another back-shoulder for the 2 point conversion, increasing the lead to 14-2.

Just before halftime, TK cut the lead to 14-9 on a 15 yard TD to WR Mordi Reches and an extra point to WR Mookie Chamdi, and after forcing Worthy to punt, they had a chance to take the lead. But Worthy Safety Ouriel “Brad” Nafisi, looking to win his 3rd consecutive Championship, shifted all the momentum back to Worthy with the biggest interception of the season, perfectly jumping a route in the back of the endzone. After that, Worthy dominated the rest of the game.

Because WR Yoni Finkelstein torched them in the first half, TK was focused on stopping him in the 2nd half. Unfortunately for TK, that led to the other Worthy receivers running open the rest of the game. Worthy scored a Touchdown on the opening possession of the second half, a 1 yard rollout to TE Eliav Sobol, set up by a QB run and a long Scheinfeld completion. Scheinfeld caught another strike just past the goaline for the 2 point conversion, increasing the lead to 22-9. After the teams traded punts, Worthy scored again and took a 28-9 lead after Scheinfeld caught his 2nd

Touchdown of the day, on the same unstoppable redzone play they ran all season, essentially putting the game out of reach with 15 minutes left.

After a few more punts, TK scored just before the 2-minute warning, extending the game and cutting the lead to 28-16. But on the first play of the next possession, Finkelstein motioned Scheinfeld from right to left, pitched him the ball, and he raced 50 yards for his 3rd Touchdown of the game. That play made the score 34-16 and it in essence, ended the game. Congratulations to Yoni Finkelstein on being named Super Bowl MVP; to Shloime Scheinfeld, Offensive Player of the Year; to Brad Nafisi, Defensive Player of the Year; and to Chaim Finkelstein, this season’s Walter Johnson Jr. Most Valuable Player. Thank you to all of our players, supporters, and sponsors. Looking forward to next season!

There’s no place like home.

Yachad Centers give every individual with disabilities a place to go, friends to call their own, and the feeling: “I belong.”

Yachad is here wherever you are – helping individuals connect through daily fun programs, skill-building activities, exciting events, and lots of love and laughter. We look forward to welcoming you at one of our centers and embracing you as part of the Yachad family!

2nd OCA Mesibat Chumash

Mazal Tov to our 2nd graders on receiving their very own Chumash! The students sang beautifully, danced, and each shared their love and excitement about learning Chumash. They then had the opportunity to learn the first pasuk of Lech Lecha with their families and decorate their Chumash cover. We are so proud of our 2nd graders and grateful to their amazing team of teachers for the hard work put into this event!

We were thrilled to welcome close to 350 Grandparents and Special Friends to OCA to see our school in action, spend time in classrooms with interactive Chanukah projects and songs, hear student performances and Divrei Torah while enjoying a delicious breakfast, and get a glimpse of all that our students learn and experience each day. It was a spectacular morning! We thank all of our visitors for coming.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day at Ohr Chadash Academy (OCA)

Menucha Family Shabbaton

Mazal Tov to our 2nd graders on receiving their very own Chumash! The students sang beautifully, danced, and each shared their love and excitement about learning Chumash. They then had the opportunity to learn the first pasuk of Lech Lecha with their families and decorate their Chumash cover. We are so proud of our 2nd graders and grateful to their amazing team of teachers for the hard work put into this event!

For the families of Menucha, Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach began with warm smiles and anticipation. By the time Motzei Shabbos arrived, the connection, inspiration, and laughter broke all barriers, and as the entire Menucha family danced, hand in hand, they truly felt like one big Family.

Menucha, a Baltimore-based organization that services children and adults with disabilities, not only provides consistent activities for their participants, but they also strive to encourage, support, and inspire their participants’ parents and families. The annual Menucha Shabbaton can perhaps best illustrate the organization’s mission and the incredible devotion of the Menucha families. Organized by Mrs. Rochel Neuberger and Miss Bella Herman, under the direction of Rabbi Yaakov Wealcatch and Mrs. Ellen Edinger, the Shabbaton featured inspirational speeches from guest speaker Rabbi Paysach Krohn, uplifting and delicious seudos, and activities to keep the Menucha participants happily occupied. The packed Shabbos program

was followed by a community-wide Melava Malka filled with dance and song.

“The Menucha Shabbaton was like a dream. When we arrived, the event organizers welcomed us with smiles, directed us to our room, and pampered us with gifts that would make our stay more comfortable, including an adorable little teddy bear for our daughter, which she loved…. At each of the seudos, we enjoyed good company, tasty food, melodious zemiros, and encouraging divrei Torah. Rabbi Krohn, of course, was excellent and inspiring. I cannot imagine a better planned, more tasteful, and more enjoyable event than the Menucha Shabbaton,” a parent enthuses, touching upon all the details that made the Shabbaton a resounding success.

Another parent puts into words the tangible feeling of warmth and connection that developed over the Shabbaton. “This Shabbos spent together with other parents of special needs children was energizing. We could feel each other’s pain and challenges. The caring devotion from all the numerous volunteers gave parents some respite and an opportunity to relax and enjoy Shabbos.”

A special thank you to Miss Sorah Taragin and the volunteers who devoted their Shabbos to Menucha’s children, and whose enthusiasm and dedication is unmatched. Menucha is grateful to the Charles Crane Family Foundation for its regular sponsorship of this program.

The Shabbaton is a lot more than just one Shabbos. A Shabbos spent to-

Every day, expecting women in Israel make a choice they may regret forever.

This Chanukah, let’s provide them with a candle of hope, and transform their darkest fears into happiness and light. Your donation helps mothers choose brighter futures.

at cribefrat.org

to a mother who can’t imagine anything different.

From a woman who didn’t think she could,

Around the Community

Chanukah Party and Menorah Lighting held at Aberdeen Proving Ground

By: BJLife Newsroom BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

For the 5th year, thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of the Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland-Chabad,

Chanukah Scooter Parade Downtown

By: BJLife Newsroom

Photo Credit: Malka Svei

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

25 Menorah & Dreidel Scooters Paraded Through Baltimore’s Harbor Promenade Students of Yeshivas Lubavitch of Park Heights Organize Event That Is Proudly Jewish In Response To Rise In Anti-Semitic Rhetoric

bringing the joy and message of Chanukah to hundreds of passerby who were walking downtown’s promenade and frequenting its shops and nightlife.

The parade concluded at the Chabad House of Downtown in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood with the lighting of a truck mounted menorah and some holiday refreshments.

participants, a very fun way to do celebrate. The yeshiva students also distributed dozens of Menorah kits to Jews they met on the street and who joined them for dancing and watching the parade.

a Chanukah Party and Menorah Lightning took place at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Joining the event was the Garrison

To inaugurate Chanukah 5783/2022 celebrations, students at Yeshivas Lubavitch of Baltimore held a Chanukah Scooter Parade downtown this Sunday evening, the first night of Chanukah. The Parade

“Everyone is especially excited about Chanukah this year,” said Leible Druk 17, a student at the Yeshiva and a native of downtown. “The public Chanukah celebration is about sharing this light and joy

The public Chanukah celebration is also being heralded as a response to the worrisome rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric online and elsewhere.

“Our response to hatred of any kind must never be to cower or

BJH: Great to be here with 2 Raphaels! Where are you originally from and how did you come to Baltimore?

R. Kleinman: I grew up in Brooklyn. When I was graduating 12th grade from Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, my Rebbe, Rabbi Goldman, and the Rosh Hayeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Bender, encouraged me to look at a new Yeshiva opening in Baltimore – Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah. I came to Yeshiva here and the rest is history.

R. Mifsud: My story is similar. I grew up in Detroit and came to Baltimore to attend Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah after learning in Yeshiva Bais Moshe in Scranton. Ohr Hatorah was starting its 3rd year when I arrived, so I had the advantage learning the ropes from the Talmidim already there, like Raphael Kleinman!

BJH: I’ve heard a little bit about Yeshiva Ohr Hatorah but I don’t know a lot. Tell me about it.

R. Kleinman: The Yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Dovid Hoffman and Rabbi Moshe Aharon Rosenbaum 10 years ago –

BJH: The Yeshiva is already 10 years old?! Wow! I didn’t realize that!

R. Kleinman: Yes! It’s in its 10th year now. Time flies!

BJH: So tell me more about it. What

interested you and brought you to Ohr Hatorah?

R. Mifsud: Three things stood out to me; the amazing dedication that the Roshei Yeshiva and Rebbeim have for every talmid, the perfect balance between keeping a full Yeshiva schedule with all sedarim but still giving every Bochur the space they need to be themselves and the tight bond the Talmidim have among themselves. Everyone is everyone else’s friend. When I walk into the Yeshiva now, I can’t tell who has been there three weeks and who has been there three years! It’s that kind of special achdus.

R. Kleinman: The goal of the Yeshiva was to provide a small setting for us to have the personal attention from the Rebbeim to really learn the sugyos properly, get a Rebbe for life and grow as Bnei Torah. They provided all that and more!

BJH: How many Bochurim did the Yeshiva have in its first year?

R. Kleinman: We started with just 9 Bochurim and grew to 12 as the year went on. It’s amazing to see how the Yeshiva has grown – this year they have 45 Bochurim and 15 in the Kollel!

BJH: A Kollel too?! I didn’t know about that!

R. Mifsud: Sure! Once the Yeshiva moved into its own Bais Medrash on Bancroft Road they had room to expand. The Kollel is tremendous – it adds to the kol Torah and the yungerleit learn with the Bochurim during the afternoon seder. I wish they would’ve had the Kollel when I was a Bochur!

BJH: What would you tell a 12th grader or perspective parent thinking about Ohr Hatorah?

R. Kleinman: You won’t regret it! The Yeshiva may be bigger now than it was in my days but the learning, personal attention and dedication of the Rebbeim are stronger than ever.

R. Mifsud: If you are looking for a small Yeshiva where you will be noticed and advanced to the next level, Ohr Hatorah is for you. No matter what part of the country you come from, or what high school you attended, you will feel right at home in Ohr Hatorah.

BJH: As a Bais Medrash for the first few years after High School, Ohr Hatorah is a stepping stone to the next level. Where did you go after Ohr Hatorah?

R. Kleinman: Both of us went to Eretz Yisrael to learn. Most of the Ohr Hatorah Bochurim do. Some to The Mir, others to smaller Yeshivos.

R. Mifsud: After The Mir I came back to Baltimore to be close to my Rebbeim. My Rebbe, Rabbi Benzion Lapidus, was instrumental in guiding me through shidduchim.

R. Kleinman: My shidduch was made by the Ohr Hatorah Rebbeim! The Roshei Yeshiva and Rebbeim are constantly in touch with the Alumni, guiding us, whether in shidduchim, Kollel years or starting out in the working world.

BJH: What do you do now?

R. Mifsud: I am the owner and broker at Green Summit Realty. But more importantly, I am involved in helping the Baltimore Community and my shul, Mercaz Torah UTefillah (Rabbi Eichenstein)

including giving a daily Dirshu Halacha shiur.

R. Kleinman: As the Director of Operations for Mercaz Torah UTefillah, I oversee the daily functioning and maintenance of the shul. I also organize the myriad programs and chessed initiatives of the shul, such as AIM, which provides free meals, babysitting and cleaning help to anyone in the Baltimore Community when they have a baby.

BJH: Sounds like Mercaz Torah UTefillah has benefitted from Ohr Hatorah!

R. Mifsud: Not just Mercaz Torah UTefillah! There are over 115 Ohr Hatorah alumni overall, and more than 25 married alumni living here in Baltimore! Ohr Hatorah Talmidim are making an impact across the entire community.

BJH: It’s been great talking with you both! Anything else you’d like to say to the community?

R. Kleinman: Ohr Hatorah is making a difference in Bochurim’s lives and in the Baltimore Community. You can make a difference by contributing to their annual campaign! Visit radiatingtorah.com on Jan. 1-2. It will be tzedakah money well spent!

R. Mifsud: I know that my Rov, Rabbi Eichenstein, has encouraged the support of Ohr Hatorah. Other Rabbonim, including Rabbi Hopfer, Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz, Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger zt”l and yblc”t R’ Boruch Neuberger have encouraged support as well. Ohr Hatorah has established itself as an invaluable asset to the community. Be sure to support the alumni page at radiatingtorah.com/alumni and may you be zoche to bracha and hatzlacha!

Raphael Kleinman and Raphael Mifsud – Alumni, Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah

Terrorist Dies of Cancer

out his body.

The Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission, along with other Palestinian groups, accused the Israel Prison Service of negligence and deliberately killing Abu Hmeid, saying his cancer should have been discovered earlier and treated better.

The Prison Service rejected the allegation, saying the prisoner “received regular and close care from IPS medical staff and external professionals.”

In recent months, Palestinian groups have also called for Abu Hmeid to be released from prison due to his health condition and threatened to carry out attacks if he died in Israeli custody.

ing seven Israelis — Eliyahu Cohen, Binyamin and Talia Kahane, Gad Rejwan, Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan and Salim Barakat — in a number of terror attacks during the Second Intifada that he either personally carried out or directed from afar. During the trial, Israeli authorities described him as a “killing machine.”

He was also convicted of 12 counts of attempted murder and a number of other security-related charges and has been serving multiple life sentences.

Abu Hmeid had also previously been found guilty of murdering five Palestinians who collaborated with Israel in 1990 but was released a few years later as part of the Oslo Accords.

the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group launched the small unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to the IDF, the aircraft was monitored throughout its flight until being downed in an unspecified manner near the border moshav of Zar’it.

The military added that it would continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.

A founding member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade terrorist group convicted of killing seven Israelis and five Palestinian collaborators died of cancer in Israeli custody on Tuesday morning.

Nasser Abu Hmeid, 51, was, diagnosed with lung cancer last August. His cancer had since spread through-

Following Abu Hmeid’s death, some Palestinian groups called for a general strike in the West Bank, including the Palestinian Bar Association and General Union of Palestinian Teachers, who called for work to halt beginning at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

In 2002, Abu Hmeid, the righthand man to arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti, was convicted of murder-

IDF Downs Hezbollah Drone

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday the interception of a drone crossing from Lebanon into Israeli airspace.

The military said it suspected that

In July, the IDF shot down three Hezbollah drones sent towards Israel’s Karish offshore natural gas platform. Bottom of Form

The UAVs flew at low speed and low altitude in an attempt to evade Israel’s interception systems; however, they were detected “at an early stage” before being neutralized “at the opti-

In

mal operational point.”

In February, the IDF used electronic warfare to bring down a drone launched by a Hezbollah specialforces unit from Lebanon.

A drone the IDF downed in January contained images apparently showing a Hezbollah-affiliated force training with UAVs. (JNS)

current option for four MKs to break away from their parliamentary group in that kind of scenario.

will fix Lapid’s failures and take care of all of Israel’s citizens.”Bottom of Form

Knesset Tackles New Bills

Following an intense session, the Knesset Plenum on Monday approved a bill increasing the minimum number of MKs needed in order to split into a new faction in the parliament, marking a political achievement for Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu in his quest to form a government.

Within his Likud party, Netanyahu might soon face standoffs with some disgruntled MKs who are not appointed to the government positions they desire. The new law eliminates the

“The incoming government has a new catchphrase: ‘Bite Us,’” accused outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid during the plenum session before the vote. “The message is that it only cares about itself. Charedim only care about charedim, Religious Zionism only cares about settlers and Likud members only care about Netanyahu and his trial. Anyone else, who didn’t vote for them, can ‘go bite them’—they will not work or be responsible for him. They have no interest in common life, in abiding the law, in balancing between Judaism and democracy and between security and civil rights.”

Netanyahu sarcastically replied to Lapid via Twitter.

“Yair Lapid is unable to make a shot at the goal even after the game has ended,” he wrote, referring to the World Cup, which ended the day before. “He still does not accept the election results—he lost and the rightwing won. Very soon we will form a strong right-wing government that

During the plenum session, outgoing Justice Minister Gideon Saar addressed the proposed bill and took a shot at Netanyahu. “This bill raises an interesting question: can it be that the designated Prime Minister does not trust his own party members, so he has to bloc them by force from splitting?”

Netanyahu’s main political concerns within Likud are focused on a group of senior party members, including Israel Katz, Dudi Amsalem, David Bitan and Danny Danon. Under the previous law, four MKs could form a new faction in the Knesset without any ramifications. The new law, which rolls back the change initiated by

Lapid’s government in order to destabilize Likud, reinstates the previous situation in which at least one-third of a party’s members are needed in order to split and form a new faction.

The bill was the first in a “legislation blitz” that also includes the “Deri Bill,” aimed at enabling the leader of the Shas party, Aryeh Deri, to serve as a minister in the next government despite his recent conviction in tax evasion charges; and the “Ben-Gvir Bill,” aimed at shifting powers from the police commissioner to the designated minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both bills are expected to pass in the next few days, before the new government will be sworn in. (JNS)

EU Wants to Give Palestinians Area C

The European Union is formulating a new program to protect Pal-

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The Week In News

estinian claims in parts of the West Bank fully controlled by Israel, known as Area C, according to a confidential document reported by Israeli television.

The six-page document from June 2022, titled “European Joint Development Programme for Area C,” says that the EU “aims at defending the right of Palestinians living in Area C and preserving Area C as part of a future Palestinian State in line with the Oslo Accords.”

ous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as the future capital of both states,” it said.

Area C is today home to around 400,000 Israelis, with 70% of the land off-limits for Palestinian development.

Israel Deports Palestinian to France

It also lays out practical steps such as mapping out land in Area C, according to Israel’s Channel 13 news, which broke the story on Monday.

The EU document discusses the need to provide legal aid to Palestinians in Israeli courts to protect their claims, and to monitor Israeli archaeological digs in Area C, which it sees as a tool Israel uses to tighten and justify its control over the West Bank.

Ultimately, the EU would like to see Area C combined with Areas A and B, with no distinction between them, according to the report.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the West Bank was split into three administrative divisions, with Area A controlled by the Palestinian Authority, Area B under split control, and Area C — the largest section, constituting about 60 percent of the territory — remaining fully under Israeli control.

Area C, which is the only contiguous section of the West Bank and contains the most fertile land and valuable natural resources, was supposed to be gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction. The Israeli settlements are located in Area C.

The EU’s delegation to Israel did not confirm the report authenticity.

“Our policy regarding the West Bank has not changed: The EU is united in its commitment to achieving a two-state solution with the State of Israel living live side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition with an independent, democratic, contigu-

France on Sunday denounced as “against the law” Israel’s deportation of a former Palestinian security prisoner with French citizenship and claimed that eastern Jerusalem, where the convicted terrorist resided, is “occupied.”

Israel’s Interior Ministry a nnounced e arlier in the day that Salah Hamouri, currently a lawyer and field researcher for the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a group linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization, had been deported from the country.

“We condemn today the Israeli authorities’ decision, against the law, to expel Salah Hamouri to France,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement in response.

It added that Paris had “fully mobilized, including at the highest level of the state, to ensure Salah Hamouri’s rights are respected, that he benefits from all possible assistance and that he can lead a normal life in Jerusalem, where he was born, resides and wishes to live.

“France also took several steps to communicate to the Israeli authorities in the clearest way its opposition to this expulsion of a Palestinian resident of [eastern] Jerusalem, an occupied territory under the Fourth Geneva Convention,” the statement continued.

The Week In News

Hamouri was previously sentenced by an Israeli court to seven years in prison, as part of a plea bargain in exchange for admitting to plotting to murder the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Hamouri was released by Israel as part of the 2011 Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Born to a French mother and a Palestinian father in Kafr Aqab, a neighborhood in northeastern Jerusalem, Hamouri retains French citizenship; his wife and children reside in France.

“Today, in good time, the law has been implemented against the terrorist Saleh Hamouri and he was evicted from Israel,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said in a statement on Sunday.

“This has been a lengthy procedure and it is a major achievement, a moment before ending my term I was able to lead to his eviction using the tools at my disposal and to promote the fight against terrorism,” the minister added. “I hope that the incoming government continues this policy and evicts terrorists from Israel.” (JNS)

to swiftly expel migrants at the U.S. border will stay in effect at least until the justices decide the emergency application. This does not mean that the policy will remain in place indefinitely.

A federal district court judge had vacated the policy last month, calling Title 42 “arbitrary and capricious.” The judge said the program could remain in effect until December 21.

Already, federal officials and border communities have been bracing for an expected increase in migrant arrivals as early as this week, as the issue of immigration continues to ignite both sides of the political divide.

The Department of Homeland Security has been putting in place a plan for the end of the program that includes surging resources to the border, targeting smugglers, and working with international partners.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich – who took the lead for the states – said in a statement earlier Monday that “getting rid of Title 42 will recklessly and needlessly endanger more Americans and migrants by exacerbating the catastrophe that is occurring at our southern border,” adding that “unlawful crossings are estimated to surge from 7,000 per day to as many as 18,000.”

Title 42 On Hold

On Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts put a temporary hold on the termination of the Trumpera immigration policy known as Title 42 t hat was set to end on December 21, leaving it in place for now.

In a brief order, Roberts signaled that the court wants to act quickly and asked the Biden administration to respond the next day to an emergency appeal filed by a group of Republican-led states.

Late Friday night, the DC Circuit US Court of Appeals r uled against the states, holding that they waited an “inordinate” amount of time before trying to get involved in the case. That order triggered the emergency application at the high court, which was addressed to Roberts, who oversees the DC-based appellate appeals court that ruled in the case.

Roberts is likely to refer the matter to the full court.

Foie Gras Friendly

The State of New York has determined that New York City’s ban on foie gras, stuffed goose or duck liver, violates state law, according to documents filed in New York City Superior Court.

The brief order from Roberts means the policy that allows officials

The state Department of Agriculture and Markets informed city officials last week that the ban “unreasonably restricts” the operations of two farms that sued the city over the ban, La Belle Farm and Hudson Valley

In

Foie Gras.

New York City had originally passed a bill in 2019 to ban restaurants and retailers from selling the fatty duck or goose liver, considered a delicacy by some.

In a letter to New York Mayor Eric Adams and Division of Legal Counsel Chief Stephen Louis, the department requested that the “City confirm that it will not enforce its ban on the sale of force-fed products” marketed by Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm.

The city ban on foie gras was to go into effect November 25. However, a state Supreme Court judge in September put the ban on hold as the lawsuit by the two Upstate New York Farms proceeded through the courts.

The original bill to ban foie gras called the luxury good a “force-fed product.” City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera – the prime sponsor of the bill – called force-feeding an “inhumane practice.”

What makes foie gras so contentious is the method of preparation. Foie gras is made of fattened duck or

goose liver, and it has long been considered a French delicacy – so much that France has protected it as part of its cultural heritage. But the product is made by force-feeding ducks or geese, a practice that many people have found troubling.

In 2012, California’s foie gras ban went into effect, only to have the ban overturned in 2015. Then, in 2017, the ban was upheld by a circuit court judge – a decision that was backed by the U.S. Supreme Court in January 2019.

It’s Sunny in California

Want to be happy? Move to California. Six of the top 10 happiest cities in the United States are located in the Golden State, according to a new ranking from SmartAsset that assessed 13 different metrics related to personal finance, wellbeing and quality of life.

Sunnyvale, California, nabbed the top slot on the list. Located in Sili-

con Valley, it was bumped to the top spot in part because it’s home to the largest number of individuals making $100,000 or more each year. It’s also home to the third-lowest percentage of adults living below the poverty level.

Sunnyvale was followed by Arlington, Virginia; Bellevue, Washington; Fremont, California; and Frisco, Texas, on the list.

California cities tended to score highest in the quality-of-life category, with lower percentages of people living in poverty, higher marriage rates, and lower crime rates overall, data showed.

Plano, Texas; Roseville, California; San Jose, California; Santa Clarita, California; and Irvine, California, rounded out the top 10 happiest cities.

With the exception of Arlington, married couples make up the majority of the other nine happiest cities’ populations. In Arlington, the marriage rate is 44 percent. Frisco, Texas, had the highest marriage rate of all U.S. cities at 62.6 percent.

On the other side of the happiness

scale, Birmingham, Alabama, ranked the least happy city in the nation, coming out in the bottom five among personal bankruptcy filings per capita, life expectancy and percentage of residents living in poverty.

It was joined by Newark, N.J., and Memphis, Tennessee, which ranked as the second and third least-happy cities in the analysis.

Kids’ Meds Limited

This week, CVS and Walgreens both put limits on the purchases on children’s pain relief medications due to increased demand and supplier challenges.

CVS is restricting both in-person and online purchases to two children’s pain relief products. Walgreens has limited online purchases to six overthe-counter fever reducers per transaction, but it currently does not have an in-store purchase limit.

“Due to increased demand and

A Healing Laugh

Using Humor to Cope with Stress

BALTIMORE

BALTIMORE

various supplier challenges, over-thecounter pediatric fever reducing products are seeing constraint across the country,” Walgreens said in a statement. The limits were put into place “in an effort to help support availability and avoid excess purchases.”

The limits were placed to “ensure equitable access” for all customers, according to a statement from CVS.

According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, sales of pediatric pain relievers are up 65% from this time last year.

“Supplies of these products are being replenished as quickly as possible, and there is not a widespread shortage in the U.S. However, with demand for children’s pain and fever medicines reaching unprecedented levels following this early and severe flu season (along with cases of RSV and COVID), we understand why some retailers have adjusted to impose limits on purchases,” the group said in a statement.

The moves by CVS and Walgreens come amid a brutal respiratory virus season that continues to strain pediatric hospitals. Young children are par -

ticularly vulnerable to RSV, which has hospitalized more than 4 out of every 1,000 children younger than 5 this season, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to RSV cases, which has been shown to have decreased nationally, flu activity remains high, along with cases of Covid-19.

“I’m hoping they’ll give credence to my witnesses like my niece in her thirties who loved Peanut as a teen and a friend who moved to California 18 years ago and loved Peanut and was astonished when he moved back to see her again, among others,” Darwin told The Sun Times News.

Darwin said she started rescuing chickens in the 1990s, and in the early 2000s, a Nankin hen laid a clutch of eggs in her coop. One of the eggs failed to hatch, and she was preparing to throw it away into a pond for the fish and turtles to eat when she heard a faint chirp.

No Spring Chicken

Peanut is 20 years old – and she’s not such a little nut. In fact, she’s not a nut at all. Peanut is a chicken and may just be the world’s oldest chicken.

Marsi Parker Darwin is applying to Guinness World Records for recognition of owning the world’s oldest living chicken.

“I ended up peeling it out of the egg,” she recalled. “As the chirping grew fainter, I feared the chick would not survive. A pitifully wet, wadded-up mess sat in my hand. I wrapped it in a towel and carried it close to my heart as I set up a cage and mounted a heat lamp with one hand.”

The chick, Peanut, was rejected by her mother, and had imprinted on Darwin.

“I realized I had a house chicken, at least for the time being,” she said.

Peanut has since become a part of Darwin’s flock, but she still spends her winters indoors and has been known to serve a s a “lap chicken” when Darwin attends outdoor events.

Guinness World Records lists a category for oldest living chicken on its website, but the page does not identify a current record-holder. Looks like Peanut may have a chance at being the world’s oldest chick.

No harm, no “fowl” in trying!

A Menorah

Masterpiece

A menorah in Tel Aviv is making headlines for being the world’s largest menorah made completely out of Legos. It was built last Thursday and measures more than 14 feet tall.

Amnon (Marc) Applbaum, a commercial real estate developer and engineer who was appointed by the project as a measurement specialist, said, “I hereby declare that this menorah beats the current Guinness Record for the largest LEGO brick menorah, which was 4x4x0.3 meters. I measured it to be 4.5 meters high, which is 14.7 feet, by 4.4 meters wide.”

The giant Chanukah lamp is made out of more than 130,000 Lego bricks.

Yoav Gaon, CEO of Tor Group and LEGO Israel, noted, “The Lego values of creativity, imagination, learning, fun and quality were brought to life through the incredible event of creating the largest menorah from 130,000 Lego bricks, as hundreds of kids, parents and grandparents attempted to break the Guinness record.”

The menorah is standing tall at the Tel Aviv shopping mall Dizengoff Center.

Talk about pirsumei nisah.

Skiing on All 7 Continents

It’s one thing to be an avid skier when you’re eight years old. It’s another to be able to say that you have skied on all seven of the world’s continents. And it’s another to be the youngest person ever to do so.

That accomplishment comes from Maddock Lipp, an 8-year-old boy from Golden, Colorado. He skied on the final continent – Antarctica – last week.

Since he was 4 years old, Maddock has slowly been skiing his way across the world. With his family, he has skied in Italy, Morocco, Chile, South Korea, Australia, Colorado, and Mount Hoegh in Antarctica.

“Antarctica (was my favorite) because I got to ski next to the penguins,” the small skier said.

Maddock’s older sister, Keira, completed her own seven-continent

skiing goal in February of this year. The current Guinness World Record for youngest person to ski on all seven continents is Victoria Rae White, who was 10 days and 79 days old when she completed her journey in 2008.

Sounds pretty cool.

What a Hike on a Two-Person Bike

Talk about traveling together –and we mean, together.

Laura Massey-Pugh and Stevie Massey have been circling the globe for the past six months. The British couple are never far apart from each other when they travel, as they’ve been navigating the world on a tandem bike.

Together, they have traversed 18,000 miles and have ridden through 21 countries. They arrived in Berlin on December 1, the city where they had begun their journey 180 days before. Now, they are hoping to nab a world

record for their feat.

The couple, who took a ride on a tandem bike on their first date, said they were inspired to attempt the record for fastest circumnavigation by tandem bicycle (mixed) after reading about fellow Britons Cat Dixon and Raz Marsden, who set the female team version of the record in 263 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes.

Hopefully, they’ll be gifted with the world record. For now, they’re happy that they no longer are pedaling furiously each day.

“It was just a massive sense of relief,” Massey-Pugh said about reaching their goal. “To finally be able to stop riding and to see certain friends and family loved ones that we’ve not seen for six months was absolutely immense.”

Israel Today

Mazal Tov, You’re Invited to a Wedding

By Rafi Sackville

My wife Keren and I met on a wintry February evening in 1985. Eight weeks later, we were married in Jerusalem. Over the course of those eight weeks, we arranged a shul for the chuppah, a caterer, and a place to live; we helped co-ordinate our families arrival from New York and Melbourne, rented a wedding dress and all the accoutrements that come with planning a wedding, and we purchased a tie for me. My late father initially wanted us to invite acquaintances of his, people we didn’t know. We were insistent; we wanted nothing fancy. We wanted a small crowd. We’d make the wedding meal in a friend’s home.

Which is precisely what we did. In total, there were approximately 40 people at our wedding. Since then, we’ve made bar mitzvahs and a wedding all with the same approach in mind.

Recently, we attended a friend’s son’s wedding in Haifa. It was beautiful. The encroaching winter remained at bay while we partied outdoors under a mid-November sky. There was a smorgasbord serving the typical range of pre-supper delights: sushi, chicken and turkey, a carving station. The tables in the elegantly decorated hall that seated over 300 guests were adorned with delicate flower arrangements that looked as if they’d teeter over with the slightest movement of cutlery.

I looked around and wondered about the excess. For one, I’ve never understood smorgasbords. People gorge themselves on so much food there’s never much room left for the main courses. I was thinking this because, knowing our friends as I do,

I understood how the expense of such an occasion would have severely stretched their limited financial resources.

Considering that an average wedding in Israel can cost hundreds of thousands of shekels, it is surprising just how many families go out on a limb to marry off their children. That’s a lot of money when you consider the average earner brings home less than that annually. So, how do people do it?

For one, there is an accepted Israeli practice whereby guests write checks covering the cost of their plate. This might run from 400-600 shekels and rising for each plate. This is what Keren and I did. We deposited a large check at the entrance to the hall.

The thought nagged at me, though. Our friends are simple people who live in the footsteps of the Golan Heights. The cost of the wedding was, for all intents and purposes, out of their league. Yes, there was the bride’s family, who would foot half of the bill, but even so, the cost of the five-hour event might have been mitigated had our friends decided to limit their list of invitees to family. I, for one, would have understood if my friend had not invited us.

Our neighbors from across the way will soon be marrying off their son. She has eleven siblings. She told me that before they could even start making a list of friends she wanted at the wedding, there were at least 450 family members she was obliged to invite. Take that in for a moment – her siblings, their children, their children’s children. That’s a lot of people.

Now consider the cost to a family

that receives an average five wedding invitations in the course of a given year. The financial newspaper “Globes” estimated that more than a third of Israelis will spend between 1,000-3,000 shekels annually for the pleasure of their invitations. For many, that is an economic burden they’d prefer not to carry. That is why some people prefer attending celebrations without their spouses.

Some people refuse invitations but will turn up for the chuppah. Yet it is difficult to turn down a wedding invitation. It’s just not what people do. As one article on the subject succinctly put it, “Stop at the bank on the way to the wedding.”

Gifts, the like of which we used to give when I was a boy, are things of the past. Oftentimes, the degree of familial closeness will determine the size of gifts. Family members tend to give more. So, how much should one fork out before they’ve hit the smorgasbord?

I turned to KamaKesef (how much money), a website calculator that offers suggestions as to how much money one should give at any given celebration. I was shocked. Had I attended the wedding alone, I should have given 400 shekels. Having attended with Keren, I should have given 700. Were I a pensioner, that amount drops by only 50 shekels. Not having been at many weddings over the last few years has cast me as a guest who isn’t exactly in the loop. Multiply that 700 by five, and one would need to spend upwards of $1,000 a year at celebrations.

Are there ways to limit costs? Some prefer to forego the smorgasbord and flow-

er arrangements; others to have recorded, rather than live music. Some will hire fewer staff or borrow a wedding dress. Some will have a large list of invitees but only invite family to the meal.

I mention all this because as we settle in to 2023 the economic reality we were once used to has become an anachronism. The cost of living has sharply increased in Israel. Our family’s weekly shopping list has changed little by way of content over the last two years. What has dramatically shifted skywards is the cost of our purchases. What used to cost us a hundred American dollars is now edging closer to over 50% more. The cost of everything, let alone smachot (celebrations), has risen and shows little sign of becoming more manageable for the simple man-on-thestreet.

Back in April 1985, I felt pride in having limited the total cost of our wedding to approximately $1,000. I told my father so. He gave me a bemused look and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Yes, you’ve done well, but you didn’t take into account the expense of flying the family out from Australia,” he gently reminded me.

It’s mindboggling. The actual cost of our wedding would cover four and a half weddings we’d attend as guests in an average year.

Mazal tov.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

Health & F tness

Eight Nights of Chanukah

By Tehila Soskel, RDN, CDN

Beautiful menorahs with flickering lights sparkle as you pass each window. The colorful decorations hang across your walls, and the house smells scrumptious. The stores are stocked with all types of delicious doughnuts, crispy latkes, and so much more. Everywhere you go it smells and feels like Chanukah.

I don’t know about you, but Chanukah is my favorite holiday. We are surrounded by family at parties, and there is so much happiness for all eight days – eight wonderful days and long nights that go by in a flash.

People often tell me that they find Chanukah to be difficult with so much being revolved around food. Bigger and more lavish dinners served each night; higher-calorie foods that are not usually served being offered each day.

If you ask me, I find Chanukah to actually be one of the easier holidays to stay on track with our diets. For most of us, the only meal that is bigger than usual is dinner. With all the other holidays, there are at least 2-3 meals a day which include washing on bread.

Firstly, it is important to remember to enjoy and appreciate the holiday and not let that be a reason to enjoy it any less.

Let’s discuss some ideas and tips to a healthier Chanukah while feeling our best. I want to preface by saying that everything is in moderation. You will not gain weight by having one latke, one doughnut, or a few chocolate coins. The key is to be able to enjoy, move on and be consistent.

Here are some tips to help you feel your best this Chanukah

1. Eat all your meals

Eat your regular breakfast and lunch as you would on any other day. Don’t skip. Skipping meals will cause you to overeat when you finally sit down at the meal.

save up all your calories for one meal

2. Don’t

Have you ever had a really busy day that you didn’t make time to eat and after running around you finally sat down to eat? Did you enjoy a regular portion as you would any other day? Or did you end up overeating more than usual?

Making sure to eat all your regular meals will help pace yourself instead of stuffing yourself when you finally sit down to eat.

In addition, try to not have the attitude that you’re going to save up your calories for a big meal later. Instead, have something light to hold you over. Some snack ideas include an apple with nut butter, veg-

just because it’s in front of you.

Do you ever eat something out of boredom or because the serving plate is in front of you? If you are hungry and want it, enjoy it. But if you’re not hungry and don’t care much for it, try to skip it.

7. Stay hydrated

We often mistake hunger for thirst. Make sure to be drinking at least 8-10 cups of water a day.

8.

Sleep

Sleep is so important for our health, and most of us do not get enough of it. Studies have shown that almost half of adults do not get the recommended amount of sleep of 7 hours a night. Try turning off your phone or any other electronics at least an hour before bed.

9.

Be realistic with your goals

etables and hummus, low-fat yogurt with berries, and cottage cheese with whole wheat crackers.

3. Slow down

The table is filled with all types of delicious foods and desserts, and you want to try it all. Firstly, it’s important to realize that it takes our brains around 15-20 minutes to signal to our stomachs that we are full.

I recommend that you make a plate for yourself, sit down , and don’t rush through it.

A balanced plate may look as follows: half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, ¼ protein, and the other ¼ whole grains.

4. Choose your foods

Eat the foods you actually want, not

5. Contribute to the meal

Bringing a salad or a healthy dessert can be a good way to ensure you’ll be able to choose a healthier option.

6. Get moving

Move your body. It may be cold outside, but we can still bundle up and go outside for a bike ride, walk, or jog. Bundle up and get moving.

You also may be busier and not have as much time, so the best thing is to plan ahead.

Set realistic workout goals for yourself. For example: If you usually workout four times a week for 45 minutes, try to go two times a week for thirty minutes each time. If it’s less than that, it’s okay – try to move your body and get some exercise in.

If you try to restrict yourselves from everything, you will just want it all. Don’t make yourself crazy. The most important thing is to relax, enjoy the yom tov, and spend time with your family and friends. Learn to enjoy and be present.

I hope you find these tips helpful and focus on all the good things this yom tov. Remember to shift your focus to the more important things. If your meals don’t look the same as they usually do, or you don’t get to go to the gym as normal, move on. You’re human.

Have a freilechen Chanukah!

Tehila Soskel is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a private practice in the Five Towns. She sees clients for weight loss, diabetes, and other various diseases. Appointments can be made for in-person or virtual sessions: 516-457-8558, tehilasoskelrd@gmail.com, tehilasoskelnutrition.com.

Bringing a salad or a healthy dessert can be a good way to ensure you’ll be able to choose a healthier option.

A Light in the Darkness

By RaBBi Paysach J. KRohn

In the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, there was hardly any possibility to perform mitzvos. Nazi guards were everywhere, and if Jews were caught doing any religious actions, the consequences would be torture or death. Yet, throughout the winter month of Kislev, Rabbi Shraga Shmuel Schnitzler (1889-1979), known as Reb Shmelke, assured everyone that somehow they would be able to light a Chanukah menorah in the barracks. No one believed him; they thought he was trying to encourage them in a time of hopelessness. Realistically, where could they get a menorah or oil or candles or wicks? It was simply impossible under the watchful eyes of the guards.

Reb Shmelke had the unenviable job of carrying the corpses of Jewish victims to the crematoria. Often, he cried as he transferred bodies of people he knew. When he came back to the barracks, however, he tried his best to encourage those who were still alive.

One late afternoon, as Reb Shmelke was walking alongside the familiar camp path, he almost tripped over a lump in the earth. He was sure the obstacle had not been there before. He was curious, but he wouldn’t investigate unless no one was watching him. He looked around carefully and did not see any guards. He bent down slowly and started pushing away the soft earth to see if anything was hidden there. Using his hands, he dug through some of the earth and was shocked by what he found. As incredible as it seemed, it was a little jug of oil!

This seemed impossible. How did this jug get here? Someone must have hidden it here, he thought in amazement. He dug further, and to his utter astonishment, he found thin strands of cotton that could be used as wicks; then, as he pushed away more earth, he saw tiny little cups that could contain the oil.

Reb Shmelke shuddered. A Jew had hidden these items here. But who? He quickly covered the treasure as he found it. He wouldn’t dream of taking them if another Jew had hidden them.

(To me, this is one of the most incredible parts of the story. Imagine the integrity he displayed; although he yearned to fulfill the mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah lights, he refused to usurp the privilege from the one who

hid the oil and wicks, for the person might yet return to retrieve the items.)

He went back to the barracks and asked the other prisoners if they had hidden the oil in the field or if they knew anyone who had. No one knew anything about it. As Chanukah drew closer, he walked by that area every day to see if the clump of earth covering the hidden items was still undisturbed.

It was.

On the day before Chanukah, as evening drew near, he realized that no one had come to retrieve that oil. Making sure that he was not being watched, he dug up the oil, the wicks, and the cups and brought them to the

traveled to New York, where he visited the Satmar Rav, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (1887-1979). Both the Rav and Reb Shmelke had been prisoners in Bergen-Belsen, and the conversation turned to their experiences there.

As they reminisced about their ordeals, the Satmar Rav said, “I feel bad about one thing. I had bribed a guard to let me hide some oil, wicks, and little cups so that I could use them for Chanukah. I was freed four days before Chanukah, and it bothers me that the wicks and oil were never used for Chanukah.”

Rav Shmelke was astounded!

“Rebbe,” he exclaimed, “you will not believe this, but I found what you hid! I was walking along a path and almost tripped over a bump in the earth. I searched to see if something was buried there, and I found the oil, wicks, and cups that you had hidden! Erev Chanukah, when I saw that no one was coming to retrieve those items, I dug them up, and we used them in the barracks on every night of Chanukah! Rebbe, you actually were the cause for so many Yidden to be uplifted.”

The Satmar Rav smiled and said, “I am so grateful to the Ribbono Shel Olam for making another miracle happen with oil in the month of Kislev.”

barracks. Later that night, to the astonishment of everyone there, he poured oil into a cup and inserted a wick. He recited the three blessings as the onlookers cried with joy and disbelief.

Every night of that Chanukah, Reb Shmelke managed to kindle the wicks, and every night the people were both joyous and incredulous.

Four months later, in April 1945, Bergen-Belsen was liberated, and its Jewish victims dispersed to try to rebuild their lives.

Reb Shmelke became the Rav of Bekesh-Csaba, Hungary, where he was known as the Tzchaber Rav. In 1951, he moved to Jerusalem, where people came to him for counsel and blessings. On one occasion, Reb Shmelke

In the winter of 2014, my son-in-law Chananya Kramer, of Kol-Rom Multi-Media, and I produced “Living Lessons,” an animated series of five Chanukah stories for children accompanied by beautiful music and striking visuals. Thanks to modern technology, thousands of people around the world saw and heard those stories. Shortly after it was released, R’ Chaim Schnitzler of Williamsburg, a great-grandson of Reb Shmelke, called me.

“I am here in the hospital visiting my father [Reb Boruch Yehuda]. We are sitting and crying as we just watched the story of our ancestor on ‘Living Lessons.’ We are so grateful that this is now known throughout the world. The name of Reb Shmelke will live on forever.”

This story was excerpted with permission from Illuminations of the Maggid by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, ArtScroll/Mesorah.

Using his hands, he dug through some of the earth and was shocked by what he found.

TA’s Lamdeinu: How does it feel to change a child’s life?

How does it feel to change a child’s life?

Picture it. Shlomo spends every class nervous that his rebbe will call on him. He has trouble understanding the sugya and he’s scared that he’s not going to know the answer. What if he doesn’t even understand the question? An ordinary moment - the possibility of a teacher calling on a student - has turned into endless anxiety for Shlomo. He is - quite literally - losing sleep over it.

Yossi is in fourth grade but reads at a second-grade level. He struggles to remember what sounds the vowels make. Any word that’s more than four letters... he doesn’t even try to sound out. Because Yossi isn’t a strong reader, he doesn’t practice as often as he should. And because he doesn’t prac-

tice as often as he should, he’s not a strong reader. It’s a cycle that feels impossible to break.

Aharon is in nursery school and seems to be doing well. But Aharon doesn’t engage in pretend play like the other kids. Sometimes, he has trouble stacking blocks and holding a crayon properly. If an educator - someone specially trained to spot warning signs of learning challenges - would pay attention, that educator would know something is amiss.

Shlomo, Yossi, and Aharon are struggling. And so are their parents. They know, that if nothing is done, their children’s learning differences can turn into lifelong challenges. They understand, that as they grow up, the stakes get higher.

Lamdeinu@TA: The Center for Academic Resources, helps kids like Shlomo, Yossi, and Aharon. Lamdeinu provides special education services to students in Learning Centers and self-contained classrooms, reading and Kriah support with specialists and tutors, and collaboration with outside educational support services, including Shemesh, to ensure the success of every talmid. Almost 30 employees are servicing hundreds of students with Lamdeinu services.

Lamdeinu will help Shlomo gain confidence. He will work one-on-one with a reading specialist. He will join the Gemara Skills Support Group. He will be caught before he slips through the cracks. Yossi will work one-onone with a reading specialist, someone who is endlessly patient and encouraging. Yossi will be caught before he

falls too far behind. A teacher will notice Aharon’s challenges and immediately build a plan for early intervention. Aharon will be caught before he even falls.

Lamdeinu’s impact on TA’s students’ success is extraordinary. But the waiting list for Lamdeinu continues to grow each year. Demand has outgrown supply. More students need services, and more services are needed. The expansion and sustainability of TA’s Lamdeinu is critically essential.

To address this and continue to grow TA’s Lamdeinu services, TA will be having a special community-wide matching campaign for LAMDEINU on December 28th and 29th. Please donate at causematch.com/lamdeinu.

By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

Praiseworthy is the man who has made Hashem his trust, and not turned to the arrogant and to strayers after falsehood. (ה מ םילהת)

The Midrash states that the first half of this verse refers to none other than Yosef, who placed absolute faith in G-d. Yet, the Midrash also says that the admonition in the second half — not to rely in human instruments of power, also alludes to Yosef who lapsed in his trust of G-d by requesting of the chief wine steward to remember to intercede on his behalf. Yosef was

destined because of this flaw, to be imprisoned for an additional two years

Was Yosef’s hishtadlus — lobbying on his own behalf a lack of faith? Was he expected to rely on miracles alone in being saved from the dungeon?

There is a fascinating law associated with the reciting of Al HaNisim on Chanukah.

If one forgets to insert it during the second blessing of Birkas HaMazon, although one need not repeat the en-

tire bentching, one should add it in the series of HaRachamans that are recited at the end, but prefacing it with the following addition:

The compassionate One! May He perform for us miracles and wonders as He performed for our forefathers in those days, at this time.

It appears that we are asking of G-d to ‘break the laws of nature’ to bring us our needs. But the Talmud clearly states that one may not pray for G-d to perform miracles, citing the example of praying for a female fetus to transform into a male, or vice versa.

experience whatever it takes — even miracles if necessary — precisely because he pays no special tribute to the wondrous miracle per se, but more significantly to the constant care and attention G-d pays to him.

Reb Levi Yitzchok goes on to offer a marvelous interpretation of the verse in Tehillim, Let them give thanks to Hashem for His kindness, and His wonders to the children of man (ח זק םיליהת)

The Holy Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev has a remarkable teaching on the concept of וסינב ריכמ סנה לעב ןיא — the recipient of a miracle does not recognize his miracle, referring to the notion that the beneficiary of G-d’s miraculous interventions is often oblivious to it.

The great teacher reveals that there is more than what meets the eye in this simple expression.

The statement above is not merely an observation, but a requirement to be deserving of miracles.

To be a recipient of a miracle one must embed within his psyche that there is absolutely no difference whether G-d maintains calm seas or splits them. It is never about the miracle because either way is totally within His control. It is more about His wondrous love for us that has no limitations as He will do whatever it takes to provide for his cherished ones. One who sees no distinction nor reacts with wonder when experiencing the miracle itself but is moved solely by the love and devotion G-d bestows on him, is the one who will

Let them give thanks to Hashem for His דסח/ kindness — marvel not over the ‘miracles’ he does, but over the exhibition of His boundless loving kindness, and His wonders to the children of man — for this is the true wonder, how much He loves His children.

He then interprets the verse ארונ תוליהת — too awesome for praise, השע אלפ — Doer of wonders. (אי וט תומש) ארונ, he suggests implies more accurately fear, a fear of being able to assess G-d’s praise adequately when describing miracles. Can one possibly comprehend the true nature of this power, one minute the laws of nature dictate one set of rules, and then suddenly there appears to be a totally contradictory reality, both provided by the same entity?

The only thing we can appreciate, is G-d’s endless devotion and love for us.

The Rebbe of Toldos Aharon observes that we pray for miracles ‘as he performed it for our forefathers’. They sensed the love from Hashem that never let them pause from that awareness. They knew it mattered not whether we experienced a miraculous intervention, it was the thrill in the

wonder of His devotion that prodded our praise. In that type of relationship G-d would provide whatever was necessary.

If we cease from marveling over the miracle and begin to excite our consciousness in the reality of His love, we may then ask for whatever we want, since it makes no difference.

One who attains this level of bond will not only never expect miracles but will even be able to accept the difficulties of life that may come one’s way. Aren’t they all dispensed by the most marvelous Father whose love knows no bounds?

Hashem was with Yosef (טל תישארב ב)

Yosef attained an extraordinary relationship with G-d, living with a heightened consciousness of G-d’s devotion to him, which was the only reason he was able to withstand the most

difficult circumstances, yet remain enthused by G-d’s presence.

It was Yosef’s instinct to lobby for his release that still required more honing, that led to an additional twoyear stint in prison. One on the level of Yosef would eventually come to rely completely on his faith in G-d to provide without any need to ‘assist’.

The last one of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy is that of הקנו — And Who cleanses, G-d removes the effect of the sin for those who repent. The very next two words in the verse is אלו הקני — but does not cleanse completely for those who have not fully repented. This second sentiment seemingly associated with the attribute of ןיד — judgment.

The Holy Arizal points out that these two words הקנו and הקני both consist of the letters קנ bordered by the letters ק-ו-ק-י, the Name of Compassion.

The double קנ-קנ spells out in reverse ןקנק alluding to a pitcher, the pitcher that we refer to in the piyut Maoz Tzur when we say םינקנק רתונמו — and from the one remnant of the flasks, a miracle was wrought.

This mystically alludes to the ‘two pitchers’ of mercy and that of judgment, both defined and dispensed with utmost compassion.

For the one who fathoms this idea of ‘Let them give thanks to Hashem for His kindness’ will never complain and only praise no matter what may come one’s way.

Daily life in the ghetto was focused on striving to simply survive one day to the next.

Yaakov, a fearless and courageous young man, tried to assist his fellow Jews from perishing under the cruel conditions. One day as he strode out on his daily rounds, his young daughter reminded him that it was Erev Chanukah and begged her father to find some candles so they would be able to light the Menorah. He promised her he

unobtrusively to the side, but the German soldier spotted it.

The Nazi accused him of intending to use the large number of candles to signal the enemy at night.

Yaakov denied it, explaining how there are eight nights of Chanukah, a Jewish holiday the Jews celebrate starting that night.

The Nazi sneered at him derisively screaming, “Eight candles? Chanukah!? I will provide you candles all right!”

He then grabbed the Jew forcibly dipping his eight extended fingers into tar and kerosene, and then ignited them with a match. “Here, you now have eight lit candles to celebrate your holiday of lights!”, the inhumane creature bellowed mockingly.

Food and other sundry items were scarce to say the least. Yaakov spent the better part of the day scrounging around to locate a store that had eight candles for the duration of Chanukah. He finally, by the end of the day, succeeded in procuring eight candles.

The streets were quiet as he returned quickly home, only to be spotted by a group of sadistic Nazi soldiers who grabbed every able-bodied passerby. They commanded the crew to march in step to the front of the courthouse, instructing them to line up there in a single file, side by side. The first in line was told to lift a heavy rock and toss it onto the feet of the one standing adjacent to him. The next one, although bruised and bloodied, was to follow suit and bend down to lift the rock and then toss it onto the foot of the next in line. this went on for several rounds. On one of Yaakov’s turns as he bent over to raise the rock once again, the candles in his pocket fell to the floor. He tried to kick it quickly and

At first the excruciating pain of his burning fingers nearly caused Yaakov to pass out. But something stirred deeply within him, rejuvenating him with strength as he began running through the streets shouting “Chanukah! Chanukah!” for all to see. He called out “my daughter, my child, I have returned to you with the Chanukah licht as I promised you I would.

People gazed from their shuttered windows viewing the brilliant light that illuminated a world, whispering quietly to themselves as tears streamed from their eyes, “HaNeiros hallalu kodesh heim — these lights lit upon a Menorah — a neshama carved from solid gold, are indeed so sacred and inspiring!”

May we always brim over in praise for the privilege of being in Hashem’s loving embrace, even when times are tough, and most certainly when we have so much to be thankful for.

May He perform for us miracles and wonders as He performed for our forefathers in those days, at this time!

reach the author at: Ravzt@ohelmoshebaltimore.com

You

Baltimore Minyanim Guide

Shacharis Mincha

Neitz Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] M-F

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek M-F

Ohel Yakov S-F

6:00 AM Shomrei Emunah Congregation M-F

6:10 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, Th

6:15 AM Kol Torah M, TH

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah M-F

Shearith Israel Congregation M, TH

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel M, TH

6:20 AM Agudah of Greenspring M, TH

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's) S-F

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M, TH

Kehilath B'nai Torah M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S, M, TH

6:25 AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel T, W, F

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

Chabad of Park Heights M-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Kehilath B'nai Torah T, W, F

Khal Bais Nosson M-F

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek M-F

Kol Torah T, W, F

Ohr Yisroel M-F

Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

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

Ohel Moshe M, TH

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

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M, TH

6:45 AM B”H and Mesivta of Baltimore (Dirshu Minyan) S-F

Beth Abraham M, TH

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Ner Tamid M-F

Ohel Moshe T, W, F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim M-F

6:50 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] M, TH

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh M, TH

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh M, TH

Derech Chaim M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M-F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center M, TH

6:55 AM Beth Abraham T, W, F

Kol Torah M, TH

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

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's)S

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh T, W, F

Beth Tfiloh Congregation M-F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh T, W, F

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kol Torah T, W, F

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah S, M, TH

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S

Shearith Israel Congregation S, M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh M-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center T, W, F

Tiferes Yisroel M-F

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

7:15 AM Kedushas Yisrael S

Kol Torah S

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S, T, W, F

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Ner Israel Rabbinical College S-F

AM

7:15

Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah CongregationS

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelS

Tzeirah Anash M-F

7:20

7:30

AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Kol Torah M-F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

AM Agudah of Greenspring S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] S

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore S-F

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh S

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Chabad of Park Heights S

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh S-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Kedushas Yisrael M-F

Khal Bais Nosson S

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) S-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S-F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

Mincha Gedolah

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek

12:30 PM Kol Torah

1:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore 10055 Red Run Blvd Suite 295

Milk & Honey Bistro 1777 Reisterstown RD 1:25 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

1:45 PM Ohel Moshe

2:00 PM Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Big Al @ The Knish Shop Party Room Market Maven

Reischer Minyan 15 Walker Ave 2nd Floor

Snider Law Firm 600 Reistersown Rd 7th floor

2:30 PM Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh

Ner Israel Rabbinical College

Tov Pizza Mincha Minyan

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

Shearith Israel Congregation

3:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

3:05 PM Kedushas Yisrael

Maariv

8:55 PM Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

9:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi]

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

9:20 PM Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Kol Torah

9:30 PM Agudah of Greenspring

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Kedushas Yisrael

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

9:45 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Kollel Erev Birchas Yitzchok (Luries)

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's)

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

9:50 PM Aish Kodesh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh Ohel Moshe

10:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Darchei Tzedek

Kehilath B'nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

7:45

AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Talmudical Academy S-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Mesivta Kesser Torah S-F

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim S-F

3:15 PM Hat Box

4:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Mincha/Maariv

7:50

8:00

AM Derech Chaim S

Ner Tamid S Ohel Moshe M-F

AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Beth Abraham S

Darchei Tzedek S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kehillas Meor HaTorah S Ohel Yakov S

Ohr Yisroel S

Pikesville Jewish CongregationS

Shearith Israel Congregation S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch CenterS

Tiferes Yisroel S

Tzeirah Anash S

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah S-F

Aish Kodesh

Agudath Israel of Baltimore Agudah of Greenspring

Darchei Tzedek

Shearith Israel Congregation Shomrei Emunah Congregation

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Kehillas Meor HaTorah

Kehilath B’nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Ner Tamid

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Ohel Moshe

Before Shkiah

Ohr Yisroel

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

10:05 PM Kol Torah

10:10 PM Ner Israel Rabbinical College

10:15 PM Derech Chaim

Khal Bais Nosson

10:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

11:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Agudah of Greenspring - 6107 Greenspring Ave

Agudath Israel of Baltimore - 6200 Park Heights Ave

Ahavat Shalom - 3009 Northbrook Rd

Aish Kodesh - 6207 Ivymount Rd

Arugas HaBosem - 3509 Clarks Ln

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim - 3120 Clarks Ln

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore - 6823 Old Pimlico Rd

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh - 6618 Deancroft Rd

Beit Yaakov - 3615 Seven Mile Ln

Beth Abraham - 6208 Wallis Ave

Beth Tfiloh Congregation - 3300 Old Court Rd

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation - 6602 Park Heights Ave

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

Chabad of Park Heights - 3402 Clarks Ln

8:15

8:20

8:30

AM Kehilath B'nai Torah S

Kol Torah S

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

AM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Beth Tfiloh Congregation S

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Shomrei Mishmeres HakodeshS

AM Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

8:45

9:00 AM Aish Kodesh S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F

9:15 AM Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

9:45 AM Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Maariv

6:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

6:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

7:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

7:15 PM Shomrei Emunah Congregation 7:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

7:45 PM Talmudical Academy

Ohel Moshe

8:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Pikesville Jewish Congregation 8:10 PM Kol Torah

8:15 PM Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Shomrei Emunah Congregation 8:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi]

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 8:45 PM Darchei Tzedek

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina)

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

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh - 3800 Labyrinth Rd

Darchei Tzedek - 3201 Seven Mile Ln

Derech Chaim - 6214 Pimlico Road (Bearman Chapel)

Kedushas Yisrael - 6004 Park Heights Ave

Kehilath B’nai Torah - 6301 Green Meadow Pkwy

Kehillas Meor HaTorah - 6539 Pebble Brooke Rd

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek - 6811 Park Heights Ave

Khal Bais Nosson - 2901 Taney Rd

Kol Torah - 2929 Fallstaff Rd

Machzikei Torah - 6216 Biltmore Ave

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah - 6500 Baythorne Rd

Mesivta Kesser Torah - 8400 Park Heights Ave

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim - 3702 Fords Ln

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah - 7000 Rockland Hills Dr

Ner Israel Rabbinical College - 400 Mt Wilson Ln

Ner Tamid - 6214 Pimlico Road

Ohel Moshe - 2808 Smith Ave

Ohel Yakov - 3200 Glen Ave

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] - 6813 Park Heights Ave

Ohr Yisroel - 2429 Lightfoot Dr

Pikesville Jewish Congregation - 7644 Carla Rd

Shearith Israel Congregation - 5835 Park Heights Ave

Shomrei Emunah Congregation - 6221 Greenspring Ave

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh - 2821 W Strathmore Ave

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim - 7504 Seven Mile Ln

Talmudical Academy - 4445 Old Court Rd

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel - 5915 Park Heights Ave

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center - 6701 Old Pimlico Rd

Tiferes Yisroel - 6201 Park Heights Ave

Tzeirah Anash - 6706 Cross County Blvd

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah - 6819 Williamson Ave

A Light From the Nations

By Malkie Schulman

Eversince she was as young as six or seven years old, Diana Lynn remembers sitting in church with her family in their hometown, Lakewood, Washington, and thinking, this doesn’t make sense.

“It came to a point where I got in trouble with the pastor. He didn’t like that I was asking so many questions. He complained to my mother, and so eventually I stopped asking him.” Still, Diana’s questions remained. “There were so many things that it said in the Bible that we were doing differently,” Diana continues. “Like when to celebrate the day of rest – why were we observing it on the first day of the week when the Bible clearly states it’s the last day of the week?” When she questioned this contradiction, she was told that G-d changed the day and that she must believe.

Same with keeping kosher. The Bible clearly states the laws of kashrut, but Christians do not observe any of them. Diana recalls her pastor’s sermon one Sunday relaying the story about a supposed dream Yoshka’s “disciple” had that revealed that from now on you don’t have to eat kosher. Even more bizarre is when her pastor concluded the tale by saying, “Thank G-d, G-d realized bacon was good.”

“My mother kept a magnet on the fridge that read, ‘G-d is the same today, yesterday and forever.’ I would think if that’s true, why does the church keep changing things and saying things are done away with?”

As someone who approached life through logic, Diana was becoming increasingly frustrated. “I like to connect the dots, but the dots were not connecting.” One time in a class about Leviticus (Vayikrah), her pastor verse by verse, tore it to shreds. “There was nothing true about

what he was saying,” shares Diana. “I felt so angry that I just stood up and walked out of the class.”

Nevertheless, despite her increasing frustration with church doctrine, eventually, Diana came to the conclusion that she was a Christian because she was born one and it’s best not to ask too much and just do.

At the age of 21, Diana married her husband, an evangelical preacher. Part of an evangelist’s job is to visit different churches and preach the Christian faith to them. This meant they never stayed in one place very often. Diana’s husband preached love and peace to the various congregations he served, but in his home, it was a different story. He often physically beat his wife. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Diana shares, “I’d come to church all black and blue, and nobody would say anything. They loved my husband and totally ignored what was clearly going on.”

He also often told her she wasn’t a good Christian woman. He’d force her to watch Christian TV programs, but that, Diana maintains, turned out well because it was the catalyst that got her to start questioning her beliefs again. There was one program about the Seventh Day Adventists, a Christian sect that observes the Sabbath on the seventh day. Learning about their practice brought back all her questions. Another catalyst for Diana’s requestioning her faith was the fact that more than one church kicked her family out of the congregation because of their dark skin color.

“My two sons were young then and my older son would go off for a Sunday school lesson. I’d come in to see how he was doing, and he’d be off by himself in the corner, completely ignored by the class and the teacher.

In general, there was always the sense that we were second class citizens and then finally we were actually told to leave the church.”

Between the blatant racial discrimination and ignoring her obvious bruises, in 2005, Diana decided she was emotionally, mentally and spiritually done with the church. She had no idea where she was going to go from there. All she did know was that there was no more going back.

Starting From the Very Beginning

“I had the sense that G-d wanted me to start over, to read the Bible from the beginning,” Diana shares.

Interestingly, all this time, Diana had never met a Jew, although she does recall at the age of eight, a Jewish man in a black suit, black hat and white shirt coming to speak to the church members. He had been asked to come to explain Judaism. “I was fascinated by his words and remember feeling that there was something so peaceful and joyous about him and his modestly dressed wife that I had never seen in the world around me. I clung to every word he said. I have no idea who he was, and I don’t remember his name. I just remember basking in that sense of peace.”

Looking back to that long ago event, Diana says she can see now how through that incident Hashem set her up for her journey to Yiddishkeit.

“Re-reading the Bible starting with Genesis,” Diana maintains, “felt like blinders were taken off my eyes for the first time. I purchased my very first book on parsha and it was like the whole world turned over for me.”

This was the start of Diana’s journey to unlearn all

that she had been previously taught and to begin to learn the truth. Though Diana had still not met any real live Orthodox Jews, through reading the Chumash on her own and listening to podcasts and videos from Rabbi David Fohrman, founder of Aleph Beta, she slowly began to relate to G-d as Hashem. She also began to experience herself more and more as one with the Jewish people and their mission.

Your Money for a Mitzvah

In 2014, after 17 years, Diana’s divorce became official. “I stayed so long, because for years I’d been told, ‘Just submit to your husband and pray for him and then everything will be all right.’” But, of course, everything wasn’t all right, and after all that time, though the physical bruises had disappeared, the emotional bruises remained and Diana had a lot challenges to work through.

However, her next religious challenge came in 2015. Diana was working as a banker in a bank she’d been with for over ten years. She wasn’t supposed to work Saturdays at all, she shares, but somehow, she ended up working every Saturday. She needed her job, but she didn’t want to work on Shabbat anymore. Unfortunately, her manager wasn’t letting her take off.

“I started davening. I said, ‘Hashem, I need to have Saturdays off. You have to do something.’”

What happened next, she explains, is that out of the blue, her manager started complaining about something as silly as her shoes. Then a colleague got mad because Diana parked in his space one time. It came to the point that her work environment became so uncomfortable that she knew she had to make a choice – to quit with no other job prospect and trust Hashem, or stay, trusting the bank system.

“I did quit and that was for me a big ‘I am following this path moment,’” shares Diana. “Banking had been my life for over a decade, and I walked away from it because I wanted Shabbos more.”

It wasn’t until 2016 that for the first time Diana spoke with an Orthodox rabbi and asked him about conversion.

“He asked me if I had any interest in remarrying. When I responded yes, he said, ‘I don’t recommend you convert then, because based on your skin color, no Jewish man will want to marry you.’

“That was definitely difficult to process,” Diana admits. Especially when, a few weeks later, another Orthodox rabbi she spoke to said the same thing. Diana realized then if that was indeed true, she had to decide what she wanted more. Like she had chosen Hashem over her job, here too, Diana decided that “I would rather live alone for the rest of my life than give up a special relationship with Hashem as a Jew.” (Diana also under-

stands that Hashem is the only One who is All Knowing and that if His desire is for her to find a mate in the Orthodox world, then so it will be.)

A(nother) Twist in the Road

Not long after Diana was turned down by the two Orthodox rabbis, she began attending a Conservative synagogue. She knew about Hashem, but she wasn’t savvy enough yet to know the difference between Conservative Judaism and Orthodox Judaism. One day, she passed by a Conservative synagogue and felt an overwhelming desire to go inside. She was directed to the rabbi of the congregation who encouraged her to attend classes and Shabbat services.

“When I walked into shul on Shabbat,” Diana says, “it was like the whole world disappeared and all that mattered was saying my prayers and being in front of Hashem – it was so real and intense. When I left, it was like stepping back into the outside world, but there was this deep peace.”

Ironically, perhaps, Diana felt she was finally connecting to Hashem in a real way, not like in church. “When I chanted the prayers, I felt my soul enveloped by the ancient Hebrew words. I knew I wanted this closeness to Hashem, not the emptiness I had always felt in church.”

Nonetheless, Diana was not going to let this setback deter her from her goal to be a halachically full-fledged Jewess. “There is a beauty in this journey,” she maintains. “I know it’s happening for me not to me. It’s helping me grow. And maybe it happened this way so once I am halachically Jewish, I can help other women in the same situation.”

Looking Forward

The final step to becoming halachically Jewish for Diana, according to her rabbis, Rabbi Dov Mandel, Chabad rabbi in Fort Worth, Texas, and Rabbi Michael Chaim Coffman of Beitar, Israel, is to move to an area that’s within walking distance to a shul. The closest Orthodox area right now from where Diana lives in Arlington, Texas, is Fort Worth, and that’s a 15-minute drive from her. The next closest Orthodox community is in Dallas, and that’s an hour drive from Arlington. Diana is doing what she can to make a move financially feasible as soon as possible. Until then, since she knows she’s not allowed to fully keep Shabbos anyway, she’ll sometimes drive down to Chabad in Fort Worth for shul on Shabbos morning.

Meanwhile, Diana continues to grow in Torah learning and mitzvah observance. The Elucidated Tomer Devorah, a book that discusses Hashem’s 13 Attributes of Mercy has reshaped her, she maintains.

“It’s how I want to walk with Hashem in this world. The more I learn, the more self-aware I become, and the more of a sense of self I have.” For example, she says, “I have a button-down shirt I’ve worn for years, but recently I had the awareness that I’d like to dress more modestly so I buttoned one of the top buttons.” Eating kosher is also being aware of what you’re putting into your body, so Diana pays more attention to proper kashrut certification.

“Is this what Hashem wants me to eat?” she will ask herself. She also lives by the two following mantras: Ain od milvado and gam zu l’tova – there is nothing but Hashem and nothing to fear and it’s all good.

Learning the why of everything, in particular, brings Diana joy.

“It’s so beautiful when you take a physical mitzvah and learn all the deep layers of meaning behind it. The more I learn, the more I realize there’s so much I don’t understand and the more I want to learn. And the more I learn, the more I feel a deeper connection to Hashem and feel His love.”

It wasn’t long before the rabbi agreed to convert her, and Diana changed her name to Eliyana Yael. It was a little longer after that, during Covid, when she started establishing ties with Chabad and began attending classes that she discovered that her Conservative conversion was not valid.

“It was and still is heartbreaking,” Diana admits. “I thought I had done everything right, only to find it all stripped away.”

Where do I belong? What do I have left? What am I doing? were all questions she was left with.

“This experience was a huge challenge for me. I had abandoned a lucrative career and possibly my chance of remarriage for Judaism and still I was not considered Jewish.”

What does bring Diana heartache is the baseless hatred she sometimes observes around her, individuals of one religious community not speaking to people in another religious community because of differences in religious practice.

“How is it that they’re all Jewish (and all Orthodox!) and yet they don’t get along with one another?” she queries. “If we want to bring Moshiach, we have to start truly loving each other.”

Nevertheless, despite all the hardships, twists and bends in the road that she has had (and still has) to endure, Diana maintains, “I believe there is a purpose to it all and ultimately the purpose is to bring more light into this world. Also,” she shares, “there’s a joy in the journey that’s hard to explain to someone who’s always been Orthodox. I think it’s the idea that when you’re searching for something for so long, and then when you finally find it, it’s so beautiful and precious you never want to let it go.”

“When you’re searching for something for so long, and then when you finally find it, it’s so beautiful and precious you never want to let it go.”

Neuro Clics is a research-based, multi-sensory program designed to target core behaviors and skills to correct learning struggles.

Learning is easier for me now that I can lter out distractions and focus on the teacher.

I no longer bump into everything and now I love to play sports with my friends.

NeuroClics helped make reading easier for me. Now I love to read!

Reading Dif culties Dyslexia

culties

Neuro Clics helps people struggling with the following symptoms: And m

Iam embarrassed to say that my smartphone was controlling my life. Against my judgment, I was watching things that I should never have seen and wasting more time than I am willing to admit and I just couldn’t get myself to stop. The images that my eyes have seen

and never should have, are etched in my brain and are terribly destructive. My husband and children would be shocked at what I was allowing myself to see. I couldn’t believe that I, a normal Bais Yaakov graduate, married, with three beautiful children, was watching such appalling things day after day. Then came the TAG Expo. It was time for me to take control over my life and filter my phone. I pulled myself together and made an appointment to get a filter. Sitting in the room full of people trying to take control over their own tech use gave me the inspiration I needed. After all this time, I was really ready. I had my phone filtered there

and left feeling relieved and in control. I can’t tell a lie, I missed the things I used to watch, but I know that I made the right choice.

Did You Know?

QWERTY keyboards were designed to slow down typists. When typewriters were made in the 1870s, there were some technical issues with the way the metal arms of the keys were set up. If the typist pressed on the keys too quickly, they would jam. A designer named Christopher Latham Sholes, redesigned the order of the letters to make it more difficult to press them quickly. After a time, E. Rem-

ington and sons redesigned an updated keyboard that rectified the initial flaw. We still maintain the QWERTY keyboard to this day, for better or for worse.

To share a tech triumph or story of chizuk, please email Techtriumphs@ tagbaltimore.org.

This is a service of TAG Baltimore. TAG Baltimore is an organization that provides technology awareness, education, and support. They can be reached at 410-449-1824 or help@ tagbaltimore.org.

Ten Findings from Behavioral Genetics

By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

Behavioral Genetics is the study of genetic and environmental influences on behaviors. In other words, the task of behavioral geneticists is to weigh in on the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture and determine how much influence your DNA or your environment has on your personality, intelligence, temperament, and other psychological factors.

In general, findings are reached via academic research. This poses a major problem due to the replication crisis which is the problem that many scientific studies have not been replicated. For this reason, one cannot draw conclusions unless one limits oneself to studies that have been robustly replicated. In a groundbreaking study, printed in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science (2016, Vol. 11(1) 3–23), researchers published ten findings that have been the conclusion of numerous replicated studies. In this article, we will list their findings and provide a brief explanation in simple English.

All psychological traits show significant and substantial genetic influence.

Every single trait that is psychological in nature has been found to be heavily influenced by one’s genetic makeup. This does not mean that if your parents have a specific

trait that you will definitely have that same trait. Rather, it means that when studying large numbers of people they have found that genetics plays a very substantial role in the variability of traits. One of the primary ways this is determined is by comparing identical twins vs. fraternal twins and by comparing identical twins who were raised in the same home vs. identical twins who were separated at birth and were adopted by two separate families.

No traits are 100% heritable.

This should not be a surprise. There is no trait that is definitely passed from parent to child

Heritability is caused by many genes of small effect.

This means that there is no specific gene that controls any individual trait. We are composed of many genes that interact with each other and guide in the production of our bodies. Out of the totality of every individual’s genome emerges his or her unique persona.

Phenotypic correlations between psychological traits show significant and substantial genetic mediation.

In simple English this means that we often find that certain traits or disorders commonly co-occur in the same person. For example, 30% of people with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder. These correlations fre-

quently have genetic underpinnings.

The heritability of intelligence increases throughout development.

The trait of intelligence tends to have a stronger genetic influence as a person develops. Basically, differences between one child’s intelligence and another is not as strongly influenced by genes relative to two adolescents. This is unlike many other traits that have consistent variability over time.

Age-to-age stability is mainly due to genetics.

A person’s environment and life experiences varies all the time. If a trait changes over time, it is very possible due to changes in the individual’s environment. If you find that a specific trait remains the same over years and decades it is most likely a trait that is heavily influenced by genetics.

Most measures of the ‘environment’ show significant genetic influence.

We have no control over the weather, but we do influence other aspects of our environment. Therefore, if there are two twins, where one is rambunctious and the other one is on the quieter side, their parents will probably have different parenting approaches with each of them. In this case, the parenting which is an environmental factor is determined by the genetics of the children! Hence, the nature of the environment can be significantly affected by the genetics.

Most associations between environmental measures and psychological traits are significantly mediated genetically.

In the previous example, we discussed how the genetically influenced behaviors of the children molded their parenting environment. Another significant factor is that the same genetic predisposition that molded the child’s behavior can mold the parenting style of the parents. For example, a parent’s negativity is correlated with rebellious behavior in the children. This can be a

result of the parenting style, but there can also be an element of genetic predisposition for negativity that affects both the parents and the children.

Most environmental effects are not shared by children growing up in the same family.

You might have a hard time wrapping your head around this one. We usually assume that children raised in the same family are experiencing the same environment. However, studies have shown that when siblings are similar it is most likely due to genetic factors. When they are different, there is a very strong environmental factor. This is possibly due to the fact that our upbringing is the sum of millions of interactions with parents, peers, other adult figures, and various life experiences. Being in the same family does not mean that your experiences are identical to those of your siblings.

Abnormal is normal.

When people have a mental health disorder, they do not have different genes than the rest of the population. As with all genetics, there is a variability among the population. At a certain point, we call it a disorder, but it is not a qualitative difference from everyone else. Therefore, “abnormal” is on the spectrum of normal.

What should our takeaway message be? That we are slaves of our genetics? Absolutely not! These are predispositions and are not deterministic. Our lesson should be that we should get to know ourselves, so we can better determine what our strengths are and what we need to work on.

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

A Chanukah Tradition Since 1882

Dilly Dairy-ing

Cows spend about 10 hours a day eating and 8 hours a day lying down. (Sign me up!)

The average American consumes almost 25 gallons of milk a year ... that’s 400 glasses! (I personally spill the milk out once I’m done dipping the cookie.)

Americans eat about 350 slices of pizza per second, or almost 3 billion pizzas per year. (I totally don’t believe that—I never ate more than 2 slices in one second!)

Milk remains fresh for 7-10 days after the expiration date if refrigerated at 35-40°F. (Thanks but no thanks.)

It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream. (Who only eats one gallon of ice cream?)

TJH Centerfold You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Around 300 varieties of cheese are sold in the U.S. Wisconsin producing more than 25 percent of those varieties. (And, to add insult to injury, Wisconsinites are known as “cheeseheads.”)

Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the U.S. (It’s my favorite too…when it’s topped with Reese’s Pieces, hot fudge, mini peanut butter cups, cookie dough, crushed Oreos and caramel.)

It takes three cups of broccoli to equal the calcium in one cup of milk. (How about this — I won’t eat broccoli and I won’t drink milk!)

Cows have an acute sense of smell and can smell something up to six miles away. (And they still refuse to put on deodorant!)

Cows can go up stairs, but not down stairs. (I guess I’m not a cow then —I can go down stairs but not up stairs.)

Two cows are chatting over the fence between their fields.

The first cow said, “I tell you, this Mad Cow Disease is really pretty scary. They say it is spreading fast; I heard it hit some cows down on the Johnson Farm.”

The other cow replies, “Nah, I ain’t worried. I’m a helicopter.”

Round Pastry Trivia

1. What is the most common spelling for the delectable round pastry that we all love?

a. Donut b. Donettes c. Donutt d. Doughnut

2. Which of the following donut shops has been around for the longest?

a. Chris’ Donut Shoppe b. Yum Yum Dooughnuts c. Dunkin’ Donuts d. Krispy Kreme

3. Approximately how many donuts are eaten in the U.S. every year?

a. 77 million b. 120 million c. 640 million d. 10 billion

4. How many powdered donuts did my hero, Joey Chestnut, eat in 6 minutes at an eating competition this past summer? a. 59

b. 98 c. 116 d. 257

5. Why are donuts made with a hole in them?

a. Dunkin’ Donuts started the trend so that they can sell munchkins separately and everyone copied them. b. It enables vendors to differentiate between donuts that have filling and those that don’t have filling.

c. Because if they weren’t made with a hole in them the world would be perfect, and we just can’t live in a perfect world. d. It enables them to cook more evenly.

6. Which U.S. city has the most donut shops per capita? a. The Five Towns (is that a city?) b. New York City c. Chicago

d. Boston

7. The largest donut ever was made in Utica, NY, in 1993. How much did it weigh?

a. 120 pounds b. 230 pounds c. 780 pounds d. 1.7 tons

Answers

1-D 2-D 3-D 4-D 5-D 6-D 7-D

Glaze Key

6-7 correct: You are D’Best! 4-5 correct: Not bad…like a dayold donut from Dunkin Donuts — it’s still great but not “Oh my gosh” great. 1-3 correct: You have as much donut intelligence as a donut hole!

Notable Quotes

“Say What?!”

[I] can’t believe [I’m] going to jail for an nft salesman.

- Tweet by a Trump supporter who was sentenced to prison for entering the Capitol on January 6th, in response to Trump selling online digital NFT trading cards

I can’t do this anymore.… He’s one of the best presidents in history. I gotta tell you. Whoever, what business partner and anybody on the comms team and anybody at Mar-a-Lago, and I love the folks down there, but we’re at war. They oughta be fired today.

- Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon reacting to Trump selling NFTs

Even the MyPillow guy was going, “I think Trump’s lost it.’”

— Jimmy Fallon

Antarctica (was my favorite) because I got to ski next to the penguins.

- Maddock Lipp, of Colorado, who at 8 years old holds the record for youngest person to ski on all 7 continents

[Meghan Markle] is just a divorced American C-list actress now gleefully playing the role of her life, doubtless cheered on by many other woke young women in the U.S. who wish they’d snared themselves a handsome-prince lottery ticket too, and who will fully buy into her “It’s all been such a racist struggle” claptrap.

- Pierce Morgan, New York Post, excoriating Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for their expose on the Royal Family

And in the end, Meghan and Harry will lose because people who heartlessly ditch their families for commercial gain very rarely end up as anything but unloved losers.

– Ibid.

I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.

- Pres. Joe Biden

And at least 50% a lie.

- One of many responses on Twitter

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See that’s the whole joke, isn’t it? They say that whole thing was planned, and I’m like, are you kidding me? A bunch of conservatives, Second Amendment supporters, went in the Capitol without guns, and they think that we organized that? I don’t think so.

– Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), in a speech to the New York Young Republicans Club

January 6 happened, and next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon here. And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would’ve been armed.

- Ibid.

Now, let me just say if I saw Greene with a gun, I would definitely be scared, but I refuse to believe Steve Bannon knows how to use one. No one who layers polo shirts is good with a firearm. In a way, they’d make fun partners in a buddy cop movie.

— Seth Meyers

A new checkout trend is sweeping across America, making for an increasingly awkward experience: digital tip jars.

You order a coffee, an ice cream, a salad or a slice of pizza and pay with your credit card or phone. Then, an employee standing behind the counter spins around a touch screen and slides it in front of you. The screen has a few suggested tip amounts – usually 10%, 15% or 20%. There’s also often an option to leave a custom tip or no tip at all.

The worker is directly across from you. Other customers are standing behind, waiting impatiently and looking over your shoulder to see how much you tip. And you must make a decision in seconds. Oh lord, the stress.

From a CNN article, titled “Out of control: No one knows how much to tip”

That mask is the [crazy] Democrats’ MAGA hat. The fact that she thinks she needs to wear the hat… for sure that lady is boosted and tested and they’re working on a television show.

- Joe Rogan, upon seeing a TV host wearing a mask in front of a green screen

In Florida, if you’re still wearing a mask, we just assume you’re hideous.

- Rep. Matt Gaetz on Twitter

This brings upon us the lie that Republicans really are fiscally conservative. The Democrats aren’t. They will not pretend to be fiscally conservative. Not one of them up here gives a darn about the debt.

– Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticizing his fellow Republican senators for green-lighting the Democrats’ massive spending bill

If 41 one of us said, “No” and held our ground until there was a compromise, we could force Democrats to reduce spending. We have completely and totally abdicated the power of the purse. Republicans are emasculated. They have no power, and they are unwilling to gain that power back.

– Ibid.

After burying the Holocaust for years on its back pages and demonizing Israel for decades on its front pages, the New York Times now shamefully calls for undermining Israel’s elected incoming government.

- Prime Minister Netanyahu responding to the New York Times calling his government “radical”

While the NYT continues to delegitimize the one true democracy in the Middle East and America’s best ally in the region, I will continue to ignore its ill-founded advice and instead focus on building a stronger and more prosperous country, strengthening ties with America, expanding peace with our neighbors, and securing the future of the one and only Jewish state.

- Ibid.

Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He said I’d be fine. Got denied, lost the apartment, and the application fee. This ain’t meant for people who don’t already have money.

- The first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress and former Uber driver Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), shortly after arriving in Washington, D.C., to get set up in advance of his Congressional term

It’s not that unusual.

- Dr. Anthony Fauci when asked on MSNBC how it is that even three years after Covid started we still do not know the origins of the virus

There is so much misinformation that we were experiencing the normalization of untruths.

- Ibid, who is accused by some of being a predominant figure in the area of misinformation

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Dear Navidaters,

I’m desperately seeking advice and would appreciate the diversity of your panel’s perspective.

I’m dating a great girl for the past two months. She is everything I’m looking for, and I am attracted to her. The problem is there are sometimes we go out that I’m feeling much less attracted. This is particularly when we eat out. She eats a bit sloppily. Examples include: she takes big bites when eating, talks with her mouth full, will blow her nose at the table with a napkin, eats from the salad bowl directly with her fork. On a few occasions when we’ve eaten at friends’ houses for Shabbos, I’ve seen her pick at food with her fingers straight from the pan.

I grew up with parents who are OCD with cleanliness and are sticklers for proper table manners. I absolutely can’t bring her over for a meal, let alone marry her, the way she conducts herself at a table. It sounds dumb, but is it time to call it quits on the relationship because of these things or is there something I can do about it? I certainly don’t want her to change who she is for me...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

The Panel

The Rebbetzin

Lisa Babich

Thank you for your question. As I read it, it seemed like a familiar one. That is because no matter who we marry we are coming from different cultures, backgrounds, upbringings and, yes, “rules of etiquette.”

I remember having a teacher who told us she once told her husband he was eating like a pig after he scarfed down food. They were from different countries and upbringings, and in his country calling a human a pig was the lowest insult imaginable. He was unable to talk to her for three days.

Why am I telling you all this? It seems that you and the girl you are dating come from very different upbringings surrounding table manners. With that said, you do like her, and it sounds like you are attracted to her as long as she is not eating. I think there can be a delicate way to discuss this with her. You know the dynamics of your relationship and if humor vs. serious talk is the best way to go. I think if she understands how sensitive this is to you and how much it is affecting your relationship, she will be open and able to change.

This is not the first time I have heard of this exact situation, and if both sides are willing to be flexible and grow, then there is no reason why this can’t work. This is not just in the area of table etiquette, but in many differences that can potentially come up in a relationship.

I hope this helps, and I wish you much hatzlacha!

pick at the gooey part of the brownie they want to taste, or innocently lick their fingers at the table. This boils down to table manners. Many of these people did not learn that it was rude or unsightly to eat this way.

It also boils down to how the person has been “trained” at home. Unfortunately, our generation is very much “on the go.” It has become the norm to grab a bite to eat and eat it sloppily in the car while driving back to the office in time for lunch break to be over. If you open a social media app at lunchtime, you might see an influencer (or two, or three) sitting at a cafe with the camera towards them, taking messy bites from wraps, burgers or salads while promoting products. Talking while munching, lettuce falling out of their mouth, you get the gist. Our generation watches these things, and it becomes normal.

I am not going to say the girl you are dating must be sloppy or inappropriate, because it could just be this is a product of our society. However, seemingly, your family is the exact opposite. You care about manners and table decorum. This makes me wonder how much else is different that would bother you in a marriage as well. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to make this decision.

Without trying to change her, talk to her about your feelings. If this is something that won’t make a difference in her life, and she doesn’t mind working on it, you will have to be patient with her.

Remember, if you choose her, you are choosing her along with all of the idiosyncrasies that come with her. Good luck with this conversation, and I hope you have clarity!

Pygmalion (1913), Broadway’s My Fair Lady (1956), and Hollywood’s Pretty Woman (1990). In these tales, the gentleman transforms the girl from an uncivilized commoner into a refined princess. She, in turn, turns out to be a hidden gem with a heart of gold, who, simultaneously, helps the guy evolve into a much better version of himself.

These tales end with the couple living happily ever after. The question for you is can you succeed in changing your girlfriend’s table manners?

I see three dangers here:

First, is it possible that you are experiencing commitment anxiety and are using this excuse to convince yourself that the relationship can’t succeed? Guys sometimes find similar excuses (“She walks or talks too fast,” or “She breathes too loudly”) in order to avoid commitment. Only you can answer that question.

Second, her eating habits might be symptomatic of a person who is generally sloppy, unhygienic, and difficult to live

with. Is her car filled with junk, and does it smell like a pigsty? If so, you might wish to end this relationship.

Third, in your efforts to “improve” her, she might conclude that are a very controlling person, despite your claiming that you, “Don’t want to change who she is.” You can be sure that she will be worrying, “Will I have to live with someone who will constantly complain that I am wearing too much or too little makeup?

The Shadchan

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

L

et’s make this simple. If you cannot imagine bringing a girl home without being embarrassed by her, it is most likely she is not for you.

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty. I know many people who eat the way you describe. You will see them pick out leftovers straight from the pan after the meal, pick from the salad from the bowl,

Your story is a popular theme that appears often in Western civilization literature. A sophisticated, cultured gentleman takes an unsophisticated, uncouth young lady under his wing and teaches her how to dress, how to speak, and how to act in public.

Think of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew (1580), George Bernard Shaw’s

Remember, if you choose her, you are choosing her along with all of the idiosyncrasies that come with her.

Michelle Mond

Will I spend the rest of my life being told what to do and what not to do?” Most women would not wish to share their lives with an overly controlling husband.

So, can you succeed in improving her eating habits? You can try.

Remember that positive reinforcement works much better than negative reinforcement. Specifically, it is more effective to praise someone when they are engaged in

proper behavior, rather than criticize them when they are engaged in negative behavior.

Accordingly, it might be effective to praise her when you witness good table manners, by remarking: “I love the way you look so dainty and lady-like when you carefully cut your food into small pieces like that,” or “I find it so charming when you wouldn’t answer me when your

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

As hard and uncomfortable as it may likely be, real couples have really hard conversations. If this is something that is on your mind so much so that you are considering breaking up, then you need to talk to your girlfriend about this. The way in which you do it is very significant as this is the type of conversation that can potentially make someone feel ashamed and/or leave her running for the hills. Put it all on you.

“There is something I want to talk

about. I grew up in a very proper home, maybe even a little too proper, bordering on OCD. I’m so into you. I’m crazy about you. I see a future with you. I am just struggling with my ideas around table manners. I notice that we are different when it comes to that. I’m wondering if you’ve noticed it, too. Would it be OK to talk about this? I’ve been concerned

Tzipora Grodko’s answer from last issue was inadvertently left out. We print her answer below.

D

ear Atara,

I know so many women who can relate to you, feeling confused by the hope and promise of a relationship while facing the reality of a “let’s just see where this goes” attitude. Simply put, the purpose of dating is for marriage. However, many men will date for the purpose of dating, unaware of their fears or disinterests towards marriage. This leads to broken hearts, confused and unhealthy relationships, and personal stag-

mouth was full.”

By contrast, it is rude and ineffective to remark: “I get nauseous when you eat with your fingers,” or “It’s disgusting when you speak with a mouthful of food.”

Psychologists use a term called the “Pygmalion Effect.” When good behavior is reinforced and when a person believes in his ability to succeed, it increases the probability of success.

By contrast, psychologists use a term, called the “Golem Effect.” When bad behavior is reinforced and a person’s abilities are belittled, this negative stereotype is reinforced, and it decreases the probability of success.

about bringing it up because I don’t want to hurt you.”

Start with something like that, with the caveat that I am having a hard time telling if you’re a tad on the rigid side or your girlfriend truly is unmannered. Do you struggle with flexibility in other areas of your life? If you do, that may something worth looking into as you date and enter marriage, G-d willing. Rigidity is a characteristic that is very hard on a partner. If you don’t struggle with flexibility, please disregard.

Good luck, and let’s hope that this relationship has a happy, Hollywood ending.

Marriage is a lifetime of sensitive conversations. If you and the woman you are dating are meant to be life partners and travel this lifetime together, and if you present with sensitivity and kindness, you will be able to weather the storm of this conversation. If you are not for each other, better to know now.

Good luck and all the best. Happy Chanukah to all!

nation. This non-committal (conscious or subconscious) attitude is even more common in relationships that don’t practice the laws of shomer negiah, as physical needs are being met, prolonging the attention of emotional and foundational priorities.

It sounds like you and Mark have passively fantasized about a future together, creating the expectation that you are committed to each other. However, his actions/words seem to reflect differently. The million dollar question is: Is he marriage minded? If Mike isn’t ready for that step (with anyone), then I don’t believe spending more time with you will change that. On the contrary, I think it’s the opposite. I think spending time

apart will clarify if he is ready to be in a committed relationship, or if he needs to work through his own emotional fears or concerns. If you feel like you want that commitment, talk it out. Gain clarity. Receive concrete responses and don’t give in to charismatic vague explanations. You know your worth and need to protect yourself while setting a standard.

I believe that the right person will fight to make the relationship work, and it will cause them pain to consider a future without you. That may be Mike, but you need to have a very serious talk with him to find out. I don’t think any of us can give you a definitive answer, but I truly believe that your heart knows what you deserve.

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

When good behavior is reinforced and when a person believes in his ability to succeed, it increases the probability of success.

Sincerely, Jennifer

Light from Within: An Ordinary Jew Who Killed a Terrorist

His pure faith overcame a darkness that drives many to despair

by Ronit Segev

JUDEAN HILLS - It was Chanukah. Which year, he can’t remember – it was the late nineties in Israel – but the place he remembers all too well, and day after day he would pray that G-d would take him out of there and that some Chanukah, some year, he would be able to rejoin his wife and little girl and light candles together, sing Hallel, play dreidel games, and enjoy latkes. But for now, thick walls separated them from him, and the people surrounding him were inmates and guards. He had been sentenced to life.

Yoram Skolnik had requested a hanukkiyah in order to fulfill the mitzvah of the holiday, but prison officials had refused. In Hebrew, there is a word for the reason: staam. A reason that is no reason. Caprice. Officially, they said they feared he might make a bomb out of the candles. A bomb? Come on. The assertion was ridiculous, and everyone knew it, but time after time the authorities wielded their power against religious inmates, particularly this one. They told him to build a hannukiyah by hollowing out potatoes, filling them with vegetable oil, and using scraps of linen as wicks. Yoram was incredulous and angry. This was

Israel, the land of the Jews! And he’d have to make a hanukkiyah as Jews were forced to in the camps in Poland?

The strange and almost quixotic thing about Yoram is that he did not give up. Perhaps logically, he should have, for really, there was little hope, but he greeted their refusal with disbelief and a sense of justice that things ought to be different. And he prevailed: he got his hanukkiyah, even though it took the intervention of a Knesset member, Rehavam Ze’evi.

The story of the hanukkiyah is a parable that helps me understand the source of Yoram’s strength, a strength that enabled him to actually thrive even with a life sentence. Paradoxically, even in a situation that can drive others to hurt themselves, Yoram found his faith in G-d strengthened. I wanted to find out why. In the end, I discovered a modern-day story that mirrors the story of Chanukah itself. As the Maccabees found themselves in an internecine cultural struggle, so did Yoram. His is a story of ultimate dedication, simple faith, and the deepest kind of love. Even if you vehemently oppose the action that landed him to prison, look at what he did once he

was there. His story shows how a person’s spirit can flourish even amidst intense suffering.

When A Jew is Murdered… and Another, and Another

The day I meet Yoram, he’s painting a house, and his clothes are ragged and smeared with white stains. He comes across as humble, with soft, quiet eyes, and a self-effacing and deferential manner. If you were in a hurry, Yoram is the type of guy who’d offer that you cut in line ahead of him. He eschews publicity. This is his first interview for an English-language news magazine since he was released from prison nearly twenty-two years ago.

Yoram’s story begins in 1993. He was 24, and he and his wife Sigalit had a fifteenmonth-old baby girl. They lived near Hebron. Yoram worked as a school bus driver while studying to be a teacher; Sigalit was already teaching kindergarten. Every day, as they would drive to work, Arabs on the hills above would shoot at cars with Israeli license plates and hurl down cinder blocks and homemade grenades. And in the cities, it was a festival of bus-bombing

and Jew-stabbing. The PLO justified it all by branding it a spontaneous “intifada” –in Arabic, “uprising,” against the Jewish occupation of Judea and of all of Israel. For Yasser Arafat, the war made strategic

sense. Quietly, PLO and Israeli negotiators were working out what they would reveal on September 13, 1993 as the Oslo Accords. Israel would cede control over much of its Biblical heartland in exchange for Arafat’s promise of peace.

Israeli lawmakers debated: was it moral to give up the holy land that G-d had given Jews for the sake of saving lives? The argument turned out to be a canard. Even as the deal was percolating, the result was more dead Jews, not fewer, and the reason was predictable: from the PLO’s perspective, violence was working; Israel was surrendering land. It was rational, then, to attack more. From Israel’s perspective, the idea of Oslo was that Arafat would police the Arabs so that Israel didn’t have to, and Prime Minister Rabin had to give him a chance. That is why the months before Oslo were open season on Jews, as were the years following it.

In the region of Hebron, murders of Jews were attempted every day, and funerals of Jews were held almost as frequently. Yes, terrorists were caught, but they were released only a few years later, in exchange for a kidnapped Israeli soldier, or for the body of a kidnapped Israeli soldier, or simply as a “gesture of goodwill” to Arafat. Once released, these terrorists continued doing what they’d been so good at: murder. The phenomenon of terrorist-commitsmurder-is-jailed-is-released-commitsmurder-again was so common it became a running gag for comedians. In one skit, two Arabs want to earn a degree, so what do they do? Why, kidnap a soldier. They’re sent to jail, where they get PLO stipends and free education, until – to their chagrin – they are freed in a prisoner exchange! Before completing their degree! So what to do? Kidnap another soldier, of course. When I watched this show, I laughed. The reaction of someone who does not live in this environment is horror.

During these months, Yoram called emergency dispatchers to report close to one-hundred attempted murders on the road. His greatest fear was for his wife. Si-

galit’s car had been smashed by rocks again and again, and Arabs threw a stun grenade at her. But he and Sigalit never discussed moving away. That would not have been just a personal defeat; it would have been a national one. So it was for the entire nation that the Skolniks and thousands like them clung to these hills of Judea, despite all the dangers.

And then, one March day in Jerusalem, at the ORT Canada school, an Arab went on a stabbing spree. The principal heard the students screaming, and, unarmed, raced out of his office and tackled the terrorist. Prime Minister Rabin called on citizens to

used his knife; if he hadn’t been stopped, he’d have used the grenade, too. Children’s mutilated bodies would have been strewn across the courtyard. On the other hand, the terrorist’s hands were tied; Yoram could afford to wait for the police, and he could avoid going to jail; but then, this terrorist would be sentenced to a few years, and he’d return to this school or to another, and there would be more dead. Yoram saw these scenes as already scripted; such was the political climate.

Yoram describes the turmoil that pulsated through him. The indecision. The uncertainty. And then, the piercing realization

say, seeking approbation at his expense. If you’re a marginalized “obstacle to peace” in Judea, and you want to be accepted by your enlightened, cosmopolitan brethren in Tel Aviv or Geneva, you vilify Yoram Skolnik. You’re not like him. You wouldn’t do anything like that.

But another explanation is that they genuinely thought he did wrong. After all, if everyone does “what is right in his own eyes” – the refrain of Sefer Shoftim – the result will be anarchy. Jews are supposed to be moral exemplars, and that, according to Israel’s doctrine of “purity of arms,” means not to harm those who pose no immediate threat; and here, the terrorist’s hands were tied.

What many could not see – but what many Jews on the ground felt – was that the army’s hands were tied, too. Deferring to the army works when the army is doing its job. But what about when the army isn’t?

“take personal responsibility for maintaining security.”

His words resonated in Yoram’s ears the very next day.

To Kill a Would-Be Killer

Yoram’s emergency walkie-talkie crackled with an alert of a terrorist attack in the town of Susya, near Hebron. He arrived before police and found the terrorist lying on the ground, his hands tied with twine. The Arab had been lurking near a school and stabbed one person, but Jews overpowered him, searched him, and found a hand grenade. They assumed he’d planned to lob it into the schoolyard while kids were playing.

Yoram recalls his moment of decision, looking down at the terrorist, lying near his bloody knife. The grenade, now out of his reach. Yoram thought: this guy’s already

that he could act no other way. With that knowledge came great relief – and action. Yoram raised his gun and fired.

“I felt, at that moment, that I had done the right thing,” Yoram tells me quietly.

He felt he had no other choice in order to save other Jews.

He never imagined that his action would ignite a national debate about a citizen’s role in security. Near Hebron, at the gate of the Jewish city of Kiryat Arba, a banner proclaimed, “We are all Skolnik.” But in Susya, some residents denounced Yoram to police, to reporters – to anyone, really, who would listen. In his eyes, their betrayal stung even more since he had sped to the scene to help them; the terrorist had threatened their children. Not only were they not defending him, they were selling him out – arguably, his supporters

The debate reflected a cultural divide in Israeli Jewish society that continues to this day. Some believe that this land is ours by divine right and that a Jew’s life is more precious than a terrorist’s; others believe that “divine right” is xenophobic, that a terrorist must have suffered a trauma or injustice and should be given a second and third chance, that this land is not really ours, that we should look to the West for guidance, and, and above all, for acceptance. Oft-repeated mottos on the street include, “Make Israel Great Again,” referring to former President Trump. You also hear, “Israel needs a Putin.” Many Israelis want to be accepted (not entirely clear by whom), but whoever it is should be big and powerful. We haven’t quite grown up yet; we lack confidence to stand on our own.

Lest you think we’ll mature in a decade or two, open the Book of Samuel. Thousands of years ago, the Israelites beg the prophet to “give us a king like all other nations.” Sounds cosmopolitan. But one moment. We also revere Shimshon, David, and the Maccabees – all

You have two choices in that situation.

You can go crazy, knowing you can't help and feeling the pain, or you can believe Hashem will help.”

heroes in our struggle for national and religious independence. So we Jews are caught between countervailing forces. And the tension between them is the essence of the Chanukah story.

You may have grown up thinking that Chanukah is a story of religious freedom of the Jews against the Greeks. But read the Books of the Maccabees, and you’ll see it was also a civil war. The Hellenized establishment Jews against ragtag bands of radical vigilante extremists who lived in caves in the hills of Judea and Samaria and believed in “religious coercion.” Those “nutcases.” Those “zealots.”

As you light the hanukkiyah this year, as you celebrate their victory, remember: that’s what we’d call them today.

No one wants to be considered a “bloodthirsty nutcase.” The Susya residents were protesting their innocence: to kill is immoral; since they had not killed, they were not immoral.

Light Behind Bars

Yoram was jailed and charged with murder in the first degree. He was stunned. He was sure that once he explained what had happened, the judges would understand, especially given Rabin’s statement about individual Jews taking responsibility for security.

Public opinion was divided; many supported him, including the Rishon LeTzion, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu. But in Israel, over 90% of defendants are found guilty; Yoram was no exception.

After sentencing, he was moved to a special prison ward for religious Jews. Since he was a political offender, he could not be jailed in a mixed ward with both Jews and Arabs.

Yoram, painfully, recalls that he offered his wife a divorce. He thought it the right thing to do.

“I could not expect her to go on as a living widow,” he said.

None of the inmates sentenced to long years remained married. But Sigalit re -

fused his offer. Every week, she came to visit him with their little girl. She would spend long hours waiting for buses and lose an entire workday. She would drag with her bags of canned food and vegetables, since the kashrut of prison food was questionable in Yoram’s eyes. Sometimes, she would be turned back at the prison gates and sent home without explanation. Other times, she was allowed in, but only for an hour in the main room crammed full of inmates and their families, constantly watched by wardens. In his little girl’s preschool, children taunted her that she would never see her father free. His wife struggled to pay the bills.

“You have two choices in that situation. You can go crazy, knowing you can’t help and feeling the pain, or you can believe Hashem will help. I believed Hashem would help her, and me, in our individual struggles,” Yoram said simply.

What kept him going was the knowledge that he had done the right thing. He was not tormented by that question, as other inmates were about their own actions. He also believed that really, only Hashem controlled his fate, not a human judge, not a prison bureaucrat, not even Israel’s president, who had the power to commute his sentence. So Yoram was in good hands. Hashem does only good. If he was in jail, there was a reason. He didn’t need to understand the reason, and he didn’t try. If Hashem wanted to free him, He would do so instantly. Yoram kept meditating on those simple thoughts over and over, until he cultivated what he calls a complete and blind faith in Hashem.

“You could call it repression or self-protection,” he admits.

But it worked. With all the uncertainty whether he would ever be released, and with the knowledge of the suffering of his wife and daughter, Yoram was, perhaps eerily, relaxed and at peace. He was a passenger in the car. The Master of the Universe was at the wheel.

So it was that even with a life sentence, he believed that his freedom was imminent.

Illogical? Yes. Against all odds? Certainly. Insane? Arguably. Yoram looked at the world of logic and disregarded it. He didn’t need it. He had a better, more effective tool for dealing with suffering: belief, blind belief, belief so simple that sophisticates would scoff at it as childish. There’s a word for it in Hebrew: temimut. It brings to mind something beautiful and rare and fragile and wholesome. One of Yoram’s beliefs was that the situation was so ridiculous it could not possibly go on. Hashem would not let it go on.

“I think the approach of faith was correct,” he reflects.

The years dragged on. He told me that during that time his faith became simpler, perhaps because it had to. He kept repeating: this is absurd, I know it’s so absurd, it’s so absurd that I know Hashem will bring me out of this place. Even more remarkably, Yoram hadn’t grown up with this faith; it had begun to grow within him when he was about nine years old and had matured and blossomed in prison.

Yoram was a child of secular kibbutznik parents. When he was nine, they moved to the United States. Yoram’s mother was traditional, what Israelis call a masortit. She had a quiet belief in G-d and kept Shabbat in her way. She did not want Yoram to grow up without any Judaism, so she sent him to a Chabad school. Yoram fell in love with Chabad. He describes the teachers as bursting with exuberance of life and radiant with the joy of their connection to Hashem and the Jewish people. It was this warmth, this love, which first planted the seeds of connection in him.

Over the years, he learned more about Judaism, and as a teenager, he decided to become religious. His parents supported him. When they returned to Israel, Yoram attended The Jerusalem Yeshiva for Youth, a deeply spiritual high school which follows Rav Kook’s teachings. It was this school which taught him the missing third link to G-d and the Jewish people: the Land. Yoram went on to study in the yeshiva of Hebron, then served in the IDF as a mili-

tary intelligence officer. When he married, it was the love of the Land which caused him to choose to live in a town on the outskirts of Hebron.

In prison, Yoram could not pursue his teaching degree, since, he says, the university program was offered only to the mixed ward and to Arab terrorists, so he studied Torah. He taught a Talmud class after the evening prayer. He attended classes of rabbis who drove long distances to spend time with the inmates. But even in the religious ward, prison is an ugly place. The inmates there were a mix: political offenders, such as Yoram; religious Jewish criminals; Jewish members of crime families who could not be jailed in the regular wards for fear they’d be offed by other crime families; and regular Jewish criminals who’d convinced prison authorities that they were newly observant (ba’alei teshuva) so they could benefit from the religious ward’s better conditions.

Yoram got along with most of the inmates, even those who had been jailed for heinous crimes such as murdering their

Yoram with his wife Sigalit

own family members. Most of the prisoners believed the worst about each other, but Yoram wondered to himself: is it possible that the judge made a mistake? Is it possible that the inmate is honestly protesting his innocence? Who was he, Yoram, to decide the man was a liar – or worse? And so Yoram treated everyone with dignity and respect.

He also helped fellow inmates with their appeals to the court for better conditions. For example, the prisoners did not have showers, only a hose attached to the wall above a hole in the ground, which served as a toilet. Anyone wanting to shower had to stand on the edges of that hole. It was not just unsanitary, it was disgusting and humiliating. The appeal was accepted. Proper toilet, not just hole in the ground? Accepted, but only for Yoram, since only his name was on the appeal. Toilet not in the inmates’ room, so they could daven in the morning? Denied. Chanukah candles? Denied, until MK Rehavam Zeevi intervened. Sifrei kodesh to restock the few ratty books in the prison beit midrash? Denied. The inmates resorted to smuggling in Gemaras.

Yoram carved out meaning for himself because he clung to the belief that G-d does only good. He had to explore the goodness of the situation, pursue light, and, in its absence, create it. He fought to receive food of a better kashrut not only because he believed the other kashrut wasn’t really kosher – but because the struggle itself proved to him that even in prison there was still something worth fighting for, something worth living for. That’s the hanukkiyah. It’s resistance, it’s meaning, it’s connection to G-d. His wife says he would teach their daughter Torah via telephone from prison, even though every minute cost money. His quest for the light brought him light. Faced with adversity, many people conserve their energy. But conservation of energy doesn’t fuel your soul; expenditure of energy does. It’s the collapsing inward that’s deadly.

His faith was so simple, so pure, so childlike, he became impervious to set-

backs. They did not depress him. He would press reset and expect that at the next appeal he would succeed. There was seemingly no cumulative, corrosive effect of failure. Every time an appeal was turned down, he was more incredulous than disappointed: how could Hashem allow this injustice to go on?

As Yoram pauses to drink some of the tea which cooled long ago, I repeat his question to him: how can you believe in a G-d Who allows injustice to go on? The age-old question posed by the Book of Job, which resurfaced in our parents’ generation about the Holocaust.

scrutiny and forced them to make changes. They got back at Yoram in the ways they could: sometimes, during visiting hours, they would place a heavy metal screen between Yoram and his wife; other times they would turn her back at the gate. The revenge was petty and painful, and when I asked Yoram if he hated them for it (or, for that matter, if he hated the Susya residents who testified against him at his trial), Yoram was frankly surprised. He told me that although he was imprisoned in an ugly whitewashed building in the rundown city of Lod, their prison was far worse –the prison of the spirit. In the struggle of

Court was rejected, he had no further legal recourse; his only hope was that President Weizman, a left-wing secularist, would pardon him.

Political Chaos, Personal Freedom

1997 rolled around, and with it, one of the worst embarrassments for the Israeli Mossad. “The Khaled Mashal Affair” was their botched plot to murder Mashal, a Hamas kingpin in Jordan. Not only had they failed, Mossad agents had been exposed and arrested by Jordanian police. It was an international scandal, made worse by the fact that the Mossad agents initially claimed to be Canadian tourists. Israel frantically tried to free its agents and to mend rifts. It agreed to all Jordanian demands, including freeing seventy-one Hamas terrorists.

Israelis on the street, including families of those murdered by Mashal and his henchmen, were furious. President Weizman agreed to meet a supporter of Yoram’s, Shmuel Medad, who went on to form the Honenu legal rights organization.

Yoram thinks for a moment. A person deeply perturbed by the question must, he says, seek answers – but he himself had not been perturbed by it. With simplicity that astounded me, Yoram explained that he knew it could not go on. And if it was going on – if appeal after appeal was rejected –then there was a reason. He, Yoram, didn’t need to know the reason. All he needed to know was that he must do good in the situation he found himself in. He knew Hashem was with him; he knew, too, that he had done the right thing. His belief was so strong he felt serene. I asked Yoram if he was ever angry at G-d. He smiled and said no: “I was the one who pulled the trigger.”

Yoram’s quiet activism in prison may have made him popular among inmates, but it infuriated prison authorities. His constant appeals put them under judicial

morality and Jewish identity, they were lost, clinging to cultural fads, or, worse, to power. He felt genuinely sorry for them. One day, he knew, he’d get out of prison. Would they?

The inmates in the religious ward, except the political inmates, squabbled and fought. Knifings were common. Once, Yoram saw one inmate holding a makeshift knife creep up behind another prisoner. Yoram sprang at the attacker, slapping the knife out of his hand. The furious inmate screamed at Yoram that friends outside would slaughter his child. Yoram experienced a momentary flash of terror before he calmed down: Hashem would protect his child. He, Yoram, had prevented a death. He had done the right thing.

Still, the years behind bars stretched on. When Yoram’s appeal to the Supreme

“The President showed me his hand and turned it over,” Medad recalls. “He told me, everything you think, I think the opposite. But of one thing you’ve convinced me. If we free Arabs, we free Jews.”

Weizman commuted sentences of fourteen Jewish political offenders, including Yoram. Yoram’s life sentence was cut to fifteen years, then to eleven years. Some restrictions were eased: he was now allowed to visit his wife and child at home once a month.

By this time, Yoram had been in prison seven years. As with every prisoner who serves two-thirds of his sentence, Yoram was up for an early parole. It was granted by prison authorities but rejected by the Supreme Court, following an appeal by Zehava Galon, leader of the Left-wing Meretz party. It was another six months before he was allowed to appeal. The appeal was turned down. Yoram served another year before prison authorities once again grant-

He had a better, more effective tool for dealing with suffering: belief, blind belief, belief so simple that sophisticates would scoff at it as childish.

ed him early parole, and, once again, an appeal was filed against his release. This time, it was rejected by the Supreme Court, and he was released.

At the Knesset, left-wing and Arab parties convened a hearing to protest Yoram’s upcoming release. Arab MKs claimed that there were double standards, since a Jew who murdered an Arab is released early, while Arabs who murder Jews are not (they conveniently forgot those seventy terrorists released in the Khaled Mashal affair and others that were released in the years that followed). They then demanded that if Skolnik were released, Arab terrorists should be released as well. Despite the fact that both the Left-wing MKs and the Arab MKs

opposed Yoram’s release, the Left-wing MK Yosef Paritzky inadvertently threw a wrench into the opposition. He responded that the Arabs’ demand for the release of Arab terrorists indicated the Arab MKs supported Yoram, since they don’t believe terrorists should serve time at all. Confusion followed his statement. The meeting ended without a conclusion.

Yoram was released in 2001 on condition that he undergo therapy, post bond, and not live in Judea or Samaria. Israeli media heralded him as anything from a hero to a murderer of a murderer. Typically, international media neglected to mention that he’d killed a terrorist, choosing to frame the story as a settler/Jew killing an

“Arab man” or “Palestinian.”

Yoram’s challenges did not end with his release. Adjusting to life as a free man, he recalls, meant assuming responsibility. Prison teaches you to be passive, to do as you’re told; being innovative and economically responsible for a family is a huge change. The family lived from month to month. Yoram worked at any job he could find: real-estate broker, sofer stam, and then house painter, his profession until today.

ciety has condemned as wrong. It takes a great faith in G-d, as well as a deep knowledge of the internal compass within, to cling beyond a doubt to the conviction that you did right. To live with the palpable feeling of G-d’s presence around you, knowing that He does only good. To be proactive and to do what good you can and to believe there is a reason and purpose. To pray and to believe your prayers are being heard.

The

Legacy of the Chanukah Candles

Israel’s soul-searching continues today in the debate about a death penalty for terrorists. Essentially, Yoram was making the case for such a law in 1993. If you put a terrorist to death, you don’t give the PLO an incentive to kidnap an Israeli soldier to bargain for his release. Thus, a death penalty for terrorists would save Jewish lives. Had there been such a law, Yoram would not have fired those shots. He would have felt that the state was fulfilling its responsibility of protecting its Jewish citizens. He’s not sorry for what he did; for him, it was an act of deep love towards his fellow Jews. Today, Yoram and his wife have eight children. His back is slightly stooped from labor and from time, but his eyes are a clear and straightforward blue. When we sit down for the interview, he asks me: “Do you want the real story, or what they published at the time?”

I want the real story, of course. But more than that, I want the backstory: what he felt when it happened, why he remained religious despite tribulations, and how his family succeeded in sticking together. I want to understand his internal quietude, the radiance, and the humility. I want to understand the secret of the faith that sustained him while in prison and helped him transition afterwards. Tears, trouble, and fear are the chaotic backdrop to the persistent human question: did I do right?

And how much louder and more persistent is this question for those whom so -

To remain steadfast in a relationship with G-d, even when that, too, is condemned as “fanatic” and “extremist.” Because the internal fight in Israel, as it has been since Jews returned to the Land from Egypt, is not only a nationalist one: it is a theological-moral-cultural one. We commemorate this struggle and indicate which side we support; once a year, we light candles for eight days running.

Whether you feel a visceral connection with G-d or it’s something you have to work on, Yoram’s story shows that faith in G-d is something you can cultivate. He did it through extreme focus even under extreme stress. Much as soldiers describe their extreme focus in combat: bullets go whizzing past, smoke, you can barely see, you just focus on your job. You load one shell after another. An explosion. Did you hit them? Did they hit you? You see blood. You drag your friend away. Oh. He’s not the one bleeding, it’s you. You didn’t even notice. You were just focused on your job. Yoram stayed focused on his beliefs: Hashem does only good. There is good here. I must find it. I did the right thing. Ergo, this is absurd. Soon He will set me free. Over and over and over. That was his compass. Forget about logic, alternatives, or details. Amidst confusion, simplicity. The focus quiets the mind, rejuvenates the soul. No matter the turbulence of the outside world. It’s just you and me, G-d. Just us.

A person like that has those candles burning inside all year round. They never go out.

Comments? Email ronit.segev@ contactoffice.net.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti,

My kids are upset, and it is a yearly occurrence. Everyone in school is talking about their Chanukah parties and their Chanukah vacation plans, and due to the fact that we live far from family, we don’t have Chanukah parties or vacation plans. To be honest, they are not the only ones miserable about the situation. I also get down this time of year, but I try not to show it.

-Party-less on Chanukah

A:

Dear Party-less on Chanukah, I know it feels like you are the only ones in this situation – I know as a fact that you aren’t! There are quite a number of families all home feeling the same way! A few people I know make a block, neighbors, or friends Chanukah party. They don’t wait to be invited; they initiate the fun. But you don’t need to look outside your home for Chanukah fun! Sit down with your children and fill up your calendar with activities. This is a chance for your older children to take charge, and once they finish rolling their eyes (a teenager’s response in many cases), they will enjoy the power. There are so many ways your younger children can shine as well.

School nights need an hour or so of scheduled fun; vacation days need more.

Put on Chanukah music There is so much research on music and how it makes people happy. This is a great time to infuse the atmosphere in your home with Chanukah music. Watch music change the mood!

Decorate the house . Let the children make signs and hang them all over the house. They can draw their own or color in pages from magazines or coloring books.

Play dreidel. You can use pennies, chocolate coins, chocolate chips, and even nuts can be fun! The game is in the spinning

and the surprise of what it lands on each time.

Bake cookies. Chanukah shapes are fun, but so is just the fun of baking cookies! Decorating cookies are even more fun, so put out lots of edibles and watch the kids create!

Make latkes.

Play homemade Chanukah games and party games Www.kosher.com has easy and fun Chanukah games you can play, guaranteeing a lot of laughs with very little preparation. There is a free downloadable matching game you can print and play as well. You can also play “Pin the Candle on the Menorah” if you have an artist in the house who can draw a menorah. Then all you need are a blindfold, strips of colored paper, and tape. Spin the blindfolded child around, then have them try to tape the candle to the menorah. So much fun!

Perform skits. They can be Chanukah-related, as they act out scenes from the Chanukah story, or they can be family parodies. The point is to have family bonding time, not Broadway shows.

Invite a couple that also lives far from family. There are so many couples with or without family, young and old, who are alone for Chanukah. They would appreciate an invite!

Invite a family with kids your kids’ ages, even if they have other Chanukah parties. Pick a night they aren’t busy and have supper and play games with them.

Here are pictures from a family I know throwing a fun party for neighbors. The 3rd and 4th graders ran the event under their mother’s direction and fun was had by all!

Accept your situation and turn it into a plus! Have fun!

Happy Chanukah, -Etti

Mrs. Etti Siegel holds an MS in Teaching and Learning/Educational Leadership and brings sound teaching advice to her audiences culled from her over 35 years of teaching and administrative experience. She is an Adjunct at the College of Mount Saint Vincent/Sara Shenirer. She is a coach and educational consultant for Catapult Learning, is a sought-after mentor and workshop presenter around the country, and a popular presenter for Sayan (a teacher-mentoring program), Hidden Sparks, and the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools. She is a frequent contributor to Hamechanech Magazine and The Journal for Jewish Day School leaders. She will be answering your education-based questions and writing articles weekly for The Jewish Home. Mrs. Siegel can be reached at ettisiegel@gmail.com.

There’s one person this year who shouldn’t be getting too many presents come holiday time. That’s crypto-whiz-kid Samuel Bankman-Fried, or SBF.

Odds are good that you had never heard of 30-year-old SBF before last month when Alameda Research (his “hedge” fund) and FTX Exchange (his crypto exchange) collapsed in what some have called the biggest financial fraud since Bernie Madoff. On Halloween, he was worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 billion, living and working in a sun-splashed $40 million Bahamas penthouse. Last week, he was as good as bankrupt, and even his parents have told friends that his legal bills will likely wipe them out financially. Today, he’s under arrest, and a year from now, he could be measuring sunshine in 15-minute increments in “the yard.” You’d think a guy with that sort of cloud over his future would be listening to lawyers telling him to just shut up. But no, he’s out giving interviews to everyone from random bloggers to the House Financial Services Committee.

A year ago, when crypto had swelled to a $3 trillion market, the IRS was working hard to make sure decentral -

Your Money A Lump of Coal

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

ization didn’t cost the Treasury billions. Now, the entire asset class has crashed. It’s worth less than Amazon, meaning the days of outsized gains may be over. Still, the IRS keeps working to educate taxpayers and enforce new rules:

Page One of Form 1040 will require taxpayers to answer under penalty of

Starting in 2023, crypto exchanges and brokerages will be required to report transactions directly to the IRS – as they do for stocks and other assets – so the income can be properly taxed.

The IRS is continuing to subpoena third-party custodians to ferret out income that traders have previously omit-

that he probably won’t have to worry about the IRS himself. We know he borrowed a tax-free billion from Alameda. But we have no clue how much taxable income he may have earned before his wings melted in the sun. And the IRS may never know how much he really owes. FTX’s new CEO John J. Ray III – the guy who buried the corpse of Enron – told a bankruptcy court: “Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”

perjury whether they’ve traded, bought, or sold any “digital assets” in the last year. That’s a change from last year’s form, which asked about “digital currency.” The broader language covers non-fungible tokens, or NFTs – digital images of bored apes, toilet paper with flowers, and even the original source code for the world wide web. (NFT prices have crashed, too. This is my shocked face.)

ted from their returns.

Taxpayers who trusted FTX to hold their assets will be able to deduct their losses someday – but not until the bankruptcy court finishes its work. It’ll be like National Transportation Safety Board investigators combing through the charred remnants of a plane crash, except there won’t be a black box to explain what happened.

The good news, at least for SBF, is

November 11, when FTX filed for bankruptcy, will certainly mark a milestone. We just don’t know yet whether it will be the effective end of crypto as a mainstream asset class or the birth of a new phase with renewed legitimacy. Either way, we’ll be here to help you keep more of your gains or make the most of your losses!

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

Today, he’s under arrest, and a year from now, he could be measuring sunshine in 15-minute increments in “the yard.”

EVEN

SUBMISSIONS

Miriam Shugarman, 3 Hadassa Garfunkel, 9 Elka A, 7 Eliana Leeba Chernitzky, 9 Elazar Shitrit age,

Atara Ament, 7 Aliza Goldman, 8

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In The K tchen

Cake Doughnuts

By Naomi Nachman

I recently recorded an episode of my show “Sunny Side Up” on kosher.com just in time for Chanukah. I had the creators of SML Cakes on the show. SML are three sisters who bake incredible cakes in the Five Towns and run an Instagram account @smlcakes. One of the sisters, Mikki Schaechter, baked doughnuts with me.

To watch the episode, go to Kosher.com and look for my show “Sunny Side Up.”

Ingredients

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½ cup margarine

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

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1½ teaspoons baking powder

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¼ teaspoon baking soda

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¾ teaspoon kosher salt

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½ cup granulated sugar

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¼ cup light brown sugar

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2 eggs, room temperature

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1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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1 cup oat milk or other non-dairy milk, room temperature

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray doughnut pans with baking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl

with a hand mixer, beat margarine and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

3. Reduce mixer speed to medium; add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder, and then add mixture in two batches, alternating with milk, and beat just until combined.

4. Transfer batter to a piping bag or a re-sealable plastic bag and snip a half-inch hole in one corner of bag. Divide mixture evenly between prepared pans. Bang pans several times on counter to release air bubbles.

5. Bake until tops of doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed, 15 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool before decorating.

6. To make icing for the doughnuts: Mix 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar with 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Mix until it’s a thick liquid. If it’s too thick, add a few more drops of water; if it’s too thin, add more sugar. Drizzle on doughnuts. Decorate the doughnuts with sprinkles as soon as you spread the icing before the icing dries, so the sprinkles will stick better to the doughnut.

Recipe

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.

shared with me from Shani Sulzberger, Mikki Schaechter, and Lily Eisenberg.

PhoTo CouRTeSy oF koSheR.CoM