Baltimore Jewish Home 3-12-15

Around the Community

And the show must go on… Shoresh’s A Night of Comedy was a huge success

BaltimoreJewishHome THE

‫ ו׳ ניסן‬- ‫כא׳ אדר‬

mar. 12

-

mar. 26

. vol 2, #5

PAGE 16

Purim Pictures from around the Community PAGE 14

Chinuch Together: Torah Institute of Baltimore’s 62 Anniversary Banquet PAGE 10

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 12, 2015

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 12, 2015

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CONTENTS

COMMUNITY

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

Purim Pictures from around the Community. . . . 14

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Bonding in Close Quarters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Teaching Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Rhyme Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

COVER STORY Going Nuclear - Netanyahu Attacks Obama’s Naiveté when it Comes to Iran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Double the Fun! TJH Interviews the Twins from France. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

LIFESTYLES Forgotten Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Dealing with a Loose Stomach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 6 Steps to Clean a Refrigerator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Life Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 To Juice or Not to Juice?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

NEWS Global News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 National News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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

Dear Readers, I have finally put away all the candy and the nosh that was littering my kitchen counters. This year, Purim was a whirlwind of fun with delicious mishloach manos, crazy costumes and a ton of snow. I love seeing how people are dressed up and the wonderful, creative ways they think of how to celebrate this holiday. It comes around just once a year but the memories from that one day last us at least through Pesach.

What better way to memorialize a fun time than with a picture? When I was younger I was “snap happy”. I would love taking those pictures and putting them into albums and looking through those memories from time to time. Nowadays, I still love taking pictures, but I have to admit I am a little lazier about printing them and organizing them.

This year, we have printed and organized your purim

photos for you, with a special thanks to Jeff Cohn from Baltimorejewishlife.com for arranging them. No need to head to Snapfish or Shutterfly. No need to buy albums and start organizing the pictures by date. The pictures truly capture the Simcha of the day, and we hope you enjoy seeing yourselves and your neighbors on our pages.

Warning: not everyone is who they see. Some people wore such authentic costumes that I doubt their mothers would be able to recognize them!

The big news we are finally ready to announce is: From now on B’ezras Hashem, Baltimore Jewish Home will be delivered right to your mail box if you’re listed in the Eruv list!

As always, we love hearing from our readers, I look forward to hearing from you.

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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From Personal Experience: Chatzos Partners Testify

SHIDUCH CRISIS? THERE IS A SOLUTION!

Hours Consecutively Every Single Night

BROOKLYN THE OLD SHUL

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MERON RASHBI TOMB ‫חדר יעקב אבינו‬

Immersed in Torah and Tefilah The Elite Talmidei Chachamim of Kollel Chatzos

All Around the World From Midnight through Shacharis at Sunrise

calling to share the wonderful news of the two fresh shiduchim with her partners at Kollel Chatzos. Her daughter was now engaged to a boy from literally around the corner.

Clearly all that had been missing was the consent from Above, and she was certain that it was the merit of Kollel Chatzos’ involvement that had tipped the balance.

With tears of happiness choking her voice she told us, “You can let Klal Yisroel know in my name—there is a solution to the shiduch crisis!”

Two weeks later our phone rang again. Mazal Tov!!! The woman was

Call now so we can begin to learn and daven for you tonight!

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Phone: 1.855.CHATZOS Office: 718.887.9114 Fax: 718.506.1051 Web: www.1855chatzos.org

MARCH 12, 2015

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A tone of restrained joy in her voice, a woman recently called us to give a donation and ask Kollel Chatzos to daven for her sister’s daughter—a 3 2- y e a r- o l d who still had not found her bashert.

The aunt admitted that the chief inspiration for her donation that day was her own older daughter who was finally seeing things moving after a donation to Kollel Chatzos the previous week. Now they were hoping that the prayers and Torah study of the outstanding scholars at Kollel Chatzos would complete the yeshuah for her daughter and niece.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

#502

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

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Around the

Community

Shomrei Emunah Purim Carnival Attendance Defies Snowy Weather BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

No one paid much attention to the snowy weather last Sunday as

throngs of children with their parents/grandparents had a day of great

Photo Credit: Hindel Leiter

fun at the communty-wide Shomrei Emunah Annual Purim Carnival. As

you’ll see in the photo essay below, fun was had by all.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

‫ היומי בהלכה‬‫ של ד‬‫ העולמי למחזור הראשו‬‫דרשו סיו‬

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.

NORTH AMERICA: SHABBOS CONVENTION MARCH 13-15, PARSHAS VAYAKHEL-PIKUDAY

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SHABBOS CONVENTION MARCH 20-22, PARSHAS VAYIKRA

‫וד‬w ‫ת‬ ‫י שב‬ ‫א‬v‫מו‬ !

ERETZ YISRAEL: SIY UM TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH IS O OF D AF PEN HA TO THE YOMI PUB B’HA L LIC – F ACHA REE / OF MELAV CHA A RGE MALK A

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

NORTH AMERICAN CONVENTION

MARCH 12, 2015

The overall program will c"qa be graced by the presence of Gedolei Yisrael, Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim, shlita, including*:

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

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 HaGaon HaRav Naftali Jaeger, a‫ו‬yi x`y ‫ת‬aiyi daiyid y`x

Shiurim in Halacha from leading Poskim and Dayonim

HaGaon HaRav Meyer Herskowitz, ‫ו‬ly q‫ח‬p‫ת פ‬ia `‫ת‬ai‫ מת‬oi‫מ‬ipa ‫ת‬ia ‫ת‬aiyi daiyid y`x HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, d‫ו‬ab yxc‫ת מ‬ia ,daiyid y`x HaGaon HaRav Moshe Mordechai Lowy, ‫ו‬hpx‫ו‬h l`xyi ‫ת‬c‫ו‬b` fkx‫ מ‬,`x‫`ת‬c `x‫מ‬

Tefillos and zemiros led by R’ Isaac Honig & The Shira Choir

HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Miller, ‫ו‬hpx‫ו‬h oic ‫ת‬ia a` ,ikxa` ll‫ו‬k y`x HaGaon HaRav Yeruchim Olshin, d‫ו‬ab yxc‫ת מ‬ia ,daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Choueka, d‫מח‬y ld` ld‫ק‬c ax HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, dx‫ תו‬ix‫ו‬riy o‫ו‬bx`‫ ו‬,dklda i‫ומ‬id sc ,x‫ו‬riy cib‫מ‬ HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, c‫קוו`ו‬iilc `‫ת‬ai‫ ומת‬flh daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, `xi‫קוו‬q ,sq‫ו‬i a‫ק‬ri ‫ות‬cl‫ תו‬ld‫ק‬c ,u"‫ומ‬c *list in formation

‫ודש‬w ‫אי שבת‬v‫מו‬ PROGRAM BEGINS: 9:50 PM

‫ משנה ברורה‬‫סיו‬ ‫ היומי בהלכה‬‫ של ד‬‫למחזור הראשו‬ BUS TRANSPORTATION TO THE GRAND SIYUM/MELAVA MALKA WILL BE LEAVING FROM: BORO PARK: 9:00, 14th & 50th MONSEY: 9:15, Corner of Maple and Rt. 306 MONROE: 9:15, Shopping Center NEW SQUARE: 9:45, Circling Jackson & Washington WILLIAMSBURG: 9:15, Bedford Ave. & Highway

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

10

Around the

Community

Chinuch Together: Torah Institute of Baltimore’s 62 Anniversary Banquet Chinuch Together was the theme of Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok/Torah Institute of Baltimore’s 62nd Anniversary Banquet and, indeed, from the packed Beth Tfiloh hall it was clear that everyone came together to show their support for our community’s children and this beloved mosad.

Rabbi and Mrs. Shimon Hirsch were honored for their dedication to Harbotzas Torah as recipients of the Rabbi Yitzchok Sternhell Memorial Award. Rabbi Hirsch has been a longtime cherished eighth grade rebbi and has recently assumed the position of Sgan Menahel of the Cheder. Mrs. Hirsch makes her own impact on Klal Yisroel as a devoted mechaneches in Bnos Yisroel High School.

Mr. and Mrs. Asher Sondhelm were honored as Parents of the Year and recipients of the Shearis Hapleita Award. Asher Sondhelm’s deep connection to the Cheder goes back over 30 years, when he first attended the Cheder as a talmid. Mr. Sondhelm is an active community member and very involved with his shul, Mercaz Torah U’tefillah. Mrs. Sondhelm is an

active community member in her own right and serves a leadership role at Bais Yaakov.

“A child’s life in school is not just a part of his day, it’s his life experience.”

These important words were shared by Rabbi Shimon Hirsch during his honoree message and resonated with the entire gathering. Rabbi Hirsch then went on to highlight the special rela-

tionship that parents and mechanchim share in raising their children. In closing, Rabbi Hirsch thanked the parents for their dedication and involvement in making the evening a success: “Thank you. What a chizuk it is to see people take from their precious time to help our mosad, to help our children.”

The evening’s Chairman, Mr. Mickey Katz, expressed his apprecia-

tion to the Hanhala and Mechanchim for their devotion to their talmidim and how this year’s Banquet demonstrated a plethora of support for the Cheder and working with mechanchim in unison to develop our children into bnei Torah. Mr. Katz also thanked his fellow Banquet Committee members: Aaron Friedman, Moshe Hefter, Reuven Klein, and Yehoshua Morgenstern, the Banquet sub-committees, volunteers and supporters for their tireless efforts on behalf of the Cheder.

Rabbi Hillel Tendler, president of the Cheder, delivered a “State of the Cheder” address, highlighting the Cheder’s continuing efforts to meet their budget while keeping tuition affordable. Rabbi Tendler then thanked the Weinberg Foundation and the Associated for their generous support which has made a tremendous difference for the entire Baltimore community. Rabbi Tendler stressed the need to plan for future financial sustainability after the Weinberg Foundation’s grant ends after next year. In addition to annual support, Rabbi Tendler shared that one way to ensure financial sustainability is through Planned and Legacy gifts which are vehicles to make a meaningful and everlasting impact that will provide annual support in perpetuity.

Having baked matzos that morning with his father and sons, Rabbi Tendler expressed how teaching with a mesorah is a key component in a child’s chinuch and related how fortunate the Cheder is to have a Harav Sternhell’s zt”l mesorah and to be currently guided by the Da’as Torah of our Va’ad Hachinuch, led by Harav Nosson Nussbaum shlit”a and Harav Tzvi Berkowitz shlit”a.

After emphasizing the evening’s theme of Chinuch Together, Rabbi Tendler encouraged parents and community members to get involved with the Cheder. Aside for annual support, there are various volunteer opportunities that are available to help make a difference for the Cheder and our children.

The inspiring program was enhanced with a choir of fifth

Around the

Community

11

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Mr. Mosi Treuhaft and Mr. Josh Lewis of La Mõ Catering. The hall was beautifully decorated by Ladies Auxiliary parent volunteers, adding a wonderful ambiance to an already beautiful evening.

Towards the end of the Banquet, an exciting video presentation not

TA Alumni Reunion in Eretz Yisroel Rabbi Fuchs, Menahel of the Mesivta of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, just returned from a quick visit to Eretz Yisroel where he visited and reconnected with our alumni and researched Yeshivos for our current seniors.

What nachas it was to see our talmidim shteiging and happy.

Rabbi Fuchs and 65+ alumni got together on February 12th at the apartment of our very own Talmid, Akiva Topper. Akiva and his wonderful wife (with much help from brother Tzvi) hosted this year’s reunion and what a job they did. It was remarkable! The boys spent four hours reconnecting with each other and sharing the special warmth for which TA is wellknown. Throughout the four days that

Rabbi Fuchs spent there, talmidim wanted to learn, schmooze, get help with an issue etc.

It is so exceptional to hear Roshei Yeshivos kvelling over our Bochurim and seeing how much they yearn for our boys to attend their Yeshiva. They appreciate their Middos Tovos, level of learning and their “chein”.

It is also delightful for Rabbi Fuchs to feel like a proud parent getting one nachas report after another.

All in all, our talmidim are growing up and doing great. Both their parents and our Yeshiva have so much to be proud of. May we all continue to see nachas and hear only B’suros Tovos in the future!

only highlighted the work of the honorees, but also depicted the Cheder in action, imbuing the guests with the the simchas haTorah that permeates throughout the Cheder, the supportive relationship that parents and mechanchim share in the children’s chinuch, and the care and concern that the reb-

beim, moros, and teachers show for the boys.

To cap off the beautiful evening, joyful dancing broke out as the Mezamrim choir sang simchadika niggunim, prompting everyone to lock arms and celebrate together.

MARCH 12, 2015

grade talmidim, led by the Cheder’s very own Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz.

The fifth grade choir was then joined by the renowned, NY-based Mezamrim choir which enhanced the evening with their beautiful niggunim.

The sumptuous reception and elegant dinner was catered expertly by

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

12

Around the

Community

STAR-K Speakers Bureau Travels Near and Far to Bring Kashrus to a Variety of Venues

By Margie Pensak

It was not Rabbi Mayer Kurcfeld’s first time in South Bend, Indiana, when he traveled there on January 27. Although the STAR-K Kashrus Administrator had been there previously, solely on Kashrus business, this time, in addition, he was asked by Rabbi Meir Bulman, Rav of the Hebrew Orthodox Congregation, to make two, women-only, vegetable inspection presentations-- one for the Bais Yaakov of Indiana high school students and the other for the women of the community.

“I was totally amazed and, quite frankly, pleasantly surprised at the number of frum women who attended,” admitted Rabbi Kurcfeld. “Additionally, it gave me great pleasure to see both their attention and enthusiasm, but more so, the seriousness they gave the subject matter by really trying their utmost to learn the process in the short time that we had.”

Rabbi Kurcfeld is part of STAR-K’s Speakers Bureau, comprised of administrative staff members who travel throughout the country to present a wide range of selected topics that span the spectrum from the basics of keeping a kosher home, to its philosophical and spiritual significance and its practical application.

It also explores the technical world of Kashrus, with behind the scene looks at the manufacturing and processing of several industries.

“Too often in Kashrus, it is the blind leading the blind,” explained STAR-K President Avrom Pollak, “and we feel it is imperative that we raise Kashrus standards throughout the greater Jewish community by sharing the expertise of STAR-K personnel. We welcome inquiries.”

Looking for Bugs Around the Country “Bug inspection has to be taught,” Rabbi Kurcfeld told both the 20 or so students and the approximately 40 women attendees, in South Bend. “Until somebody shows you what the bugs look like and, especially, the size of them, you can never figure out what to look for. You have to experience it and practice finding them. In fact, it is STAR-K policy that mashgichim are not authorized to check for bugs until they have been taught, tested, and approved. It is a common misconception that the method one uses to soak

or cleanse the vegetables--whether it is salt, vinegar, soap, etc.-- is foolproof in bug removal. On the contrary, these are merely tools that people use to ‘help’ extract the bugs; they are not guarantees there are no bugs still present. Therefore, inspection is still necessary. In the end, all the systems that are out there, that are used to assist in bug removal, must have one common denominator--you’ve got to learn how to check and be trained, as our mashgichim are, to differentiate between

bugs and debris on fruits and vegetables.

Even triple washed vegetables may be infested, I told the women; still, if we’re allowing you to check non-prewashed vegetables from the store which has a higher probability of bug infestation, surely it would be advisable to purchase the triple washed vegetables. At least then, you are ahead of the game. I taught them the cleaning procedure and the general rules.”

Rabbi Kurcfeld was not the only STAR-K Kashrus Administrator teaching bug checking. Last month, Rabbi Sholom Tendler conducted two, 2-hour-long training sessions, in Detroit. One practicum took place at the Council of Orthodox Rabbis, the Vaad Harabbonim of Detroit, which was attended by Vaad chairman Rabbi Doniel Neustadt, Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Beryl Broyde, and Rabbi Yosef Krupnik, Kashrus Administrator of the Vaad’s K-COR Kosher Certification division. The second training session, which included procedure updates, was presented to STAR-K’s Detroit-based mashgichim.

On February 15, Rabbi Tendler gave a bug checking demonstration a bit closer

to home, in the White Oak neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland. Approximately 60 members of the community attended the seminar, held at Rav Mordechai Rhine’s Southeast Hebrew Congregation, Knesset Yehoshua, home of the Greater Washington Community Kollel.

Rabbi Rhine expressed his thanks to STAR-K in a letter: “I am writing to thank you for the wonderful presentation of Rabbi Sholom Tendler….The presentation was clearly the result of a high level of both personal and organizational expertise, and was very well received. Also, allow me to use this opportunity to thank you and the devoted staff at the STAR-K for your generosity of spirit in so readily making your Kashrus expertise available to communities such as ours. Our community truly appreciates the “good neighbor” that we have in our relationship with the STAR-K. We thank you for your devotion to Avodas Hakodesh, and wish you much continued Hatzlacha.”

From Young Men to Yungermen On January 21, Rosh Chodesh Shvat, STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Tzvi Rosen addressed the third and fourth grade elementary students of Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok /Torah Institute of Baltimore, about shmita.

“The boys were enthusiastically engaged,” noted Rabbi Rosen. “They were learning about fruits and their blessings because of Tu B’Shvat. I did an interactive activity with them so they could feel, first-hand, what native Israeli boys, their age, would experience when going to the store to buy fruits and vegetables for their household.”

Rabbi Rosen was also invited to address the 9th and 10th grade classes of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, in Baltimore, on Motzei Shabbos, January 24, at the Mechina’s melava malka. There, he stressed the importance of carefully analyzing a kashrus situation and applying principles in halacha to come up with reasonable conclusions, before jumping to a conclusion or not knowing the facts and just forbidding the product.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been subjected to sensationalism and scare tactics,” explained Rabbi Rosen. “I think we have to show young consumers and adults, alike, that we are not reactive; rather, we are analytical in terms of being able

to make accurate kashrus conclusions.

This is the importance of having a Rav Hamachshir--to have someone to be able to seek guidance from, once a week, who culls all the information and anaylzes it in a halachic manner to give it an accurate psak, just not an emotional one.”

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Zvi Goldberg was invited by Rav Sholom Weingot to address the Dirshu Kollel in Baltimore--the brainchild of Reb Daniel Ely, the Kollel’s indefatigable coordinator, and one of Dirshu’s largest baalei batim kollelim--on January 22. The halacha shiur on bishul Yisroel, pas Yisroel and cholov Yisroel, complemented the relevant gemorahs that the 50 or so yungermen get up each morning at 5:50 a.m., to learn. Among the questions discussed were: What are the differences between Sfardim and Ashkenzim with regard to bishul Yisroel? Do hearts of palm, cranberries, donuts, instant soups, potato chips, cereals, and corn need to be bishul Yisroel? If you heat up a hot pretzel, is it pas Yisroel?

“The Dirshu Kollel is a testament to the dedication of Baltimore’s balei batim to Torah,” shared Rabbi Goldberg.

“To see so many people showing up to learn in the early morning is an incredible sight. It was a real zechus to share the practical halachos with them.”

Just for the record, not all of STARK’s speaking engagements have gone as smoothly as these most recent ones. Back in 2003, STAR-K’s Director of Development, Steve Sichel, was invited to give a 45-minute Kosher seminar at a food show in Hyderabad, India. When he arrived at the hall and did not see his name on the list of speakers, he spoke to the coordinator of educational seminars. “Don’t worry”, he told Mr. Sichel, “it was an oversight.” When it was finally his turn to speak, he was called up and allowed only ten minutes. Mr. Sichel regaled his audience by saying, “I just traveled almost 10,000 miles to give a 10- minute talk.

That is roughly 1,000 miles traveled for every minute I speak. I really hope you pay attention to my every word.

For further information about STARK’s Speakers Bureau, call (410) 4844110.

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Purim Pictures from around the Community BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

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And the show must go on…Shoresh’s A Night of Comedy was a huge success The second iteration of the Camp Shoresh Night of Comedy was a smashing success. Although the event was postponed by 24 hours due to a dangerous winter storm, this delay only served to heighten the anticipation. And it paid off. Over 400 guests filled the house to support a truly great cause.

The venue was the beautifully

gasbord of donated prizes ranging from Oriole and Raven paraphernalia, to a 42” HDTV, to a Shevy shaitel.

Guests were then ushered into the magnificent theater, where Rabbi David Finkelstein, Rabbi Asher Stein, and Rabbi K sang the Star Spangled

decorated and elaborate Scottish Rite Masonic Center in downtown Baltimore. Everyone had a ball... literally, as the theme of the evening was a masquerade ball. The Shoresh staff did not fail to disappoint. From Rabbi David Finkelstein, dressed from head to toe in purple, kingly regalia, to the jesters, Rabbi Tzvi Tuchman and Rabbi Shmuel Krawatsky, dressed to the nines in their motley garb and dancing their musical jigs, the guests had a supremely delightful time. Even the staff, led by Director of Operations Phran Edelman, got into the theme, wearing decorative and colorful shirts exhorting guests to “Keep Calm and Love Shoresh.”

The evening began with complimentary valet parking at the Center.

Guests were welcomed by Shoresh staff into the spacious grand ballroom, where a scrumptious gala dairy buffet awaited. The open bar and the antics of bartenders Alon Dek and Becca Friedman drew a crowd, while tables laden with tantalizing and delectable victuals were graciously provided by Cocoaccino’s Catering. The center table beckoned with a veritable smor-

Banner and Hatikva to lead off the night. Emcee MollyBeth Rushfield entertained with her myriad princess costume changes (including Snow White, Cinderella, and even Princess Kate) and quirky one-liners. World-famous comedian Joel Chasnoff regaled the crowd with his own unique brand of Jewish satire. With knee-jerkers about the state of Jewish basketball, the funnier aspects of Jewish day camps, and shtick about high holidays at Synagogue, his irreverent humor kept everyone in stitches. Finally, the door prizes were handed out to the delight of all, and the night ended with cups of coffee to warm the guests against the chills of the evening.

Throughout the event, guards provided by Masada Tactical ensured the safety and security of our guests.

Profits from this fun evening will be used to support the Camp Shoresh Scholarship Fund to assist financially challenged families who will benefit from the unique Camp Shoresh experience. As always, Shoresh sticks to their motto to put the FUN back into FUNdraisers!

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HaGaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler, Shlita, Meets Lakewood Rabbonim Urges Participation in New Machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha New Machzor to Start Chelek Aleph of Mishnah Berurah, on 2 Nissan/March 22

By Chaim Gold

There was a special aura surrounding and encompassing the long table in the home of HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, this past Sunday, 17 Adar/March 8. Around the table sat many of Lakewood’s most prominent Rabbanim and Poskim. The table soon filled up with additional Rabbanim who sat on chairs lined up against the wall. The meeting featured prominent senior Lakewood Rabbanim such as HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Meir Katz, shlita, senior Dayan of Beth Medrash Govoha, HaGaon HaRav Osher Chaim Leiberman, shlita, senior Dayan of Beth Medrash Govoha and Rov of Kehal Zichron Shneur, HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Spitzer, shlita, Skverer Dayan of Lakewood and HaGaon HaRav Aharon Zuckerman, shlita, Rov of Khal Zichron Pinchos, and so many others.

The purpose was to hear divrei chizuk from the Rosh Yeshiva on the importance of learning daily halacha and taking advantage of the opportune time for all Rabbanim to encourage their mispallelim to learn daily halacha or attend shiurim on halacha. “With the hisorerus regarding limud halacha at its peak as a result of the siyum of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and the beginning of the new machzor on Sunday, 2 Nissan/March 22, now is a favorable time to be me’orer your respective mispallelim to learn daily halacha,” said the Rosh Yeshiva.

“The fact that the Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood saw fit to host the Rabbanim of the town in his home,” stressed Rav Aharon Gobioff, Dirshu’s American Director, “for the express purpose of encouraging them to use the opportunity of commencing the new machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha to urge their congregants to join is a tremendous testament to the importance that the Rosh Yeshiva attaches to learning halacha for everyone and the trust he has in Dirshu as an achsania shel Torah that facilitates chizuk haTorah of

all types.”

One important point made by HaRav Moshe Chaim Kahan, shlita, Rov of K’hal Sholom V’Reyus and a popular Daf HaYomi B’Halacha maggid shiur, pointed out about Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is that those unfamiliar with the program are sometimes confused and think that it requires the learning of two full sides (blatt) of the Mishnah Berurah every day. That is a

Partial view of the past Dirshu Convention

Harav Reuvein Feinstein

misconception. The program features one amud of Mishnah Berurah daily for five days a week. The second amud is the Biurim and Musafim on the corresponding page that references many modern day scenarios derived from the particular halachos being learned in the Mishnah Berurah. Friday and Shabbos are consecrated for chazarah and no new material is required on those days.

HaGaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler: Daily Halacha Transforms Every Halicha The Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Malkiel said, “The Gemara tells us that, ‘Everyone who learns daily halacha is assured a place in Olam Habaah, as the passuk states, halichos olam...’”

The Rosh Yeshiva expounded that, “When a person learns halacha each day his every halicha, his every step throughout the day is done in accordance with the Torah. This is what assures him Olam Habaah. Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program gives every Yid the opportunity to be a shoneh halachos b’chol yom and to become a ben Olam Habaah because when he learns halacha his every step will be taken in accordance with Hashem’s desire through the observance of halacha.”

Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, Shlita, Asks Chassidim to Join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha America was not the only place where Gedolei Yisrael recently put out a clarion call to Klal Yisrael to join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. This past Motzaei Shabbos in Yerushalayim, the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, shlita, devoted a major part of his address to his Chassidim encouraging them to join the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program. At his tish, the Rebbe told the assembled that he has a special request to make of the Chassidim. He explained, “The Chofetz Chaim said, ‘if a person does not have time to learn, he should add more time for learning in his schedule, and he will see that he has more time. The koach haTorah is such that it provides one with time he did not think he had. Baruch Hashem our kehillah has succeeded in instituting its amud yomi Gemara program where so much Gemara is being learned. We must thank Hashem for this zechus. Nevertheless,” continued the Rebbe, “I want to do something that will provide every person with more time to learn. I would like to add a page of Mishnah Berurah learning to the schedule as well. Not only will you find more time to learn, but you will become a ben Olam Habaah as the Gemara teaches, ‘Everyone who learns daily halacha is assured a place in Olam Habaah.’ Everyone is seeking ways to merit Olam Habaah and

here we have a havtacha, an assurance from Chazal! Can there be anything greater than that?!”

With a smile, the Rebbe concluded, “The words of Chazal are better than any check… even an American check!”

“Therefore, I propose that on 2 Nissan, we all start learning halacha together with the new machzor in the Dirshu program. In this zechus Hashem will certainly bestow bracha and hatzlacha on all of us…”

“Your Brother is Making a Siyum” The tremendous hisorerus and encouragement of the Gedolim comes as Dirshu is set to start its many worldwide siyumim with its American Siyum on Mishnah Berurah this coming Shabbos at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut.

Although the Shabbos is already sold out, the Motzaei Shabbos Grand Siyum Melave Malka in the Hotel’s main ballroom is open to the public. A large crowd of participants, both lomdei Dirshu who were not able to come to the Shabbos and those who do not (yet) participate in a Dirshu program, is expected.

Rabbi Aharon Gobioff, Dirshu’s American Director, put it simply when he said, “When your brother makes a simcha you show up!

The Keynote session on Motzaei Shabbos featuring the Grand Siyum and Melave Malka promises to be an extraordinary maamad with the participation of tens of leading gedolim, moving drashos and an outpouring of extraordinary simcha, singing and dancing!

One prominent rov related, “Imagine if you could have had the opportunity to participate in the first siyum haShas of Daf HaYomi held in Lublin in 1931!? What an opportunity! Today we all have the opportunity to participate in the siyum of the machzor rishon of Daf Hayomi B’Halacha. What a zechus, what an opportunity!

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Numerous Gedolim to Deliver Addresses over the weekend of Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford Connecticut

By Chaim Gold

There will be addresses from luminaries such as HaGaon HaRav Reuvein Feinstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Staten Island, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ner Yisrael of Baltimore, HaGaon HaRav Yehoshua Fuhrer, shlita, Rav and Rosh Kollel Bobov of Toronto, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gipps, shlita, Rosh Kollel Tiferes Yaakov Yosef of Spink, HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Mordechai Lowy, shlita, Rav of Agudas Yisroel of Toronto, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Miller, shlita, Rosh Kollel Avreichim of Toronto and Av Beis Din Bais Horaah fo Lakewood, HaGaon

HaRav Yeruchim Olshin, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Choeuka, shlita, Rav, Congregation

Ohel Simcha, Deal, NJ, HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, shlita, Maggid Shiur Daf Hayomi B’Halacha, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Telz Cleveland and Mesivta of Lakewood, and HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shlita, Dayan of Kehal Toldos Yaakov Yosef of Skver, Boro Park.

The excited anticipation among lomdei Dirshu for this Shabbos is indescribable. It is a time when multitudes of talmidei chachamim come and meet like-minded counterparts as they talk in learning and exchange tips on how to enhance yedias haTorah and retention of the vast amounts of Torah that they learn. The chizuk they derive from realizing that they

are a significant part of a massive global movement of yedias haTorah cannot be quantified. In addition, the wives of lomdei Dirshu walk away from Shabbos on a high. Not only are they deeply inspired by the special women’s programing but perhaps even more so, from meeting other distinguished wives and mothers who truly understand what it means to be a Dirshu wife; with the inherent thrilling feeling of witnessing the hatzlacha of their husband after a test, upon completion of a masechta and recognizing how through Dirshu the entire family becomes elevated and closer to Hashem.

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The Week Global Putin Awards Medal to Suspect in Agent’s Death

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a medal of honor to Andrei Lugovoi, the chief suspect in the murder of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko, for “services to the fatherland.”

The Kremlin released an honors list including Lugovoi, a lawmaker in a nationalist party who is wanted

by Britain over the poisoning of Litvinenko in 2006. Litvinenko was an ex-agent in Russia’s FSB intelligence agency who became a vocal critic of the Kremlin and ultimately died after drinking tea laced with deadly polonium-210 at a meeting with two Russians in a London hotel.

Britain has named Lugovoi as one of two suspects it wants to question over Litvinenko’s murder, along with Dmitri Kovtun. Both are said to be former FSB agents, something Lugovoi vehemently denies.

In a letter dictated from his deathbed, Litvinenko accused Putin of having ordered his murder. But Moscow is vocal in its denial in any role in Litvinenko’s death and has repeatedly refused to hand over Lugovoi for questioning.

This week, the Kremlin announced that Lugovoi was being decorated for “his great contribution to the development of the Russian parliamentary system and his active role in lawmaking.” He is an MP in Russia’s lower house of parliament for the nationalist and pro-Kremlin Liberal Democratic and is deputy chairman of the lower house’s security and anti-corruption

committee. He has also worked as a bodyguard for top politicians and businessmen.

The Kremlin also decorated Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov with an order of merit for “his active public service and many years of conscientious work.” The medal is the latest in a number of Kremlin decorations for the controversial strongman.

Kadyrov’s decoration comes a day after Russia charged two men, including a former police officer from Chechnya, with the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

Childhood Obesity in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, obese children are considered abused. And their parents are considered child abusers.

Senator Gilbert Rodriguez Valle, one of Puerto Rico’s youngest and most popular politicians, recently introduced a bill which seeks to create a “healthy child programme.” If the bill becomes law, obese children would be identified in schools, and their families would be “educated” about the health risks and consequences of remaining overweight.

If social workers believe there is no progress after six months, they would have the authority to open a child neglect case and impose a fine of $500; if after a year they believe things were the same, another fine of $800 could be levied.

Rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. territory run between 24% to 30%. That’s high, considering that childhood obesity in the U.S. runs on average 17%. Some see it as a cultural issue—children considered “skinny” in Puerto Rico are fattened up by their parents. But of those who understand the risks of obesity some say that the government has no right to encroach

In News on this territory.

“The good thing is that he [Valle] is identifying the problem and trying to do something about it; the wrong thing is how he’s doing it,” Dr. Ricardo Fontanet, president of the Puerto Rico chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Guardian at his practice in San Juan.

“First, he’s saying that if you have an obese child in the house, it’s synonymous with child abuse, and that’s completely wrong. You have to lose weight, sure, but to have the state coming to your home, looking at how you do things and charging you with child abuse is dangerous,” he pointed out.

“Second, they’re not involving pediatricians, nutritionists, dieticians, the people who prepare the lunches in schools, in any of this. Teachers aren’t trained to identify obese children; they don’t have the time, the facilities or the knowledge. They’re asking people with no knowledge of dealing with obesity to identify these patients.”

Other experts say the bill takes a “simplistic view” of the factors that cause a person to be overweight.

“Obesity is a disease, not a choice made by parents or their children,” Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar, president of the Maryland-based Obesity Society, relates. “Many known and unknown biological factors, in addition to personal nutrition and physical activity decisions, may interfere with weight loss, reinforcing the fact that we can’t treat obesity solely by placing the blame on parents or individuals.”

Dhurandhar said lawmakers in Puerto Rico should ask themselves if they would impose fines against parents whose children had diabetes, asthma or cancer.

Both doctors say an incentive-led program would provide better motivation for children to lose weight than punishments for their parents – starting with improvements in diet and nutritional health.

Reward Increased for Missing American This week, the United States increased the reward to $5 million to help locate a missing American who

disappeared in Iran eight years. The original reward to locate Robert Levinson was $1 million.

The U.S. also appealed to Tehran to help locate Levinson. “We ask the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us on the investigation into Robert Levinson’s disappearance so we can ensure his safe return,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement, on March 8, eight years since his disappearance and the day before his 67th birthday.

Levinson, a former FBI agent, disappeared from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007, while on a business trip as a private investigator. Friends of Levinson said that around that time he had been investigating the counterfeiting of cigarettes, though mainly in Latin America.

The FBI has been investigating Levinson’s disappearance. In 2012, it offered a rare $1 million reward for any information that could lead to his safe return. The FBI increased the award by $4 million on Monday.

“He has spent more than 2,900 days separated from those who love him, and is one of the longest held U.S. citizens in history. Year after year, the family has endured the pain of his absence. It is time for him to come home,” Kerry said.

In November 2010, a video surfaced in which Levinson asked for help in winning his freedom but did not say who was holding him or where he was. “Please help me get home,” the gaunt-looking Levinson said on the tape, citing his 33 years of service in the FBI. The Iranian government has repeatedly said it knows nothing about Levinson’s disappearance or whereabouts.

The Week

Seven decades ago, 105,400 people were killed in a single night in Japan when U.S. B-29 bombers attacked Tokyo in what is regarded as the deadliest conventional bombing attack ever.

Tuesday, March 10 was the anni-

MARCH 12, 2015

Nigeria’s militant Islamist group Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The symbolic move highlights increased coordination between jihadi movements across North Africa and the Middle East and prompted an appeal from Nigeria’s government for greater international help in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency. The terror group has killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds during its six-year campaign to carve out an Islamist state in northern Nigeria.

In recent months Boko Haram has increased cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger. “We announce our allegiance to the Caliph ... and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity, in hardship and ease,” read an English language translation of the audio broadcast in Arabic that was purported to be from the Nigerian militant group. “We call upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph,” it read. The pledge of allegiance was attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said this “is confirming what we always thought. It’s sad, it’s bad.” “It’s why we were appealing to the international community ... Hopefully the world will wake up to the disaster unfolding here,” he told reporters. Last week, four bomb blasts killed at least 50 people in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri in the worst attacks there since Boko Haram militants tried to seize the town in two major assaults earlier this year.

Analysts said Boko Haram’s move came as no surprise. This month, Boko Haram released a video showing the terrorist group beheading two men,

Japan Commemorates WWII Bombing

versary of the tragic evening. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bowed in a somber ceremony held in a downtown temple that was built to commemorate deaths from a 1923 earthquake, but is also used as a memorial for the victims of World War II bombings.

“With the lessons of the atrocities of war etched deeply in our hearts, we must humbly face the past and do our utmost to contribute to world peace,” said Abe, surrounded by white flo-

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Boko Haram Joins ISIS

its first online posting using advanced graphics and editing techniques similar to footage from Islamic State.

“Boko Haram is now being elevated from a local jihadi group to an important arm of the Islamic State. With Boko Haram’s wide network in North Africa, the Islamic State’s projection of creating an Islamic Caliphate is gaining headway,” said Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group.

In News

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The Week ral wreaths and chrysanthemums, as a group of dignitaries, survivors and other residents looked on.

This attack killed more people than the August 9 atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The death toll was on par

with the August 6 atomic attack on Hiroshima.

As survivors of the ordeal die, those remaining are determined to tell their story. Haruyo Nihei, just eight years old when the bombs fell,

In News was among many survivors who had kept silent for decades. A half-century passed before she even shared her experiences with her own son.

“Our parents would just say, ‘That’s a different era,’” Nihei, now

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78, said. “They wouldn’t talk about it.

And I figured my own family wouldn’t understand.”View gallery Earlier war raids targeted aircraft factories and military facilities, but the Tokyo firebombing was directed mostly at civilians. Tokyo’s downtown area known as “shitamachi,” was hit, where people lived in traditional wood and paper homes at densities sometimes exceeding 100,000 people per square mile.

“There were plenty of small factories, but this area was chosen specifically because it was easy to burn,” says historian Masahiko Yamabe, who was born just months after the war’s end.

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Firefighter Isamu Kase was on duty at a train parts factory. He jumped onto a pump truck when the attack began, knowing the job was impossible. “It was a hellish frenzy, absolutely horrible. People were just jumping into the canals to escape the inferno,” Kase, 89, remembered. He said he survived because he didn’t jump in the water, but his burns were so severe he was in and out of hospital for 15 years.

Masaharu Ohtake, then 13, fled his family’s noodle shop with a friend.

Turned back by firefighters, they headed toward Tokyo Bay and again were ordered back. The boys crouched in a factory yard, waiting as flames consumed their neighborhood. “We saw a fire truck heaped with a mountain of bones. It was hard to understand how so many bodies could be piled up like that,” said Ohtake.

After about two hours and 40 minutes, the B-29s left.

From January 1944-August 1945, the U.S. dropped 157,000 tons of bombs on Japanese cities, according

The Week imports for 2015.

The main recipient of the developing Middle Eastern market was the United States, with $8.4 billion of arms shipments sent to the region last year, up from $6 billion in 2013.

In News “This is definitely unprecedented,” said Ben Moores, the report’s author.

“You’re seeing political fractures across the region, and at the same time you’ve got oil, which allows countries to arm themselves, protect themselves

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and impose their will as to how they think the region should develop.”

Saudi Arabia is building its arsenal amid concern about a geopolitical shift in the Middle East as the United States seeks allegiance in fighting

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Last year, Saudi spending increased by 54% to $6.5 billion, while India imported $5.8 billion, according to data released on Sunday by IHS, a leading analyst of the global arms trade. Imports are expected to grow 52% to $9.8 billion this year, accounting for $1 of every $7 spent globally, IHS estimated, based on scheduled

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to the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey.

It estimated that 333,000 people were killed, including the 80,000 killed in the August 6 Hiroshima atomic-bomb attack and 40,000 at Nagasaki three days later. Fifteen million of the 72 million Japanese were left homeless.

“The United States went too far with the firebombing, but I don’t quite understand why the Japanese government and the rest of the Japanese don’t talk about this very much,” Masaharu Ohtake the survivor that was 13 at the time of the attack said. “We are not just statistics. I don’t think we’ll still be around for the 80th anniversary. So the 70th anniversary is pretty much the last chance for us to speak up.”

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The Week the Islamic State group, said David Cortright, director of policy studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. In the same token, negotiators are closing in on a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions and lift sanctions against the country, which would create new opportunities for economic development and threaten Saudi Arabia’s longstanding ties with the United States. Experts think that increasing artillery business with the U.S. may be a tactic by the Saudi government to remind the U.S. of its importance as an ally.

“It may be a way of tempering that rapprochement with Iran,” Cortright said. “You can think of it as … deepening ties in a time of uncertainty, as a possibly greater role with Iran looms on the horizon. From an objective security perspective, Saudi Arabia should be cooperating with Iran to deter and push back ISIS in Iraq.

The old ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ approach,” Cortright said.

“But Saudi Arabia has deep ideological and geopolitical differences with Iran that prevent it from considering such a temporary marriage of convenience.”

Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, all based in the U.S., were the three biggest arms exporters among companies last year, according to the IHS Global Defense Trade Report. Internationally, trade in military hardware increased for the sixth consecutive year, moving worldwide imports to $64.4 billion from $56 billion.

As far as exporters, the U.S. remained the biggest arms exporter, with shipments rising 19 percent to $23.7 billion. Russia ranked second at $10 billion, up 9 percent from 2013.

France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Israel, China, Spain and Canada rounded out the top 10.

In News Suspects Identified in 1982 Paris Attack

It’s been 32 years since a group of Palestinians burst into the Jo Goldenberg deli in Paris’ old Jewish quarter on August 9, throwing grenades and shooting machine guns. Tragically, six people were killed in the attack including two Americans. 21 people

were injured.

French authorities have finally identified three suspects in the 1982 attacks and are seeking to make the official arrests. Paris’ prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said on Wednesday that international arrest warrants have been issued for the three suspects — now in their late 50s and early 60s — who were believed to be members of the Abu Nidal group.

The anti-terrorism judge who opened the investigation at the time of the attack said he was “happy, relieved” by the developments.

Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who is now retired, told RTL radio that while the extradition of one suspect from Norway “won’t pose many problems,” it will be “far more complex” trying to bring the other two to France from Jordan and the Palestinian territories.

Authorities are hoping that these arrests will act as a warning to future

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The Week In News 10. New York

Israel New Strategy for Hamas

“My Mishpacha”

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MARCH 12, 2015

Tokyo: World’s Safest City

Safety is a major concern for most people when choosing where to settle down. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has selected 50 thriving cities from across the globe and analyzed which are the safest. To gather data the EIU investigated and ranked the locations based on four criteria: health security, digital security, personal safety and infrastructure safety.

The least safe cities were unsurprisingly Jakarta, Indonesia (50) and Tehran, Iran (49). Remarkably, the world’s safest city, Tokyo, is also the world’s most populated city with 38 million residents. For those living in America, only New York made the top ten safest cities in the world list. To feel truly safe, it seems you may want to leave the United States behind.

So where do residents around the world feel the safest?

1. Tokyo 2. Singapore 3. Osaka 4. Stockholm 5. Amsterdam 6. Sydney 7. Zurich 8. Toronto 9. Melbourne

•

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terrorists. Alain Jakubowicz, head of anti-racism group LICRA, said that this “is a very strong message to terrorists and killers: Wherever you are, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will judge you.”

•

What do you do if you’re a terrorist organization bent on the destruction of Israel and face the most celebrated and complex missile defense system ever invented? Make more rockets. That’s Hamas’ answer, anyway. According to new reports, Hamas has been redoubling its efforts to produce short-range rockets to fire at Israel.

Faced with the high success rate of Israel’s Iron Dome defense system against mid-range rockets, Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been striving to produce shorter-range projectiles, which proved deadlier during its summer 2014 war with Israel. Hamas has been producing and testing – by firing out to sea — rockets with a range of up to 30 kilometers, attempting to evade the Iron Dome defense system.

According to official IDF figures, Iron Dome intercepted roughly 90 percent of the projectiles it targeted during the war, including rockets fired at Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv region. Hamas and Islamic Jihad refuse to specify the number of rockets they currently possess, but they were severely depleted by the Israeli assault, which included fierce ground combat. Israeli ground invasion was also aimed at destroying the hundreds of tunnels Gaza’s Islamist groups had built, both for smuggling supplies and for attacks on soldiers inside Israel.

Last week, in a rare public appearance, the head of Hamas’s military wing said that although his group was

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The Week not actively seeking another round of violence with Israel, it had continued to stockpile rockets in anticipation of a future war. Marwan Issa, a top commander for Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, made the comments during a conference organized by a Hamas-linked think tank, his first public appearance in over three years.

This past summer, Hamas and other terror groups fired over 4,500 rockets and projectiles at Israel and staged several deadly attacks against IDF soldiers through cross-border tunnels.

Seventy-three Israelis died during the operation; 66 of them were IDF soldiers.

Rice Mocked with Applause Delegates at the American Israel

In News

Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference last week let U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice know how they feel about her during a speech she gave. The conference participants chose to applaud Ms. Rice— at all the wrong moments. Rice, who came out swinging against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week by calling his visit “damaging” to bilateral ties, made her case before the decidedly pro-Israel and pro-Netanyahu lobby in Washington.

Her hour-long speech often fell into the sentence construction of “I know…, but…,” which attendees used to mock her by applauding during the first part of the sentence, but before the point she was really trying to make. For instance, “I know that some of you will be urging Congress to insist that Iran forgo its domestic uranium enrichment entirely,” drew a hearty round of clapping. However, when she continued, “but, as desirable as that would be, it is neither realis-

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tic nor achievable,” she was met with critics. “I know some would argue that we should just impose sanctions and walk away, but let’s remember,” said Rice, before being interrupted by applause. “My friends,” she went on, “let’s remember that sanctions, unfortunately, have never stopped Iran from advancing its program.” Silence.

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Rice’s speech to be respectful. A slide bearing a picture of Casper the Friendly Ghost and the message, “Don’t Boo! Be Friendly,” was shown before the national security adviser began speaking, which may have prevented more overt jabs.

Rice’s speech also garnered genuine applause. Rice told the 16,000 delegates that “a bad deal is worse than no deal” on Iran, which drew an enthusiastic standing ovation from the slightly critical audience. “If that is the choice there will be no deal,” she added.

Rice also provided previously unconfirmed information regarding the United States’ negotiating red lines on Iran. Rice said President Barack Obama was committed to “ensuring that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon” and repeated the administration’s frequent statements that the U.S. was “keeping all options on the table to prevent Iran [from] developing a nuclear weapon.”

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The Week Shushan Purim Terror Attack

An Arab-Israeli terrorist from southeast Jerusalem injured four border policewomen and a male pedestrian when he rammed into them with his car on Purim morning. The would-be murderer then got out of his car with a meat cleaver and started swinging, at which point he was shot twice in the chest. The attack was carried out by an unidentified resident of Jerusalem’s Ras el-Amud neighborhood at a major junction outside of the police station, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

Within minutes emergency first responders arrived at the scene, treated the wounded, and transferred them to Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The terrorist was rushed to Hadassah Medical Center while police cordoned off the area.

“Police units immediately arrived at the scene to ensure no more attacks took place and that there was no other threat to the public,” Rosenfeld said.

“We heightened security in Jerusalem immediately after the attack, taking into consideration a large number of events for Purim were taking place at the same time.”

Following the attack, Hamas’s spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri posted a statement on his Facebook page applauding the terrorist, but did not claim responsibility. “The Hamas movement blesses this historic act and considers it a natural response to the occupation’s crimes,” wrote Zuhri.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement condemning the attack and commending the rapid security response. “We are determined to keep on fighting against terrorism and to use all the force necessary for this purpose,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who tackled a terrorist near City Hall last month, promptly issued a statement vowing not to allow terrorism to thwart Purim celebrations throughout the capital. “We will not allow terrorism to disrupt the routine of our lives and we will continue to fight it without compromise,” he said.

“Our answer to terrorism is to continue our routine, and Purim events in the capital will continue as planned.”

Treasure Found in Cave

For thousands of years people have been occupying the Holy Land and enjoying her bounty. Recently, Israeli tourists discovered a rare treasure filled with 2,300-year-old coins along with silver and copper objects within a cave in northern Israel. “Thanks to the work of honest citizens, we will be able to better understand the history of Israel,” said Amir Ganor, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

About two weeks ago, members of the Israel Caving Club – Reuven Zachai, his son Chen and friend Lior Hiloni – went out on a preparation trip in a large stalactite cave in northern Israel before the rest of the club members joined. Chen, 21, noticed a shiny object in the cave.

The three men found two ancient silver coins minted during the reign of Alexander the Great, who conquered of the land of Israel during the Helle-

In News nistic period (late fourth century BC).

Alongside the coins, the men found several types of silver jewelry including rings, bracelets and earrings which seem to have been hidden in a piece of cloth in the cave 2,300 years ago.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, who prohibited the publication of the location of the cave in fear of looting, assessed that there is the possibility that the objects were buried in the cave after the death of Alexander the Great when the country was at war with his successors. The IAA researchers said the finding was “one of the most important discoveries in the north in the last years” and said that the cave held proof that there were humans who settled in the cave for extended periods of time.

PA Arrests 30 Hamas Members

The Palestinian Authority security forces have launched a major arrest operation against Hamas operatives in the West Bank. At least 30 suspected members of the organization, which competes with the Fatah organization led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, have been taken into custody. According to Hamas sources, the arrests were heavily concentrated in the Hebron, Tulkarem and Ramallah districts.

Hamas has identified those arrested as former Israeli security prisoners, academics and university students.

In a separate incident, PA security arrested three Hamas activists in Ramallah suspected of vandalizing a memorial to Jordanian pilot Muaz Kasasbeh, who was burned to death by

the Islamic State terror group in January. The memorial was spray-painted with expressions of support for Islamic State.

The PA has threatened to stop security cooperation with Israel in recent months over Israel’s withholding of tax revenues collected for the PA from Palestinians. The Israeli move is in response to the PA’s appeals to the international community, including the International Criminal Court, to seek action against Israeli leaders. But PA officials have suggested any cessation of security cooperation, which has helped keep violence down in the territory, would only take place after Israel’s election on March 17.

Details of Possible Ceasefire Revealed It has been reported that Hamas recently sent a series of messages to Israel indicating interest in a longterm ceasefire lasting for several years in exchange for an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas officials met with Western diplomats about the ceasefire, and also reached a number of understandings about the character of the ceasefire.

During the talks, Hamas officials emphasized that they were willing to agree on a ceasefire of at least five years, during which time all military activities “above and below ground” from both parties would end. At the same time, the blockade on Gaza would be removed, including restrictions on exports, and Israel would allow the construction of a seaport and an airport.

Hamas discussed separately with outgoing United Nations peace process representative Robert Serry a possible ceasefire under the auspices of a Palestinian unity government. He said he hadn’t heard back from either Hamas or Israel, which he had also approached with his proposal. In conversations with other diplomats, Hamas presented different terms for a ceasefire with Israel.

One of the draft agreements report-

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The Week

Korean War POW Remains Laid to Rest Utah: Best State for Business

The remains of an Army corporal who died as a prisoner of war in North Korea have finally been laid to rest 65 years after he disappeared near the Chosin Reservoir and was captured by the Chinese. The body of Army Cpl. Floyd J.R. Jackson was identified using DNA from relatives. He was buried this week next to his mother in a graveside service.

While his body was never found, the events leading up to his capture are well-known. Jackson was reported kidnapped when his team was de-

Some say that opportunities comes once in a lifetime but 24/7 Wall St. says that opportunities, specifically business opportunities, actually come according to which state you live in.

To determine America’s best states for business, 24/7 Wall St. classified about 50 measures that contribute to the business climate and overall health of an area and then reviewed them across the nation.

There were eight broad categories that independently measured various risks and benefits of doing business in each state. Overall economic health and rate of employment were both considered. The growth of economic output in seven of the 10 best states for business was greater than the national GDP growth rate of 1.8%. Similarly, the job market was strong in all the 10 of the best states for doing business.

On the other hand, four of the 10 worst states for business had unemployment rates higher than the national rate.

Other factors weighed included natural resources, cost of living, cost of doing business, taxes, average salaries, and education level.

So where are the best states for businesses to make a buck? The best states for business in the nation are: Utah Massachusetts Wyoming South Dakota Delaware Texas Colorado Virginia North Dakota Minnesota But businesses should steer clear of these states. The worst states for businesses in the nation are: Louisiana West Virginia Kentucky Mississippi Alabama Hawaii New Mexico Oklahoma Rhode Island Tennessee

Billionaires Love Professional Sports Those who say that money can’t buy you happiness are correct, but it can surely buy you a lot of other stuff—like mansions, expensive cars,

yachts, and sports teams of course. In fact nearly half, 49% to be precise, of all major professional sports teams in America are owned by local billionaires.

So what came first—the chicken or the egg? Well, obviously no pauper or average American is able to buy a sports team, but in some cases the sports team took their owner from a simple millionaire to billionaire status or at least helped them climb the ranks.

While the NFL has the most valuable teams it doesn’t necessarily have the richest owners or the most billionaire owners. In fact, the NBA takes that crown; billionaires own 20 of the league’s 30 franchises. 17 of the NFL’s 32 teams are owned by individuals and the NHL has 13 of 20, while baseball comes in at 10 of 30 teams. There are 122 major professional sports teams in the U.S., and 60 of them are owned by the richest of the rich.

Although the soaring value of teams continues to encourage buyers to purchase one as an investment, the eligible buyers list is quiet short.

Some billionaires own multiple teams simply because they have the resources. Back to the chicken and the egg, which came first? Just think of sports teams as the gift that keeps giving. To highlight that, focus on private equity billionaire Joshua Harris. Harris purchased the Philadelphia 76ers with several partners in 2011 for $287 million. During recent seasons his team has struggled—it has the second-worst record in the NBA today—but his investment definitely did not. Now, just four short years later, the 76ers are worth a whopping $700 million.

Below is a list compiled by Forbes listing the eight richest billionaires who own sports teams: 1. Steve Ballmer Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Net worth: $21.5 billion 2. Paul Allen Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) Net worth: $17.5 billion 3. Paul Allen Seattle Seahawks (NFL) Net worth: $17.5 billion 4. Philip Anschutz

MARCH 12, 2015

National

ployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea and it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. On November 29, 1950, remnants of his task force began a fighting withdrawal to more defensible positions near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. On December 12, 1950, Jackson was reported missing in action.

A returning service member told U.S. officials that Jackson was captured by the Chinese on December 12, 1950, and died February 13, 1951, while in an enemy prisoner of war camp. His remains were not among those returned by Communist forces during Operation Glory in 1954. His niece, Joann Mueller, said the Army came to her home to give the family his medals, including a Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal.

U.S. teams were later allowed to excavate sites in North Korea between 1990 and 2005 and used DNA to identify the remains.

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edly included some of the following clauses: 1) All forms of military conflict between Israel and the Palestinians will cease; 2) Israel will commit to removing the blockade on Gaza, including: opening all crossings around Gaza, permitting unfettered import and export from Gaza, allowing the construction of a sea and airport; 3) The deal will last between three and five years starting from the moment the agreement is signed, but the two sides will finalize the exact length of the ceasefire.

It is not yet clear whether or not the proposed ceasefire has been sanctioned by Hamas. Many within the terror organization have denied its legitimacy, while others say it is, in fact, a true offer composed by the Hamas top brass.

In News

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The Week Los Angeles Kings Net worth: $11.80 billion 5. Philip Anschutz Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) Net worth: $11.8 billion 6. Hasso Plattner San Jose Sharks (NHL) Net worth: $9.1 billion 7. Mikhail Prokhorov Brooklyn Nets (NBA) Net worth: $9.9 billion 8. John Malone Atlanta Braves (MLB) Net worth: $8.3 billion

Richest Cities in America Clearly we love to analyze wealthy Americans and statistics related to them, but where exactly do all the people we discuss and dissect live?

Using data from the most recent Five-Year American Community Survey released at the end of the year, FindtheHome.com listed the richest cities in the nation. For the sake of this particular list, cities were ranking by the percentage of residents earning over $150k and the list was limited to cities with over 500,000 residents.

To the surprise of many reading this magazine, no, the Five Towns were not included in this list.

The top ten richest American cities in America are: 1. San Francisco Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 23.4% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 52.4% Total population: 817,501 2. San Jose, Calif.

Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 22.6% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 37.4% Total population: 968,903 3. Washington Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 19.0% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 51.7% Total population: 618,777

4. Seattle Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 16.2% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 57.4% Total population: 624,681 5. San Diego Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 14.8% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 41.7% Total population: 1.32 million 6. Boston Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 13% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 43.9% Total population: 629,182 7. New York City Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 12.7% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 34.5% Total population: 8.27 million 8. Los Angeles Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11.3% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 31.1% Total population: 3.83 million 9. Austin, Texas Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11.1% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 45.6% Total population: 836,800 10. Denver Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 42.9% Total population: 619,297

That’s Odd I Spy a Tax Evader It’s gotten so bad in Greece that finance ministers are considering hiring spies to find out if citizens are bailing on their taxes. These spies aren’t your typical cloak and dagger operators; some of them will look just like you!

This week, Greek finance minis-

In News ter Yanis Varoufakis pointed out that the “culture of tax avoidance runs deep within Greek society.” As such, he proposed the following: “To this effect we propose the following: That large numbers of non-professional inspectors are hired on a strictly shortterm, casual basis (no longer than two months, and without any prospect of being rehired) to pose, after some basic training, as customers, on behalf of the tax authorities, while ‘wired’ for sound and video.”

Where do these “non-professional inspectors” come from? Well, non-professional spying agencies such as “students, housekeepers, even tourists in popular areas ripe with tax evasion,” of course. Varoufakis insists that these amateur scouts will be “hard to detect by offending tax dodgers.”

Even the thought of random people recording your conversations will be enough for many to finally pay their taxes, he says.

Spying—and using foreigners to do it—should go down well with voters in a country suffering from record unemployment that has lost a quarter of its economy. They elected Varoufakis’s party in the first place to end this kind of humiliation.

Varoufakis may need to work hard on getting the right people to spy on his country’s citizens. If I was wired as a secret agent, I’d have trouble understanding what those guys are saying.

After all, it’s all Greek to me.

A High Five for Spock For years, fans of Star Trek’s Spock have been drawing Leonard Nimoy’s Spock face on Canadian $5 bank notes over the face of former

Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. With Nimoy’s recent demise, the Spock doodlings have been increasing—and the central bank is none too happy.

Although it’s not illegal to add Spock’s pointy Vulcan ears, sharp eyebrows and signature bowl haircut to bills, bank spokeswoman Josianne Menard said in an email: “There are important reasons why it should not be done”—namely that it was “inappropriate” to deface the banknote because it was a “Canadian symbol and source of national pride.”

When Nimoy passed away, a cry went out for fans to scrawl his image on the bills in tribute to the actor and the role he played. “Spock your $5 bills for Leonard Nimoy,” the Canadian Design Resource tweeted on its posting, while Simon Williams tweeted: “I’ve had a beat up Canadian 5 buried in my wallet for years, finally found a use for it!”

Images of the altered bills were circulated widely online and attracted international media attention.

Calgary artist Tom Bagley, who posted his own Spock-Laurier hybrid on Facebook and Flickr after Nimoy’s death, said the original idea came about when he tried to impress someone. “I always thought it was OK as long as the numbers were intact – it still counted as money,” he said.

I am sure Spock would give a high five—I mean a Vulcan salute—if he were alive today.

Buy a House; Get a Wife Generally, people get married and then look to purchase a home to accommodate their growing family. But one inventive homeowner in Indonesia has put her house on the market— and herself along with it.

The Week

Wina’s online ad went viral, prompting a local news outlet to track her down and confirm that the offer was genuine. “Indeed it’s true, Wina is ready to be married by a house buyer,” the headline says, as tweeted by Sleman’s unofficial Twitter account.

Dian Purna Dirgantara, the realtor who concocted the plan, says his sales strategy is working. “Since yesterday morning there are continuous calls, I don’t count how many, there must be dozens or even hundreds.” He clarifies that marriage isn’t a must. “If someone just wants the house, they can have that,” he said.

Wina is a single mother and said that she was game to the marriage proposal idea since is looking to remarry.

“Dian suggested I put up the tagline ‘Buy the house and marry the owner at the same time.’ And I said O.K. to it. I’m looking for a husband anyway.”

Solves the housing crisis and the shidduch crisis all at the same time.

“Clearly what we found was enough to suggest we had found the remains of a big four-engine bomber,” said Chris Casey, a doctor at the U.S. embassy in Tirana and part of the expedition.

What led researchers to the remains of the aircraft? It was a vital clue found in the form of a ring. The gold ring, engraved “Joyce & John” was kept by an Albanian villager and then his son.

Jaho Cala found the ring in 1960 while collecting metal and wood in the mountains, when Albania was shut off from the outside world by the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha.

“He gave it to me when I got married in 1971, but told me clearly the ring did not belong to our family and I was to return it to its owner after Communism ended,” Jaho’s son, Xhemil Cala, recalled.

Twenty years later, with Albania rid of Communism, Cala took to wearing the ring while serving as a police officer. But he had not given up returning it to its rightful owner. He said the ring would not stay put on his finger, twisting as he slept. A Muslim cleric told him the ring kept twisting because it was not his.

Cala tried to return the ring to its rightful owner. At one point, he tried to intercept a visiting British envoy

WWII Pilot’s Ring Returned 70 Years Later On October 29, 1944, 14 aircraft

to pass him the ring, but was shooed away by defense ministry guards.

When his commanding officer visited Britain, Cala gave him the ring but he brought it back saying he had no luck finding the owner. Finally, he appealed to a regional government official, who alerted the British embassy more than two years ago.

The story of the lost plane has finally come together.

A flight engineer, Sergeant John Thompson, and Joyce Mozley got married in June 1944 but only spent a weekend together before he was posted overseas. Thompson’s plane had dropped supplies to the Biza valley, but on turning west to return to Italy it clipped the top of the mountain and crashed, killing the crew.

After the war, Joyce remarried and then died in 1995.

At a recent ceremony in Albania’s Defense Ministry, Cala kneeled as he handed the ring to Thompson’s 92-year-old sister, Dorothy Webster, along with a fuel gauge from the aircraft and a piece of rock from the mountain that brought it down.

“Your brother helped to liberate my country. He will never be forgotten,” Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli told Webster.

“I remember him very well, as if it were yesterday,” Webster told Reuters, adding she was “overwhelmed ... getting all these keepsakes that we never thought we would ever get.”

Write an Essay; Win a House

Janice Sage is looking to give away

her county inn valued at $905,000.

And it can be yours—if you write the right essay with the right words on how you’d love to run the idyllic Maine inn. Don’t think you can win her over with your long-winded soliloquy of your qualifications. Entries should have no more than 200 words, says Sage, the owner of the Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant.

The creative hotelier launched the contest in January and estimates that she’ll receive as many as 7,500 entries

by May 17. Each entry comes with a price—a $125 fee—that with enough entries will cover the estimated value of the 210-year old facility, plus an additional $20,000 for the next owner.

“There are a lot of talented people that can’t, just can’t, go out and buy an inn like this,” Sage sagely said. “Now all they need to do is write and convince me.”

The hotel, together with a barn built in 1895 and other outbuildings, is located about 55 miles northwest of Portland and offers sweeping views of New Hampshire’s snow-capped mountains. She has run the inn for 22 years and will select the top 20 essays.

Those almost winning entries will be passed along to two unnamed local residents who will judge the finalists and select a winner.

The winner, though, will have to adhere to some stipulations: they must agree to operate the business for one year following transfer of ownership, and will keep the inn painted its traditional white, with green or black roofing and shutters—“inn-definitely.”

How did Sage come up with this amazing plan? Well, she actually took ownership of the Inn in 1993, after—you guessed it—she won a similar contest launched by the previous owner.

“I came here on angel’s wings,” she said. “I hope I can do the same for someone else.”

Make sure to inn-clude the following words in your essay: inn-teresting, inn-credible, inn-tense, and you’ve got yourself an in(n).

MARCH 12, 2015

flown by British WWII pilots supplying anti-fascist fighters in Albania set out on their mission; 12 returned to their base in Italy, one failed to discharge its load and one was assumed to be missing. For seven decades, that lone bomber was believed to be at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea. But last October, a British and U.S. team climbed 6,000 feet into the Albanian mountains to locate its wreckage, which had been spotted by a villager out collecting herbs.

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The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Sleman — a sleepy district near the Javanese city of Yogyakarta — comes with a fishpond, spacious backyard and a chance to ask 40-yearold owner Wina Lia for her hand in marriage.

The asking price is the rough equivalent of $76,500. “Buyers who don’t negotiate the price,” the ad says, “can ask the owner to marry (terms and conditions apply).”

In News

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

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Riddle!

You have a single scale with one pan. You have three bags of large gold coins with an unspecified number of coins in each bag.

One of the bags consists entirely of counterfeit coins weighing 55lb each. The other two bags contain all genuine coins weighing 50lb each. What is the minimum number of weighing operations you need to carry out before you can be certain of identifying the bag containing the counterfeit coins?

Answer on next page

THINGS I’LL MISS THE MOST ABOUT THE WINTER           

  

Licking random telephone poles to see if my tongue sticks to it.

Throwing on a coat to cover the meatball stains on my shirt.

Using melting salt when my soup is too bland.

Being able to instantly converse with anyone—“So it’s really cold outside, huh?”

Getting my daily exercise by simply scraping off my windshield.

Having a built-in excuse for always being late—“I was stuck in traffic...they must be filling potholes again!”

Feeling like I am living on the edge simply by going out for ice cream in the frigid temperature.

My weekly glove shopping…since I always manage to lose one glove every two days.

Eating cookies every night because the winter is made for comfort food.

Listening to my co-workers sniffle and worrying about catching their “not-so-bad pneumonia.”

Watching my kids eat snow (which they only do if it has been sufficiently trampled on first).

Having a natural fridge or freezer in my car.

Being reminded of the Liberty Bell every time I look at my hands.

Free ice skating when I slip and slide around on my driveway; free lawsuits when I slip and slide and fall on my neighbor’s driveway.

You Gotta be

Kidding!

Lucy is having a bad day at the roulette tables. Down to her last $100, completely exasperated, she cries, “What horrible luck! What in the world should I do now?”

A gentleman next to her, trying to calm her down a bit, calmly suggests, “I don’t know... Why don’t you play your age?”

He walks away. Moments later, he is intrigued to hear a great commotion at the roulette table. Maybe she won!

Rushing back to the table and pushing his way through the crowd, he is stunned to see Lucy lying limp on the floor, with the table operator kneeling over her.

He asks, “What happened? Is she all right?”

The operator replies, “I don’t know, buddy. She put all her money on 45. When 67 came up she fainted!”

Brain Teaser

Are the gray shadowy dots present at each intersection?

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Down 1. Born Erik Weisz in 1874, he went on to be a true escape artist and magician 2. Killer of JFK’s assassin 3. Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement 6. First president to be impeached by the House of Representatives 8. First national park in the U.S. 9. The novel that helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War 12. Prison on an island called “The Rock” Across 4. Official flower of March; they grow perennially in bulbs and are usually yellow 5. Shot in 1981, he declared, “Honey, I forgot to duck!”

10. His theory of relativity led to new ways of thinking about time, space, matter and energy 11. Dutch painter who sold only one painting during his lifetime and whose first painting is called The Potato Eaters 13. It’s finally here, after a long winter 14. Established as a civilian force by JFK 15. “You too?!”

16. General of the Union army

GO FUNNT Y?

Down 1.Houdini 2. Jack Ruby 3. Camp David Accord 6. Andrew Johnson 7. March Madness 8 Yellowstone 9 Uncle Tom’s Cabin 12. Alcatraz

Across 4. Daffodil 5. Ronald Reagan 10. Albert Einstein 11.Van Gogh 13. Spring 14. Peace Corps 15. Et tu Brute 16. Ulysses S. Grant

Comm Let the ission er dec

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ltimo o fivetow cenrteerjefowldis@hhom nsjewis hhome. e.com com

MARCH 12, 2015

7. College basketball tournament

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March Crossword Puzzle

35

ANSWER TO RIDDLE: Only one weighing operation is necessary. Take one coin from bag one, two coins from bag two and three coins from bag three. Weigh all six coins together. If they weigh 305lb, then the first bag contains the counterfeit coins. If they weigh 310lb, then the second bag contains the counterfeit coins. If they weigh 315lb, then bag three contains the counterfeit coins.

36

Going Nuclear

Netanyahu Attacks Obama’s Naiveté when it Comes to Iran

BY NACHUM SOROKA

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MARCH 12, 2015

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fter all the political posturing and fingerpointing, the faux humiliation and self-righteous protocol adherence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his thoughts to Congress on the looming treaty with Iran and left. His address may have been given directly to Congress—or at least to whomever chose to stay—but he spoke to the entire country. And it is ironic that the most open and clear presentation of the agreement between the rogue state and the United States to the American public was not given by a U.S. lawmaker, but by a foreign leader whose invitation to speak was more political exhibition than serious negotiation. In contrast to the Obama administration’s prevailing attitude of “we have to pass it in order to see what’s in it” and muddled responses to serious questions, Netanyahu laid out his case against the deal in simple, methodic terms.

President Obama’s response was a metaphorical shoulder shrug back.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s main points can

what will happen when Iran’s nuclear capabilities are virtually unrestricted and all the sanctions will have been lifted. Iran would then be free to build a huge nuclear capacity that could produce many, many nuclear bombs.”

The prime minister brought North Korea as a prime example of the ineptness of international inspectors to stop a country bent on obtaining nuclear weapons from obtaining them. “Inspectors document violations; they don’t stop them,” he pointed out. Like North Korea, Iran has a history of defying international agreements and just as North Korea threw out the UN inspectors from its nuclear facilities after a short while, there is nothing saying that Iran won’t do the same. This being besides the fact that there have been, and still very well may be, underground and undercover nuclear facilities in Iran that the world and Israel do not know about—and neither would the inspectors.

be distilled into two ideas: One, a deal that allows one of the biggest sponsors of world terror to keep its nuclear structure intact is not a deal at all, and two, that international supervision of a rogue state’s nuclear program—what the deal intends to accomplish—will not accomplish much in scaling back that state’s nuclear ambitions.

While the details of the negotiations are not public, the prime minister said that anyone with a Google account can learn that the deal under present discussion would permit the Iranian regime to continue operating—and expanding—its nuclear program, allowing it to get to the 190,000 centrifuges the Ayatollah has spoken about as the magic number for his nuclear objectives. Last week, President Obama conceded that whatever concession package the West was putting together with Iran would expire in ten years. Said Netanyahu, “Now, a decade may seem like a long time in political life, but it’s the blink of an eye in the life of a nation.

It’s a blink of an eye in the life of our children.”

He added, “We all have a responsibility to consider

“A decade may seem like a long time in political life, but it’s the blink of an eye in the life of a nation.”

P

resident Obama’s response to Bibi’s speech was not much of a response, as the prime minister himself already articulated most of the response in his address. The president did not bother to refute any of Netanyahu’s assertions, nor did he attempt to argue with any of his judgment.

Instead he said that the address presented “nothing new” and offered no real alternative to the deal un-

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most vociferous critics in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat. New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez, who escorted the prime minister to the Congress floor to speak last week, already co-sponsored a bill with Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois which would impose even tougher sanctions on Iran by July and co-sponsored a bill with Republican Senator Bob Corker which would require Congressional approval of any treaty the administration agrees to with Iran. The president has already threatened to veto these bills, but a changing public perception of the Iran situation may make it harder for him to do so, and a strong majority in the Senate would even make Menendez’s bills veto-proof.

I

t may be argued that the prime minister’s speech had the opposite of its intended effect in a different part of the world: Iran. Current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been facing opposition by hardliners in Iran to his discussions with the West who feel that he is being too moderate and capitulatory regarding the country’s nuclear ambitions.

Netanyahu’s warning to the world about these talks has helped Rouhani claim against the hardliners in his country that he is not being too compromising to the West. Iran’s real leader, Ayatollah Khameini, is using Netanyahu’s objections as proof to the vulnerable position his country has backed Israel into. “Increasing global hatred of #Israel is a sign of divine help. Today Israel is more isolated & its supporters are more embattled #ShutDownAIPAC,” he tweeted last week.

Regardless of whether Israel feels vulnerable, Netanyahu finished off his address with the promise that if the U.S. is unwilling to stand up to a nuclear Iran, Israel is unafraid to go it alone. “We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves. This is why – this is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand,”

was his closing message to Congress.

Earlier in the week a Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Jarida, reported that in 2014 President Obama threatened to shoot down Israeli planes after John Kerry was informed that the IAF was planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Both the U.S. and Israel

“I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them.” denied the report, and Netanyahu reiterated in his speech to Congress that he was not advocating a military operation against Iran by the Wes. If all other options are off the table, though, the prime minister made it clear that Israel does not feel inhibited.

It is reported that after the prime minister’s address House Majority Leader John Boehner presented him with a bust of Winston Churchill as a not so subtle hint to which current leaders are acting on the right side of history. Prime Minister Netanyahu compared himself last week to Queen Esther who refused to be silent while her nation was facing death. As people who know better than to put our faith in human beings, let us hope that all crisis will be obviated all too soon. 

MARCH 12, 2015

D

id Netanyahu accomplish what he set out originally to do? Aside from the leftistcamp opinion that the prime minister’s goal was to boost his own poll numbers back home (for which they self-righteously did not abet by boycotting the speech), Netanyahu’s motivation for disrupting the White House agenda is not completely clear. Even whether his government was complicit in John Boehner’s political scheming is a matter of dispute between the Israelis and the Obama administration among media outlets. But it should be obvious that in no way did the Israeli prime minister feel that his speech to a Republican Congress would have any positive effect on the president’s administration’s plans with Iran.

Netanyahu’s stated goal was not to shape anyone’s opinion about the deal. Last week he repeated both during, before and after the speech that as the world’s leader of the Jewish people, he has a moral obligation to speak out on its behalf. “As prime minister of Israel, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them. For 2,000 years, my people, the Jewish people, were stateless, defenseless, voiceless,” he told listeners at the AIPAC Convention last week.

But whether that was Netanyahu’s sole intention in addressing Congress or not, the ancillary benefit of his visit was the opportunity it afforded him to shape the opinion of an American public who mostly did not have much of a clue about what an Iranian deal would include or mean to the world—until now. Netanyahu was able to lay out in clear, layman’s terms why the deal we are being sold is not only not optimal, but is foolish as well. Aside from the griping about Netanyahu’s “condescending” tone by some Democrat top brass, the prime minister’s speech was well-received and his points were heard across the Western world. He may not have won over anyone in Washington to his side, but he has forced them to answer some tough questions and publicly yield on some issues (for what that’s worth). This week, President Obama told CBS’s Face the Nation, “If we cannot verify that they are not going to obtain a nuclear weapon, that there’s a breakout period so that even if they cheated we would be able to have enough time to take action—if we don’t have that kind of deal, then we’re not going to take it.”

By offering his view to the U.S. public, Netanyahu also provided ammunition to the president’s

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der negotiation, something that the prime minister proclaimed in his speech as the only possible—and flawed—logic a Western country could have in negotiating such terms.

Obama insists that this deal is the only one so far that Iran is willing to discuss and that that in itself should be good enough reason to move forward with it. But Netanyahu argued that dealing with Iran, the country, at the nuclear negotiation table is no different than dealing with an Iranian vendor at a Persian bazaar. One has to be willing to allow the other side to walk away and “call their bluff. They’ll be back, because they need the deal a lot more than you do.”

All told, it would appear that the president is willing to concede with a nation who he agrees as having deadly intentions because his critics are not saying anything new or offering any magic bullets. And all for ten years’ quiet—at most.

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Notable Notable Quotes

Quotes

Compiled

by Nate Davis Compiled

by Nate Davis

“Say“Say What?” What?”

A developer has created a zerogravity martini glass, which promises to let astronauts drink cocktails in space without spilling.

Our astronauts are drinking?

Guys, the first step is admitting to Houston that you have a problem.

– Seth Myers President Obama said he wants the United States to establish an embassy in Cuba

by April. When asked if Cuba would establish an embassy here, Obama said, “What do you call Miami?”

– Jimmy Fallon

Jeb Bush is getting his presidential campaign in gear. Last week he said he supports a path to citizenship for immigrants.

He said, “I believe in an America where hard work and dedication can lead to any job that your brother and dad once had.”

– Conan O’Brien

Today is my least favorite day of the year. It’s the Monday after daylight saving time starts. It throws me completely out of whack. I don’t know why they do this.

Even if it is necessary—which it isn’t—why do we have to spring forward all at once?

Can’t we tippy-toe forward one minute a day over two months?

– Jimmy Kimmel I still haven’t adjusted the clocks in my house. I’ll need four to six weeks. We can send a satellite to Mars, yet we cannot have a microwave that automatically adjusts its clock.

- Jimmy Kimmel

Hillary Clinton used a private email account to conduct official state business.

Experts say that if this violates any federal rules, then she . . . will still be president.

– Jimmy Fallon

During his speech in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly referred to Congress as “my friends.” It was a move that had many in Congress Googling the word “friend.”

–Seth Myers

Since Obama is the godfather of the prefabricated revolutions in the Arab world, and since he is the ally of political Islam, [which is] the caring mother of [all] the terrorist organizations, and since he is working to sign an agreement with Iran that will come at the expense of the U.S.’s longtime allies in the Gulf, I am very glad of Netanyahu’s firm stance and [his decision] to speak against the nuclear agreement at the American Congress despite the Obama administration’s anger and fury.

–Dr. Ahmad Al-Faraj writing in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Jazeera It is extremely rare for any reasonable person to ever agree with anything Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says or does… However, one must admit, Bibi did get it right, at least when it came to dealing with Iran… What is absurd, however, is that despite this being perhaps the only thing that brings together Arabs and Israelis (as it threatens them all), the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation is President Obama, who is now infamous for being the latest penpal of the Supreme Leader of the world’s biggest terrorist regime: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

– From an article on Al Arabiya’s website by Faisal J. Abbas, titled, “President Obama Listen to Netanyahu on Iran”

I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among six-year-olds. So I decided to eat like a six-year-old. It’s the safest course I can take.

- Warrant Buffett explaining to Fortune Magazine why he drinks five cans of Coca Cola every day and often eats ice cream for breakfast When it comes to defending the U.S.-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone–not Israel’s political enemies, and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong. As long as I have an ounce of fight left in me, as long as I have a vote and a say and a chance to protect the interest of Israel, the region, and the national security interests of the United States, Iran will never have a pathway to a weapon.

- Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) speaking at the AIPAC Convention one day before the Justice Department announced criminal charges against him after a year-long investigation The timing is curious. This investigation has been going on for over a year and yet the very week they announce a pending indictment comes within hours after Sen. Menendez showing courage to speak out against President Obama’s dangerous foreign policy that is risking the national security of this country.

- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) discussing the pending charges against Sen. Robert Menendez

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In 36 years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them.

- Vice President Joe Biden responding to the Republicans’ letter to Iran Joe Biden, as Barack Obama’s own secretary of defense has said, has been wrong about nearly every foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years. Moreover, if Joe Biden respects the dignity of the institution of the Senate he should be insisting that the president submit any deal to approval of the Senate, which is exactly what he did on numerous deals during his time in the Senate.

– Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who spearheaded the letter, responding to criticism from Vice President Biden We now know that the crime they say is at the root of terrorism was not committed by Arabs or Muslims at all. They say the World Trade buildings were brought down by carefully placed explosives, not by planes. It is now becoming apparent that there were many Israelis and Zionist Jews in key roles in the 9/11 attacks… We’re dealing with thieves, liars and murderers. Listen to this. We know that many Israelis were arrested immediately after the attack, but quickly released and sent to Israel. We know that many Jews received a text message not to come to work September 11. Who sent that message that kept them from showing up? … It now appears 9/11 was a false flag operation, which is an attack from one country but made to appear like an attack from another in order to start a war between them. Is this what friendship is?

– Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in a sermon last week

Joe Biden will speak to … a human rights convention on Friday. Then on Saturday, he is scheduled to speak to them again to apologize for whatever he said in Friday’s speech.

- Jimmy Fallon

The world’s oldest person turned 117 today. And she celebrated the same way she did last year — by driving her car into somebody’s living room.

- Seth Myers

Yesterday was not only daylight saving time, but also International Women’s Day. What better way to address the issue of inequality for women than giving them a day that’s missing an hour.

– David Letterman Yesterday, the Supreme Court spent over an hour listening to arguments on whether Obamacare is unconstitutional. Yeah, listening to arguments about Obamacare for an hour, or as most people call that, “Thanksgiving dinner.”

– Jimmy Fallon

It seemed rather short.

– The world’s oldest person, Misao Okawas, when asked at her birthday party how it feels to have lived for 117 years so far

Forbes released its annual list of billionaires. Once again the richest person on the planet, with $79.2 billion, is Bill Gates. To put that into perspective, that’s enough money to never have to drink tap water at a restaurant ever again.

– Jimmy Kimmel

I was near tears throughout the prime minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5+1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.

- From the written statement released by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) immediately after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress

A Chinese family was kicked off a flight to Hong Kong because their 3-year-old wouldn’t sit in his seat. As a result, the 3-year-old missed his first day of work.

– Conan O’Brien

WARNING: I DO DUMB THINGS. - Message on the shirt of Luciano Gutierrez, 66, as he was busted for his ninth DWI in Texas

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MARCH 12, 2015

I think it is somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with hardliners in Iran. It is an unusual coalition.

- President Obama responding to the Republicans attempting to thwart his negotiations with the Iranians

The new Apple Watch is out…Hillary Clinton could use one of these Apple Watches. She could hook it up to her secret email account. If you want to contact Hillary, she’s at hillary@pantsuit.com.

– David Letterman

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We will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.

- From a letter signed by 47 Republican senators to the government of Iran explaining to them that President Obama’s unilateral agreement with them may not be binding in the future

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

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Forgotten Heroes

82

Avi Heiligman

The Bravery of Max Guedj

A

t the beginning of World War loyal to the Allies. Over the next four II the Germans only looked years much of France’s military might eastward and quickly subdued changed loyalties from Vichy to Free Poland before the onset of winter in France. Many French soldiers took part 1939. That winter was called the Pho- in the invasion of Normandy in June ny War as Germany 1944 and recaptured waited until May 1940 Paris later in the year. to attack Western EuThese soldiers served rope. France, Belgium, in separate units in Holland and England the British 12th Army.

There were even Free all had declared war French airborne comon Germany but didn’t mandos that parachutattack. Finally, in one ed in with the advance of their patented blitztroops as part of the krieg campaigns, Gerlandings. many gained control During this time over most of the contithe Allies slowly nent except Great Britgained control of the ain and a few neutral skies—first over Engcountries (SwitzerA brave hero, Max Guedj land and then over land, Sweden, Spain Europe. Daring pilots and Portugal). Many of the soldiers fighting the Germans es- were in short supply and many airmen caped to England where several coun- from occupied countries volunteered to tries organized governments in exile serve. Max Guedj was one of those pito fight the occupying Nazis. The Free lots, even though he was from a French French became the most well-known protectorate. He was born in 1913 and because they contributed a lot of man- was a considered a French national by power towards the Allied cause. Free birth. Coming from a family of lawyers, Frenchmen served in all branches of Max studied law in Paris and became the military and many were decorated an accomplished lawyer. Interestingly heroes by the war’s end. One of these enough, he lived for short periods of fighters was a Jewish Tunisian fighting time in Germany, Russia and the U.S. In for the French named Jean Max Mau- 1938, Max obtained a private pilot’s license and a year later was inducted into rice Guedj.

France surrendered to Germany in the French Army as an infantryman. the summer of 1940 and a puppet gov- After France capitulated, he joined the ernment called Vichy France took con- Royal Air Force in England as a student trol. However, under General Charles pilot.

After finishing pilot training, he was De Gaulle many servicemen were still

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assigned to Coastal Command to protect the borders and convoys coming in and out of England.

Guedj’s plane was a Bristol Beufighter and he later piloted a De Havilland Mosquito, which were both hybrid fighterbombers and workhorses of the RAF. It was in a A Bristol Beaufighter Beufighter that he took part in an important raid that dam- moted to wing commander which was aged a German capital ship, the heavy a rare honor for a foreigner in the RAF. After his tour of duty was up in cruiser Prinz Eugen. On May 17, 1942, 46 British planes attacked the ship and 1944, Guedj was assigned to be an input her out of commission for several structor but still routinely went up on months. Guedj made three passes over combat missions. He took part in many the cruiser fighting off antiaircraft fire operations including covering the Norand returned to base safely even though mandy invasion. Many of his heroics may never be known as they weren’t all his plane was rife with bullet holes.

These were uncertain times for the written down.

Sadly, his flying career came to a Allies stationed in Great Britain as the Germans pounded the country with tragic end on January 15, 1945. Guedj seemingly endless bomber raids. It was was flying his Mosquito on an attack up to the tireless air force to fend off of a 6,000 ton tanker off the coast of these attacks. Guedj continued serving Norway. After significantly damaging with Coastal Command and made up to it, they found themselves the target of a three patrols a day. Attacking moving dozen German fighters. Max Guedj and boats from the air with unguided bombs his British navigator, Flight Lieutenant is difficult but he had to attack small Langley, were shot down and there was boats that could disappear under the no trace of them after the battle. Four water in about a minute—submarines. other Mosquitoes were shot down in the German U-boat submarines prowled raid as well.

Servicemen and women who gave off the coast looking for any ships or convoys bringing in vital supplies. their lives so that world could be free Guedj was assigned to these patrols of tyrants are never forgotten. The story and in 1943 was awarded two Distin- of Max Guedj is extraordinary given his guished Flying Crosses for “his quiet background. For a Tunisian-born Jew to and unassuming attitude … [his] ex- fight with the Free French in England was unusual. The dedication he put into ceptional zeal to fly and fight are a protecting England and wonderful example fighting to rid France for all those around of the Nazis was him.” Guedj also rethe story of many ceived a DSO (Disforgotten heroes of tinguished Service World War II. Order) and many French medals for his bravery in the air. Several times Avi Heiligman is a his plane was shot weekly contributor to up yet he managed The Jewish Home. He to bring it back to welcomes your combase to fly another ments and suggestions. time. He even manfor future columns aged to shoot down and can be reached at a Junkers 88 over aviheiligman@gmail. the Bay of Biscay. In com.

1944, Guedj was pro- A plaque in the Liberation Museum in Paris in memory of Max Guedj

98

41

Health & Fitness

David Elazar Simai, MD

• One of the most common complications of diarrhea is dehydration.

• Children and adults with diarrhea cannot digest milk normally and therefore could have more pain and loose stools when they eat dairy products.

• Patients with diarrhea lose large amount of salt and water (electrolytes) in their stools, so do not try to re-hydrate them with just plain water.

How Should I Treat my Child?

1. Feed your child the “BRAT” diet—Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast 2. Hydrate well with Pedialyte (if not available, try Gatorade, Powerade or Vitamin Water) to replenish the lost electrolytes.

3. Chicken soup broth, crackers and saltines can be helpful.

4. Avoid milk at all costs.

5. Yogurt may help; the probiotics found in yogurt can stop the diarrhea faster.

6. Probiotics can be purchased over the counter at your pharmacy if your child cannot tolerate yogurt.

7. Avoid greasy or fried foods.

8. Avoid acidic foods like fruits, tomato sauce, and pizza. They will often lead to bleeding diaper rashes.

9. Change your child’s diapers often to prevent diaper rash.

10. Use Vaseline, A & D Ointment, Buttpaste, Desitin or Balmex after air drying the diaper area.

11. Avoid wiping the diaper area with wipes to keep the skin intact. Use lukewarm water instead to clean the area.

If Your Child Starts to Vomit: • If they vomit once: stop giving solid foods and start giving sips of Pedialyte or Gatorade.

• If the vomiting repeats a few times, sit next to your child for an hour or two and give one teaspoon of Pedialyte every five minutes – not faster! This way, your child

will absorb all the fluids before they have a chance to vomit again.

This step is the most important one.

• After successful, slow hydration for a few hours, if your child would like, try to give her crackers or saltines and if she tolerates this, you could advance the diet further.

• If your child continues to vomit despite having five minute breaks between sips, call your doctor.

She may be severely dehydrated and may need intravenous fluids.

With the slow hydration technique (and of course G-d’s constant help) I manage to prevent the vast majority of patients from severe dehydration. It’s amazing to see how in about an hour, a lethargic child who came to my office vomiting half a dozen times could drink a cup of Gatorade we gave him (slowly), perk up and leave the office smiling.

If the virus has hit your household, try and use good hand washing practices especially before mealtime in order to limit spreading the virus.

Having said that, I hope that with spring around the corner your children won’t bring any of these circulating stomach viruses home. The spring tends to bring a wave of especially bad stomach viruses…and April showers and flowers.

Sincerely, David Elazar Simai, M.D. Dr. David Simai is a Board Certified Pediatrician from the Five Towns. He is a full time attending in his own private practice since 2007 in Cedarhurst, New York. In addition, he is an Attending Physician at LIJCohen Children’s Hospital, North-Shore Manhasset University Hospital and South Nassau Communities Hospital. He can be contacted for consultation at 516 374-2228 or via email at davidsimai@yahoo.com.

NOTE: name, gender, geographical area and other identifying information were deliberately altered in this article in order to protect the patient’s privacy. This article is not intended to help diagnose or treat any specific disease. Always consult your personal physician before diagnosing or treating yourself or your child for any of the above mentioned illnesses.

MARCH 12, 2015

Dear Readers, Dealing with diarrhea seems to be a perennial issue. When I am asked by concerned parents, “Is there a stomach virus going around this week?” I usually reply, “Yes, there is a stomach virus going around almost every week of the year.”

In order to make everyone familiar with the basic causes and my treatment approach for children with diarrhea, I decided to share with you a recent handout that I created for my patients.

• Most cases of diarrhea are viral in nature and can present along with fevers and vomiting.

• Infectious diarrhea could easily last two weeks.

• Dangerous diarrhea strains such as salmonella or shigella usually presents with high fevers and bloody diarrhea.

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Dealing with a Loose Stomach

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Real Estate Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder VacancyFillers.com

TOOLS AND MATERIALS - Coil brush - Vacuum with attachments - Soft cloths - Rubbing alcohol - Vinegar - Dishwashing detergent - Warm water - Sponge - Toothbrush - Baking soda STEP 1 Start by unplugging the fridge.

Next, locate the condenser coils; these may be on the back of the unit or on its bottom side. If the coils are on the back, pull the unit away from the wall and then use a coil brush (a tool well worth its low cost) to free whatever dust and dirt has accumulated there.

If the coils are on the bottom of the fridge, you need not go through the trouble of moving the appliance, but you do have to hunker down so as to manipulate the coil brush toward the target area. In either case, sweep up or vacuum all the stuff you’re brushing has brought to light—there may be quite a bit, if you haven’t cleaned the coils before.

STEP 2 Empty the refrigerator of all contents and put them aside. In the pro-

cess of doing so, take the opportunity to purge any items that are past their expiration date. When it comes to choosing a cleaning solution, you may prefer something store-bought, but the following homemade version works well, too. Mix 1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and warm water into a spray bottle. Add in a few drops of dish detergent, then shake it up. While the alcohol and vinegar cut through tough stains, the detergent works to eliminate grease and disinfect. It’s a potent cleaning cocktail, to be sure, but using it won’t make you want to retch.

STEP 3

STEP 4 Start at the top and work your way down, spraying the back and side walls along with any fixed-in-place shelving. Use the sponge to scrub any areas with stubborn food residue, and follow up with a paper towel to clean up the excess spray. Where crevices have collected crumbs, use an old toothbrush or a similar tool. Pay special attention to where the drawers sit,

more than once, as they are likely to harbor both finger smudges and germs. Note that if yours is a stainless steel appliance, special cleaning techniques apply. Do not use any product that contains bleach, and shy away from any abrasive scrubbing pads that might leave scratches behind. Opt instead for a damp, soapy washcloth.

For extra firepower, mix together baking soda and liquid dish soap, then apply the paste with a nylon scrubby. As a last step, wipe away all remaining suds with a damp towel.

STEP 6 Plug the refrigerator back in and refill it. Your appliance is now in tiptop shape!

Additional Notes It’s best to clean the refrigerator coils every few months, even if the visible parts of the refrigerator look more or less clean. If you find the refrigerator isn’t getting cold enough, dirty coils are likely to blame.

Take out any shelves or drawers that are removable, place them on the counter, and clean them one by one in the sink. Spray each with your cleaning cocktail, then scrub with a sponge.

Once you’ve cleaned one, rinse it off and move to the next. As they all airdry, proceed to cleaning the inside of the fridge.

and don’t forget to address the pocket panels on the door. Finish by tackling the door edges as well as the door seal (go gentle on the latter).

STEP 5 Now it’s time to clean the refrigerator exterior. Spray and wipe it down on all sides; go over the door handles

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MARCH 12, 2015

As the only home appliance to host a rotating population of mess-making foods, it’s no wonder the refrigerator ranks as the quickest of all to get seriously grimy. Within only a week, splatters and drips, leakage and smells take hold and compromise, not only the appearance of your fridge (and your mood upon opening it), but also its energy efficiency. That means a fridge you haven’t cleaned is a fridge that’s costing you more than it should on your monthto-month energy bills. So if you were looking for a reason to clean the refrigerator, you’ve finally got one—money! To do a thorough job it, follow the simple series of steps detailed below.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

6 Steps to Clean a Refrigerator

46

Your Money

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

You Taxin’ Me?

A

ctor Robert DeNiro has played some of the most compelling characters in movie history: the schizophrenic exmarine Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, the young mob boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, the Chicago bootlegger Al Capone in The Untouchables, the “gentleman” gangster Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, and the shrewd bookmaker “Ace” Rothstein in Casino. He’s accumulated seven Oscar nominations for his work (including two wins), along with nine Golden Globe nods (two wins), dozens of other awards, and even a star turn as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club Man of the Year.

But DeNiro is more than just an actor. He’s also a shrewd businessman and entrepreneur. He’s co-founded the TriBeCa Productions studio and TriBeCa Film Festival and partnered with successful real estate and restaurant developers throughout the city. He’s even starred in “I Love NY” commercials promoting Hudson Valley tourism. (If Travis Bickle were still driving today — perhaps for Uber? — he wouldn’t recognize the streets. Ironically, DeNiro is partly responsible for that cleanup!) DeNiro’s business ventures have given him a $200 million net worth. And for a brief moment last month, they led to a $6.4 million back tax bill.

This isn’t the first time DeNiro has made news for his taxes. His first fight involved a 98-acre compound he owns in the Hudson Valley town of Gardiner, which the New York Times reports includes a house, “two guesthouses; a 14,000-square foot barn converted into a recreation center with a full gym, a swimming pool, boxing ring and film production suites; another barn turned into offices; tennis courts; and a ski slope.” In 2006, the trustees controlling the property sued the town to lower the assessed value, which was pegged at $6 million. The trustees argued it was worth $4 million, while the town countered it was actually worth closer to $9 million.

The town won and the trust’s lawyers appealed that decision. But by that point, the town’s legal bills dwarfed the extra tax they stood to collect, and the town’s residents were turning against DeNiro. (It may not have been quite like how Jimmy Conway turned against Henry Hill in Goodfellas, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant.) When DeNiro learned the trust’s lawyers had filed their appeal, he threw a fit that would have made Travis Bickle proud, withdrew the suit, and ordered his accountant to reimburse the town for $129,000 in legal fees.

DeNiro’s latest tax issue involves our

friends at the IRS, with even more money at stake. Last month, the IRS filed a lien to collect $6,410,449.20 the actor owed on his 2013 personal return. That amount naturally includes interest and penalties that accumulated over time, but it had to be a big bill to start out with!

Fortunately for everyone involved, DeNiro’s latest tax caper has a happy ending. That’s refreshing, considering how many of the characters he plays end up dead or in prison. His spokesman re-

61 Allan J. Rolnick, CPA

ported that the IRS bills had been “sent to an old address,” and once the actor learned about the debt, “he had a check for the full amount hand-delivered to the IRS” the next morning. Apparently it’s good to be worth $200 million — even if you have so many addresses the IRS can’t find the right one to send the bills!

Hollywood’s brightest stars aren’t generally known for their financial smarts. DeNiro is an exception to that rule, but his success still hasn’t guaran-

teed him an easy time with the tax man.

That’s why it’s so important to have the right advisors on your side, advocates who can help you pay the least amount possible with the least hassle possible.

And that process starts with a plan. Make sure you have one—even before you’re ready for your star turn!

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

Life Coach

63 Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

S

who knows someone….

And now, you people “in the parsha,” so to speak—meaning you have kids dating, Don’t, I repeat, don’t just worry about your own child.

You know the saying, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans!” Meaning while you put your effort in for someone else, often someone breathes a little life into your child’s world. (No, don’t ignore your child, they always need you, but don’t ignore someone else’s either.)

Now, how about you moms who have a bunch of sons? Very often it feels freeing, right? ‘Cause they say boys have it easier. Well, here’s the truth: not all boys! And here’s the second truth, those boys who have it easy now may have girls in the next genera-

tion. So make your effort now for others and maybe G-d will make it easy for your granddaughters!

You may not be good at it!

You may not make it happen!

You may not know who is right for who!

But whatever age you are, whatever stage you are at, just take on the challenge! Make the effort! And you will be a success! ‘Cause fixing them up is your goal—not marrying them off. That’s their job and their challenge of the week!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach.

She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

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MARCH 12, 2015

Fixing someone up is an effort!

Don’t you go to enough lectures to know whether it works or not is not in your hands? Who’s running the world, anyway?!

Here’s another common statement people make when asked to fix people up: “I would but I don’t know anyone!” You are kidding, right?!

You must know someone! You are not living on a deserted desert island are

you?!

And guess what? That someone may know someone, who knows someone, etc. Get it?! You do not have to know a single someone personally. You just have to have it on your agenda to ask the people you do know who they know. Everyone eventually knows a single guy or girl.

People complain about the shidduch crisis. Well, here’s the challenge: stop complaining and do something about it! This week! Try to make one match. Whether you’re 8, 18 or 80 you know people.

An 8-year-old camper who loved his counselor, told his grandparents about him and his grandparents took him seriously and met the counselor.

Now the counselor is married to their grandchild. No, not to the 8-year-old – their 18-year-old granddaughter.

Friends should fix up friends; people of dating age know the most people their age. Often kids get married and claim, “I only know married people now!” or “All of my friends are married already.” Well, even those married people have friends, siblings, business associates. Remember the saying you heard as a toddler, “Use your words,” well use them...and ask people who they know. You were single once. Don’t forget the people who are single now.

Now what about you older marrieds who say, “My kids are too young,” “I only know people with little kids,” “I’m not up to that yet.” I’ve got good news for you—your kids will grow up! I’ve got bad news for you—your kids will be part of the shidduch scene one day! Think expansively now! Ask people about single sisters or brothers they have—nephews, nieces, people in shul. It’s like six degrees of separation. If you just start talking everyone knows someone

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

This Week’s Challenge o you know how people often say, “I’m really not good at it!” Well, let me tell you something, there are certain things we still want you to do even if you are not good at it—like help clean the table, or shovel the driveway, or pick someone up at the train station. These are not things we really need someone to be good at; you just need to be willing to get involved or make the effort.

Well, here’s another request people answer “I’m just not good at” to, and it’s “Why don’t you try fixing someone up?” Like what exactly do they mean? Are they afraid they won’t know who will like who? Who does?!

People who chose their mates directly apparently think they are “good at it.” After all, they ask for no help.

Besides “I’m not good at it,” here’s another common statement people use to avoid helping with a fix up. “I have tried but I haven’t been successful.” Oh, so are you always successful? I mean, didn’t you ever shoot for a basket and miss? Is that a reason to quit? It’s part of how the experience works: you miss some, you make some! It’s the effort that’s important.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 12, 2015

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112

Double the Fun! TJH Interviews the Twins from France

BY TAMAR SULLIVAN

TS: Hi, thank you for speaking with us today!

First of all, everyone knows you as the “Twins from France,” but what are your individual names?

YG: My name is Yisrael Gourion and my brother’s name is Yaakov. It’s funny because they are two different names for the same person. My parents did it purposely.

That makes your act that much better! How did you first start out becoming the performers you are today?

When we were 15, we were in yeshiva in Paris.

We were not allowed to play sports, but we wanted a break from learning during recess, so my brother and I started practicing juggling. I also had a unicycle in my closet in the dormitory, so we started performing casually for our friends and we got better and better.

What came next?

After a few years in Paris, we went to yeshiva in Bnei Brak. By then, we were very good at juggling and doing all kinds of tricks. In Bnei Brak, when the bochurim finish learning each night, they go to wedding halls together to eat and dance. There are over 20 wedding halls there. My brother and I always went together to wedding halls and we used to join the dancing and started doing some of our tricks. They turned into shows. People loved it.

When people started asking us to come to their weddings and bar mitzvahs, we started to charge. Our first show was 100 shekels, and by the time we left Bnei Brak three years later, we were charging at some

places 1,000 shekels. We usually did three or four shows every single night.

What happened next?

After Chabad bochurim learn in Bnei Brak, they usually go to learn at 770 in New York. We hesitated because we didn’t want to lose the business we just

“Chabad and Satmar don’t always see eye to eye, but that night, there was so much achdut.” built up. But our rebbeim said that we should go, so we left everything. When we got to Crown Heights, we started over. We started going to simchas and performing for free. People were amazed and began hiring us again. The demand was even greater in America. The bracha followed us from Eretz Yisroel.

What is your favorite performance?

Juggling fire.

Sounds scary! How did you learn?

First we became experts at juggling. Then slowly, slowly we tried juggling fire and practiced together. I was scared at first, but my brother and I helped each other.

What is your most memorable experience as a performer?

One thing that is very special is when I do bikur cholim and go visit and entertain kids in the hospital.

Another very memorable experience was when someone called us one day to come do a sheva brachot in Williamsburg. When we got there, we found out it was the nephew of the Admor of Satmar. There were 5,000 people there! They asked us to do the entire show on the tisch – the table. It was very stressful and we felt so much pressure, but it turned out so nice. It was a big hit for us. Chabad and Satmar don’t always see eye to eye, but that night, there was so much achdut. It was incredible.

Do you have any embarrassing moments from any of your performances?

Sometimes we have a performance idea that doesn’t turn out the way we expect it to, but we don’t let it stop us.

Once in Bnei Brak, we were doing a show for a wedding and a slightly drunk man wanted to join our acrobatics. He did a somersault while I was doing a handstand, and he accidentally hit me and twisted my hand. One of my bones came out of its socket. I pushed it back in and continued performing. It came

113 49

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 12, 2015

out again, so I put it back in once more, but it was so painful that I fainted. When I woke up, I went home to bandage myself, while my brother left to go do the next two shows by himself. After I sat at home for a while, I decided to join him and just stay off of my hand – and I did. I had to let it heal for the next two months, but I didn’t stop performing.

Where do you and your brother perform now?

I live in Crown Heights, and my brother returned to Israel. For chagim, my brother and I are together wherever we decide to go to do events and shows. For weddings and simchas, I do the shows myself now.

How do your parents feel about your work?

Our parents don’t know about it…

Just joking! They were the ones who pushed us in the beginning. We used to be very shy, but our parents encouraged us a lot and even paid us to get out there and do some acrobatic shows when we were younger.

What is your family like?

We are nine children total. My father is a doctor, and my mother is a piano teacher. My twin brother Yaakov and I don’t play piano because we never sat still growing up. We were always running off to play sports and be outside. Now we regret it a little bit.

Do your siblings ever join?

Siblings come watch the show when they can, but they aren’t part of it.

How and when did you start making DVDs? Well, we began making some YouTube videos for fun. We got thousands of views, which surprised us, so we decided to make a DVD. We started our first video three years ago in China when a Chabad shliach brought us over there to do a show. We were there for four days, so in our free time between performances, we shot the footage. We brought it back to America, made it into a DVD, and got it in the stores. Two years later, we made our second DVD in America.

Tell me about the brand new DVD that was just released.

It’s called The Twins from France Off-Line. It’s a nice collection of our YouTube videos. We’d rather make a DVD of all of our clips than have people put

their children in front of YouTube, so that is one reason why we made this video.

Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us! Keep on making people happy with your acrobatics and stunts—can’t wait to see you next time you come to town!

The Twins from France can be reached at (347) 534-6045 or at thetwinsfromfrance@gmail.com. 

MARCH 12, 2015

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100

In The Kitchen

Naomi Nachman

Fresh Fish for Pesach I

am constantly challenged to come up with new ideas for Pesach. I try to create original, delicious

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

recipes with fresh new ideas for my clients as well as for my family. These recipe are a really big

hit with my tasters (i.e. my family, who are my biggest critics!).

Nut Crusted Salmon with Creamy Chrain Sauce The marriage of flavors and textures between the kick of the creamy chrain and the crunchy, salty and sweet nut mixture makes this dish a real winner.

Ingredients 1/8 cup red horseradish 1/8 cup mayonnaise 1 cup shelled salted pistachios ½ cup brown sugar 2 tablespoon lemon juice 2 pounds salmon fillet (one whole side of a salmon)

Directions Mix the horseradish and mayonnaise together in a small bowl.

Place the salmon on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the mixture over the fish and set aside.

In a food processor, crush the nuts until they are coarsely ground but not too fine. Add in the brown sugar and lemon juice and mix until it looks like wet sand. Pat the nut mixture on top of salmon and bake for 25 minutes at 350°.

Sweet and Sour Tilapia

Middle Eastern White Fish

This recipe is very family friendly, doubles easily and freezes well. You can use salmon as well.

This recipe bursts with Israeli flavors. If you like it spicy, add more cayenne pepper. It’s delicious hot or cold. You can also use tilapia or salmon.

Ingredients 1-2 pounds tilapia cut in half lengthwise ½ cup matzah meal (gebrochts, optional) Salt and pepper Oil for pan searing 2 onions, cut into rings 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup ketchup ¾ cup brown sugar Pinch cinnamon 1 can pineapple chunks with syrup 4 carrots, sliced into rings 1 tablespoon potato starch 2 cups water, divided Directions Rinse the fish, then pat dry. Mix the matzah meal together with salt and pepper. Dip fish in mix and shake off excess. If you are not using matzah meal, just salt and pepper the fish.

Heat oil in a frying pan and pan-sear the fish until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Slice the onions thinly and sauté with garlic until soft. Add ketchup, pinch cinnamon, brown sugar, can of pineapple chunks with the liquid, and ½ the water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the potato starch and remaining water until all clumps are dissolved and add to simmering sauce. Bring back to boil until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place fish in casserole dish. Pour sauce over fish and bake for 15 minutes at 350°.

Ingredients 8 slices white fish 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 gloves garlic, minced, or 4 cubes from frozen package 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, or 6 cubes from frozen package 1 plum tomato, diced 14oz can tomato sauce Kosher salt to taste Water

Directions Heat a large sauté pan for a minute and then add oil. Add onion and sauté until soft.

Place fish fillets on top of mixture. Cook for a few minutes and turn to coat other side and cook for another 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, cilantro or parsley, plum tomato, tomato sauce, and salt. Pour over fish in sauté pan. Add enough water to cover fish (not more than 8 ounces). Cook for another 15 minutes until fish is cooked through.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website,www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 12, 2015

By: Stew the Jew (AKA.Stuart Goldberg)

What do you call (it) when....

1. This famous Jewish comedian traveled to this area of Great Britain? Soupy S__________ went to W____________ 2. This famous psychologist got perturbed?

Sigmund F_____________ was A_____________ 3. This most prestigious Jewish professional monitored an exam? The D__________ was a P_________

8. The Jewish bride spent 100 cents on her wedding gown?

The K___________ spent a D___________ 9. A small Jewish ritual garb used on Yom Kippur and other times ? A L_________ K_______ 10. This famous Jewish actor did a pitching boo-boo while playing baseball? Peter F__________ committed a B___________ 11. Adam and Eve’s son erected a place to eat?

A___________ built a T____________

12. A person who had Chanukkah money on something 4. A Hebrew Mom who gave a speech on the stage? used to hold up his/her pants? He/She wore Chanukkah (I________ spoke on the B___________ G___________ on his/her B___________ 5. A strange Hebrew city? A Q___________ I_______ 6. This famous Jewish pitcher transmitted a not-so-quick message? Sandy K____________ sent a S_____ F____ 7. The first woman was prescribed this pain killer?

E___________ took __________

(ʇ‫ן‬ǝq ˙˙˙˙˙ʇ‫ן‬ǝƃ) ˙21 (ǝ‫ן‬qɐʇ ˙˙˙˙‫ן‬ǝqɐ) ˙11 (ʞ‫ן‬ɐq ˙˙˙˙˙˙ʞ‫ן‬ɐɟ) ˙01 (ǝ‫ן‬ʇʇıʞ ˙˙˙˙ǝ‫ן‬ʇʇı9˙ )‫ן‬ (¡ʇuǝɔɔɐ ʞɹoʎ ʍǝu - ɥɐ‫ןן‬op ˙˙˙˙ɥɐ‫ן‬ɐʞ)˙8 (ǝʌǝ‫ן‬ɐ ˙˙˙˙˙ǝʌǝ)˙7 (xɐɟ ʍo‫ן‬s ˙˙˙˙˙xɐɟnoʞ) ˙6 (ɹı ˙˙˙˙ ɹǝǝnb) ˙5 (ɐɯıq ˙˙˙˙˙ɐɯı) ˙4 (ɹoʇɔoɹd ˙˙˙˙ɹoʇɔop)˙3 (pǝʎouuɐ ˙˙˙˙˙ pnǝɹɟ)˙2 (sǝ‫ן‬ɐʍ ˙˙˙˙˙˙sǝ‫ן‬ɐs)˙1

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MARCH 12, 2015

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84

Torah Thought

Rabbi Berel Wein

Parshas VaYakhel Pekudei

T

he main lesson of this week’s Torah reading, which may possibly be obscured by the wealth of Mishkan detail that appears in these closing chapters of the book of Shemot,,is the basic Jewish concept of accountability. Moshe accounts for all of the work that was done in the construction of the Mishkan and for every shekel that was expended in that project.

Moshe was troubled when he could not initially account for the one thousand shekels that were apparently missing and that did not allow him to balance the books fully. Only later, when he was able to recall that the missing silver was used to fashion the hooks that held the curtains of the structure, was his account complete and fully accurate.

In the last analysis of life, accountability is the main challenge and test that faces us. King Solomon in Kohelet informs us that all of our actions and behavior will be accounted for in G-d’s

system of justice. It is this concept of accountability that allows the basic axiom of Jewish life, reward and punishment, the temporal and eternal, to function.

One of the great weaknesses of individuals and societies is that they some-

a complete lack of accountability. In the long run this is destructive to the individual and to the system itself.

In democracies, elections held periodically are meant to hold political leaders accountable. Though in practice

We are all accountable for the past and for the future. how feel that they are not accountable for their errors, sins, omissions and failures. We live in a world where everyone and everything is entitled to a pass.

In our Torah-only educational system, the older the student becomes and the higher the level and reputation of the institution he or she attends, the weaker the demands of accountability become.

Without a system of testing and with no realistic goals for scholarship there is

this does not always work, the theory of accountability is at least present in the society and the political system. In a dictatorship there never is any voluntary day of reckoning or demand for accountability.

No one likes to be beholden to the judgment of others, therefore we see that in businesses, educational institutions, social agencies and religious institutions, mini-dictatorships abound.

The prophets of Israel held the leaders and the people of Israel accountable to the moral teachings of the Torah and to G-d Himself, so to speak. Thus the prophets of Israel served as the necessary brake to an otherwise dictatorial, all-powerful monarchy.

The rabbis of the Talmud were acutely aware that they were accountable for their decisions and behavior.

Oftentimes that sense of accountability focused on the presence of another individual rabbi to whom one somehow felt accountable. The great Mar Shmuel mourned the death of Rav by saying that the “person that I feared and was accountable to is no longer with us.”

The idea of accountability stretches over generations. We are all accountable for the past and for the future. And it is in that light that we will certainly be judged and how the accomplishments of our lifetime will be marked and assessed.

Shabbat shalom.

A Parsha Thought

Betzalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. And he overlaid it with pure gold from inside and from outside, and he made for it a golden crown all around (Exodus 37:1-2).”

The Talmud (Yerushalmi Shekalim 6:1) explains that the Ark was unique in its construction. It was comprised of three separate boxes. The innermost box was made of gold, the larger one that held it was made of wood and the largest exterior box (which held

the smaller two) was made of gold.

There were utensils made of solid gold and there were others made of wood coated with gold. Why did the Aron (ark) have this unique construction of wood enveloped by gold?

The Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) explains that the Aron is supposed to represent paradigmatic man. Every aspect and detail of the Ark teaches us how to live a meaningful and successful life. The male and female Cherubim (angelic figures perched on the lid of the ark) teach us to be passionate in our relationship with each other and with God. The upstretched wings teach us that we must aspire to climb higher and accomplish more. The Luchos (tablets) resting in the center remind us that the Torah and its values must be the foundation, core and center of the decisions we make and things we do. The poles that remained inserted even when the Aron was at rest teach us that the Torah and its values are transplantable and must follow us and inform the way we live – wher-

ever we may go.

While both wood and gold can be used for construction their properties are fundamentally different. Gold is inanimate; it is mined from the earth and can be manipulated but cannot grow and cannot change. Wood is alive. The tree takes in nutrients, its branches grow and bear fruit. The tree changes with the seasons and through the years. The Aron contains both of these materials to teach another very important lesson. Man must be gold and he must be wood. He must possess golden principles that he will stand by and stand up for no matter what. I must possess a sense of right and good and be able to maintain them no matter how much external pressure I may face. I must be rigid in my adherence to the tenets of my faith and to the principles of my people. I must have gold-like resolve to uphold the ideas and ideals I hold to be sacred.

Yet, I must also learn to be a tree, to be wood-like in my approach to life and others. I must learn the art of change

and recognize that just because I have been a certain way until now does not mean I must continue to be that same person going forward. I must learn to adapt to new circumstances.

Life doesn’t always go the way I intended – I can be wood, I can grow, I can change, I can adapt. Wood is pliable. I must learn that when dealing with others I cannot always stand my ground, I must learn when to yield for the sake of shalom (peace).

Man must be gold on his inside and his outside. I must have the principles, ideas and ideals that I will live and die for. I must know what I believe and stand ready to defend those beliefs no matter how fierce the opposition may be. But I must possess an inner layer of wood and learn the art of compromise, change, accommodation and collaboration. The Ark is only fit for service in the Temple if it has these multiple layers. Man can only be successful if he possesses them as well.

A Fulfilled Life

73 Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

G

The example that he used to illustrate the point was that of a married couple. At first, when their affection is strong and their focus on each other is constant, they are more than willing to coexist in close quarters. They see the opportunity to maintain proximity as

is also very much relevant at the workplace.

While there are many ways through which we can maintain the connection between ourselves and others, perhaps the most basic is communication. What we say, as well as how and how often

a positive, an opportunity to cherish as they being their life together. Over time, however, the excitement begins to wane, and the two start to look for more personal space in which to operate.

Similarly, when Klal Yisrael was first redeemed from Egypt, their love and appreciation of Hakadosh Baruch

we say it, can make all of the difference between a close, healthy relationship and one that is strained and distant.

Think, for example, of how we use electronic communication. We all know the reasons that we type instead of write.

It’s faster, it’s neater, and it can easily be saved and categorized for future refer-

Hu was at an all-time high. They were extremely appreciative of all that He had done for them and, by uttering naaseh v’nishma, had committed to direct their futures along a pathway of deep spiritual connection and divine service.

Over time, however, our collective spiritual engagement and enthusiasm began to wane, necessitating greater “space” between the two partners. It reached the point where we were banished from the home entirely, the beginning of a protracted and painful exile.

As the above mashal indicates, it is not enough to fuel a relationship on initial feelings. Relationships need to be continually charged with freshness and positive engagement if they are to retain their vibrancy. This is true at home. It

ence without as much sifting and paper clutter. When used for sharing information, electronic notations can be sent far and wide and can be responded to at the recipient’s convenience.

Despite the many benefits of e-communication, the shift away from written communication also presents some meaningful downsides. These include: Misinterpretation – So much of the way that we normally share information and ideas is based on nonverbal communication. Inflections, hand gestures, facial tone, body positioning and the like say so much about how each party is receiving and responding to each other, as well as their passion for the information and ideas being shared. Without hearing a voice or seeing nonverbal

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting (ImpactfulCoaching.com).

He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at president@impactfulcoaching.com.

MARCH 12, 2015

Relationships need to be continually charged with freshness and positive engagement if they are to retain their vibrancy.

cues, people struggle to properly discern the intended meaning, tone, value and emphasis.

Impersonal touch – No matter how thoughtfully an email is crafted, its digital nature makes it feel distant and impersonal. You simply cannot compare the feel of an email with a handwritten (or even typed) letter or note.

Raising the temperature – For most of us, distance makes it feel safer to “yell” or to be critical. We can more easily muster up the gumption to criticize when we are typing words on our personal keyboards than when we have to look someone in the eye and share our feelings.

You can’t get it back – The quick nature of email makes it easy to forget that our words actually matter and can really come back to bite us. (I suggest that you never send any email with potentially negative implications without showing it to one or two trusted colleagues first).

Not only must we worry about the message at the moment that it’s received, but there is an excellent chance that it will be forwarded for others to see.

Keeping your distance – Perhaps worst of all, email, IM and other e-communiques maintain distance between colleagues, sometimes when only a wall or cubicle separate them physically. It’s often easier to fire off a response than to get up and share a few words. You may also not want to disturb your busy coworkers, especially if they are in another conversation or on the phone. While all of that is laudable, it’s important to not fall into the habit of remaining distant.

As our jobs involve working with and getting things done with people, we have to be able to build healthy relationships. We need to interact in person, to get to know each other in real terms, how we each tick. Building trust helps us get our work done and there’s no better trust builder than getting to know people in direct, human terms.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Bonding in Close Quarters etting around these days has been tough. With snow and ice continuing to accumulate, we simply have less space outside (assuming we even go outside) to walk, drive and park our cars. The way to work, school, et al has been slow and oftentimes treacherous.

While navigating in tight pathways can be challenging, there are some benefits to this new paradigm. One has been increased patience and understanding.

As we attempt to navigate through tighter paths, we are forced to take others into greater consideration and patiently negotiate passage so that everyone can move forward. We also see that we can get by with less and do not need the standard expanse to achieve our goals. Perhaps most significantly, our view towards others becomes more expansive, as we are all suffering through the situation together. Suddenly, there is something – an external condition – that bonds us, even complete strangers. We are all in it as one and need to help each other out if we are to make it through safely. The snow helps bring us closer together, literally as well as figuratively.

Reflecting on snow-driven proximity brought to mind the fact that in some definite ways smaller really is better, particularly as it relates to our relationships with Hashem. In our nation’s history there have been three central houses of Hashem in our midst. The first is the mishkan, whose construction and furnishings occupy the bulk of the latter part of Shemos. The other two are the batei mikdash in Yerushalayim.

Interestingly, each of these structures was progressively larger in size and more elaborate than its predecessor (though Bayis Sheni was first built as a more humble successor to King Shlomo’s majestic edifice, the expanded version of Herod far exceeded the earlier mikdash). A casual observer may see this trend as a positive, in the spirit of bigger is better.

However, I once heard an approach from Rabbi Akiva Tatz that suggested otherwise. He explained that the aforementioned trend in structural size was actually a reflection of spiritual disconnect, a sign that we were becoming increasingly more removed from our Maker.

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Health & Fitness

T

he juice cleanse business is booming! It promises weight loss, body detoxification, and the treatment/prevention of illnesses and diseases—everything from the common cold to cancer.

A juice cleanse/fast is when a person limits their diet to only fresh vegetable and fruit juices and water for anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Packaged juices go through a pasteurization process that kills potential pathogens, but homemade juices do not, so if you make your own juices at home, make enough for only one serving. A nutritious juice here and there can be beneficial for your health, but limiting your diet to only juice for weeks can do more harm than good.

The following are some potential issues with juice cleanses: 1. It’s dangerous for some people: Diabetics, people undergoing chemotherapy or with nutritional deficiencies, or people with kidney disease should not try juice fasts. The high sugar consumption in juice fasts can skyrocket blood sugar levels and cause blurry vision, excessive hunger and thirst, and wounds and infections might heal more slowly. According to Livestrong, high levels of potassium and minerals can build up in the blood and pose a dangerous threat to those with kidney disease.

2. Raw/whole fruits are healthier: Juicing removes some nutrients and fiber.

Fiber helps slow down the rise in your blood sugar and makes you feel full.

3. Juice fasts lack substantial amounts of protein and fat: Without sufficient protein your body has no raw material with which to build new tissue. A lack of fat will be detrimental to your hair and skin,and contributes to malabsorption of fat soluble vitamins.

4. It’s a fad diet: Like most fad diets, a juice fast is not an effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Will you lose weight? Probably, since you’re cutting out all the fat from your diet and drastically lowering your caloric intake.

But you will most likely put it right back on after the fast.

5. It can lower your metabolism: As with most crash diets, you are putting your body into starvation mode, so it lowers or slows the metabolism in order to save itself.

6. There really isn’t anything to detox: The body already does an excellent job of cleansing itself via the liver, kidneys, and intestines. It excretes or expels the unwanted toxins through urine, bowel movements, breath, and sweat.

To juice or not to juice? There are some benefits to juice cleanses. Some people feel like they have freed themselves from the control cravings for bad food. They say it helps them break unhealthy eating habits. You will

Aliza Beer, MS, RD

also be getting the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables per day.

If you are going to try a juice fast, make it short. It’s not healthy to restrict your body for weeks from the other nutritious foods it needs. But if you are considering doing a juice fast to lose weight, this isn’t the way to go. Moderation is

the key to any diet, and the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make healthy lifestyle changes that you’ll be able to maintain throughout your life.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com.

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To Juice or Not to Juice?

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A I R L I N E R E S E R VAT I O N S • B U S I N E S S T R A V E L T RAV E L CO N C I E R G E • C R E D I T CA R D A DV I S O RY

M I L E AG E R E D E M P T I O N • M I L E AG E B A R T E R PAY W I T H P O I N T S • L U X U R Y VA C AT I O N V I L L A S B U S I N E S S & P E R S O N A L R E WA R D S M A N A G E M E N T C A L L N O W F O R A C O N S U LTAT I O N • 6 4 6 . 8 0 1 . 7 3 9 3 • W W W. G E T P E Y D . C O M

Parenting Pearls

77 Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

your older children as they speak on the phone to their friends. If you want to know how you deal with frustrating

How can we get our children to value what we value? tion. How can we get our children to value what we value?

Instead of telling our children how to live we need to demonstrate it. The fact is that lessons can be taught, but values must be imparted.

Wise parents commit lots of honest, respectful, kind, and responsible acts in front of their kids. Simply stated, actions speak louder than words. We need to always be vigilant to our own words and behaviors to assess whether we are living our own values.

The next time a driver who is a member of a different sect of Jews than your family cuts you off be careful how you speak about the person.

Another idea is to talk about values when we know our children can hear.

What we say in front of our kids is more important than what we say to them.

The proof is that many children learn to value money and the pursuit of money because they often hear their parents talking about it, even though they may have much of it.

It’s unnerving at times to realize how much our children follow our lead.

Our children are mini-microphones of us. If you want to know how you sound on the phone listen to the way your younger children speak on the phone when playing house or listen to

and challenging situations listen to how your children react in such situations.

Someone once asked Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l how he taught his children to recite brachos properly. Rav Yaakov replied that he never taught his children how to recite brachos. In his home his children saw and heard how he and his wife recited brachos, and

they learned through osmosis.

If you have the chance to daven or spend a Shabbos with members of other groups of Jews speak about how beautiful the experience was. That will teach your children the value of respecting other groups of Jews.

We can’t force our children to adopt our values. The most we can do is try to inspire them to want to follow our positive example.

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, is the Rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead. He is also fifth grade Rebbe and Guidance Counselor in ASHAR in Monsey, and Principal of Mesivta Ohr Naftoli of New Windsor, NY. Rabbi Staum offers parenting classes based on the acclaimed Love & Logic Program. He can be reached at stamtorah@gmail.com. His website is www.stamtorah.info.

MARCH 12, 2015

Rabbi Staum Responds: To phrase your question in another way: How do we teach our children our values?

Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l once noticed a father disciplining his son to daven. Every time the child would get up or divert his attention, the father sternly redirected him. It was a battle.

“What are you doing?” Rav Hutner asked the father.

“I’m teaching my son to daven!” answered the father.

“No, you’re not,” said Rav Hutner. “You’re teaching your son to grow up to tell his own son to be quiet, to sit down, to pay attention…

If you want to teach your son to daven, then daven!”

We live in a world with so many external influences antithetical to the Torah values we so badly want to instill in our children. Beyond that even within our own communities our children are influenced by friends and neighbors who may not share the same values as we do. Often it seems that when we try to teach our children about something

important it ends up as a power struggle or at best as us lecturing. Lecturing our children hardly seems like the best op-

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Teaching Values I have recently heard my son making disparaging comments about other groups of Jews who are different than we are. I was quite bothered by this especially because my husband and I try to be very respectful of all Jews, even if they are different from us. Both my husband and I have spoken to him about the matter on a few occasions. He listens to us and says that he agrees, but then he’ll make another such comment within a few days. I fear that he hears these comments from friends. How can we impress upon him how important this matter is to us?

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