Baltimore Jewish Home - 3-17-16 by Moshe Rubin

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BaltimoreJewishHome THE

‫ כ״א אדר ב׳‬- ‫ז׳ אדר ב׳‬

mar

17 -

mar

31 . vol 3, #4

“I Broke Barriers For Bnainu 2016” PAGE 8

Bike4Chai/Chai Lifeline Receives Local Royal Support

PAGE 10

Raising Generations: YKY/TI’s 63rd Anniversary Banquet

47 PAGE 12

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CONTENTS

COMMUNITY

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

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

JEWISH THOUGHT A Dance with Carlos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Halacha Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Amulets, Accusations and Controversy. . . . . . . . . . 50

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT

Perfect timing to lift sanctions and release $100 billion, you think?

Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Thank G-d, we’re in the month Adar, and we can feel Hashem’s embrace. We’ll soon celebrate another Purim, although at times, “They wanted to kill us, Hashem saved us, let’s eat!” seems a bit old. True, it’s great to know you have a guarantee your people will exist for eternity, but can’t the bad guys lose for good this time around!?! The cycle of very real pain is too much.

Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Purim Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

COVER STORY Upside Down and Inside Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 College and Career Advisement in the Orthodox World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

LIFESTYLES 613 Seconds with Bracha Goetz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Political Crossfire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Home Tips And Tricks From The Pros. . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Dating Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Good News for Chocolate Lovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 A Cupcake Mask-erpiece. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

NEWS Global News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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Dear Readers, Well, well, well! It turns out the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut recently said that his country would pay $7000 to each family who has a son or daughter martyred trying to stab Jews in Israel, up to $30,000 if their house is destroyed following such an attack. Talk about being open about their feelings toward the Jewish people.

Most years Parshos Veyakhel and Pikudei are read together. This year they were not, but either way, veyakhel – referring to “gathering” – always comes before pikudei – an “accounting” of separate items. We’re taught that the Jewish people are one body with many parts. Hands, toes, ears – we all complement each other, and we’re supposed to be as one body praying for the success of other constituent parts, even though we might

have opposite functions. However, sometimes we’re meant to take a step back and not even see the differences, pikudei, at all. Rather we should focus only on our being one, veyakhel. When we meet another Jew, whether for the first time or again after an acquaintance of many years, we are to view them as the other half of ourselves – the machtzis which completes our machtzis hashekel. They are the other in whom we find our complete self. This year being a Shnas Hakhel makes this especially relevant. It’s a time to come together and unite as one people, to strengthen each other l’yirah es Hashem Elokeichem. We are closer than ever to the time when G-d will reveal His master plan. Although it’s hard to keep track of all the revolutions and upheavals taking place in the world, we are certain they are leading to one place; our Father in Heaven finally taking off His mask and revealing Himself as the Creator and Life Force behind all of reality. May we experience it in the very near future. And may we have a joyful Shabbos filled with Jewish unity. Freilichin Purim, Yaakov

Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 National News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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.

ANNIVERSARY

“The world is ArtScroll’s classroom”

NEW!

In this final installment in her bestselling Kosher by Design cookbook series, Susie Fishbein presents fresh new recipes culled from her 15-year culinary journey. You will find delicious recipes learned from the great chefs she encountered in Italy, France, Mexico, Israel, and across North America.

Final Judgment NEW ! NOVEL

author of Fatal Judgment

FULL-COLOR PHOTO of each

INSIGHTFUL STORIES gleaned

finished dish

from Susie’s road travels

READILY AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS

Comprehensive cross-referenced

INDEX

Last year’s bestselling Hebrew Haggadah — now available in English!

MARCH 17, 2016

Final Judgment is an action-packed, gripping legal thriller that takes us into the world of politics, finance, and the justice system. At the same time it is also a novel of repentance and redemption, carrying within it the luminous truth that no matter how far a Jew strays, he can find his way back.

It is Susie’s superlative conclusion to the cookbooks that elevated kosher cooking to world-class taste and presentation. 115 fresh NEW recipes

a novel of suspense by

Yisroel Mayer Merkin

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He’s a killer on Death Row. He’s mean. He’s dangerous. And he just happens to be a Jew who needs to be saved.

SUSIE FISHBEIN DOES IT AGAIN!!

The story of Isidore Dayan, and the growth of a vibrant community in America NEW!

The Finishing Touch for Your Perfect Seder Compiled by Rabbi Shalom Meir Wallach

4Piskei halachah and chiddushim from Reb Moshe’s own writings 4Rav Moshe’s Divrei Torah culled from dozens of sources

by Devora Gliksman

The orphan caught in an unusual custody battle that only a bet din can resolve. The prosperous businessman lending money to others so that they can open a business that will compete with his own.

In this biography-that-reads-like-anovel, you will meet – and be inspired and amazed by — Nouri, the quiet, unassuming and friendly man who became a legend in his community. Exclusive bonus section: Gripping, firsthand accounts (including journal entries written on the plane itself!) of the 1970 TWA hijacking that stunned the Jewish world, as they prayed and awaited the return of dozens of hostages — including Rav and Rebbetzin Hutner, Rav Yonoson and Rebbetzin David, and Nouris’s two daughters, three grandchildren, and his son-in-law Hacham Yosef Harrari-Raful.

The following ArtScroll sefarim are available for your daily learning programs:

The Schottenstein Edition Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi; Yad Avraham Mishnah Series; Schottenstein Edition Mishnah Elucidated; Ryzman Edition Hebrew Mishnah; Kleinman Edition Kitzur Shulchan Aruch; Kleinman Edition Daily Dose of Torah. This Shabbos, Adar II 9: Daf Yomi Bavli – Kiddushin 8 / Daf Yomi Yerushalmi – Yoma 27 / Mishnah Yomi – Uktzin 2:3-4 / Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yomi – 71:5-72:4

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4Hanhagos of the gadol hador at the Seder 4Featuring many uplifting stories of Reb Moshe The Reb Moshe Haggadah, this year’s “must-have” Haggadah, beautifully captures the many facets of the gaon and posek hador.

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MARCH 17, 2016

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Congregation Tiferes Yisroel will be Joined by Eitan Katz at 20th Anniversary Celebration Congregation Tiferes Yisroel, affectionately known as Rabbi Goldberger’s shul, invites the Baltimore community to join in our 30th Anniversary Celebration on March 20, 2016, featuring a gala concert by the renowned entertainer Eitan Katz. This year we are proud to honor Dr. Jerry and Elka Rottman and Ken and Chana Birnbaum, longtime members of our kehilla, for their outstanding dedication and participation in shul affairs, and for their love for and commitment to the Rabbi and Rebbetzin. Tiferes Yisroel is a magnet for Jewish outreach in Baltimore, regularly welcoming Jews of all backgrounds to join in the joyous celebration of what it means to be Jewish. Led by Rabbi Menachem Goldberger, Tiferes Yisroel’s unique and warm approach to Judaism has influenced the lives

of thousands of Jews since its inception in 1986. The open, accepting and seeking atmosphere of Tiferes Yisroel, founded on the Chasidus of HaRav Shloime Twerski, ztz’l, strives to provide the rich medium within which an honest relationship to Hashem, His Torah and His people can be experienced. Best known for his niggun “L’Maancha,” Eitan Katz is beloved for compositions that honor the language of Tanach and tefillah through original, soulful melodies, and for the delicate sincerity and passion of his live performances. Growing up in L.A. and Israel as the son of wellknown cantor and music teacher Avshalom Katz, he was surrounded by music. Today he plays weddings and concerts throughout the United States, Israel, and South Africa. He lives with

his family and learns in yeshiva in Far Rockaway. Eitan feels very close to Rabbi Goldberger. “He reached out to me. I love him very much.” What’s more, they share a commitment to spiritually focused music. “Especially for this generation, which is craving honesty and moments of clarity like nothing else, music needs to be in the tool box of life.

When it’s connected to Torah in a real way—for example, Rabbi Goldberger’s—not only do you get something pleasant to listen to and fun, but it becomes part of your whole avodah. It’s a lifelong mission to get there.” Please join us in honoring the Birnbaums and the Rottmans for their many years of dedicated service to the shul. This event is the single largest source of operating funds for the shul and is a chance for the community to help support the beautifully creative and meaningful work of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Goldberger. To purchase concert tickets or to place an ad in the commemorative journal, please visit www.tiferesyisroel.org/events; for questions, contact Glenna Ross, 410358-1687 or banquet@tiferesyisroel. org.

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An OHEL Bais Ezra Shabbos to Remember in Baltimore! Warm Welcome in First-Evert Trip to Community It only took four short hours to get there, but the trip to the first-ever Baltimore Shabbaton was months in the making. The travelers, 10 adults with developmental disabilities from OHEL Bais Ezra’s E. 10th residence, were warmly welcomed by members of the Baltimore community for an unforgettable Shabbos experience. OHEL Bais Ezra residents were accompanied by OHEL staff and volunteers, including the Residence Manager and Director of Development. The trip was the dream of Rafi Bondar, who lives in the East Tenth Street residence. Proud of his home city, where his parents and siblings live, Rafi wanted to introduce everyone to his city, his shuls, and the neighbors who mean so much to him. In Baltimore, the OHEL Bais Ezra guests visited the Bondar home, enjoyed the Seven Mile Market (Baltimore’s kosher market), spent time at the Quarry, and on Shabbos participated in tefillos at Congregation Shomrei Emunah and enjoyed a delicious catered lunch at Agudah of Greenspring with the host families.

Rabbi Simcha Wein spoke about OHEL and sincerely thanked all the staff for all they do every day. Tzilah and Tzvi Raczkowski’s hosted a lively oneg Shabbos at their home, with Yachad staff and volunteers joining for the afternoon. All enjoyed a Motzei Shabbos Melavah Malka pizza party with host families and teens and adult volunteers from Yachad and took a Sunday outing to the Maryland Science Center at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The weekend concluded, after a spectacular time in “Charm City,” with Sunday night dinner from Carols & Gabbys in Flatbush. OHEL is very grateful to the Bondar family, Congregation Shomrei Emunah, all of the hosts, and the Knish Shop for their sponsorship and participation. A particularly special moment was the opportunity for E. 10th residents to daven next to Rabbi Binyamin Marwick, Rav of Shomrei Emunah and to participate in the aliyos and pesicha. The Rav introduced OHEL to the congregants and spoke beautifully about how OHEL serves the neediest in the Jewish community. At seudat seleshit,

the Rabbi spoke about the importance of inclusion in the history and survival of the Jewish nation. “OHEL is a tent that includes all the Jewish people and turns no one away. We have something to learn from everyone,” he said. Residence manager Yossi Gross, a tireless and dedicated member of the OHEL team, said it was one of the proudest and happiest moments in his 10-year tenure with OHEL. “The community opened up their hearts and homes to our men,” says Yossi. “And the bond between the men and their hosts happened so quickly. It was wonderful to see our guys, Yachad teens, Rabbi

Marwick, and the Bondars singing and dancing “as Echad” to Shoshanas Yaakov together at the Melavah Malkah.” Miriam Weiss, OHEL’s Director of Development, commented that “this Shabbos made me proud to be both from Baltimore and from OHEL! The genuine warmth of hospitality extended by the Baltimore community to OHEL individuals and staff was breathtaking. “ OHEL is grateful to Rafi for inspiring the incredible trip, and to the Bondar family, Rabbi Binyamin Marwick and Congregation Shomrei Emunah and Agudah of Greenspring, our collaborative team of staff and volunteers, members of Yachad, and our Baltimore host families. OHEL’s relationship with Baltimore extends beyond the recent Shabbaton. This summer 25 kids from Baltimore will attend Camp Kaylie at OHEL, and a number of residents in OHEL Bais Ezra residences are “Baltimoreans.” OHEL’s tent is, indeed large, and far reaching. To learn more about OHEL, please visit www.ohelfamily.org

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“I Broke Barriers For Bnainu 2016” Cloudy skies and scattered showers didn’t get in the way of the incredible, palpable energy that was created by all the participants of Breaking Barriers 2016 on Sunday, March 13th at Tranquility Manor Farms in Monkton, Md. Open fields and rolling hills were the backdrop to this phenomenal event, where everyone came together in a family fun filled day to reach goals and surpass comfort zones. Custom built obstacles, sponsored by AEG Remodeling were set up over a 3-mile long course designed to get those strong and brave enough to test their grit. A tremendous debt of gratitude to Shuie Steinharter, Elazar Angel, and Ben Wealcatch! Master of ceremonies was none other than the hugely popular and energetic YouTube sensation, Meir Kalmanson! Mouth watering cuisine was provided by Chaim Goldfeder and his amazing team, Texas Kosher BBQ. Event set up and display was beautifully orchestrated in Texas theme by Shira Ocken and her classy team, Chic Events. While the strong and daring, worked hard on completing the course, families enjoyed watching the youngsters climb the rock tower and jump moon bounces. Complete with face painting and visiting the nearby horses, there was truly something for everyone. If the thrill of the event and conquering our weakness wasn’t enough, the inspiration of day came from competing side by side with Cpl. Todd Love, a U.S. Marine who was severely injured by an IED during his service in Iraq losing both legs and an arm. Everyone lucky enough to attend was truly left with feelings of camaraderie and pride. The Breaking Barriers committee wishes to thank Hatzalah and Chaverim, for their support services through the entire event as well as and our team of volunteers which made this event run so smoothly. Plans are well underway for Breaking Barriers 2017, looking forward to seeing you there!

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Talmidei Yeshivas Ner Yisrael Hear Divrei Chizuk from Harav Simcha HaKohen Kook, Shlit’a BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Photo Credit: Eli Greengart

On March 7th, talmidei Yeshivas Ner Yisrael in Baltimore had the exquisite pleasure of hearing Inyonei D’Yoma and Divrei Chizzuk from Harav Simcha HaKohen Kook, Shlit’a, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, Israel.

Bike4Chai/Chai Lifeline Receives Gets Local Royal Support BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

On March 11th Royal Farms celebrated the re-opening of its Smith & Pimlico location with a ribbon cutting ceremony and by donating to local

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Lifeline’s new Regional Director were on hand to accept the generous donation towards Yechiel’s Bike4Chai Campaign. Chai Lifeline provides the emotional and social support that enables seriously ill kids and their families to cope with the crises and daily challenges of pediatric illness, and to find hope and joy in everyday life. Bike4chai is a 2 day 170 mile charity bike ride that helps those kids in Camp Simcha find happiness.

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Raising Generations: YKY/TI’s 63rd Anniversary Banquet On Sunday evening March 6 (27 Adar II), Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok / Torah Institute of Baltimore held its annual banquet, marking its 63rd year of providing superior chinuch to the boys of Baltimore. The elegant event, attended by over 500 people, featured a well-deserved tribute to four generations of the Boehm and Retter families, with a special emphasis on the family’s patriarch and matriarch — Mr. Jacob Boehm z”l, and tbly”t Mrs. Rose Boehm. Also honored were Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Gelber (Parents of the Year) and Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Glazer (Alumnus of the Year). Mr. Reuven Klein, one of the dinner chairmen, served as master of ceremonies with great distinction. After warmly welcoming all the guests, he thanked all those who helped coordinate yet another record-breaking banquet. Mr. Klein devoted the rest of his introductory remarks to highlighting the importance of chinuch habanim and how those involved in this sacred endeavor must constantly grow and develop to meet the changing needs of their charges. The keynote address was delivered by the President of the Board, Rabbi Hillel Tendler, who began by graciously thanking the parent body for the efforts they put into their children’s chinuch despite their myriad responsibilities, and for doing all they can to keep the cheder financially viable. To many an attendee’s surprise, Rabbi Tendler noted that the ever-growing budget of the cheder has now reached well over $5M! Rabbi Tendler then turned his attention to explaining the roots of the cheder’s sustained success. The foundation for everything, he explained, was laid by Rav Sternhell zt”l, the cheder’s founder, whose sole desire in the wake of the Holocaust, through which he suffered, was to rebuild Torah in America. He channeled this desire into a heroic mesiras nefesh for the cheder, which will always serve as an enduring merit for it. Focusing on the evening’s honorees, Rabbi Tendler paid tribute to the Boehm family for the integral

role they have played in founding the cheder and in developing the entire Baltimore community. By establishing Jack’s, a kosher grocery store, which has evolved into Seven Mile Market, Mr. Jack Boehm began a family tradition of faithfully providing kosher food to all of Baltimore’s Jewry. The cheder, Rabbi Tendler noted, takes great pride in now providing a Torah education to the great-grandchildren of Mr. Boehm, after having done the same for his children and grandchildren. The guests were then treated to a moving video presentation, which included testimonials from Mr. Boehm’s children, Reb Hershel and Reb Alvin Boehm, his grandson, Reb Moshe Boehm, and his great-grandsons, Dovid and Aryeh Boehm. Hearing about Mr. and Mrs. Boehms’ extraordinary commitment to keeping mitzvos during the war — Mr. Boehm’s daily regimen of wearing tefillin and reciting tehillim and a malnourished Mrs. Boehm’s determination to fast on Yom Kippur — was inspiring. Rabbi Gershon Willner, a fellow Holocaust survivor, provided a glimpse into Mr. Boehm postwar activities by relating how in the DP camp he participated in Torah classes organized and taught by Mr. Boehm. Rabbi Tendler then paid tribute to Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Gelber, Parents of the Year, who were consistently described in the award presentation and the beautiful video tribute as model parents, with a laser-like focus on both their children’s chinuch and their own personal growth. Serving as community leaders, the Gelbers are always eager to help in any way that they can, inspiring many others with their sterling example. A special feature of the Gelber video was a message relayed by Rabbi Leib Kelemen, an expert on chinuch, and a close mentor to the Gelbers. Rabbi Keleman related that the most important factor in ensuring success

in transferring our values and perspectives to our children and students is cultivating strong relationships with them. The more robust the relationship, the more the child or student will absorb and take to heart his parent or teacher’s message. The tribute to Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Glazer and the video presentation honoring them rounded out the evening. In his prerecorded remarks, R’ Chaim noted that in the grand scheme of things, we are still living a short while after the Holocaust, and as a result, bear an even greater responsibility to rebuild and spread Yiddishkeit. We learned that Reb Chaim, who has long devoted his trademark energy to kiruv and klal work, developed his sense of responsibility for the Jewish people from his days in Shearis Hapleita (Torah Institute’s former name). The cheder is indescribably proud of Rabbi and Mrs. Glazer, who have built a beautiful Torah home and are contin-

uously having a positive impact on the entire community. All in all, the evening was one of great inspiration; everyone walked away with a renewed sense of why the cheder is an indispensable part of our community’s fabric. The overarching theme of the entire event can perhaps be summed up best with the succinct and heartfelt words of Rabbi Gelber: “Torah Institute is very special, since they strive to give over our mesorah in its purest form. We have to do whatever we can to help them continue this mission.”

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M’shenichnas Adar...YCC/TA Students Lay the Groundwork for New Campus BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Isaac Draiman

On Thursday morning, March 10, 2016, every carpool that entered the TA campus driveway encountered a surprise. Early that morning, the TA Seniors began to setup for what they hoped would be the best Purim Shtick in TA history. We all know that kal haschalos kashos – all beginnings are difficult and TA has been planning the start of their building project for a long time. The seniors lost their patience and decided to start it themselves. Every building project starts with a groundbreaking! Seniors 2016 had the entire campus setup up for what looked like an official groundbreaking ceremony. When one entered the campus, the gates were covered with the flyers advertising the exciting event. Caution tape bordered the whole campus starting from the entrance. At the building’s main entrance, there were chairs set-up all over the sidewalks. There was a massive banner in the front of the building announcing Ta l m u d i c a l A c a d e m y ’s 2nd Groundbreaking taking place in the year 2037. There was a dais right in front of the doors with a lectern in the center. Inside the building in the lobby, there was a pile of dirt weighing over 2,000 lbs. cordoned off with construction netting and cones in complete groundbreaking style along with a golden shovel. Different colored caution tape was hung through the building along with the advertising signs. Everyone who arrived was amazed in the creativity of the shtick and some even questioned some of the Rabbeim if this was indeed the actual ground-

breaking. While posing for a picture by the podium, president of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehuda Lefkowitz, said,, “Im Lo Achshav, Aimasi”, If not now, then when? The Menahel of the Mesivta said, “This was the best purim shtick I have seen during my TA career.” There is always the possibility that Purim Schtick goes too far and can be taken in the wrong way but the TA Seniors outdid themselves in a classy fun way that made everyone do a double take and it is their hope that the building of the updated campus will be with much hatzlacha, speedily and in our time!

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 17, 2016

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

Accents Pesach Menu 2016 PLEASE GET YOUR ORDERS IN EARLY, WE WILL ONLY ACCEPT THE FIRST 300 ORDERS.

Last Name:

First Name:

Item

Price Quantity Total

Includes:

Matzo Ball Soup

Price Quantity Total

Prime Rib with Au Jus

$27.95/lb

Oven Roasted Brisket

$28.95/lb

$18.99/lb

Shoulder Roast with Au Jus

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Potato or Apple Kugel (Circle Choice)

Brownies or Banana Walnut Loaf (Circle Choice) Seder Plate Items

Choose One of the Following Entrees (Circle Choice): Stuffed Chicken with Gravy

Sweet & Sour Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Rosemary Roasted Chicken on the Bone (Leg/thigh or Breast/wing)

Brisket with Pan Gravy 6-9 Meals (per person)

$29.95

101-200 Meals (per person)

$28.95

Call for Pricing

Chopped Liver

Gefilte Fish (Loaf) Charoset

Matzo Balls (6 pack)

Chicken Soup with Vegetables Potato Leek Soup Minestrone

Chicken Broth Poultry Gravy

$11.95/lb

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Algerian Boneless Chicken Breast Roasted with Vegetables

$12.95/ea

Roasted Peri Peri Chicken on the Bone

$4.95/ea

Leg/Thigh

$5.95/ea

Breast/Wing

$4.95/ea

Leg/Thigh

$5.95/ea

Breast/Wing Stuffed Chicken (10 oz) Fruit Stuffed (no starch) Matzo Farfel Stuffing

$11.95/ea $11.95/ea

$17.99/lb

$9.99/pt

Whole Roast Chicken with Gravy

$18.95/ea

$8.95/pt

Garlic Dilled Salmon Fillet (6 oz)

$9.95/ea

$10.99/lb

Blackened Salmon Fillet (6 oz)

$7.50/pk

Curried Fish Balls

$9.95/ea

$10.99/lb

$7.95/qt $7.95/qt $7.95/qt

$6.95/ea

$7.95 qt

Acorn Squash Stuffed w/ Vegetables

$6.95 qt

Grilled Vegetable Shepherds Pie 9 x 14” $19.95

Grilled Vegetable Shepherds Pie Round

$9.95

Vegetable Quiche Round

$8.95

Vegetable Quiche 9 x 14” Includes Horseradish, Charoset, Roasted Egg, Shank Bone (chicken neck), Romaine and Parsley

$5.25/ea

Stuffed Cabbage

Turkey Breast with Gravy

$6.95 qt

Beef Gravy

with Pan Gravy (Lean, 1st cut)

Rosemary Roasted Chicken on the Bone $38.95

10-100 Meals (per person)

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Item

Cajun Roasted London Broil (Med. Rare)$21.95/lb

Gefilte Fish or Liver (Circle Choice)

201+ Meals

Price s UNCH ANGE D from last y ear!

$18.95

$18.00/ea

Phone: 410-602-2224 || Email: joylichter613@gmail.com Mail: 2839 Smith Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209

Item

Price Quantity Total

$8.99/lb

Ratatouille

Roasted Vegetables w/ Spring Herbs $8.99/lb Matzo Farfel Stuffing (serves 6-8)

Butternut Squash Kugel (Serves 6-8)

$7.95/ea $7.95/ea

Butternut Squash Kugel (Serves 16-20) $17.50/ea

Spring Vegetable Kugel (Serves 6-8)

$7.95/ea

Potato Kugel (Serves 6-8)

$7.95/ea

Spring Vegetable Kugel (Serves 16-20) $17.50/ea $16.50/ea

Apple Kugel (Serves 16-20)

$17.50/ea

Banana Walnut Loaf

Chocolate Mousse (3 lb bowl)

$10.95/ea $19.00/ea

Bite-size Brownie Cupcakes Unfrosted $0.85/ea

Bite-size Brownie Cupcakes Frosted $1.00/ea Heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookies Espresso Truffle Torte Loaf House-made Macaroons

$7.99/dz

$10.95/ea

Blondie Squares (6 pack)

$9.99/dz

$5.99

$7.95/ea

Apple Kugel (Serves 6-8)

Carrot Raisin Kugel (Serves 6-8)

Carrot Raisin Kugel (Serves 16-20)

$7.95/ea

$17.50/ea

Turkey Special #1 Serves 10-12 Includes Whole Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy

$129.95

Turkey Special #2 Serves 10-12

$129.95

Add $15 for Carving

Sliced, includes Rosemary, Sage & Thyme Roasted Turkey Breast, Stuffing and Gravy

Matza Lasagna 9 x 14â&#x20AC;? pan

MARCH 17, 2016

Potato Kugel (Serves 16-20)

Price Quantity Total

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$8.99/lb

Savory Quinoa w/ Vegetables

Item

$38.00/ea

FOOD TOTAL (from both pages):

GRAND TOTAL:

(We add 6% sales tax to applicable items)

(We calculate, including taxes)

TOTAL LIQUOR (from seperate menu): (We add 9% sales tax)

$20 DELIVERY CHARGE: (If applicable)

Select Pick-up Day: Pick Up At Suburban Orthodox, 7504 Seven Mile Lane, Baltimore MD 21208

Thursday, April 21st between 1-7 p.m.

Friday, April 22nd between 8 a.m.-Noon

Thursday Evening Delivery Service ($20 delivery charge, 3 mile radius) Deliveries will be made between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

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All items are OU-P Kosher for Passover All orders must be entirely completed with credit card numbers. VISA, Mastercard, Discover and Cash accepted. We regret no personal checks.All information including telephone numbers and email address must be completed. We do not sell items by the half pound. There will be an additional service charge to double wrap in foil. All orders will include heating instructions. $50.00 order minimum.

Phone: 410-602-2224 || Email: joylichter613@gmail.com Mail: 2839 Smith Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209

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City/State/Zip:

MARCH 17, 2016

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HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE PURIM HONEST

UNQUESTIONED

TRUSTWORTHY

INTEGRITY

VOTE APRIL 26TH (EARLY VOTING: APRIL 14—21) ABOUT CATHERINE PUGH Helped to provide over a million dollars in academic scholarships to Baltimore youth.



Bring good schools to every neighborhood



Create opportunities for hard-working people in every corner of the city



Small business owner (CEPugh and Company)



Former Dean and Director of Strayer Business College (Now Strayer University)

Bring our communities together with our police to ensure accountability and solve our crime crisis.



Create a summer job initiative that offers opportunities for any Baltimore teenagers who applies



Work with state leaders to ensure Baltimore gets its fair share



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FIGHTING FOR A UNITED BALTIMORE



Founder of the Baltimore Design School. The first new public school in thirty years.

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU AS OUR TEAM CAMPAIGNS IN THE COMMUNITY.

www.PughforMayor.com Authority: The Committee to Elect Catherine E. Pugh, Keith Timmons, Treasurer

Sponsored by

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Book is about many invisible things in which we believe, making our souls that much more comprehensible. Aliza in MitzvahLand shows how there is never a reason to be bored since there are always mitzvahs just waiting to be found. Another example is Remarkable Park, as the children in the book discover that nature – including all the animals and plants around us – have many secrets about life to share with us. You are a passionate advocate for children. How did you become involved and with what organizations are you affiliated?

activities, and many free passes to great places around town, so if someone is at a stage in life where he or she has a little free time to add joy to a young person’s life, I sure do love to hear from more potential volunteers. My office number is 410-843-7453 and my email address at the JBBBS program is bgoetz@jcsbaltimore.org. What inspired you to write your personal safety books for children? When I became aware of the devastating results of sexual abuse and how deeply it scars young people, I was strongly motivated to do something to try to alleviate this widespread

I have lived in Baltimore for 26 years. We moved here afer marrying and living in Israel for 11 years. For the past 15 years, I have been coordinating a Big Brother Big Sister program at Jewish Community Services that serves our Orthodox population. This is very gratifying work as I have witnessed repeatedly the wonderful effect that mentors have on the lives of children and teens in our community. I get calls requesting mentors almost daily, so more volunteers are always needed to meet with a mentee a couple of times a month. We offer trainings, several group

problem. Besides writing numerous articles about the subject, I felt that the most important action I could take to help prevent Orthodox children from being targeted by predators who take advantage of their naivete and ignorance about the subject, was to write a children’s book geared to Orthodox children that would educate children about this. Although I wrote the Talking about Private Places book first, which focuses on this topic, my Let’s Stay Safe book, which includes other safety topics as well, was published earlier. I’m also an advocate for other

things as well. I am passionate about eating healthfully, for instance, so I wrote Hashem’s Candy Store to educate our community’s children about the joy of eating Hashem’s amazing goodies. Soon, G-d willing, there will be a new book released that will hopefully help children in our community to have a better understanding and appreciation of the abilities of people who have disabilities. Is there a favorite place that you like to frequent in our community? Yes, I love going to fitness classes at the JCC. And it’s hard to find anything that beats dancing on the roof of the JCC on lovely summer evenings under the stars, with the gentle breeze that’s up there. I’ve made some really great friends there too. Do you have any other message that you would you like to convey to our readers? Thank G-d, our community is in the process of evolving courageously in its response to many issues such as abuse, mental illness, corruption, unhealthy eating, addictions, and special needs. We are very blessed to live at a time when we can clearly see that each of our distinct abilities and each of our individual struggles are truly needed in order to help more goodness be revealed. We all have missions to fulfill. And as our actions come to align with the Torah’s guidelines for living, our light can radiate more, brightening the whole world.

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Please tell us about yourself. I’m the author of 30 Jewish picture books and I feel that one of my missions in life is to write about deep and sometimes difficult subjects in as simple a way as possible, so that children can understand these concepts. Also I’ve written lots of articles, poems, songs and presentations for adults. My background is that I graduated with honors from Harvard, and then went on to medical school, with plans to become a psychiatrist. During the summer between my first and second year of medical school, I went to Israel during my six week break to volunteer in Hadassah Hospital. While there, I began learning about Judaism at the women’s division of Ohr Someyach, in a depth I had not known. A thread throughout my life is that I was always seeking out truth. So when I began to learn about the wisdom in the Torah, I began to try to follow the Torah’s guidelines. After meeting my wonderful husband and being blessed with children, I started writing the kind of books that I would have wanted to read when I was a very young child. I sought to write books that could help our littlest ones to see the world with a joyful Jewish vision, integrating life’s truths as early as possible. What kind of deep concepts can you teach very young children? Children can readily absorb that at their core there is an infinite potential for joy and goodness. Picture books can help to foster a loving self-awareness that remains for life. The Invisible

MARCH 17, 2016

Bracha Goetz

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MARCH 17, 2016

The Week The Week In News

Singapore Most Expensive in the World

While your zip code may feel like the most expensive in the nation, fortunately the Economist Intelligence Unit has proof that other people’s wallets have it at least a little bit worse. According to the report released by the research and analysis group associated with The Economist magazine, Singapore is the most expensive city in the world to live in. The “worldwide cost of living survey” sums up the costs of living in cities around the world as of September 2015, then compares them both to other cities and each city’s cost of living one, five and 10 years ago. Where should you avoid living if you want to keep some extra change in your wallet? Zurich and Hong Kong both tied for the number two spot, with Geneva and Paris ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. Surprisingly, with the exception of New York City and Hong Kong, all of the world’s ten most expensive cities had a lower cost of living in 2015 than they did five years earlier. This is the first time in 14 years that the Big Apple has been listed in top ten. Must be all that free Pre-K courtesy of Mr. de Blasio. Tokyo’s costs also dropped significantly from 2010, when it was the world’s most expensive city. It now

ranks 11th – far from “affordable,” yet still a better bargain than London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Copenhagen. The world’s ten most expensive cities are: 1. Singapore 2. Zurich (tied for 2nd) 3. Hong Kong (tied for 2nd) 4. Geneva 5. Paris 6. London 7. New York 8. Copenhagen (tied for 8th) 9. Seoul (tied for 8th) 10. Los Angeles (tied for 8th) Following New York and LA, here are the next ten most costly cities in the U.S., along with their global ranking: 21. Chicago 24. Minneapolis 26. Washington, D.C. 31. Houston 34. San Francisco 42. Seattle 46. Honolulu 46. Pittsburgh 49. Miami 56. Boston

Russia in Search of the Perfect Dolphin

Calling all dolphins…requirements include perfect teeth, average length (8 feet), and willingness to “display motor activity.” Russia’s military advertised this casting call online last week and according to a defense ministry official, anyone who brokers a deal will earn

In News $24,000. The government is searching for three male and two female bottlenose dolphins for the purpose of servicing the Russian state. The notice was quickly taken down but it already sparked growing suspicion that the Russian navy is attempting to revive the combat dolphin units that served as Soviet spies, investigators, and rescuers during the Cold War. Those dolphins were based in Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula, during the Soviet era. They were absorbed by Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in 2000, the BBC reported that the animals, which had been moved to a “private dolphinarium to perform for tourists,” were being sold to Iran because its handler could no longer feed them. In 2012, Ukraine resurrected the dolphin military training program, according to the Guardian. But after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, it also took control of the military aquarium and the dolphins, despite Ukrainian objections. That same year, an anonymous source told the state news agency RIA Novosti that the Russian military was again training flippered fighters, which the defense ministry denied. A Ukrainian military spokesman tried to hush suspicions at the time, telling The Washington Post that “dolphins are not a military asset.” Dolphins are notorious for their superior sonar skill, or echolocation, which makes them exceptional at detecting mines and sea vessels, locating lost divers and swimmers, and detecting enemy activity on the sea, shore and ships. This idea is not foreign to the military. In fact, the U.S. Navy has used dolphins, as well as sea lions, since the 1960s. Sea lions have strong underwater vision and outstanding hearing, both can dive deep without getting decompression sickness, and they’re fast. They are also “highly reliable, adaptable and trainable marine animals,” according to the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, which trains them in San Diego. However, the Russians are accused of also training their dolphins to be assassins, according to many. Retired Col. Viktor Baranets told the Guardian that they

planted explosive devices on enemy ships. The dolphins’ trainer told the BBC in 2000 that the animals were fitted with harpoons that they used to stab enemy swimmers and carried out kamikaze attacks on foreign vessels. “The dolphins could allegedly distinguish foreign and Soviet submarines by the sound of their propeller,” the BBC wrote.

North Korea Threatens Manhattan

The latest brazen threat to come out of North Korea hits very close to home. The violent dictatorship claimed that it was capable of sending a hydrogen bomb on a ballistic missile to the heart of New York. While there are many reasons to believe that Kim Jong Un’s regime is exaggerating its resources, near-daily barrage of boasts and warnings from Pyongyang make it obvious that Un is very angry at those making efforts to stop him. “Our hydrogen bomb is much bigger than the one developed by the Soviet Union,” said a state-run media website. “If this H-bomb were to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile and fall on Manhattan in New York City, all the people there would be killed immediately and the city would burn down to ashes,” the report said, citing a nuclear scientist named Cho Hyong Il. In January, Kim ordered North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and claimed that it was a hydrogen bomb, not a simple atomic one. But most experts are skeptical of the claim, saying the seismic waves caused by the blast were similar to those caused by the

The Week ing the current president published last Thursday by The Atlantic, Obama is quoted as saying that Netanyahu “is in his own category” when it comes to Middle East leaders who have most deeply disappointed him. In the article entitled, “The Obama Doctrine,” writer Jeffrey Goldberg claims that “Obama has long believed that Net-

anyahu could bring about a two-state solution that would protect Israel’s status as a Jewish-majority democracy, but is too fearful and politically paralyzed to do so.” Goldberg recounts an undated encounter between Obama and Netanyahu in which the Israeli prime minister “launched into something of a lecture

about the dangers of the brutal region in which he lives.” Obama supposedly related to Goldberg that he “felt that Netanyahu was behaving in a condescending fashion and was also avoiding the subject at hand: peace negotiations. Finally, the president interrupted the prime minister: ‘Bibi, you have to

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 17, 2016

North’s three previous tests. Then in February, Kim oversaw the launch of what North Korea said was a rocket that put a satellite into orbit but that is widely considered part of a longrange ballistic missile program. North Korea has made advances in its inter-continental ballistic missile program, and experts generally conclude that the United States’ West Coast might now be in reach but there has been no suggestion that the North would be able to hit the East Coast. Many experts are also skeptical of the “miniaturized warhead” that Kim showed off last week during a visit to a nuclear weapons plant, saying it doesn’t look right.

In News

Obama Reveals his True Feelings about Netanyahu B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

President Barack Obama is never shy in offering his opinion, even when he is not asked. He has commented on everything from his food and music preferences to his feelings about world leaders. Recently, Obama publicly expressed his disdain for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two never really even pretended to like each other and their distaste for each other was palpable during Netanyahu’s recent visit to the White House in November. In a roundup of interviews featur-

MARCH 17, 2016 THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

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The Week In News understand something,’ he said. ‘I’m the African-American son of a single mother, and I live here, in this house. I live in the White House. I managed to get elected president of the United States. You think I don’t understand what you’re talking about, but I do.’” The article definitely has an undertone of anti-Israel rhetoric but it did call-out other leaders in the region that supposedly had “frustrated” Obama “immensely.” Supposedly Obama now thinks of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who he had hoped could bridge the East-West divide, as “a failure and an authoritarian, one who refuses to use his enormous army to bring stability to Syria.” Goldberg also says two years ago Obama took Jordan’s King Abdullah II aside at an international summit because he was unhappy that the monarch was badmouthing him. “Obama said he had heard that Abdullah had complained to friends in the U.S. Congress about his leadership, and told the king that if he had complaints, he should raise them directly. The king denied that he had spoken ill of him.” The article did reveal what many have realized long ago: the rise of the Islamic State terror group has forced Obama to realize that the Middle East is a major problem that is not easily fixable, at least not during his term or in his generation. Despite his disdain for their leader, the American president is impressed with Israelis. Goldberg quoted Obama praising Israelis’ ability to withstand a relentless climate of terrorism. He wrote, “Several years ago, he expressed to me his admiration for Israelis’ ‘resilience’ in the face of constant terrorism, and it is clear that he would like to see resilience replace panic in American society.”

Mud Blows Mossad Cover Who would have thought that mud could be responsible for exposing two highly trained and experienced Mos-

sad agents? That’s exactly what happened in a northern German town last December. The pair of G-men were in Germany to accompany the recently-completed INS Rahav submarine from the Kiel shipyard to Haifa. Hamburg media reported that the trouble started when they came across a locked fence that was labeled “no entry” in the town of Quanbeck. The agents picked the lock and drove through the gate, but quickly became stuck in mud and were unable to free their SUV.

Media outlets in Germany reported that an elderly woman saw them and called the town mayor to report the suspicious activity. “The woman asked the two men what they were doing,” said Mayor Klaus Langer. “They told her that they came to survey the area since a sailing competition is supposed to take place in the passage this summer.” Langer summoned the police, who found two handguns in the car. With no choice, the Israelis handed over their documentation and explained that they were foreign agents with diplomatic immunity and permission to be armed. Eventually a team of firefighters and a farmer were able to extricate the car, along with a forklift that had also become stuck during a rescue attempt. Langer was not happy about the incident. “People in our community are concerned,” he explained. “The residents are asking themselves how young men can roam freely here as part of secret intelligence activities, especially armed with pistols.” He refused to pay the cost for freeing the car and has sent a bill for $1,392.28 to the Israeli Embassy in Berlin. Officials at the embassy say that they only received the letter a few days after the story reached the media and angrily told Langer that he should have talked to them first, instead of the press.

The Week

Survivor is World’s Oldest Man

Mr. Kristal worked in the family confectionary factory but was sent under Nazi occupation to the infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. His wife died but he survived, weighing just 81 pounds at the end of the war. The oldest living woman, at 116-years-old, is Susannah Mushatt Jones of the United States, who was born on July 6, 1899.

The owner of a small insurance company in Georgia is requiring his employees to carry a firearm in the office. Lance Toland has three offices based at small airports in the state. Although he hasn’t had problems with crime, “anyone can slip in these days if they want to. I don’t have a social

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

Azriaev had been handing out Breslov pamphlets in Petach Tikvah when he stepped inside a shop hoping to give one to the cashier. Then he felt sharp blows to his back and shoulders. Feeling like he was punched, Azriaev said he figured he was being attacked by someone who hated religious people. But then the shop owner started yelling, “It’s a terrorist! It’s a terrorist!” Realizing he had been stabbed, Azriaev said he followed his instincts. He swiveled around, grabbed the attacker by the arms, and threw him against the wall. The attacker fell to the floor and Azriaev realized

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest man is Yisrael Kristal, a 112-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor. Yisrael Kristal was born before the first airplane took flight on September 15, 1903 in what is now called Poland. He lived in the country through the First World War and until the Nazi occupation in World War II, when he was eventually sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. “Mr. Kristal’s achievement is remarkable – he can teach us all an important lesson about the value of life and how to stretch the limits of human longevity,” Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness, said. Reacting to the news, Mr. Kristal said in a statement, “I don’t know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons

Work Here? Bring Your Gun

MARCH 17, 2016

Yonatan Azriaev is a strong, brave – and very cool – Breslover chassid. After being stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian terrorist last week, Azriaev grabbed the terrorist’s arms and threw him against a wall. He then pulled the knife out of his neck and killed the murderer before he could injure anyone else. A burly man with a calm, bearded face, Azriaev, 35, has spent the past 16 years learning and teaching. He lives with his wife and five children in Yavniel, a 4,000-person agricultural village in northern Israel. He served in a non-combat position in the Israeli army and doesn’t exercise.

why. There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men than me who are no longer alive.”

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Chassid: I Won’t Let Terrorist Hurt More People

he was bleeding from the neck. “I thought that was it, I wouldn’t live,” Azriaev recalled. “I saw he was fighting with someone else. When I saw that, I said, ‘I won’t live.’ So, I said, he shouldn’t kill more people.” While still bleeding from his wound, he pulled the knife from his own neck and stabbed his attacker, who died a few minutes later. Azriaev’s story was one of the few silver linings in a day marred by tragedy. Two stabbing attacks and one shooting in three Israeli cities left 11 injured and one American tourist, Taylor Force, dead. Upon returning home, Azriaev said he plans to resume his mission in life: distributing the pamphlets. “I thought, if there was one thing that could save me, it would just be that I would keep handing out these pamphlets,” he said. “That’s why G-d would save me. I thank G-d for the miracle he did for me,” Azriaev said. “As much as someone takes care of himself, it’s not enough. What can save us is just a short prayer to G-d.”

In News

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The Week

agenda here. I have a safety agenda.” His new initiative has some people shaking their heads in agreement; others are concerned with bringing guns to the workplace. Will a firearm make you safer or less safe at work? When a longtime employee, a National Rifle Association-certified instructor who’s been the company’s unofficial security officer, announced her retirement, Toland wanted to ensure the remaining employees were safe. He now requires each of them to get a concealed-carry permit, footing the $65 bill, and undergo training. He issues a Taurus revolver known as “The Judge” to each of them. The firearm holds five rounds, .410 shells that cast a spray of pellets like a shotgun. “It is a weapon, and it is a lethal weapon,” said Toland, whose company specializes in aviation insurance. “When a perpetrator comes into the home or the office, they have started a fire. And this is a fire extinguisher.” Every one of his employees signed on to his proposal. “They all embraced it 100 percent, and they said, you know, I’m tired of being afraid,” Toland said. More than 400 people on average are killed in the workplace each year, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. About half of U.S. states have laws allowing people to keep firearms in their cars at work. There are companies that allow employees to bring firearms to the office. But it’s rare to hear of an employer making it a requirement. Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, said he hasn’t heard of any companies issuing a mandate, but he’s increasingly hearing from companies, churches and schools seeking training so they’re prepared to deal with a workplace shooting. He said while workplace shootings don’t happen every day, when they do happen, people should have the ability to protect themselves — particularly before police are able to respond. “The gun-free-zone sign isn’t going to stop anyone. In fact, it makes people

more vulnerable,” said Michalowski, who is a part-time officer in Wisconsin for a county sheriff’s department and a rural police department. “The good people who could stop things are disarmed.” A case in point: Early Sunday morning, a masked man entered a 7-Eleven store in Seattle with a hatchet and sliced the clerk. A customer who buys his coffee there every day pulled out a concealed gun and fatally shot the attacker. The 60-year-old hero has a valid license to carry and is being hailed as a Good Samaritan and hero for saving the clerk’s and other people in the store’s life. Some, though, don’t believe that guns and work should mix. Attorney Charles G. Ehrlich was working for the Pettit & Martin law firm in California on July 1, 1993, when Gian Luigi Ferri, a failed entrepreneur and former client of the firm, arrived at the high-rise office building with multiple weapons, killing eight people and injuring six before killing himself. “It’s not like it is on TV or at the movies where the good guy just shoots the bad guy,” said Ehrlich, the former president of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “It’s very difficult to shoot a gun accurately, even when you’re not under pressure.” Ehrlich also worries about the pressure cooker that exists in many workplaces — and that arming more employees might actually lead to more workplace shootings.

Ultra-Processed Foods to Blame for Extra Pounds It’s been confirmed and reconfirmed by research that Americans don’t have great eating habits. Now researchers are claiming to know exactly what is wrong with our diets: ultra-processed foods.

In News

For many of us, that’s probably a large percentage of what we ate today and what is in our pantries. Frozen pizza, cereal, soda are all classified as ultra-processed foods. On a typical day, the calories consumed by an average American are 58% from processed foods, according to a study published recently in BMJ Open medical journal.

Government health experts recommend Americans consume no more than 10% of their total calories in the form of added sugars, but according to Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71% of American adults exceeded that 10% goal and added sugars accounted for 15% of all the calories they consumed. Of that amount, 90% are from processed food and drink. The obvious consequence, aside from many cavities, is obesity which leads to serious health problems that are becoming more and more prevalent in America like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. According to the recent study, on average participants consumed 2,070 calories per day. About 28% of those calories came from unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as eggs, milk, vegetables and fish, and 3.1% from cooking ingredients like table sugar and olive oil. An additional 10% of calories were traced to processed foods, including cheese, canned vegetables and cured meat. However ultra-processed foods accounted for nearly 3 in every 5 calories consumed. To clarify, ultra-processed foods contain artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, stabilizers and other additives to make them taste like real food or mask their “undesirable quali-

ties.” Breads, cakes, cookies, pies and salty snacks were the most popular ultra-processed foods. By definition, unprocessed and minimally processed foods contained no added sugars. Processed foods got 2% of their calories from added sugars, on average. For ultra-processed foods, that figure was 21%, therefore the individuals who ate more ultra-processed foods were more likely to eat more than the 10% recommended added sugar intake. Looking to cut down on added sugars? You may want to cut down on your ultra-processed foods, although that’s certainly easier said than done.

Carson Hearts Trump As the race for the presidential race heats up, former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson endorsed his competitor Donald Trump. The former brain surgeon praised the billionaire frontrunner for balancing being the aggressive campaign persona in front of cameras and a “very cerebral” approach in private, a quality many believe can make a strong leader. Carson said there are “two Donald Trumps” — including a measured side of someone who “considers things carefully.” Carson suspended his deteriorating campaign last week and quickly commended Trump. Carson is a high-profile endorsement for Trump and it seems the strategy is to coerce his former supporters to go with the Donald. A few weeks ago we saw a similar nod from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, although Carson’s endorsement surprised many as the two previously had an icey relationship after Trump mocked Carson and Carson called Trump out on his aggressiveness by debates. But Trump said the two have now “buried the hatchet.”

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Carson, though, did not deny that the current presidential race has divided the nation and caused Democrats and Republicans to “hate each other.” He also warned that the GOP establishment should be careful not to uproot Trump’s nomination, saying that doing so would be “extremely dangerous” if political parties seek to “thwart the will of the people” and must let the “voice of the people be heard.” As many wondered whether Carson has ulterior motives with this statement, Trump announced during a Republican presidential debate that aired on CNN on Thursday night that Carson will a “big, big part” in the campaign, but gave no specifics on possible roles. He said he appreciates Carson’s ideas on education and other topics. “We spoke for over an hour on education. And he has such a great handle on it,” Trump said. “I’m going to have Ben very involved with education, something that’s an expertise of his.”

It involves a combination of healthy diet and lifestyle. Fitness varies across the nation, as a city’s infrastructure takes a major toll on how active its residents are. For example, cities with a warmer climate allow for a broader range of outdoor activities all-year round. Residents of Hawaii can participate in water sports, such as surfing, diving and paddle boarding all year. On the other side of the nation, cities with mountainous ranges such as Colorado allow for winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. So where do the fittest Americans live? New Yorkers only rank at 24th fittest in the nation. Those living in Baltimore can do a little jig; they come in at number 19. Despite the warm weather and surf, living in Miami doesn’t guarantee a fit life. Miami residents only come in at number 30. Los Angelinos, though, rank 23. Keep rollerblading through Rodeo Drive. According to the CDC, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese; related conditions include heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Membership at gym, though, (and that doesn’t mean that you’re hitting the treadmill) is at its peak. “In 2014, U.S. fitness centers had a total membership of more than 54 million. The U.S. fitness centers market consists of about 34,000 membership-based exercise facilities.” Perhaps you should attend a class or two instead of sticking the membership card in your wallet. Sadly, our children are not living fit lifestyles. About 50% of people ages 12-21 are not vigorously active on a daily basis. Additionally, there is a huge outbreak of obesity amongst kids – more than 30% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight and over 15% are obese – and nutritionists are blaming lack of physical activity as one of the key contributors to the epidemic. Aside from a long life, fitness has many other benefits. A daily dose of exercise can help people feel happier and more energized because physical activity releases endorphins into the blood that positively affect mood.

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MARCH 17, 2016

The Week

Exercise also can help relieve stress. Additionally, each pound of muscle earned causes the body to burn an extra 50 calories every day. Get fit, America! Here are the top ten fittest cities in the nation: 1. Washington, D.C. 2. Minneapolis, MN 3. San Diego, CA 4. San Francisco, CA 5. Sacramento, CA 6. Denver, CO 7. Portland, OR 8. Seattle, WA 9. Boston, MA 10. San Jose, CA

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

Milk and Cookies

It’s the perfect afterschool snack: chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk. But why does it taste so good? Turns out, milk and cookies really do taste great – it’s scientifically proven that they’re the perfect pairing. Matthew Hartings, a professor of chemistry at American University, related that it’s partially due to the chemical compounds interacting on our tongues. Here’s the science behind it: Chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter (pure fat) and cocoa powder, which wouldn’t ordinarily mix. But, chocolate also contains chemicals called

phospholipids, which act as emulsifiers and allow foods with a lot of fat (like oil and cocoa butter) to mix with substances without fat (like water and cocoa powder). Milk is also full of emulsifiers. Without them, Hartings explained, the fat in milk would “pool at the top” – similar to the way oils do in all-natural nut butters. Chocolate chip cookies have a lot of fat in them. When they hit your tongue, the emulsifiers in milk “help to smooth out the chocolate as you’re eating it,” Hartings said. Though your tongue can pick up the full-bodied taste of the cookie eventually, the milk quickens this process, and makes sure your tongue receives an even cookie coating. Without it, the cookie may be a little more gritty. Milk also helps to mellow the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookie. Want to know what else goes well with cookies? Turns out that tea may work just as well. NPR reports that cookies feature a chemical called methylbutanol, which contributes to the toasty flavor we associate with cookies and other baked goods. Dipping cookies into hot beverages release this flavor more quickly into your mouth. Seems that the English may have something there with their scones and tea at teatime. But despite the science, culture plays an even bigger component in the way we understand and enjoy food. “We’re just culturally biased to prefer different flavor pairings over others,” Hartings said. “Culture does a better job of explaining ‘like’ and ‘preference’ than chemistry does.” Matzah and charoses, anyone?

A Taste of their Own Raw Law

In News

West Virginia politicians say it’s just a coincidence, but others are milking it for all its worth. Recently, state lawmakers passed a bill allowing people to drink raw milk. Once the bill was passed, they chugged some raw milk in celebration – but then some legislators became sick. Was it due to the raw milk they consumed or were they sick from an unrelated stomach bug? Delegate Scott Cadle, who stayed home sick on Monday, said the culprit is actually an unrelated stomach virus circulating the Capitol. Symptoms include fever, vomiting and a loose stomach.

“There’s nobody up there that got sick off that milk,” Cadle insisted. “It’s just bad timing, I guess.” Indeed, some who became ill did not taste the raw milk. “With that many people around and that close quarters and in that air and environment, I just call it a big germ,” Cadle told the Gazette-Mail. “All that Capitol is a big germ.” Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill on Thursday allowing people to share milk-producing animals and drink raw milk if they sign a document admitting the health risks, and if the animals have passed health tests within the last year. The law goes into effect in May. Dangerous bacteria that can live in raw milk include Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella and E. Coli. “A lot of people haven’t tasted raw milk ... and they find out it’s got a little better flavor than store-bought milk,” Cadle related. “Most of them people

just tasted it. That’s all they did.” He says he drinks raw milk “all the time” and never gets sick. You know what they say: there’s no use crying over sp[o]iled milk.

Let’s Make America Crate Again

A five-feet, actor Danny DeVito may not be the tallest person around, but he’s urging Americans to vote with their feet – long or short – and feel the Bern. While stumping for Sanders at a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, this week, DeVito stood atop a wooden box so he could reach the mike and shouted, “I love you guys. I love you because you’re here for Bernie,” he said. “And I’m here because you’re here, and because I feel…” The crowd then answered, “the Bern!” Yes, he is looking to make America crate again and he feels that Sanders is the one who can do it. “I am very, very excited tonight to introduce to you the next president of the United States,” said DeVito, who then compared the candidate to Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi. “We need you, Obi-Wan,” said 71-year-old DeVito, “Bernie Sanders!” Earlier, DeVito didn’t have positive things to say about Mr. Trump.

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

It’s a library divided – between two nations, that

The United States is flanked by wonderful neighbors. We have the nation of Mexico to our south, and Canada graces our northern border. But visit the Haskell Free Library and Opera House and you can be in two countries at once. The library literally lies on the border of Quebec and northern Vermont. The location has been a tourist attraction in Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont, since its completion in 1904. Martha Stewart Haskell and her son, Colonel Horace Stewart Haskell, both Canadians, built the building as a tribute to Mrs. Haskell’s late husband, Carlos. The family hoped that citizens from both countries would use it as a “center for learning and cultural enrichment,” according to the official Haskell Free Library website. The Haskell is divided between the two countries. The library’s official entrance is on the U.S. side of the building, while most the books are on the Canadian side. The opera house is similarly split, with most of its seats in the U.S. and its stage in Canada. In an interesting twist: the Haskell is the only library in the United States without any books and the opera house in the country without a stage. So do you need a passport to take out your favorite tome to read? Fortunately, passports are not required but the border inside the “building is real and it is enforced,” according to the website. Visitors are expected to return to their side of the border after a visit; if they don’t, they risk possible detention and fines. “We’re just trying to be the best library we can, and our community is made up of people from two different countries,” Library Director Nancy Rumery said. “We don’t think of it in that big symbolic way that I think a lot of people do. These are all our neighbors and we do our very best to help them on their life-long learning journey.” As long as their journey doesn’t go across county lines.

MARCH 17, 2016

In an interview with MSNBC, he opined, “In terms of the Republican party, I mean, I feel like unfortunately, they have — it’s almost like they had a really nice big car and they loaned it to the crazy brother-in-law who has taken it for a joy ride, and that’s where Donald is. He’s got a lot of people who are riled up, he’s dividing people up.” DeVito didn’t mince words in January when he called Americans “a bunch of racists” when speaking about this year’s Oscars ceremony. “It’s unfortunate that the entire country is a racist country…But just generally speaking, we’re a bunch of racists.” DeVito is currently starring on a sitcom, which has aired for 11 seasons, as the financier of a morally bankrupt group of deviant opportunists, in which every major character is white. DeVito portrays a satirical conservative businessman and gun enthusiast on the show.

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The Week

Hiring Shoplifters

day. Teach a man to fish – or give him a job – and feed him and his family for a lifetime.

Cash in the Chimney

When he stole $7 worth of groceries, he was desperate. He recently quit his job and his wife was in a coma after giving birth. He had three young children to feed. The 31-year-old man in a small Malaysian town was caught shoplifting from a supermarket and knew that he would be handed over to police. But the supermarket didn’t offer him time in the slammer; instead, they offered him a job and a second chance. “The man’s situation really touched our hearts,” said store manager Radzuan Ma’asan, who interrogated the would-be shoplifter. “He was not a regular thief. When we questioned him, he immediately confessed, saying that he stole the fruits and drinks because his son was hungry.” The manager also gave the man some cash to help him take care of his three children, ages 2 to 7. Give a man a fish, feed him for a

It was like a “bad American movie,” he said. Vemund Thorkildsen, a 27-yearold real estate broker, was showing his new apartment off to his friends. They were admiring his brand new digs in Norway when they found something that took their breath away. “To begin with, I broke out into a cold sweat. After that, we hopped around screaming,” Thorkildsen related. Thorkildsen was speculating whether a fireplace could be moved to another room, when he lifted up one of the stone slabs. When something caught his eye, he climbed into the duct and found four envelopes stuffed full of cash. The total sum? Nearly 350,000 kroner, or $38,000.

In News “I thought this was only something that happened in bad American movies,” Thorkildsen told Norwegian paper Verdens Gang. After celebrating with his friends, though, Thorkildsen thought, “This is not my money.” The elderly couple that lived in the apartment before him had donated their estates to a Norwegian cancer foundation called Kreftforeningen, so Thorkildsen decided to keep their generosity going and give the cash to the nonprofit (he had purchased the apartment from Kreftforeningen). Plus, it “felt nice to give it to something good like the cancer foundation,” he added. Norway is the third most generous nation is the world. Seems like Thorkildsen is one of its most generous citizens.

The Solution to the Shidduch Crisis?

You know what they say, honesty is the best policy. But sometimes being too honest may not be too helpful. Take David Wheeler, for instance. He launched a dating site back in 2014 to help people find their perfect match. But his site is different from the others. “We’re trying to build a community of honesty, so people can be themselves,” Wheeler, 31, said. The dating site encourages people to post both flattering and unflattering

photos of themselves and to list their flaws along with their positive attributes. Understandly, not everyone is gung-ho about dating those with too many flaws. “To be completely blunt and honest, we’re still at about 5,000 members,” Wheeler admitted. “In the dating space, that’s still so small. What we’re hearing from a lot of people is they love the concept.” Wheeler, for example, is balding. He used to post profile photos in which his bald spot was hidden, until it occurred to him that he was contributing to the less-than-honest facade that bothered him about the whole industry. “I started uploading pictures of myself balding and where I didn’t look the best,” he said. “But I knew my competition wasn’t. Their pictures were all after they just did bicep curls and flexed.” So he and his business partner, Jacob Thompson, launched their site. Their tagline? “Imperfection is Beautiful.” The honesty doesn’t end with photos. Users are encouraged to list their “imperfections” alongside their “perfections” in their profiles. “I have endless amounts of cons,” Wheeler said. “I drive a Dodge Stratus with duct tape on the bumper. Some girls look at that as horrible, and some look at it as, ‘I like that he’s frugal and spends money on his house and not his car.’“ Hey, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. What’s good for the goose may not be good for gander. One person’s dream date is another person’s nightmare. And do I have a boy for you. He’s a nice guy, drives a beat-up Accord, sometimes goes to minyan on time, has dandruff on shoulders, and sends his shirts to the dry cleaners after wearing them three times. Can he call you?

ISAAC

“YITZY”

DISTRICT 5 Democrat for Baltimore City Council

In the Purim story, we learn how Queen Esther saved the community. But beyond the palace walls, Mordechai led the Jews in davening, fasting, and doing everything possible to change the anti-Jewish edicts. While we work from outside, with our Rabbinic, community, and business leaders and activists, and the great organizations and institutions in our community, we need someone inside City Hall being our voice for us.

But Yitzy Schleifer cannot get elected to City Council without your vote.

We know from simple math – the number of eligible voters in the district and how many of them come from our community, that If we turn out vote for Yitzy, he will win. And while two of his opponents have done some things for our community and we appreciate it, they have done so on a salary paid for by our taxes; they are city employees. They can both continue in that role after Yitzy is elected – while he is supporting legislation to lower our taxes and proposing solutions for reducing crime. Every vote will make a difference. With local Rabbonim and community leaders urging the community to support Yitzy Schleifer, al tifrosh min hatzibur. If you are a registered Democrat, please make sure you vote. If you are a registered Republican or Independent, please consider switching parties for this election so you can vote for him. And if you are not registered, please do so. Because a vote for Yitzy Schleifer is a vote for our community.

For more information on registering to vote or switching parties visit www.VoteSchleifer.com By authority of: Vote Schleifer, Hillel Soclof, Treasurer

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

For the first time in almost 40 years, we have an open seat for City Council. We have the opportunity to send to City Hall someone who understands the nuances, traditions and priorities of our community.

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Crime is soaring… But it’s not too late to change that. Property taxes are high… But it’s not too late to change that. Businesses have fled Baltimore City… But it’s not too late to change that.

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Upside Down and Inside Out

A Behind the Scenes Look at “Megillas Lester” By Baila Rosenbaum

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

ave you ever read a book and wanted to jump right inside and join the characters in their imaginary world? In “Megillas Lester,” an animated feature length film produced by KolRom, the main character gets to do just that. He joins the world of ancient Shushan and the people he meets are the well-known characters of the Purim story. Chananya (CJ) Kramer of Kol Rom Multimedia wrote and directed this Persian version of “The Wizard of Oz meets the Megillah” and it makes for a fun and wild ride that charms both children and adults. Doniel Lesterovitch, known as Lester, is your average Yeshiva kid who’s had the bad luck of drawing the job as producer for his school’s Purim performance. He’s under the gun because the performance is being scrutinized by a scary professor from the county’s Arts Department

who will make funding decisions based on how cultured a performance the school can produce. Lester lucks out, coming up with a winning script when a box of puff paints falls on his head – and he falls into another world. He finds himself in Achashveirosh’s court and promptly gets into big trouble. Inadvertently, he convinces Vashti to appear before the king and the whole Purim story is turned upside down. With Vashti in place and no Esther on the scene, who will save the Jewish people from Haman’s wicked plans? Lester has altered Jewish history and now he’s got to make good. He spends the rest of the film trying to eliminate Vashti and get the story back on track. But (spoiler alert…), as Mordechai so wisely tells him, “Hashem always puts the right people in the right place at the right time. It’s not up to you what

will happen in the end.” This entertaining, 65 minute animated film starts out with a bold caveat: “Warning! This is definitely not the Purim Story!” Thus armed, the viewer can be ready for some rollicking, good fun. The generous distribution of jokes and puns entertain on many levels and the characters are engaging and playful. In fact, I felt a little irreverent

Director Chananya (CJ) Kramer

enjoying the bad guys of the Purim story – some of them were downright endearing. Achashveirosh has an amazingly authentic Persian accent and a loving relationship with a horse named Hangover. Vashti has a penchant for natural herb smoothies and was perversely relegated to sitting on a folding chair next to Achashveirosh’s vast gold throne. Haman is constantly ha-

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Light-Filled 1BR/1BA second floor unit that has a walk-in entrance from rear patio. New carpet & freshly painted throughout. Living / dining area with sliders leading to patio. Eat-in kitchen. Washer & dryer in unit.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

rassed by his wife, Zeresh, for not taking out the garbage; she’s got a Brooklyn accent and she calls him Manny. He sings a show-stopping song about how evil he is, while hel-

meted guards pop up behind him singing harmony. The music is sing-along good across the board with the theme song appropriately named “Upside

“My biggest compliment was hearing Megillas Lester referred to as a ‘poor man’s Pixar movie!’”

Down.” Musical director Shmuli Rosenberg and lyricist Malka Leah Josephs do an amazing job balancing the serious and the silly. The background music for the scene featuring the feast of Achashveirosh is an old Modzitzer melody. And a scene of Bigsan and Seresh cavorting at the city gates while they plan to assassinate Achashverirosh is set to the tune “Oh the day will merry, merry be…” This film does not pretend to educate or instruct, though there are

many clever subliminal midrashim floating through the plot. In testament to the respect intended for the real Megillas Esther, Mordechai is only portrayed from behind, as he gives Lester comforting words of chizuk. Queen Esther does not appear at all. The goal here was not to teach but to present Purim shtick at its best, coming from the perspective of a dreaming, ten-year-old boy. “The Orthodox Jewish world doesn’t have a conventional entertainment industry,” C.J. Kramer

Renovations Additions New Construction

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

man actors and using that information to animate digital characters in a 3D computer animation. The animation data is mapped onto a 3D model and the model replicates exactly the live-action movements of the actor. That’s why, though it’s an animated picture, the characters move with the fluidity of real people. To film Megillas Lester, the actors wore tight fitting bodysuits fitted with 39 markers. As they acted out the motions of the script – gesticulating, singing and dancing – sixteen cameras tracked those

well as a myriad of other talented people. Best of all is that they all seem to have had a lot of fun doing it. Kramer points out, “There is an enormous amount of talent in our community and we need to find a platform to use that talent. There’s a lot of ability out there and enormous potential to reach out to children and adults, to tap into people’s talents and to produce quality work.” The quality of the film has been lauded as “frum and professional” and it has been well received by an admiring Jewish public eager for

“We needed a bad guy with an accent and everyone that auditioned sounded like a terrorist. We didn’t want to make it too scary – but we needed ‘evil.’” markers. The cameras followed and recorded their movements and fed the data into a computer. The computer created a digital model of their actions and imposed that model onto a 3D setting. One computer wouldn’t have been able to do the job. All the thousands of images were sent to a “render farm,” a bank made up of many computers, that created all of the frames, and were ultimately put together to form a three dimensional animated “Megillas Lester.” Filming Megillas Lester took an intensive seven months with a staff of twelve full-time animators, programmers, artists and actors as

a good laugh. “My biggest compliment was hearing Megillas Lester referred to as a ‘poor man’s Pixar movie!’ It costs about $200 million to produce a Pixar movie. Our budget was a mere fraction of that and it’s a wonderful show. So I think we did pretty well!” Kramer muses. Though the animation in Megillas Lester may not reach the Pixar level, it is delightfully entertaining and appealing. Most importantly, the film has a happy ending as Lester manages to regroup and both the Jews of Shushan the school production are saved. Upside down, turns right side up in the end.

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

After watching the film and having a good laugh, I was left wondering, “How did they pull this off?” The long list of credits at the end of the film attests to the considerable work that went into it. But the credits are listed under unfamiliar categories. What are MoCap dancers? How does someone do Character Rigging or Character Modeling? Happily, the DVD includes an extra 45 minute of footage inviting us into the virtual backstage to watch how the animation process unfolds. That, coupled with a conversation with producer C.J. Kramer, explains the filming process and a fairly new method of animation called “motion capture.” The story of Megillas Lester was hatched during Kramer’s camp days as division head in Camp Romimu where he was involved in all the creative aspects of camp life – color war, night activities and camp songs. The same talent that created Romimu’s legendary “Shluffy Bokervekker” kicked in to write, refine and edit Megillas Lester. With script in hand, the next step in the process was making a casting call. “The first character we cast was Lester, he was our starting point. We had to make him lovable and relatable. We were lucky to get Michael Bihovsky, who had done some

work for Kol Rom before. The one character that was challenging to cast was Haman. We needed a bad guy with an accent and everyone that auditioned sounded like a terrorist. We didn’t want to make it too scary – but we needed ‘evil.’ We got the perfect match in actor Adam Levinthal – although instead of a Mideast accent we got a little British tinge!” After all the parts were cast, a group of artists and animators were called in to design the characters. “The actors needed to see who they were representing. A heavy or tall character will move differently than a small one. The body motions will be different.” The next few steps were the nuts and bolts. Audio was recorded, the tracks of dialogue were created and the sound effects were added. The combined result was a complete sound track of the film – sounding something like the cassette tapes we bought our kids before DVDs were the norm. When the audio was completed, a rough animation, called an animatic, was created. This fixed the actors in place within the setting, like stick figures on a drawing board. “It’s like a placeholder showing where everything will go. When you’re filming in 3D, the camera’s point of view is in all directions. You’re creating a stage but it’s a moving target. You want to know where the actors are going to stand on that stage so you can plan how to film them.” Here’s where the most fascinating part comes in. The actors acted out the motions of the script filming with a process called “motion capture.” Motion capture is a method of recording the movements of hu-

MARCH 17, 2016

explains. “A production is either ‘treif ’ or considered curriculum, an educational tool. We were trying to create a film to entertain – to provide a high caliber alternative to secular entertainment, and I think we accomplished that goal. It’s got healthy messaging, but its good entertainment.”

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

TJH ?

Riddle me

this?

Purim ScRaWbLe 1. Hcdeamior

__________________

2. Ershte

__________________

es of wine to put in his shalach manos

3. Oiehhcssaahr

__________________

baskets. The first box is marked “red,”

4. Maanh

__________________

the second is marked “white,” and the

5. Hstnaaham

__________________

6. Onmsa

__________________

7. Hcapahaniv

__________________

8. Niwe

__________________

9. Uipmr

__________________

10. Onisgb

__________________

boxes because he needs to transport them.

11. sseehhr

__________________

How could Chaim figure out what is in each

12. Thsvia

__________________

box by only taking out one bottle of wine

13. Aavhchon

__________________

from one of the boxes?

14. Rordspise

__________________

15. Tceumos

__________________

16. Hsfi

__________________

17. Rrgggea

__________________

18. Hhssnau

__________________

19. Haatkdez

__________________

20. yneoj!

__________________

Chaim gets a delivery of three box-

third box is marked “mixed.” The delivery man says, “Sorry, we had so many orders and your boxes are labeled incorrectly.” Chaim doesn’t want to open all the

See answer on next page

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

Centerfold

You gotta be

kidding

Jimbo and Billy Bob were flying from Texas to Georgia. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the captain announced, “One of the engines has failed and the flight will be an hour longer. But don’t worry, we have three engines left.” Thirty minutes later, the captain announced, “One more engine has failed and the flight will be two hours longer. But don’t worry, we have two engines left.” An hour later the captain announced, “One more engine has failed and the flight will be three hours longer. But don’t worry we have one engine left.” In a panic, Jimbo looked at Billy Bob and said, “If we lose one more engine, we’ll be up here all day.”

Answers to Purim Scramble: 1. Mordechai; 2. Esther; 3. Achashveirosh; 4. Haman; 5. Hamantash; 6. Manos; 7. Vinahapach; 8. Wine; 9. Purim; 10. Bigson; 11. Sheresh; 12. Vashti; 13. Charvonah; 14. Presidors; 15. Costume; 16. Fish; 17. Gragger; 18. Shushan; 19. Tzedakah; 20. Enjoy!

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Dear Underlings,

MARCH 17, 2016

politically with Donald Trump? I’ve been Why are you all so caught up s. guy you get ’t ind you don I rem that to I must say e. (Do you need me before he jumped onto the scen long e rud and g ltin TJH? insu by g, incorrect, blov iatin how much I get paid e he’s rich. Do you even know aus bec him like you Oh, ?) you what I really thin k of go there. Greek yog urt that ’s Oh, never mind, I don’t want to voting for Hillary Clinton or the are who ple peo two the ing I won’t even bother address up and vote for me instead! you Trump suppor ters — wake of all but , candiders San nie Ber for voting and I’m running as a “write-in” s are coming to the Five Tow ns arie prim tial can iden you pres m] the t, hm That’s righ ot [or is it spelled ballet?… g from those who are on the ball osin cho of ead vote r inst you t that ns don’t wan date. That mea e, you are not too bright and I a problem spelling in my nam t! iden write in my name. If you have prec I’m change when to spell any more, and that will make all brocany ways… Nobody knows how icans go back to Mexico but I will Mex all ke ma ’t won I in! aga t grea ntry sweet potaI will really make our cou ; and Idaho can have their little ke all spinach go back to Arizona ma will I ia; is Chrisforn Chr Cali , to way k the bac coli go things fun again. By End of stor y. We need to make iod. Per ds. foo t guy lthy grea hea a all He’s ban toes. I will ch) and endorsing me. Trump train (will be fun to wat the of off g pin jum fifty of you g king rgin tie is actually thin capitalism…cha m for everyone; no more crony crea ice Free ly. real it, ves …lo and loves our platform . se I agree with Bernie Sanders e. Not only that, cents for 20 sprinkles. In that sen n Core? Forget about it, it’s gon mo Com ut abo talk tes dida can er oth And you know how all the . Camp all year. Period. answer to no more school. School is out ng message that I am the only come together and send a stro let’s s arie prim ing om upc the So in grates!! We can do it! Weber grill-style grate … steel make this country grate again… rything you know... leader who has taught you eve Vote for your humble and kind enough.” That’s just silly talk. sure if your name is presidential “Oh,” you may say, “well, I’m not

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Happy Pu ri m!

Forever yours, sioner Mr. Centerfold Hussain Commis

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

I am going to be really busy cam to give you Shalach Manos, but se hou r you by p We dro . to you ted g to give P.S. I really wan e how much candy I am goin , if I win, you can’t even imagin on food stamps not are who paigning. But I am telling you se tho I thin k it’s only fair that so ady alre ps stam d foo on ch is the only way have 40 million Americans Stay safe and vote for me, whi candy allowance! Happy Purim! k wee a $10 a get t leas at uld sho and you will truly be safe. then I will consider it an insult look as handsome as I really am not do and me like up s dres P.P.S. If you will SUE YOU BIGLY!

Answer to riddle: First Chaim takes a bottle of wine from the box marked “mixed.” If it is a red wine he knows that the box can only contain red wine since it can’t be the mixed box. He looks at the other two boxes: one is labeled “white” and the other is labeled “red.” Since the boxes are mislabeled, he knows that the one that is labeled “white” does not actually contain only white wine, rather it is the mixed box. Now he knows that the box labeled “red” must be the white box. (The same logic applies if he picks a white bottle from the box labeled “mixed.”)

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 17, 2016

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

120

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

MARCH 17, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

The Holocaust and the Jewish Identity By Charles Krauthammer

ernie Sanders is the most successful Jewish candidate for the presidency ever. It’s a rare sign of the health of our republic that no one seems to much care or even notice. Least of all, Sanders himself. Which prompted Anderson Cooper in a recent Democratic debate to ask Sanders whether he was intentionally keeping his Judaism under wraps. “No,” answered Sanders: “I am very proud to be Jewish.” He then explained that the Holocaust had wiped out his father’s family. And that he remembered as a child seeing neighbors with concentration camp numbers tattooed on their arms. Being Jewish, he declared, “is an essential part of who I am as a human being.” A fascinating answer, irrelevant to presidential politics but quite revealing about the state of Jewish identity in contemporary America. Think about it. There are several alternate ways American Jews commonly explain the role Judaism plays in their lives. (1) Practice: Judaism as embedded in their life through religious practice or the transmission of Jewish culture by way of teaching or scholarship. Think Joe Lieberman or the neighborhood rabbi. (2) Tikkun: Seeing Ju-

daism as an expression of the prophetic ideal of social justice. Love thy neighbor, clothe the naked, walk with God, beat swords into plowshares. As ritual and practice have fallen away over the generations, this has become the core identity of liberal Judaism. Its central mission is nothing less than to repair the world (“Tikkun olam”). Which, incidentally, is the answer to the perennial question, “Why is it that Jews vote overwhelmingly Democratic?” Because, for the majority of Jews, the social ideals of liberalism are the most tangible expressions of their prophetic Jewish faith. When Sanders was asked about his Jewish identity, I was sure his answer would be some variation of Tikkun. On the stump, he plays the Old Testament prophet railing against the powerful and denouncing their treatment of the widow and the orphan. Yet Sanders gave an entirely different answer. (3) The Holocaust. What a strange reply – yet it doesn’t seem so to us because it has become increasingly common for American Jews to locate their identity in the Holocaust. For example, it’s become a growing emphasis in Jewish pedagogy from the Sunday schools to Holocaust studies programs in the var-

ious universities. Additionally, Jewish organizations organize visits for young people to the concentration camps of Europe. The memories created are indelible. And deeply valuable. Indeed, though my own family was largely spared, the Holocaust forms an ineradicable element of my own Jewish consciousness. But I worry about the balance. As Jewish practice, learning and knowledge diminish over time, my concern is that Holocaust memory is emerging as the dominant feature of Jewishness in America. I worry that a people with a 3,000-year history of creative genius, enriched by intimate relations with every culture from Paris to Patagonia, should be placing such weight on martyrdom – and indeed, for this generation, martyrdom once removed. I’m not criticizing Sanders. I credit him with sincerity and authenticity. But it is precisely that sincerity and authenticity – and the implications for future generations – that so concern me. Sanders is 74, but I suspect a growing number of young Jews would give an answer similar to his. We must of course remain dedicated to keeping alive the memory and the truth of the Holocaust, particularly when they are un-

der assault from so many quarters. Which is why, though I initially opposed having a Holocaust museum as the sole representation of the Jewish experience in the center of Washington, I came to see the virtue of having so sacred yet vulnerable a legacy placed at the monumental core of – and thus entrust-

sovereignty, the revival of Hebrew (a cultural resurrection unique in human history), the flowering of a new Hebraic culture radiating throughout the Jewish world. Memory is sacred, but victimhood cannot be the foundation stone of Jewish identity. Traditional Juda-

Nonetheless, there must be balance. It would be a tragedy for American Jews to make the Holocaust the principal legacy bequeathed to their children.

ed to the protection of – the most tolerant and open nation on earth. Nonetheless, there must be balance. It would be a tragedy for American Jews to make the Holocaust the principal legacy bequeathed to their children. After all, the Jewish people are living through a miraculous age: the rebirth of Jewish

ism has 613 commandments. The philosopher Emil Fackenheim famously said that the 614th is to deny Hitler any posthumous victories. The reduction of Jewish identity to victimhood would be one such victory. It must not be permitted. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group

Real Estate

Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder VacancyFillers.com

There is a hook on most ceiling fan boxes that will hold the ceiling fan up near the ceiling while you are doing the wiring. Installing Wooden Floor Moulding When installing wooden floor molding, remember that all outside corners can be cut at a 45 degree angle, but all inside corners must be coped. Coping is done by hand. Level Pictures Push a straight pin into the bottom two corners of the picture on the backside, and then clip off the heads of the pins leaving about 3/8 of an inch sticking out of the frame. Hang the picture using a level, when set in place, gently push the section of the picture frame with the pins behind it into the drywall to secure the positioning of the picture. Reusable Cardboard Boxes Are you using a cardboard box to store items and have to re-tape it each time you close the box? Next time try covering the top flaps completely with packaging tape, then tape onto the layer of packaging tape. This will allow secure closing and easy opening again and again. Scratch Free Lumber Rack Wrap sections of foam pipe insulation around your vehicles luggage rack to protect them. Shutting Off Gas and Water Know where and how to shut off gas and water to your house. Store Open Paint Glass jars are great because they are less likely to allow the paint to dry out and you can always tell the color of the paint inside. To ensure the paint doesn’t seal the lid on and to further the air tight seal, run a couple layers of Teflon tape around the jars threads before putting the lid on. Stud Finder An electric razor can be a just as effective as an electronic stud finder. Turn it on and drag it along the drywall, you will notice a change in the

vibration as you cross a stud with it. Temporary Fix For Dripping Water If you are having difficulty with a copper joint due to a trickle of water that won’t stop, push a ball of bread up the pipe to stop the stream of water. **We at Handyman Matters would prefer wheat- if you have it.** Tree Trimming in the Spring Don’t trim trees in the budding season (late March or early April) because it adds additional trauma to the tree. Creating Stronger Products Using Staggered Joints In many phases of construction the staggered joint produces a stronger finished product. – Horizontal Example- While installing a hardwood floor, the ends of the boards should never line up in consecutive rows. Instead, it is recommended that several rows be installed before boards line up. – Vertical Example- Boarded siding needs to be staggered in a similar way to a hardwood floor- except on a vertical surface.

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

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

Cutting Crown Molding When cutting crown molding, place the molding on the mitre saw fence at the same angle it is to be installed, but turn it upside down so that the ceiling edge is on the mitre saw’s base and the wall edge is resting on the saws fence; and then cope the inside corners. Silent Screen Door If your door slams shut with a bang, you can place a couple of short beads of clear silicone caulk along the jamb at a few of the contact points. This will soften the blow. Be sure to prop the door open for a couple of hours after application, to let the bead of silicone dry completely. Bag Dispenser Tack an empty tissue box to the inside of a cabinet door and stuff your empty plastic grocery bags into the box. This will hold them secure, organized and also make for a convenient dispenser. Chalk that Won’t Stain While working on the interior of your house, anything that can eliminate as much of a mess as possible is always a plus. So, when using a chalk line to mark surfaces- such as walls and flooring- use a white color. Red and blue will permanently stain. Cheapest Tile Spacers When laying tile, use pennies as spacers instead of store bought plastic ones. Pennies are easier to handle, more uniform and cheaper. Clean Belt Sanders Use the sole of a shoe to clean the sanding belt when it gets clogged, Do this by clamping the sander upside down, turning it on and gradually applying the sole of the shoe to the belt, watch it clean right up.

Digging Sod When digging up sod that is going to be replaced, skin the sod off in large sections about 3-4 inches thick- peel back. Do not cut into little chunks. This will make replacement and re-rooting clean and effective. Effective Fence Stringers Instead of using 2x4s use 2x6s and cut them in half lengthwise at a 45 degree angle. This will result in 2 stringers per 2×6 that when installed with the angled edge on top, will do two things. First, it allows the stringers to weather and last much longer since rain and snow will slip off. Second, it creates a more secure fence, since it removes the possibility of a step for climbing potential. Fixing Rotting Fence Posts If you have a fence post that is rotted out and the concrete the post is set in is not broken, you can simply pull the wood out,,, pound a new post in it’s place... and trim the top flush with the other posts. Garden ID Tags Take old or unneeded Venetian blind slats and cut them into 8-inch strips. Cut a point on one end for pushing into the dirt. These are rigid, waterproof and great for writing the name of each particular flower or vegetables on. Handling Copper Joints When sweating copper joints, clean and flux both copper fittings. Handyman Refreshments Always try to remember to bring your handyman cool drinks when it is warm, and warm drinks when it is cool! Higher Window Wells Raise your window well for increased volume for landscaping material, by driving heavy-duty lawn edging down between the edge of the old metal well and the ground. Drive it as far as needed to accommodate the required height. Installing Ceiling Fans

MARCH 17, 2016

Getting projects done around your home can be a daunting task if you are not sure where to start. Here’s a list of tips and tricks to help get your projects completed on time and on budget.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Home Tips And Tricks From The Pros

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

It Could Have Happened To You

South Bend

A Dance with Carlos

INDIANA

Rabbi Eli Scheller

Thank You to

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA

I recently went to a wedding of a young man who had frequented my home when I lived in Eretz Yisroel. He was part of our family for several years and I wanted to do something special for the wedding. I practiced a couple of stunts with a fire torch and I was excited to contribute to the simcha of the event. The kallah completed her dances with her friends on the women’s side of the hall and joined her chosson in the middle of the dance floor. They sat facing the crowd, and it was clear to me that this was the perfect time to do my act. I dipped the torch in kerosene walked in to the middle of the ballroom and did

up to Carlos, put my arm around his shoulders and began dancing before the bride and groom as the mop was swaying back and forth to the beat. Fortunately, Carlos was unfazed by his now double duty - maintenance man and entertainer. He went along with this unexpected turn of events to the delight of the chosson and kallah. The Kallah’s father, a Chasidic man, got up from his chair and approached the two us. I assumed he wanted to object to Carlos’ participation. Instead he took off his hat, put it on Carlos, put his arm around Carlos’ free shoulder and the three of us continued to mop and dance.

my stunt. It went smoothly, and the chosson and kallah appeared pleased with my efforts. As I finished I noticed the crowd looking down at the dance floor and gasp. The floor was covered in kerosene. Without thinking, as I was doing my stunts, I sprayed the entire floor with lighter fluid and now nobody could take my place and dance for the new couple. I felt like a fool, I had prepared the trick to add joy to the wedding but instead I was now preventing everybody from dancing. I went into the kitchen to look for someone that could mop the floor. The caterer went to find Carlos, who walked out with a mop in hand and began cleaning the mess. The music was still playing but the dancing was on pause as the crowd simply watched Carlos move the stick back and forth. I couldn’t bear to just stand there and watch him as more time was wasted, knowing my stupidity led to this interruption. I ran into the middle right

The crown joined in vigorously and the kerosene on the floor was quickly forgotten. As I drove home that night from the wedding I was amused how a frightening moment turned into a humorous event, adding joy to the wedding. I realized that this happens to us often in life, where a strong fear we have becomes groundless. While walking at night you might see an animal in the distance that frightens you only to learn in the morning that it was a garbage bag. Chazal tell us when we leave this dark world and enter the world to come we will laugh. We will see all the frightening scenarios that scared us that were merely nothing at all. As we read the megillah this purim and hear the story how all the frightening events turned into joyous ones we need to remember that this is the story of our lives as well. The fear caused by Haman turned into singin’ and hummin’! Happy Purim

especially Rabbi AD Motzen

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

For your assistance in creating the

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㈀㄀㘀

MARCH 17, 2016

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

匀䄀嘀䔀吀䠀䔀䐀䄀吀䔀⸀

Notable Quotes

MARCH 17, 2016

“Say What?!”

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A reporter claims she was pushed down by one of Donald Trump’s campaign advisers. Isn’t that crazy? Donald Trump has a campaign adviser. - Conan O’Brien

If you get indicted, will you drop out? - Univision/CNN debate moderator Jorge Ramos to Hillary Clinton at the last Democratic debate

Oh, for goodness ... It’s not going to happen. I’m not even answering that question. - Clinton’s response

In last night’s Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton said that several times a day she speaks to G-d. But never for under $100,000. - Conan O’Brien

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

If they weren’t able to make the meeting they should have just told us before they told the reporter. I think it’s just good manners.

At a rally over the weekend, Donald Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents after a man tried to rush the stage. The Secret Service said the man was dangerous and disturbed, but they had to protect him anyway. - Jimmy Fallon

- White House Spokesman Josh Earnest chiding Prime Minister Netanyahu for the way he canceled a meeting with President Obama

Facebook has reportedly patented software that recognizes new slang words when they’re posted. The software stores the words in what they call a social glossary while they’re current, then removes the words once they’re no longer popular. I wish Facebook would spend less time with stuff like cataloging new slang and more time trying to stop the monsters who keep inviting me to like their homemade jewelry page. - Jimmy Kimmel

Hours don’t matter with me. I don’t get tired. I keep going. - Anthony Mancinelli, who just turned 105, telling ABC News why he still works as a barber

When endorsing Donald Trump for president last week, Dr. Ben Carson said that there are two different Trumps. I don’t know, Ben. That might just be a side effect of the NyQuil. - Seth Myers

The very first Boeing 727 ever made - back in 1962 - was scheduled to make its last flight today. Passengers were like, “Cool, I’ll take the next flight.” - Jimmy Fallon

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If Trump were ever elected, we’d have to build a wall around California to defend ourselves from the rest of this country. - California Governor Jerry Brown

I am the modern-day Robin Hood. I am not stealing, I am serving the ones in need. I take from the rich and give to the poor. - William Powell, 27, who was arrested for handing out $3,000 in food and drinks at a Downtown Brooklyn IHOP where he worked

- Jimmy Kimmel

Every appliance with a clock should have a Daylight Savings button to push. You’d only use it twice a year, but that’s more than I use the “potato” button on my microwave. - Ibid

Parliament is not a place for foxes, donkeys and women.

A top official in Saudi Arabia said today that a Trump presidency would “set the world back centuries.” The Saudi added, “Which is why Trump has our full support.”

MARCH 17, 2016

How is it that my air bag knows exactly when I’m going to get into an accident, but my car can’t figure out how to go forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time?

- Conan O’Brien

Trump has been saying a hundred times, at every debate and on the street corners, every place you go and every time you say hello to him, he tells you how much he loves Israel. Israel is his favorite thing. His daughter married a Jew. She even converted to Judaism, and he himself is miserable that he isn’t Jewish. He spends all of his life worshiping Judaism. He forgot he was a gentile thirty years ago. - Comedian Jackie Mason on the “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” program

- A recent declaration by an Iranian parliament member

- Conan O’Brien

I thank Hashem for the miracle he did for me. As much as someone takes care of himself, it’s not enough. What can save us is just a short prayer to Hashem. - Yonatan Azriaev, who was distributing Breslov pamphlets entitled, “You will succeed” last week in Israel when he was knifed multiple times by a Palestinian terrorist. He pulled the blade out of his own neck and killed the terrorist with it

- James Corden

Donald Trump said, “There’s nobody that’s done so much for equality as I have.” That’s right, he said: “In some states, I’m hated equally by blacks and Hispanics.” - Conan O’Brien

Donald Trump said in a new interview that there’s nobody that’s done so much for equality as he has. Well, he does appear to be doing everything in his power to make sure America has its first female president. - Seth Myers

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Almost 40 percent of people who voted for John Kasich said they did so because they don’t like the other guys. Which explains his new campaign slogan: “John Kasich: The Lesser of Four Evils.”

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Air India flew the longest all-women-operated flight from Delhi to San Francisco…The flight went off without a hitch, and I’m so glad. Because if that plane had crashed, it would have set women back years.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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MARCH 17, 2016

46 All the candidates have merchandise for sale. For the chef in the family you can preorder the official Ted Cruz grill spatula, with the Ted flame burning right there in the center. Same spatula he uses to scoop the gel into his hair. - Jimmy Kimmel

The Democrats aren’t doing so great in the merchandise department either. Hillary Clinton gets the “Mom’s trying too hard to be cool in front of her daughter’s friends” award for the “Yaaas Hillary” shirt. - Ibid.

I prayed about it a lot, and I got a lot of indications, people calling me that I haven’t talked to for a long time saying, I had this dream about you and Donald Trump — I mean, just amazing things. - Ben Carson telling reporters about what led him to endorse Donald Trump

Chris Christie flew all the way to Florida to stand behind Donald Trump supporting him. Throughout the speech, he looks genuinely miserable. He looks like he saw the bottom of a supposedly bottomless pasta bowl at Olive Garden. He looks as though someone just told him butterscotch causes cancer. - Jimmy Kimmel

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Whoever takes over this job, you are going to understand the peaceful transition of powerlessness. - VP Joe Biden at the Gridiron Dinner

Folks, if all else fails…I’m here.

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- Ibid.

Has anybody bought that wine? I want to know what that wine tastes like. I mean, come on. You know that’s like some $5 wine. They slap a label on it. They charge you $50 and say it’s the greatest wine ever. The Persian enemy is Enemy No. 1, and the Zionist enemy is [only] Enemy No. 2. We must present this truth directly, flattering no one, to all those [who try] to extort us with the tale that Israel is the Arabs’ Enemy No. 1 and that Iran supports us on the Palestinian issue…. Iran is exploiting the issue of the Palestinians and the liberation [of Palestine] as a pretext for infiltrating deep into the Arab [world], shredding its Arab fabric, and dragging Arab [society] into supporting its expansionary plan. - Editorial in Saudi Arabian’s daily Al-Jazirah newspaper

- President Obama making fun of Trump’s wine company at a Democratic National Committee meeting

A new report claims that a knife was found buried at O.J. Simpson’s estate. They’re now analyzing the knife for evidence, but experts warn that it might not be related to the crime. You know, because it could be one of those regular knives people bury in the backyard. - Jimmy Fallon

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Studying Sm

By Chaim Homnick

Please note that this article and the research within are merely an overview of a far larger topic. This is meant to start the discussion, not to criticize any group or make any generalizations.

MY PREMISE My premise was that the education levels of yeshivas have been rising and there are many yeshivas which provide a top-notch education. Nonetheless, there is a lack of advisement about one’s educational and career options and that can hinder students as they leave school and look to begin their futures. Both the general research and the targeted research below stems from that underlying assumption.

MARCH 17, 2016

The topic of college and career advisement in the Orthodox world isn’t a high profile issue, yet perhaps it should be. For my Master’s thesis, I chose a subject of particular interest to me as a college adviser in an Orthodox yeshiva high school (I also attended a superb yeshiva high school which did not have a college adviser). My research led me down fascinating avenues as I analyzed the current levels of college and career advisement in Orthodox high schools as well as the perception people have about the effectiveness of that advisement. Here are some intriguing facets of that research:

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College and Career Advisement in the Orthodox World

THE PEW RESEARCH DATA

MY TARGETED SURVEY In order to determine what the current level of advisement is in Orthodox schools and whether it is effective, I created a survey that asked a series of questions about each respondent’s own experience in high school as well as their current perception of college advisement in Orthodox yeshivas. The results were fascinating. 167 people completed the survey, the majority of them from the tristate area and 60% of them female. 70.1% of respondents identified as Orthodox, 16.8% as Ultra-Orthodox and 11.4% as Modern Orthodox. Interestingly, 83.2% of respondents had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher which demonstrates a level of selection bias in the results as those numbers are far higher than even the Modern Orthodox average. This suggests that the pool of respondents were generally educated, accomplished people. A little over half of the participants in the survey reported that they had attended an Orthodox high school. Parsing the data down to just include them revealed the following:

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

One fascinating study into Orthodox Jewry is the Pew Research study. The results are slightly misleading because the Pew data differentiates self-proclaimed Modern-Orthodox Jews from “Yeshivish/Hassidic.” Nonetheless, there is still a stark contrast as 65% of Modern-Orthodox Jews have at least a bachelor’s degree while only 25% in the combined Hassidic and Yeshivish group do. Obviously, it is harder to determine what the percentage is for those who identify as Orthodox Jews without including chassidim (who generally forgo college), but there is still a huge gap in college attendance and degree completion between those two groups. On a related tangent, this also manifests itself in another area of Pew’s research: income. There is a large disparity there as well as, “37 percent of modern Orthodox Jews report household incomes of $150,000 or more per year, compared to 29 percent of Reform Jews, 24 percent of Haredi Jews, and 23 percent of Conservative Jews. On the poorer end of the spectrum, 43 percent of Haredim report less than $50,000 annual income for their household, compared to 30 percent of modern Orthodox and 31 percent of other Jews.” Nonetheless, as all of the above groups score equally high on average on IQ tests; the difference in college degree completion and likely even income is presumably the consequence of a combination of choice and the inherent education system that is provided for the children of each group.

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

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MARCH 17, 2016

THE SURVEY DATA ON PAST EXPERIENCE Survey Results of Respondents who Attended Orthodox High School

Just 30% of Orthodox schools that respondents attended had college advisors and 55% didn’t have an adviser or someone dedicated to advise students in any capacity. Just 7.9% reported that their high school was very effective in informing them about their options and 64% reported that they were not well-informed or that it wasn’t even a priority of the school. The final chart also highlights this as the majority of schools either didn’t promote college attendance or merely tolerated it.

These numbers are in stark contrast to the fact that in a later question, 69% of students who attended Orthodox high schools reported being very well-informed or reasonably well-informed about their Israel/yeshiva options. This illustrates a clear emphasis on the part of Orthodox schools towards furthering their students’ Judaic knowledge while either lacking sufficient resources for or interest in informing their students about their career and college prospects as well.

THE SURVEY DATA ON PERCEPTION OF YESHIVAS NOW The final part of the survey dealt with the perception that the respondents have towards the academics and advisement present currently in Jewish schools. Unlike the first part of the survey that analyzed the school a respondent attended (even if that may have been 30 years ago), this part of the survey was asking for an assessment of modern day yeshiva high schools. As a result, the perception that respondents have on these topics can provide an indication of the overall feelings Orthodox and other Jews have towards Orthodox high schools.

CONCLUSION

MARCH 17, 2016

The research conducted through the survey demonstrated that this is a genuine issue that Orthodox schools should address. While the education itself may be sufficient (and even superb) in many Orthodox high schools, there is a clear lack of emphasis and advisement provided for students about their college and career options. 95% of respondents reported that they feel a year or more of seminary or yeshiva in Israel is important as well, but Orthodox high schools are doing their students a disservice if they aren’t providing the requisite advisement to students and parents. This manifested itself in the matter-of-fact responses of respondents

to the effectiveness of the advisement in their own schools as well as in their perception of Orthodox schools nowadays. Ultimately, Orthodox high schools that do not have any college adviser or at least a person designated to provide advisement need to consider hiring or assigning someone to that role. This may require a shift in emphasis for certain schools and an acceptance of the fact that such advisement is critical for their students’ long-term success in whatever endeavors they choose to pursue. Additionally, even schools with existing college advisement departments need to consider the ramifications of this study and work hard to improve the effectiveness of their advisement to ensure that it is properly and adequately preparing their students for the next stages in their lives. Perhaps if Orthodox high schools begin to emphasize advising students about all of their options, the perception will start to shift and the Pew numbers on Orthodox rates of college attendance and income will shift as well.

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Several key trends emerge from these responses. Firstly, on the topic of whether Orthodox yeshiva high schools do a good job of educating children, 54% believe that they provide a decent to great education and only 10% feel that they provide a poor education. Yet in the second graph, on the topic of whether these same yeshivas (that are providing a decent or better education according to the majority), just 6% believe that the advisement is great, 37.7% categorize it as decent and 36% respond that the advisement is poor. These results mirrored the initial premise which (along with the low number of schools respondents attended that had college advisors) suggested that the education in many Orthodox schools is good to great, but that the college and career advisement is subpar. The final graph continues the trend to its final logical extreme: 60% of respondents feel that Orthodox yeshiva high schools do not promote college enough.

Chaim Homnick is the College Advisor at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov of Lawrence and also teaches 5 periods of Honors/AP English Literature. Chaim is the owner of Five Towns Tutoring (fivetownstutoring.com) as well as Machane Miami Day Camp of Florida (machanemiami.com). He scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and the LSAT and tutors both extensively. He has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration as well as an MBA. For questions, comments, previous articles or tutoring, he can be reached directly at chomnick@gmail.com.

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OUR 21ST SPECTACULAR YEAR

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MARCH 17, 2016

FEBRUARY 18, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Jewish History

Amulets, Accusations and Controversy The Devastating Polemic Between Rabbi Yaakov Emden and Rabbi Yonason Eybeschutz By Rabbi Pini Dunner

Part IV

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

The title page of Knesset Yechezkel, halachic work by the chief rabbi of the triple community, R’ Yechezkel Katzenellenbogen. R’ Yaakov Emden did not hold R’ Katzenellenbogen in high esteem, and when he moved to Altona from Emden, he tried to stay out of communal affairs

efore we dive into the origins of the devastating dispute that engulfed Rabbi Yaakov and Rabbi Yonasan, let us take a look at what R’ Yaakov had been up to since the time his family had been hounded out of Amsterdam in 1714. R’ Yaakov Emden did not have an easy childhood. His father, Chacham Tzvi Ashkenazi, found it very difficult to stay on an even keel with communal lay leaders, whose gifts and favors he would never accept and whose constant political maneuvering he abhorred. He was fearless in his opposition to all kinds of communal shenanigans, and although this won him admiration and respect from his colleagues and from ordinary folk whose hands were not on the reins of communal power, it landed him – and by implication his family – into hot water on numerous occasions. As a result he was unable to offer his children a solid education, and they were all homeschooled, usually without the benefit of private tutors. R’ Yaakov later wrote that he had studied privately with his father, but these study sessions were

intermittent due to the constant pressures and difficulties in his father’s life. This challenging background makes it all the more remarkable that R’ Yaakov turned out the way he did. Although there is no question that he was extremely bright to the point of being a genius, his intellect was amplified by his incredible motivation and self-discipline. From the youngest age no body of work was too daunting and no detail too trivial. He taught himself to read and write Hebrew to perfection and eventually became a master of the Hebrew language, as well as of Aramaic, understanding every nuance and feature of these languages in each era and record of their use. He finished the Talmud in his teens and also mastered every aspect of Jewish law. He explored the complex world of Jewish customs and traditions, knowledge that he would later share in his monumental work on Jewish prayer. He taught himself to be a public speaker and was considered a master orator. Being the eldest son of Chacham Tzvi also meant that he was treated with respect simply because of who his father was. In short, R’ Yaakov possessed exactly the qualities that should have propelled him to one of leading rab-

binic appointments of Europe. But what R’ Yaakov did not possess was patience, nor the ability to suffer fools or crooks. He was inflexible, refusing to compromise on his principles, nor would he ever massage the egos of those with whom he came into contact in order to get something done. He considered such behavior

lead a community again. That position was in a town with which R’ Yaakov later became synonymous – Emden, Germany, on the North Sea coast just north of the Dutch border, and home to a small Jewish community. His appointment happened unexpectedly in 1729, after more than a decade of turmoil and personal dif-

His reputation as a no-nonsense rabbi who would call it as he saw it meant that he landed just one short-lived rabbinic position very early on, after which he would never lead a community again.

unseemly, and inappropriate for a religious leader. And so, although his breeding and erudition might have resulted in one of the best rabbinic appointments of Europe, his reputation as a no-nonsense rabbi who would call it as he saw it meant that he landed just one short-lived rabbinic position very early on, after which he would never

ficulties. In 1715 R’ Yaakov had married Rachel, the granddaughter of R’ Naphtali Katz, in a union of two rabbinic dynasties. But his marriage began badly, with him living in the home of his in-laws, a teenager far away from his family. To compound these difficulties he was badly mistreated by his wife’s father, who took some of

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2016

After leaving Emden, R’ Yaakov decided to settle with his family in Altona, the town of his birth, which at the time was the main center of Jewish life in the triple community. The powerful and renowned triple community was comprised of six Ashkenazi synagogues scattered across Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbeck, all under the auspices of one chief rabbi and a

non-rabbinic lay-leadership committee. The chief rabbi was R’ Yechezkel Katzenellenbogen, a Lithuanian-born scholar who began his tenure in 1714, brought in by a wealthy philanthropist who had wished to secure R’ Yechezkel’s previous rabbinic position in Keidani, Lithuania, for his own sonin-law. R’ Yaakov, claiming that sickness prevented him from walking to the nearest synagogue on a regular basis, sought and received permission from the triple community leadership to open up his own private synagogue at his rented home. Although it was true that he had been suffering from intermittent health issues while in Emden and for many years previously, in all likelihood this request was also motivated by a desire for privacy and to establish distance between himself and elements of the community and communal affairs with whom he wished to have no contact. In particular R’ Yaakov had a very low opinion of the chief rabbi, whose scholarship and general demeanor did not meet his extraordinarily high standards. During his first years in Altona R’ Yaakov did well financially, and in 1733 he personally funded the publication of his first book, Lechem Shamayim, a confident, scholarly work on Mishnayot. In 1738 he bought himself a house and remodeled it at great expense. This early period in Altona marked a peak; soon afterwards things began to unravel. In 1739, R’ Yaakov’s wife Rachel died shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who herself died after just a few months. Eight months after Rachel’s death, R’ Yaakov remarried, to Sarah, the daughter of a prominent communal personality from Halberstadt. But in 1743 she took ill and died shortly afterwards. A few months later R’ Yaakov remarried again, this time to his niece Batya Tz-

NEXT TIME: The death of R’ Yechezkel Katzenellenbogen was followed by months of speculation about who would be his successor as chief rabbi of the triple community. When R’ Yonason Eybeschutz was appointed to replace him – and not R’ Yaakov Emden – the dormant suspicions of R’ Yonason’s Sabbatianism would reemerge with devastating consequences. What followed was one of the most devastating rabbinic battles in modern Jewish history. Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills in California.

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

the uproar it precipitated made R’ Yaakov realize that he was simply not suited to be a community rabbi. He resigned and left Emden, never to return, although, in spite of his disagreement with the president, R’ Yaakov not only made sure to reconcile with him, but was even involved in defending him in the local secular court against accusations that could have caused the man incredible financial loss had he been found guilty. The end of the Emden rabbinate experience was a turning point in R’ Yaakov’s life. He would never again work for any Jewish community in any kind of formal capacity, nor, for the remainder of his life, would he ever be reliant on the whims of some wealthy backer. With his characteristic dry wit, he would later write that when he recited the daily blessing shelo asani aved – thanking G-d that he wasn’t a slave – he would pronounce it shelo asani abad – a play on words that made the Hebrew word for slave sound like the acronym for Av Beit Din, the formal title of a communal rabbi. And yet, although he was glad that he was no longer a rabbi who worked for a community, he was and always remained acutely aware of his standing as a rabbinic individual of unimpeachable integrity and distinguished ancestry and was extremely conscious of the deficiencies and weaknesses of other rabbis, the worst examples of which he loathed with a passion.

MARCH 17, 2016

Then, in 1718, Chacham Tzvi and his wife died in quick succession, leaving R’ Yaakov with the responsibility of looking after his unmarried siblings. Financial problems dogged him at every turn. People with debts to his late father refused or were unable to pay up, and R’ Yaakov traveled far and wide trying to collect what was due to the family, all to no avail. Often those who offered to help him turned out to be swindlers, and on numerous occasions he was robbed or cheated. He became physically sick, and also went through several bouts of depression, the details of which he recorded with incredible frankness in an autobiography written many years later and published just over a century after his death. With his family growing, the pressing need for financial security compelled him to find a steady job, despite his misgivings about working for the Jewish community. So when an offer came in 1729 to take up the vacant rabbinic position in Emden, he accepted it immediately and settled there with his family. But his instinctive reluctance to become a community rabbi proved right, and the job was a disaster from the start. R’ Yaakov was unable to handle lay leadership insubordination, and he also could not bear the sense of entitlement felt by wealthier members of the community. He also despised the mundane tasks expected of a communal rabbi, including the delivery of regular sermons. R’ Yaakov believed these tasks were a distraction from what a rabbi really needed to be doing – studying Talmud and Jewish law, writing and publishing beneficial books, and leading by example. In 1732, after only three years on the job, he had finally had enough. The final straw took place on Rosh Hashana, when the president of the community demanded that his clean-shaven unmarried son blow shofar for the community, and R’ Yaakov disapproved. The pettiness of the issue and

A seventeenth century map of the Emden and Oldenburg regions, north of the Dutch border. The town of Emden is on the coast, just across the water from Holland. R’ Yaakov spent three years here, before deciding to leave the professional rabbinate for good

viya, daughter of his younger brother R’ Ephraim, rabbi of Lvov. But this marriage proved to be very challenging, particularly because Batya Tzviya found it difficult to get on with R’ Yaakov’s daughters from his first marriage. The financial situation had also taken a turn for the worse, as businesses went sour, and unscrupulous business associates took advantage of R’ Yaakov’s trusting nature and distinct lack of business acumen. At the same time, R’ Yaakov’s contempt for R’ Yechezkel Katzenellenbogen burst into the open when the chief rabbi consulted him about a controversial halachic decision he had made that required the support of recognized scholars such as R’ Yaakov. Not only did R’ Yaakov disagree with the decision, he attempted to publish his dissenting view, causing a storm in the community. The community leadership supported R’ Yechezkel, but it was clear that R’ Yaakov was a powerful force to be reckoned with. When R’ Yechezkel was stricken with his final illness in 1749 the community was rife with rumors that R’ Yaakov would replace him once he was gone. After all, his late father had been the chief rabbi, he already resided in the city, and he was highly respected and amply qualified for the position. The scene was set for a drama that would haunt the triple community for decades.

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the young couple’s wedding gifts for himself and refused to honor financial commitments made before the wedding, which in turn led to bitter acrimony between the newlyweds. For three years he endured this unhappy arrangement, burying himself in his studies and writing.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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MARCH 17, 2016

Dating Dialogue

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

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

Dear Navidaters,

Please help me. A while back a young newly married woman wrote in about her husband who had suddenly changed a few months into their marriage. He began to forbid her from reading certain books and made changes without her input. Certain panel members and of course The Navidaters, I believe, were right on the mark when they picked up on the potential abuse. My own daughter’s story is similar except she doesn’t see it.

When Tammy met Natan, she was thrilled and in love. My husband enjoyed his company and everyone was excited to welcome Natan into the family. I had an intuition that something was off with this young man. It was nothing that was detectable to anyone else. I voiced my concern to my husband. He told me I was being anxious and probably these feelings were due to my own neurosis, having my first child leave the nest. And so I ignored the “flags,” as you would say. They were little things. Tammy gave up her colorful clothing because Natan liked black and grey and navy on women. OK, I thought. He likes dark colors and she is in love and wants to make herself attractive to him. Another example: when he would join us for a Shabbos lunch, here and there, Tammy would ask her father to keep on his tie and jacket because Natan’s family wears a tie and jacket to the Shabbos table. OK, I thought. I’m certainly not going to let her lose the shidduch over a tie and jacket. Natan would compliment my meals and behave like a perfect gentleman, but always throw in a comment like, “I like chulent with onion soup mix like my mom makes. Can you put that in next time?” OK, I thought. Creepy! Something was always creepy about him but he made my Tammy happy. I never said a word and I kick myself every day of my life since their wedding. They are married several years and when I see what is going on I am sick. It takes me time to recover after every conversation I have with Tammy. First of all, they had an arrangement that he would learn for the first year of marriage and she would support them. He would then pursue his career. Years in and he is still learning. They have several children now and my daughter kills herself working and taking care of those kids, while at night he is “hanging out” at yeshiva. The little time he is at home, he is critical of everything Tammy does. He has a comment for everything. From her food, to her makeup, to the way she cares for her children, he has to open his mouth. I hate him with every ounce of myself and I want my daughter out of this relationship. There is no violence, he isn’t demanding that she never speak to us and he doesn’t keep her from her friends. In other words, to the untrained eye, this doesn’t rise to the level of abuse. At least I don’t think it does. As you can see, I am very emotional and very confused. Recently, the dam burst and I told Tammy she can come home whenever she wants, with the kids. Tammy was horrified and told me she is happy. I think she is brainwashed. Her life is so cultish to me. I respect learning, I respect all lifestyles. As a matter of fact, just to give you some perspective, my own husband learned for a long time and I was the breadwinner. But there is something so unhealthy here. This is my baby. Do you think I should keep pursuing the issue with Tammy? My fear is when the kids get a little older, he is going to start pulling his shtick with them. He is the type of parent to say, “Oh, you got a 98? And where are the other two points?” I’ve stopped having them in my home for Shabbos because he makes me sick and yet I want to see my daughter and precious grandchildren. Help!

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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

The Panel

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A.

here is a fundamental difference between the newlywed writing about her controlling husband and you, the concerned mother, detailing your angst over your daughter’s apparently abusive husband. The newlywed was a victim; you, shvigger, are an interloper.

The Dating Mentor Rochel Chafetz, Educator/Mentor

s a mother of four married children, b”h, I have to say that the hardest part of mothering is the transition from having all of your children home to the first one getting married, thereby leaving home, because it means we have to shift gears and learn that this is a different stage of parenting. It may not be easy, but it is the fact – and the faster you ac-

She has her own neshama, which is on its own personal mission. This is her life – not yours.

cept that and relearn and re-shift, the less problems you will experience and with less confusion. Tammy is not your baby anymore and she is definitely not an extension of you. You brought her into this world and gave her the tools she needs. She has her own neshama, which is on its own personal mission. This is her life – not yours. You say that you hate Natan, that you are sick of him, that you can’t stand him and that you don’t want them for Shabbos anymore. You, you, you! That is definitely a problem because it’s not about you. You gave an example of his comment about the chulent. I actually found that comment kind of cute – it showed how relaxed he was around you. You say you are respectful of all lifestyles, but you call her life “cultish,” including her clothing. You say she’s killing herself while he’s “hanging out in yeshiva.” Well, that doesn’t sounds respectful at all and I’m wondering why the kids have not picked up on your negativity and why they would even still want to come to you for Shabbos. I also wonder if you would say the same thing if Natan was hanging out in law school till 11 every night.

This is the life she chose. Maybe if you stepped back, away from your own emotions, fears and confusion, and took a clearer look, you would see something very different from what you think you are seeing. If you made that comment to Tammy and she didn’t respond with a tear or a gulp or a hesitation, then I’d say, let it go. Stand behind her. Help her if you think she’s killing herself. Take the kids. And yes – I agree that they should not come for Shabbos. Your emotions are too toxic right now. If you want to see the kids, drop in, pick them up, Facetime, etc. But for now, I think you need to speak to someone to help you navigate this stage. You need help understanding the different type of parenting required of a mom to a married child. You should be proud of her and also let her know that she’s not your baby anymore. It’s time to let go of the strings and deal with your own anxiety. There are skills that you need to master. In the meantime, you need to step back, zip up and embrace. And just by the way, are you telling me your mom loved everything about your husband? No way, can’t be. No one is perfect and the other half always comes from a different background, so there is bound to be clashes and you won’t always like what you see. But you have to ask yourself, “Is this bothering her? Is she depressed, nonfunctioning?” I do not see any red flags here, except in your behavior. So welcome to the next stage of parenting and tread carefully. Love, respect and embrace.

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

ou are right to ask for help because you need it. You don’t like the lifestyle your daughter is leading. You see cultism and shtick in it. At the same time, you see unhealthiness, red flags and constant criticism by your son-in-law that gives you serious concern. Don’t confuse the two. You are on target about yourself. You are both very emotional as well as probably seeing some real problems. Get professional help to sort out these two sets of feelings. You also need to discuss how to maintain a relationship with your daughter and her family while at the same time, handle your feelings of concern. You have a lot of work to do. Therapy is going to take time and meanwhile you need to be careful with what you say to Tammy. While you get the support and help you need to be a mother and grandmother, daven for yourself and for the couple.

Clearly, you don’t like Natan (the “creepy” guy who “hangs out in yeshiva”); you berate yourself for allowing Tammy to marry him (as if she would have listened to you from her blissful kallah trance); you get sick in his presence. However, when you tried to intervene, Tammy told you she is in love and happy. Sorry, Mom, Tammy’s marriage is not about you or your comfort level around Natan. Whether or not she’s having marital problems, she’s not ready to share with you. She has enough on her plate without the added pressure of her mother scrutinizing her relationship. Instead, go into that phone booth, don your SuperMom cape and be the best – loving, generous, smiling, kissing, cheerful, cooking, shopping, babysitting – Mom and Bubby the world has ever known. Whether Tammy’s marriage survives or flounders, it is imperative that she perceives you as a wellspring of positivity and support.

MARCH 17, 2016

The Rebbetzin

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

The feedback from our readers has been remarkable. In order to facilitate further discussion, you can now continue the conversation anonymously on our website. Every Sunday, we will upload the weekend’s most recent edition of What Would You Do If to the dating forum at thenavidaters.com. Join The Navidaters and your fellow TJH readers in a comprehensive dialogue with regard to dating, relationships and marriage. The forum will be moderated daily for everyone’s comfort and safety. See you there!

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

The Single Irit Moshe

ammy needs to see things for herself, while you and your husband need to be there for her if and when she does need you. My recommendation is for you to stay quiet, because the more you speak to Tammy about what you see and dislike about her life and her husband (aka being critical), the more she will shut

By having a therapist in the picture for her to confide in, you will sleep better knowing that there is someone on the inside who is objective and who is looking after Tammy’s best interests. The therapist will not be perceived as being critical, but rather as being helpful. Try and keep your relationship with Tammy as stressfree as possible, so that you don’t become part of the problem. She and the grandchildren need that from you right now.

When we think our child is in danger we become Mama Bears and will go to any length to secure the safety and well-being of our child.

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

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

you out of her and the grandchildren’s lives. You can suggest that she see a therapist because she “seems stressed,” and perhaps the therapist could help her with stress management techniques, aid her in recognizing unhealthy relationship behaviors, encourage her to speak up for herself and vocalize her needs. Perhaps she can also make some suggestions on how to balance everything in her life.

here is no greater love than the love a mother has for her child. The lengths we will go to when our child is suffering is nothing short of superhuman. When I read your e-mail (again and again) something moved me to Google “mother lifts car off child.” There have been countless children who for various reasons have been stuck under cars and their mothers were granted superhuman strength to literally lift the car off the child. We nurture, we care, we guide, we coach, we lose it every so often and we protect. When we think our child is in danger we become Mama Bears and will go to any length to secure the safety and well-being of our child. There is nothing more instinctual or natural. I understand that you are in agony right now, watching your daughter who you believe is suffering at the hands of her husband, while your hands are tied. You see her, trapped beneath this “car” and would like to lift him off of her and out of her life. You tried to do the heavy lifting, so to speak, but it seems as though Tammy is content right where she is… she does not want to leave Natan. At least on the surface and from what she lets on, she is perfectly content being asked to add onion

soup mix to her chulent, wearing grey, black and navy, and carrying the burden of the children and the finances while Natan learns. Seemingly, the deal they made before the marriage is off the table and Tammy approves. I am so sorry that you are in so much pain. Of course this hurts! Like you said… this is your baby. With that being said, the stakes are high. If you continue down your path of shining a light in areas that Tammy would like to remain concealed, the very possible worst case scenario that threatens you is that she will cut you out of her life. No Tammy. No grandchildren. I want you to take a moment right now, before you continue reading, to think about what I just wrote. As the grown woman she is, Tammy can decide to have nothing to do with you anymore. It is quite possible Tammy is perfectly happy in her marriage and yet the possibility exists that she is miserable at the hands of this monster you perceive Natan to be. You don’t know what is really going on, and that is understandably eating you up from the inside out. However, it behooves you to recognize that until a person

acknowledges she has a problem, she will not change. Tammy either doesn’t think she has a problem or isn’t telling you she has a problem. You will not be the catalyst for change here. My fear for you is that the only thing changing will be your relationships with your daughter and grandchildren. Unfortunately, there is much in this situation that is beyond your control. What is in your control are the three choices you have. You can have a relationship with Tammy, Natan and the kids. Option A allows you to have your family for holidays, allows you to pop in after school. It grants you the most access to Tammy and the kids. With Option A, Tammy will probably be happiest; she doesn’t feel judged or criticized but rather completely accepted and validated. Your second choice, Option B, is that you get to be in control of how you interact with Tammy and the kids and you exclude Natan. You can invite Tammy and the kids to your house, take Tammy and the kids out to eat, for manicures, shopping and special trips. Option B grants you limited access to Tammy and the kids on the assumption that she will be on board at all. And your third choice, Option C, is the notion that you are prepared to lose them should she not feel good about Option B. I think you should invest some time in therapy right now to orga-

nize your thoughts in a safe and non-judgmental environment. If you need to scream, you can scream. You can role play all the horrible things you would say to Natan if you could. (You must have a fantasy or two.) You can say anything in therapy. You will also gain some insight and practical tools to help you cope with your struggle and figure out how you want to proceed with Tammy. You sound like a wonderful and caring mother to me. I wish I could give you a magic wand and you could lift the car off Tammy. But for now, the only heavy lifting you can do is on yourself. Sincerely, Jennifer

If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail. com. Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up an appointment, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Jennifer is starting a Marriage Support Initiative for Women; an 8 week support group for married women to celebrate the positive aspects of their marriages and delve into the more private corners of marriage. Difficulties in a marriage can feel isolating. Come find support and make friends. For more information, reach her at the above phone number.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

By Naomi Nachman

Reuben Hamantaschen by Alex Idov

really unusual and funky hamentashen. These four food bloggers (all close friends of mine) have developed these outrageous hamentashen. They are so exciting that I had to share them with you in this round up.

taschen, I bring you another New York Jewish deli themed hamantash: The Reuben. Rye dough stuffed with corned beef, sauerkraut, faux Swiss cheese, and a creamy Thousand Island dressing. Yes, please. I’ll take two (or more). Yields 10 hamantashen

INGREDIENTS

Another one?! Yep...when you’re in hamantaschen baking mode, it’s hard to stop. Following on the heels of my “Pastrami on Rye” haman-

Filling ¾ lb. thinly-sliced corned beef 1 14. oz. can shredded sauerkraut 1 7.8 oz. package Daiya non-dairy Swiss slices ½ cup mayonnaise 2 TBS. pickle relish 1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 ½ tsp. white distilled vinegar

1 tsp. white sugar 1 tsp. ketchup Pinch of ground cloves

PREPARATION Mix and knead together all of the dough ingredients – by hand or with a mixer – until the dough is smooth, firm, and comes away from the side of the mixing bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes (you can also allow the dough to rise at a slower pace/overnight in the fridge. (Note: I think the dough taste better when aged overnight.) Prepare the filling: Tear or cut the corned beef and Daiya “cheese” into small pieces and place into a large bowl. Add the sauerkraut, mayonnaise, pickle relish, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and cloves and toss/mix until well combined. Set aside. Preheat oven 400°F. Roll the rye dough into a long, thick rope (approximately 15 inches) and divide into 10 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into balls about the size of a tennis ball and flatten each ball with the palm of your hand into 1/8” thickness. Place a heaping spoonful of the corned beef filling mixture on the center of the dough and fold the dough into a triangle around the filling, pinching

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

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

Rye Dough 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup rye flour 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 ½ tsp. onion powder 2 tsp. instant yeast 1 tsp. baking powder 1 ½ tsp. salt 2 TBS olive oil 1 ½ cups beer (at room temperature) ¼ cup caraway seeds

MARCH 17, 2016

I love to eat hamentashen. I have made many assorted kinds and varieties of hamentashen over the last several years, ranging from savory to sweet. Because I am not an avid baker, I will usually use my blogger friends’ recipes when I want to make

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Noshin’ on Hamantashen

PURIM fun 5776

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

In Parshat Zachor we read that Amalek attacked the Jewish people in Rephidim. Moshe told Yehoshua to pick men and go fight them. Moshe, Aharon and Hur went on top of a hill and when Moshe lifted his hands the Jewish people defeated Amalek. HaShem said to remember what Amalek did. The following four mitzvot are performed on Purim: 1) Se'uda: to participate in a festive meal during the daytime on Purim; 2) Megillat Esther: one should listen to the reading of Megillat Esther both at night and during the day. It is necessary to hear every single word or one has not fulfilled his obligation; 3) Mishloach Manot: it is obligatory for all adult men and women to send a gift which consists of at least two different foods to another person on Purim day. The foods must be edible without any cooking and may be a combination of food and drink; and 4) Matanot La'evyonim: each person should give charity to a minimum of two people in need on Purim day. The charity can be money, food, drink, or clothing. The value of the gift should at least equal the cost for the recipient to purchase a basic meal.

WORD FIND

Can you discover the Secret Message? Find and circle the bold, italicized words from the Purim Summary in the Word Find. Write the unused Word Find letters in the spaces below to spell the Secret Message. Good luck!

C K P C H A R

A U R D

WOOL

MARBLE

VESSELS

PURPLE

COUCHES TORAH

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

CROSSWORD Complete the crossword by translating each Hebrew word into English. Use the reference from Megillat Esther for help. 1 ACROSS 2. ‫( שמחה‬9:18) 4. ‫( עבד‬4:11) 6. ‫( עץ‬9:25) 8. ‫( עם‬1:5) DOWN 1. ‫( חדש‬8:12) 3. ‫( איש‬1:8) 5. ‫( גדול‬10:3) 7. ‫( לפני‬1:16)

M N O R A H A

U N

A B A S

D Q S D N A H M A T

S N

C O E H I

O T O M S R

O R N

S U E U

L W D H O H L

R N

E K S G M N H M

D O U H R A O A

R A D

Which one is different? (Hint: King Achashverosh's 180 day party)

spot the difference

B O T

H E A R D

SECRET MESSAGE

_____ __ __ ___ _____ __ ____

gematria A Purim custom...

‫כ‬ +‫ל‬

‫קנ‬ ‫צט‬ x ‫צח – ב‬

‫י‬ x‫ה‬

‫ג‬ +‫ו‬

‫ק‬ ‫י‬ –‫ה– ס‬ ‫ה‬

‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת‬

400 300 200 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

WORD CMRLESAB

weekly chinuch podcast - OVER 100 posted! parsha + chinuch < 5 minutes www.thefamousabba.com/podcasts

(scramble)

STEREH

IAMDROECH

NMAHA

MANUMCHE

AROSHAVECHSH HASVIT

(Hint: People in Megillat Esther)

Brought to you by:

www.thefamousabba.com

Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/purim76

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 17, 2016

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

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MARCH 17, 2016

The Halacha Corner THE HALACHA CORNER

Hilchos Purim

By Rabbi Yosef Wagner Kollel Avodas Levi

The Reading of Amalek Some poskim rule that women are obligated to hear the reading of amalek,1 while others say they are exempt.2 It is proper to be stringent.3 Some say that women may have a second reading without a bracha.4 Others dislike this practice.5 If one missed the reading of amalek, some poskim rule that one may fulfill ones obligation with the torah reading on purim morning,6 while others disagree.7

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

Taanis (Fast) Esther Someone with a painful head ache does not have to fast on Taanis Esther. If the fast was broken by such a person, it would have to be made up on 1 Binyan Tzion Chadoshos 2: 8, Minchas Chinuch on mitzvah 603, and Maharil Diskin 102 2 Chinuch 603, Avnei Nezer 509, and Chazon Ish (printed in Taamei Dikra in Hanhagos Vehoros Chazon Ish 23) 3 Minchas Yitzchak 9: 68. Rivovos Ephraim 4: 42 says it is common custom for women to come to shul but if they can not come because of difficulty, they may the read the necessary pesukim (Devarim 25: 17-19). From a Chumash. 4 Chazon Avodiah Purim pg 11 makes no mention if ten men need to be in the room when the torah is being read for the women. See also Minchas Yitzchak 9: 68, and Mikrae Kodesh (Purim) 6. Hakreah Batorah Vehilchoseha pg 567 footnote 32 says it is proper to have ten men in the room when the Torah is read for the women. 5 Rav Moshe Feinstien (printed in Moadei Yeshurin pg 48 footnote 9). Rav Elyashuv (Ashrei Haish 41: 9) rules that women may have another reading after davening if ten men are there who have not yet heard the reading of amalek. 6 MA 685. Kovetz Halachos pg 8 cites many poskim that rule in accordance with MA. 7 MB 685: 16

another day.8 A nursing or pregnant woman doesn’t have to fast or make the fast up on another day.9 Some say that one may wash ones mouth out when waking up in the morning.10 Others are stringent forbidding rinsing unless one is in pain from not doing it.11 Eating before Megila One should not eat or drink until one hears the megila unless there is a great need.12 Others say that it is only prohibited to eat before the megila, but drinking is completely permissible.13 Time for Megila The megila must be read once during the day and once at night. The first reading should ideally be at the beginning of the night.14 The megila should not be read before nightfall unless someone cannot stay up for it. In such a case it must be read at least after plag hamincha.15 Some say that 8 Rema 686: 2. One who has a headache may take Tylenol (Iggeros Moshe 3: 91) with a little bit of water to get the pill down and does not have to make up the fast. 9 MB 586: 5 10 Mekadesh Yisrael 42 11 Kovetz Halachos pg 23. In such a case the neck must be bent forward so no liquid is swalloed. 12 Mikadshe Yisrael 68 says that someone who does not feel well may eat if not eating will inhibit ones ability to focus on the megila. Kovetz Halachos pg 74 says that one may eat in all cases if one asks someone else (shomer) to remind him to hear the megila. This is relevant for ladies who wish to eat before the later megila reading. 13 Kovetz Halachos pg 47 based on Aruch Hashulchan 652: 5 14 SA 687: 1 and Aruch hashulchan 687: 4 15 SA 692: 4, Biur Halacha s.v. miplag haminchah. Plag Hamincha is defined as one and a quarter halachic hours before shkeya.

one may not recite a bracha if read before nightfall16 while others argue.17

heard by the reader; rather the words just have to be mouthed.26

The day reading should be read after netz hachama (sunrise), but if someone has no other choice, it may be read after alos hashachar (daybreak)18 with a bracha.19

If the baal koreh skips a word, he must go back and read the megila from the skipped word.27 If a word is mispronounced and it changes the meaning of the megila, some say that the megila must be read from the place the word is mispronounced even if the whole megila is finished,28 while others say that the megila does not have to be read again since the primary word was said.29

Halachos of the Megila Every word of the megila must be heard or read.20 The entire megila should be heard or read from a klaf (megila scroll), but b’dieved as long as the majority21 of the words22 are heard or read from the klaf, one has fulfilled the mitzvah. This is only true if the words that were missed were read from the listener even if they aren’t read from a kosher megila.23 One should be careful that all the words are heard /read in the order of the megila when reading missed words.24 When one reads the megila to ones self (i.e. if they did not hear a word from the baal koreh), some say the words must be read loud enough so the reader can hear ones self.25 Others say that the words don’t have to be 16 Mikadesh Yisrael 63 17 Yabea Omer 1: 43 18 MB 687: 6. Alos hashachar is about 72 minutes before sunrise depending on the time of year. 19 Kovetz Halachos pg 50. Additionally, it is better to read the megila after netz hachama alone then before netz hachama with a minyan. 20 SA 690: 3. MB 690: 5 says that even if one word is not heard, one has not fulfilled ones obligation. 21 Shaarei Tziun 690: 8 says that even if only fifty percent of the words are heard or read from the klaf (megila scroll) one has fulfilled his mitzvah. 22 Biur Halacha 690 s.v avel im hishmit 23 Ibid davka dilo hishmit inyan shalem. 24 SA 690: 6 25 MB 689: 5

One should not speak during the megila. If one does speak, the words that were missed while speaking must be read.30 A new bracha must be recited only if the speech was after the brachas were recited but before the first word of the megila was read.31 One should make sure to focus on every word as it is being read from the megila.32 26 Aruch Hashulchan 692:1 and Mikadesh Yisrael 87 27 SA 690: 6. Biur Halacha 690 s.v ein midakdin says that if a word is skipped one must make a new bracha if a word was skipped, which is not implicit from the SA. Lehoros Nasan 9: 20 suggests that Biur Halacha is discussing a case when there was a hesach hadaas (one thought he was done reading) from the reading of the megila, but if there was not a hesach hadaas, no new bracha is recited. Additionally, one can only recite a bracha if by skipping a word the meaning is changed. 28 Biur Halacha 690 s.v. ein midakdikin 29 Aruch Hashulchan 690: 20 and Kovetz Halachos pg 84 30 Rema 690: 5 and MB 19 31 Biur Halacha 690 s.v Hakore lemarea lo yotze 32 Levushe Sirad commenting on MA 690: 15 says that if someone is completely thinking about other things, even though technically listening to the megila, one hasn’t fulfilled the mitzva. If one is following along in the megila, many

The Halacha Corner

Shaloch Manos One must give two manos (serv43 Mikadesh Yisrael 123. This is based on Turei Even (Megila pg 4) who says that a womans obligation to hear the megila is Rabbinic. Therefore, one can be lenient when there is a doubt. 44 SA 694: 1. One must give one present to one evyon and another present to a different evyon. 45 Aruch Hashulchan 694: 3 and Mikadesh Yisrael 206 46 MB 694: 2. If one gives money, it may not come from ones maaser money. 47 Ibid. One has fulfilled his mitzva with a piruta according to the MB. Some say one needs to give enough money to buy a seudah chashuva (honored meal) while others say one needs to give enough money to buy a kzayis (one ounce) of bread. See Mikadesh Yisrael 188. Kovetz Halachos pg 89 says one must give a dollar for every matana. 48 Mikadesh Yisrael 198. Aruch Hashulchan 694: 2 says that one does not have to add extra for ones wife but many argue on the Aruch Hashulchan.

Avelus According to some, an avel does not daven for the amud on Purim.57 An avel should not attend a large Purim seuda (meal). Some say that the avel may go to the same type and size of seuda that they have attended in previous years.58 Others say that one may have a seuda with ones family 49 MB 695: 20 50 SA 695: 4. It is praiseworthy to give to more people. 51 Biur Halacha 695 s.v chayiv lshloach. See Pri Migadim MZ 695: 4, Aruch Hashulchan 695: 15 and Tzitz Eliezer 14: 65. Kovetz Halachos pg 98 says the manos should similar to something one would serve to a house guest. 52 Aruch Hashulchan 695: 14 53 Titz Eliezer 14: 65 and Mikadesh Yisrael 237 54 Kovetz Halachos pg 96 55 Mikadesh Yisrael 272 56 Kovetz Halachos pg 203 says the containers must be toiveled while Sefer Tevilas Keilim 164 argues. 57 Mikadesh Yisrael 381 and Pinei Baruch pg 321 58 Piskei Teshuvos footnote 34

Seuda The primary time to have ones seuda (festive meal) is during the day of Purim and not the night.63 One should not have the seuda alone.64 One should eat bread65 and meat66 at the seuda. If one forgot al hanisim in the bentching, one need not repeat bentching.67 Melacha Melacha (work) is prohibited68 during the day of Purim but not the night.69 Meleacha that doesn’t involve toil is permitted therefore one may do laundry on Purim even if the clothes are not needed for purim day.70 59 Kovetz Halachos pg 130 60 Rema 696: 6 and Aruch Hashulcan 696: 9. See however Gesher Hachaim pg 228 and Mikadesh Yisrael 384 61 Kesav Sofer 141 and Mikadesh Yisrael 386 62 Mikadesh Yisrael 387 63 It is appropriate to eat a small seuda on Purim night. 64 MB 695: 9 and Aruch Hashulchan 695: 12 65 Aruch Hashulchan 695: 7 and Shaarei Tziun 695: 4 66 Aruch Hashulchan 695: Mikadesh Yisrael says 292 says that if one does not eat meat, at least chicken should be eated. Kovetz Halachos pg 124 rules that one may have chicken lechatchila. 67 MB 695: 12 68 Rema 696:1. MB 696: 2 says that one may ask a gentile to do melacha on Purim. 69 Biur Halacha 696 s,v. ein osin and Kovetz Halachos pg 57 70 Kovetz Halachos pg 41 based on Meiri to Megila 5b

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poskim say that one has fulfilled the mitzva. See Shaareim Mitzuyanim B’halacha Kuntres Achron 141: 13, Kovetz Halachos pg 80, and Mikadesh Yisrael 82 33 Minchas Shlomo 9, Kovetz Halachos pg 84 and Mikadesh Yisrael 89 34 Tzitz Eliezer 8: 11 and Minchas Elazar 2: 72. See Yismach Yisrael 17: 10. 35 SA 689:1 36 Rema 689:2 37 MB 689: 8 and Aruch Hashulchan 692: 7 38 While the MB 692: 11 says a man who was already heard the megila can recite the bracha for the ladies, but many poskim argue on the MB. See Chaye Adadm 141: 7 and SA Harav 585: 5. Minchas Yitzchak 3: 54 says each lady should recite there own bracha. 39 Ashrei Haish pg 292 says lechatchila one woman makes the bracha for all the ladies. 40 Aruch Hashulchan 692: 5 and Mikraei Kodesh Harei Kodesh 35 in Harei Kodesh 41 Mikadesh Yisrael 146 Kovetz Halachos pg 59 42 Asheri Haish pg 293

Matanos L’evyonim One must give two matanos l’evyonim (literally presents to the poor) on purim or give them to an agent to distribute on purim.44 An evyon is defined as someone who does not have enough money to purchase basic necessities one nedds to live (parnasas bayso).45 This matana may be food or money.46 It is a dispute how much money must be given to fulfill the mitzvah. It is best to give enough money to purchase a meal.47 Women are obligated in matanos l’evyonim. A married woman may have her husband give on her behalf as long he gives extra for her.48

ings) of ready to eat food49 to one person.50 The manos must be fit to honor someone.51 Some say that two different types of food are necessary52 while others argue.53 Everyone agrees that the two manos do not have to be different brachos.54 One may not use masser money to purchase food for one of the shaloch manos one gives. The extra manos which one gives may be purchased with masser money.55 If one gives shaloch manos in a glass or metal container, it is a dispute if the container must first be toiveled (dipped) in a mikvah before putting the food in.56

MARCH 17, 2016

Women and the Megila Women are obligated to hear Megila both during the night and the day.35 A woman either recites the bracha of lishmoa megila36 or lishmoa mikra megila when listening to the megila in a womans reading.37 Either each lady can say the bracha themselves,38 or one lady can say the bracha for all the ladies.39 Some say a minyan of women may recite harav es revenue (the bracha at the end of the megila)40, while others argue41, and this seems to be common custom.42 If a woman is not sure if she heard a word of the megila, she may assume

she heard it.43

and parents, but not friends.59 Shaloch Manos should not be sent to an avel during the twelve months of avelus.60 If shaloch manos is accidentally sent to the avel, the avel should accept the shaloch manos.61 One should not send shaloch manos to ones Rav while the Rav is an avel.62

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Most poskim hold one hasn’t fulfilled ones obligation of hearing the megila if it is read over the phone.33 Some poskim hold that one may hear the megila over the phone if one has no other choice.34

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MARCH 10, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

MARCH 17, 2016

Good News for Chocolate Lovers

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By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

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ith Purim rapidly approaching and Pesach not lagging far behind, we all anticipate some weight gain. Stay tuned for tips to avoid overeating and excess weight gain over the upcoming holidays. Until then, here’s something to chew on so that you don’t feel so guilty when you cheat on your diet. If you’re looking for an excuse to chomp on that chocolate bar calling your name, look no further. Next time you bite into that creamy goodness, you can feel less guilty. While chocolate is still viewed as a treat, recent research along with previous research concur that chocolate consumption offers many health benefits. A study published in June 2015 followed 25,000 men and women and found that eating up to 100g of chocolate each day is linked to lower risks of heart disease and stroke. Even though chocolate has been previously identified as protecting against heart disease, no large scale study was ever conducted to portray adequate results. This was the first study to do so. The researchers believe that the flavonoid antioxidants are responsible for preventing obesity and diabetes, which in turn prevents heart disease

and stroke. Researchers found these results to be true for milk and dark chocolate. So milk chocolate lovers, you’re in luck too! An even more recent study published in February 2016 found that eating chocolate at least once a week boosts cognitive function. The researchers believe that cocoa contains

consumption improved the walking ability in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD affects more than 8 million people in the United States and is characterized by narrowing of the peripheral arteries and reduced blood flow to the stomach, arms, head and legs. This results in difficulty walking. In this case, the

While chocolate is still viewed as a treat, recent research along with previous research concur that chocolate consumption offers many health benefits.

flavanols that improve blood flow to the brain. Chocolate also contains small amounts of caffeine, which can boost alertness and thus cognitive function. Once again, this study was not limited to dark chocolate. Milk and white chocolate showed the same positive results. Another study published in July 2014 demonstrated that chocolate

researchers credit the polyphenols – another antioxidant found in high amounts in chocolate – for the improvement in walking. These studies, along with many others, show positive association with chocolate and certain health benefits. However, as with everything, chocolate should be consumed in moderation. It is important to

note that chocolate has a high fat and sugar content, which can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess amounts. This can counteract its positive effects and actually raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other conditions. Other foods that are rich in polyphenols and flavanols can potentially have the same benefits. So if you’re not a chocoholic, don’t start now. If you are addicted to chocolate, enjoy every bite, every health benefit, and savor the flavor of eating right!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. Her Dietetic Internship was completed under Brooklyn College primarily in Ditmas Park Care Center and Boro Park Center where she developed clinical and education skills to treat patients with comprehensive nutrition care. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MARCH 17, 2016

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MARCH 17, 2016

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home MARCH 10, 2016 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

A Cupcake Mask-erpiece by Gitti Allman

urim is one of my favorite cake decorating classes to teach with fun ideas on seudahs, mishloach manot, and party favors with an edible twist. Here are two of the easiest recipes that I teach for Purim. I am sharing my classic cupcake recipe that is easy to bake with my sweet buttercream recipe with a chocolate variation. I have also included my exclusive and very popular edible Purim mask. Cupcakes are fantastic for all your Purim giving and entertaining needs. Whether using in your mishloach manot, hosting a Purim seuda, or bringing a dessert to whoever is hosting this year, cupcakes are singleserve fun, whimsical and always make people smile.

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Here are some of the basics:

Yellow Cake Ingredients 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted margarine 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs (room temperature) 1½ tsp. vanilla extract ¾ cup parve milk Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9” pans with wax paper rounds and spray with baking spray. In a separate bowl, sift flour, bak-

ing powder and salt. Cream the margarine and the sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla and scrape down the bowl. Mix in the flour mixture alternately with milk at a low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until the batter is just smooth. Spread evenly in the pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (approx. 25 minutes.). Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, cover with greased tinfoil and invert until completely cooled. Tips for making cupcakes: Spoon batter into muffin cups no more than ¾ full Bake for approx. 20-25 mins.

A cupcake is an individual cake that spent some part of its creation time in a muffin pan. Any cake recipe will work when making cupcakes. One 8” square cake = 12 cupcakes One 9x13” cake = 18 cupcakes Two 9” round layers = 24 cupcakes Two 8” round layers = 18 cupcakes

Or until the top of the cupcakes are set and tester (toothpick) comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in their pans for at least 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pans and cool on a rack.

Basic Buttercream Frosting Ingredients 2 sticks margarine

½ cup parve milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar Preparation Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl well with spatula and continue mixing for approximately 5 minutes. Add in desired gel paste colors in separate bowls for each color desired. Variation: To make chocolate buttercream: add ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa and 2 tbsp. of cold, strong coffee or parve milk to the ingredients above.

You will need a plastic Purim mask found in any Judaic, party or costume store, fondant, and a nonstick rolling pin

WORKING WITH FONDANT: THE BASICS

Directions Roll out the fondant to approx. ¼” thick oval, about 1-2 inches longer and wider than the mask you’ve chosen to use. Lightly dust the outside of the mask with confectioners’ sugar or cornstarch. Slide your hands under the fondant and drape it over the mask. Gently drape, form and press the fondant to the contours of the mask and trim off the excess using a sharp knife or fondant cutter. Use small cutters to cut out eyes for the mask, if so desired. Allow to dry, ideally overnight.

To assemble the cupcakes: Bake cupcakes and cool. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (medium or large), pipe out a swirl of frosting on each cupcake. Place dried fondant Purim mask on each cupcake.

MARCH 17, 2016

Fondant must be kneaded in order to get it pliable enough to work with. Always keep unused fondant covered to keep it from drying out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the fondant on a non-stick mat (use powdered sugar to keep it from sticking the rolling pin and mat). Do not roll on a marble surface, as marble is cold and will cause the fondant to become firm. When rolling out the fondant,

make sure to leave a thick edge in order to be able to easily lift it. Never flip over the fondant, always roll on only one side. Always work on a very clean surface, as fondant attracts cotton, hairs, fibers, etc. Food-color markers cannot be used on fondant until it has dried fully.

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The Mardi Gras – Purim Mask

Gitti Allman is the proprietor of Decorate My Cake. To host or attend a class, call 516-295-4538 or visit www.decoratemycakeusa.com.

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Matanos L'evyoniM h Kupat ha'ir g u o r h t

‫קו‬ ‫העפת‬ ‫יר‬

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and that is what I do every year."

Kever oF MorDeCHai & eSTHer Messengers of Kupat Ha'ir will mention each name and personal request at the Kever of Mordechai & esther .

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