Baltimore Jewish Home 2-19-15

Around the Community

Chai Lifeline Organizes Flag Football Game with Ravens Jacoby Jones

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Mesivta Neiumus HaTorah Brings in Yehuda Green for Shabbos

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Ron Rosenbluth Presented Community Leadership Award PAGE 12

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CONTENTS

COMMUNITY

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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

JEWISH THOUGHT A Parsha Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Dealing with Chutzpah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Competence is the Bedrock of Confidence. . . . . . 46 The Awesome Power of Mishloach Manos . . . . . . 47 Terumah – Building an Eternal Temple. . . . . . . . . . 52 Children in Shul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

COVER STORY Rav Avichai Rontzki A True Pioneer Looks Towards the Knesset . . . . . . . . 36

LIFESTYLES 7 Tips For Dealing With Winter Weather Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Remembering The Battle Of Iwo Jima. . . . . . . . . . . 40 Kosherology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 A New Spin on Hamantashen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 The Disorganized Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 From My Private Art Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Why holding on to your Airline Miles and Credit Card Points are a Bad Idea!. . . . . . . . . . . 55

NEWS Global News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 National News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

ISRAEL Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Dear Readers,

It’s hard to think of Germans as our advocates, but last week a German judge equated anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism when she convicted Taylan Can of incitement against an ethnic minority when he used the word “Zionist” to target and rile others against the Jews. “‘Zionist’ is the language of anti-Semites, the code for ‘Jew,’” Die Welt quoted Judge Gauri Sastry as saying.

The State of Israel has made it easy for anti-Semites to mask their hatred for Jews. After all, they don’t dislike the children of Israel, they abhor their country. They don’t hate a religion; they hate the democratic state that happens to be Jewish.

Last month, New York City Councilman David Greenfield so eloquently pointed this out at a Council meeting. The YouTube video of Mr. Greenfield defending his people has been viewed at least 1 million times. Apparently, there are many others who agree with what he said.

“What you saw here today was naked, blind anti-Semitism,” he said, referring to a pro-Palestinian group disrupting the Council during a vote on a resolution to honor the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. “While we were discussing a resolution regarding the murder of 1.1 million human beings … they had the chutzpah, the nerve, the temerity, to unfurl a Palestinian flag and yell at us,” the councilman said. They unfurled their flag because “Hitler had not finished the job. He only wiped out half of my family.”

Their hatred towards Israel was only a façade, an excuse for their disdain of the Jewish people.

Next month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Congress at Speaker Boehner’s invitation. The invite— and his acceptance—has created a global uproar. How dare the prime minister accept the invitation of the head of the Republican Party in Congress? This is a breach of protocol, the White House said, they were never consulted. Ah, but they were, just

shortly before the invitation was extended, as now revealed by several news outlets. So what’s the hubbub all about? In 2011, Boehner also invited Netanyahu to address Congress and consulted with the White House, only to have them drag their feet in response. Ultimately, Netanyahu did speak and there was no brouhaha at that point.

What concerns me most is the demonizing of the prime minister of Israel, and by proxy the State of Israel. The harsh innuendos being lobbed at Prime Minister Netanyahu almost seem to be blurring the lines between politics and anti-Semitism. The Congressional Black Caucus has announced that they will be boycotting the speech and one of its members, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), said, “It’s not simply about President Obama being a black man disrespected by a foreign leader. It’s deeper than that.”

When I heard that statement, I was confused—the fact that President Obama is an African-American obviously has nothing to do with the situation; why is that being made part of the discussion? But then I remembered: one of the first geopolitical tools used against Israel was the “Zionism is Racism” resolution adopted by the U.N. in 1975. This ridiculous and anti-Jewish resolution was thankfully repealed in 1991. But it remains a tool that the world is always willing to use to delegitimize Israel. My fear is that some lawmakers in the U.S.—which has a staunch relationship with Israel—are sticking their hand in that very dangerous toolbox, to delegitimize Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel.

It is my fervent hope that cooler heads prevail and that the politicians in Washington come to their senses and not serve to further damage Israel’s standing in the world.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Yaakov

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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Around the

Community

Kehillas Meor HaTorah Celebrates Hachnasos Sefer Torah BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

(Photo Credit: Eli Klein)

On Sunday, February 8th Kehillas Meor HaTorah, under the leadership of Rabbi Simcha Wein, celebrated a Hachnosos Sefer Torah.

The Sefer Torah was donated to the shul by the Lazar family, l’zecher nishmas their father, Reuven Eliyahu ben Shaul Yirmiyahu, z’l.

This was a very big milestone for the new shul which opened up last year to serve the needs of the new community. The “Beazer” area has exploded in recent years and now boasts over fifty orthodox families, k’ah.

Kehillas Meor HaTorah was es-

tablished to serve the needs of this new community. The shuls provides the residents a place to daven and learn as well as a place to nurture a sense of community. Rabbi Wein, who learned in the Philadelphia Yeshiva and Beth Medrash Govoha, and who is currently a member of the Ner Yisroel Kollel, gives numerous shiurim each week and is available to answer shailos. The shul has seen tremendous growth since it has opened its doors and welcomes everyone to come check it out for themselves.

Mesivta Neiumus HaTorah Brings in Yehuda Green for Shabbos Last Shabbos was one that will not soon be forgotten, as famed singer Yehudah Green spent Shabbos Parshas Yisro in Baltimore. The event, organized as a benefit for Mesivta Neimus Hatorah, created a buzz of excitement as soon as word got out, with many people wanting to participate.

The Yehudah Green Shabbos began in the Shul at Lubavitch Center, where he led a standing room only

crowd in a beautiful “Carlebach” Kabolas Shabbos, punctuated by heartfelt singing and lively dancing.

Next was an uplifting Friday night Oneg Shabbos at the home of Shuie and Devorah Grunwald, in which Yehudah shared stories, songs, and divrei chizuk well into the night.

Shabbos morning davening was at Ner Tamid, where a large crowd was inspired by the heartfelt tefilos led

by Yehudah Green, and was once

again permeated with singing and dancing. The final venue was at the home of Daniel and Ilana Lansky, where over fifty people gathered for a beautiful Shalosh Seudos, filled with zemiros and words of inspiration. Finally, the event culminated with Yehudah Green’s powerful “Carlebach” havdalah, which was an incredible experience to all those in attendance. At the Havdalah, the singer spoke about the warmth of the Baltimore community, and how wonderful it was to see Yidden from so many different backgrounds coming together.

Rabbi Ari Soloff, Executive Director of the yeshiva, spoke both Friday night and at the Shalosh Seudos, relat-

ing anecdotes and highlighting the pivotal role the yeshiva has played in the lives of so many. “The response was overwhelming,” said Rabbi Soloff.” Not only was it an incredible and unifying Shabbos from beginning to end, it was an opportunity to spread the word about what Neimus Hatorah is all about.

Thanks to all the sponsors and donors who made this event possible, as well as all the hosts and organizers. A special thank you must be given to Daniel Lansky, who was the force behind the entire Shabbos.

Without him, together with his wife Ilana, it never would have gotten off the ground.”

Mesivta Neimus Hatorah was established over eight years ago with one goal in mind-to create a framework that gives every boy a chance to succeed. Led by veteran mechanech, Rabbi Laib Schulman, together with a warm, dedicated, and experienced staff, Neimus Hatorah continues to build lives. For more info, call 410-585-1664 or 610-613-6934, or email info@neimushatorah.org.

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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WORLD SIYUM

‫ הלכה‬‫תהא שנת עיו‬ KLAL YISROEL IS AT THE CUSP OF A WATERSHED MOMENT IN HISTORY: DAF HAYOMI B’HALACHA IS APPROACHING THE CULMINATION OF ITS INAUGURAL 7 YEAR CYCLE OF LEARNING MISHNAH BERURAH. THIS ADAR/NISAN 5775 - SPRING 2015, JOIN LOMDEI TORAH WORLDWIDE IN SONG AND CELEBRATION, AS THEY MARK THIS TRIUMPH WITH A TRANS-CONTINENTAL SIYUM. RLYT! NORTH AMERICA: SHABBOS CONVENTION A E N OU D L SO

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

The overall program will c"qa be graced by the presence of Gedolei Yisrael, Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim, shlita, including*: HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, cplii` ohrhq'c daiyi ,daiyid y`x HaGaon HaRav Ahron Feldman, l`xyi xp daiyi ,daiyid y`x HaGaon HaRav Yehoshua Fuhrer, ‫ו‬hpx‫ו‬h a`a`a ,ll‫ו‬k y`x ,ax HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gipps, dxa` ‫ת‬kxa ld‫ק‬c ax‫` ו‬rcxdp daiyid y`x

Shiurim in lomdus, drush and chizuk from Gedolei Yisrael and leading Rabbonim

HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, d‫ו‬ab yxcn ‫ת‬ia ,daiyid y`x HaGaon HaRav Moshe Mordechai Lowy, ‫ו‬hpx‫ו‬h l`xyi ‫ת‬c‫ו‬b` fkxn ,`x‫`ת‬c `xn HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Miller, ‫ו‬hpx‫ו‬h oic ‫ת‬ia a` ,ikxa` ll‫ו‬k y`x HaGaon HaRav Yeruchim Olshin, d‫ו‬ab yxcn ‫ת‬ia ,daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Choueka, d‫ח‬ny ld` ld‫ק‬c ax HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, dx‫ תו‬ix‫ו‬riy o‫ו‬bx`‫ ו‬,dklda in‫ו‬id sc ,x‫ו‬riy cibn

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NORTH AMERICAN CONVENTION

Shirium in Halacha from leading Poskim and Dayonim Tefillos and zemiros led by R’ Isaac Honig & The Shira Choir

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, c‫קוו`ו‬iilc `‫ת‬ai‫ת‬n‫ ו‬flh daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, `xi‫קוו‬q ,sq‫ו‬i a‫ק‬ri ‫ות‬cl‫ תו‬ld‫ק‬c ,u"n‫ו‬c *list in formation

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Around the

Community

Chai Lifeline Organizes Flag Football Game with Ravens Jacoby Jones Photo Credit: Fee Bee Photography

It was incredible.

When doctors told cancer warrior Coby that he could no longer play in the football league he loved because of the dangers of physical injury, Chai Lifeline’s volunteers went to work to arrange a VIP flag football game just for him. That it-

self would be a story worth telling, but this is Chai Lifeline. And where Chai Lifeline is involved, there is always more icing on the cake.

As the two teams comprised of Coby’s best friends and Chai Lifeline volunteers prepared for the kickoff to start the game, the doors

to the indoor sports complex opened and in walked Coby’s all-time favorite player on the Baltimore Ravens; Jacoby Jones.

Jacoby and Coby played a competitive game with some of Coby’s best friends and Chai Lifeline volunteers. Coby wore his JONES jer-

sey, and Jacoby Jones wore his custom-made (JA)COBY jersey.

It was a game to behold, and a story to be told. Thank you to Fee Bee Photography for capturing the beautiful moment.

TA 4th Graders Visit Annapolis TA’s 4th graders visited Annapolis last week. In the morning we visited the Maryland State House where we were given an orientation as to how our state government works, and we toured the beautiful facility. We had the privilege to meet with a number of our local representatives including Senator Bobby Zirkin and Representative Adrienne Jones. Our talmidim expressed ha-

karas hatov to these legislators for the books and services that the state provides to the yeshiva. Representative Jones, who chairs the education committee, heard in detail about all of the books that we use each day. It clearly made an impression on her.

In the afternoon we had a very thorough and enjoyable tour of the U.S. Naval Academy. Our talmidim gained a greater appreciation for the

men and women who risk their lives to protect our country. They were also taken by the extensive rigorous training that the students go through to prepare them for life as officers.

In both venues the people commented on how respectful our talmidim were and how interested they were.

They made a genuine Kiddush Hashem.

11

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Around the

Community

NEFESH of Baltimore Kicked Off its First Event with a Melava Malka By: Nefesh board member Moshe Miller

NEFESH of Baltimore kicked off its first event with an inaugural Melava Malka event last Motzei Shabbos February 7th at Bnei Jacob Sharei Zion. A room filled to capacity with approximately 140 mental health professionals, listened to seasoned clinicians Dr. Moshe Lasson, Dr. Hinda

Dubin, and Dr. Nosson Soloman address various topics related to clinical practice. NEFESH of Baltimore, a chapter of NEFESH international led by Dr. Levi Breuer, outlined its mission of “enhancing the quality of mental health services in the Baltimore Jewish Orthodox community by

promoting mental health awareness and professional development,” and that this will be accomplished by having trainings for the frum therapists as well as speakers addressing the general community on mental health topics pertinent to the frum community. A wonderful evening was had by all. As

one professional said, “I never knew there were this many frum therapists in Baltimore!” Stay tuned for the next NEFESH of Baltimore event coming soon.

Ron Rosenbluth Presented Community Leadership Award BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, the Cheswolde Neighborhood Association (CNA) recognized Ron Rosenbluth for his many years as the past president of the CNA and for his tireless and passionate communal work.

Mr. Rosenbluth volunteerism includes his two terms as a member of the Democratic State Central Committee for Baltimore City, Jewish Liaison to the City Council President Jack Young and Community Liaison to the Baltimore City Sherriff’s Office.

The CNA conveyed the Commu-

nity Leadership Award to Mr. Rosenbluth and the Baltimore City Council conveyed a formal resolution as well, for all of his ongoing work. The CNA

award was presented by Nathan Willner and Isaac Schleifer the CNA’s new President and Vice President.

Betsy Gardner of the City Council

President’s Office presented the Baltimore City Council resolution.

Snow and the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore The snow kept Talmudical Academy of Baltimore talmidim away from Yeshiva on Tuesday, but Rabbi Hexter’s 2nd grade was warmed by Torah via teleconference.

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Around the

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TA 5th Grade Haschalas Gemara On Sunday morning, our 5th-grade talmidim and their families enjoyed the Haschalas Gemara, where our talmidim received their first gemaras and started learning gemara.

Rabbi Kessler emceed and Rabbi Rothman welcomed the assemblage and spoke about how to keep a freshness in our learning. Rabbi Yehuda Lefkovitz, President of our Yeshiva and grandfather to a 5th grader, spoke next. Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz, R”M of Ner Yisrael and grandfather of a 5th grader, was our guest speaker. All the speakers stressed the importance of learning Torah and how fortunate the boys are to have the opportunity to learn Torah and potentially grow up to become talmidei chachamim.

Rabbi Wealcatch then started learning Perek Hamafkid in Gemara Bava Metziah with the boys. The boys eagerly opened up their new gemaras and en-

tered the “Sea of Talmud”.

Rabbi Robinson concluded by quoting an article describing how the Nazis, Yimach Shemam, sent orders not to grant exit visas to the Eastern European Jews so as not to let out the “Rabbiner un Talmudlehrers” – the

Rabbis and Talmud learners – who could potentially rejuvenate Jews across the world! The Nazis understood the importance of Torah and Talmud learners in Klal Yisrael. B”H, our talmidim are the next generation of Talmud learners. Mazal tov!

Rabbi Cohen, Executive Director our Yeshiva, joined Rabbi Kahana and the rebbeim at the top table. Thank you to Mrs. Sommer, 5th grade General Studies teacher, for attending.

Thank you to Mr. Tzvi Feigenbaum and Yosef Feigenbaum for preparing the delicious milchig buffet which included pancakes, French toast, bagels, eggs, cream cheese, and fresh fruit.

Thank you to: Mrs. Chani Engel; Yosef Feigenbaum; Ari and Suri Glaser; Mr. Daniel Green, and Dovid Yaakov and Zevy; Mrs. Dorothy Hinde; Mrs. Debbie Langer; Reuvain Prero; and Mrs. Hadassah Sperling for their last-minute assistance early Sunday morning in setting up after the snow storm had made it impossible to set up the previous night. Thank you to Mrs. Glaser, Ms. Bortz, and Ms. Meister for organizing the event.

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The Week Global South Korean Bill to Close Class Gap

Class inequality has led to such bad behavior in South Korea that legislation has been put forth to deal with the problem. Over the past decade, resentment has slowly grown in South Korea against what has become known as “gabjil,” high-handedness by the rich and powerful. A bill to be presented in the national assembly this month is formally called the “Conglomerates Ethical Management

Special Law” but has been nicknamed the Cho Hyun-ah Law. Cho, also known as Heather Cho, is the daughter of the chairman of Korean Air Lines and was sentenced last week to a year in prison for an outburst on a Korean Air plane while on the ground in New York. The bill proposes to ban members of powerful business families, known as “chaebol,” from working at their companies for at least five years if convicted of a crime. In earlier cases, some high-profile offenders were pardoned, serving little or no jail time, although recently convicted chaebol executives have found it harder to avoid prison.

In February, the Supreme Court confirmed a four-year embezzlement sentence for SK Holdings Chairman Chey Tae-won, who has been in prison since January 2013, among the longest terms served by a chaebol boss. In 2007, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo was given a

In News three-year jail term for fraud but the sentence was suspended in exchange for community service and a $1 billion charity donation as the court deemed he was too important to the economy to be jailed.

Cho, who has appealed her sentence, was Korean Air’s head of inflight service at the time of the December 5 episode, which has come to be called the “nut rage” case. A court found she had violated the law by ordering the plane she was on to return to the gate after it started to taxi. Cho had demanded the flight crew chief be expelled from the flight after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag and not on a dish.

“I hope the recent case involving Cho has created the right environment to pull together consensus on this,” said Kim Yong-nam, the sponsor of the bill. Another parliamentarian from an opposing party has proposed an amendment along similar lines. “There have been calls to put

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in place a systematic tool to police heavy-handedness by chaebol family members and stop them from being able to participate in management just because they are relatives,” Kim said in an interview.

It is not clear whether the legislation will be approved, but the mere fact that it has gotten this far is a large step forward for South Korean equality.

Terror in Copenhagen

Terrorism is spreading like wildfire, particularly in Europe.

A terrorist, believed to be inspired

by Islamic terrorists, brutally attacked a shul in the Denmark Jewish community on January 14, as a 12-yearold girl celebrated her bat mitzvah with friends and family.

Earlier in the day, the gunman opened fire at a cultural center hosting a seminar on free speech. A Danish filmmaker, Finn Noergaard, 55, was killed during that first attack. Nine hours later, the same man attacked the shul and the security guard protecting the party was killed. Chief Rabbi Jair Melchior identified the security guard as Dan Uzan, a 27-year-old member of Denmark’s 7,000-strong Jewish community. Five police officers were wounded in the shootings.

Saturday’s horror was the country’s worst terror spree in three decades.

Lars Vilks, 68, a Swedish artist who was a keynote speaker at the freedom of speech event, has faced numerous death threats for depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog in 2007. Vilks, who was whisked away unharmed by bodyguards, told The

The Week moon, condemned the Copenhagen attacks.

French President Francois Hollande visited the Danish Embassy in Paris on Sunday, and hundreds gathered outside to show solidarity with victims. Many held candles or banners.

“We need to stand together in Europe and ... wherever jihadis try

to threaten democracy,” said Sacha Reingewirtz, president of the Union of Jewish Students of France and an organizer of the memorial.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly denounced the attack and said his government will encourage a “massive immigration” of Jews from Europe. “Jews deserve security in every country, but we say

to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home,” Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki offered Washington’s help to Danish authorities and said Americans “stand united with the people of Denmark and all others who defend the universal right of freedom of speech and stand against

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Associated Press he believed he was the intended target. Many Muslims find the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad highly offensive. However, being insulted does not justify killing and many Muslims expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees although they confessed that they were deeply offended by the caricatures.

Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, 22, had a criminal record and links to gangs. Danish authorities believe that the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris last month may have been an inspiration for the lone madman. Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET, said investigators believe the gunman “could have been inspired by the events in Paris.” He also mentioned, “He could also have been inspired by material sent out by [the Islamic State group] and others.”

El-Hussein was arrested 15 months ago in a vicious knife attack on a train passenger, and while he was awaiting trial, a change in his behavior last summer set off enough “alarm bells” for jail authorities to alert PET, Denmark’s counter-terror agency. These warnings generally set in motion counter-radicalization efforts, such as counseling in jail. It wasn’t immediately clear how aware the court was of this issue before El-Hussein was convicted of a lesser charge and sentenced to time already served. He was released two weeks ago.

The murderer was killed during a gun battle with a SWAT team early Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt mourned the two innocent individuals murdered and promised to offer more protection for freedom of speech and Denmark’s Jewish community.

“Denmark has been hit by terror,” Thorning-Schmidt said. “We do not know the motive for the alleged perpetrator’s actions, but we know that there are forces that want to hurt Denmark. They want to rebuke our freedom of speech.”

World leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-

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The Week anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its forms.”

Forgotten Magna Carta Found A researcher in England discovered a formerly unknown copy of the Magna Carta accidentally.

Dr. Mark Bateson, the Kent County Council’s community history officer, was in search of a different document, the Charter of the Forest, in the Sandwich archives in the town of Maidstone when he discovered a copy of the medieval legal document slipped inside a scrapbook compiled by a British Museum official at the end of the 19th century.

According to the Magna Carta Project, it is the seventh known copy of the document issued by King Ed-

ward I in 1300. Initially it was believed that there are a total of 24 copies of the charter, but researchers say the discovery of this copy suggests that it’s possible that the 1300 edition was sent to as many as 50 towns and ports.

“If Sandwich had one,” Nicholas Vincent, the project’s principal investigator, told the Guardian, “chances are it went out to a lot of other towns, and it is very likely that there are one or two out there somewhere that no one has spotted yet.”

Vincent, a professor at the University of East Anglia, said this find could be worth as much as $15.2 million despite the fact that the manuscript appears to have been badly damaged by damp conditions. It is allegedly missing about a third of its text and its royal seal.

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In News Militant groups said this was a response to the government’s lifting of a moratorium on the death penalty for those convicted of terrorist attacks. The moratorium was lifted after a Taliban attack on a school in the northern city of Peshawar killed 134 children and 19 adults.

The first Magna Carta, drafted in 1215, established the principle of the rule of law. Subsequent editions were issued to include other rights, including trial by jury, which inspired the U.S. Constitution. The final version of Magna Carta was distributed in 1300 under the king’s seal.

Violence in Yemen Escalates, Embassies Close

More Violence in Pakistan

At least seven people died this week in the latest Pakistani terror attack. This time a car exploded and gunfire erupted at a regional police headquarters in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, police said.

The explosion came from a car parked near the police building, said spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar, adding it was unclear if the attack involved a suicide bomber. She said three people were dead, but a police officer, who asked not to be named, said at least seven had died, citing colleagues in the area.

Pakistan has suffered two major militant attacks in the past month.

Sixty people were killed in an attack on a Shi’ite mosque on January 30 in the southern province of Sindh, and another attack this month on a Shi’ite mosque in the city of Peshawar killed 20.

In a meeting in Riyadh of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Yemen’s neighboring countries begged the UN to move strongly over the deteriorating security situation, saying they will act themselves if the rival factions there do not resolve their differences.

The plea came as Shiite militiamen fired live rounds to disperse thousands of protesters in Yemen. Yemen is home to al Qaeda’s deadliest branch and a key U.S. ally in the fight against the group. The country has descended into chaos since the militia, known as Huthis, seized Sanaa in September. Last month, the government was ousted, creating an even worse security situation. The militiamen have been accused of attacking and detaining protesters as well as reporters covering demonstrations against their power grab.

Foreign ministers of the six GCC member countries urged the “UN Security Council to take a decision under Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter,” which allows the use of military force if there are threats to peace. They also asked for an urgent meeting of the Arab League and of the

The Week

Ever wondered what life is like as one the world’s most wanted men?

Just ask Julian Assange, the most wanted political asylum seeker. It’s

and Skype interviews.

As for his daily life, it’s not much different than the average man in his forties. He runs three to five miles a day on a treadmill. He also has his bi-weekly training sessions with a former British special forces officer.

He has Internet access and claims to work 17 hours a day.

At the one hundredth day of his confinement, Assange compared his situation to “a little bit like being in a space station.” By the 500-day mark, he acknowledged that it was difficult to “see the same walls” day after day, but seemed to have established a routine.

He said, “I am doing good work and I have no time for anything else, so it’s a bit counterproductive to trap me here, because what else can I do but work?”

Assange has said that the embassy staff members have become like family and that he often has meals with them. Visitors are allowed and he has been visited by artists, pop singers, and personal friends.

“I have my heart and soul in this work,” he told London’s Telegraph newspaper. “I have a very capable and loyal staff, and we have a lot of supporters around the world who believe in what we do and want to see if it continues. So although I am trapped in these walls, intellectually I am outside with our people today and that to me is important.”

Egypt Launches Airstrike on ISIS in Libya Egypt is the latest country to fight back against the Islamic State.

On Monday, Egypt bombed Islamic State militants in neighboring Libya and called on the United States and Europe to join them. This show of strength comes after the extremists released a video showing the beheading of a group of captured Egyptian Christians.

Egypt is under a lot of pressure.

Aside from dealing with its own internal issues, they are now grappling

threats on two fronts—a growing stronghold of radicals on its western border and a militant insurgency of Islamic State allies on its eastern border in the Sinai Peninsula.

Islamic State group weapons caches and training camps were targeted in the attack “to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers,” a military statement said. “Let those far and near know that Egyptians have a shield to protect and safeguard the security of the country and a sword that cuts off terrorism.”

This is Egypt’s first public acknowledgement of military action in post-Muammar Gadhafi Libya. According to U.S. officials, last year, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates carried out airstrikes against Islamist-allied militias, but did not publicly claim responsibility. Current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is lobbying Europe and the United States for a coordinated international response similar to the coalition air campaign in those countries.

“What is happening in Libya is a threat to international peace and security,” el-Sissi declared.

Italy Reaches Lowest Birthrate in its History The modern state of Italy was founded in 1861, and now over a century and a half later, the country’s birthrate is at an all-time low after declining steadily for the last few decades.

The number of births per 1,000 people has fallen to just 8.4, down from 38.3 when the country was established. In the United States, there are 13 babies born for every 1,000 people.

In 2014, there were only 509,000 babies born in Italy, 5,000 fewer than in 2013.

The mortality rate also declined last year, stretching life expectancy for Italian women to 85 years, while the average man will live to 80.

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Julian Assange Closes in on 1,000 Days in Confinement

been close to 1,000 days, and one of London’s most prestigious neighborhoods remains the site of a diplomatic standoff. Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher and journalist and is the co- founder and editor-in-chief of the infamous website WikiLeaks.

The WikiLeaks co-founder has been camping out in the Ecuadorean Embassy since June 19, 2012 in order to avoid extradition to Sweden. Ecuador has officially granted Assange political asylum, but he cannot travel to South America because British police remain stationed around the embassy, ready to detain him if he steps outside. It was recently revealed that the constant surveillance of the area costs taxpayers a whopping $15.4 million.

“It is sucking our resources,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe told reporters, and a review was underway of “what options we have.”

The options are few for Assange.

It’s simple: if he leaves the embassy, he will be arrested and sent to Sweden, as he is facing extradition to Sweden on assault charges. Once in Sweden, he could be extradited to the United States for prosecution on espionage charges related to WikiLeaks’ massive release of classified U.S. military documents and diplomatic records. If found guilty, he could face life in prison or even the death penalty.

Back in August, Assange cryptically told reporters that he planned to leave his hideout soon but had no plans to hand himself in to British police. However, despite his announcement, nothing major actually ensued.

Sweden’s court of appeals rejected a bid by Assange’s lawyers to drop the arrest warrant against him. But the court also said prosecutors were not doing enough to “move the preliminary investigation forward.” The statute of limitations on the assault case will expire in August 2020. However, even if Sweden would abandon its investigation, Assange still faces the threat of a U.S. prosecution.

Despite his life of refuge, the leaker has made appearances on the patio of the one-floor embassy and has done several phone interviews

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The officials called for immediate international steps to “guarantee the safety of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khalid Mahfoudh Bahah as well as other officials” who have been under de facto house arrest since January. The GCC also called on world powers to reject a “constitutional declaration” by the Huthis a week ago, under which they disbanded the government and parliament in order to obtain more power.

The hope is that the UN’s involvement will lead to an agreement by all parties in Yemen in order to “preserve legitimacy” and “resume the political process.” The countries warned that failure to do so would result in them taking their own initiative and they said they are prepared to take “measures that will enable them to preserve their vital interests in Yemen’s security and stability.”

Many countries have shut down their embassies for safety reasons.

Spain and the United Arab Emirates were the most recent to announce they had suspended operations at their missions in Sanaa. The United States, France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the Netherlands have also closed their embassies and withdrawn staff for security reasons.

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The Week Beatrice Lorenzin, the minister of health, said, “We are at the threshold where people who die are not being replaced by newborns. That means we are a dying country. This situation has enormous implications for every sector: the economy, society, health, pensions—just to give a few examples.”

The reason for the decline in birthrate is likely a deep economic recession and high unemployment.

Italy has 60 million citizens— about five million are immigrants.

Immigrants are also having fewer offspring; the birthrate among immigrants has fallen to 1.9 children per woman, its lowest level for five years.

Overall, the number of Italian couples without children has increased to 40% in the last decade.

Italian women have 1.39 children on average, against an EU average of 1.58. The average age of first time mothers in Italy is 31.5 years old.

Teenagers Vandalize Jewish Cemetery in France

A group of teenage French boys were arrested this week for vandalizing a Jewish cemetery. French prosecutors said on Monday they had taken the five adolescents into custody,

ranging from the ages 15 to 17 and all from Sarre-Union in Alsace, eastern France.

According to reports, about 300 Jewish tombs were defaced and damaged on Thursday. Prosecutor Philippe Vannier said the youngest member of the group confessed after seeing the tremendous reaction to the incident.

“Apparently, he was very, very affected by the scale of the reaction to this affair, including the statements from the highest state authorities,” Vannier told reporters.

The young boy has maintained that there was no anti-Semitic motive. “We don’t know the motives of these adolescents who don’t have past criminal records and we don’t know of any ideological convictions that could explain their behavior.

They are very, very shocked by the turn of events,” Vannier said.

The five boys pushed over tombstones in the cemetery and opened up vaults. They also vandalized a monument to the victims of the Holocaust at the entrance of the graveyard. French politicians responded to the incident and condemned it. French President Francois Hollande planned to visit the site of the vandalism. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called it “a despicable act,” while Prime Minister Manuel Valls described it as “anti-Semitic” on Twitter.

The attack prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call on Europe’s Jews to emigrate. “To the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world, I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms,” Netanyahu said. Around 7,000 Jews emigrated to Israel last year.

However, French authorities and politicians have insisted that Jews will be protected in France. PM Valls stressed, “The place for French Jews is France” despite recent attacks against Jews.

France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, however, it is also home to the continent’s largest Muslim population. Exact figures are unavailable, though, since the French state does not collect data based on religion.

The number of anti-Semitic acts

In News in France has doubled in 2014, including physical assaults. About 851 anti-Semitic acts were registered in 2014, compared with 423 the previous year, with acts of physical violence jumping to 241 from 105, the CRIF, an umbrella organization of French Jewish organizations, said.

Hackers Steal $1B from Banks

Who has time for bank robberies anymore? Thieves are now eliminating the ski masks and cleaning out vaults with their cyber-savvy hacking skills.

A cybersecurity firm is claiming that a huge hacking ring has stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the world. If this cyber-crime is indeed accurate, it will be regarded as one of the biggest banking breaches in history. According to experts, the hackers have been active since at least the end of 2013 and infiltrated more than 100 banks in 30 countries, according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab. Generally, customers are targeted in cyber-attacks but these attacks are unusual because they targeted the actual banks.

Hackers accessed banks’ systems through phishing schemes and other methods. Supposedly, they first prowl for months studying the banks’ systems, taking screenshots, and videos of employees using their computers.

According to the firm, once the hackers gathered all the information they needed and were familiar with the banks’ operations, they’d steal insignificant amounts of money as to not raise suspicion. They’d program ATMs to dispense money at specific times or set up fake accounts and transfer money into them. The hackers seem to limit their theft to about a cool $10 million before moving

on to another bank, part of the reason why the fraud was not detected earlier, Kaspersky principal security researcher Vicente Diaz told the AP. “In this case they are not interested in information. They’re only interested in the money,” Diaz said.

“They’re flexible and quite aggressive and use any tool they find useful for doing whatever they want to do.”

Countries affected by the audacious scheme include Russia, the U.S., Germany, China and Ukraine, and experts believe that attackers may be expanding throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Kaspersky did not identify the exact banks and is still working with law-enforcement agencies to investigate the attacks.

The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a nonprofit that alerts banks about hacking activity, said in a statement that its members received a briefing about the report in January.

“We cannot comment on individual actions our members have taken, but on balance we believe our members are taking appropriate actions to prevent and detect these kinds of attacks. That Russian banks were the primary victims of these attacks may be a significant change in targeting strategy by Russian-speaking cybercriminals.”

Recently, there has been major security breaches affecting consumers, with mass retailers like Target and Home Depot to Sony Pictures Entertainment and health insurer Anthem being targeted. In response, the White House has been focusing on putting laws in place to protect consumers and punish offenders. The administration wants Congress to replace the existing patchwork of state laws with a national standard giving companies 30 days to notify consumers if their personal information has been compromised.

Coast Guard Rescues Immigrants At least 1,000 migrants were rescued by the Italian coast guard in the

The Week

Israel College Prof Bans ‘BS”D’ A lecturer at Israel’s largest public college has come under attack for not allowing proctors to write “BS’D” on the board during examinations. Proc-

The acronym for the Aramaic phrase meaning “with the help of heaven” is traditionally written by practicing Jews at the top of every written document. According to students present in the class, though, it appears the orders were not followed.

Students who sat for the exam said the lecturer entered the classroom while the exam was underway and, noticing the religious phrase written on the board, demanded the identity of the culprit. He went on to request it be wiped off the board, according to the students. When the proctor refused to do the deed, the professor allegedly wiped it off himself.

One disgruntled student felt the order “causes greater harm to a wider population than the possible harm caused to the secular students who are discomforted with the word written on the board.” “It is simply bizarre that a college lecturer would make such a demand, it’s absurd,” another student said.

A Sapir college representative said the allegations are currently being examined, telling a reporter that “the order given does not represent college policy, but rather the lecturer’s own initiative.”

Survey: Most Don’t Back Bibi’s Speech

A majority of Israelis are against the speech Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu plans to deliver before the U.S. Congress next month. The White House, as well as many within the US Jewish community, have opposed the controversial speech.

A survey on the subject this week sampled 405 Israeli Jews. Its results suggested most do not believe the address will succeed in preventing an emerging U.S.-brokered deal between world powers and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program. In response to the question, “Do you think Prime Minister Netanyahu should travel to speak before the U.S. Congress?” a majority of 52% said no, compared to 36% in favor. A further 12% said that they didn’t know whether Netanyahu should

. og An even higher number, 62%, said a Netanyahu speech would not be able to stop the expected deal, which Israel has said will not go far enough in dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu intends to argue before Congress that international pressure should be intensified against Iran, rather than the proposed easing of sanctions under the terms of the deal.

Netanyahu accepted an invitation earlier this year from Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to speak to Congress, but the White House maintained that Boehner had not cleared the invitation with President Barack Obama or Democrats in Congress.

A number of Jewish groups have said the visit is unwise and have called on Netanyahu and Boehner to postpone it at least until after Israel’s March 17 elections. Netanyahu says he is determined to go. Some Democratic lawmakers have said they

would not attend the speech, although Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi insists that it is not an official boycott by Democrat lawmakers.

MK Uri Orbach Passes Away

This week, the Minister for Senior Citizens, Uri Orbach, passed away.

He had been seriously ill for several weeks, and his condition took a turn for the worse on Sunday evening.

Doctors at Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem were fighting for the minister’s life in the last 24 hours but despite their efforts, he passed away.

Orbach, 54, leaves behind his wife, Michal, and four children.

Last month, Orbach announced that he intends to devote his time to take urgent care of his health, and said: “In the coming period I am devoting my time to taking care of my health issues in a more intensive manner, so that I can soon return in complete health, G-d willing, to my work in the Knesset and the government.”

“It is better to take this necessary break at a time in which the Knesset and government are working at half throttle,” he added. “I hope to return soon with renewed strength to public action, and I wish our excellent list success in the general election. With G-d’s help, we shall take action and succeed.”

Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett eulogized Orbach on social media.

“My older brother has departed,” he wrote. “Uri, a man of laughter and seriousness, of wisdom and uprightness, of courage and vision. Uri knew how to chisel an ideological path with insistence and charm, industri-

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

“We are certainly at more than 1,000 migrants” involved in Sunday’s rescue operation, a spokesman for the coast guard in Rome told Reuters.

Chaos in Libya has encouraged many to flee and recent better weather has restarted migrations. Due to a breakdown in order in Libya, it is pretty much impossible for authorities to know the exact number of traffickers on the wobbly boats.

tors at Sapir College near Sderot were warned in a handwritten note to not to write the B’Siata D’Shmaya acronym on their college papers. The note was seen by one of the students taking the exam and the student posted a picture of it online.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

sea between Europe and North Africa on Sunday. In the past several days there have been two other such missions.

The coast guard said it had plucked more than 130 people from the troubled waters from two rubber boats about 110 miles south of the island of Lampedusa so far, and was working to save eight more vessels.

By Sunday, many migrants had arrived by boat to the Sicilian harbor of Pozzallo.

The coast guard ship Fiorillo and several cutters were sent to the latest rescue, along with four merchant ships and two tugboats which were diverted to join the operation. One navy ship, two police patrol ships and a Maltese vessel had also been mobilized, the coast guard spokesman said.

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The Week ously but with a wink, with unending self-consciousness and unfading personal charm. Uri knew how to make children happy with his books, make their parents laugh with his witticisms, and bring their elderly parents an honorable old age.”

“He raised generations of young people in the media and showed them that their dream is possible. Generations of religious and secular people learned from him that the connection between them is possible,” Bennett continued.

“He was a man who loved the land and loved people without limits.

He loved the People of Israel and they loved him back so much in return. In the cynical, cold world there was no one as beloved as Uri. I will miss him very much.”

To no small degree, Bennett owes his current leadership position to Orbach, who enthusiastically supported his bid to join the Jewish Home and become its chairman – after convincing Bennett himself that he was the right man for the job. Orbach voluntarily gave up his position as the head of the party, and insisted that the party hold primaries for the first time ever.

He also correctly predicted that the religious Zionist list, which had only three MKs at the time, would obtain a double-digit number of MKs. Orbach is also well-known in religious Zionist circles for penning an article in a now-defunct settlement magazine, Nekuda, titled “The Best – to the Media.” The caption is based on the time-honored IAF slogan that calls on “The Best” young men to volunteer to become pilots. In it, Orbach called on talented religious Zionists to make careers in the media and thus affect public discourse in Israel. Many did just that, and Israel’s media is currently full of young religious-Zionist journalists.

Birthright Bags Big Bucks Birthright is getting another huge cash infusion from Sheldon Adelson.

The billionaire casino magnate is donating another $40 million to Birthright Israel, and the Azrieli Founda-

tion will give another $5 million. The gifts for the free 10-day educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults were announced last week.

The latest donation to the Birthright Israel Foundation from Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson’s Adelson Family Foundation adds to the $140 million it has already given Birthright. The Adelsons are the largest individual donors to Birthright. The new donation includes a $20 million challenge grant.

In News devastated and its people worn down and impoverished,” said the former prime minister of the U.K. “The problem is not – as is often thought – locking negotiators in a room long enough to make an agreement. At present, you could lock them in such a room for eternity and peace would still not come.”

they prepared to accept a Palestinian State within 1967 borders or not, with such a state being a final settlement to the conflict?” he asked.

Blair is the Middle East Quartet envoy. The Quarter was established in 2002 and is composed of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia. This was Blair’s first trip the region since the conflict this past summer.

Fatah’s Facebook Filled with Hate

The Azrieli Foundation announced a five-year, $5 million gift to Birthright Israel Foundation of Canada to be used to support and expand offerings of Birthright trips for eligible Canadians, as well as sponsor trips for individuals with developmental and/or physical disabilities.

Like the Adelson gift, the Azrieli one includes a matching gift, or challenge grant, component.

Since 2000, approximately 350,000 Jews aged 18 to 26 from over 62 countries have gone on Birthright trips. In addition, 65,000 Israelis have participated in Birthright’s Mifgash program, which brings together Israelis and Diaspora Jews.

Blair: Conditions in Gaza Not Conducive to Peace Tony Blair had a lot to say about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following his first visit to Gaza in more than five years. “The last conflict left Gaza

According to Blair, if the reality on the ground was conducive to peace, “negotiators could find a way through the issues of borders and land swaps, and even Jerusalem, refugees and security guarantees.” The problem, he wrote in an article posted on his website, is that not only is the ground not ripe for peace, but rather the exact opposite is true. Gaza, he said, “is living proof” of that.

After the visit he wrote that there were three preconditions to a “successful peace process.” First, he said, there must be a “dramatic and broad improvement” in the daily lives of Palestinians. Second, there must be “unified Palestinian politics” that “explicitly is in favor of peace and two states, meaning a sovereign State of Palestine and a secure, accepted State of Israel.” Third, he said, there must be “an enhanced role for the region, in alliance with the international community, which must step up to share leadership of the issue.” He argued that in all the current “darkness” in the diplomatic process there is one potential ray of hope – the changing region.

Furthermore, he said the international community needs “clarity” from Hamas. “Are they a Palestinian nationalist movement dedicated to the achievement of a Palestinian State or part of a broader Islamist movement with regional designs that impact governments outside of Gaza? Are

If we needed more proof that Palestinian terrorists applaud violence, Fatah’s Facebook page has provided it. Three images praising rocket attacks on Israel and violence against IDF soldiers were posted on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party’s Facebook page last week.

One image showed a Fatah fighter holding a rocket while others fired guns, and another displayed a man firing an automatic rifle with the Arabic caption, “The end of Israel, the liberation of Palestine” posted beneath the photo. The third poster showed a picture of rockets being launched, accompanied by the text “We have more, Zionists,” according to a translation by Israel-based watchdog Palestinian Media Watch.

Israeli officials have repeatedly accused Palestinian groups, including Fatah, of engaging in incitement against Israelis and Jews via official media channels. After the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers last summer, Fatah’s page displayed a number of cartoons, including one depicting the kidnapped teens as rats caught on a fishing line.

The Week Israel’s Impressive Economic Growth

jumped 12.2 percent.

Growth is forecast at 3.2 percent this year, up from a revised 2.9 percent rate in 2014.

Encouraging Aliyah

The Israeli government has approved a multi-million shekel emergency plan aimed at encouraging immigration from European countries as fears of anti-Semitism grow amid a wave of deadly attacks on Jewish institutions on the continent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver introduced the 180 million shekel ($46 million) plan. Three countries at the top of the list for the program are France, Ukraine, and Belgium.

“We are preparing for a wave of Jewish immigration from Europe; we are calling for a wave of mass aliyah from Europe. I want to tell all the Jews of Europe, and Jews wherever they may be: Israel is the home of every Jew … Israel awaits you with open arms,” Netanyahu said hours earlier.

The plan is a greatly reduced version of an original NIS 1.2 billion ($320 million) proposal by Landver that was rejected by the Justice Minister on grounds that it was too large a project to approve during the run up to general elections. Israel is scheduled to vote for a new parliament on March 17.

Jewish communities in Europe have become increasingly fearful in the wake of a series of attacks, the most recent of which was a shooting outside a shul in Copenhagen, Den-

National Protesters: “Stop Police Brutality; It was a Rock!”

hand-lettered signs, calling for justice for Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who witnesses say was running away when police fired on him in a busy intersection.

A large sign hanging over the bandstand at Volunteer Park said, “Stop Police Brutality: It was just a rock!!!” Hand-lettered signs said, “Use Your Training, Not Guns,” and “Good Police We Respect You.” Speakers from the community called for a full review of the Pasco police department and its policies. Felix Vargas, chairman of Consejo Latino, a group of primarily Hispanic business leaders, called for a federal investigation into the shooting.

Following the gathering at the park, the crowd chanted and marched to the bakery, where the shooting took place.

The family of the orchard worker, who was a citizen of Mexico, has filed a $25 million claim with the city of Pasco, the first step toward a lawsuit. Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel has decided to order an inquest, which would be open to the public, in hopes of calming “some of the fears and outrage of the community.” While an inquest won’t proceed until police finish gathering evidence and witness statements, “it’s going to make this whole investigation transparent,” Blasdel said.

Four people have been shot and killed by police since last summer in this agricultural city of 68,000, where about half the population is Hispanic.

American Sniper Murderer Pleads Insanity

Hundreds gathered in Pasco, Washington, last weekend to protest police brutality in the wake of a deadly shooting of a man who had been throwing rocks at the police. Before the midday rally, children and adults

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

After a strong recovery in the final three months of 2014 led to the fastest quarterly growth in nearly eight years, Israel’s economy looks like it will rebound further in 2015 from the effects of last summer’s Gaza war.

The fourth quarter of 2014 saw gross domestic product grow 7.2 percent, a rebound similar to late 2006 and early 2007, when war in Lebanon was followed by a surge in growth.

The Gaza war in July and August held back third-quarter growth as factory output slowed, consumers stayed home and tourists canceled in droves.

Still a comparison of a 2.6 percent growth in the second half with the 2.7 percent growth in the first half is very remarkable. “It’s still impressive to keep the same level of growth in a country where for more than a month people were in shelters,” Daphna Aviram-Nitzan, the head of economic research at the Manufacturers’ Association, said on Monday.

Part of the rebound in the final three months of 2014 also stemmed from a sharp depreciation in the shekel versus the dollar. Lower rates boosted industrial exports, mainly high-tech ones that benefited from a recovery in U.S. growth. “The growth rate in industry as a whole and industrial exports will be much better this year than last year,” Aviram-Nitzan predicted. Exports, which account for some 40 percent of economic activity, rose 7.3 percent in the fourth quarter, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The fourth-quarter economy was also boosted by heavy government spending, mainly on defense, and a change in a tax regime that fueled a car-buying spree before the end of the year. Overall government spending

mark, last week that killed a Jewish volunteer security guard. Last month, three Islamic gunmen killed four Jews at a kosher grocery shop in Paris. All three gunmen were eventually shot dead by police.

In Belgium, a shooting attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels on May 24, 2014 left four people dead.

In Ukraine, an ongoing war with Russian-backed separatists has caught the country’s Jewish community in the crossfire. Last week, a Jewish woman was killed when a rocket hit her home near Donetsk. Two days later, a shell slammed into a Jewish center in Kramatorsk but did not explode.

Figures from the Immigration and Absorption Ministry show a significant increase in interest for making aliyah, especially in France and the Ukraine. In France there were 69,000 inquiries during 2013, 84,000 in 2014, and 11,000 during the last month alone. In Ukraine, there were 13,000 inquires during 2013, 15,000 in 2014, and more than 1,300 in the last month.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

In News

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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The Week The deranged man charged with killing veteran Chris Kyle and another vet said in court this week that he gunned them down because he felt he was being ignored. In dramatic testimony at Eddie Ray Routh’s double murder trial, a Texas jail deputy testified that he heard Routh say, “I shot them because they wouldn’t talk to me.”

“I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me,” the deputy, Gene Cole, testified. “I’m sure they’ve forgiven me,” he added.

Cole said Routh made the admission in June 2013 — four months after he opened fire on Kyle and Chad Littlefield at a shooting range outside of Ft. Worth.

Earlier in the day, a Texas Ranger testified that he found marijuana, anti-psychotic medication and an almost-empty bottle of Texas Crown Whisky in Routh’s home after the murders. On the refrigerator was a note with the American Sniper author’s name and phone number.

Prosecutors have said Routh’s mother asked Kyle, a former Navy SEAL who had the most confirmed kills of any sniper in U.S. history, to try to help her son, who had been struggling since leaving the service in 2010. Routh allegedly then gunned them down at the shooting range.

He had gone to the range with Kyle, while Littlefield followed behind them. Kyle texted Littlefield en-route, “This dude is straight up nuts.”

Routh’s uncle, James Watson, testified that his nephew was often depressed — and paranoid. “He felt like somebody was out to get him,” Watson said. “He’d said before that the government was after him.” When Routh returned home, he was driving Kyle’s truck. “Check out my truck,” Watson quoted him as saying. “I’m driving a dead man’s truck.”

Routh’s lawyers acknowledge that he killed Kyle and Littlefield, but they maintain he was not mentally competent when he did so.

Former Pilot for Bin Laden Takes the Stand Osama bin Laden has become synonymous with September 11, 2001 but according to a recent trial, it seems that the radical terrorist was a threat way before then.

In the terrorism trial of a man accused of being one of al Qaeda’s early leaders, an American described being asked in 1995 by Osama bin Laden to kill Egypt’s president by ramming his plane with his own in midair. In those days, Bin Laden had a private jet and was barely on authorities’ radar.

“It took me by surprise,” Ihab Mohammad Ali testified recently in New York. “I responded, “‘Well, wouldn’t I be killing myself?’”

Ali, 52, said bin Laden answered: “Well, then you would be a martyr.’”

The government’s presentation of evidence over the past three weeks has targeted Khaled al-Fawwaz, a man portrayed by prosecutors as a key player in the terror group when it was in its infancy. Al-Fawwaz has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill Americans in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The attacks in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans. The government rested its case on Thursday.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Ali testified that he had met bin Laden 25 years ago at an al Qaeda guest house in Pakistan around the time he pledged allegiance to al Qaeda. He said he also met al-Fawwaz, whom he identified in court as a member of al Qaeda.

Ali arrived in America with his family at age 11, living in New York before moving to Florida, where he underwent 13 hours of flight training while in high school. He said he attended American College for the Applied Arts in Los Angeles in 1987, when he began attending a mosque and developing an interest in fighting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. In

In News 1988, he visited Pakistan as a U.S. citizen. He underwent al Qaeda training in 1990.

Ali went on to train as a pilot, an education funded by al Qaeda. Eventually, bin Laden gave permission to Ali to fly his personal aircraft but he asked for a favor. He asked that he travel to Saudi Arabia; the king was very ill at the time and bin Laden was hoping that then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would come attend the king’s funeral if he died.

“He said if I had the chance, to ram his plane with mine midair,” Ali said told jurors.

The plan was thwarted because of bad brakes on bin Laden’s jet, and Ali crashed it at the end of the runway at Khartoum Airport in 1995 when he was still training to use it.

He said bin Laden asked him to try to fix it and he checked with a U.S. company to have it repaired, but the more than $1 million price tag was too high. In 1995, Ali quit the organization and received $2,400 in “severance.”

After the embassy bombings, Ali was approached by FBI agents in May 1999 in Orlando, Florida, where he was living in an apartment complex. He said he told the FBI that he had never been to the Sudan, and he denied knowing bin Laden, obviously a lie, when he testified before a New York grand jury in May 1999. He was taken into custody that day.

In March 2001, he pleaded guilty to perjury, criminal contempt and conspiring to kill U.S. nationals and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. At a May 2009 sentencing, he received time served after spending a decade in prison.

Advice to Tourists: Skip NY New York has surrendered. It’s just too cold.

This week, the tourism office of Ithaca, New York, waved the white flag on winter, advising potential visitors to its tourism website to skip

the frigid temperatures and visit the Florida Keys instead. Wise advice in one of the coldest winters we’ve ever seen. VisitIthaca.com’s home page displays Sunshine State vacation photos and provides links to the website for tourism information about the Florida Keys and Key West.

The top of the Ithaca page reads: “That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?” Referring to “this ridiculously stupid winter,” the Ithaca website suggests visiting the Florida Keys this week and returning “when things thaw out.” It’s good that New Yorkers still have a sense of humor despite the brain freeze we’re all experiencing.

Ithaca and the rest of upstate New York have been in the grips of a snowy and brutally cold winter. The most recent cold snap sent temperatures plunging as low as 28 degrees below zero in the Adirondacks early Tuesday.

Thinking about visiting New York? Fuhgeddaboudit! Florida’s the place to be.

Sentencing in Steroid Case Anthony Bosch, who claimed he was a licensed medical doctor at his Biogenesis of America clinic, was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in federal prison. Bosch posed as a doctor and illegally supplied steroid injections and other performance-enhancing drugs to professional baseball players and even high school

The Week

Is Hillary Ready for 2016?

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the past few years, Hillary Clinton is determined to be our next president. But Governor Chris Christie is just as determined, although he may just miss the White House come 2016.

A new poll shows that Hillary Clinton would handily defeat the outspoken governor in a presidential election in his home state. According to the survey, Clinton would defeat Christie 58 to 35 percent in a hypothetical presidential general election match-up in a new poll from Rut-

gers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. The former Secretary of State holds a 59 percent favorability rating in the blue-leaning state.

Last week, the same polling group found that only 37 percent of New Jersey voters have a favorable view of their governor.

Clinton fares even better against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.). She would defeat Bush by a 58 to 32 percent margin, and Walker by a margin of 60 to 29 percent.

“During Hillary Clinton’s first campaign for president, there was a great deal of talk about how voters would respond to her gender,” David Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers, said in a statement along with the poll. “In January 2008, a CNN poll found Americans more ‘ready’ for a black president than a woman. Fast forward seven years and New Jerseyans, at least, have little doubt that the country is now ready for a woman president.”

Despite these revelations, the poll only surveyed 813 New Jersey residents—and not all of them were registered voters. It also was not revealed if they were an even split of Democrats or Republicans.

Judge Blocks Obama’s Immigration Order

On Monday, a federal judge granted a request by 26 states to temporarily block President Obama’s executive action on illegal immigration, allow-

ing a lawsuit aimed at permanently stopping the orders to make its way through the courts.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen granted the preliminary injunction after hearing arguments in Brownsville, Texas, last month. He wrote in a memorandum accompanying his order that the lawsuit should go forward and that without a preliminary injunction the states will “suffer irreparable harm in this case.”

“The genie would be impossible to put back into the bottle,” he wrote, adding that he agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that legalizing the presence of millions of people is a “virtually irreversible” action.

The first of Obama’s orders – to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children – was set to start taking effect on Wednesday. The other major part of Obama’s order, which extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years, was not expected to begin until May 19.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, in a statement, reiterated the administration’s position that Obama’s executive actions were within the bounds of the law – and indicated they would appeal.

“The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that the federal government can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws— which is exactly what the President did when he announced commonsense policies to help fix our broken immigration system,” Earnest said, later adding, “The district court’s decision wrongly prevents these lawful, commonsense policies from taking effect and the Department of Justice has indicated that it will appeal that decision.”

House and Senate Republican leaders pointed to the judge’s decision in amplifying calls to advance a stalled bill that would both fund the Homeland Security department and undo Obama’s immigration plan. The GOP-authored bill passed the House,

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Bosch accepted thousands of dollars a month to provide steroid injections to players such as New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. Most troubling, Gayles said, was Bosch’s injections of high school players in the Miami area.

“He was the mastermind,” Gayles said. “He was the one who recruited others to assist him.”

Bosch, 51, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to distribute testosterone, the sixth person charged in the Biogenesis case to do so. Bosch and Rodriguez are expected to testify if the last two defendants – Rodriguez’s cousin Yuri Sucart and ex-University of Miami pitching coach Lazaro Collazo – go to trial as scheduled in early April.

MLB imposed a record season-long suspension last year on Rodriguez, one of 14 players penalized in the scandal. The Yankees say Rodriguez, 39, is no longer their third baseman and will have a chance to earn at-bats as a designated hitter.

“I’m ashamed of myself. I’m remorseful,” Bosch said at the sentencing. “I can’t put into words how sorry I am.”

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said that rather than help people with medical problems, Bosch’s main goal was to rake in

money by illegally making the athletes “bigger, stronger and faster ballplayers.” Bosch liked to call himself “Dr. T,” according to court records.

“He was not a legitimate doctor.

He wasn’t treating an illness. He wasn’t treating a disease,” Sullivan said.

Bosch lawyer Guy Lewis, a former U.S. attorney in Miami, said that without his cooperation, MLB would not have had sufficient evidence to sustain Rodriguez’s suspension. Lewis said Bosch has met dozens of times with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and helped prosecutors pore over thousands of pages of documents.

“Mr. Bosch has cooperated thoroughly and extensively,” Lewis said.

“He was truthful. He was reliable,” despite threats to his life if he testified.

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athletes.

He choked back tears when he said the clinic was a legitimate business gone awry and sought a more lenient term because of his cooperation in the investigation, but U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles refused.

“This defendant was the most culpable in this conspiracy,” the judge said.

In News

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The Week but is stuck in the Senate. “This ruling underscores what the President has already acknowledged publicly 22 times: He doesn’t have the authority to take the kinds of actions he once referred to as ‘ignoring the law’ and ‘unwise and unfair,’” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “Senate Democrats – especially those who’ve voiced opposition to the President’s executive overreach – should end their partisan filibuster of Department of Homeland Security funding.”

That’s Odd A Dizzying Trip to Disney

do is open until midnight. February 14 worked out fine—and the two of them journeyed for 28 hours and for 7,900 miles to the Happiest Place on Earth—times three.

Their not-so-relaxing jaunt began at Tokyo Disneyland at 9:50am on Saturday. After capturing their visit with a photo, they raced to catch their flight to Los Angeles. Although their flight was delayed, they still managed to get to Disneyland in Anaheim by noon and posed for their all-important photo.

The next stop was the airport—and their luck almost ran out. But thankfully, Minnie and Mickey were on their side, and although they missed their original flight to Orlando, they were rebooked on another flight and made up for lost time. Disneyworld, here they come! They posed for their photo at 11:40pm—just 20 minutes before the deadline.

“The best thing was doing it with my wife and best friend,” Michael said. “Having her by my side for the whole thing made it special.”

You Can Cut it with a Knife

It’s a small world after all…

Last week, one couple visited three Disneylands in just one day.

Michael and Diane Greening have been hooked on Disney since they celebrated their first wedding anniversary in Disney in Anaheim years ago. They have gone back every year, but with their 17th anniversary approaching, the couple was in a quandary: should they visit Tokyo Disneyland or Walt Disney World?

And then Michael proposed doing both on the same day, with a stop in Disneyland in between.

“We started wondering, ‘Can this be done?’” Michael Greening relates. Turns out, it is possible, but only when Magic Kingdom in Orlan-

Aahh! The calming sounds of soft music and the relaxing feeling of being pampered. A day at the spa can rejuvenate and calm even the most stressed.

In Taiwan, massages are sometimes given with interesting instruments—knives. A daoliao, or knife massage, costs only about $7 for ten minutes of relaxation. But before getting the massage, it may just make your heart skip a beat or two when you see the attendants wearing white vests and brandishing their cleavers like your local butcher.

In News This form of massage is nothing new. Interestingly, people in China have been undertaking knife massages since the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC) in Chinese history, said Wu Wei-chuan, chairwoman of the World Daoliao Assn. in Taipei. Back then, those suffering from mysterious illnesses not easily treated by traditional medicine would ask Buddhist monks to ease their afflictions with knife therapy.

Although daoliao fell out of favor in China, it then spread to Japan and Taiwan, although it declined in popularity there as well. Now, there are more than 180 daoliao centers across Taiwan. Some customers come to overcome their sense of bravery.

Others, though, are just looking for a way to relax. “Some people have been bothered all the time and have tried other massages to find that they didn’t help. They want to try a knife massage to see if it will do the job,” Wu said.

So how does it work? The steel cleavers look like those you might use to prepare dinner, but they have a blunt edge. The heavy blade can reach deeper than fingers alone, and practitioners believe the conductive steel can remove “negative energy” from the body. The result, Wu relates, is less insomnia, better circulation and relief from sore muscles. Despite the dullness of the blades, patrons are covered while receiving the massage to ensure they come out whole.

The knives hit different parts of the body—even the head—and customers claim to walk away relaxed and calm.

Sounds like a cutting-edge massage. I, for one, am happy with a hot stone massage to make me feel more “tenderized.”

Making War Beautiful Forty years after the end of the Vietnam War, bombs dropped along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos have become expensive jewelry worn by American fashionistas.

Delicate bracelets encrusted with

diamonds, bronze pendants, necklaces and drop earrings – all made from ordnance left over from America’s deadliest war – were on display on the sidelines of New York Fashion Week. Crafted by artisans in Laos who smelted shrapnel in straw-roofed workshops, they are distributed by Brooklyn startup Article 22 and now sold in nearly 40 countries.

Inscriptions such as “love is the bomb” and “dropped + made in Laos” are engraved into the metal, a play on modern slang in which “bomb” means “cool,” not just a lethal weapon of war.

“We want the jewelry to be conversational pieces,” said Elizabeth Suda, cofounder of Article 22, which is named after the universal declaration of human rights.

“When you see someone wearing a bomb, you’re gonna ask, what’s it all about? Why? In a very literal way, it tells a story,” she said.

Article 22 calls its jewelry line “Peacebomb” and in a sign of their growing stature, items have been selected to appear in a stall operated by trendy fashion-forward boutique The Curve on the sidelines of Fashion Week.

Many of the tens of millions of bombs dropped from 1964-1973 never exploded, leaving behind about 80 million tennis-sized bomblets that have killed thousands of villagers and children. Proceeds from the sales of the jewelry helps the company demine land in Laos, the most bombed country per capita in the world. Buying a simple bracelet can pay to clear 32 square feet; a $1,250 necklace cleans up 840 square feet. So far, 700,000 square miles has been demined through Article 22.

Article 22 is not the first company

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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The Week In News I’m glad I can do that for them.”

“I’m very grateful for what’s about to happen for my family,” she told reporters.

1,500 Snowmen

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Lots of Dollars and Lots of Dreams

Sometimes a person gets the break they really deserve.

A North Carolina mother is one of the winners of the $564.1 million Powerball jackpot—and she really deserves it. The mom of four said she is first going to give tithes from her winnings “because I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for G-d.” Marie Holmes, 26, recently quit her jobs at Walmart and McDonalds to take care of her four young children.

She expressed her gratitude for being able to provide for her children — one of whom has cerebral palsy — in a way that she previously could have never imagined, noting that she plans to set up college funds and buy a new home.

Holmes doesn’t play the lottery often and wants to make sure her children know that money shouldn’t change them. “I just want them to understand that money doesn’t change you. It can help you. They don’t have to worry about that,” she said. “They can go to college, on me. And they don’t have to worry about nothing.

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to take tools of war and make them into objects of beauty. Emi and Eve sells jewelry and metal clutch bags out of recycled bomb casings and bullet shells from Cambodia, and Fonderie 47 makes watches and jewelry from Ak47s from Africa.

“I think the best fashion makes people think and does challenge people. That’s the role of art, in its purest form,” Sass Brown, acting associate dean of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s School of Art and Design in New York, said.

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How many snowmen have you built this winter season? I’m sure it doesn’t beat the 1,585 snowmen residents of a Japanese town built in just one hour on Sunday. The flurry of snowmen earned them a Guinness World Record, organizers say.

The Iiyama Snow Festival Planning Committee said the “1,500 Snowmen Challenge,” which was designed to celebrate the planned March 14 opening of Iiyama Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, featured more than 500 people constructing a total of 1,585 snowmen inside the 60-minute time limit imposed by Guinness World Records.

The event beat the previous record of 1,279 snowmen built in Utah in 2011.

The city was preparing for the event since last year and when nine inches of snow fell in just 24 hours it was the perfect time for building the men of snow.

Each snowman had to be at least 36 inches tall and be made of three snowballs with eyes, a nose and arms.

No hat or smile needed.

“We were able to achieve the record thanks to the cooperation of many people,” committee member Jiro Kobayashi told the Asahi Shimbun. “We believe the feat will boost [the celebratory atmosphere of] the opening of the Shinkansen’s Iiyama Station.”

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32 78

You Gotta be

Riddle!

Kidding!

You approach two magic talking doors. One door leads to the City of Truth, while the other door leads to the City of Liars. You do not know which door is which. You are able to ask only one question to determine which door is which. The door that leads to the City of Liars always speaks lies, while the door that leads to the City of Truth always speaks the truth. You want to go to the City of Truth. What question should you ask to determine which door leads to the City of Truth?

Answer on next page

Cinderella, Superman and Pinocchio die and go to heaven. On their way, they talk.

Cinderella: “I want to be remembered as the most amazing girl in the world.”

Superman: “I want to be remembered as the strongest person in the world.”

Pinocchio: “I want to be remembered as the greatest liar in the world.”

It’s Cinderella’s turn. She goes into the room and comes out smiling, saying, “It’s done. I’m the most amazing girl in the world!”

Then goes Superman. He goes into the room and comes out happy, saying, “It’s done. I’m the strongest person in the world!”

Finally Pinocchio goes into the room. He storms out two minutes later and angrily says, “Gosh! Who’s this Brian Williams guy?!”

s e c a l P e Oh! Th n e e B s a H s m a i l l i W n Bria

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1. Match the anchor with their sign off phrases: 1. Walter Cronkite A. “ Good night and good luck” 2. Edward R Murrow B. “And that’s the way it is” 3. Charles Osgood C. “Good day” 4. Paul Harvey D. “See you on the radio”

3. Her reported $15 million yearly salary made her the highest-paid news host in history. Who is she? a. Barbara Walters b. Katie Couric c. Diane Sawyer d. Liz Cho 4. How many times was Larry King (who changed his name from Lawrence Harvey Zeiger) married? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. 6 g. 7 h. 8 5. He was host of Monday Night Football for 14 years. Despite his nasal, Brooklyn-infused staccato style of speech, he was arguably the biggest sportscaster in America in the 1970s and 1980s. He once said about himself, “Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff—I have been called all of these. Of course, I am.” His original name was Howard William Cohen. Who is he? a. Marv Albert

6. Who said, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America”? a. President Nixon after Walter Cronkite commented on the evening news that “something is fishy” b. The president of CBS News after Cronkite switched to ABC after a failed contract extension c. Barry Goldwater, when Cronkite criticized his campaign d. President Lyndon B Johnson, after Cronkite started criticizing the Vietnam War 7. This radio broadcaster mastered the art of reading commercials during his shows. He once explained, “Without advertising in this country, my goodness, we’d still be in this country what Russia mostly still is: a nation of bearded bicyclists with B.O.” He was famous for ending his monologues by saying, “And now… you know…the rest of the story.”

Who was he? a. Mike Wallace b. Paul Harvey c. Elmer Davis d. Edward R Murrow Answers 1. 1/B, 2/C, 3/D 4/A 2. A 3. B 4. H 5. C 6. D 7. B Wisdom Key 6-7 correct: You really know a lot about news anchors. How is the AARP treating you?

3-5 correct: You knew something about news anchors before, but “now…you know…the rest of the story.”

0-2 correct: Perhaps you are suffering from memory loss…

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2. On “60 Minutes” in 2004, this news anchor went public with a series of documents concerning President George W. Bush’s Air National Guard service record, which purported to show that Bush was unfit for flight.

However, it turns out that the news anchor knew the documents were false. Who was he? a. Dan Rather b. Peter Jennings c. Ted Koppell d. Tom Brokaw

b. Chris Schenkel c. Howard Cosell d. Mel Allen

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News Anchor Trivia

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ANSWER TO RIDDLE: You should ask a door, “If I were to ask the other door which door leads to the City of Truth, what would it say?” Then pick the opposite door of what it tells you.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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Real Estate 7 Tips For Dealing With Winter Weather Conditions Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder VacancyFillers.com

For those who live in the northern states, winter weather conditions are a very common obstacle.

Almost every other morning, you can find yourself chipping away at ice on the windshield or doing something to de-ice the driveway.

After investigating a lot of different methods for handling snow and ice with the end goal of reducing the cost of dealing with winter weather conditions, here are seven of the best tactics: 1. Put a sheet over your windshield. If you’re anticipating a big, icy storm, get an old bed sheet and

spread it across your windshield. Use the windshield wipers to hold it in place, then close the ends of the sheet in the doors of the vehicle. After the storm, you can simply peel the sheet off and the ice comes right off with it.

2. Use alcohol instead of deicer. Instead of dropping money on an expensive bottle of de-icer, just fill a spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol, which you can get for far cheaper. Spraying this on icy surfaces does just as well as the expensive stuff. You can also add a bit of Windex to the mix, but I’ve not noticed much difference between the two.

3. Try mixing water, alcohol, and dishwashing soap, too. It’s also a useful tactic to fill a spray bottle with a 50-50 mix of water and alcohol with just a few drops of dishwashing soap. You can spray this on in climates where the temperature is

just below freezing and it’ll work even better than the straight alcohol.

4. For icy sidewalks, mix calcium chloride and rock salt. Calcium chloride is the best material available for clearing ice off the sidewalk because it gives off heat as it melts the ice. Mixing it with much cheaper rock salt (in a 50-50 mix) allows the calcium chloride to work first, warming up the ice a bit to a temperature where the rock salt can work. Mix the two in a bucket in your garage.

5. For driveways, just use sand. Sand is far, far cheaper than salt for a large driveway and both have the same effect in the end – improving the traction of your vehicle. Before you put sand down, clear off the snow with a shovel so that you’re not just dumping sand on top of snow. You want the sand to cover the hard layer that you’ll actually be driving on.

6. Shovel snow properly. Many people dread the task of shoveling snow and have visions of painful backaches and other disastrous conclusions. This doesn’t have to be the case! Pick a shovel that fits you and doesn’t cause you to bend over unnecessarily. Do some stretching before you start, and bundle up so you don’t get cold. Don’t shovel at a rapid pace – do it slowly

with small scoops. When you need to lift, lift with your knees as much as you can. Wear good shoes with good traction. Doing these things will turn shoveling from a pain-inducing activity into good, healthy exercise.

7. Keep an emergency kit at home – and another in the car. If you’re in a climate where major winter storms can occur, it’s useful to have an emergency kit at home with appropriate supplies so that everyone in the house can find it if the need occurs. The kit should contain flashlights, a battery powered (or wind-up) radio, a wind-up clock, some food that requires no cooking (and a can opener if the food is canned), plenty of blankets, and fresh batteries.

Having this on hand can make it easy to ride out a storm at home instead of taking on the huge risk of having to head outside in the middle of a blizzard.

For the car kit, you should have the items listed above, plus an extra layer of winter clothes for everyone who might be traveling with you as well as some road flares (to help rescue teams find you). An old cell phone is also useful, as old cell phones that still have battery life can call 9-1-1 even if they don’t have a phone plan.

Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder VacancyFillers.com Are you looking for a tenant for your vacancy? VacancyFillers.com can help!

VacancyFillers.com uses their professional and simple systems, to effectively and quickly find quality tenants for landlords. These professional services allow landlords to focus on their families and careers! Founded by Ben Schwartz in January of 2014 in response to the needs of landlords who lack the proper time and resources to find tenants by themselves, VacancyFillers.com has already assisted in the signing many leases for landlords just like yourself! For more information, please visit: www.vacancyfillers.com

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Torah Thought Torah Thought

Rabbi Berel Wein Rabbi Berel Wein

T T

the spirit and true intent of that generosity is often missing. Here the Torah the spirit and true intent of that generis teaching us an important lesson. A osity is often missing. Here the Torah building or any institution whose puris teaching us an important lesson. A building or any institution whose pur-

penetration, the fundraising exercise becomes devoid of spiritual meaning penetration, the fundraising exercise and soulful uplift. becomes devoid of spiritual meaning I think that the giving feeling that and soulful uplift.

I think that the giving feeling that

It is much easier to write a check than to really feel Itgood, is much easier write aabout checkthe than to really feel excited andtosincere donation. good, excited and sincere about the donation.

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the Torah emphasizes here is achievable only when one feels that the cause the Torah emphasizes here is achievor object of one’s generosity is really able only when one feels that the cause worth more than the wealth that one or object of one’s generosity is really is parting with. The example I use in worth more than the wealth that one teaching is that if one feels that giving is parting with. The example I use in charity is the equivalent of paying one’s teaching is that if one feels that giving taxes then that donation is completely charity is the equivalent of paying one’s devoid of any spiritual content. We all taxes then that donation is completely have to pay our taxes as a national duty devoid of any spiritual content. We all and a practical necessity. Yet people do have to pay our taxes as a national duty not feel any sort of spiritual achieveand a practical necessity. Yet people do not feel any sort of spiritual achieve-

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

pose is service of G-d and the spiritual enhancement of human beings cannot pose is service of G-d and the spiritual be built of human material generosity enhancement of human beings cannot alone. be built of human material generosity As the Talmud so succinctly phrases alone. it, “G-d demands our heart.” ProfesAs the Talmud so succinctly phrases sional fundraisers employ all means and it, “G-d demands our heart.” Profestactics to raise money for their goals and sional fundraisers employ all means and projects. However, after many decades tactics to raise money for their goals and of observing fundraising techniques, I projects. However, after many decades know that it is very difficult to penetrate of observing fundraising techniques, I the heart of the donor. Without such a know that it is very difficult to penetrate the heart of the donor. Without such a

ment in paying their taxes. We may sign the check but our hearts are not in it. ment in paying their taxes. We may sign This attitude, which after all is still the check but our hearts are not in it. acceptable when paying our material This attitude, which after all is still taxes is concerned (since no governacceptable when paying our material ment is really interested in the spiritual taxes is concerned (since no governeffects of its taxes on the status of your ment is really interested in the spiritual soul), is not the attitude that will suffice effects of its taxes on the status of your when it comes to building a tabernacle/ soul), is not the attitude that will suffice Mishkan. In this latter case we are asked when it comes to building a tabernacle/ not only to give of our material wealth Mishkan. In this latter case we are asked and personal talents but truly to give of not only to give of our material wealth ourselves as well. and personal talents but truly to give of The demand of the Torah is not only ourselves as well. to give from our heart but to give our The demand of the Torah is not only heart itself to the exalted cause and spirto give from our heart but to give our itual greatness of the tabernacle/Mishheart itself to the exalted cause and spirkan. It is not a donation that the Torah itual greatness of the tabernacle/Mishasks of us, rather it is a commitment of kan. It is not a donation that the Torah self that is demanded. The tabernacle/ asks of us, rather it is a commitment of Mishkan has long ago disappeared from self that is demanded. The tabernacle/ our physical view but its lessons remain Mishkan has long ago disappeared from relevant and important to us today as our physical view but its lessons remain when they were taught millennia ago. relevant and important to us today as Shabbat shalom. when they were taught millennia ago.

Shabbat shalom.

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Parshas Terumah Parshas Terumah he initial and most successful building campaign in Jewish he initial and most successful history is recorded for us in building campaign in Jewish this week’s Torah reading. The Torah, history is recorded for us in in recounting the event, teaches us that this week’s Torah reading. The Torah, Moshe was to accept offerings of gold, in recounting the event, teaches us that silver, copper, precious stones, weaving Moshe was to accept offerings of gold, materials, acacia wood, artistic talent silver, copper, precious stones, weaving and everything else that would be necmaterials, acacia wood, artistic talent essary for the construction of the great and everything else that would be nectabernacle/Mishkan in the desert. essary for the construction of the great However, the Torah places a caveat tabernacle/Mishkan in the desert. on the donations of goods and services, However, the Torah places a caveat wealth and talent that Moshe was to reon the donations of goods and services, ceive from the people of Israel. The Towealth and talent that Moshe was to rerah states that he was to accept all donaceive from the people of Israel. The Totions but only from those whose hearts rah states that he was to accept all donaand will motivated their generosity. We tions but only from those whose hearts are all aware that it is much easier to and will motivated their generosity. We write a check than to really feel good, are all aware that it is much easier to excited and sincere about the donation. write a check than to really feel good, The nature of human beings is to be excited and sincere about the donation. less than forthcoming in their generosThe nature of human beings is to be ity and even if they are willing to part less than forthcoming in their generoswith some of their material possessions, ity and even if they are willing to part with some of their material possessions,

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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108

Rav Avichai Rontzki A True Pioneer Looks Towards the Knesset

BY TAMMY MARK Rav Avichai Rontzki is a true pioneer.

As a newlywed, he started the community of Elon Moreh. Shortly after, he went on to establish the community of Itamar, where he founded the Hesder Yeshiva. As the former Chief Rabbi of the IDF, Rav Rontzki implemented groundbreaking changes which continue to enhance the lives of soldiers every day. Now, Rav Rontzki is hoping to bring his pioneering spirit to Knesset.

R

aised on a kibbutz in Haifa in a secular home, Rav Rontzki was a combat soldier in the IDF when he first met his wife, Ronit, a combat secretary in his unit. Ronit later became a sergeant as he became a captain. In 1975, after completion of their service, the couple married and began their new lives.

They became religious together and set out to make an impact wherever they went.

The first stop was Elon Moreh, with a population of twelve families. In 1984, they continued to build as they moved on to Itamar and started the commu-

nity with just seven other families. Now, Rav Rontzki serves as the Rosh Yeshiva of 200 students who come from around the country to learn at his Hesder Yeshiva.

With six grown children who are married, he and his wife have 21 grandchildren currently living in Itamar.

The community, located in the Yehuda and Shomron region, is one of the fastest growing in the area, having blossomed into 200 families.

“My purpose was to fulfill the Torah obligation to settle Eretz Yisrael,” explains Rav Rontzki of starting the community of Itamar so shortly after building the Elon Moreh community.

The Rav has an infinite bond with the community of Itamar and is always concerned for its security. In 2011, the tragic murder of the Fogel family shook the tight-knit community.

Having the largest land mass in the Shomron region, Itamar is difficult to protect due to its size and its proximity to hostile Arab towns.

Unfortunately, there have been more deaths in the community from terrorism than any other part of the region, having suffered the losses of 22 residents since the beginning of the Intifada back in 2000.

Rav Rontzki is close to those in the One Israel Fund, an organization that helps provide security for those living in what is known as Yesha. “For over two decades, One Israel Fund has been a lifeline for the communities Rav Rontzki with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked of Bayit Yehudi through Yehuda, Shomron and those formerly

from Gush Katif,” explains Scott M. Feltman, Executive Vice President of One Israel Fund. “Due to the precarious situation which faces the community of Itamar every day, we have been continuously working with the security team in Itamar to provide them with highly technical surveillance equipment and advanced training sessions in the hopes of preventing future acts of terror. Since the Fogel murders in 2011, no fewer than six separate attacks have been thwarted thanks to the equipment we’ve provided and the close partnership between One Israel Fund and Itamar’s security chief and its civilian first response team.”

Both the community and the yeshiva are unique.

Approximately 60% of the residents are baalei teshuva. The students are inspired by the strength of people of Itamar and the guidance of the Rav. Rav Rontzki leads the yeshiva with the belief that “the person should learn where he feels the most comfortable.”

The young men are guided but independent; the rabbis are there to help but the students take ownership of their learning. The students are instilled with the core value to always do their best wherever they may go, and many ultimately enter into the elite units of the army.

W

ith that mindset, Rav Rontzki is ready for the next stop in his journey. Hoping to bring his passion and perseverance to a larger arena, he is on the Bayit Yehudi Religious Zionist platform with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. Anticipating

A strong spirit, Rav Rontzki maintains, comes from the soldiers’ connection with history and their identity.

own. This was Rav Rontzki’s experience as well. As a child in Haifa, he knew nothing about his Jewish Identity. He went to a good school, yet didn’t even mark his bar mitzvah. When he served in the army, there was no minyan. Out of every 100 soldiers only 3 or 4 were religious. Today, more than 50% of the officers in the army are religious, and Israel now has a Torah army for the first time in 2,000 years.

Throughout these successes, it is an ongoing challenge to bring Jewish education to the soldiers. Realizing that the education needed to start earlier, Rav Rontzki set his sights on the goal and is working on educating the next generation. For the past year and a half, he has been the Chairman of Israel’s Giving shiur to some of the boys in yeshiva Ministry of Jewish Identity. from the left wing newspaper Ha’aretz, which mainThrough Rav Rontzki’s efforts, over 100,000 tains that Israel should be a secular state with religion young people are now being taught Torah throughout completely separate from the country. During the first secular schools in Israel. School-age children learn Gaza war, Rav Rontzki gave Torah-based pep talks to after school for a total of 4 ½ hours a week. There the soldiers and he was reprimanded for being “too are also programs established for secular post-high Jewish.” school students. Some that are post-army are learning Rav Rontzki found, however, that the IDF com- and teaching Torah while in university or vocational manders embrace these advancements. They want school. Though these young Israelis are not religious, the soldiers to win their battles. They believe that the Rav Rontzki says they have the desire to know what is elements needed to have a successful army are rigor- written in the Torah. Despite the overwhelming sucous training and a strong spirit. A strong spirit, Rav cess of the program, Rav Rontzki relates, “The goal is

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With soldiers this summer

to reach half million 18- to 30-year-olds over the next five years.”

I

t was three years ago that Naftali Bennett called Rav Rontzki to participate in his political party. At the time, Bennett was the head of the Yesha (Yehuda and Shomron) Council. As a party member, the Rav participated in meetings and soon realized it was time to get further involved: Jewish identity for all Israelis being his ultimate goal.

Rav Rontzki brings a uniqueness to the playing field. Coming from the secular world, he is able to relate to secular Israelis. He is extremely learned and observant, yet is not Hareidi. With his pro-Zionist and pro-army stance, he is considered a liberal in the Torah world. While at times he may have opposition from the left-wing or the right-wing, Rav Rontzki is truly able to reach out to all kinds of people. With the untimely passing this week of Bayit Yehudi Member of Knesset Uri Orbach, who was known for his ability to relate to those across the religious and political spectrum, these qualities may prove to be a crucial factor for Rav Rontzki.

The Rav has garnered support for from all over.

Dr. Rubin Brecher of Lawrence, NY, has visited Itamar many times and describes the Rav as “a fascinating person. He lives a simple life in a small cottage, learning Torah. He is totally devoted to the Jewish People.”

Regarding the Rav’s political aspirations, Dr. Brecher has full confidence in his success. “He has devoted himself to religious Zionism,” he says. “He is a very special person and the future of Israeli leadership.”

Though at times soft-spoken, the Rav reveals his fervent conviction and passion that Jews be connected to Torah and the Land. In addition to instilling deep roots in the younger generation, his personal hope is that all Jews will come to Israel and that those born in Israel will stay there. “The country needs all the Jews in the Land of our nation,” he says.

When speaking about this topic so close to his heart, Rav Rontzki tells of the time he was visiting a community in Houston, Texas. Upon meeting some Israelis who had settled there he inquired as to why they left Israel. They told the Rav that they came to the United States for the Jewish education. Stories like this touch him deeply and reinforce his commitment to his cause.

“For Israel’s existence, we can’t continue the way things are in this era; we have a lot of enemies fighting for their religion and they want to destroy us,” Rav Rontzki cautions, “The struggle will take many, many years and we must have a strong spirit. To have a strong spirit we must have a strong connection.”

And there’s nobody with a stronger, more determined spirit to help our People achieve that goal. 

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Rontzki maintains, comes from the soldiers’ connection with history and their identity.

The soldiers are stronger when they know that they are an integral part of a legacy in a land with thousands of years of history.

This past summer during Operation Protective Edge, the Rav was invited by officers to speak to the soldiers and offer encouragement. He found them to be highly motivated with a high morale, prepared to battle the enemies at the border. Forming these deep connections is especially germane to those who serve in the Israeli army, as the stakes are high. He tries to instill a deeper understanding as to why they are fighting. Whereas in the United States soldiers fight to defend a concept of freedom, Israeli soldiers literally fight daily for the safety of their country and preservation of their people.

Like many secular Jews in Israel, secular soldiers know virtually nothing about Torah Judaism, with most knowing more about Western culture than their

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that there will be 20 seats, Rav Rontzki is slated to get the 13th slot in the March 17 election.

In order for Rav Rontzki to accept a seat in Knesset, he will have to leave his post at the yeshiva. It is not an easy choice for him, but it is part of his broader goal. In his yeshiva, he is able to influence a few dedicated students. In his new position, Rav Rontzki can inspire a whole nation.

For close to 10 years, the Rav has been working tirelessly to bring Jewish education to the secular population in the IDF and throughout Israel at large.

In 2006, Rav Rontzki was asked to return to the Army to serve as the Chief Rabbi of the IDF, and the changes he made during his four years there were profound. Rav Rontzki replaced the existing army rabbinate with combat rabbis. Historically, IDF rabbis were civilian Hareidim who had never served in the military. The rabbis were essentially there to ensure that soldiers could receive kosher food and to provide basic religious support to the few observant soldiers.

These civilian rabbis couldn’t maintain a strong connection with the soldiers, and with no military training, they could not accompany them in the field.

Recruiting from several Zionist yeshivas, the Rav and his team sought out the top students and talmidei chachamim who had also served as combat soldiers and officers. Under his watch, the new IDF rabbinate became much more integrated into the soldiers’ lives.

The Rav established the unit of Jewish Identity, focusing on Jewish education, where the rabbis became the teachers. His goal was to instill a strong Jewish identity in all soldiers, with the belief that their Jewish identity will bond them to the Land of Israel and to Jewish values.

While there may have been some initial pushback from the civilian rabbis at the outset, these changes have been widely welcomed throughout the Jewish State. The most outspoken opponents have been

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

90

Notable Notable Quotes

Quotes

Compiled by Nate Davis

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say“Say What?” What?”

A lot of doctors believe sitting is the new cancer.

- Apple CEO Tim Cook about a feature of the company’s new watch that prompts users to get up and move

Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to make his first official state visit to the U.S., although I’m worried it’ll be a little awkward when he visits a school and says, “This factory is terrible.”

– Jimmy Fallon

That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?

- Posting on the homepage of visitIthaca. com, the official tourism website of Ithaca, New York In my opinion, [Prime Minister Netanyahu] is the Winston Churchill of the day, warning the world about Iran. Regrettably, [U.S. President Barack] Obama is the Neville Chamberlain of our day, in denial of the enormous vulnerability we have to the potential nuclear capabilities of Iran.

– Congressman Robert Pittenger (R-NC) while visiting Israel

There will be times I will say some things that will make you shake your head. There will be times I will say some things in a way that will make you think, “He maybe could have said that a little bit better.” But what you’ll never say is, “I don’t know who he is and I don’t know what he believes...” There’s only one Chris Christie, everybody, and this is it.

– New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at an event in New Hampshire

Researchers at the University of Vermont determined that the world’s happiest language is Spanish. German finished fourth, which I find hard to believe. In German, even “I love you” sounds like a threat.

– Jimmy Kimmel

A woman was arrested after she admitted to purchasing gasoline, driving to her exboyfriend’s house, and using it to set his new girlfriend’s car on fire. She’s now facing five years in prison and up to three Country Music Awards.

– Seth Myers

What do you mean, “Too many Bushes?” I’ve changed my mind.

- Barbara Bush at a dinner for her son Jeb, whom she previously said should not run for president

There’s no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

- Speaker of the House John Boehner on Fox News

The United States condemns the despicable and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists.

- White House statement which failed to acknowledge that the 21 victims were all Christians killed by radical Islamists

George Washington did not shake hands as president and would grip the hilt of his sword to avoid having his flesh pressed. The founding father understood that leadership in a republic demanded a careful balance between low populism and aristocratic lordliness. Personal comportment, the choice of clothes and carriage, modes of address: these things mattered.

And so we have “Mr. President” as opposed to “His Highness” or “George.”

A tell-all book by David Axelrod, one of President Obama’s former strategists, reveals that Obama chose Joe Biden as his VP because of his energy and enthusiasm.

You know, the qualities you look for in someone whose main job is traveling to state funerals.

– Jimmy Fallon Obama chose Joe Biden as his VP because of his energy and enthusiasm. Wait, those are the same reasons he picked his dog, Bo. – Ibid.

With Barack Obama… it’s another story. Dignity of office? How quaint. In this most self-infatuated of presidencies, the D-word is at best an accessory and more often an impediment to everything Barry has ever wanted to be: Cool. Chill. Connected.

So it was that, hours after the U.S. confirmed the murder of Kayla Jean Mueller at the hands of Islamic State, Mr. Obama filmed a short video for BuzzFeed, striking poses in a mirror, donning aviator shades, filming himself with a selfie stick.

– Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal

To the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms.

- Prime Minister Netanyahu in a statement urging European Jews to move to Israel after the latest anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Copenhagen

MORE QUOTES

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Michelle just happened to come by for the first ad shoot, and that was the ad that closed with the line “Yes we can.” He read through the script once, and after the first take he said, “Gee, is that too corny?” I explained why I thought it was a great tagline, and he turned to Michelle and said, “What do you think?” She just slowly shook her head from side to side and said, “Not corny.”

Thank G-d she was there that day.

- Obama strategist David Axelrod in an interview with the New York Times

A lawmaker in Tennessee is pushing to make the Bible the official state book. It would replace Tennessee’s current state book, the menu at Cracker Barrel.

– Seth Myers

[W]e cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war. We need in the medium to longer term to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s a lack of opportunity for jobs.

- State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf discussing the war on ISIS, on MSNBC If you ever come to the train station with me, you’ll notice that I have great relationships with them because there’s an awful lot of them driving cabs and are friends of mine. For real.

-Joe Biden discussing SomaliAmericans at a roundtable about terrorism

Congress is considering a law that would allow commuters to bring their dogs and cats on Amtrak trains. It’s all part of their plan to make Amtrak smell better.

– Jimmy Fallon It’s simple on the outside and strong in the inside – like me.

- James Robertson of Detroit, whose 21-mile daily trek to work made national headlines, upon choosing a Ford Taurus that was given to him from a car dealer who was inspired by his story

This week is the 10th anniversary of Google Maps. Or as 10-year-olds call them, “maps.”

- Jimmy Fallon

It was revealed that back in 2011 Michael Jordan was signing a poster for Obama’s 50th birthday but spelled the president’s name wrong. The president made sure Jordan’s name was spelled right when he had him audited by the IRS. - Jimmy Fallon

NBC suspended Brian Williams for six months without pay for misrepresenting a story of something that happened to him 12 years ago in Iraq. I have a solution. They should send him up in a helicopter, fire an RPG at it, and if he makes it down, that’s enough. He’s forgiven.

– Jimmy Kimmel

Thousands of San Francisco residents may have been exposed to measles because an infected LinkedIn employee used public transit this week. But on the bright side, it’s the most connections anyone on LinkedIn has ever made.

– Seth Myers

I thought [Jordanian King Abdullah of Jordan] actions were heroic. He was like, “No, you cannot do that to my people.” I wish President Obama was like that sometimes. I do. I think that is the way we have to treat ISIS. We can’t keep thinking it will go away.

- Charles Barkley in an interview with Sports Illustrated

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

According to a new report, almost 100 percent of connected cars — cars with Bluetooth and the smart things in them — are vulnerable to hackers. The hackers can steal your data and control your vehicle. In other words, there’s never been a better time to own a 2002 Windstar.

– Jimmy Kimmel

- Marie Holmes, a North Carolina mother of four who recently quit her jobs at Walmart and McDonalds and who won $188 million in the Powerball jackpot

39

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

First I’m going to pay my tithes, because I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for G-d.

NBC has suspended Brian Williams for six months without pay. Williams said he’s not worried because soon his veteran’s benefits will kick in.

– Conan O’Brien

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

40 86

The Marines Memorial in Washington, DC

REMEMBERING THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA 70 Years Later

BY AVI HEILIGMAN

One

advantage that the U.S. had over its enemies during WWII was their long-range bombers. Germany and Japan both had projects to build bombers that could potentially reach the U.S. mainland with a heavy payload (a payload refers to the weight a plane can carry) but were scrapped. Even at Pearl Harbor, the Americans had the four engine B-17 Flying Fortress which proved vital during the opening year of the war. By 1945, the B-24 Liberator had also proved its worth over enemy-held territories. These two planes packed a powerful punch but it was the B-29 Superfortress that was to end the war with Japan. In January 1945, war planners in the Pacific already had the B-29 bombing Japan from bases in the

Mariana Islands. However, they had no fighter escorts or a place to land in case of an emergency. A base directly on the path to Tokyo was needed and therefore the planners asked the Marines to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima.

The Japanese considered Iwo Jima part of their homeland and defended it with terrifying results. Nearly 7,000 Americans were killed before the island was secure. 70 years later we remember the sacrifices that these men gave for their country.

Iwo

Jima was bristling with air defenses and a modern radar station that proved deadly for air crews. If the marines could knock out Japanese presence on the island, this

threat would be neutralized and would provide a base for fighters that would save even more B-29s. However, the Japanese weren’t about to lay down their arms. 22,000 soldiers lay in wait and three years of war with Americans taught them how to inflict maximum casualties. The days of senseless suicide charges, called bonzai attacks, were long gone and they chose not fight on the beaches but in strong prepared defenses.

Mount Surabachi is a 550-foot dormant volcano that is Iwo Jima’s most recognizable feature and the most sensible place to defend as it overlooks the entire island. The Japanese dug extensive tunnels and bunkers that honeycombed the mountain, making it a forbidding obstacle that needed to be

taken. There were two airfields on the four and a half mile long island, and Iwo Jima is only 750 miles from Japan.

It was an ideal place for a fighter base.

D-Day was set for February 19, 1945. Three full marine divisions comprised of 80,000 men were committed to the fight. They were up against 22,000 Japanese who all were prepared to fight to the death to avoid the dishonor of being captured. For three days prior, the navy bombarded the island and on D-Day itself, the air corps joined in for the pre-invasion “softening up.” This was in addition to prior bombing campaigns against the island but this only caused the Japanese to dig further. Underwater Demolition Teams (now incorporated into the SEALs) provided reconnaissance for the land-

On

Landing on Iwo Jima

magazines like Time published parts of the speech.

Standing before the others, Gittelsohn declared: Here before us lie the bodies of comrades and friends, men who until yesterday or last week laughed with us, joked with us, trained with us, men who fought with us and feared with us.

Somewhere in this plot of ground there may lie the man who could have discovered the cure for cancer … Now they lie here silently in this sacred soil, and we gather to consecrate the earth in their memory.

It is not easy to do so. Some of us have buried our closest friends here. To speak in memory of such men as these is not easy. No, our poor power of speech can add nothing to what these men have already done. All that we can even hope to do is to follow their example, to show the same selfless courage in peace that they did in war; to swear that by the grace of G-d and the stubborn strength and power of the human will, their sons and ours will never suffer these pains again. These men have done their job

well. They have paid the ghastly price of freedom.

Thus do we memorialize those who, having ceased living with us, now live within us again.

Thus do we consecrate ourselves to the living to carry on the struggle they began. Too much blood has gone into this soil for us to let it lie barren. Too much pain and heartache have fertilized the earth on which we stand. We here solemnly swear, this shall not be in vain. Out of this, and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this, will come, we promise, the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.

The debate of whether Iwo Jima was really needed to win the war has been hotly debated. Some P-51 Mustang fighter planes did use the island to escort bombers but it wasn’t a major base.

The two Superfortresses that carried the atomic bombs lifted off from the Marianas and not Iwo Jima.

The sacrifice and bravery of those who fought for America were great and twenty seven Medals of Honor, the highest award for bravery in battle, were awarded. It was the most given out for a single battle. As the Commanderin-Chief of the Pacific Forces Admiral Chester Nimitz said about those fighting on Iwo Jima, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

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

The four famous flag raisers with some of their friends; sadly some of those will shortly lose their lives

87

41

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

the fourth day of battle, battered Marines finally reached the top of Mount Surabachi. On the fifth day of the battle, February 23, a patrol made it to the summit and raised a flag.

A photo was taken of this historic event but an admiral took the flag as a souvenir. Another, bigger flag was brought to the top and Jewish photographer Joe Rosenthal caught the most iconic image of the Pacific war. Five Marines and a navy corpsman raised the flag, and within two days, the image was soon printed in newspapers worldwide.

Capturing the island was far from definite even six days after the landings.

The attack on Airfield #2 came to halt when a massive tank assault failed. Airfield #1 had been repaired and was soon receiving planes to transport the growing number of wounded marines.

On March 4, 13 days after the landings, a B-29 made an emergency landing on the airfield. The men who had fought bravely for this small island now realized that their blood, sweat and tears finally amounted to something that would help bring the war to a close. However, the bomber command decided to switch to low level night raids to drop incendiary bombs on Tokyo. These produced immediate results.

These raids did not need fighter escorts and Iwo Jima was not going to be used as a fighter base. The island, though, still served as a base Rabbi Gittelsohn conducting service on Iwo Jima for damaged B-29 bombers. tions were camouflaged and even if an Pockets of Japanese soldiers held American gun was able locate them, out but after a month of fighting, about they were impossible to destroy be- 20,000 had been killed and over 200 cause they were reinforced with con- had been taken as prisoner. The final crete. It was up to the Marines to go Japanese attack came before dawn on in and flush out the well-entrenched March 26. The last 300 soldiers staged enemy with their basic weapons. How- a suicidal attack and surprised sleeping ever, they had one weapon in their ar- airmen. This raid was put down with senal that gave them a fighting chance: a hundred Americans dead. With this the flamethrower. It was able to burn last charge, the fight for the most part out enemy positions while other Ma- on Iwo Jima ended and the island was rines raked the now-exposed Japanese secure. The battle had lasted 36 days. with machine gunfire. Some tanks, 6,800 Americans had been killed and called Zippos, were also outfitted with 21,000 wounded. The Marines handed flamethrowers and could roll up to a over the cleaning up operations to the Japanese bunker without much dam- army and they reported killing 1,600 age. Finally, by the end of the second Japanese holdouts during the next two day of fighting, Airfield #1 was cap- months. tured and Marines were finally advancApproximately 1,500 Jews had ing on Surabachi. served on Iwo Jima and one of them Before the marines were able to was Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn who was reach the summit, it seemed that the attached the 5th Marine Division. He Japanese had a different idea on how to was the first Jewish chaplain in the Madrive the Americans away. Kamikaze rine Corps and was there for the invaplanes flew out of the sky to attempt sion and the ensuing battle on Iwo Jima. to hit U.S. Navy ships offshore. An es- After the battle, he was asked to give a cort carrier, the USS Bismarck Sea, was memorial sermon. About 70 people athit and sunk. Three other ships were tended the service including three Protbadly damaged. This pattern of suicide estant chaplains. Gittelsohn’s powerful planes continued for the rest of the war. sermon touched many men, and soon

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

ings.

The first marines coming ashore did not encounter heavy enemy resistance until several waves had landed on the beach. Only then did the Japanese open up with withering fire from the prepared defenses. Artillery shells rained down from Surabachi, machine gunners opened up from hidden positions and snipers carefully picked their targets. Since the landings were easy at the beginning, a lot of vehicles and equipment clogged the beaches, which became easy targets for the Japanese.

By the end of the day, despite taking heavy casualties, the Marines managed to cross the island to cut off Surabachi from reinforcements from other areas of Iwo Jima.

The pre-invasion bombing had destroyed all vegetation, and only hot sand and volcanic ash remained. Marines advancing had no cover to hide behind and were sitting targets for the Japanese who had zeroed in on these exposed positions. Japanese posi-

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Parenting Pearls Parenting Parenting Pearls

77 45

Pearls

77

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

1. Adults dictate every facet of a child’s life. Adults tell children what to Adults dictate facettoofeat, a do, 1. where to go, whenevery and what child’s life.

Adults tell children what to etc. Children often feel restricted by do, to go, when the where powerful adults in and theirwhat lives.to Ifeat,a etc. feel restricted by child Children is able to often manipulate one of those the powerful adults in their If aa imposing adults in their lives lives. and get child is of able to manipulate one of those rise out them, it’s very thrilling.

It’s a imposing adults in their lives and get a subconscious (and sometimes conscious) rise out of verycontrol thrilling. attempt to them, regainit’s some or It’s evena subconscious (and sometimes conscious) the playing field. attempt to regain attention some control even 2. Undivided fromora busy the playing field. parent. Children yearn for their parents’ 2. Undivided attention a busy attention.

They often have from to compete parent.

Children yearn for with many other things thattheir theirparents’ parents attention.

They Ifoften haveis to compete are busy with. a child sufficiently with many other things that their parents chutzpadik to their parent and knows how are busy with.

If a child is sufficiently to push the right buttons, the parent will chutzpadik to their parentdoing and knows how drop whatever they’re and speak to rightchild buttons, parent will (orpush yell)the at the for athe few minutes. drop doing and speak Even whatever though it they’re is negative attention that (or yell) at the child for a few minutes.

Even though it is negative attention that

they are receiving, the needy child craves whatever he/she can get. they3.are receiving, the needy craves Divert attention awaychild from the whatever he/she can get. core issue. Perhaps this is even a situation Divert that3.has arisenattention in your away home.from You the ask core Perhaps this is her evenroom. a situation your issue. daughter to clean She that has arisen in your home. You ask your daughter to clean her room. She

adequately and not allow his chutzpah to persist. adequately notwhen allowour hischild chutzpah So whatand to do rails to at persist. us and acts with tremendous chutzpah? what to do rails in at TheSo best tactic is when to talkour to child ourselves us actsand with tremendous chutzpah? ourand minds remind ourselves that the The best tactic is to talk to ourselves in our minds and remind ourselves that the

“I would be happy to discuss this with you further “I would happytotomediscuss this with you further when youbespeak with derech eretz.” when you speak to me with derech eretz.” responds with a diatribe about how mean and overbearing you are. You launch into responds with a diatribe mean a defensive mode and a about majorhow argument and overbearing youofare.

Youyou launch ensues.

At the end it all, bothinto are aflustered defensive a major andmode upset,and but you haveargument retreated ensues.

At the end and of itshe all,didn’t you both back to the kitchen haveare to flustered upset, but you have retreated clean herand room. backAto the kitchen and she havesoto teacher once came to didn’t my school clean her room. cial work office in a huff. She put down a teacher once my school sotest Apaper from onecame of hertostudents which cial work office in a huff.

She put down had an illustration on the bottom. Therea test paper from of her students which wasone a caricature of what obhad an illustration bottom.

There viously on wasthe meant to be the was a caricature of what obteacher, with a tank pointed viously waswas meant to herself be the at her. She beside teacher, tank pointedI and was with afraida to go home. at her. Sheto was herself explained herbeside that the stuand afraid to hate go home. dent was really didn’t her orI explained herbut thathated the stuwant to killtoher, the dent really didn’t hate or fact that he felt dumb her in her want class.to kill her, but hated the factWhat’s that hethe feltbest dumb in her response class. to chutzpah? If they are doing the best response it toWhat’s get a reaction, our best to chutzpah? are doing response is to ensure thatIfitthey doesn’t work it to get a reaction, our best for them. Realize that the chutzpah is a response to ensure that it doesn’t work tactic, andisthey generally don’t mean the for them. that the is a things theyRealize are saying.

Theychutzpah don’t really tactic, generally don’t mean the believeand thatthey “you are the meanest Momthings theyworld!” are saying.

They don’t my in the or that they hatereally you, believe that “you arethings the meanest Momor whatever hurtful they may say. my in the world!” or that they hate you, When we respond to their nasty – yet rior whatever hurtful things they may into say. diculous – comments, we are feeding When we want. respond to their nasty – yet riwhat they diculous comments, are feeding into When– asked at awe Torah Umesorah what they want.

Convention a few years ago about how When asked at a Rav Torah Umesorah to handle chutzpah, Aharon Leib Convention a few years that ago there aboutishow Steinman shlita replied no to Leib suchhandle thing.chutzpah, He meantRav thatAharon chutzpah is Steinman shlitathat replied thatinthere is no not something happens a vacuum, such He meant chutzpah is but is thing. the child’s way of that expressing some not something that happens in a vacuum, inner pain. That in no way excuses the but is but the child’s expressing child, it helpsway us toofrealize that ifsome our inner That inhenois way excuses the child ispain. chutzpadik not an evil monchild, butwe it helps realize that if our ster. Still must us do to our best to respond child is chutzpadik he is not an evil monster. Still we must do our best to respond

child doesn’t mean what he’s saying. Our best response is to calmly reply, “I would child doesn’t mean what he’s saying.

Our be happy to discuss this with you further best is to “I eretz.” would whenresponse you speak to calmly me withreply, derech be happy thisrecord” with you further Then use to thediscuss “broken technique when you speak to me with derech eretz.” (if you know what a record is). Keep reThen use “broken technique peating thethe phrase evenrecord” as the child esca(if you what a record is). Keep relates herknow invective. peating thethey phrase the not childbiting, escaWhen seeeven youasare lates her invective.

When they see you are not biting,

they will eventually back down.

At a later time, when there is a calm they will eventually moment. it is a goodback idea down. to discuss what At a later time, when there isa chance a calm occurred, to give your daughter moment. it isfeelings a good idea to discuss to share her respectfully.

Atwhat that occurred, to give your daughter a chance point, if the conversation goes well, you to her your feelings respectfully. that canshare remind daughter that theAt Torah point, if the conversation goes well, you obligates her to speak to you with respect. can remind daughter that the then Torah If you say ityour calmly and lovingly, it obligates her to to you with respect. may actually bespeak effective.

If you say it calmly it Depending on and the lovingly, situation then there may actually be effective. may be a need for a consequence for the Depending situation child’s chuzpah, on but the definitely not inthere the may bethe a need for a consequence for the heat of moment. child’s chuzpah, but definitely not in the heat the Staum, moment.

RabbiofDani LMSW, is the Rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead. He is also fifth grade Rabbi Staum, LMSW, is the in Rabbi of KeRebbe Dani and Guidance Counselor ASHAR in hillat New is alsoOhr fifthNaftoli grade Monsey andHempstead.

Principal ofHe Mesivta Rebbe Guidance Counselor in offers ASHAR in of Newand Windsor, NY. Rabbi Staum parMonsey and Principal of Mesivta Ohr Naftoli enting classes based on the acclaimed Love & of NewProgram.

Windsor, He NY.can Rabbi Staum offers parLogic be reached at stamenting classes based.onHis the website acclaimed & torah@gmail.com is Love www.

Logic Program. .He can be reached at stamstamtorah.info torah@gmail.com. His website is www. & Be stamtorah.info.

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I’m at wit’s end with my fourteenyear-old daughter. Her chutzpah is drivat wit’s end like withany mytime fourteening I’m me crazy.

I feel I ask year-old daughter.

Her chutzpah is driv-a her to do anything it ends up being ing meblowup. crazy. I She feel claims like any timeofI her ask major I ask her do anything it ends up parents, being a moretothan any of her friends’ major blowup.

She claims askhas of any her even though I hardly think Ithat more than any of her friends’ parents, truth, and she can also spew some other even though I hardly think that has any mean-spirited, disrespectful comments. truth, and she can this alsoway spew some She doesn’t speak with myother husmean-spirited, disrespectful band. This is not the way we comments. raised her.

She this way with my husHowdoesn’t shouldspeak I react? band. This is not the way we raised her.

HowThe should react? first Ipart of this question entails that we understand why indeed children first part In of athis questionchildren entails are The chutzpadik. nutshell, that we understand why indeed children “use chutzpah” because it works! How are so? chutzpadik. In a nutshell, children “useDuring chutzpah” because itforworks!

How an interview admittance so? into an elementary yeshiva, the menahel During aneight-year-old interview forboy admittance asked a feisty what he into elementary the boy menahel does an when he gets yeshiva, angry. The emasked a feisty eight-year-old boy whatHe he phatically replied: “I use chutzpah!” doesitwhen gets angry.

The boy emsaid as if ithewas a tool in his arsenal. phatically use chutzpah!”

He There replied: are three“I basic reasons why said it as if it was a tool in his arsenal. children are chutzpadik: There are three basic reasons why children are chutzpadik:

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Dealing with Chutzpah Dealing with Chutzpah

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

46

Parenting Today Parenting Today Parenting Today

83 Dr. Suri Weinreb, Psy.D Dr. Suri Weinreb, Psy.D

Competence is the Bedrock of Confidence Competence is the Bedrock of Confidence

TT

here are a lot of buzzwords to- to that familiar role. His teachers rec- help to their struggling studay that grab the attention of ognized this profile. Instead of offering dents. She wondered wistfully here are of buzzwords to that platitudes, familiar role. teachers help to their strugglingtostuparents anda lot educators alike. to-up empty they His presented andrec-what would have happened daysecret that (and grab not the soattention ognizedhim thiswith profile. of learn offeringher dents. wondered wistfully Parents have secret) ofsupported workInstead he could if the She resources wouldn’t parents and educators alike. up empty platitudes, they presented and what would have happened wish lists for their children. Traits such and master. As he accomplished more have been there for her when to have secret (and not so secret)in the supported himincrease with work could learnsheher if the resources wouldn’t as Parents self-confidence, self-esteem, popuclass, his in he self-confineeded them.

She rememwish lists for their children.

Traits at suchdence and was master.

As heproportional accomplished morebered have there herfailwhen larity, and self-assuredness are often directly with thebeen pain of her for early self-esteem, popu-his in the class, his increaseHe in stopped self-confi-uresshe needed She rememthe as topself-confidence, of these wish lists.

Where do we feelings of competence. along withthem. the feelings of and self-assuredness areinstill often atseeing dence was directly proportional the painand of her get larity, these attributes?

How do we himself as the class clown be-withlowbered self-esteem poorearly self-failtheintop of children? these wish lists. hishe feelings of competence. ures along withrecalled the feelings them our WhileWhere some do of wecause no longer needed to. He stoppedconcept.

She also how of theseare attributes?

Howthese do we instill seeing himself the class clown self-esteem and shifted poor selfourget charges blessed with charKeeping our asresponses honest be-her low perception of self them inseemingly our children?

Whileothers some ofandcause he no longer needed alsoshe recalled acteristics, from birth, providing validation are to. the only andconcept. improvedShe when beganhow our charges aretoblessed char-ways to Keeping responses with honestto her perception self shifted struggle mightily attain with them.these How maintainour our credibility experience realofacademic providing validationschool are the and improved when she began canacteristics, we help? seemingly from birth, othersourand children.

Realistically, is aonlysuccess in CAHAL. struggle mightily to attain Howtough ways to for maintain credibility experience realus academic When consulting with them. parents, place a lot of our our kids.

It beatswith toI think many of forget that as ficists” and firmly acknowledge what can we ourdown children.

Realistically, school is aadults success CAHAL. teachers orhelp? principals, I tend to stick to them socially and emotionally. we in have the luxury of being they don’t know. We expect them to When consulting with parents,Struggling tough place for a lot of our beats“specificists,” I think while many school of us forget that asbe “generalists” ficists” and firmly acknowledge what my oft-repeated mantra: “Competence students often get kids. downIton demands and master everything. teachers or principals, I tend to stick to them down socially and emotionally. adults we have the luxury of being they don’t know.

We expect them is the bedrock of confidence.” Chil- themselves and use a lot of negative our children to be “generalists.” I’ll That sets a lot of children up for fail- to oft-repeated mantra: “Competencelanguage Struggling students often down ongive“specificists,” while schoolillustrademandsure,beand “generalists” andtomaster drenmyknow when they have succeeded that exacerbates the get situation. you a brief and personal nobody likes fail; it everything. doesn’t the bedrock confidence.”

Chil-“I’m themselves and use a I’m lot not of negative children I to be a“generalists.” a lot up for andiswhen they haveoffailed.

We, as the dumb… I’m stupid… good tion.ourAlthough have lot of years of I’llfeelThat good.setsThat is of thechildren root of low self-faildrenin know whentry they have succeeded language that exacerbates give you a brief illustraure, and likes toreframe fail; it doesn’t adults their lives, to cushion them at anything…

I have a hole in the my situation. head, schooling under myand beltpersonal including a esteem.

Hownobody we as parents and andthey when theyWe have failed. as theeverything “I’m dumb…

I’m stupid…

I’manot gooddoctorate, tion. Although have starts a lot of years ofhelpfeel That is the root of of lowtheselfwhen fall. might giveWe, extra falls out.”

Kids need safe when myIboiler making ourgood. children is the beginning adults in their lives, try to cushion them at anything… I have a hole in my head,funny schooling under mybegin belt knocking including asolution. esteem. How we as parents reframe and noises and pipes when they fall. We might give extra everything falls out.” Kids need a safeanddoctorate, my plumber. boiler starts making help ourhelp children is the beginning of the banging, Iwhen call the I steer Let us our children recognize funny noises and pipes knockingtheirsolution. clear of the basement pipesbegin and boiler, strengths, and at the same time and banging, themy plumber. us help our children recognize because I know itI call is not domain.I steer I validateLettheir concerns and acknowlclear of the basement pipes and boiler, their strengths, and at the same am not embarrassed by my clueless- edge that we all have weaknesses. Let’stime because I know is notofmy domain. Igivevalidate and acknowlness.

I can assist in itthings a psychothem a their place concerns where they have the am not embarrassed by my cluelessedge thatto weshine. all have Let’s logical nature, but I am hopeless with opportunity Letweaknesses. them discover ness. involving I can assistpipes. in things of a state psycho-the give themofa being place where they have anything I firmly wonder themselves.

To the nature, but to I am hopeless opportunity shine.

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Is this appropriate that math, reading, etc.When Each they sub- at-chologist who is on staff at CAHAL and about,Does something or anything in order all need have strengths andeverything weaknesses,jecttend master Dr.with Suritheir Weinreb, Psy.D, a clinical students and is families.

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The bottom kidstheyilah,area spelling, geography, or even are smart enough to see through our be a specific academic area (kriah, teffeel good when they do well. The only an area that is totally unrelated to school with Cantor Allan Berman bottom is that ilah, spelling, etc.) orart, even waycharade. for this toThe happen is toline place themkids(chessed, kibbud geography, av v’em, sports, feel good when where they do well. an area thatetc.). is totally unrelated to school in an environment they canThe trulyonlymusic, dance, All Baalei Tefiloh, Singers, for thisand to happen is tofruits place of them (chessed, kibbud av v’em, sports, be way successful enjoy the I recently met a former CAHAL stu- art, Teachers, Rebbeim... in an environment where they can truly music, dance, etc.). their own labor. dent who had successfully returned to be thestudent fruits ofa local Iyeshiva recentlyelementary met a former CAHAL Thissuccessful year, thereand wasenjoy a new school classstuTrouble with high notes? Hoarse? theirCAHAL own labor. dent who had successfully in our program who experi- a number of years ago. For areturned critical to there in washisa new studentperiod a local elementary school class enced This a lot year, of failure previous in yeshiva her academic development, Learn to speak, sing , and daven in our CAHAL program who with experi-the ayeshiva numberprovided of yearsher ago. a critical school placements.

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She is a young adult anda his of low joking self-esteem. look back at now her own years that was a lot“role” of theofpainin who haseducation. the maturity, and perThistion student hadmasking played the special Shedepth remarked Call: 410-733-0996 or 410-486-0491 and his feelings of low self-esteem. spective to look back at her own years the class clown for many years. When with dismay that her own yeshiva was Email: arberman18@gmail.com Thisinstudent had played in special education. remarked placed our program, he triedthe to “role” revert ofno longer offering additionalShe academic the class clown for many years. When with dismay that her own yeshiva was placed in our program, he tried to revert no longer offering additional academic

It is imperative that you work with your child to It is imperative that you with child to uncover the area where hework or she canyour shine. uncover the area where he or she can shine.

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Graphics by Leah Mostofsky

Thought

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The Awesome Power of Mishloach Manos had done wrong. She then answered me, “But it says in Reb Elchonon Wasserman’s sefer Ikvasa DiMisheicha, Epoch of the Messiah, that the generation that precedes the coming of the Moshiach will be very chutzpadik. All I am doing is my part to help bring Moshiach!”

We were all dumbfounded by the talmida’s comment. Some staff members had their jaws opened so wide that a baseball could have entered with ease!

There were no words in our collected expertise as to how to respond to this!

That staff meeting is etched in my memory. Having gone through many more years of teaching, having heard the plight of many colleagues and having read countless articles on the subject, I have come to some conclusions!

IT DOESN”T WORK!!!! Take all the

the problem. Even if they did, it is really minor considering all the heartache and missed opportunities of sharing family simchas that result. Rabbi Cohen suggested that if any student who was listening to his speech knew of a situation in his/her family where two relatives were not speaking to each other for an extended period of time and especially if they “dragged” other family members into this “feud,” they should follow his advice. Given that in the hustle and bustle of preparing mishloach manos, it’s hard to keep track of every delivery from one’s home, the student should prepare and bring a beautiful package to the relative that is not being spoken to, in the name of the family

some staff members had theIr jaws opened so wIde that a baseball could have entered wIth ease!

chutzpah of students worldwide, add to it all the ‘adult’ chutzpah and top it all with the world’s chutzpah, and we see that Moshiach is still not here! There is no question that ‘being chutzpadik on purpose’ is no way to bring Moshiach!

So, if being chutzpadik has not made Moshiach come, the question remains: How does one bring Moshiach? What do we have to “fix” or “do” to hasten the Final Redemption? The answer is: you have to follow the Mishloach Manos Approach!

The Mishloach Manos Approach Rabbi Nochum Cohen is a famous rav, mashpia, and expert in chinuch from Eretz Yisroel. The Rav shlita once addressed a school assembly I attended.

The timing was some time before Purim and he shared the following with us: In Eretz Yisroel, Rabbi Nochum Cohen addressed many assemblies and shared with them a unique idea. There are unfortunate situations in some families where one person and their respective family are not on speaking terms with another relative and their respective family. Often if you asked the two relatives why they were not talking to each other, they may not even clearly recall the original incident that sparked

member in the student’s home who is upset with that party. Rav Cohen added the thought that there should be no hesitation whatsoever to do.

Shortly after Purim, a high school girl who had listened to the Rav speak made an appointment to see him. She told Rav Cohen that in her family, her mother and aunt were not on speaking terms with each other for many years.

They forbade their children from speaking to their cousins and many family simchas were not celebrated together.

The talmidah told the Rav that to the best of her knowledge, no one even knew the original reason for the ill will in the family. The girl explained that the two large families lived near each other and it was very uncomfortable for everyone trying to avoid each other.

The girl listened to the Rav’s advice on Purim. She prepared a beautiful mishloach manos and brought it to her aunt’s home claiming that it was from her mother. Well, her aunt was very touched by the gesture. She prepared an even more lavish mishloach manos and had it delivered to her sister whom she had had no word from for so many years. Her mother was sincerely touched by her sister’s gesture and she prepared a more extravagant mishloach

manos and sent it with a special note to her sister. Now as far as the girl’s aunt was concerned, this was the second mishloach manos she received from her sister and she sent an even more ostentatious one this time! Rav Nochum Cohen ended his speech by telling us that this ‘mishloach manos’ kept repeating itself until finally both families who had not spoken to each other for years, sat down together to a beautiful Purim Seudah!

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l taught that we must be mitakain, fix, the reason we were placed in this long exile if we want to be redeemed. Chazal have told us that the Second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of baseless hatred.

We must feel genuine love for all Jews.

Purim is a special Yom Tov with the potential to unify and bring about the Geulah!

Esther asked Mordechai to gather the Jewish people together to pray for salvation. Their prayers were especially effective because they were unified as one. This means that in the Jewish calendar, Purim is a powerful time to foster unity among all members of Klal Yisroel. The mitzvah of mishloach manos is a great opportunity to ‘break the ice’ between relatives and for that matter any people, who are not communicating in a positive way with each other.

As we do our Purim shopping, gathering the items for Mishloach Manos, let us also widen our “whom to give to?” list. Hopefully Hashem will be pleased with our unity just as He was with the Jewish people who gathered together in the days of Mordechai and Esther. May we merit His salvation speedily!

This article was written Lizecher nishmas our maternal grandfather Aryeh Leib ben Yoseph a”h (niftar 7 Adar)and lizecher nishmas our maternal aunt Tzipora Baila bas Aryeh Leib a”h (niftatra 9 Adar)

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veryone would like to see Moshiach come. Young children hope their mitzvah notes will help.

Many children are taught that each mitzvah they do is like a brick to be added to the Third Bais Hamikdosh.

In elementary school, we all sang Ani Maamin in sweet unison at each and every assembly. Often, I would close my eyes and truly feel that if we sang it with all our hearts, I could then open my eyes and see him. At camp a very popular tune had the lyrics, “We want Moshiach now, we want Moshiach now, we don’t want to wait!”

At Color War, the judges sometimes gave extra points for the team that sang that song the best.

Often the teams would make a presentation about our longing for Moshiach, in addition to their theme.

There were many Melave Malkas, campfires and other musical occasions where we would hold hands, resonating softly and with pure souls, singing of our longings for Moshiach. Every school Shabbaton will devote the time between Seudah Shlishis and havdala to soft sincere nigunim like “Kol Berama Nishma” and “The Little Bird is Calling” to express our yearning for Ben Dovid. In addition to our tefilos, saying Tehillim and speeches that always end on that note, Klal Yisroel shows her yearning to be reunited with Hashem yisborach in Yerushalayim in many additional ways Alas, he is still not here. However “siz nenter vee vyter,” “it is sooner (to happen) than later.” In entering the world of chinuch, we adults get the opportunity to unite with the youth in their sincere uplifting desire to see Moshiach now.

Unfortunately, there are those who have unusual approaches to bringing about this great event. Let me share the following true story with you.

We were sitting at a staff meeting and one experienced teacher despondently declared: “Chutzpah has reached an all time high!” Everyone reacted sympathetically and perhaps also out of curiosity, by asking the famous question: “What happened now?”

The teacher began, “A girl was acting very chutzpadik in class. Not wanting to embarrass her, I waited until the end of the period and found an inconspicuous place to speak with her. Gently, I explained step by step, what she

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Rebbetzin Breindy Reiss

T h e J e w i s h h o m e n F e b r u a ry 2 1 , 2013

Jewish

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Kosherology

C&R Kitchen, Philadelphia, PA

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C

&R Kitchen is traditional, redefined and easily one of the best restaurants at which I have ever dined. Opened in 2012 as Citron & Rose and recently re-branded as C&R Kitchen, this hip kosher spot in the heart of the Philadelphia Jewish community is a real kosher gem. Owner and community philanthropist David Magerman opened C&R three years ago to introduce a new level of fine kosher dining to the Philadelphia community, but the restaurant has proven its popularity by drawing diners from New York, New Jersey, and other nearby surrounding areas.

The newly re-branded C&R Kitchen is under the leadership of executive-chef Val Bay, who joined the C&R team in September and has created a menu that is traditional, but with a spin.... Offered as a seasonal menu, the fare at C&R is a palatable sensation of fine cuisine, while retaining a sense of also being nostalgic comfort food. Not in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought of serving a fresh, hot soft pretzel painted with shmaltz and served with a honey-shmaltz butter and a Guinness mustard as an awesome appetizer...a truly an outstanding way to begin an ultimate culinary experience.

Accompanying my soft pretzel, I highly enjoyed the truffle fries, which were delicate, crisp, and perfectly seasoned. My starters were followed by a succulent, juicy souvis lamb shoulder roast seasoned with sweet Moroccan spices over a bed of couscous and accented with a mint pesto. Also on the menu (and a very popular item) is the dry-aged rib eye steak, which is aged for five weeks and rubbed with bourbon for the last two weeks to impart a subtle distinguished flavor. A fun and flavorful menu of weekly and nightly specials, including house-made sausages, lamb bacon, prime rib, lamb, as well as a trendy bar menu add to the excitement that is C&R. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, calm and cool with music of the ‘50s-‘60s ( Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Elvis, and the Isley Brothers, among others) serenading your senses and jogging a nostalgic walk down memory lane. The staff is pleasantly attentive to the guests and knowledgeable with regards to the menu, lending to an ultimate dining experience that you can be sure will be anything but boring.

For more information on C&R Kitchen, visit their website at citronandrose.com. C&R Kitchen is under the kosher supervision of the Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia.

Alex Idov, the Kosherologist, is a food blogger who runs the blog “Kosherology” and is a contributing food columnist for numerous Jewish publications across the U.S. He is currently attending Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, Georgia, for his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality. Visit his website at www.thekosherologist.com.

Alex Idov

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In The Kitchen

In the Kitchen

Naomi Nachman

Naomi Nachman

A New Spin on Hamantashen Soup-er Soups Pastrami Hamantashen

I

to warm your family on cool fall nights

don’t have a very sweet tooth so I am

not a big baker. Some of our holidays,

Ingredients 1 tablespoon oil 1 medium onion, diced There Iisdecided nothing to likecome the magic of6 hot soup topastrami warm your soul your belly. I have always loved soup. oz. chopped (or deli of and your fill choice) foods, like hamantashen.

These easy-to-make, hearty soups will keep you warm and satisfied any night of the year.

1 tablespoon mayo up with a savory way to to usemake this iconic 1 tablespoon ketchup I try a lot ofcookie different soups on one day so I have ready to go meals in the freezer on those chilly days.

1 tablespoon My kids love having a bowl of souphoney waiting for them when they come home from school. as a side dish as part of my dinner, rather than 1 squirt sriracha sauce ½ tablespoon soy sauce serving it for dessert. I thought of a number 20 round wonton wrappers 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons of ideas and finally came up with a couple of edges (this will help seal the hamantashen). Fold water into hamantashen shape. new twists that I hope you will find as appealand cutoninto ½ inch dicesheet and Place peeled hamantashen a lined baking DirectionsThis soup is great for a Thanksgiving 2 carrots, 1 TBS lemon juice dinner and is perfect for fall with all the spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray. Bake Preheat oven to 400°F. ing as I do. bunch baby spinach seasonal Heat oil in a root sautévegetables. pan over medium heat. Add 1for 8 to 10 minutes. cayenne pepper Alternatively, you can fry the hamantashen (of onion and sauté until extra soft and golden, about Pinch The first one is an adaption of a recipe Ingredients 10 minutes.

Add pastrami and sauté for 1 to 2 addi- course, it’s much tastier this way and that’s the ver1 cup redStir lentils, sorted andketchup, rinsed honey, Preparation sion I prefer). Heat 1 inch of oil in a sauté pan over tional minutes. in mayonnaise, first developed by my friend, Leah Schapira Add lentils, water and to a 4 cups water medium-high heat.

When hot,bay addleaf hamantashen and sriracha, and soy sauce. medium saucepan.

Cover and boil on a Bay leaf fry until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes per Place 1 teaspoon filling in the middle of each of www.cookkosher.com, for what I coined SaltBrush cornstarch mixture around the simmer side. for 20 minutes until lentils are wrapper. tender. Add 1 tablespoon salt and remove 2 TBS olive oil “Pastrami Hamantashen” that incorporates bay leaf; puree lentils in a blender.

2 onions, diced Add onions to a skillet and sauté until 4 cloves garlic, minced Abeles and Heymanns deli. onions are soft. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, 2-inch piece ginger, minced My next idea came as an inspiration, as curry, and coriander and sauté for a few 2 tsp cumin more minutes. Add butternut squash, pars1 tsp curry Shushan Purim falls out on a Friday this year. nip, carrots, zucchini, salt, and 1 ½ cups 2 tsp dried coriander water simmer for 10 minutes until veg2 cups butternut squash, cut into ½ inch I thought it would be appropriate to have Ingredients etables are soft. dice 1 loaf frozen geflite fishpeeled and cut into ½ Stir lemon juice and spinach into pu1 cup zucchini, some carry-over into Shabbat. You can also 1 large carrot, peeled and whole reed lentils, then add the vegetables and inch dice ½ cup sugar stir to combine. The heat will wilt the 1 medium parsnip, use it for the Purim seudah too. I call it “Ge2 stalks celery, spinach. Add pepper and salt if necessary. peeledchunked and cut into ½ inch dice Onion, halved filte Fish Hamantashen”.

Water to fill pot enough to cover loaf

PHOTO BY LEAH SCHAPIRA

such as Purim, involve baking dessert

Red Lentil Vegetable Soup

Geflite Fish Hamentashen

-PHOTO BY ELIANA NACHMAN

THE JEWISH HOME  FEBRUARY 12, 2015

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Directions In a large pot place the gelite fish loaf with all the ingredients and boil for 1 ½ hours.

Drain and cool the fish and set aside. Save the carrot and dispose of the other vegetables. Once the fish and carrot have cooled, place on a chopping angles. The triangular carrot should lay in the center boardweekly and slice the fish into inch rings, and the andofindividuals the triangular of fish, imitating a hamenNaomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters and Shabbat/ Yom 1 Tov meals for families withinpiece The Five Towns and neighcarrot intois¼ainch rings. Then cuttoeach ring into tashen filling. boring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering.

Naomi contributing editor this paper andtrialso 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 blog.

Naomi caters can beweekly reached herYom website,www.theaussiegourmet.com or atwithin (516) The 295-9669.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of Naomi’s The Aussie Gourmet, andthrough Shabbat/ Tov meals for families and individuals 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.

Kitchen

The Disorganized Kitchen

Realistic Hamantashen PREPARATION TIME: 1 day YIELD: approx. 40 cookies SERVES: 1 person DOUGH 3 eggs, bought from store 1 cup sugar ½ cup oil (or a cup in which ½ of it doesn’t have oil) Juice from 1 naval orange (or any military-grade orange). (Alternatively, you can use a ½ cup orange juice. Drink the other half; we don’t care.)

Juice from one lemon (even a civilian lemon) or 1-3 tbsp. of lemon juice 5 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt (We don’t know why either.)

JELLY Jelly of some sort (strawberry jelly, prune jelly, petroleum jelly, etc.)

There is also a version of this recipe that has you making the jelly out of fruit, sugar, and boiling water. But who are we kidding?

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a noisy kitchen, preheat oven to 375o.

2. Fahrenheit.

3. Wonder what that smell is.

4. Suddenly remember that you left some Tupperware in the oven after the meal on Shabbos so the guests wouldn’t see it.

5. Turn off the oven and scrape out the melted plastic.

6. Mix the first three ingredients, then the fifth, and then the fourth.

7. Tell your children that it’s not time to lick the bowl yet.

8. Spend twenty minutes rummaging through the drawers, looking for the spatula.

9. In a separate bowl that somehow still fits your stand mixer, mix the sixth and eighth ingredients, and then fold it into the first bowl.

10. Using a third bowl that you borrowed from a neighbor, mix the seventh ingredient with itself and fold that in as well. Or just say, “Forget it,” and dump everything into one bowl in the first place. Ingredients are ingredients, we believe.

11. Weaving around the multiple stepstools that your kids set up to watch you, put the mixture in the fridge and allow to chill at 38o.

12. Tell your children that it’s not time to lick the bowl yet.

13. Whenever you remember (allow 6-8 days), take mixture out of the fridge and say, “How long has this been here? Oh, that’s right.”

14. With floured hands, on a floured surface, while standing on a floured floor, and just generally surrounded by mounds and mounds of flour, roll out mixture into small amounts ¼ inch thick.

15. Using a relatively clean drinking glass or a garbage can lid, cut dough into neat circles.

16. Apply jelly to the center of each circle with a spoon or a turkey baster. You can be as cheap as you like with the jelly, but people will know.

17. Pinch the edges of the dough into triangles, bearing in mind that most of them will pop open.

18. Using an oven mitt or a yarmulke, place cookies in the oven.

19. On a cookie sheet, genius!

20. Cookies are ready when the smoke alarm goes off. (At least 20-25 minutes, assuming you remembered to turn the oven back on.)

(EDITOR’S NOTE: If you make it past the jokes, this is actually a very good recipe. And I haven’t gotten sick. Yet.)

Purim Gragger for Your Toddler Devorah Gerber Schmeltz

P

urim is one of my favorite holidays—a day bursting with positive energy and good fun. We tap into our senses in quite a way on Purim: hearing, touching, tasting, moving etc. With this inspiration, I’d like to share with you a crafty and fun project, especially for toddlers.

Supplies: Empty water bottle with label removed or any container that can be closed Dry rice Colorful Stickers Funnel Have your child decorate the bottle with stickers (think fine motor skills).

Place a few teaspoons of dry rice into the bottle, a funnel will make it less messy. Tightly close the bottle (you may also secure the cap with some duct tape). Bravo! You now have a fun rice

shaker. Your toddler will have lots of fun shaking it. Rice shakers produce a calming, almost oceanlike noise when you turn it slowly and allow the rice move around.

Don’t forget, Pesach is around the corner, and this gragger contains kitnayos!

Happy Purim!

-Devorah Devorah (Gerber) Schmeltz, MS OTR/L is a 2003 alumnus of Downstate Medical Center’s OT Program. She is a senior occupational therapist at United Cerebral Palsy’s Brooklyn Children’s Program. Devorah maintains a private practice, Bumble & Tumble Occupational Therapy P.C., in Far Rockaway, NY providing pediatric occupational and physical therapy. Department of Education vouchers/RSAs are gladly accepted. Your questions and comments are welcome. She can be reached at BumbleTumble Therapy@gmail.com or 917-971-5327.

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Magazine recipes are all the same. You have a gorgeous picture of how the food is supposed to look but never actually does when you’re finished making it, and they post a cooking time that is totally not realistic, especially since, about 20 minutes into putting the recipe together, you’re going to realize you don’t have eggs. Recipes are designed for a perfect world where nothing burns and everything looks like the pictures, and the writer “made it for the family, and they absolutely loved it, and didn’t get sick a few hours later.”

This recipe, on the other hand, is set in the real world. I can explain further, but let’s be honest: none of you are reading this far. Who reads the introduction to a recipe? The only people who have that kind of time are people who have no intention of making the recipe at all – the kind of people who read recipes like they do science fiction: They get to the end and they go, “Well, THAT’S not going to happen.”

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Mordechai Schmutter

T h e J e w i s h h o m e n F e b r u a ry 2 1 , 2013

In The

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A Parsha Thought Terumah – Building an Eternal Temple Rabbi Shmuel Silber

of the desert. In fact God explains to Moshe: “According to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do (Exodus 25:9).” Rashi comments: “And so shall you do - for future generations as well.”

“You shall make for me a Temple and I will dwell within you (Exodus 25:8).”

With these simple words, God creates a new paradigm for religious worship. There would be a central address, with physical dimensions to create avenues of spiritual connection.

And it was not just for the generation

It would appear that Rashi is teaching us that the details and dimensions of the Mishkan and its utensils would be the same for all generations. The same plans and measurements for the Mishkan would ultimately be used for the Beis HaMikdash (Temple). However, we know this was not the case.

When King Solomon built the Temple the dimensions were dramatically different. If so, what message is Rashi seeking to convey?

The great Chassidic master, Rav

Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (17401809) explains that the Mishkan was more than a gathering place for communal worship, it served as the physical embodiment of the most important theological and religious messages.

Inside the confines of the Mishkan, the Jew was taught the true meaning of life and the path to establishing a meaningful relationship with the Divine.

Each utensil embodied a different life message. The Menorah represented the need to infuse one’s life with the light of Torah. The lessons of the Torah help us to navigate the complexities of existence and illuminate the life darkness which often enshrouds us. The Shulchan (Table) represented the material world and signified the need to sanctify and uplift the material. We need not eschew the material pleasures of life – but we must be vigilant to never loose ourselves in them.

We must look at material wealth and possessions as vehicles to come closer to God and to better serve our fellow man. The Lechem HaPanim (Show Bread) stayed fresh for an entire week after being placed on the Shulchan.

This miracle taught us that we must learn to ever appreciate God’s presence in our daily material lives. We must never take anything for granted; every breath and every dollar is a direct blessing from God. Our God awareness must remain “fresh” as we journey through life. The Mizbeyach (outer altar used for animal sacrifice) teaches us that we must be willing to share our material blessings with God and others. We do not toil for ourselves; we work and share the fruits of our success with others and in doing so allow God to share in our material success as well. The Mizbeyach HaKitores (inner Incense Altar) represents selfless giving. The incense was totally consumed on the altar (unlike animal sacrifice which often had portions for the owners and priests). Too often, we only do things for which there is reward, payoff, or some expected reciprocity. In life we must learn that if there is a beautiful opportunity to connect with God or to help another

– we should seize it, simply because we can. It is only after you passed and assimilated the messages of these utensils were you able to reach the Aron (Ark of the Covenant). The Ark represented the potential for a loving, passionate and intense relationship with God. On the lid of the Ark were two Keruvim (Cherubs) which according to some were in the image of a man and woman. They were locked in a loving embrace with their wings spread upward and toward one another. This embrace represents the love between God and his people. This love is what we strive for. This love is what we pine for. We yearn each and every day to feel this passionate love and protective embrace. But you can only reach the Aron, if you first pass the Mizbeyach, Shulchan, Mizbeyach HaZahav and the Menorah. You can only feel the love, if you are willing to do the work.

This is the meaning of Rashi, “And so shall you do - for future generations as well.” Rashi is not referring to the physical dimensions of the Mishkan and its utensils. Rather, Rashi is explaining the dynamic of forging a meaningful relationship with God. All future generations must know that if I want the Aron, if I want a passionate connection, I must be ready to assimilate the messages of the Mishkan. The dimensions may change but the messages remain constant.

A meaningful and committed relationship with God takes work. It requires me to impact the world and uplift myself. It calls upon me to do better and be better.

V’Asu Li Mikdash V’Shachanti B’Sochum, Make for Me a Temple and I will dwell within you. Although, we currently lack the physical structures of a Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash, let us carry their eternal messages in the Temple of our heart, in the Mishkan of our soul.v

Rabbi Chaim A. Morgenstern Rabbi Chaim A. Morgenstern

Children Children in in Shul Shul Part Part Two Two

should also be trained to daven at home, should alsowill be trained to daven at home, since she probably be doing most since will probably bemarriage. doing most of her she davening there after of her davening there after marriage.

Choosing the Proper Shul Choosing the Proper Shulit is of Rav Wolbe writes (ibid) that Ravimportance Wolbe writes (ibid) that it isthat of utmost to find a minyan utmost importance find a minyan that is suitable for your to child. is suitable child. conditions: He listsfor theyour following He lists the following conditions: 1. The minyan should be 1. The minyan should and be characterized by an orderly characterized by an orderly and

organized tefillah. organized tefillah.

2. There should be no talking during 2.

There be no talking during davening or should kriyas haTorah. davening kriyas haTorah.

3. Theorminyan should reflect the The of minyan should reflect true3.value davening for the childthe to true value of davening for the child to absorb. absorb.

4. The davening shouldn’t be too davening shouldn’t be too fast4.orThe too slow. fast or too slow.

When a Child Refuses to go to Shul When a Child Refuses to go to Shul There are many reasons why some There are many reasons why young children refuse to go to shul,some and young children to go to shul, and parents should refuse use motivation rather parents should motivation rather than force to tryuse to solve the problem. than force to trythe toform solveofthe problem.

This might take a class projThis might take the form of a class project initiated by the rebbe and include ect initiated by thenote rebbe andShabbos, include returning a signed after returning signed note after or simplyaearning a treat forShabbos, suitable or simplyand earning a treat for Howevsuitable davening behavior in shul. davening and behavior in shul.

However, motivation might not always work, er, motivation not always work, especially if hismight resistance is caused by: especially if his resistance is caused by: a. The minyan or davening not being a. The or davening suitable forminyan him (see above); not being suitable him (see b. Hisforbeing an above); active child who b.

His being an active who is bored when sitting idle, child especially is bored when sitting idle, especially during kriyas haTorah; during kriyas haTorah; c. Wild children c. Wild children present during davening; present during davening; d. Exhaustion from from the d. Exhaustion week’s learning, the week’sand learning, homework helping homework in the houseand and helping simply in the house and simply needing a break needing a break the one However, However, theshould one thing that parents thing should not dothatis parents use force.

A not is use force. to A childdowho is forced child who is forced to go to shul can develop go to shul can develop an aversion to davening an aversion to davening because he associates it because he associates it with unpleasant experiwith unpleasant experiences and may decide to stop going to ences and may one decide shul altogether day.to stop going to shulAt altogether onechild day. is simply not times, the Attotimes, the child simply not ready go to shul, and I is advise parents ready to go to shul, and I advise parents to wait as the child will probably outto waitthis as stage. the child will should probably outgrow Parents realize grow thisage stage.

Parents should realize that the of chinuch only starts at that age years of chinuch startsstill at six orthe seven of age,only and they six or seven years of age, and they still have many years until bar mitzvah to have manychild years bar Additionalmitzvah to train their in until mitzvos. train childgets in mitzvos. ly, as their the child older, hisAdditionalrebbi will ly, as the child gets older, his rebbi will

encourage him or make a class project encourage or make a class project to daven inhim a minyan. to daven in a minyan.

Davening in shul should be a pleasin and shul parents should be a pleasant Davening experience, should do ant and parents should do theirexperience, utmost to ensure that it is. theirAsutmost to ensure it is. a child final note aboutthat bringing As final note about bringing child to daven in shul: Parents shoulda try to to daven in the shul:difficulty Parents should try to understand in a young understand the difficulty a young child’s inability to sit stillinorderly in child’s inabilitytheto natural sit stillrestlessness orderly in shul. Besides shul.

Besidesexhibit the natural restlessness that children when they are idle, that children exhibit when they idle, this child is also saying words are without this child is also saying words Imagine without understanding their meaning. understanding their meaning. Imagine

reading hundreds of words in French; reading words French; how longhundreds do you of think you in could last how long do you think you could last doing that? doing that?

Nevertheless, once a child is able Nevertheless, child is able to act properly inonce shul,a he should be to act properly shul, he should be brought there toin be inspired by the brought there to be inspired by the davening, as the Steipler Rav advised davening,“Purchase as the Steipler Rav advised parents: a seat for your child parents: “Purchase a seat for your child for the Yamim Noraim because hearing for the Yamim because hearing tekiyas shofar Noraim and seeing people weep tekiyas shofar andwill seeing during davening givepeople him weep yiras during davening will give him yiras Shamayim for a lifetime” (Ashkavtei Shamayimvol. for2, ap.161). lifetime” (Ashkavtei D’Rebbi, D’Rebbi, vol. 2, p.161).

Main point to work and focus on with infants and toddlers for the Main point to work and focus on with infants and toddlers for the coming week: coming week: > The parent should make sure that his children are seated next to him > The parent should make sure that his children are seated next to him during the davening. during the davening. > Parents should daven in a minyan that is suitable for their children. > Parents in a aminyan thatgoistosuitable for their > Parents should shoulddaven not force child to shul, and if he children. refuses, they > Parents shouldthenot force aaschild to go to shul, and if he refuses, they should try to source problem mentioned above. should try to source the problem as mentioned above.

Rabbi Morgenstern does family counseling and lectures extensively in Israel and abroad on Rabbi doeshabanim, family counseling and lectures extensively in Israel on shalomMorgenstern bayis, chinuch family communication, shidduchim, datingand andabroad personal shalom bayis, chinuch habanim, family communication, shidduchim, dating and personal growth, and has produced a popular CD series on these topics. His articles on these topics growth, andhashkafa has produced popular CD series on these topics.newspapers His articlesand on these topics and Jewish have aappeared internationally in Jewish magazines. and Jewishinformation hashkafa have in Rabbi JewishMorgenstern newspapers in and magazines.

For more or toappeared schedule ainternationally lecture, contact Israel at 952For more information or to schedule a lecture, contact Rabbi Morgenstern Israel Parsha at 952236-4197 or at rabbi@toras-chaim.org.

You can also request to receive hisinweekly 236-4197 at rabbi@toras-chaim.org.

You can alsoyour request to in receive his weekly Parsha Pearls andorchinuch articles by e-mail. Please include name the request.

Pearls and chinuch articlestoby Please your in the request.

Articles are dedicated thee-mail. memory of hisinclude parents, Rebname Yerachmiel Yisroel Nesanel z”l Articles are dedicated to the memory of his parents, Reb Yerachmiel Yisroel Nesanel z”l and Leah Gittel a”h. T.N.T.B.H and Leah Gittel a”h. T.N.T.B.H

Ž Á ! http://nerisrael.co.nf

To all alumni, current students, and friends of NIRC — Ner Israel Archive offers works by / about the leaders of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College (larwy rn tbywy): Rabbis Y. Ruderman l"qvxz, N. Neuberger l"qvxz, Y. Weinberg l"qvxz, Y. Kulefsky l"qvxz, and A. Feldman a"jylw. Some materials are rare or hard to find. Everyone who has something to share is invited to participate: http://nerisrael.co.nf.

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Proper Supervision Supervision WhenProper a child is ready to attend davWhen a child is to attend ening in shul, it is ready essential that hedavbe ening shul, essential he be seated innext to ithisis father for that the entire seated next hisreasons: father for the entire davening fortotwo davening for twothat reasons: 1. To ensure he does not wander 1. To thatthat he does not wander about, doensure anything is disrespectful about, do anything is disrespectful to the kedushas baisthat haknesses (such as to thegames) kedushas bais haknesses as play or disturb others. It(such is also play games) or disturb others.

It is also a lack of responsibility for fathers to aallow lack their of responsibility for fathers to children to wander around allow their children to wander around the area in front of the aron hakodesh the area in(Rav frontShlomo of the aron hakodesh or bimah Wolbe, Zeriya or bimah B’chinuch (Rav Shlomo Wolbe, Zeriya U’Vinyan p. 44).

U’Vinyan B’chinuch 44). and daven 2. To learn how top.behave 2.

To learn how to behave daven properly by observing hisandfather’s properly davening by and observing conduct inhisshulfather’s (Rav davening and conductMesilos in shulChaim (Rav Chaim Friedlander, Chaim Friedlander, Mesilos Chaim B’Chinuch, p. 74).

B’Chinuch, 74). remarked that young Rav Pamp.once Rav Pam once that young girls should also notremarked go to shul unsupergirls also not go If to the shulmother unsupervisedshould by their parents. is vised parents. her If the mother in is unablebytotheir accompany daughter unable to accompany her daughter in the ezras nashim and she is too old to the ezras she is too to sit with hernashim father, and she should stayold home sit her father, she should stay home andwith daven.

Additionally, a young girl and daven. Additionally, a young girl

53

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Chinuch Workshops: Practical Torah Guidelines Chinuch Workshops: Practical Torah Guidelines and Strategies for Achieving Successful Chinuch and Strategies for Achieving Successful Chinuch

THE THE JEWISH JEWISH HOME HOMEFEBRUARY FEBRUARY 12,12, 2015 2015

Parenting Parenting Today Parenting Today Today

117 117

54 106

From My Private Collection From MyArt Private Art Collection

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Expression of Life

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1887-1986

Sky Above Clouds IV

Yellow Hickory Leaves

with Daisy

Peach and Glass Cottonwood III

A

rt is a wonderful venue to use to express oneself and give a message in visual form which is easy to understand. Georgia O’Keeffe would enlarge objects taken from nature and explore their colors, textures and shapes in her paintings. She would find unique ways of expressing herself through these unusual pieces of art. An example of this technique is her oil on canvas titled “Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy” which was created in 1928. This enlarged piece of art speaks volumes. What does it tell us about the artist? As stated by Geogia O’Keeffe herself, “I found that I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say in any other way—things that I had no words for.”

Georgia O’Keeffe grew up in the Midwest on her family’s farm in Wisconsin. To pass the time in the evening, she would play with her dollhouse while sitting by the cozy fire. Life was quiet and uncomplicated as her mother would read story after story about the Wild West.

From the age of twelve, she spent many hours studying painting, as the schoolhouse only taught reading, writing and arithmetic. Most of the young women of the times would be taught, what was considered quite ladylike at the time, to draw and paint.

Georgia’s art depicted her American vision. She was quite protective of her art and did not like when anyone would voice their opinion about her work. She had never looked at other artists’ artwork at this point.

She did, however, develop a passion for art which remained constant her entire life after seeing a piece of work in one of her mother’s books which inspired her.

In 1905, she arrived in Chicago as a well-developed artist with unique ideas of her own. She began formal studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League. She eventually landed a job teaching art in Texas. She also went on to study art at the Fine Arts Department at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University in New York.

When she was in her seventies, Georgia took her

first trip on an airplane and then painted what she saw, how she viewed it. It became another of her famous paintings which she titled, “Sky Above Clouds IV.” She enjoyed working with few colors and depicting specific objects. They were usually drawn from nature and done in simple shapes, painted to the edge of her canvas.

O’Keeffe’s paintings are recognizable even without a signature. Many of her works were photographed by her husband who was a photographer and enjoyed promoting her work. Georgia O’Keeffe lived a full life of almost 100 years.

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg is a professional art educator, artist and designer. Among her known artwork is a floral sculpture presented to Tipper Gore, Blair House, Washington, D.C. Presently she is the Director of Operations at Shulamith School for Girls. Please feel free to email nherzberg@optonline.net with questions and suggestions for future columns.

55

Travel

By Eli Schreiber Partner and Director of marketing for Peyd

do you manufacture shoes and sell them to retail shoe vendors (in our example the credit card companies) and

they cans be used, including limiting how many seats can be purchased with miles, leaving themselves blackout

individuals (in our example frequent flyers) but as part of your terms and conditions when selling your shoes, you leave yourself the ability to determine what the shoes could be used for, and when they could be used. And that if later down the road you decide you hadn’t made enough money when you sold the shoes originally, you can change the price of the shoes so that it affects people retroactively, (in our case, changing how many miles are required for a certain tickets, after people have already accrued those miles).

If this isn’t a sweet business model, we don’t know what is.

In fact, a study by IdeaWorks, a company that analyzes the airline industry, estimates that more than %55 of airlines revenues results from the sale of frequent flyer miles. So the airlines make the bulk of their money just from selling the miles and make even more money by restricting how

dates for using miles, and charging fees for mileage tickets. Additionally, what this means for the consumer is that since it’s in the best interest to control and limit the value value frequent flyer holders receive when they redeem their airline miles, the redemption process the airlines make you go through to redeem miles for travel is quite difficult for the average consumer, thereby eliminating a large percentage of people who would otherwise use their miles for flights.

Let’s take some examples, including one that hits close to home.

ELAL Airlines had two great partnerships that the Jewish consumers enjoyed. One was their partnership with the HAS Advantage credit card, so that cardholders could earn points for tickets on ELAL. Additionally, customers who wished to fly ELAL could do so using AA miles. In October of last year, the partnership with

AA ended suddenly. And due to a dispute with HAS, for a certain time period, customers who earned HAS points for the sole purpose of transferring them into flights on ELAL were left unable to do so. That dispute has since been resolved, but just last week, ELAL increased the number of miles and points needed for tickets, in some cases requiring %30 more points to book tickets from NY and Toronto to Tel Aviv (besides for the $350 in fuel charges they charge as well).

Another example is British Airways (BA) partnership with other airlines, which offered consumers the option travel in the domestic US using BA miles, and which required far less miles than other airlines. And BA offered a credit card with a bonus promotion of 50,000 miles which many people were happy to take advantage of.

But on January 28th, 2015, BA made drastic changes to the new British Airways program, increasing mileage ticket prices by as much as 150% on flights from New York to Los Angeles and London, with tickets from Miami and Berlin increasing significantly as well.

And if you think all of the above is unfair and unethical and perhaps illegal, a FL congressman agrees with you, and has placed the airlines habit of devaluing miles under investigation.

This leads us to our final point, eloquently summarized by one savvy travel blogger. Whichever kind of card you have, “redeem early and redeem often…at least once a year.” “Minimize the amount of miles you have sitting around.”

Because holding on to your airline miles and credit card points are a bad idea and bad investment!

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

In our last newsletter we highlighted 5 Things NOT TO DO with your Credit Card Miles & Points and included the aspect of not holding on to your credit card miles for too long.

Before we explain why you shouldn’t do this, it’s important to understand the relationship between airline miles and credit card points. Equally important is understanding that the rewards industry is becoming increasingly more competitive, bringing with it new opportunities to make money and travel the world (whatever your preference for earning miles and points) but also bringing with it new challenges as well.

We will first explain the relationship between the credit card points like American Express, and Airline Miles like American Airlines Advantage Miles, and the association between the two.

The airlines offer frequent flyers the opportunity to earn miles based on the number of miles flown or the price of the airline ticket. They also sell these miles to partners like credit card companies, e-commerce sites, florists and rental car companies amongst others. Credit card companies in turn, buy these miles from the airlines so that they can incentivize the public to use their specific credit card. And as we know, credit card companies make money by charging vendors a percentage of every sale. Why this is relevant is understanding that the airlines who sell miles are also the ones who control how the public uses their miles (and in turn how many credit card points are needed for tickets), which makes the rewards industry a very profitable enterprise for them.

Imagine if you were in the manufacturing business and your product was manufacturing shoes, and not only

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Why holding on to your Airline Miles and Credit Card Points are a Bad Idea and Bad Investment!

B”H

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