Baltimore Jewish Home - 3-30-23

Chesed League By “Columbia Group” Wraps Up Successful Season!

Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund

Would Like To Say

The Chesed Fund and Project Ezra invite the entire community to the

Harry A. & Lillian Frid, ה׳׳ע

Annual Baltimore

Pimlico Race Course Clubhouse Parking Lot

See Driving Directions Below.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 | 6:30 - 11:30 AM sharp

NOTHING WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 11:30AM.

WITH MUCH APPRECIATION

to City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer for making this year’s event free to the public!

FOOD DONATION DRIVE – Non-perishable items will be collected for distribution in the Southern Park Heights community.

FOOD TRASH ONLY! Please be considerate; burn chometz, not plastic. If you wish to burn wrapped chometz, wrap it in paper bags - not plastic, not styrofoam, not aluminum foil. When plastic burns, it releases toxins which harm those present and the environment. Please do not attempt to burn frozen food items.

CLOSED CANS AND BOTTLES can explode when placed in the fire. You must put them in the provided dumpsters.

PLEASE RECYCLE – Designated dumpsters will be available.

BULK TRASH, such as furniture, appliances, etc., WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Food garbage can be placed in our dumpsters.

Easy Directions to Pimlico Race Course Clubhouse

Parking Lot:

1. Head southeast down Park Heights Avenue, passing the Park Heights JCC on your right.

2. Proceed through the intersection at Northern Parkway, and continue through the intersection at West Rogers Avenue.

3. Make a left at the next light, onto Hayward Avenue.

4. Make the next right at Maple Avenue, into the Pimlico Parking Lot.

This event is also sponsored in memory of Mrs. Ruth Miller, ה׳׳ע.

Dear Readers,

The Hagaddah relates the story of the Rabbis who were sitting at their Seder discussing the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim. This went on all through the night until their students came knocking on their door to let them know it was morningand it was time to read Krias Shema. It’s easy to wonder, if these were the biggest Talmidei Chachamim of the generation, why weren’t their students with them for the Seder? Wouldn’t it seem appropriate for the talmidim to spend Yom Tov with their Rabbeim?

I heard an amazing answer from Rabbi Yakov Frand who quoted the brand new Haggadah from Harav Eliyahu Boruch Finkel, ZT”L. R’ Eliyahu Baruch quotes a story that the Mirrer mashgiach, Harav Yeruchom Levovitz, ZT”L, told over. A bochur from the Mir Yeshiva approached R’ Yeruchom with the following dilemma. He was set to travel home to spend the Seder with his parents and family. However, he had gotten invited to spend the Seder at the table of the Chofetz Chaim! Should he go home or jump at the rare opportunity to spend Yom Tov and the Seder with the Chofetz Chaim?

R’ Yeruchom in his infinite wisdom told his student that he should absolutely go home to be with his father, mother, and family. A Seder must be spent with family! The most impactful

CONTACT INFORMATION

Moshe Meir Rubin PUBLISHER editor@baltimorejewishhome.com

Berish Edelman LAYOUT

Yitzy Halpern MANAGING EDITOR

Michael Czermak ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

way to drive home a point is when a father tells a story to a child. The child hears it from his father’s standpoint, and it builds the feeling and emotion, making it real. For a child to know and understand the trials and tribulations of a simple Yid in galus, you need to be by your parents and not the Chofetz Chaim! That’s why the Talmidim from the Haggadah were not by the Seder of their Rabbeim, they were at home with their parents!

Throughout Yetzias Mitzrayim, our food, money, travel, and comfort, were all taken care of with divine providence. This same Hashgacha Pratis sustained our forefathers in each and every generation and is now sustaining us today! Each family has their own story that brought them to this point. Only a parent can relate that story and transmit the mesiras nefesh and emunah to future generations.

Every generation has its challenges, but we maintain and grow from the inspiration we gain each Pesach, as we sit and hear the personal stories of geulah that have carried our families and Klal Yisroel, as we travel through the difficult galus May we have a peaceful and inspiring Pesachtogether with our families!

Aaron Menachem

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Aaron Menachem COPY EDITOR

THE FIRST ANNUAL MEN’S BELTWAY SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT 4 SILVER SPRING TEAMS VS. 4 BALTIMORE TEAMS

LEIDOS FIELD AT RIPKEN STADIUM

COMPETITION

FOR SPONSORSHIPS OR TO SIGN UP CONTACT:

Rabbi Yitzchak Labell, Director of Development 301-962-5111 ext. 1510 | ylabell@yeshiva.edu

Rabbi Simmy Merkin, Business Development Manager 301-962-5111 ext. 1522 | smerkin@yeshiva.edu

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Zone: Bounce House, Pitching Radar, Batting Cage,

Prizes

Around the Community

Baltimore Chesed League By “Columbia Group” Wraps Up Successful Season!

This past week, the Baltimore Chesed League wrapped up another successful season! With the season complete, the boys have experienced many different types of chesed activities with many different organizations. To celebrate,

the entire Chesed League will be treated to a final banquet on April 2nd sponsored by Pricebusters and TiveriaParadise.com. Thank you to Jon Kaplan and his team for catering the final banquet!

Team Israel Bonds WesBanco helped sort and count up tzedakah bills and coins for Ahavas Yisrael.

Team

Remodeling helped a local JCN family prepare for Pesach by cleaning cars and a freezer.

Team Winner Insulation got to know the residents of King David Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.

Team

Orthodontics helped local Chai Lifeline families prepare for Pesach by cleaning cars.

Boys across multiple BCL teams worked for more than 2 hours on a Motzei Shabbos to help empty the Agudah Shaimos storage in preparation for burial.

Team

sang, danced, and entertained the residents of Sterling Care.

Team

Root Canal cleaned up the outside of Bnos Yisroel’s campus in very windy conditions.

Team Aventura sang and drummed their way into the Pesach season with the residents of King David Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

Team Shimon Hoffman - Erie Insurance spent time with friends at Yachad Headquarters making Seder plates for local hospitals.

Team Erez Seiferas partnered with boys from Menucha for a fun afternoon of board games and a delicious dinner.

Team Donny Ankri Architects worked hard unloading shaimos bags at Mikro Kodesh Cemetery.

Team Chesed Monkeys helped sort out Shaimos at the Agudah of Park Heights.

Team CBT Baltimore sang, danced, and inspired the residents of North Oak residents and Friendship Circle.

Advanced

DC Dental

Team Union Bridge Family Dentistry delivered Pesach packages for the Friendship Circle.

Team Sage Adventures helped clean up the Bikur Cholim Gemach storage room.

Quarry

Pikesville

Team David Flamm - Nationwide Insurance visited a local Jewish cemetery and cleaned up the garbage and graffiti.

Team Naomi Center had dinner, played games, and had lively conversations with friends at Menucha.

Team King David Rehab Center visited with the residents at Sterling Care.

Keren Reva Costume Gemach helped clean up the Western Run creek in support of CHAI.

Team Kelemer Brothers Replacement Windows baked desserts for Bikur Cholim of Baltimore.

Team JTAP Tennis teamed with Chaverim to learn how to change tires, jumpstart cars and learn about everything Chaverim does.

Around the Community

Embrace the Excitement of Mechiras Chametz with the Yorucha Program’s New Curriculum: Baltimore Chaburos Led by Local Rabbis

The Yorucha Business Halacha Program, a groundbreaking initiative by the Bais Havaad Halacha Center, is excited to introduce its latest “seasonal” topic focused on Mechiras Chametz. This timely and engaging curriculum is perfect for Pesach preparations, offering invaluable halachic insights to learners of all levels in Baltimore, MD.

Local chaburos in Baltimore, led by esteemed Rabbis, have joined the Yorucha Program to participate in this engaging and informative curriculum. The chaburos include Khal Ahavas Yisroel Tzemach Tzedek led by Rab-

bi Dovid Heber, Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, and Rabbi Shaul Elchonon Sofer, and the Baltimore Community Kollel led by Rabbi Ahron Muller.

The Yorucha Program’s Mechiras Chametz curriculum explores the halachic principles, legal intricacies, and practical applications of the sale of chametz. Participants will delve into topics such as the halachic basis for Mechiras Chametz, the process and requirements for a valid sale, and the role of a Rav or community leader. They will also learn how to handle contemporary issues, such as selling chametz online, managing chametz in rental properties, dealing with uninten-

OCA Bar Mitzvah Dinner

OCA recently hosted its inaugural 7th Grade Boys Bar Mitzvah Dinner! The boys, accompanied by their fathers, grandfathers, and Rebbeim, joined together for a night celebrating the momentous occasions of their Bar

Mitzvah. The class made a Siyum on Seder Moed and each student spoke about a mitzvah of their choosing, its meaning, and relevance in their life. After singing and dancing, each boy received a personalized Chumash recognizing the occasion. Mazal Tov!

Seder Limud LN Chaim Moshe Cohen Z’L

Hundreds took part of the special seder Limud at the Agudah of Park Heights, L’iluy Nishmas Habochur Chaim Moshe Cohen Z’L. Everyone was so eager to be part of this event.

The 7:45 learning seder which was scheduled to take place in the upper Beis Medrash was jam packed way before the program started. Fathers, sons, Beis Medrash Bochurim and

Baal Habatim, also filled the Main Bais Medrash, balcony, and the third floor Bais Medrash. There was a roar of Kol Torah. Hundreds of Perakim of Mishnayus were learned. You could feel the special energy in the Bais Medrash!

Following the 45 minute seder, everyone was treated to refreshments. The evening was a great success and Kiddush Hashem.

tional chametz found during Pesach, and handling chametz brought into a business by non-Jewish employees.

The Yorucha Program’s focus on Mechiras Chametz creates an inclusive and accessible learning environment. With resources tailored to learners of all backgrounds and levels, the program seeks to empower individuals, including the Baltimore chaburos led by local Rabbis, with the tools and knowledge to confidently prepare for Pesach.

Participant Dovid Greenberg shared his enthusiasm for the program, saying, “The Yorucha Program has transformed my Pesach preparations.

The in-depth and engaging curriculum on Mechiras Chametz has given me the confidence to navigate this essential practice with ease. I am excited to share my newfound knowledge with my family and community.”

Join the Yorucha Program today and embark on an exciting journey into the world of Mechiras Chametz. Visit the Yorucha Program website at baishavaad.org/yorucha to access the Mechiras Chametz materials and resources, and experience a Chag Kasher V’Sameach with newfound confidence.

Around the Community

New Cancer Building On Sinai Hospital Campus To Be Named For Mandy And Dennis Weinman

By: BJLife Newsroom

Agenerous $5 million gift from Mandy and Dennis Weinman will help fund a new three-story, 125,000 square foot, state-of-the-art cancer building on the campus of Sinai Hospital.

The newly named Mandy and Dennis Weinman Cancer Building will be home to the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute and the Pediatric Oncology Center, bringing together all ambulatory cancer services at Sinai in a single comprehensive location. Once completed, the building will accommodate leading-edge cancer treatment technology in an aesthetically pleasing, patient-centered environment where patients can see specialists, get infusions and radiation, and access other supportive services – all in one place.

The building will be located on Greenspring Avenue, offering patients receiving infusion treatment on the third floor a view of the nearby Cylburn Arboretum. A groundbreaking

nity as LifeBridge Health continues to enhance its standing as a destination resource for patients in their battle against this devastating disease.”

Weinmans’ support for LifeBridge Health’s cancer treatment program was the expert, compassionate care that Dennis’s grandmother received at Sinai Hospital several years ago.

LifeBridge Health will continue to seek philanthropic support for the new building project, with the goal of raising an additional $15 million. There will be parallel campaign with numerous naming opportunities available to outfit the building with the equipment, medical devices and furnishings.

“We are so grateful to Mandy and Dennis for their wonderful gift that will make such a difference for people receiving cancer care at Sinai. They share the vision of LifeBridge Health and our leading cancer experts on how we can provide high-level care with compassion and comfort for the 30,000 people battling cancer we treat each year,” says Julie Cox, vice president and chief development officer for LifeBridge Health.

She adds, “The Weinmans’ visionary gift will have an immediate impact and also support our ongoing efforts to evolve and enhance our approach to cancer detection and treatment. We are proud to have the support from and partnership with Mandy and Dennis as they continue the Weinman family’s amazing three-generation legacy of

philanthropic support to LifeBridge

Health.”

About the Mandy and Dennis Weinman Cancer Building

The Mandy and Dennis Weinman Cancer Building will be a 125,000 square-foot facility constructed along the east side of Sinai Hospital’s campus, facing Greenspring Avenue. The new building will bring together pediatric and adult hematology and oncology divisions, diagnostic and treatment services, research, wellness and survivorship programs. It will include 32 adult infusion bays, 16 adult exam spaces, seven pediatric infusion bays, six pediatric exam rooms, renovated radiation oncology suites and other support services and spaces.

The new building also marks an investment and growth in cancer services at Sinai, offering the latest technology and clinical treatments as well as support, wellness and education programs. Sinai will also be looking to recruit additional subspecialty oncologists and expand focus on research to be able to offer more clinical trials, increasing treatment options for patients.

The projected cost for the design and construction of the facility is expected to be $95 million. Construction is set to begin in mid-2023 with completion projected around December 2025.

Bais Yaakov of Baltimore High School Graduate on Jeopardy! Who is Dr. Melissa Klapper

By: BJLife/ Margie Pensak BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Dr. Melissa Klapper has wanted to be a Jeopardy! contestant ever since she was a young girl. She grew up in a family – in Dallas, moving to Baltimore in ninth grade -- where knowledge-based board games were played and Jeopardy! was one of them. She actually tried out for the show when she was a teenager.

“In those days, you had to go where the auditions were and take a test; my parents drove me to DC,” recalls Melissa, who has been a professor of history at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, for 22 years and teaches American and women’s History; she is also the director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program there. “I didn’t make it back then because I didn’t know anything about sports. I still don’t know anything about sports.”

Today, says Melissa, they’ve made the try-out much easier, probably partially because of COVID. It is all online – even the last audition – making it the process of becoming a contestant on “America’s Favorite Quiz Show” which will turn 60 in March 2024, more accessible.

To try out, one must first take the online “Jeopardy! Anytime Test,” during which adults 18 years or older have 15 seconds to answer each of 50

different clues. If you do well enough on that, you get invited to take a second online test that has more questions that must be answered faster.

“If you do well enough on that, you get invited to do the third step,” explains Melissa. “It’s really more of an audition; they want to see you and hear you speak. You also start filling out paperwork so they can learn more about you. Most people who make it to that third step go into a contestant pool for 18 months. They either call you to come on the show, or they don’t. I took the test before and never got a call. I did the whole process again, taking the Anytime Test right after my first 18 months ended in June 2022. I made it to the third stage again in September, and they called me in December; I had about a month’s notice until I had to leave for California to tape the show.”

By the way, Melissa continues, even going to L.A. – at your own expense -- does not guarantee that you will appear on the show since things can happen, as the fine print says.

“The majority of the people do make it on, and even if they come in third place, they get to go home with $1000 minus taxes to defray trip expenses,” adds Melissa. “They don’t pay for anything except for lunch, and when I asked for kosher food, right away they said, ‘Sure, no problem!’ They had it delivered.”

Melissa, and all other Jeopardy! contestants, are allowed to say very little to the media – or anyone – about their upcoming show appearance.

OCA Chidon Hatanach National Finals

Ohr Chadash Academy (OCA) is proud to announce that four students from its Chidon HaTanach classes have qualified for the national finals of the Chidon HaTanach competition in New York on April 30. Mazel Tov to Elan Levi (‘24) and Noam Wiener (‘23) who qualified from the Middle School division, and Alina Rosen and Racheli Schwarzenberger (‘22) who qualified from the High School division. The Chidon HaTanach is sponsored by the Jewish Agency and is open to students in grades 6-12. OCA is registered in

the highly competitive Hebrew Middle School and Hebrew High School divisions of the Chidon HaTanach for schools that learn and master the text in Lashon HaKodesh. Over 600 students from across the United States participated in the first round of tests.

Under the guidance of Rabbi Mordechai Abrahams, 12 dedicated OCA middle school students, and alumni, worked hard to learn the majority of Sefer Shemot, and all of Melachim Bet, Yonah and Esther. The High School students also completed Yoel, Amos, Ovadiah, and Chaggai.

At the national finals, students take

What she could share was logisticslike five shows are recorded in a day, so there is a cohort of contestants who come in each day.

“You get to meet some very interesting people, all of whom are nerds like you!” says Melissa with a chuckle. “It was actually very fun; I even met another history professor. It was a very mixed group of people, including a football coach from Alabama. Everyone was very supportive, cheering each other on. We spent the whole day together. It’s like going to boot camp. You had to wake up very early in the morning to go to the studio, which is smaller than it looks. There is a live studio audience, which my husband was part of, but I didn’t want to know where he was sitting because I didn’t want to make any eye contact with him. I was glad he was there, but I was afraid I would start laughing if I saw him.”

Everyone there was sworn to silence, until after the show is aired. In fact, contestants are not even allowed to tell people that they will be appearing on the show until they get the goahead, about 10 days to two weeks before it airs. Then the producers send you a photo of yourself with the Jeop-

ardy! host that they want you to distribute, including on social media.

“It was a very nice experience,” notes Melissa. “You don’t have much to do with the host; mine was Ken Jennings. There’s a lot of paperwork you need to fill out when they tell you that you are going to be on the show. Part of that is an interview sheet where you write down interesting stories about yourself. They have a whole bunch of prompts, such as if you have been anyplace interesting, and they ask which you want to go first with. So what the host asks you is not a total surprise; it’s staged.

“It was a fun experience, and it was nice to be around people who value education, but it was exhausting and stressful,” she adds. “I’m not used to performing with stage lights and cameras; it’s not my usual kind of space, but that was probably true of everyone there.”

Melissa chalks up her storehouse of knowledge to reading a lot; she always has. She concludes, “I’ve always had wonderful teachers at Bais Yaakov (including my mother, Ferne Klapper, for 11th grade English), in college, and in my graduate program, but I feel I was especially prepared because I read a lot. Reading really pays off; you can learn so much from reading all kinds of things. I’m glad I grew up in a home where everyone was reading all the time. Reading is very central to everything I have done in my life.”

further tests and celebrate their knowledge of these sefarim. The top four students will represent the U.S. in the International

Chidon HaTanach competition next summer.

OCA is thrilled that for the fifth consecutive year it will be sending representatives to national finals. Hatzlacha Rabbah to Elan, Noam, Alina and Racheli!

Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz Visits Toras Simcha, Engages Talmidim with

into Ashkenazi, Sefardi Origins, and Kitniyot Variations

By: BJLife Newsroom BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Rabbi Emanuel Goldfiez, Rav of Baltimore Sephardic Center, gave a brief history of the origins of Ashkenazi and Sefardi Jews. Rabbi Goldfeiz then went on to explain the issur in the Torah to eat from the five grains if they became chometz. The rav told the story of how Rav Huna’s wife served rice on Yom Tov to fulfill the requirement to have two cooked foods. The rav also explained some of the variations among Morrocon Sefardim who eat beans but not rice and Syrian sefardim who don’t eat chickpeas or chumas.

Finally, the rav explained how even Ashkenazim are allowed to have benefit from kitniyos such as feeding one’s pets kitniyos.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and my husband grew up in Detroit, MI, but was learning in yeshiva and in college here when we met. I have always noticed that Baltimore has a unique אחדות that I have never experienced in other cities I have been in and knew I wanted to raise my children here. My husband and I have 5 beautiful children ka”h. My husband is a mechanical engineer for an engineering consulting firm in Towson and I have owned and operated a hair styling salon called Hair Styling by Adina from my home for almost a decade now. My children attend some of the greatest institutions Baltimore has to offer-Shaarei Chaim, Talmudical Academy, and Bais Yaakov.

How did you decide to become a hairstylist?

Would you believe when I was younger the jobs I said I would NEVER have was teaching, sheitel macher, or run a business. This is a perfect example of Man plans and G-d laughs. These are the 3 jobs I’ve ever had and found I was good at and passionate about it. I taught Early Childhood for about 10

how to cut hair.

When my 4th child was born, my husband and I decided it was time to quit teaching and go full time into my business. Best decision I ever made and I’ve never looked back.

What makes your business unique:

I believe in a high level of integrity and respect for my clientele and want my clients to walk in with a knowledge that what they want for their hair will be respected to the best of my ability. I try to always be give full disclosure of what to expect when utilizing my services.

I provide wash & sets, blow outs/ curling, haircuts, and updos. I sell high quality hair products; my creation-the Bandina; I rent/sell hair extensions; and I’m the creator of The Hair Club.

What exactly is the Bandina?

The Bandina is a hat fall that is a halo extension modified with an adjustable band and straps to hold down your hair under a hat. I created the Bandina because I pre-

1) It works. I wish I had some of these products for myself when I was growing up!

2) It lasts. Not only do the products last all day in your hair/wig, but you do not need to use as much of the product as the cheaper brands.

When it comes to hair products a key tip is that for the most part, quantity DOES reflect quality. The more expensive products DO work better on the hair and tend to be healthier for the hair, as well.

Ok. The Hair Club. What is it?

The Hair Club is my newest baby. It’s a group of courses for girls 1st to 12th grade, divided into separate age groups. It’s more than just hairstyling lessons. It’s a club. A place to come surround yourself with supportive encouraging friends, build confidence and acceptance in yourself, and relax in a non-school environment while learning a useful skill.

For our next session we have 3 different options of courses, each teaching different skill setsHair Course 101

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Elementary Hair Course

In all 3 courses we discuss a bit of the science and health of hair, as well. I want the girls to have a basic understanding of the logic of the techniques they learn so they can apply and adjust to the nuances in hairstyling.

Where did you come up with this idea?

I’m a teacher at heart. I missed teaching and found myself giving tips to people all the time. Several mothers mentioned I should start a course for their daughters and wished they had something like this growing up. I thought about it, and decided to create a curriculum and here we are.

How can someone interested in any or all that Hair Styling by Adina provides get in contact with you?

These are quickest ways to contact me. I usually respond same day.

My email is hairstylingbyadina@ gmail.com

You can Whatsapp my business number which is only used for Whatsapp NOT calling, at 443-4503322

Whatsapp/text 216-255-8970

Or go to my website hair-stylingby-adina.myshopify.com and there are links on the home page to make appointments including consults and register for courses.

The Week In News

people” refraining from eating leavened products in general, he warned.

bin Zayed al-Nahyan in honor of Ramadan.

Chometz Law

This week, the Knesset enacted legislation that enables hospitals to ban the entry of chometz ahead of Pesach.

This law is a softened version of what was proposed. It allows hospital administrators to set a policy against bringing in chometz and to post it on their website or with signage at entrances, but does not explicitly allow security guards to search patients’ or visitors’ bags to enforce the policy.

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid denounced the legislation, telling the Knesset plenum it would cause pushback against what many feel is religious coercion.

“You will cause there to be much less Passover [observance] and fewer

The Israel Hofsheet organization, which advocates for religious freedom in Israel, slammed the legislation, saying it “sends the hospital administrators to create religious coercion in order to solve a problem that does not exist,” according to a Channel 12 report.

The charedi United Torah Judaism party sponsored the bill, outraged after a 2020 High Court of Justice ruling blocked hospitals from searching bags to check for chometz in response to petitions decrying the searches as invasive and religiously intrusive.

Israeli Released from UAE

Fida Kiwan, an Israeli woman from Haifa who was jailed for drug trafficking last year and had originally faced execution in the United Arab Emirates, has been pardoned and released by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed

“I can’t believe my daughter is back,” Kewan’s mother, Sabah, told Walla news.

Fida Kewan was arrested in Abu Dhabi in March of last year, accused of drug trafficking and sentenced to death. Her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the court in the United Arab Emirates.

In the past year, her family members, including her mother, brother and sister, have been in contact with the office of President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, claiming that she fell victim to a ruse and working to secure her release.

Herzog submitted a personal humanitarian appeal to UAE’s president a few weeks ago, and in recent days, the President’s Office and the Israeli embassy in the UAE led by Ambassador Amir Hayek have been working with authorities in the Gulf nation on the technical aspects of Kiwan’s release and return to Israel.

Kiwan’s attorneys said in a state-

ment, “We thank the president of the country for his commitment to the operation. We also thank Sheikh bin Zayed, the prince of the Emirates, for the pardon on the occasion of Ramadan.” (JNS)

No Tax on Sweetened Drinks

This week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed a directive to cancel a tax on sweetened drinks that the previous government had introduced as part of a drive to reduce the consumption of unhealthy beverages.

Removal of the tax was a key coalition demand of the charedi parties, which argued that it had been introduced deliberately to target their communities.

In an effort to ensure that the nation’s health wasn’t impacted by the removal of the tax, Smotrich said he had ordered a team to work with the

The Week In News PESACH in

Health Ministry on promoting healthy eating habits and reducing sugar use.

MK Aryeh Deri, leader of the charedi Shas party, welcomed the development, while Israel’s doctors’ union slammed it as “irresponsible” and damaging to public health.

Smotrich noted that many families purchase sodas and other sugary drinks for the upcoming holiday and that the cancellation of the tax would help lessen their bottom line at the checkout counter.

The tax was put in place by Smotrich’s predecessor, Avigdor Liberman, now leader of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party which champions secular rights. It had been accompanied by a tax on single-use plastic utensils, aimed at preventing damage to the environment, which is also being canceled after the charedi parties noted that many charedi families are impacted by it.

Deri said, “The political tax imposed by Liberman on sweet drinks has been canceled!”

He added, “We don’t educate the public by hitting its pocket, but by smart and effective information, and that’s how we operate.”

The Israel Medical Association panned Smotrich’s directive, expressing in a statement its “disgust at the lack of responsibility” for public health and economics.

“Drink water,” the IMA advised.

Smotrich’s first act after being appointed the new government’s finance minister was to instruct ministry officials in January to roll back the tax hikes. He faced a backlash after doing so, with even those from around the world expressing their concerns.

Ben Gvir’s National Guard

cial reform plan. Now, the minister is reportedly staying on after the prime minister agreed to raise the issue of forming a national guard within the National Security Ministry in the upcoming cabinet meeting this Sunday.

“The reform will pass. The national guard will be established. The budget that I demanded for the National Security Ministry will pass in full,” Ben Gvir tweeted on Monday evening. “Nobody will scare us. Nobody will succeed in changing the decision of the people.”

Labor MK Gilad Kariv criticized Netanyahu’s promise to Ben Gvir, tweeting: “The national guard must be under the police, rather than under the control of [far-right group] Lehava and the rest of the Kahanists” — a reference to followers of Rabbi Meir Kahane.

Former Israel Police chief Moshe Karadi said Ben Gvir would be forming “a private militia for his political needs” and would “recruit the Hilltop Youth” settler extremists to its ranks. “He’s dismantling Israeli democracy.” Karadi called legislation to this effect “dangerous and a distinct characteristic of turning Israel into a dictatorship.”

He added that it was unthinkable to establish a force that would report directly to the minister. “You cannot have an operational force that doesn’t report to the police commissioner,” he said.

Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh tweeted that “in the right-wing government, criminals appoint judges and terrorists run a private army. Every democrat must fight against this insanity at any price!”

Ben Gvir has said that he seeks to establish a volunteer national guard that would be deployed in times of ethnic unrest, such as the May 2021 Jewish-Arab race riots that took place in some Israeli cities, against a background of war with the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

The Border Police is formally a part of the police and ultimately reports to the police commissioner, although parts of it fall under the military’s operational command.

Supposedly, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had threatened to leave the Netanyahu government should there be a halt to the judi-

Ben Gvir in January presented a framework for the national guard, which had some similar characteristics to an arrangement proposed by his predecessor, former public security minister Omer Barlev, and then-prime minister Naftali Bennett. However, the

$3,000,000 + funded for global Jewish causes

600+ bocherim in Eretz Yisroel assisted with army issues

50+ seminaries assisted with programing and trips

Did you know that Eretz HaKodesh has partnered with 207 mosdos, Yeshivos, Seminaries, Kollelim, Neshei Groups and other organizations this year ?

100+ yeshivos assisted with services, mesibos and events

$1 50,000 + for career training for hundreds of Chareidi American women living in Eretz Yisroel

₪ 30,0 00,0 00+ secured for programs fo r struggling teens

350+ famili es of children with special needs serviced

10,0 00 + Chareidi yo uth participated in Shmitah events

The kedusha of Eret z Yisroel and Torah are eternally bound. Together, let’s make sure that Eretz Yisroel remains Eretz Ha Kodesh.

As you learn about some of the good we’ve done, imagine how much negative we’ve prevented.

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earlier plan saw the Border Police operating alongside the national guard, rather than as part of it.

Judicial Reform on Hold

On Monday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to announce the freezing of the government’s judicial reform effort until May, when the Knesset reconvenes after its upcoming recess for the Passover holiday.

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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir revealed the prospective move on Monday evening and said that his Otzma Yehudit Party had agreed to the pause, seemingly preventing a collapse of the government.

called for calm ahead of opposing protests in Jerusalem over the reform initiative.

A large demonstration was taking place outside of the Knesset in the afternoon featuring opponents of the ruling coalition and its reform proposals, while a pro-reform gathering was planned for the evening.

“I call on all the demonstrators in Jerusalem, on the right and the left, to behave responsibly and not to act violently. We are brothers,” Netanyahu posted to his Twitter account. (JNS)

Gallant’s Future

Despite being dismissed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days ago, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was still serving in his role on Tuesday, two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed him for publicly urging a halt to the government’s judicial overhaul legislation.

“I agreed to remove my veto on the postponement of the legislation in exchange for a commitment [from Netanyahu] that the bills be brought to the Knesset for approval in the next session if no agreements are reached during the recess,” said Ben-Gvir in a statement.

He added that the coalition would attempt to engage in negotiations before attempting to pass the reforms.

For his part, Netanyahu also agreed to green-light the formation of a civilian national guard under BenGvir’s authority during the next cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu was scheduled to address the country at 10 a.m. local time but delayed the speech after members of his coalition threatened to bring down the government.

The standoff over the reform package reached a critical juncture earlier in the day with the announcement of a worker walkout by the Histadrut labor federation, which set off a cascade of similar announcements, including the grounding of planes at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Netanyahu on Monday afternoon

Gallant addressed the nation publicly on Saturday and urged a halt to the judicial reform legislation. He was summarily fired by Netanyahu in a statement on Sunday. By Monday evening, Netanyahu, under intense public pressure, had halted the legislation as Gallant had sought. But the premier has not commented so far on Gallant’s future.

According to Hebrew media, there has been a push from within the coalition, including by former Minister Aryeh Deri, to have Gallant reinstated. For now, the defense minister is fulfilling his duties, with no official notice of termination yet handed to him.

Gallant attended a planned security-related meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting was the first encounter between Netanyahu and Gallant since the defense minister’s Saturday night speech.

The premier has reportedly held talks with Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a former Shin Bet chief who is

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Back on Track

Watching Hershy* make all the wrong decisions was painful. The changes were subtle, at first. Hershy was hanging out with the wrong boys, he was adopting a new mode of dress, and he seemed detached from his basic duties as a Torah-true Jew. Then came the day he decided to leave yeshivah.

It was too much for his parents and siblings to bear. Deep down, they knew that Hershy simply could no longer handle the ache of trauma in his heart, and they wished they could help him heal.

“There are no quick fixes,” they were told. Or are there?

One caring sister came up with a plan. She called Tehillim Kollel and added Hershy’s name to the list. “Please daven that Hershy return to his roots!” she pleaded.

Two weeks later, she called again, and reported that her brother had made sincere changes in the right direction. Things were beginning to look up. “Could you believe he admitted that he’d like to begin keeping Shabbos again?!” she exclaimed, and asked for the Tehillim Kollel members to change their nusach. “Daven that we should find the right mentor to accompany him on his journey back, and also that we should find an appropriate place for him to grow.”

Recently, the woman called again. This time, she wished to give over a message from the family. “Thank you for helping bring back a Yiddishe neshamah,” she said, “We are overwhelmed at how frum things are improving… None of us dared to dream that Hershy would progress so quickly! Today, he is in a frum yeshivah, behaving like any other ben Torah!”

The joy in Hershy’s sister’s voice was obvious.

*Name has been changed.

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seen as the favorite to replace Gallant if Netanyahu finalizes the decision to fire him.

After Netanyahu’s announcement on Monday that he was pausing the overhaul, Gallant said he welcomed the decision in order to hold talks with opponents of the legislation, his office said in a brief statement.

Chemical Spill in PA

longer be contamination in the river by Wednesday or Thursday.

Despite assurances, many residents have scrambled to buy bottled water from grocery store shelves that quickly sold out. Many have expressed concerns about potential hazards as well as frustration and confusion over officials’ repeated statements that the city’s water is safe after initially asking residents to drink bottled water as a precaution.

On Monday, officials reiterated advice that residents should have three days of water on hand as a precautionary measure in case contaminants are discovered in the city’s supply. The mayor recommended filling bottles and pitchers with tap water.

Not all Philadelphia residents receive water from the Baxter plant. The city’s two other treatment facilities are fed by the Schuylkill River, which the city says was not impacted by the spill.

Approximately 8,100 gallons of water-soluble acrylic polymer solution was released into the Delaware River on Friday night as a result of an “equipment failure” at a plant that makes acrylic resins.

The spills occurred just a few miles upstream from a key water intake for Philadelphia’s Baxter Water Treatment Plant.

Immediately after the spill, authorities rushed to assure the public that

Terror in Nashville

Six people were killed at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday in a mass murder perpetrated by Audrey Hale, 28, a former student at the school.

Three of those killed were children. One of them was 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs, the daughter of the pastor whose church runs The Covenant School. Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney were also nine years old.

contaminants have been found in any of Philadelphia’s water after Friday’s chemical spill. The Philadelphia Water Department expects there will no

Hale also slaughtered Head of School, Katherine Koonce; Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher; and Mike Hill, 61, a custodian.

The Covenant School in Nashville has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members.

Koonce, the head of school who was killed, wrote on the school’s website that it has “a unique challenge — to

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educate twenty-first-century children in a way that prepares them to impact their culture and think in accordance with timeless Truth.

“Never before have we known more about the skills and experiences students need to be successful and develop skills. But, we must be about more.”

Hale had no previous criminal record but had planned the massacre carefully with detailed maps and surveillance, police said. Still, authorities say that they can’t confirm that certain people were targeted.

Hale came to the school on Monday with two AR-style weapons and a handgun. Two of those three weapons were legally obtained in the Nashville area.

She was confronted by five officers and two of them opened fire, killing her.

Biden Approval Slipping

People are becoming weary of President Joe Biden’s job at the White House.

In a poll published on Tuesday,

only 40 percent of respondents approved of the job Biden is doing as president – down from 42 percent in a poll taken last month.

Biden’s approval also dropped on key issues like the economy and foreign policy.

On the economy, 32 percent of respondents approve of the job the president has done, compared to 34 percent in February and 31 percent in August last year.

The Gallup poll was taken between March 1-23, a period in which the Biden administration scrambled to contain the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the largest banking failure since the subprime mortgage crisis that helped spur the 2008 financial crisis.

Biden has also continued to face pressure over rising inflation and the Federal Reserve’s ongoing interest rate hikes.

On foreign affairs, 38 percent of respondents approved of the job the president has done, down from 41 percent last month.

The United States is playing a major role in the conflict in Ukraine. Additionally, China is on the radar, with news of a Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States before being

shot down off the East Coast dominating headlines last month.

On energy and the environment, 43 percent of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of environmental issues, while 38 percent approved of the job the president has done on energy policy.

Looking forward to Biden ’24? On Monday, a Monmouth University poll found 25 percent of Democrat respondents said they want Biden to run for reelection in 2024, while 44 percent of Democrats surveyed believe that Biden should step aside.

Disney to Cut Jobs

At least 7,000 people will be losing their jobs at Disney over the coming months. On Monday, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that his company will begin laying off staff starting this week, the first of three rounds of expected cuts following his announcement in February that the company would axe 7,000 jobs.

The cuts to Disney’s global workforce are part of a multibillion-dollar

cost-cutting initiative aimed at streamlining the company’s operations in a period of media industry turmoil.

The first round of layoffs will begin this week, and managers will soon start to notify affected employees. A second, larger round of layoffs will take place in April, Iger said, with several thousand staffers let go. A third round of layoffs will then occur “before the beginning of the summer” to reach the company’s planned goal of eliminating 7,000 jobs.

“The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly,” Iger acknowleged in the memo. “In tough moments, we must always do what is required to ensure Disney can continue delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and guests around the world – now, and long into the future.”

Disney had about 220,000 workers as of October 1, of which approximately

The New Look of

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166,000 were employed in the United States. A cut of 7,000 jobs represents about 3% of its global workforce.

Iger returned to lead Disney in November after the company’s board axed Bob Chapek as its leader.

Will CA Ban Red Dye in Candy?

3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil or propylparaben, according to a news release from the Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s office, who introduced the bill with fellow Democratic lawmaker Buffy Wicks. If passed, the bill would go into effect January 1, 2025.

Titanium dioxide is a powder used as a white colorant or to give a smooth texture in candies and other processed foods. Potassium bromate is added to baked goods to help dough strengthen and rise higher. In some beverages, brominated vegetable oil keeps citrus flavoring from floating to the top. Propylparabens are used for antimicrobial food preservation.

protein shakes; instant rice and potato products; and boxed cake mixes.

California’s bill has engendered pushback from those in the food industry.

trivialize any of these concerns. We have addressed them with real action.”

Some chemicals linked to health issues have been banned in food products in the European Union. The United States, though, has lagged behind. A bill recently introduced in the California State Assembly could start to change that.

Assembly Bill 418, or AB 418, seeks to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of food products in California containing red dye No.

In the EU, these chemicals are banned “due to scientific studies that have demonstrated significant public health harms, including increased risk of cancer, behavioral issues in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system,” Gabriel’s news release says.

A search of the Environmental Working Group’s Eat Well Guide turns up nearly 3,000 products that use red dye No. 3 as an ingredient, including popular candies such as Skittles, Nerds candies and Trolli gummies;

The National Confectioners Association, a trade organization based in Washington, D.C., released a statement on March 23 in response to the bill’s introduction: “Chocolate and candy are safe to enjoy, as they have been for centuries. We strongly oppose AB 418 because there is no evidence to support banning the ingredients listed in the bill. The ingredients that would be banned under this proposal have all been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, and we do not use any ingredients in our products that do not comply with the FDA’s strictest safety standards.”

The FDA requires manufacturers to list red dye No. 3 as an ingredient on food labels. Red dye No. 3 is listed as “FD&C Red #3.”

TikTok CEO Testifies

On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified in front of Congress hoping to assuage concerns that lawmakers have about the popular app which boats more than 150 million active users.

The hearing, which lasted for more than five hours, kicked off with calls from a lawmaker to ban the app in the United States and remained combative throughout. Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, opened Thursday’s hearing by telling Shou: “Your platform should be banned.”

Chew used his testimony to stress TikTok’s independence from China and play up its U.S. ties.

“TikTok itself is not available in mainland China, we’re headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we have 7,000 employees in the U.S. today,” he said in his opening remarks.

“Still, we have heard important concerns about the potential for unwanted foreign access to U.S. data and potential manipulation of the TikTok U.S. ecosystem,” Chew said. “Our approach has never been to dismiss or

TikTok doesn’t operate in China. But since the Chinese government enjoys significant leverage over businesses under its jurisdiction, the theory goes that ByteDance, and thus indirectly, TikTok, could be forced to cooperate with a broad range of security activities, including possibly the transfer of TikTok data.

But Chew’s assurances didn’t seem to help any legislators feel any more comfortable with the app.

“To the American people watching today, hear this: TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you, manipulate what you see and exploit for future generations,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers.

In an exchange with California Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo, Chew talked up TikTok’s ongoing efforts to protect U.S. user data and said he has “seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data; they have never asked us, we have not provided it.”

“I find that actually preposterous,” Eshoo fired back.

“I have looked in — and I have seen no evidence of this happening,” Chew responded. “Our commitment is to move their data into the United States, to be stored on American soil by an American company, overseen by American personnel. So the risk would be similar to any government going to an American company, asking for data.”

Chew also added that the data collected by TikTok is similar to what other companies collect about their users.

“I don’t believe what we collect is more than most players in the industry,” he said.

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, ranking member of the committee, addressed people’s concern about the dangers of TikTok on teens and children. “Research has found that TikTok’s algorithms recommend videos to teens that create and exacerbate feelings of emotional distress, including videos promoting suicide, selfharm and eating disorders,” he said.

Similarly, Rep. Bob Latta, a Republican from Ohio, accused TikTok of promoting a video on the so-called “blackout challenge” or choking challenge to the feed of a 10-year-old girl from Pennsylvania, who later died after trying to mimic the challenge in the

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video.

Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida also said there is a lack of adequate content moderation, which leaves room for kids to be exposed to content that promotes self-harm.

“Your technology is literally leading to death,” Bilirakis said to Chew.

Outside of Congress, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said TikTok should be “ended one way or another,” but noted “there are different ways of doing that.”

In a separate statement on Thursday that did not address or name TikTok specifically, the U.S. Treasury Department — the agency that chairs the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) — warned that it “will not clear any transaction unless it determines there are no unresolved national security concerns.”

For more than two years, CFIUS and TikTok have been negotiating on a possible deal that might address US security concerns and allow the app to continue operating in the United States.

Twitter Source Code Leaked

Parts of Twitter’s source code, the underlying computer code on which the social network runs, were leaked online, according to a legal filing, a rare and major exposure of intellectual property as the company struggles to reduce technical issues and reverse its business fortunes under Elon Musk.

Twitter moved Friday to have the leaked code taken down by sending a copyright infringement notice to GitHub, an online collaboration platform for software developers where the code was posted, according to the filing. GitHub complied and took down the code that day. It was unclear how long the leaked code had been online, but it appeared to have been public for at least several months.

Twitter also asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to order GitHub to identify the person who shared the code and any other individuals who downloaded it, according to the filing.

Twitter launched an investigation into the leak, and executives handling the matter have surmised that whoever was responsible left the San Fran-

cisco-based company last year, two people briefed on the internal investigation said. Since Musk bought Twitter in October for $44 billion, about 75% of the company’s 7,500 employees have been laid off or resigned.

Executives were only recently made aware of the source code leak, people briefed on the internal investigation said. One concern is that the code includes security vulnerabilities that could give hackers or other motivated parties the means to extract user data or take down the site, they said.

For Twitter, the leak also comes on top of mounting structural and financial challenges. Musk has been trying to turn around the social network over the past few months by slashing costs, trying out new features and welcoming back previously banned users. But outages of the service have increased, while advertisers — the main source of revenue for the company — have been skittish about running ads on the site.

The turmoil has caused financial damage. On Friday, Musk told employees in an email that Twitter was worth roughly $20 billion, down more than 50% from what he paid for it. (© The New York Times)

Fatal Explosion at Candy Factory

At least seven people lost their lives this week in an explosion at an eastern Pennsylvania candy factory on Friday evening which leveled the R.M. Palmer Co. facility in West Reading.

the explosion has had a “profound impact” on its company.

“We appreciate the outpouring of support as all of us continue to deal with the loss of our friends and co-workers. We offer our heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost loved ones and hope those injured will recover quickly,” said the statement posted on the company’s Facebook page.

In the days following Friday’s explosion, West Reading has seen “the absolute best that our tight-knit community has to offer,” Borough Council President Ryan Lineaweaver said on Sunday.

“We’ve heard stories of neighbors running out of their homes to help before the first responders even arrived on the scene,” he said. “We’ve seen our neighbors, businesses, community partners, provide food, water – anything that’s needed – to first responders.”

R.M. Palmer has long been a fixture in the local community. The company has operated in the West Reading facility since 1959.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the explosion site on Saturday and was briefed by local leaders.

“Our hearts break for the families of those who didn’t come home,” Shapiro said.

Old But Good

They thought it was just an old, dusty painting taking up space in their attic. This week, they are going to discover that this piece of art is worth way more than a piece of junk.

me.”

The painting “L’Avocat du village (the Village Lawyer)” was made by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and is one of artist’s largest known works, measuring 112 centimeters (44 inches) high and 184 centimeters (72 inches) wide. It is estimated that the artwork was painted between 1615 and 1617.

The family had owned it since the 1900s but had thought it was fake.

Now, the painting is up for auction and is expected to fetch 600,000 to 800,000 euros ($649,000 to $865,000).

That’s mighty fine art.

From Alaska to Argentina – On a Bike

Liam Garner loves to bike. And that’s good because the teenager has now biked through 14 countries using his two feet.

His adventure started after high school. He set off when he was 17 years old with his mountain bike, a tent, a sleeping bag, a day’s worth of food and water, some batteries, and some extra bike parts. Oh, and a few hundred dollars.

Search and rescue teams raced against time over the weekend as they looked for missing people, using drones and heat imaging devices before turning to heavy equipment to “methodically” remove rubble.

One woman was rescued alive among the rubble on Saturday morning.

At least eight people were hospitalized at the Reading Hospital following the blast.

R.M. Palmer said in a statement

A family had asked Malo de Lussac of an auctioneer company to estimate the value of their house a few years ago. While walking through the home, he spotted a masterpiece.

“I found this painting (in the house), behind a door in the television room,” de Lussac told Reuters, calling it one of the biggest surprises in his career.

“I started estimating this room and when I turned back, I saw this painting. It was a very good surprise for

Garner was an experienced cyclist who had ridden from Los Angeles to San Francisco previously. After reading a book by adventurer Jedidiah Jenkins, who biked from Oregon to Argentina, Garner decided that he would cycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States accessible by road, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America.

He began his journey across the Pan-American Highway, a network of roads extending across the Americas, on August 1, 2021.

So far, he has cycled through 14 countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina.

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“There’s an official route, and then there’s unofficial routes,” he explains. “I basically made my own [route] as I went along. As long as I was going

and something really awful might happen is in your mind traveling so much,” he says, before explaining that he received around 40 stitches and had to have plastic surgery to repair his ear and stitch it back together.

“But it wasn’t really a reality until I got hurt in Colombia. I was blacked out for about 15 minutes, and it took me a few hours to even be able to speak again.”

was the most competent decision I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve never been more sure about something I’ve done.” Ride on.

Great Dane!

south every day, I knew I was going in the right direction.”

His parents weren’t too keen on his adventure. In fact, he didn’t tell his father (his parents are separated) until he reached Alaska. Now, they are both his biggest supporters.

Of the many countries he cycled through, he was particularly surprised by El Salvador, which he describes as “one of the most peaceful, nicest, quietest countries.”

Still, not every part of his journey is easy street. He was robbed at least five times and had to spend a month in hospital after coming off his bike in Colombia and landing on his head.

“The idea that you might get hurt,

There were times when the heat was so intense that he couldn’t bike for more than just a few minutes each day. “There’s no point in torturing ourselves,” he recalls saying at the time. “This is not fun.”

Garner finally arrived in Ushuaia on January 10 after cycling almost 20,000 miles over the course of 527 days.

He’s now 19 years old.

Garner reflects on his journey, “If I had stayed home, and I had gone to community college, or something along those lines, would I have really been a better person than I am now?

“Would I really be as open minded as I am now? I strongly think that I wouldn’t be. That’s why I think this

Addicted to Disney

Namine is two years old, but she’s one amazing mom.

The Great Dane birthed 21 puppies in the course of 27 hours last week.

The big dog belongs to Tanya Dubbs of Pocahontas, Virginia. It took a total of 27 hours for Namine to finish bringing a total of 21 puppies into the world, although two sadly died shortly after birth.

Almost all the puppies weighed over a pound, Dubbs noted.

The proud dog owner said she was surprised by the number of puppies born, expecting Namine would bear 13-14 pups.

“So we got up to 16 and then she had another one,” said Dubbs, according to WVVA. “I was sitting on the bed, and she was on the bed with me and I was talking to a friend of mine and I heard a gush of fluid and I looked over and I said we have another puppy.”

That’s a lot of dogs to have around the house. Dubbs said that once the puppies are weaned from their mother she hopes to sell them.

Great Danes are one of the largest domestic dog breeds, often standing at 2.5 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing more than 100 pounds. Average dog litters range in size from 1 to 12 puppies.

Namine may have a large litter but she’s not the dog with the biggest brood. A Neapolitan mastiff named Tia currently holds the Guinness World Record for largest litter, with 24 pups born in 2004.

Woof!

Nathan Firesheets really loves Disney.

The 34-year-old from Atlanta, Disney, took on the Disney Global Ride Challenge and managed to visit all 12 Disney parks in 12 days.

Aside from the head-spinning journey to the many lands of Mickey and Minnie, Firesheets also went on all 216 operating rides.

He began his whirlwind trip on March 8 at Disneyland Paris and completed his final ride at Florida’s Magic Kingdom last Sunday.

“It was a lot,” the park enthusiast admitted. “Looking back on it, I’m like ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’ It’s just so insane. So much travel, so much park stuff, but it was really an incredible experience. Tons of fun.”

Along the way, Firesheets visited Walt Disney Studios, Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

“It was pretty awesome and kind of surreal,” Firesheets told KTLA-TV. “I still can’t quite believe I did it.”

In order to complete the trip, Firesheets slept on average four to six hours a night.

So which park is the best that Disney has to offer?

“I am a classic Disneyland fan,” the fan said. “It’s got the most history. It’s the only park that Walt actually walked in. It still has 11 opening day attractions. There’s so much history, nostalgia. It’s not super spread out, and it’s got another park a couple hundred feet away.”

Sounds magical.

Torah Thought The Door Is Open

By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

After having read the Haggadah, performing all the special mitzvos of the night, partaken of a delicious and festive meal, we then recite an enthused birkas hamazon, drink the third cup of wine, and then immediately pour a fourth one, over which we will recite the rest of Hallel, offering heartfelt praise to Hashem.

This is the order of things how it appears in the Mishnah.

Yet, in later years a custom evolved to stop for a moment before we begin the outpouring of thanks that we offer

at this peak of inspiration of this night — as expressed in Hallel and its concluding ‘Blessing of Song’— by first reciting two verses from Tehillim and one from Eichah.

Pour your wrath upon the nations that did not know You and upon the kingdoms that did not call upon Your Name! Since they have consumed Yaakov and laid waste his habitation. Pour out Your fury upon them and the fierceness of Your anger shall reach them! You shall pursue them with anger and eradicate them from under the skies of the Lord.

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It seems as if we are suddenly reminded of the reality of the many enemies among the nations of the world who deny our destiny and purpose, beseeching G-d to bring them to swift justice and destroy them.

Some suggest this was instituted during the many periods of our history from the times of the crusades and on, where we have been slaughtered and defamed for what we represent. That frustration at a time when we are expected to long for the future redemption and promised joy of our nation, provokes us to evoke an instinctive desire for the ultimate eradication of

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evil in the world that stifles all that hope.

In conjunction with this wish, we also open the door to ‘welcome’ Eliyahu HaNavi, providing him with a cup of wine.

The Rama writes that we do this to display our great faith in the fact that, as the Torah reports, it is a םירומש ליל — a night of vigil, and in the merit of that faith G-d will send the Mashiach and pour His wrath upon the nations. (א 'יעס פ"ת 'יס ח"וא)

It seems that the courageous open-

Torah Thought

ing of the door is meant to display our confident faith in G-d Who will protect us, and that is to serve as our merit in bringing the final redemption, nevertheless upon examining the original source for this custom we will discover a different objective. (י"קס םש ב"מ)

The Ohr Zarua quotes in the name of Rav Nissim Gaon that by rushing out to hopefully greet Eliyahu who will herald the awaited redemption, we express our ever-present anticipation of the coming of Moshiach. That expression of trust in that promise for redemption, is the merit that we so long for that will prod it to happen.

(דלר 'יס ב"ח ז"וא)

The two understandings of the Rama depend on the exact translation of this night as a םירומש ליל.

The first understands in the context of a ‘night of guarding’ from harmful forces, as took place on that night in Egypt. The second interpretation translates it as a ‘night of anticipation’ of the final date of redemption as decreed yet from the beginning of creation. (אי ה"ר:)

Clearly this custom which originated from the days of the Gaonim was not instituted merely as a responsive venting of frustration over our being unfairly persecuted.

The Holy Reb Menachem Mendel of Rimanov makes a fascinating assertion dating this custom to a much earlier event.

The blessings conferred on Yaakov, we are taught, transpired on the night of Pesach. The two offerings that Rivkah prepared, and Yaakov served, corresponded to the Pesach and its accompanying offering the Chagigah.

After Yaakov succeeded in his deception, gaining his rightful blessing from his father Yitzchak, the verses describe an amazing moment of Divine Providence.

And it was, when Yitzchok had finished blessing Yaakov, and Yaakov had

scarcely אצי אצי — left from the presence of Yitzchok his father, that Esav his brother came back from his hunt. (ל זב תישארב)

The Midrash depicts how as Yaakov was opening the door, he observes Esav about to enter. Yaakov hides behind the open door to avoid being seen, and subsequently leaves once Esav passes by him.

The Rebbe explains that Yitzchok had instructed Yaakov to open the door as is customary on Seder night, and just at that moment Esav arrives Yaakov must conceal himself from Esav’s murderous intentions.

May I humbly suggest that within this clever parallel to the custom of opening the door on the eve of Pesach, lays the entire purpose and mission of our existence.

Since the sin of Adam, the world entered a process of correction. With birth of Yaakov, the ‘choicest’ of patriarchs, the hoped for restoring to the original heights of human accomplishment, emulating the character of G-d Himself, was set in motion. But Esav, the proverbial antagonist of everything positive embodied within Yaakov, is always right at the door to prosecute and expose our weaknesses.

It is only when we rise to the stature as the nation that knows G-d; calls out in His name; exemplifies the traits of Yaakov; senses G-d’s habitation in every endeavor, can lay claim to that prized birthright.

Only then can we appeal to G-d to rectify the world from all evil in eradicating the enemies of His people.

We are not simply advocating for the ridding of our enemies so that we may live in peace. We desire instead the promotion of G-d’s will in the world that when followed will bring indescribable joy to all who adhere to His word!

No wonder at this juncture, after

being so inspired by the tale of our redemption that link each one of us after thousands of years to that event, we acknowledge that privilege to undertake that mission expressing immediately afterwards in the very first words of this segment of Hallel:

Not for our sake G-d, not for our sake, but for Your Name’s sake give glory, for Your kindness and for Your truth!

Were we to live our every moment with that heightened consciousness, we would spring instinctively to greet Eliyahu HaNavi, who will herald the final redemption.

The great Tzaddik of Yerushalayim, Rav Aryeh Levine would visit the prisoners of Zion, who were imprisoned by the British, on the morning after they celebrated the Seder in captivity.

They described how despite their dire predicament they managed to arouse their spirits despite their unfortunate circumstances. But they bemoaned the fact that one vital component of their Seder was missing — the opening of the jail cell door to greet Eliyahu HaNavi.

Reb Aryeh responded that they were mistaken. Every person is imprisoned within oneself and can only exit if one open’s the door of their heart. Even in a jail cell he can free himself from that which imprisons him and discover true freedom.

As the Holy Kotzker once said to his disciple who ran enthusiastically to open the door for Eliyahu only to be disappointed by his absence, “You think Eliyahu enters through the door? He enters your heart!”

Just three years ago we were all imprisoned in our homes due to the Covid pandemic. There were some unfortunately who were literally sentenced to solitary confinement.

Leah Levinson, then a recent divorcee without children, described her

painful loneliness that Pesach in a article in the Inyan/HaModia magazine, when the circumstances forced her to isolate and celebrate the seder alone. Despite her many anxieties and feelings of ‘inadequacy fused with panic of failure’, she was determined to ‘Just Do It!’

Pushing herself to dress up, set a beautiful table, prepare her Haggadah with notes, she also set up an extra setting opposite her ‘to represent people alone in need of comfort and connection’.

Going through all the steps, she felt ‘like lava bursting from a volcano, lofty thoughts and grand feelings enveloped’ her. She was ‘at peace with herself, her past, the world, and prayed that this rare togetherness would extend into her post-Pesach life.

In her own words: “I was grateful for my solo seder, my opportunity to connect with Hashem at my pace, with my impediments. Regardless of our riches, marital status, childlessness or more, I realized He loves all Jews and in return, we must serve Him b’simchah.

A Jew grounded in Hashem is never alone... Alone is a state of mind, not only a state of being unaccompanied.

But to be alone with Hashem, to surrender to His will, to embrace His dominion over my life and the universe, is an encounter of the highest order.»

May we open the doors of our hearts, allowing Hashem to accompany us in every situation in life we may be facing.

May we eagerly, with Hashem by our side, run to open the door and merit to greet Eliyahu who will restore the hearts of all of Hashem’s children to their Father in Heaven!

You may reach the author at: Ravzt@ohelmoshebaltimore.com

Around the Seder Table with Mosaica

A NIGHT OF TEACHING | Rabbi Isaac

Rice

Rabbi Isaac Rice’s visionary approach to the Haggadah empowers parents to reclaim their inherent role as the purveyors of faith to their children on this special night.

HAGGADAH FOR THE CURIOUS, VOLUME 3 | Rabbi A. Levin

To be used both in preparation for Pesach and at the Seder table itself, this is a unique collection of questions and answers for teens and adults, proven to stimulate thought — and curiosity!

THE BREATHTAKING PANORAMA | Rabbi Yonah Sklare

A comprehensive approach to Yetzias Mitzrayim that unlocks secrets of marital harmony and childrearing, faith within challenges, and responsibility versus freedom.

THE MOSAICA PASSOVER HAGGADAH

With an appealing layout and a clear, attractive font, the limited-edition Mosaica Haggadah is ideal for the whole family. Available in black or white, with full English translation, it will enhance your Seder experience and beautify your table.

DARKNESS

TO DESTINY:

THE HAGGADAH EXPERIENCE | Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein

This remarkable, easy-to-read, and thought-provoking commentary on the Haggadah comprises a wealth of sources, lucidity of thought, and tremendous originality to help us understand what the goal of the Seder really is, and how we can best experience this powerful evening.

THE STRIVING HIGHER HAGGADAH | Rabbi Doniel Staum

With a refreshing commentary and his signature Musings and Amusings, Rabbi Staum elevates our Seder and gives us food for thought during this joyful and busy time of year.

HAGGADAH SHEL PESACH: RECHUSH GADOL | Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Schechter

Why was it important for B nei Yisrael to leave Mitzrayim with great wealth? This Haggadah takes readers on a journey of redemption like never before, providing unique insights and a deeper connection to our heritage.

Images are for illustrative purposes only and are not to scale.

Help for Reading Struggles

“Dovid is struggling in reading,” Mrs. Schwartz said. “He reads slower than the other students in the class and his reading is choppy, as it is often difficult for him to decode words. Whenever we read out loud in class, I notice him slouching down in his seat, as if he is hoping I won’t notice him and call on him to read. I really feel for him, and I wanted to call and discuss how we can help him with this struggle.”

“Thank you for calling Mrs. Schwartz. I also have noticed how difficult reading is for him at home. He gets frustrated and upset with himself when attempting his reading and spelling homework, and I notice that he sometimes confuses similar letters when reading and writing. He doesn’t even like to complete word problems

in math, because by the time he is finished reading through them, he is too upset to problem solve. As you know, Dovid has been getting supplemental tutoring in reading, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Actually, I do. Have you heard of NeuroClics? NeuroClics is a program that works to strengthen the various brain processes that help with reading. I think this program would be really great for Dovid. Since he is working so hard in school and tutoring, additional reading practice may be too much for him. What I love about NeuroClics is that the exercises used to strengthen the brain processes don’t feel like learning, rather they are a combination of physical and mental exercises that Dovid will most probably be more open to, and may actually

enjoy. The exercises in the program work by getting to the root cause of

the reading difficulties, ultimately increasing word fluency, decreasing letter reversals, and increasing reading accuracy and comprehension. The exercises in the program are broken down into small, manageable steps so the students feel successful as they master each activity. For a student like Dovid, who is struggling in school, this type of learning can really work to increase his self-confidence. From what I have heard, people have a lot of success with this program.”

“Wow! That sounds like just what Dovid needs. I will definitely give them a call! Thank you Mrs. Schwartz!”

*This scenario sheds insight into reading struggles. Call us to see how we can help with your personal scenario.

KASHRUS. QUALITY. TASTE. PESACH & ALL YEAR ROUND

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Sensitive Subjects

When It’s Hard To Be Home For The Holidays

By Rabbi Ari Poliakoff, LCSW-C

Pesach is a joyous (if taxing) time for many— new clothes, yummy meals, lively sedarim. The crowning glory of this yom tov, however, is family—kids coming home, family getting together, traditions honored and cherished memories evoked. We have the all-important central theme of v’higadeta l’vin’cha, connecting generations by transmitting the story of our heritage. Yet for others, this joy is stilted. There are singles returning to (or still living in) their parents’ home without a spouse year after year, already having reached the age of 25, 30, 40, or older. There are those unable to spend Pesach with family who must fend for themselves, returning to an empty space after eating every meal at different hosts. There are couples who haven’t been able to have children. There are those who have lost parents, siblings, or children, r”l. For them, the focus on family makes Pesach difficult to celebrate fully. If you are one of these individuals, this article is for you.

I am directing the language of this article towards singles but the concepts presented apply to individuals in any of these categories. There are numerous reasons for me to focus on singles, but the main one is that I myself was single for a long time and experienced those particular challenges firsthand. I remember one seder night a number of years ago my parents asked me (jokingly) what I wanted for the afikoman I responded (not-so-jokingly) that I wanted to get married. I also remember spending time on yom tov reading the “Dating Dialogue” section in the BJH, trying to see whether I could relate to the questioner’s quandary (or whether I thought I’d dated them).

I’ve since gotten married and started a family, baruch Hashem. Aside from my passion to help others, leading me to become a psychotherapist, my per-

sonal experiences have made me extra passionate to help singles, leading me to engage in various activities that include writing articles.

Let me introduce you to Internal Family Systems (IFS), an excitingly refreshing form of psychotherapy that is well-established, rooted in research, and incredibly effective in my experience. According to IFS, we each have a core, inner Self that is a natural source of leadership, healing, and connection. We also have inner parts that hold emotions and direct actions. These parts make up an inner “Family.” There are three types of parts: exiles, managers, and firefighters. Exiles hold taboo feelings such as shame and guilt, and are exiled to the corners of our consciousness by managers. They are called managers because they run our day-to-day lives in ways that keep exiles from entering the forefront of our consciousness. For example, a manager might push you to regularly stay up late wasting time until you can’t keep your eyes open. It’s not immediately apparent why you do this. If you asked the manager, it would say that it wants to avoid getting into bed while you’re awake enough to think. That would mean entertaining painful thoughts about being single. If somehow those thoughts do creep in, firefighters are activated. Firefighters, as their name implies, work to extinguish fires of emotional pain triggered by exiles overwhelming the system. They use any means necessary, and can cause one to react in extreme ways. This can range from indulging in unhealthy snacking and other minor excesses to such activities as binge-eating, substance overuse, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. So, at 1am you’re perusing the BJH instead of sleeping, and see on the engagements list that your old classmate got engaged. The one you thought had a lot less going for them than you do. This triggers an

overwhelming emotional reaction and you find yourself downing a huge bag of chips AND a babka, or polishing off that vodka in the freezer.

The inner Self has the power to heal exiles. However, when managers and firefighters take over, they obscure the Self the same way clouds obscure the sun. The key to uncovering Self is to build trust between managers and Self. Then managers will move aside and allow Self to heal exiles. So, if you reassure the stay-up-late manager that your Self can bring healing to the pain-of-being-single exile, it will allow you to do that. The goal of IFS is to bring unity and balance to the system by providing every part with what it needs. When exiles receive healing, managers and firefighters are freed from rigid and extreme jobs and can switch to healthy, productive roles in the system.

Here are some IFS tips to help get you through Pesach:

Use difficult moments as an opportunity to get to know your parts. Next time a part expresses a negative thought (such as self-criticism, doom-and-gloom predictions, or bitter resentment), notice your automatic internal reaction. Does a manager step in to push away the part? Can the part express itself without overwhelming you? Can the manager step aside and allow the part to be heard? If not, what is the manager afraid of?

Decrease anxiety by recognizing that internal conflict is normal. Next time you experience two conflicting emotions at once, make space for both of them. It’s okay for one part of you to feel joy when playing with your nieces and nephews while another part feels sad that you don’t (yet) have children.

Work on your relationship with Hashem by speaking to Him through the lens of parts. For example, you can tell Him that a part of you is grateful for His blessings. Then you can share

that another part has faith that He has your best interest in mind, and there’s a good reason you’re not married. At the same time, a third part is resentful that He has made you wait so long, causing so much pain.

Improve communication with family members about sensitive topics. Instead of saying: “I’m angry with you, Ima, for constantly asking when I’m going to get married,” say: “A part of me is angry with the part of you, Ima, that asks me constantly when I’m going to get married.” By using the phrasing of parts, you’re preventing anger from controlling your entire being and you’re not demonizing the entirety of the other person. This leaves room for other, calmer parts to be present in the conversation. This can then result in a constructive discussion about difficult feelings, and not a yelling match between everyone’s firefighters that were triggered by exiles. (Shout out to my parents for not putting that kind of pressure on me, but my heart goes out to parents who are so anxious about their children.)

I want to end by encouraging singles not to give up hope. I was in your situation and Hashem led me out of a seemingly endless night to find my bashert. Along the way, though, IFS can be an incredibly powerful and empowering tool in addressing difficult life circumstances. This was the case in my life and those of many of my clients. It is my t’fila that singles (and others) find this article helpful in alleviating some of their pain this Pesach

Rabbi Ari Poliakoff, LCSW-C is a therapist in private practice who is trained and certified in Internal Family Systems. He also provides dating coaching services. More Information about therapy services can be found at aripoliakoff.com. Rabbi Poliakoff can also be reached for questions and comments at aripoliakoff@gmail.com.

3 Maavar Hamitle St. Ramat Eshkol, Jerusalem.

DISCOVER THE LUXURY OF RAMAT ESHKOL

What’s Kosher About Money?

By Pinchos Friedlander

“Money isn’t everything,” they say. But money isn’t nothing, either. Any way you look at it, money is a critical component of life – not something we can afford to ignore. As one wisecrack goes: “All the happiness in the world can’t buy you money.”

But that is universal. What is unique about the Orthodox Jewish world with regards to the topic of money? And why is it important to talk about it? And last, but certainly not least, is there a spiritual side to earning money?

A Podcast is Born

Around two years ago, Yaakov Langer founded a podcast network, which he named “Living LChaim.” The podcast rapidly gained traction on the Jewish scene and is constantly expanding. Originally, Yaakov focused his interviews on inspiring figures in the Orthodox Jewish world and what they can offer the community in terms of wisdom, encouragement, and, well, inspiration. At one point in his work, delving into public issues and discussion, he became aware of a void in the community. And that was the topic of money.

Yaakov noticed two paradoxical phenomena. On the one hand, many in the frum community were struggling with finances. And a big part of the struggle was simply not knowing where to turn, what to do, and where to go. There was a lack of knowledge of how to navigate the realm of making and keeping a living. On the other hand, there was a certain stigma of talking about the topic openly. Yes, people can go on and on about their business, their endeavors, and sometimes their lavish lifestyles, but often, the heart of the subject is deliberately avoided. People hesitate to discuss their struggles and their doubts and are slow to ask for help. Worse yet, we often tend to paint a false picture of our financial situa tion, presenting an image of being well-to-do, while borrowing money we have no idea how we will repay. As one of the guests on “Kosher Money,” Naftali Horowitz relates, he once saw a young man parking a luxurious Range Rover and then the owner admitted to him that he barely could af ford to fill its tank up with gas!

Making a living was never a simple endeavor, but there is something uniquely challenging about the modern-day busi ness world. The hyper-fast pace of the digital, super-connect ed world, the crowded field of competitors that connectivity has created, the unprecedented level of sophistication in almost every field, and the turnover rate for new tech nology, processes, and even society’s mindsets is a never-ending, and often ultra-stressful, rat race.

To top it off, an Orthodox Jewish life is by and large way more expensive than a secular one. From tuition to weddings, from kosher food to clothing, and often multiplied by a much larger family than

the typical, secular, Western size, there is almost no comparison. (Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. We’ll talk about bitachon soon.)

On the bright side, as Orthodox Jews, we are there for each other. Many busy and successful people are glad to give of their time and money to help and guide beginners or otherwise struggling families and individuals – from gemachim to help start businesses, to mentorship organizations such as The Jewish Entrepreneur (JTE), which help aspiring entrepreneurs and guide them in the right direction, to Achiezer and the OU’s Living Smarter Jewish, helping with budgeting and smart spending, as well as many individuals helping individuals outside the context of an organized “organization.” But awareness is key. In order to take advantage of these resources, you have to know they exist and how to find them.

And so, Yaakov turned to his brother Eli and invited him to come board the podcast train and branch off into a podcast focused on helping and mentoring young Jewish adults with income-related topics. Eli had a background in finances – between his bachelor’s degree in the field and his experience in real life. And so, Yaakov, Eli, and Zevy Wolman over at the Orthodox Union helped create a new show named “Kosher Money.” Kosher Money proved to be wildly popular, with a few episodes (“Wanna Build Wealth? Avoid These Money Mistakes, Feat. Naftali Horowitz” and “The Secret to Becoming Truly Rich, Feat. Rabbi Manis Friedman”) each garnering over a million hits on YouTube alone. And their list of viewers is not limited to Jews. Despite the fact that they are primarily geared for our audience, ultimately, their message is human-to-human, and anyone can relate to it. In fact, Kosher Money has already collected 117,000 subscribers (!), many of whom are non-Jews.

What is Kosher Money?

Kosher Money is the big brother, the personal mentor many of us never had. The show brings on guests who have been there done that and are solid – solid in their knowledge and wisdom and solid in their intentions.

Eli and Yaakov are very careful in screening their potential guests. They want to ensure they bring to the table someone who is genuinely looking to help the community, not to promote

Kosher Money’s Eli Langer

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Car washes

Pre-Pesach activities

House cleaning

themselves or their businesses. In fact, a red flag for them is when someone recommends himself or herself to appear on the show. And Eli keeps his ear to the ground. His podcast is very interactive, and he gets constant feedback and suggestions from listeners. He then chooses guests and focuses his questions based on the interest of the listeners.

Some of the guests featured include investing guru Eli Fried; author of the best-selling book Thou Shall Prosper Rabbi Daniel Lapin (a friend of popular show host Dave Ramsey, as well as a show host in his own right); and Naftali Horowitz of JP Morgan Wealth Management, among other prominent figures on the Orthodox Jewish financial scene.

The podcast guides, educates, and encourages newbies to pros on many fundamentals of parnassa topics. If you want a job, there is an episode where Eli discusses with business consultant Ned Schoenfeld what are the available high-paying jobs and how to find them. In another episode, Andrew Singer, VP of a Fortune 100 company, shares advice on how to handle job interviews and what are the no-nos you should avoid. He also gives a crash course on sales skills and techniques. Yet another episode was done with Eli’s close friend Mitchell Eisenberger, in which he shares tips for working your way up the career ladder in the workplace. Although Mitchell is not a high-powered executive, he has much in the way of personal experience, having gone through many ups and downs himself, and he has a lot of simple, practical advice, which is implementable and relatable, and listeners loved it. For example, he explains how you can keep track of your “wins” at work and then come to the boss at the end of the year or contract term with clear evidence showing your value to the company. After that show, Mitchell nearly 1,000 follow-up calls and emails, and he happily assisted whomever he could, free of charge. He also received thank you messages, in which listeners related they had followed his advice and walked away with significant raises, helping themselves and their families.

Thinking of going the entrepreneur route? Noam Wasserman has wisdom to share on this topic, so that you don’t jump in blindly.

Tzvi Pirutinski from PCS of Lakewood discusses transitioning into the workforce, how kollel families get by, and other related topics.

calls from people who want help in the areas they had discussed, be it budgeting, starting a business, home buying, or investing. One guest, Stacey Zrihen from the Achiezer team, had discussed the crucial issue of budgeting on the show along with other practical issues regarding running a family’s finances. For the next two weeks, she received nonstop calls and messages asking for help, which she responded to graciously, devoting her time free of charge, to help the community. Naftali Horowitz fields thousands of emails from people looking for advice, and he doesn’t charge them a penny. In fact, for those who want to hear more from Naftali, he is going to be the keynote speaker at Kosher Money’s first-event live event in the Five Towns, which will be taking place on Tuesday, February 28.

Listeners also learned that ensuring your money is transferred to your inheritors after “one hundred and twenty” is not always as simple as you might think. If not set up right while the parent is alive, children or other inheritors can face an uphill battle to prevent a lot of the money being lost to the government. An episode on life insurance was also extremely popular, with many people realizing their coverage left a lot to be desired. Health insurance also had some surprises for some people, who were not aware they were paying for coverage they did not need.

There’s even an episode with Rabbi Binyamin Babad from Relief Resources, on the intersection of money and mental and emotional health.

Visiting Kosher Money, you suddenly discover subjects you never realized were a “thing,” analyzed by experts, with many important points brought up, pointed out, and explained.

Follow-up Interaction

Feedback from listeners and viewers is tremendous. Eli gets many messages from people who were directly helped from the show. And that is so valuable to him. Many of his guests receive hundreds of follow-up

Even guests who make a living from the advice and coaching they offer, such as estate planners, are happy to answer short basic questions free of charge.

Speaking of money, what do the founders of Kosher Money get out of their show money-wise? Guests who appear on Kosher Money do not charge for their time, nor are they charged for being part of the podcast. As for Yaakov and Eli themselves, Kosher Money runs a few ads on their show, which, in addition to the revenue they get from YouTube, helps cover their operating expenses. Whatever profit is left over is largely put back into the pot, to help them expand even further.

Eli and Yaakov are careful even with their advertisers and avoid running ads for shady ventures, like get-rich-quick and the like. Though it’s “just an ad,” they like to take responsibility for all material that goes out to the public through them.

A Spiritual Side to Earning a Living

As believing Jews, we know that money has a spiritual dimension, too, which is its true intended purpose. Our objective is to use and pursue money wisely and not fall into the trap of its uglier side. Indeed, a significant part of the podcast is devoted to this angle.

By helping others, and by recognizing that parnassa comes from Hashem, we transform the gritty and sometimes dark pursuit of making a living into a holy endeavor.

Kosher Money’s Eli Langer and Zevy Wolman interviewing personal finance guru Dave Ramsey at Ramsey Solutions HQ in Franklin, Tennessee for a special episode

On one episode, Eli brought on super-popular YouTube Rabbi Manis Friedman (brother to superstar singer Avraham Fried, a.k.a Avreimel, a.k.a Avraham Friedman) in an episode devoted to the deeper and more spiritual side of money (and life in general), which turned out to be its most popular episode to date with over 1.2 million views and streams

Eli also discusses practical halacha issues involving money and the modern business world with Rabbi Yosef Kushner, a leading authority on this topic. And he delves into hashkafic topics with OU’s Rabbi Moshe Hauer, such as how to balance bitachon with hishtadlus, women in the workplace, and tuition, as well as the topic of giving maaser from earnings.

A Sports Background

Eli Langer grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and attended Yeshivas Chaim Berlin. (Fun fact: in addition to his brother Yaakov, he has two other brothers: Avraham and Yitzchok. So his family covers all the Avos, although we’re not sure where “Eli” fits in there.) He received a BA in finance at Touro College, which, as mentioned, gives him a background in discussing money-related topics. He then got a job at CNBC at the sports desk. The focus of the show was the intersection of sports and money. Eli’s job was helping reporters leverage their social media accounts. At that time, social media was still a new concept, and journalists needed training to maximize its power. Eli was the only Orthodox Jewish man in the office, and he became known as the “guy with the yarmulka.”

Eli’s work was mainly behind the scenes, and so he was rarely “on TV,” but on occasion, he did appear partially, among the staff, in the wide shot before the commercial would begin.

Eventually, though, Eli’s family grew, and his expenses grew along with it. He joined up with Aron’s Kissena Farms, becoming their social media account manager, and eventually Eli founded Harvesting Media, along with the owner of Aron’s, which Eli now heads. His work at Kosher Money is not a source of income for him; at least, not for now. His “payment” is the rewarding feeling he gets from knowing he has changed lives for the better and going to sleep knowing he made a real difference in other families’ financial stability.

For now, Eli looks forward to expanding his reach even more and stimulating more conversation around the topic of money in the Orthodox Jewish world. As he says, breaking the stigma, the taboo status of the topic of money, is liberating. And learning not to fear being honest about it and open to seeking help is refreshing.

The Art of the Interview

As a fellow interviewer, I have become aware that interviewing is not always as simple as it may seem. To the untrained eye, it can seem like the interviewee is doing everything, and the interviewer is simply ask-

ing questions. Can’t we all ask questions? What skill does the job require? But, in fact, interviews don’t always succeed on their own. Some people are more inhibited; others can focus on the wrong things. It’s up to the interviewer to find the desired “juice” within their subject, guide, and help him or her bring it to the fore.

I asked Eli how indeed he gets his subjects to give such quality interviews. He explains that it’s all about listening skills. Sometimes you feel like you just want to stick in your two cents, or interrupt with another question, but that usually just shuts down the interviewee. And listening means active listening, taking an interest, and interacting with the flow of conversation which the interviewee is leading.

Eli comes prepared with a list of questions he would like to focus on, based on his own judgement, as well as the input of his listeners/participants. When needed, he can gently steer the interviewee back to the topics and questions his listeners want answered. But he lets the interviewee go off in their own direction, too, up to a point. If the interviewee rambles, and spends too much time on a topic or segment Eli feels is not so relevant, he can simply edit it out later, as the show is not live. In reality, though, that rarely happens.

I asked Eli if he has had any disaster interviews or segments of interviews. He says that thanks to the rigorous screening and his preparation ahead of time, that has never happened so far. Before the show, he checks to make sure the guest has good “flow” and advice to share. He is also in touch with the guest to discuss what the main focus will be. Sometimes, the guest will send a list of questions they want to address, but Eli will cut a considerable amount out, in accordance with the feedback of his listeners.

Interestingly, the most popular episodes have not so much been the ones with clear-cut practical advice but rather the ones which are more spiritual or conceptual and those which are story-based. For example, the episode with Rabbi Lapin, although low on actionable instruction, provides a spiritual angle to the quest for parnassa, explains why historically Jews tend to out-perform their non-Jewish counterparts in attaining prosperity (25% of the Forbes 100 List are Jews), and describes what Rabbi Lapin feels is the Jewish perspective on attaining wealth. That episode was a particularly big hit.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” As Jews, the idea of being there for each other is ingrained in us. Often, you will find Jews helping their competitors establish themselves in business and sending them customers. By helping others, and by recognizing that parnassa comes from Hashem, we transform the gritty and sometimes dark pursuit of making a living into a holy endeavor. Ultimately, in the context of a Jewish approach, “money” can indeed be “kosher” – and that is what Eli, Yaakov, and their guests are doing.

And that is what the viewers and listeners will be inspired to do as well.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin has appeared twice on the Kosher Money podcast. His most popular episode, titled “Why Are So Many Jews Rich?” garnered 836,000 YouTube views

Is Amazon selling still a road to riches? E-commerce experts, including Pearl Ausch, weighed in on this very popular industry within Orthodox Jewish circles

Dovid Bashevkin's studio visit went viral when he coined the term 'Gvir Culture'

in partnership with Congregation Shomrei Emunah invites the community to a

YOM HA'ATZMAUT CELEBRATION

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Tekes at 5:30pm, followed by the celebration

Congregation Shomrei Emunah

6221 Greenspring Ave

Ride through the desert, climb up Masada, make candles in Tzfat, bake challah with Sarah Imeinu in Chevron, experience the food of Shuk Machane Yehuda, and assemble care packages for soldiers.

Fleishig dinner will be available for purchase.

FREE and open

RSVP requested, but not required, at ocabaltimore.org/YH2023

The HaRachaman We Add at the Seder

By Rav Daniel Glatstein

On Shabbos, yom tov, and Rosh Chodesh, it is customary to insert an additional HaRachaman to Bircas HaMazon . This format is followed on Pesach as well, and we add the following to our bentching at the Seder:

The compassionate One! May He cause us to inherit that day which is entirely good, that everlasting day, the day when the just will sit with crowns on their heads, enjoying the reflection of G-d’s majesty — and may our portion be with them.

However, aside from the first sentence, the nature of this HaRachaman is very different from most of the other HaRachamans that we add. The HaRachaman for Rosh Chodesh is a request for a good month.

On Rosh Hashanah and Sukkos, the text of the given HaRachaman is relevant to the day. It is a tefillah that follows the theme of the given yom tov.

In contrast, this tefillah appears to have no connection to the Seder. Why do we mention the reward that tzaddikim will receive in Olam Haba? What connection is there between their reward and the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim? It would seem more appropriate to recite a tefillah asking for cheirus , freedom, and redemption from our current galus, or to mention Yetzias Mitzrayim , since that is the primary theme of the Seder.

The Yetzer Hara is Like Pharaoh

The Bas Ayin writes that one of the fundamental tenets of Judaism is that Olam Hazeh , this world, is likened to the antechamber of a palace, which refers

Our preparation consists of performing mitzvos and learning Torah. Then, upon entry into the palace that is Olam Haba, we will receive our just reward. We are taught that one moment of pleasure in Olam Haba surpasses all the earthly pleasures of this world.

Anyone who recognizes this truth will be careful to utilize his time in the performance of mitzvos, rather than chasing after material, transient sources of joy. He will work to gain eternity through the means of limud haTorah and the performance of mitzvos, for which he will be rewarded with the ultimate, eternal pleasure — in Olam Haba

The journey of life in this world is filled with struggle. The yetzer hara, which can be described as “Pharaoh,” seizes upon every opportunity to derail one from this objective. It repeatedly proclaims the mantra of Pharaoh: “Every son that will be born — into the River shall you throw him! And every daughter shall you keep alive” (Shemos 1:22).

Olam Haba, the World to Come, is referred to as the son, the ben, while Olam Hazeh, this world, is considered the daughter, the bas.

to the World to Come. This world is the entrance hall that leads to the Next World. It is where we prepare ourselves to enter the palace of Olam Haba

The yetzer hara is the Pharaoh who tries to convince us to discard the ben, in effect, to abandon our efforts to achieve life in Olam Haba. He tells us: Cast the ambition for the son, for the World to Come, into the

We need to remember that we are constantly fighting a battle between the attractive, desirable, and empty material pleasures of this world and the meaningful and eternal pleasures to be enjoyed in Olam Haba.

sea. The yetzer hara declares: Don’t involve yourself in pursuing Torah and mitzvos. Instead, “every daughter shall you keep,” live it up, partake of all the pleasures that this world has to offer.

Remembering Yetzias Mitzrayim Daily

In light of the understanding of the Bas Ayin, we can appreciate why we are required to recollect the Exodus from Mitzrayim on a daily basis.

We need to remember that we are constantly fighting a battle between the attractive, desirable, and empty material pleasures of this world and the meaningful and eternal pleasures to be enjoyed in Olam Haba

Our goal must be to garner zechuyos, merits, that will ultimately enable us to gain entry into Olam Haba and abandon our quest for earthly pleasures. Our focus must be to overcome the threat of Pharaoh, who wanted us to cast away what is primary and grab the peripheral, as he proclaimed, “Every son that will be born — into

the River shall you throw him! And every daughter shall you keep alive” We must arrange our priorities correctly, remembering the crucial distinction: Olam Haba is the ikkar, the primary, and Olam Hazeh is the tafel, the subordinate.

This fundamental principle must be remembered every single day.

Understanding the HaRachaman

Seder night is the time when we fulfill the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim, relating and reliving the events of our exodus from Egypt. Each of us must envision ourselves as if we are personally casting off the shackles of slavery — right now. At this very moment, we are all escaping from the evil clutches of Pharaoh; we are all going from servitude to freedom.

Reliving Yetzias Mitzrayim and perceiving ourselves as newly redeemed highlights the fact that we reject Pharaoh’s adage, “Every son that will be born — into the River shall you throw him! And every daughter

shall you keep alive” We abandon his philosophy about the importance of this world and instead embrace the belief that Olam Haba is most important.

Therefore, as we leave the pleasures of the material world behind, and we affirm our focus to be working toward enjoying the pleasures of Olam Haba , we proclaim, “The compassionate One! May He cause us to inherit that day which is entirely good, that everlasting day, the day when the just will sit with crowns on their heads, enjoying the reflection of G-d’s majesty — and may our portion be with them.”

Our departure from Mitzrayim is more than merely departing a country. It is a fundamental and categorial rejection of their way of life. This exit is an act of spurning the pleasures of Olam Hazeh and focusing on Torah and mitzvos, which will enable us to partake in the ultimate pleasures of Olam Haba. Thus, we recite this unique HaRachaman to articulate the objective of Yetzias Mitrayim, to extricate ourselves from immersion in this world, in order to prepare ourselves to bask in the light of the Divine Presence in the Next World.

This article has been excerpted from Rav Daniel Glatstein on the Haggadah: Revolutionary Insights into the Haggadah, the Exodus, and the Final Redemption, by Rav Daniel Glatstein, published by ArtScroll/Mesorah.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the Mara D’asra of Kehilas Tiferes Mordechai in Cedarhurst, NY, and author of numerous seforim in Lashon Hakodesh and in English for ArtScroll. He is an international lecturer and maggid shiur. His thousands of recorded shiurim are available on Torahanytime.com, podcast, his website rabbidg.com, and other venues.

The whole community is invited to Rabbi Glatstein's Shabbos Haggadol Drasha delivered at Kehilas Tiferes Mordecha at 530 Peninsula Blvd at 5:45 Shabbos Afternoon.

Engagements

Zev (Kippy) Fisher (Chicago) & Layla Gardyn (Baltimore)

Ezra Kraut (Pittsburgh) & Daniella Press (Baltimore)

Jossi Steimetz & Natasha Finkelstein (Baltimore)

Noam Gross (Woodmere) & Kayla Casper (Baltimore)

Yitzy Ezra & Rachel Cohen (Both Baltimore)

Yisroel Luchansky & Avigayil Bloom (Both Baltimore)

Heshy Rosenberg (Baltimore) & Shayna Wagschal (Toms River)

Ari Hamer & Racheli Pasternak (Baltimore)

Nechemya Linzer & Sori Rhine (Both Baltimore)

Shlomo Loeb (Baltimore) & Toni Vurgastman (Baltimore)

Want to see your simcha here? Email mazeltov@baltimorejewishhome.com or text 443-675-6507 to submit your simcha!

Baltimore Weekday Minyanim Guide

Shacharis Mincha

Neitz Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] M-F

Ohel Yakov S-F

6:00 AM Shomrei Emunah Congregation M-F

6:10 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, Th

6:15 AM Kol Torah M, TH

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah M-F

Shearith Israel Congregation M, TH

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel M, TH

6:20 AM Agudah of Greenspring M, TH

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's) S-F

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Kehilath B'nai Torah M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S, M, TH

6:25 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel T, W, F

6:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring T, W, F Chabad of Park Heights M-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Kehilath B'nai Torah T, W, F

Khal Bais Nosson M-F

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek M-F

Kol Torah T, W, F

Ohr Yisroel M-F

Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

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

Ohel Moshe M, TH

6:40 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) T, W, F Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M, TH

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

Beth Abraham M, TH

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue M-F

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Ner Tamid M-F

Ohel Moshe T, W, F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim M-F

6:50 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] M, TH

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh M, TH

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh M, TH

Derech Chaim M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center M, TH

6:55 AM Beth Abraham T, W, F

Kol Torah M, TH

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

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's)S

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh T, W, F

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kol Torah T, W, F

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah S-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shearith Israel Congregation S, M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh M-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center T, W, F

Tiferes Yisroel M-F

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

7:15 AM Kedushas Yisrael S

Kol Torah S

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

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Ner Israel Rabbinical College S-F

7:15 AM Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F Shomrei Emunah CongregationS

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelS

Tzeirah Anash M-F

7:20 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

Beth Tfiloh Congregation M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

7:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] S

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore S-F

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh S

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Chabad of Park Heights S

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh S-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Kedushas Yisrael S-F

Khal Bais Nosson S

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) S-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

7:45 AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Talmudical Academy S-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

Mesivta Kesser Torah S-F

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim S-F

7:50 AM Derech Chaim S

Ner Tamid S

Ohel Moshe M-F

8:00 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Beth Abraham S

Darchei Tzedek S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kehillas Meor HaTorah S

Ohel Yakov S

Ohr Yisroel S

Pikesville Jewish CongregationS

Shearith Israel Congregation S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch CenterS

Tiferes Yisroel S

Tzeirah Anash S

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah S-F

8:15 AM Kehilath B'nai Torah S

Kol Torah S

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

8:20 AM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

8:30 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Shomrei Mishmeres HakodeshS

8:45 AM Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah S-F

9:00 AM Aish Kodesh S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S

Beth Tfiloh Congregation S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F

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

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

Mincha Gedolah Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek

1:45 PM Ohel Moshe

1:50 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber

2:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Big Al @ The Knish Shop Party Room

Kol Torah Market Maven

Reischer Minyan 15 Walker Ave 2nd Floor

2:30 PM Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh

Ner Israel Rabbinical College

Tov Pizza Mincha Minyan

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

Shearith Israel Congregation

3:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

3:05 PM Kedushas Yisrael

3:15 PM Hat Box

4:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

5:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

5:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

6:00 PM Kedushas Yisrael

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

14 Min Before ShkiAh Kol Torah

Mincha/Maariv

Aish Kodesh

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Agudah of Greenspring

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Beth Abraham

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation

Darchei Tzedek

Kehillas Meor HaTorah

Kehilath B’nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill’s)

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Ner Tamid

Ohel Moshe

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi]

Ohr Yisroel

Pikesville Jewish Congregation

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Shomrei Mishmeres

Maariv

9:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Arugas Habosem

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

9:20 PM Kol Torah

9:30 PM Agudah of Greenspring

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Kedushas Yisrael

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

9:45 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Kollel Erev Birchas Yitzchok (Luries)

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's)

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi]

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

9:50 PM Aish Kodesh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Ohel Moshe

10:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Darchei Tzedek

Kehilath B'nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

10:05 PM Kol Torah

10:10 PM Ner Israel Rabbinical College

10:15 PM Derech Chaim

Khal Bais Nosson

10:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

11:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

Before Shkiah

Agudah of Greenspring - 6107 Greenspring Ave

Agudath Israel of Baltimore - 6200 Park Heights Ave

Ahavat Shalom - 3009 Northbrook Rd

Aish Kodesh - 6207 Ivymount Rd

Arugas HaBosem - 3509 Clarks Ln

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim - 3120 Clarks Ln

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore - 6823 Old Pimlico Rd

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh - 6618 Deancroft Rd

Beit Yaakov - 3615 Seven Mile Ln

Beth Abraham - 6208 Wallis Ave

Beth Tfiloh Congregation - 3300 Old Court Rd

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation - 6602 Park Heights Ave

Chabad of Park Heights - 3402 Clarks Ln

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh - 3800 Labyrinth Rd

Darchei Tzedek - 3201 Seven Mile Ln

Derech Chaim - 6229 Greenspring Ave (Weekday)

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue 6611 Greenspring Ave.

Kedushas Yisrael - 6004 Park Heights Ave

Kehilath B’nai Torah - 6301 Green Meadow Pkwy

Kehillas Meor HaTorah - 6539 Pebble Brooke Rd

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek - 6811 Park Heights Ave

Khal Bais Nosson - 2901 Taney Rd

Kol Torah - 2929 Fallstaff Rd

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center

Tiferes Yisroel

Maariv

7:45 PM Talmudical Academy

8:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

8:10 PM Kol Torah

8:15 PM Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

8:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi]

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

8:45 PM Darchei Tzedek

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina)

Ohr Yisroel

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

8:55 PM Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Machzikei Torah - 6216 Biltmore Ave

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah - 6500 Baythorne Rd

Mesivta Kesser Torah - 8400 Park Heights Ave

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim - 3702 Fords Ln

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah - 7000 Rockland Hills Dr

Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber One South Street, 27th Floor

Ner Israel Rabbinical College - 400 Mt Wilson Ln

Ner Tamid - 6214 Pimlico Road

Ohel Moshe - 2808 Smith Ave

Ohel Yakov - 3200 Glen Ave

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] - 6813 Park Heights Ave

Ohr Yisroel - 2429 Lightfoot Dr Pikesville Jewish Congregation - 7644 Carla Rd

Shearith Israel Congregation - 5835 Park Heights Ave

Shomrei Emunah Congregation - 6221 Greenspring Ave

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh - 2821 W Strathmore Ave

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim - 7504 Seven Mile Ln

Talmudical Academy - 4445 Old Court Rd

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

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center - 6701 Old Pimlico Rd

Tiferes Yisroel - 6201 Park Heights Ave

Tzeirah Anash - 6706 Cross County Blvd

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah - 6819 Williamson Ave

Forgotten Her es The Incredible Recipients of the Navy Cross

By Avi Heiligman

For many centuries, militaries around the world have awarded medals, ribbons and decorations to those that served with distinction and bravery on the battlefield. Over a hundred years ago, the Navy Cross was instituted by an act of Congress to award those in the naval service who distinguished themselves with extraordinary heroism. The first recipients were awarded the medal for their service during World War I, and in 1942, Congress made the Navy Cross eligible only for combat recognition. Today, it is the second highest military decoration for sailors and marines after the Medal of Honor. Here are some of the incredible stories of those awarded the Navy Cross.

The Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) flying off of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet became famous for their sacrifice during the Battle of Midway. Lieutenant Commander John Waldron from South Dakota led fifteen Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers to search for enemy ships on June 4, 1942. The squadron was unescorted by fighter planes, and Devastator torpedo bombers were obsolete in the face of Japanese fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Waldron found the enemy aircraft carriers, but the American planes were no match for the Japanese Zeros. All fifteen planes were shot down with only Ensign George Gay surviving the action. Other American planes

went on the attack, and soon four Japanese carriers were at the bottom of the ocean. For his actions, Waldron posthumously received the Navy Cross and the destroyer, USS Waldron (DD-699), was named after the naval aviator.

Not all of VT-8 was present on the Hornet at Midway, as some fliers were being refitted with the new Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber. Five of these planes were also shot down during the Battle of Midway. The rest of the squadron’s detachment was in Pearl Harbor during the battle and were sent to the carrier USS Saratoga. These planes were now the reconstituted VT-8. Jewish Ensign Aaron Katz from Shaker Heights, Ohio, was part of this detachment and was noted for bravery while flying off the Saratoga. Despite having to endure his commander’s anti-Semitic rhetoric and insults, Katz became one of the squadron’s best pilots.

On August 24, 1942, VT-8 assisted in sinking a Japanese light carrier during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Katz’s Navy Cross citation reads in part, “Ensign Katz pressed home his attack through a bursting hail of fire from hostile anti-aircraft batteries. He contributed to the relentless fighting spirit and aggressive courage which enabled his squadron to score one certain hit and two estimated hits on an enemy aircraft carrier. His superb airmanship and

unyielding devotion to duty aided greatly in the defeat of a persistent foe.”

After the Saratoga was torpedoed, the squadron was stationed at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and often operated only one plane at a time due to maintenance issues. They were vital in fending off Japanese attacks. The Squadron was disbanded when it returned to the United States.

Aaron Katz wasn’t the only the Jewish serviceman to receive the Navy Cross for actions on August 24, 1942. The 1st Marine Division under Major General Alexander Vandergrift had been in a tough fight with the Japanese fighting on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The tropical jungles proved to be a tough learning ground for the previously untested marines. Even though the marines were low on supplies, including food and medical supplies, they had captured the valuable Henderson Field airfield and were determined to keep it at all costs.

Private First Class Jack Sugarman and the rest of Company D, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, 1st Marine Division were defending the airfield in a foxhole the night of August 24. Born in Media, Pennsylvania, Sugarman was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, and he was assigned to a four-man machine gun unit. The small group was facing a numerically superior enemy. The Japanese attacked in a mass

head-on assault, and Sugarman and the other three marines had to deal with their malfunctioning machine gun. It had to be repaired four times all while being subjected to intense enemy gunfire. Another member of his unit, Edmund D’Orsogna, recalled the fight that night: “They kept coming all night with bombs … flares … everything. Men were getting shot, blown apart, all over the place. In the morning, reinforcements finally arrived, allowing us to rest. Other than the machine gun jamming a few times, we held our own.”

Sugarman’s actions that night saved the lives of nine officers and marines, and he is credited with many of the 165 Japanese soldiers killed during the assault. In addition, the position and the airfield were kept in American hands, and for his actions, Sugarman received the Navy Cross.

These men are just a few of the many who were decorated for bravery in battle. Their Navy Cross medals are a testament of their heroics on the battlefield, and while they are rarely talked about today, their stories is history not be forgotten.

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

The USS Saratoga

Members of the Torpedo Squadron 8

Lt. John Waldon, right, with his back-seater in a photo taken before the Battle of Midway

Shuiey Shapiro, CSP

Mental Health Corner

If Therapy Was Free

By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

If therapy was free, would you see a therapist? In other words, if you are a “normal” person, your life is going great, and you have absolutely no problems to discuss, would you benefit from seeing a therapist? In real life, the cost of therapy in both time and money prevents most of the so-called normal people from utilizing this resource. However, as a thought experiment, let us explore how therapy could possibly benefit your average person in an imaginary world where therapy was free and accessible.

Before we continue, we must begin with a disclaimer. On a certain level, psychotherapy is invasive. Not in the physical sense, but in the realm of emotions and sometimes values. Even if you may benefit from therapy, this does not mean that you should jump in blindfolded. Are you ready to rock the boat of your psyche? Are you sure that the therapist that you are seeing is appropriate for you? You would not sign yourself up for a medical procedure without careful thought and due diligence. The same is true with therapy. Furthermore, therapy is not the

only intervention that can enhance your emotional health. For some people, daily exercise and a healthy diet can offer more benefits. For others, getting together with friends regularly is the key. Some people need a close friend who can be a listening ear, and the list goes on.

With that in mind, here is a list of issues that are basically universal that can possibly benefit from therapy.

Self-Worth

Many of us attach our value to our output and accomplishments. When we become too old to be gainfully employed, or we lose some other way that we were contributing, we often start feeling less valuable. This can happen at any age, but it is especially common in individuals who transition (or are transitioned) into retirement. Self-worth is the notion that our value as a human being is inherent and intrinsic and is not attached to any specific ability that we may or may not have. This afflicts almost all of us on some level, and therapy can teach a person how to gain that sense of inherent worth.

Marriage

We have Gedolim biographies about very special individuals who had marriages that were completely immune to any negativity at all. For the rest of us, even if we are in a great and fulfilling marriage, we all must admit that there is always room for improvement. There might be areas of connection and communication that the couple is overlooking that can enhance their relationship. A clinician that is experienced and trained in marital therapy can teach you ways to improve your marriage that you would not have been able to figure out on your own.

Parenting

Changing diapers and getting up

in the middle of the night for a crying baby is the easy part of raising children. How to guide them through the confusion of adolescence while maintaining a strong bond with them is terribly difficult. Even if you are doing a great job, there is certainly room for improvement. Just ask your kids!

Career

Many people feel stuck in their profession and have lost the drive and fulfillment that they once had. Is it time to explore a career change? Maybe it is simply a midlife crisis and through a change of perspective one can rediscover the enjoyment that was once felt in this occupation. Therapy can certainly help for that.

Forgiveness

Once again, we must reference the Gedolim biographies that depict amazing people who never felt a grudge against another human being. Most of us, on some level, maintain a certain amount of hard feelings towards people with whom we have had negative experiences. Guess what? That is psychologically harmful and therapy can help that too! The emotional peace that one can achieve by learning how to let go and move on is worthwhile.

In conclusion, under the right circumstances, therapy can be beneficial even for people who do not have a clinical diagnosis. There is always room for growth, and therapy is one of tools out there that can be transformative.

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

TOGETHER, LET’S ASK A FIFTH QUESTION THIS

Pesach

We all know the traditional four questions of the seder, but this year let’s add a fifth question: “How can we help those who need it most?”

This question is especially important now as so many in our community struggle with food insecurity, financial hardship, mental health challenges, substance addiction and more. Together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Chag Kasher V’Sameach from our Associated family to yours. associated.org/give

THE BJH PRESENTS: A BOOST OF “INSPIRATION”

A Snippet From Judaism’s Number One Podcast

THE BJH PRESENTS... A BOOST OF “INSPIRATION”

A SNIPPET FROM JUDAISM’S NUMBER ONE PODCAST

ll mothers of young children run all day, but Beatie Deutsch, mother of five young children, is a runner! She’s the Israeli national champion in the marathon and half marathon races…and a winner in more ways than one! More than anything else, her journey has empowered her to dream big and keep pushing, a message Beatie is passionate about sharing with other women.

Beatie Deutsch – FAST TRACK MOM ELI PALEY CEO OF MISHPACHA

AIn our interconnected world, the power of the media cannot be overestimated. Internet websites, social media, radio, newspapers, and magazines increasingly control the fate of politicians and governments, world finances and morality. In the chareidi world, the messages conveyed by religious media can shape and strengthen emuna, enrich charitable efforts, and ferment new shul and yeshiva policies. Therefore, it was a great privilege to interview the highly influential Rabbi Eli Paley, owner of Mishpacha Media Group and publisher of the Mishpacha Hebrew and English weekly magazines.

that opportunity and uses her unique strength to make a kiddush Hashem.

Eli Paley is a businessman and social activist. He is chairman of the Paley Family Foundation which supports and promotes Torah Centers and social initiatives in the Charedi community. A member of the Jewish Funders Network, he is active in several philanthropic organizations.

Beatie grew up in the frum community of Passaic, New Jersey. She knew she enjoyed being active but never imagined she would get to run every day twice a day for her job.

We discussed the Mishpacha’s origin, the challenges he is faced with policy decision making, and the overall goals he hopes to attain through the publication.

Eli was born in in the Mattesdorff neighborhood in Yerushalayim. His great-grandfather and grandfather arrived in Eretz Yisroel in 1925 to establish the Slabodka Yeshivah in Chevron. Later his grandfather became the assistant to Rabbi Herzel, the chief rabbi of Israel.

She started running in 2016. An outof-shape mom, having had 4 kids in 6 years and working full-time caring for her family, she felt she needed a change so she signed up for a marathon. Her husband was super supportive and after training for that first marathon, she hasn’t stopped running since.

A month before the Teveria race she realized she was within reach of the Olympic standard of 245. However, three months later the Olympic Committee announced the standard for the 2020 Olympics had changed and the field was cut to 80 women. She would need to run much faster than ever before to reach the new standard of 229/30. “Everything is from Hashem,” she thought. “If Hashem brought me this far, He can take me further,” and she did not get discouraged. She chose to pursue the Olympic qualifying standard via the more complicated ranking route, meaning if you get ranked in the top 80 women worldwide then you don’t need the guaranteed standard to get in.

Eli himself is an alumni of Chevron yeshiva. When he married his wife, a graduate of Michlala in Bayit Vegan, his dream was to continue learning. However, a few months after his marriage, his brother mentioned a new monthly publication called Mishpacha was looking for someone to work as a distributor in Yerushalayim for a day and a half once every 5 to 6 weeks. With flex hours like that, Eli took the job, earning twice as much as he would be for an entire month in a kolel. Financially independent, he continued to learn diligently.

She always wanted to live in Israel and lives in Neve Michael. After winning the Jerusalem marathon in 2018, she trained for the Teveria national championship race. At the halfway point she saw another Israeli woman ahead of her and thought, “If I am connected to Hashem who is infinite then I am connected to infinity. There is no limit to what I can achieve.” Against her coach’s advice, she picked up her pace and passed the other woman who told her, “I am finished, it’s your race.” And Beatie won that marathon.

His father, Rabbi Yehuda Paley, bought the Mishpacha Magazine business. To help his father, Eli got involved in the editorial angle of the magazine figuring out how it could make a unique contribution to the field of journalism. He left learning to pursue his new mission to inspire and influence the Chareidi community. It is that idealism that still drives him in his work so many years later.

Beatie recently went pro to qualify for Tokyo 2020 and represent Israel in the Olympics. It then got complicated because the date of the Tokyo 2020 marathon for women was moved to Shabbos. Immediately she said she would not run. “I don’t work on Shabbos.”

While Mishpacha is well-received around the world, the goal of Mishpacha is to serve, elevate and be the voice of the Chareidim, particularly in Eretz Yisroel. The real customers are not the advertisers but the audience. Mishpacha seeks to portray an independent voice which is unaffiliated with any political party. In the early years, in the chareidi world of pollicization, this was perceived as a weakness. However, the years have passed, and this freedom has become one of the most salient factors of its success.

Mishpacha was the first Charedi publication to give the same respect to the Sephardi and Ashkenazi societies, attempting to create a sense of unity. Over time, this adherence to equality and ahavas Yisrael became the secret to the business’ success.

Mishpacha’s quest in elevating frum society is done through sincere, honest writing. Mishpacha does not engage in pretending that society is perfect. While recognizing the great achievements and accomplishments in the frum world, Mishpacha will tackle even unpleasant issues, albeit in an extremely sensitive way.

The Olympic Committee then asked her to become a professional runner for Israel. She consulted with her Rov who was very encouraging and told her that “Running is a koach Hashem gave you. There is only one individual like you in the world. You are created with your strength and you need to use that to make a difference to the Jewish people.” She accepted

When Beatie started running in 2019, the World Championships for women was on Friday night, in 2020 the Olympics was on a Shabbos. The Eugene Marathon was the first race she qualified for which was not scheduled for a Shabbos, yet now she is injured. It was difficult to deal with since it happened due to her own mistake, and it forced her to miss out on qualifying for the World Championships.

She had two options, either give up and be miserable or decide how she could use this opportunity to come out stronger mentally since the one thing she had control of was her attitude. She came to a place of acceptance – although it hurts when she sees photos of the Israeli team train-

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The topic of poverty among Charedim and the poor economic situation in the Israeli community lay heavily on Eli’s heart. As part of the solution, Eli started the Charedi Institute of Public Affairs to engage with the government with hopes to resolve this in a way that will allow the Charedi society to retain its Torah values.

While American Jews may have difficulty in relating to the issues overseas, Eli, as a born and bred Israeli is certainly in touch with the masses. He recalls the issue he faced during his kolel years when distributing the magazine. The government regulation forbid a yingeman from receiving Kollel benefits if he had any other source of income. Therefore, he was forced to register his side job under his wife’s name, a desperate solution used by many. In his publication, he attempts to broker a better solution.

ing in Italy where she should have been. She desperately wanted to be the Israeli woman proudly running through the streets of Munich but she reminds herself that Hashem has something bigger and better in store for her and she needs to keep strong and embrace this opportunity as a chance for growth in other ways. It was a humbling experience that reminds her there are consequences to your actions.

Another example of difficulties that Israeli chareidim face is the draft. Mishpacha discussed population statistics -- one out of four children is Charedi– and how the army and Charedi society can possibly reach a solution.

The paper is faced daily with Hashkafa decisions that have far-reaching effects on our society. The issue of printing pictures of women in the magazine has been debated back and forth in many forums. When Hilary Clinton was running for President, Mishpacha shocked many readers by publishing a blurry photo of Donald Trump and Hilary on the cover. “We just wanted to see how people would react,” Eli confides.

The office did receive some complaints, but the Gedolim the magazine consults advised them to include her since there was a real possibility Hilary would indeed become president. However, in Israel, an anti-Mishacha publication blasted Mishpacha , claiming they were breaking the rules of modesty and Torah by publishing a picture of Hilary Clinton.

This became a real issue because it was very hard for Eli to justify in his mind why they could not print modest pictures of women, particularly considering how hard it seems to be to explain to ba’alei teshuvah why women are “ignored.” In order to make Mishpacha, often one of their first exposures to Yiddishkeit, more palatable, Eli is comfortable with his decision.

Israel is a very small market for sports sponsorship and athletes are not paid but only given gear. Beatie believes not everything is always about money. “Running is a vessel to share more of Hashem’s light into the world”. She is grateful for the opportunity to appear on an Adidas billboard showing a frum athlete staying strong and committed to her values. She remains committed to tznius and is happy that women around the world can see that it’s possible to pursue dreams and passions without compromising.

He’s on a big mission: to expose our brothers to true Torah values, and he bears the responsibility seriously. He often employs a different way of thinking, a creative model, a stretch and a twist, that can support our lifestyle while at the same time show that we care about the Israeli economy, security, and its welfare system. “Instead of just complaining about why we are not understood,” Eli explained during the interview, “we must ask what we can do in this field. While we have to make sure that our kids are not too exposed to the big world, the (outside) world exists, and we have to face reality and come up with practical solutions. “

Beatie identifies more as a mother than an athlete and wants to be remembered as being a good mother who cared about her children. “There is no one else in the world who will do the job of mothering your children except you. Everything else you do someone can replace you but no one can replace your world with your kids. Tune in to what your kids need and give them that love even though they don’t always give it back to you.” They will develop into the people they become because of what you poured into them.

Rather than hiding his head in the sand, he is ready to take on the problems in our neighbourhoods and cities, working with the authorities instead of against them. Slowly, he believes, we will be able to build better trust.

There’s no reason to give up on your values to achieve your goals. Beatie’s accomplishments can serve as an inspiration to Jewish women everywhere.

Eli is proud that Mishpacha does not try to be sensationalist. Rather he makes an effort to keep his editorial policies responsible and sensitive. “If you’re going to do it le’shaim shamayim” Eli ended, “you’ll have disyata d’shmaya to do it right.”

Beatie says that If she ran dressed like other runners, she could shave two minutes off her time. It is challenging but she will keep doing this mitzvah of tznius because she cares deeply about her relationship with Hashem and tznius is of the essence. Being modest is something she embodies and lives with at all times. Every time she runs her strength comes from Hashem.

Listen or watch more episodes of Inspiration For The Nation on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or LivingLchaim.com (or wherever you listen to your podcasts)

Tech Triumphs

The Perfect Tune By Rebbetzin Sara Gross

Iwrite song lyrics for camps and schools as a side job. It’s super fun and a great outlet for me. One of the most challenging parts of writing the songs is finding just the right tune to fit the tone of the song I am writing. With my smartphone, I would scan song after song on Spotify, searching for the perfect tune. The process would often take many days, sometimes a week or two, until I would find the perfect tune for each song.

After switching to a flip phone, tune finding was much more difficult to do. I canceled Spotify and I was worried about how I would continue writing lyrics and matching songs to tunes. Without the tools I was used to, I feared the process would take even longer and be painfully difficult. When I got a call from a sleepaway camp hiring me to write a play with all their songs and song dances, my stom ach clenched at the challenge. Then I

turned to Hashem and said, “I did this for You. Please help me find the tunes I need without stress.” Then I went online to find a tune for a theme song I needed to write. Honestly, it was a miracle. I found the perfect tune within 5 minutes! Tremendously thankful, I got to work with the lyrics.

Then I needed two more tunes for the play, but I had to take a break to go teach. On a whim, I announced in the Bais Yaakov teacher’s room that I was looking for a few tunes for a play I was working on. A couple of young teachers mentioned a CD I had never heard of and played me some tunes from it. I felt like I got a huge hug from Shamayim. The two tunes they played fit my needs to a T. I found 3

I reach out to Hashem for help and He carries me through it.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are many options of filtered or controlled MP3 players. Many MP3 players that do not have filters are able to access any music or movies when connected to the internet. TAG has a list of protected MP3 options that of-

keep that in mind when purchasing one for yourself or children. SD slots can usually be removed by TAG as well if needed. Smartwatches are not recommended as they cannot be filtered. Also, keep in mind that a kosher label on an MP3 does not mean that pictures and videos are not accessible on the device. There are many options for music devices and a TAG Volunteer can easily answer your questions and help you chose one that meets your needs.

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

This is a service of TAG Baltimore. TAG Baltimore is an organiza ness, education, and support. They can

“We Must Stand Up For Each Other”

In Private Meeting with Former VP Mike Pence, Rav Dovid Hofstedter Advocates for Combating Anti-Semitism

By Chaim Gold

Do not duck. Lean in and fight. Antisemitism is no different than cockroaches. You either turn the light on or it will spread.” Those words of advice were given by former Vice President, Mike Pence to Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu in a private meeting earlier this month.

Pence was responding to a question by Rav Hofstedter as to what is the best way to fight the increasing, drastic uptick in antisemitic acts against the Jewish community - “Is it better to duck it or combat it?” Pence was emphatic that the only way to fight antisemitism was to unapologetically combat it, head on.

The private meeting with Mr. Pence transpired in New York where Rav Hofstedter was the guest speaker at an event that Vice President Pence attended.

The Impetus Behind the Meeting

The background behind the private meeting with Pence was Rav Dovid’s increasingly deep concern over a conglomeration of recent events that clearly show bias and hatred against the Jewish community and especially the visibly Orthodox and Chassidic community. The attacks are coming from both the right and the left. Especially concerning are the attacks from the left, from the academia and the progressives who are spearheading an effort to force government intervention into the chinuch we give in our schools. They are also proving to be implacable foes of Israel and by extension, the millions of Jews who live there.

There is also an increase in antisemitism and antisemitic attacks from the right by white supremacists and bigots who have always expressed antipathy to Jews. All of this has caused great concern to Rav Hofstedter and, as a son and son-in-law of Holocaust survivors, has spurred him to action.

Although Dirshu’s primary mission is increasing limud haTorah, not shtadlanus, Rav Dovid passionately feels that someone who has the ability to influence public discourse on burning issues regarding the perpetuation of Torah, is obligated to invest whatever effort he can. Whether he is trying

to help combat government regulation against chinuch, which is essentially thinly disguised antisemitism and anti-religion or whether he is trying shtadlanus for Acheinu Bnei Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael who are under fire from the international community and the left for simply defending themselves, it is his obligation to try!

Pence: The Rise of the Secular Left Does not Bode Well for the Religious Jewish Community or for Israel

That was the reason for the meeting with former secretary of State Mike Pompeo in January and more recently with Vice President Mike Pence and addressed an event with Pence in attendance.

As Rav Dovid entered, Pence, the Vice President, a religious man, stood up, greeted him and expressed how he felt honored to be in the presence of a Torah scholar and leader such as Rav Hofstedter.

After the two sat down, Rav Hofstedter began the meeting by raising the issues currently worrying the Orthodox Jewish community. He specifically mentioned concerns that the community has regarding the denial of basic freedoms that the community has suffered - in the realm of education and otherwise. He also highlighted the tremendous assault the community has experienced on the part of the mainstream media, who have clearly been shown to have a biased agenda against visibly Orthodox Jews and specifically against our institutions of chinuch.

When Pence was asked what he thought was the best way to combat this kind of antisemitism, Mr. Pence replied emphatically with the above-mentioned words, “Do not duck. Lean in and fight. Antisemitism is no different than cockroaches. You either turn the light on or it will spread.”

The Vice President went on to note that the rise of what he described as “the secular left” is on a collision course with Israel and has led to a great deal of antipathy on the part of certain elements of the Democrat party. “The rise of the secular left is inconsistent with support for a Jewish state,” Pence

went on to say.

In an astute and insightful commentary, Vice President Pence clearly noted that things have changed in America regarding support for Israel. The left in America is becoming more like Europe that has an affinity for the Arabs and casts blame for the intransigence of the Arabs on the Jews. A classic antisemitic position.

“That Is What Is Needed!”

That is how the caucus to combat antisemitism came up in the conversation.

The Vice President went on to suggest to Rav Dovid that there’s a need for a caucus in Congress to combat these issues related to antisemitism. He suggested that Rabbi Hofstedter work with the caucus that the Vice President had previously chaired during his time as a Congressman from Indiana. When Rav Dovid replied that he had worked

toward the creation of a Congressional Caucus for Torah Values with the express intent and purpose of combatting this manifestation of antisemitism toward the Orthodox Jewish community, the Vice President replied that indeed, he had heard of the caucus and of its work. “That’s terrific; and just what is needed.”

The Vice President, engaged as ever, then asked, “Who’s chairing the caucus?”

Rav Dovid responded that it was a bi-partisan commission chaired by Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska and Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas. The Vice President, apparently very satisfied with the chairmen, replied, “That’s just what’s needed.”

Indeed, both Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both took pains to stress how important it is for the Jewish and especial-

l-r - Rep. Don Bacon, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Rep. Henry Cueller, Rep. Daniel Meuser, Rep. Bryan Fitzpatrick, Caucus Meeting 2022

Rav Dovid Hofstedter conversing with VP Mike Pence

ly the Orthodox community to make their voices heard and not back down thinking the problem will just go away.

It is important to reach out to politicians, to members of the press who are willing to tell the truth and to use every avenue available, both in government and otherwise to fight against antisemitism, especially the type of genteel antisemitism under the guise of human rights. Whether the antisemites target the rights of Jews to give their children a religious education or whether they target the Jewish State for their “Apartheid” policies towards the Palestinians, they must be combated with everything we have and all tools at our disposal.

have demonstrated in public office the dignity and grace as well as the courage of your convictions. You have stood up for your principles in the face of criticism, being proud of your faith, your country, the constitution. You have stood by your friends and what a great and loyal friend you have been!”

Rav Dovid said that as a son and son-in-law of Holocaust survivors, “we must take inspiration from the survivors. They came to these shores broken and penniless after having endured the tortures of the Holocaust. They didn’t back down. They had the courage to rebuild their lives from nothing.

“If

We Don’t Stand Up For Each Other, We Leave The Door Wide Open For Them!”

Indeed, that was the focal point of the speech that Rav Hofstedter gave in the aftermath of his meeting with Vice President Pence in his presence.

He opened the speech by expressing what a great honor it was to be in the presence of a great American, a great statesman and leader who has served the United States with such honor and distinction. He also praised Pence as a great and true friend of the State of Israel, expressing the heartfelt gratitude of the Jewish community for the friendship Pence has shown and emphasizing how much it is cherished.

He spoke about his fears regarding the great uptick in antisemitic incidents and his alarm over the fact that antisemitism has become acceptable in many quarters in parlor meeting company. Something that was unheard of in the recent past.

He said that just in the past few weeks, there have been incidents of violent attacks on visibly Orthodox Jews, hate literature, the desecration of a synagogue, and the outrageous desecration of the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston.

“Things have gotten so bad, that even those who speak out against antisemitism have been vilified for speaking up and calling it by its name.”

“Therefore, the most important question is not only what we can do, it’s also what we must do?”

Rav Hofstedter said that as people of faith we must believe in and cherish our ability to be able to keep our traditions. We must show mutual respect and at the same time show the courage of our convictions.

He praised Vice President Pence as the embodiment of this ideal. “You

“We must emulate them, have faith in our beliefs, pride in our heritage and pride in each other. We must not back down or be intimidated.”

Rav Dovid thundered, “If we will have the courage of our convictions, our enemies will not succeed! If we don’t have respect for each other, cherish our beliefs, our religion and our homeland, they certainly won’t.”

He concluded his address with a powerful charge, “If we don’t stand up for each other, we leave the door wide open for them!”

“Sometimes We Don’t See The Fruits Of Our Labor Right Away, But It Can Have A Real Impact.”

In a conversation with this writer Rav Hofstedter outlined his hashkafa regarding shtadlanus

“Not everyone is able to engage in shtadlanus with politicians but for those who can, we have ample evidence from the previous generations of Gedolim that this kind of hishtadlus is very important. I remember once speaking to HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zt”l, about the great Rav Meir Shapiro and his impact on the Jewish people with his revolutionary innovations such as the establishment of the Daf Yomi and the founding of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin that raised kavod haTorah in an unprecedented way during the pre-war depression years in Europe. Rav Shteinman pointed out that another important accomplishment of Rav Meir Shapiro was that he was a representative in the Polish Sejm, the Polish parliament, where he engaged in shtadlanus on behalf of his brethren. I knew that Rav Shapiro himself, did not attribute much value to his efforts in this regard, but it is clear that Rav Shteinman valued them tremendously.

“For those capable of engaging with politicians and other people of in-

fluence, although at times it looks like these efforts are futile, the reality is that you don’t know what kind of impact you make on people with access to power. Sometimes we don’t see the fruits of our labor right away either, but it can have a real impact.”

He then spoke on a personal note. “Both my parents survived the war and I barely had family after the war. Hashem in His kindness, however, spared my paternal grandfather, Reb Zev Hofstedter who had served as Rosh Hakahal in his community in Hungary. He had lost everything, most of his family and his community. When I was growing up, he lived near us in Toronto. Every Friday night we would go visit him. He constantly bemoaned the great losses, the loss of the talmidei chachomim, the unique way and rhythm of Torah life in Hungary where he was born and raised. He would say, ‘Where was America when six million Yidden were being killed?’

“We didn’t have the voice in the government back then. We must therefore use our voices and raise them when we see such a precipitous rise in

antisemitism.”

In the meeting with Mr. Pence, the Vice President pointed out that he had done much work to combat antisemitism with the late Congressman from California, Mike Lantos, who himself was a Holocaust survivor. “When Congressman Lantos asked me to chair the Congressional Anti-Semitism Task Force, I did so with great pride.”

The underlying message expressed by Rav Dovid Hofstedter is that yes, our primary mission is to be engaged in Torah and tefillah and promote the learning of mussar and ethical behavior and without a doubt these hallowed activities invoke tremendous rachmei shomayim on behalf of Klal Yisrael. At the same time, our tradition and mesorah from Gedolei Yisrael from previous generations is that those who have the ability to engage in hishtadlus on behalf of their fellow Yidden to help combat and rescind gezeiros should avail themselves of every effort possible to engage on Klal Yisrael’s behalf, because “If we don’t stand up for each other, we leave the door open for them!”

Rav Dovid Hofstedter with HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman in his home, 2010

Rav Dovid Hofstedter meeting privately with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

World Builders Rescued Three Times –and Now He’s the Rescuer

By Raphael Poch

The life of David Sfedge changed forever eight years ago when he was hit by a car while walking on a crosswalk. Within minutes of the accident, United Hatzalah volunteers arrived at the scene and began to bandage David for his wounds and stabilized his condition while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

David, a resident of the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, was taken to the hospital where he underwent a difficult recuperation period but recuperate he did. After the harrowing experience, David was thankful for the near-immediate intervention from the United Hatzalah first responders, many of whom he became friendly with. He never imagined that he would need their help again, at least not for another medical emergency.

However, he ended up needing their assistance not only once more, but twice. The first incident took place a few months later when his house caught fire, which was shortly followed up by David suffering an epileptic seizure and nearly losing his life to the ferocity of it. Both times, United Hatzalah volunteers from the neighborhood responded and helped David and his family.

David attributes his life being saved once again during the seizure episode to Reuven Sarfati, a volunteer EMT with the organization. Reuven met David when the two were teenagers and attending the same high school. As they grew up, they both stayed in the same neighborhood and got to know each other’s families.

During the seizure, David’s wife panicked, but his five-year-old son, not knowing what else to do, called Reuven for help. Reuven alerted United Hatzalah’s dispatch to the emergency, arrived at David’s home, began medical treatment, and even physically restrained David while he was suffering the seizure. Reuven provided David with assisted venti-

lation and prevented David from causing himself any further injury while he was seizing. David was then taken to the hospital once again for follow-up treatment.

After the third time that David was rescued, he realized just how critical the work of community-based first responders is and decided to join the ranks of the organization and become a volunteer

treatment during the elongated seizure. Those can be very dangerous and require medical intervention. If not for my friends and neighbors from the community who helped, I’m not sure that I would be able to be here today having this conversation.”

The experience left a deep impression on David.

David not only serves as an EMT but also as a member of the organization’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit and provides psychological and emotional first aid and stabilization to people suffering from both medical emergencies and the psychological trauma that results from them.

“I saw the trauma that my son went through when he had to make the phone call to Reuven,” he explains. “I wanted to help other children who go through the same thing. I often find myself helping children deal with their own trauma after having witnessed their parents in medical emergencies, or vice versa. I try to go respond to every medical emergency that I can. I even leave my own family in the middle of dinner in order to help neighbors or complete strangers. My family knows very well what I went through, and they recognize the importance of the work,” David concluded.

Reuven added, “Being an EMT can be stressful, but the satisfaction it provides gives us fuel to go and keep saving more people. It isn’t often that someone I saved becomes an EMT themselves, but it isn’t rare either. People who see the need for this kind of work are often the ones who undertake to do it.

himself. Today, Reuven, together with many of the other volunteers who helped, are close friends with David.

“Gilo is a very difficult neighborhood to navigate for outsiders,” David explained. “If Reuven hadn’t come that Shabbat when I suffered my seizure, I’m not sure I would have survived it.

The ambulances didn’t arrive for quite a while, and Reuven was the one there who was providing me with medical

“I feel that I was helped by people in my neighborhood, and now it is my turn to be the one offering that help.”

David now serves as the team head of the Gilo region for the organization and is in charge of the very neighborhood where he was saved.

“Becoming an EMT has been a gift for me,” he said. “I am able to help provide care to those who need it and give back. That is important to me.”

“I am happy that I was able to be there for David during his time of need, and I am proud that he has joined the organization and has become one of its most dedicated volunteers. This story is a reminder for me of the importance of the work that we do and the impact that it has on people’s lives. It is a force multiplier. I helped David, and now we both help others. That is a lasting impact that came from responding to one emergency many years ago. Now, countless lives have been saved and made better as a result.

“This is the true power of the community and the true power of the kindness of those who dedicate their lives to saving others.”

“Being an EMT can be stressful, but the satisfaction it provides gives us fuel to go and keep saving more people.”

David Sfedge (right) Reuven Sarafti (left) outside United Hatzalah's Dispatch and Command Center in Jerusalem

TJH Centerfold

Ten Makkos Did You Knows

1.

Blood makes up around 7% of the weight of a human body. (And bad Pesach cake makes up the other 93% of your body right now.)

2.

3.

4.

Frogs don’t need to drink water as they absorb it through their skin. (Hey! That’s how I absorb my chocolate.)

Itching from a lice infestation is an allergic reaction not to the bite itself, but from the saliva secreted onto the scalp. (Go ahead…itch your head.)

Male lions defend the pride’s territory, while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first. (Hey, that’s so not PC!)

5.

Vicuña fur is the most expensive fur in the world. It is produced from animals related to the llama family that live in Peru. The average price is $5,000 per meter. (A little Weight Watchers is recommended before ordering a Vicuna fur.)

6.According to the American Dermatological Association, stress results in drier, more brittle skin that can become infected by staphylococcal, the bacteria that causes most boils. (So if you want to have clear skin, sit at home all day doing nothing…you’ll be a very clearskinned couch potato.)

Riddle Me This

You are a blindfolded waiter setting up a seder. There is a table with four glasses in the four corners of a square rotating table. Each glass is either facing up or facing down. You need to turn them all in the same direction, either all up or all down. You may do so by grasping any two glasses and turning either

7.

A hailstone the size of a baseball weighs about 150g and can fall at speeds of 100mph. This can cause a lot of damage, with entire crops being wiped out in just a few minutes during a large hailstorm. (It’s really cool to see the hail fall. Next time a hailstorm comes, go outside and look up towards the sky…ouch!)

8.

A desert locust swarm can be 460 square miles in size and pack between 40 and 80 million locusts into less than half a square mile. Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day, so a swarm of such size would eat 423 million pounds of plants every day. (Sounds almost as crowded as Central Avenue.)

9.

The City of Flagstaff, Arizona, is the darkest city in the world and became the World’s First “International Dark Sky City,” a designation awarded by the International Dark Sky Association for its low light pollution and commitment to enforcing stargazing-friendly lighting restrictions which make it the ideal destination to explore the night skies. (Dad: Son, what do you want to be when you grow up? Son: I want to be the executive director of the Dark Sky Association. Dad: OK, that’s sounds enlightening.)

Firstborns are 16% more likely to go to college than their younger siblings. (That’s probably because when they are done with college, they convince their younger siblings not to go!)

10.

or both over. But the table is spun after each time you touch the glasses.

How do you get all of the glasses to face the same way?

and turn them both over. 5) Take two diagonal glasses and turn them both over.

one is down, turn it up and you’re done. If not, turn one down and replace the other. 4) Take two adjacent glasses

Answer: 1) Turn two adjacent glasses up. 2) Turn two diagonal glasses up.  3) Pull out two diagonal glasses. If

Seriously, How Smart Are You?

They say that matzah makes you smarter. Try these on your family members after eight days of Pesach to see if it’s true.

1. Take 1,000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1,000. Now add 30. And another 1,000. Now add 20. Now add another 1,000. Now add 10. What is the total?

2. Are there more up-hills in the world or down-hills?

3. A contractor hires an electrician and a plumber to do work on a construction site. One of them was the father of the other’s son. How could this be possible?

4. How can a man go eight days without sleep?

Answers:

5. Someone tells you that a rooster laid an egg on top of the barn roof, and it floated towards the sky. Why doesn’t that make sense?

6. A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many are left?

7. The Goldberg family has a mother, father, and 7 daughters. Each daughter has 1 brother. How many people are in the family?

8. How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?

1. The total is 4,100. So, if you thought it was 5,000 you need to brush up on your math.

2. There are the same amount of up-hills and down-hills because every hill is either up or down, depending on how you look at it.

3. They were husband and wife.

4. He sleeps at night.

5. It doesn’t make sense because roosters don’t lay eggs.

6. Nine.

7. Ten (there are seven girls and one boy in the family, plus the parents).

8. Only once, and then you are subtracting it from 20.

9. An hour

10.  If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you are second!

9. A doctor gave you 3 tablets and tells you to take one every half hour. How long will it take for you to finish the pills?

10. You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

11. Two U.S. coins are worth a total of 30 cents, and one of them is not a nickel. What are the coins?

12. Who is not, not, not a person that has not, not set foot on the moon: Neil Armstrong or your mother?

11. A quarter and a nickel. (One is not a nickel, but one is.)

12. Your mother. Every pair of “nots” cancel each other out. So the question really is, “Who is not a person that has set foot on the moon?”

Wisdom key:

9-12 correct: You are a genius. (Just do me a favor, your combover really is not fooling anyone…give it up)

5-8 correct: You are of average intelligence. (Sorry, I know your mother always said, “My boy, he’s so smaaat.” She was exaggerating a bit, like you are when you tell her how good her Pesach cake is!)

0-4 correct: Don’t worry, I will give you a secret tip to get brains: Take a small piece of matzah and take all of the leftover marror and eat it together very quickly. Trust me, try it. After you do that, try this quiz again and you will see that you will get more answers correct.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

A matzah walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been?”

The matzah replies, “I’ve had some bad breaks.”

600,000 Jewish men go out to eat. The waiter says, “You thought splitting the sea was hard, try splitting this check!”

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

By-the-book DA confronts unpredictable opponent in Trump

- Headline on Politico referring to Alvin Bragg, who refuses to prosecute even violent crimes in New York City, as a “by-the-book” district attorney

Well, Jared, of course, is the only person I think who has benefitted in the billions – with a “B” –from the Trump presidency. That’s for sure.

- Kellyanne Conway, former senior counselor to Trump and long-time suspected leaker and infighter, on Fox News alleging impropriety by Jared Kushner

The teams in this year’s Final Four are Miami, Florida Atlantic, UConn and San Diego State. Really? The only way your bracket’s got those four teams is if you filled it out this morning.

— Jimmy Fallon

I paid 53% taxes on my Tesla stock options (40% Federal & 13% state), so I must be lifting the average! I also paid more income tax than anyone ever in the history of Earth for 2021 and will do that again in 2022.

–

I’ll be honest, I think two of those teams might just be online universities.

— Ibid.

If you steal property, you must report its FMV (Fair Market Value) in your income in the year you steal it, unless in the same year you return it to its rightful owner.

- Post on the IRS website

You have a cynical public. They don’t believe anyone and when you start to see these prosecutors bring political cases, it just affirms everybody’s cynicism.

- Disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in an interview with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 seeming to switch sides from his former anti-Trump position when he represented the left-wing before they discarded him

It feeds the cynicism and that’s the cancer in our body politic right now.

- Ibid.

Elon Musk, responding to a tweet by Pres. Joe Biden that billionaires don’t pay enough taxes and should pay at least 25% of what they make to taxes

As we usher in the Yom Tov of וניתורח ןמז, we wish the lomdei Torah around the world a חמשו רשכ גח.

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Tuesday May 23rd . ןויס 'דל רוא Lake Terrace Hall

How it works:

• Learn 1 new amud daily Sunday-Thursday

• Review yesterday’s amud every day

• Review 2.5 blatt every Friday & Shabbos

• Complete 10 blatt 3 times each month

• Optional bi-weekly 5-blatt bechina

• Daily audio / video shiurim & resources

• Interactive Rischa D’Oraysa Q & A’s

• Contact us for a free ORAYSA calendar

Join or set up a shiur or chaburah in your neighborhood! Contact Oraysa for more information.

P 914.8-OR.AYSA E INFO@ORAYSA.ORG W WWW.ORAYSA.ORG

Time and time again, Trump’s responses have been unhinged, indicative, and self-defeating. And don’t buy for a second when he says he’s “fighting for you.” If you actually “rose up” and were arrested, Trump would abandon you, just as he has every ally who wasn’t useful to him anymore.

- Editorial in the New York Post which supported Trump in the last two elections

What did he do for those locked up for months over Jan. 6? What cash did he hand over for the candidates he endorsed in the recent midterm elections he torpedoed for Republicans?

- Ibid.

So, during Women’s History Month, we celebrate and we honor the women who made history throughout history.

I’m convinced her speechwriter hates her.

- Tweet by Caroline Hakes

My name is Joe Biden. I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband. I eat Jeni’s ice cream — chocolate chip. I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream. By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs. You think I’m kidding? I’m not.

This is something that was given as a gift from G-d. It’s not a personal achievement. I’m blessed that I was chosen to be the person with the longest beard. As Sikhs, we all keep the beard and we grow it and comb it and go through the daily routines, but I feel lucky that I’m the one that has the longest beard.

- Sarwan Singh of Surrey, British Columbia, who broke his own Guinness World Record and now has the world’s longest beard – 8 feet and 3 inches long

It’s not gonna end nicely. His end will not be a calm and quiet conclusion.

- Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in New Hampshire talking about his former friend and now enemy Donald Trump

This is the violent apartheid government of Israel. Don’t look away.

Another day, another blatant anti-Israel lie by Rashida Tlaib – and no one in House Democratic Party leadership will hold her accountable.

– Tweet in response by the Republican Jewish Coalition

He’s not always graceful but it’s definitely a unique thing to see.

- Vice President Kamala Harris at a White House speech

- President Joe Biden to the press before talking about the horrible school shooting in Nashville that left 7 people dead, including 3 schoolchildren

- Tweet by Jew-hater Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who is in the House of Representatives, along with a video of Israeli police breaking up a fight between Palestinian teenagers

- Alicen Baran, of Illinois, whose 150-pound black-and-white pig named Norbert rides a skateboard around town

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

My younger brother has been dating a girl for two months. Until now, all he told me was her first name; he’s generally a more private person. She ate at our house for Shabbos this past week. I was shocked to notice she is the same girl as I saw while in seminary a few years ago who was friends with the party girls in the seminary I was a madricha at. She did not go to the same seminary I was working at, rather she hung out with the more messed up crowd from my madricha year.

I don’t want

to ruin my brother’s shidduch, but I feel like I need to tell him. I just feel so guilty doing it.

What is the best way to break it to him?

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

The Panel

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

Be strategic and smart. Tell him you recognized her and from where. Make it a chatty conversation and let him lead with questions.

Talk him about your madricha experience and what trends you noticed. You may carefully say something about seminary being part of a transition for some girls. The year in Israel for many is a learning process of making choices and owning a lifestyle, hashkofos, and perspectives. Talk about all these topics, spoken and unspoken, that concern seminary teachers and mechanchos. This is your opportunity to give context and perspective to the girls fresh off the plane that he may be dating.

Without knowing more about your relationship with your brother and wheth-

er he trusts your judgment, it’s hard to make more suggestions other than to say go about this indirectly at first and see where it leads.

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

Let’s break down your question. Your younger brother is dating a young woman who used to hang out with the party girls at the seminary you worked at a few years ago. You do not know she was partying, and you do not know her relationships with these girls. You do realize this was from years ago. For all you know, they could be related or even neighbors back at home. Yet, you would risk your brother’s shidduch because you feel compelled to say some piece of superfluous information that you

know. If you saw her often at the doctor’s office, would you then relay that it could be she has a terminal illness she may be hiding?

This is an unfortunate flaw to the shidduch system. While we simply cannot exist in a bubble, many outsiders see us every day and impart their own thoughts and opinions about us. Then, inevitably, it filters into shidduchim and can lead to rumors and lashon hara.

You don’t ask if you should tell him but how. May I ask you a question? What compels you to feel like you must “break it” to him and what, exactly, is the terrible news you would like to break to him? Do you have any faith in him to build an honest and open relationship with her on his own?

My advice is to simply stay out of it and trust his judgment. You don’t need to say everything you think.

The Single

irstly, it’s extremely unfair that you’re assuming you know this girl based on who she hung out with back during the seminary days. You have no idea what she was struggling with, experiencing, or who she evolved into during that timeframe.

I know you mean well, but this is the epitome of gossip (and frankly, the ridiculous notion that one chapter of a dater’s life is defined by their one challenging or transformative year of development).

Spend time getting to know this girl, trust your brother’s judgment, and try to let go of your biased reason recognizing that it’s super limited. I didn’t hear you discuss any red flags nor display any current behavioral concerns. Focus forward,

ber about his girlfriend?

Different iterations of this dilemma have appeared in the Navidater column over the past several years. There are different levels of possibilities to consider.

First, the behaviors that you describe happened some time ago. People do grow up, mature, and change. Perhaps she is now a much better person than she had been when you knew her. It’s probably best to say nothing and trust your brother’s good judgement.

Second, if you do, nevertheless, feel strongly compelled to get involved, call her up, tell her that you enjoyed your Shabbos meal together, and invite her to meet for a coffee. There, you can quietly assess if she is still the same, troubled person.

Third, if, after all that, you still feel strongly that the girlfriend is very “messed up,” you may wish to consider what Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, often advised. You can send an anonymous letter to your brother, advising him to carefully check his girlfriend’s references.

Now, readers of this column might find the following interesting:

You have probably heard that various companies have developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) computer programs that give human-like responses to questions. I signed up with a program called ChatGPT and asked it to respond to this week’s Navidater question.

I was astounded by its response. In less than a second, it texted, “It may be best to keep your opinions to yourself. People can change and grow, and it’s not fair to judge someone based solely on their past behavior. Your brother may also be aware of his girlfriend’s past and may have already made his decision about whether or not he wants to continue the relationship. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to tell your brother is up to you, but it’s important to approach the situation with empathy and understanding.”

o tell or not to tell, that is the question. Is it a huge mitzvah or is it a huge mistake to tell your brother what you remem-

Wow! Now, I can’t stop wondering if this plunge into Artificial Intelligence is enlightening or frightening?

I’m not sure how relevant yesterday is.

The Rebbetzin

Pulling It All Together

Thank you for writing into the panel. You are in a bit of a sticky situation, feeling as though you are holding important information that could potentially hurt your brother. You want to give your brother the information so he can make an informed decision and “know” the person he is dating. Looking at the bigger picture. I feel the need to say that it is quite possible that this girl has matured since her year in Israel, that she no

longer associ - ates with these people, and that even being a “party girl” in Israel does not necessarily mean anything is “wrong” or questionable about this person. Outside of Orthodoxy and within the context of human development, partying at the age of 18 or 19 years old can be pretty “normal” and age-appropriate. It is also quite possible that

your brother already knows this and doesn’t care because of who this young woman is today. In other words, you may not be “breaking it to him.”

If you feel it absolutely necessary to share this information with him (and that is a personal decision), the best way to do it is without judgment and without insinuation of what he should do. I would refrain from language like “I don’t know how to say this,” which insinuates that there is an actual problem or that he doesn’t already know. You don’t want your brother to feel judgment or that you have an opinion about this girl, because, if he does marry her, he will never forget that you “warned” him about the woman he adores. Try to stick with something along the lines of “I love you and I wasn’t

sure how to handle this. Please forgive me if I’m overstepping, I just didn’t want to hold on to this and keep this from you. So and so hung out with a party crowd during her year in Israel.” That’s it.

Think long and hard before you make this decision because if she is a wonderful person today, and treats your brother well and he makes her happy, I’m not sure how relevant yesterday is.

All the best, Jennifer

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

You don’t need to say everything you think.

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SHABBOSLunch

2Challahs • 2Dips • 2qtChulent

1lbLiver&1lbEggSaladorGefiltaFish

1/2lb

PastramiCornedBeef,RoastBeef, orBrisket

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8x5Kugel (Potato,SweetNoodle,orYerushalmi)

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Salmon Appetizer • $5 pp

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Common Cents Avoiding the Big Retirement Risks

Retirement is just as much a leap of faith as any other significant life change. No matter how much you prepare, you will only really understand all the implications when you start your new life. That’s one reason we believe that the first requirement of a good retirement plan is that it needs to be flexible enough to efficiently encompass changes in your life as you adjust to your new situation.

How do we get to maximum flexibility? It starts with avoiding retirement risks. The more your plan is set up to accommodate predictable events or situations, the greater your ability to adjust to the unpredictable.

Making Sure You Don’t Outlive Your Money

The Social Security Administration reports that the average life expectancy for a man reaching age 65 in 2023 is just over 84 years, and for a woman, it is almost 87 years. A twenty-year retirement is a norm now, and for many people, it can be a decade or more longer than that.

Expenses in retirement are often high during the early, active years. In the middle years of retirement, expenses may drop. But longer life expectancy often means increased expenses in the last years of retirement to pay for health care. Returning to our 65-year-old couple above, Fidelity estimates that healthcare expenses may be approximately $315,000 throughout their retirement – over and above Medicare.

How do you mitigate this longevity risk? It comes down to three things:

• Keep a careful eye on expenses and update budgets regularly

• Maximize guaranteed income by delaying claiming social security

• Invest with a bucket strategy for short-term, mid-term, and longterm needs. This allows you to keep capital growing for longterm needs and to ensure you have what you need in the short term without liquidating investments at a loss.

Keeping an Eye on Inflation – But Not Too Close

The high levels of inflation we’ve seen in the last couple of years are hitting everyone’s wallet. But taking a longer view, over the previous 50 years to 2021, inflation has averaged about 3.8% annually. The stated goal of the Federal Reserve is for inflation to remain around 2% annually.

Building an income strategy around today’s high inflation could result in taking too much income out of your plan in the early years. It’s also a good idea to go beyond the statistics and consider how inflation affects you. High inflation rates aren’t as much of a threat for many retirees. Social security is indexed to inflation, so some income will keep pace. Retirees also may have a smaller outlay on things impacted by inflation than people still in their working years.

Include a modest assumption for inflation in your income planning, and

By Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST

for temporary spikes, some remedial budget-cutting is probably enough to keep you on track.

Paying Attention to Your Taxes

You’ll be in a lower tax bracket in retirement, right? Well, maybe. You don’t have the same deductions as when you were working, and once you hit 73, required minimum distributions (RMDs) turn your tax-advantaged savings in 401(k)s and IRAs into big chunks of taxable income. And if your income gets too high, you may end up paying a tax on Medicare through the IRMAA, which kicks in at higher income levels.

You don’t have to give up control of your income if you plan ahead. You can deploy several tax strategies, particularly in the early years of retirement. One of the most advantageous is a Roth conversion, which allows you to take money from your tax-efficient accounts over the course of several years when your income is low, pay the taxes, and then reinvest in a Roth account. Roth accounts grow tax-free, and no taxes are due when you withdraw the funds.

The key is to take a multi-year planning approach. The goal is to even out income streams to keep

taxes as low as possible. The recently passed SECURE 2.0 Act provides significant changes to the rules around retirement accounts and will certainly impact planning trends going forward.

The Bottom Line

Retirement changes your mindset from being a saver to essentially a spender as you begin to live on the nest egg you accumulated. You won’t have income from work, but you will have more freedom. For many retirees, the newfound freedom opens new doors. Ensuring you can make your retirement assets match your retirement lifestyle means mitigating the risks.

The decision to start saving and investing is yours, but the “how” can be hard. We suggest speaking with a “fee only” financial planner operating as a fiduciary - having a CPA or tax background is a huge plus. Email commoncents@northbrookfinancial. com to schedule a free financial planning consultation with our team.

Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST is Co-Founder of Northbrook Financial, a Financial Planning, Tax, and Investment Management Firm. He has developed and continues to teach a popular Financial Literacy course for high school students.

Citizens for Sandy Rosenberg, Sondra Johnson, Treasurer

By Mindi Werblowsky, LCSW

Dear Teen Talk,

I am in tenth grade in a local high school. My best friend and I have been in school today since first grade. She has always been a great student and top of the class. She initially struggled a little bit in the transition to high school but was able to adapt fairly quickly and continue to make top grades.

I am noticing behaviors recently that are concerning me about my friend… Although studying has always been a priority to her, that now seems to be escalating. She spends all of her time doing homework, reviewing her notes, or studying for tests. She speaks endlessly about getting accepted into a top university and going on to medical school… She does every extra credit assignment, and her entire self-esteem seems to be wrapped up in her grades. It’s great that she has all of these goals, but isn’t high school supposed to be a time to have fun with your friends also?

She won’t go out with me on Sundays, because she is always studying. She barely attends group gatherings. She doesn’t participate in extracurricular activities... she does not seem to have fun at all. Is this normal behavior for someone who has her eye set on the prize or are my instincts right that something seems to be off?

-A concerned friend

Dear Concerned Friend, Thank you so much for writing in and trusting your instincts to know when something feels off. The first item to discuss is when does what seems to be a normal, healthy behavior cross the line into being something that is actually unhealthy? And the an - swer to that is when the behavior escalates to the point where it interferes with normal, daily, age-appropriate functioning. Although having goals in life and applying yourself in

school is very important, based on your description, it does sound like this has crossed over that line. The importance of friends

cial outlets completely in favor of studying. She is also not yet a senior in high school or even a junior where it would be “normal”

and socializing is built into the genetic makeup of a teenager. Although that looks different in every adolescent, it seems in this case your friend is choosing to shun so -

for acceptance into university to be at the forefront of her mind.

Many people are familiar with the term anxiety and have an idea of what that

It’s great that she has all of these goals, but isn’t high school supposed to be a time to have fun with your friends also?

means. What fewer people may realize is that anxiety can manifest itself very strongly in academic areas. Studying every hour of the day, shunning social activities, and having the mindset of having to be “perfect” in this area can actually be symptoms of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. Similarly, if you notice that your friend does not seem happy, and is always stressed and pressured, that is another sign that something may be going on beneath the surface. There may be a danger here of complete burnout when the “perfection” is not

Are you a teen with a question?

If you have a question or problem you’d like our columnists to address, email your question or insight to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com , subject line: Teen Talk.

achieved, of just giving up completely, and then falling into a depression. I would strongly encourage you to seek out an adult you trust and discuss your concerns with them, whether it is a teacher, the social worker at the school, or possibly even your friend’s parents (if you have a close relationship with them). Make it clear that you are concerned for your friend

and the pressure she is putting on herself and you feel that in the last year her behaviors have crossed a boundary. Your friend may be in need of some help, but the good news is that there are incredibly vast resources out there that can really provide the help she needs and help her succeed in a much healthier, stronger way. Wishing you luck!

Mindi Werblowsky, LCSW, is the clinical director of Madraigos.

Our team is proficient in all architectural styles, from french country to ultra-modern and everything in between.

Healing the Hatred Israel’s Secret Revolution

by Sara yoheved r igler

Just when you think Israeli society couldn’t become more polarized, something arises – like the present crisis over judicial reform – to push the poles of national unity further apart. The massive protests this week, leading to the shutdown of the airport, the banking system, schools, government offices, even diplomatic and consular services abroad – all indicate how seriously the country is reeling.

Israel is steeped in ideological divides, hence the famous adage, “two Jews, three opinions.” Since the modern state of Israel was founded, tensions have persisted between the parties that make up each coalition and the constituencies that voted them in. Many Israelis have never sat down to engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas with those holding opposing worldviews and values.

But one quiet organization is challenging the standoff and bridging the gap. And in this case, it’s a chasm that a Jerusalem Post survey claimed was one of Israel’s most serious of social ills: the rift between secular and Hareidi Jews.

Enter the Be A Mensch Foundation, established in 2011 by two American olim with the aim to foster genuine Jewish unity galvanized by complementary shared values. The elegantly simple concept of “being a mensch” caught on and attracted the attention and participation of such Israeli icons as Tal Brody, Yehoram Gaon, Nobel laureate Professor Robert Aumann, WIZO president Tova Ben-Dov, serial entrepreneur Noah Alper, educator par excellence Rachelli Sprecher Fraenkel, and from the U.S., former Senator Joe Lieberman.

The press took notice. Stories were shared. A book was published. A commercial was produced to propagate the commitment of a cross section of Jews

to the high road of menschlichkeit – of being a person of integrity and honor.

A torn community in Beit Shemesh was reunited. But this was only the tip of an iceberg.

By invitation, Be A Mensch launched weekly encounters with members of the Tzofim (Israeli scouts), many of whom become future leaders in Israel. This was the first time that completely secular Israelis had the opportunity to create a relationship – a friendship, really – with someone deeply chareidi. The simple concept of unity through communication spread. Other scouting groups heard about it. Suddenly, demand outstripped supply. And so it remains today.

Today, Be A Mensch presents myth-busting, eye-opening encounters, facilitated by highly trained chareidi staff, in secular high schools, kibbutzim, select military groups, and, most recently, among high-level business leaders. In all cases, the invitation to meet comes from the non-chareidi side. Why?

Attraction vs. Promotion

Following the advent of the TV series Shtisel and Srugim, many secular Israelis have cultivated a curiosity about the inner workings of the chareidi world. After all, going back two or certainly three generations, the ancestors of most secular Jews were chareidim of some sort. Is it possible that having common ancestors can spawn a sense of mutuality and identification which can transcend the layers of cultural disconnection?

For the tireless members of Be A Mensch, the answer is a profound yes. The results have exceeded their expectations, noting that the transformation of attitude happens quietly, slowly, very much at the granular, individual level. 18-year-old Liat from the mixed community of Beit Shemesh is a worthy ex-

We're all brothers

ample. She stated, “I’d speak for an hour about how horrible the chareidim are, but I never met a single chareidi in my life. Now that I’ve met chareidim, I realize that all those things I knew before were not based on truth.”

In light of so many issues in Israel, how serious is the chiloni/chareidi divide?

The rift in Israel between secular Jews and chareidim endangers the country even more than the threat of a nuclear bomb from Iran. This was the surprising conclusion of five former Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (Ehud Barak, Moshe Ya’alon,

Gabi Ashkenazi, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot) in a rare joint interview on Israeli Channel 12 in August 2022. After a long discussion of the Iranian nuclear threat, General Eisenkot stated: “The thing that most endangers the State of Israel in my eyes is the lack of solidarity in Israeli society.”

Moshe Ya’alon agreed: “I say that in the face of the Iranian threat, we will know what to do. But there is an internal existential threat.”

Ehud Barak chimed in. “I think that all living Chiefs of Staff, almost all living Mossad heads, and all living Shin Bet chiefs would agree on this. I mean, all

“I’d speak for an hour about how horrible the chareidim are, but I never met a single chareidi in my life.”

the people who are involved in, or were at the head of the security apparatus, understand today that there is a more serious threat to the future of the State of Israel than from Iran, Hezbollah, or Hamas. This threat is what is happening within us — the risk of losing the internal cohesion, the internal solidarity.”

Unknowingly, the generals were echoing the chilling pronouncement of Chazal that the destruction of the second Bais Hamikdash and the grueling exile was caused by sinas chinam , hatred among groups of Jews.

While today’s headlines are focusing on the rift between the right and the center/left in Israel, the rift between secular Jews and chareidim has long been the most hostile and vicious conflict in Israeli society. A study commissioned by Gesher in early 2021 found that 65% of Israelis ranked the chareidi-secular conflict as the country’s most pressing conflict, compared with less than 18% who prioritize the Arab-Israeli conflict and 14% who think the Right-Left conflict is the most problematic.

Refusing To Be Enemies

Be a Mensch is the only organization in Israel whose goal is achieving Jewish unity between these factions. Mensch has done 900 encounters with various secular groups and has met with 34,000 participants. Its motto is: “Healing the rifts in Israeli society –one mensch at a time.” It is registering some miraculous successes.

In November 2013, Be a Mensch organized an event in Tel Aviv with Ha Noar Oved V’ha Lomed (The General Federation of Working and Studying Youth), Israel’s most extreme leftwing youth movement, and the leaders of other secular organizations. Mensch invited Rav Chaim Zvi Senter, Rosh Yeshiva of Aderes HaTorah, who, after getting approval from Rav Dovid Cohen, sent a bus with 25 kollel couples to the event. Tel Aviv’s Cinamateque Square was festooned with giant Hebrew banners proclaiming, “The religious and the secular refuse to be enemies.” There was no need for the official police protection arranged by Be a Mensch; instead, the atmosphere was one of camaraderie, like a family reunion. A Mensch staff member gave a brief introduction. Then the Jews in the square met each other in personal encounters meant to vanquish the stereotypes propagated by the media.

A leader of one of the participating secular organizations effused, “We are

in a very unique event, totally unique. I don’t think there is right now anywhere in Israel such a diverse group, so many diverse people from all of Israel’s society here together to proclaim, ‘We refuse to be enemies.’”

Rav Senter himself was surprised by how open the secular Jews were to meet chareidim.

necessarily representative of what’s really going on.… To get to know each other as people dissolves so much of the sinah, so much of what we’re imagining.”

Be a Mensch has proven that when secular Jews actually meet chareidim and get to know them, their animosity melts away. As Rav Yosefs Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, directed Be a Mensch, “Let

fully chosen chareidi men and women in their twenties and thirties have gone into 51 secular high schools, meeting with individual classes. They do not lecture to them. Rather, each Be a Mensch representative sits in a circle with one class and invites them to ask their questions about chareidim and their way of life. Typical questions are: Why do chareidim have so many kids? Why don’t the men work? Is it really like we saw on the television series “Shtisel” that people get engaged after just one or two meetings?

Shani is a 28-year-old chareidi woman from Jerusalem, a rabbi’s daughter, who has been working for Be a Mensch since 2018. With her friendly smile and unflappable personality, she is the perfect representative to face a potentially hostile audience. Recently, she was sent to speak with an 8 th grade class in the leftwing bastion of Ramat Aviv.

“I heard a lot of hate,” she recounts. “It was a whole class of 30 kids, and they voiced very strong, leftwing opinions that they hear at home. I had to do damage control. I asked them, ‘From where do you get your information? Television shows the people who are burning garbage, not the people higher up in our society.’ I told them that in my family, people are hard workers, and respectful, and pay taxes.

“It was so nice to see how interested these people are in hearing about our lives and how much they really felt close to us. It was really amazing. It’s something I never imagined without experiencing it.”

The secret of Be a Mensch’s success is to counteract the negative images of chareidim plastered all over the media by arranging direct encounters. As Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, Rosh Kollel of the Jerusalem Kollel and Rosh Yeshivah of Aish HaTorah, explained: “Bayis Sheini was destroyed because of sinus chinam, baseless hatred. Especially in this day and age, the divide between the chareidi world and those on the other side is based primarily on all sorts of images that we’ve got of one another that aren’t

the Name of Heaven become beloved through you.”

“Certified Secular Youth”

A key demographic concern for Be a Mensch is the half million young adults who will shape the next generation in Israel. Israel’s population is 30% s homer mitzvos, 35% traditional, and 35% secular. Be a Mensch recognizes the significance of what they call “certified secular Israeli youth,” meaning those who have never fasted on Yom Kippur. Thus, while they have held many meetings with secular kibbutzim and other adult groups, they have elevated their focus on high schools, the Scout movement leaders, and pre-military academies.

As of this writing, a cadre of care -

“Some of the kids wanted to connect with me. One kid in the class told me that he has tefillin and puts them on every day. I said, ‘Wow!’ And I gave him a lot a praise to make him feel good about himself. Another kid told me that he is descended from the Chatam Sofer. I said, ‘I was just there at his kever Do you know what a genius he was?’ I made him feel really good about it. A girl opened up her computer and found a picture of her grandfather, a rabbinic figure.”

One boy in that class was particularly aggressive. He asked a lot of hostile questions, voicing very strong leftwing opinions he absorbed at home. Shani answered calmly and patiently, without getting defensive. At the end of the class, he came over to Shani and told her that he wanted to thank her. “You answered very well,” he said. And he apologized that he wasn’t respectful. Shani later reflected, “Some of the things I said really resonated with him. I was very impressed. I saw a different child at the end.”

As Shani sums up: “They’re really sweet kids. Some were asking questions just to provoke. I try not to get provoked. I need to remember that they don’t know

Connecting with the Scouts

Meeting one-on-one on a kibbutz

anything about us. I have to be their window to religious people.”

One elite Tel Aviv high school wrote to Mensch:

We would like to express our deepest thanks for the fascinating Be A Mensch meetup with the 10 th grade civic-studies-major students.

At the meetup, the students had the opportunity to make something of a closer acquaintance with the charedi world, to shake off prejudices and stereotypes and to experience pleasant, open, accepting, and constructive discourse. The meetup allowed them to ask complex questions, and it shed light on various issues pertaining to Israeli society and the relationship between the groups that comprise it.

In a world where everything is political, we got to see a more reliable, less heated picture; a reality in which communication can happen in spite of differences.

Another high school wrote:

I want to thank you for the fascinating meetup with the ninth grade students here at the school.

I feel the meeting was very significant. For the first time, the students were able to make in-depth acquaintance with the charedi society, faceto-face, and to form circles of discourse with members of this sector.

Thank you for your openness and for your desire to bring different factions of society together.

Specifically now, during these turbulent times, you proved things can be different.

I strongly recommend that every school in the country participate in the program, and promote discourse on values and tolerance of others, and get to know the beautiful side of charedi society and religion.

On a recent trip to Israel, Gavriel Aryeh Sanders of Far Rockaway accompanied a Be A Mensch team to an elite Tel Aviv high school. He stated, “I’ve never seen two such polarized groups forge such a deep and genuine connection in such a short time. In three hours of animated conversation, I watched bias and ‘myth-perceptions’ about charedim melt before my eyes. The students and school staff wanted more contact. They themselves stated that this was a life-changing encounter.”

The Book

It all started with a book. Dr. Moshe

Kaplan is an immunologist originally from Trenton, NJ. His grandfather, Rav Yosef Kaplan, learned by the Chofetz Chaim before emigrating to Passaic. In 1986, Dr. Kaplan made Aliyah. Driven to try to explain the treasures of Judaism to the larger public, he compiled a book of essays called, A Wholly Life: Spiritual Integration of Mind, Body, and Soul. In 2009, he felt inspired to publish a different book, about good middos. Be a Mensch: Why Good Character is the Key

a Mensch Foundation, garnered glowing support from Israeli luminaries, including star basketball player Tal Brody, famous singer Yehoram Gaon, and two celebrated Nobel Prize winners. Professor Dan Shechtman asserted, “Your values are my values and your wish to make a change is also mine.” Professor Aaron Ciechanover declared, “The enemies around us will never defeat us. If we shall be defeated, it will be by ourselves – in strife, hate among different groups, inability to listen and discuss in

University.

Meeting such brilliant people who have chosen to observe the religious precepts that their own grandparents rejected exploded the kibbutzniks’ stereotype of chareidim as primitive and backward. A letter from the Kibbutz Movement after one such Shabbos declared: “The meeting was exciting and fascinating, and goes far beyond expectations. … You must succeed!”

At the beginning of Mensch meetings with leftist youth groups, a moving short film is shown. After the passing of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, the secular grandson of Rav Elyashiv’s first cousin, prominent in the Israeli television and film industry, asked to make a film about the Gadol HaDor. Filmed partly in Rav Elyashiv’s tiny apartment, the film includes his grandmother’s reminiscences about her famous cousin and family photos of their common ancestor, the Leshem. The film shows Maj.-Gen Eliezer Skeidy, former head of the Israeli Air Force, asking, “Who are the chareidim? My Saba and Savta and yours.”

Crisis In Beit Shemesh

to a Life of Happiness, Health, Wealth, and Love consists of essays by such notable people as Nobel laureate Prof. Robert J. Aumann, Natan Sharansky, Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, successful CEO Howard Jonas, Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb, and psychologist Judith Mishell.

This stellar cast each asserted that the most important achievement in life is character development. A rabbi who worked in kiruv pointed out to Dr. Kaplan that this book could be a great unifier in Israel’s fractured society, since everyone – religious and secular – could agree on the importance of good middos.

Dr. Kaplan took the book to one of Israel’s major publishers, Yedidot Aharanot, and asked them to publish the book in Hebrew. The publisher deferred, explaining that they primarily publish novels. But he promised to look over the book. Three days later, Dr. Kaplan got a call from the publisher. He enthusiastically declared that this book is so important that they decided to publish it in Hebrew.

The launch of the Hebrew book, followed soon after by the launch of the Be

a civilized manner and misunderstanding of the meaning and purpose of our life here. I hope Be a Mensch can build a bridge over these stormy waters.”

The book, the foundation, and the values they promote opened a door to Israeli society, free of political taint and “religious coercion,” the great fear of secular Israelis. Invitations to send representatives to kibbutzim, youth movements, student associations, and the IDF started to come in. Thanks to social media, every positive experience was widely shared, engendering more and more invitations.

Thus, “The Dialogue Project” of Be a Mensch was born. One of its first forays was to send prominent academicians, all of them chareidi, to spend Shabbos at secular – indeed notoriously anti-religious – kibbutzim to order to create a positive dialogue. Participants included genius mathematician Dr. Eliyahu Rips, Professor of Mathematics at Hebrew University; Dr. Yonatan Zeigler, a former senior engineer at NASA; and Professor Doron Aurbach, Head of the Faculty of Electro-Chemistry at Bar Ilan

For decades, Beit Shemesh was a sleepy development town in the valley just beyond the Judean Hills. It was inhabited mostly by traditional Sephardim with some secular and dati leumi [national religious] Ashkenazim attracted by the low prices and proximity to Jerusalem. Then the government started to build new neighborhoods. Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph attracted Anglo immigrants, mostly Litvak chareidim with a mix of dati leumi . Ramat Beit Shemesh Beit attracted an overflow of Mea Shearim families – Chassidic and Yerushalmi.

In 2011, a dati leumi school opened in the middle of a Chassidic neighborhood. “Extremist elements” were accused of harassing the schoolgirls. When a television news channel interviewed a sweet 8-year-old girl, who told how she was cursed at and spat upon on her way to school by Chassidic men, the whole country erupted in a virulent anti-chareidi reaction. Over 10,000 protestors descended on Beit Shemesh, and violent clashes ensued.

The government, desperate to put out the conflagration, decided to air calming public service announcements on television. The Jewish Federation of Washington, D.C., the “twin city” of Beit Shemesh, offered a $100,000 tender to the three best submissions for such TV ads. Out of a hundred competitors, Be

Meeting protesters at a Kikar Rabin demonstration

a Mensch won one of the three tenders. Their ad shows a kaleidoscope of men and women of different ages and religious affiliation (or none), each uttering two or three words of a Hebrew pledge that together states: “I pledge not to judge anyone based on his or her appearance, style of dress, or affiliation with a specific group. I will be careful not to make generalizations and will always try to see the person behind the outside appearance. I will judge everyone favorably and I will always try to see the good in every person, and to focus on the good. Let’s create a new Israeli reality, one of acceptance, brotherhood, and unity. Together we can [said by a Chassid with long peyos].”

The final phrase of the video, “And it’s possible” are spoken by the same sweet 8-year-old girl whose interview sparked the conflagration. How did Be a Mensch pull that one off? They contacted her mother and convinced her that her little girl could be part of the solution. That’s how Be a Mensch works.

In addition, Mensch arranged some 300 meetings between different groups in Beit Shemesh. These included 50 meetings – 3-hour meetings every Friday night for a year – between B’nai Akiva [dati leumi ] boys and Yerushalmi Chassidim. The B’nai Akiva boys actually went into the Chassidic enclave of Ramat Beit Shemesh Beit and learned Torah with the Chassidim there. The water of Torah can put out the fiercest of fires.

Scout Leaders

Be a Mensch’s most long-term victory emerged from the Beit Shemesh crisis when Israel’s Scout movement, the country’s biggest youth movement, approached Mensch to arrange meetings between their 18-year-old Scout leaders and chareidim. Knowing that the greatest influence is exerted by loving personal relationships, Mensch agreed on the condition that the meetings would be held weekly for an entire year. Now, twelve years later, with a new cadre of Scout leaders annually, the meetings (currently held every two weeks) are still going strong.

Devoting a year between high school and the army, Scout leaders often go on to assume influential positions in Israel’s political and military hierarchy. Mensch sends avreichim to meet with the male Scout leaders and young married charedi women to meet with female Scout leaders. They forge warm, personal one-on-one relationships, each talking

about what’s happening in his or her life at present. Often, they have group discussions on meaningful topics such as, “What is joy?” “How do you acquire joy?” or “Do human beings have free will?” In such discussions, the chareidim convey Torah values, and, most importantly, the message, “We care about you.”

An “ice breaker” in the initial meeting of the women is symbolically significant. They sit in a circle. A Mensch representative holds a very large ball of yarn and makes a statement about herself, such as “I’m the youngest in my family.” Holding the end of the yarn, she then tosses the ball to someone in the circle for whom that is also true. That young woman says something about herself, such as, “I have a problem with math,” and, holding the yarn, she tosses the ball to someone who shares that quality. Eventually, everyone in the circle is connected by the web of yarn – a physical representation of the spiritual reality that all of Am Yisrael are connected, for, as the Leshem and the Meshech Chachma teach, all Jews are part of the collective soul of Am Yisrael.

At the end of every year, the Scout leaders go into the army, but most of them retain their relationships with

their chareidi friends, sometimes asking to come for a Shabbos meal or requesting a mezuzah for their homes. Close to 80% of the Scout leaders decide on their own to start fasting on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av. As one Mensch director says, “We are changing the trajectory of their lives. You don’t know where it’s going to end.”

Flying High

Miraculously, Be a Mensch has become a sought-after program provider for an ever-expanding circle of Israeli organizations and institutions. They do regular encounters with pre-military academies, which are the gap-year institutions for secular 18-year-olds to prepare them for the army. As Ofir, a jeans-clad student, exclaimed after one meeting, “This dialogue obligates all of us to really find a common denominator and partnership. Because, ultimately, we are part of you, and you are part of us.”

Within the last year, the Israeli Air Force asked Be a Mensch to meet with their most exclusive squadron, fighter pilots. Fighter pilots are the elite of Israeli secular society. Starting with 270 highly screened candidates, only 41 make it through the rigors of the tests

and, after a three-year training course, become fighter pilots. It was this group that met with avreichim from Be a Mensch to learn about who the chareidim really are.

After the first meeting, one pilot declared, “This interaction was very interesting. They answered all the questions I had. Even the minor issues were addressed and answered, which I found significant. I came out of this meeting with an understanding that there is a challenge in living together…. We all want to live in the same country, but there are conflicts in our differing lifestyles. It’s very good to know and understand the other side. For someone who chooses to live in Israel, it’s a given that he will do whatever it takes [for mutual understanding].”

The interviewer then asked him, “So, do you recommend these types of meetings?”

“Passionately!” the pilot answered. “I absolutely recommend it. In my eyes, this is very significant, and we need to do it much more. That I did this only at the age of 21 is a problem. But at least I’ve done it now.”

Another pilot testified, “First of all, this was important. We’ve never had an opportunity to meet in such an intimate way. I’ve never had the chance before to speak one-on-one to a chareidi person.… There’s nothing I can do about it. They are part of my People.”

Since the first meeting, Mensch has been holding two-hour meetings with pilots twice a year. After every meeting, some of the pilots choose to continue to be in contact with the chareidim presenters. A few pilots requested to be invited to their presenter’s house in the chareidi neighborhood of Beitar.

Business Leaders

Mensch’s latest tour-de-force was initiated by a group of hi-tech business owners. They requested a tour of the Ponevezh Yeshiva and also to learn one section of Talmud in Chavrusa with yeshiva students. Mensch arranged the tour, which was eye-opening for these hi-tech entrepreneurs who live within several miles of Bnei Brak but had never seen a yeshiva in action.

Then, Mensch chose for their learning a sugya in the Gemara about cancelling a contract in halacha, a highly relevant topic for businessmen. Mensch hired outstanding avreichim, both brilliant in their knowledge of the sugya and adept in engaging people on a personal level, and paired them up with the

Meeting such brilliant people who have chosen to observe the religious precepts that their own grandparents rejected exploded the kibbutzniks’ stereotype of chareidim as primitive and backward.

Members of a kibbutz get answers to real questions

businessmen. They learned the Gemara and the commentaries together. When an avreich asked, “What do you think of this opinion?” and listened to the businessman’s answer, the avreich responded enthusiastically, “Oh, you just said the same thought as Rav Shimon Skop (or the Ktzot).”

The meeting was phenomenally successful. As one Mensch director exulted, “These businesspeople are exactly the brain type that can learn Gemara. They have a Gemara-kup. They loved it.”

One of the hi-tech moguls wrote afterwards: “A fantastic and uniquely special experience. It opened our minds through a window to an important world that was previously totally unknown to us.”

Why?

Why are secular organizations and institutions lining up for Be a Mensch programming?

On a facile level, as one Mensch director puts it, “It’s Anthropology 101. We’re a foreign culture. We’re the Indians. They want to learn about and experience the Indians. We’re exotic. It’s like they’re tired of hamburgers; they want sushi.”

Rabbi Moshe Shachor, director of Mensch programming, takes it to a deeper level. “They want us to help them connect to the chareidi community,” he explains. “This year, when the situation is very dire in terms of hatred and demonstrations, the seculars are afraid. They turn to us because they want to know us, and actually meet chareidi society. They are afraid that soon they won’t be free to lead their lives as they want. They want to be much calmer, to feel comfortable with us. They want to know that we are not so scary. Of course, we want them to keep mitzvot, but we can’t force them. It won’t work. We want them to learn, to know, to connect to Truth. We want them to choose.”

Of course, there’s a second alternative: to distance oneself from those one fears. But Rabbi Shachor claims that this is not the response of most secular Israelis. “They know that we are here to stay; it’s a done job. They want to feel more comfortable with us, to hear what we have to say.”

Surprisingly, secular Israelis are very concerned about what chareidim think of them. “In every meeting,” says Rabbi Shachor, “they ask me: What do you think about us? I say, ‘First, you are my family. You’re part of us.’ Second, I think we agree that we have a deep argument

about almost everything. But it’s an argument, not a fight. An argument like you have with your brother. In a fight, you try to beat the other side. In an argument, we can talk about it.”

There are two explosive issues raised by secular Israelis in virtually every meeting. Here are a synopsis of the replies of the Mensch representatives: Marriage. Most secular people believe that Judaism is anti-pleasure, that couples get married only to fulfill the duty to have children, that religious marriages are duty-driven rather than love-driven. Mensch representatives don’t skirt the issue. They tell them that Judaism is not against having pleasure; rather, pleasure is so important that the Torah wants it to be in the right way, with sanctity. “They actually ask me if I love my wife,” Rabbi Shachor muses.

“I tell them that the Torah wants us to live life with a high level of pleasure, not to be a monk. We play music, we go on excursions to the zoo or hiking, we

er. “You love them, and they love you.”

The biggest surprise for the Mensch representatives who go into the high schools is to see that the students don’t hate them. As Rabbi Shachor, who has been involved in hundreds of such meetings, testifies, “In secular schools, we’re excited to see that they love us. They don’t hate us, as we thought they did. We discovered that what we thought, that they hate us, is not really true. Of course, in the media and in politics, the discourse is very divisive. But in the hearts of the people, it’s not like that. And after they meet us, they love us much more, because they see that we often have the same goals, that we are a family. They also know that we have the same history, the same grandparents. Most of them know, even if they do not keep Torah, that our Torah is an integral part of the Israeli nation’s values.”

Perhaps the dynamic is as Mishlei states, “As water reflects a face back to a face, so one’s heart is reflected back

Yehuda S. (afterwards on the staff of Be a Mensch) revealed something that proved a watershed in chareidi-secular dialogue. The “social justice protests” in October of that year drew tens of thousands of secular who prioritize the Arab-Israeli conflict and 14% who think the Right-Left conflict is the most problematic.

travel to interesting places. I tell them that simcha is a hallmark of a Torah-observant life.”

Chareidim in the workforce. In typically Jewish fashion, Mensch representatives answer the question with a question: What percentage of chareidi women do you think work? What percentage of chareidi men? Most of the secular participants answer between 10% to 20%. They are shocked when they hear the real answers: 77% of chareidi women and 53% of chareidi men work.

“I don’t want you to memorize these statistics,” Rabbi Shachor says. “I just want you to realize how little you know of us.”

“As Water Reflects A Face…”

Yet, beyond the “family arguments,” there is another reason why so many secular Israelis are reaching out to meet chareidim. As Rabbi Shachor explains, “Every Jew who lives here wants achdus, because all of them understand on a deep level that we are one nation.” He points out that when religious Israelis go abroad and they meet secular Israelis, they are delighted to talk with each oth-

to him by another.” The secular groups understand that Be a Mensch is spending time, money, and energy to dialogue with them because they care about connecting with them. Thus, they respond in kind.

Beset by an expanding budget, Be a Mensch is struggling to raise funds to keep up with the growing demand. But nothing can deter it from fulfilling its holy mission.

In all its activities, Be A Mensch follows daas Torah. The Gadol they most frequently consult is HaGaon HaRav Mordchai Goldstein of Ramat Bet Shemesh Aleph, the son of Rav Tuvia Goldstein, founder of Emek Halacha in Boro Park. As the director of Mensch asserts: “I feel that the reason we have such miraculous siyata d’shmaya is because we don’t rely on our own judgement. We ask shailos.”

Rav Yitzchak Berkovits and other Israeli gedolim have given their written support to Be a Mensch.

We Care About You

In 2011, a young avreich named

Then he stood up on the stage in front of 70,000 protesters and turned the secular protest into a Jewish cause by proclaiming, “Social justice is an ancient Jewish value. Mercy and compassion for the weak are Jewish values.” The crowd erupted in applause. He continued: “Social solidarity is the mutual responsibility that Judaism defined so well. Only all of us together will succeed in generating a real revolution for real equality and solidarity among us. The struggle is a struggle of all of us.… No more divide between chilonim and chareidim! We are together, one body with one heart!”

The crowd went wild. News channels carried Yehuda’s speech, and the video of it on social media went viral, with over 100,000 “likes.”

Yehuda’s message – that we are in this together and we care about your struggles – was life-giving water to the secular crowd that was apparently thirsty to hear just such a message. As one director of Be a Mensch puts it, “The source of the secular hostility is hurt feelings. There are widespread hurt feelings among the secular public that ‘you chareidi people don’t care about us!’ What we saw with Yehuda’s appearance at the social protest movement was an Aha! moment. ‘We see that you do care about us!’”

With every meeting, Be a Mensch is proving that chareidi Jews do care about their secular brethren, as witnessed by the distribution of cholent and bottles of water last week when the leftist protestors arrived at Bnei Brak. This care vanquishes the sinas chinam that otherwise brings calamity to Am Yisrael.

And Heaven smiles.

"We're sisters"

“I have to be their window to religious people.”

It used to be peanut butter and jelly. Now it’s portobello and pesto. These are the popular sandwiches these days.

Sandwiches are a neat easy way to avoid utensils.

Or a way to limit your bread intake to just two slices.

Don’t you just love when you decide to watch what you eat and then you go to a restaurant?

There, they automatically and generously mess you up. They put a yummy basket of hot bread on the table with your name written in large letters. At least that’s what it feels like.

And then that place beside it a delicious garlic and oil dip. Can you possibly ignore it? Can you ever limit yourself to just two pieces?

Alas, the sandwich! Your savior.

Sandwiches can also be a great day trip item. But what to put inside may be where you hit your challenge!

Just think about that yummy tuna sandwich, dripping with just the right amount of mayo. Then adorned with your favorite vegetables. But is it situa-

Life C ach

Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT,

SDS

tion appropriate? Can you imagine taking it on the plane? The looks you’d get. If you took it out to eat it, you’d probably be hung out on the wing by your neighbor. This is certainly not a close quarters sandwich.

There, of course, is always the trusty

for a kid. It wouldn’t even enter their minds to finish it. They seem to consider most of it as just a handle to hold it by. Three bites in, and they are done!

Sandwiches are much less heavy for kids. By the time you finish cutting off the crust that they don’t even want to

And so far, no one has come up with a matzah sandwich that trumps a bread one.

Since we ate matzah as slaves, we eat matzah as free men and women to flip the association and to remember also not to get all puffed up. During the matzah days, we remember to remain humble and appreciative.

And when we are good with that message, and we’ve inculcated it into our psyche, then we can humbly return to enjoying a nice whole grain with portobello and pesto – or however you want to slice it!

bagel. That can be safe because you can fill it with simple cream cheese. But definitely hold the lox for tight seating arrangements.

The only problem with bagels is, dough for dough, bagels are the most dense and caloric sandwiches and therefore not your first choice for a light lunch.

Of course, they are never a bad idea

see a trace of, there’s very little they have to navigate and finish.

I know salads are the big things for adults these days, but with lighter and healthier breads available, sandwiches are making a bit of a comeback.

So enjoy your last few bites of bread, whatever you’re filling it with, because the matzah-remembering days are on their way.

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.

CLC,

If you took it out to eat it, you’d probably be hung out on the wing by your neighbor.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti, I don’t get it. It says “V’shinantam l’vanecha” – that parents should teach their children the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim, but from the amount of divrei Torah that come home, I think rebbeim and morahs think that it is “V’shinantam l’avichem!” My children want to teach me everything at the Seder. Every year, they get upset if I call on another child and they have more to say, or if I want to share something but they have another drash to give over. What do rebbeim and morahs want from us? What is the purpose of the pages and pages of divrei Torah that hold me hostage at my Seder?

-Trying to Run the Seder

A:Dear Trying to Run the Seder,

Below is a true story of a Gadol discussing your very question in V’Haish Moshe by Aaron Berry, printed in Bnei Brak in 1989, found on www.torah.org. I was humbled to have found it to validate my thoughts.

Harav Shimon Schwab, zt”l, once jokingly commented during one of his Shiurim on the Haggadah that today we have a new mitzvah of “ V’higgadita l’avicha” – And you shall tell your father! Our children come home from school weighed down with divrei Torah and Question and Answer sheets and are bursting to share their wealth of knowledge with us. However, we must bear in mind that the Torah explicitly states that the manner of the Haggadah must be “ Ki yishalchah binchah” – When your son asks you. The child must do the asking, not the parent. If the parent is asking questions and the child is providing the parent with the answers that he

learned in school, their roles are reversed. This specifically rules out use of Question & Answer sheets that the children bring home. (This is not to say that they shouldn’t be used at all. They can be used during the daytime Seudos when there is no specific mitzvah of Haggadah). The divrei Torah that add to and illuminate the actual story of Yetzias Mitzrayim may be shared. However, care must be taken that younger siblings should not be distracted from the mitzvah at hand. It is your Seder. Own it.

It is your Seder. Own it.

During the other meals, allow the little children to say “Mah Nishtana” again and show you their projects again and again (why not? They are so cute and excited!), have different children share all their divrei Torah at meals as planned in advance, invite older children to share at the night meals and try to really tune in. Children are also not competing for your attention at other meals because the meals are mapped out – who says what, and when. Trinkets and candy are still distributed as children listen to one another and compliment and engage appropriately.

Be Proactive

Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School, believes that if the children are part of the problem, make them part of the solution! He calls it Collaborative Problem Solving.

Sit them down and ask in a neutral way, “I have been noticing that you all have so much to share about the Hagaddah, but the Sedarim are not a good time to share everything. There are day meals and Shabbos meals. How do you think we should divide up the time so I can hear from you all? I am so excited!”

Watch your children amaze you as they work out the solution. Listen, maybe even take notes, and say, “This sounds really great. Let me think about it (run it by your mother?) and see if there is anything we need to tweak before we set this schedule.” Talking in advance allows the children to think calmly and rationally, and they, too, might think of a quick fix before yom tov arrives. Have trinkets and candy/chocolate to give out at the Seder as the Shulchan Aruch advises.

Ask questions, be excited, and show the children how happy you are to share and be at the Seder with them.

Two places to order little prizes for all ages are Rhode Island Novelty at www.rinovelty.com and Oriental Trading Company at www.orientaltrading.com . The food is not kosher, but they have many small items that can be used as motivational treats.

Plan for Success

Preplanning is key for educators, and at the Seder, you are the Master Educator. Look through the Haggadah and decide what your focus will be and what you want to share. Make sure you have your audience in mind. Don’t expect children to sit though straight reading of the Haggadah, or lengthy commentary that is over their heads.

Have a chag kasher v’sameach, and lots of Yiddishe nachas!

-Etti

P.S. Don’t forget to send in a note of appreciation to your children’s rebbeim and morahs after Pesach. The more specific the note, the more meaningful it is. They put so much heart into teaching your precious children what they know.

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

“How much money do I need to buy an apartment?” is a question often asked by clients trying to determine their budget.

There are a number of pieces of the financial puzzle to consider. The first piece is the price of the property. The second piece is financing. An overseas buyer can borrow up to 50% of the purchase price, and an Israeli citizen can borrow up to 75% of the purchase price for their primary residence (and 50% for additional properties).

The third piece of the puzzle is closing costs, which can add up to 13.5% above the purchase price and are paid soon after contract signing. Let’s break down these costs:

1. Acquisition tax for overseas buyers (and Israelis buying an investment property) is 8% for the first 5.35m NIS, and then 10% above. For Israeli residents buying a primary residence, the tax starts at 0% for the first 1.8m NIS, and rises.

2. Attorney: around 1% plus 17% value added tax (VAT), bringing the total cost to 1.17%.

3. Real estate agent: 2%+VAT.

4. If you obtain an Israeli mortgage,

My Israel Home Can I Afford This Apartment?

by Gedaliah borvick

mortgage brokers charge around 1%+VAT, depending on the mortgage size. In addition, banks usually charge a .25% application fee.

5. Cost to convert foreign currency to shekels: reputable forex companies charge .5%.

6. In a new project, there is often a 5,000 NIS+VAT registration fee paid to the developer’s attorney.

In addition, when buying on paper, the unpaid portion of the purchase price will be subject to the building construction index, an inflation index which has increased approximately 1.7% per annum for the past decade. However, over the past year, the index has jumped by over 5% due to rising costs for materials. One can limit this risk by front-loading the payments.

Finally, the developer of the project does not provide light fixtures, appliances, furniture, or bedroom closets. If you plan to rent out the apartment, you needn’t worry about these costs, as your tenant will bring their own appliances, closets, and furniture.

Let’s translate this information into real numbers by studying a recent trans-

action. My client had up to $550,000 in equity to buy an apartment in a new upscale project in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He is not planning to make aliyah immediately, so the acquisition tax rate starts at 8%.

The client’s question was simply: how many bedrooms can I afford?

In this project, prices for 2-bedroom units start at around 1.8m NIS = $560K, 3-bedroom units start at 2.05m NIS = $640K and 4-bedroom units start at 2.5m NIS = $775,000. For this exercise, we will talk in dollars.

Let’s start with the 4-bedroom unit and, to be conservative, round up the price to $800,000. A 50% mortgage will be $400,000 and the closing costs will total $108,000 (this does not include the building construction index, as we cannot predict the coming years’ rates due to the current volatility), so the buyer will need $508,000 before paying for furniture, bedroom closets, and appliances. One should expect to add another $50,000 to cover these costs, plus another $10K to upgrade the kitchen (although the developer gives nice finishes, our Anglo clients usually upgrade their kitchens). The

cash outlay totals almost $570K which is above our clients’ $550K budget. (In comparison, if the buyer was making aliyah, the cash requirement would be almost halved, as they can borrow 75% and the acquisition tax would be significantly lower.)

We then focused on 3-bedroom apartments. Prices start at $658,000 and our client liked a nicer unit for $700,000. The mortgage will be $350,000 and the closing costs will be $95,000. Adding $60K for the upgraded kitchen, appliances, closets and furniture, the total cash outlay is $505,000. Bingo – we had a good fit!

Once we put together all the pieces of the puzzle, our client understood the transaction’s real numbers, and they moved forward and closed on the purchase of a 3-bedroom apartment.

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@gmail.com.

Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph

In The K tchen

One Pan Pepper Steak and Broccoli

by Naomi Nachman

Ingredients

◦ 4 lbs. pepper steak

◦ 1 cup potato starch

◦ 1 teaspoon paprika

◦ ½ teaspoon garlic powder

◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

◦ 3 large onions, sliced into ½ moon rings

◦ ½ cup orange juice

◦ ½ cup BBQ sauce

◦ ½ cup honey

◦ ½ cup teriyaki sauce

◦ 6 cloves garlic

◦ 1 large package of frozen broccoli florets

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 275°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix the potato starch and spices together.

3. Dredge each piece of pepper steak in the potato starch on both sides and place it in an oven to tableware dish.

4. Repeat with remaining slices of steak. Set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients to make the sauce.

6. Place onions on top of the meat, pour the sauce over the meat and onions, and toss well.

7. Cover with heavy duty foil and bake for 2½ hours.

8. Take out the meat and add the frozen broccoli and bake for another hour covered.

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.

We are always so focused on yom tov recipes, however, chol hamoed meals are also challenging. I have created this one-pan wonder just for chol hamoed.

GLUTEN FREE & Kosher for Pesach!

by Mrs. ElainE bodEnhEiMEr GlutEnFrEE@baltiMorEJEwishhoME coM

what you will need:

2 eggs

3 Tbl Oil

1/3 tsp Salt

3/4 Cup plus 2 Tbl Instant Potato Flakes

preparation:

1. Beat eggs slightly with fork.

2. Add oil, salt, and potato flakes.

3. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. If mixture is too loose, add more potato flakes. Form knaidlach and drop into boiling salted water.

4. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

what you will need:

2 eggs, separated

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 ¼ cups potato starch

preparation:

1/3 cup oil

½ - 1/3 cup blueberries (or mini chocolate chips)

2 Tbl of sugar and 2 tsp. of cinnamon mixed together

1. Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Slowly add sugar, baking powder, potato starch, egg yolks, and oil.

3. Spoon scant ¼ cup of batter into cupcake holders. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool and enjoy for anytime!

GLUTEN FREE & Kosher for Pesach!

by Mrs. ElainE bodEnhEiMEr GlutEnFrEE@baltiMorEJEwishhoME.coM

what you will need:

3 egg whites

3/4 cup extra fine sugar

The proportions are 1 egg white to 1/4 cup sugar.

preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. If you don’t have extra fine sugar, you may take regular sugar and process in food processor for a minute.

3. Beat egg whites until frothy. Slowly add sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until whites are stiff and glossy. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoons or squeeze through a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip -onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, and shut off oven (or just use time bake setting), and leave in oven for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Store in airtight container. (This is critical!)

what you will need:

For the Cake:

6 eggs

6 Tbl sugar

6 Tbl potato starch

1 Tbl vanilla sugar

6 Tbl vanilla icing

4 Tbl chocolate sprinkles

preparation:

For the Filling: 16 oz. pareve whipping cream

1 oz. instant vanilla pudding (or you can use any flavor you like)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar, slowly, until whites are stiff. Into same bowl, gently add egg yolks, potato starch, and vanilla sugar. Spread batter onto parchment-lined large cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes or until sponge cake is light brown.

4. Cool. Remove from parchment paper.

5. Beat whipping cream, and when almost completely beaten, add instant pudding. Spread evenly over cooled sponge cake. Roll up the long way, to get the most pieces out of the cake. Spread icing over rolled-up cake and distribute sprinkles all over the cake.

vanilla custard roll cake

GLUTEN FREE & Kosher for Pesach!

by Mrs. ElainE bodEnhEiMEr GlutEnFrEE@baltiMorEJEwishhoME.coM

what you will need:

7 eggs- separated

1 cup sugar- divided juice of 1 lemon

½ cup potato starch

¼ cup cake meal

preparation:

To make cake:

16 oz. Rich Whip- defrosted

1 quart strawberries, cleaned

3 Tbl. sugar

1. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add ¼ cup sugar, and continue to beat until stiff. Set aside.

strawberry shortcake

To make filling:

Enjoy!

2. In another bowl, beat yolks for 2 minutes. Add ¾ cup of sugar, and continue to beat until light and golden. Add lemon juice, potato starch, and cake meal. When incorporated, slowly add stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 325 degrees and bake for 15 minutes more. When medium brown, remove from oven and invert onto table until completely cooled.

3. Cut cake in half through diameter. Beat Rich Whip and add 3 Tbl sugar, and beat until stiff and glossy. Put ½ of the whipped cream into another bowl. Cut up ½ of the strawberries and add to the whipped cream in the bowl. Smear the strawberry-cream mixture onto the bottom layer of the cake. Place top layer over cream mixture, and spread rest of whipped cream on top.

4. Decorate with the remaining strawberries, as shown.

what you will need:

1 cup sugar

1 cup pecans

¼ cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup cocoa

preparation:

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place nuts in food processor and chop. Add rest of ingredients and process together. Drop by teaspoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes. The cookies will harden as they cool.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Double Chocolate Cookies

GLUTEN FREE & Kosher for Pesach!

by Mrs. ElainE bodEnhEiMEr GlutEnFrEE@baltiMorEJEwishhoME.coM

what you will need:

6 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups oil

¾ cup cocoa

preparation:

chocolate cake the best!

For cupcakes:

¾ cup potato starch

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased bundt pan or a 9x 13 pan. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over top.

1. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Spoon a scant ¼ cup of the batter into each cupcake liner. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. To decorate, use homemade frosting and fill into pastry bag fitted with a #21 decorating tip. Decorate tops by starting along the outer edge of the cupcake and using a circular spiral motion, ending up in the center of the cupcake. Scatter colored sprinkles (or whatever you like) on the top.

chocolate marble cake

what you will need:

6 eggs

2 cups sugar plus an additional 3 Tbl sugar

1 cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

preparation:

2 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ cups gluten-free cake meal

½ cup cocoa

¼ tsp salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

2. With an electric mixer, beat eggs with 2 cups sugar until light and creamy. Gradually add oil, vanilla, baking powder, cake meal, and salt. Beat until combined. Pour 2/3 of the batter into greased pan.

3. Add cocoa and 3 Tbl sugar to remaining 1/3 of the batter. Mix until smooth. Pour chocolate batter over pan and swirl with knife to marbleize. Bake one hour or until cake tester comes out clean.

Health & F tness

Healthy Habits for a Happy Pesach

By Tehila Soskel, RDN, CDN

In just a few nights, we will be sitting down for the Pesach seder. We are surrounded by all the delicious food and desserts, some so tasteful it even tastes like chometz. However, as with any holiday, it can also be a time of overindulgence, with delicious foods and treats tempting us at every turn. Here are some easy tips to help you stay on track and feel your best over Pesach.

The Sedarim

Erev Pesach is a pretty busy day, from finishing your last bites of chametz to biur chametz to finishing up those last-minute things around the house. Regardless of how busy you may be, making yourself a priority and fueling your body is key. It’s important you make sure to eat all your meals, especially the day of Pesach. Having the mindset to save your calories for later will backfire, causing you to overeat later on. Aim to eat a high-protein breakfast, which will help set up your day for success by giving your body the energy it needs. Some high-protein breakfast ideas are eggs on whole wheat toast and sauteed vegetables, oatmeal topped with fruit and chia seeds, and a non-fat yogurt parfait –all quick and easy breakfast ideas to start your day off well. While you may be running around and preoccupied, make sure to sit down for lunch as the Seder does not start until very late.

The Sedarim are a really special time so try to be patient and stay present. After eating all the matzah and the foods required at the Seder, you will probably be pretty full. I’m sure there will be delicious food served whether you are home or away. Be in tune with your body and eat until you are satisfied; you don’t need to try everything on the table.

Try getting creative with your recipes and make healthy substitutions. For example, try swapping out matzah balls for zucchini or sweet potato balls. You can also opt for leaner cuts of meats. If you are on a program with all the delicious endless food options, gauge yourself as if you are home with all the tasty food options.

For breakfast, skip on all the desserts and sweet “carbs,” enticing as they may be. Fill up your plates with protein and lots of vegetables. Take advantage of all the fresh fruit, cut up vegetables, and crisp salads. It’s very doable to go away and eat mindfully and choose the healthier options which will help you feel your best.

Be Prepared

Growing up, chol hamoed meant going on all the exciting trips and was always my favorite time. Some people find it trickier to eat healthy while away all day, understandably so.

Firstly, always remember to pack your snacks. No one wants to be hungry or around people who get “hangry.” Waiting too long between meals will only cause you to overeat later on. Additionally, packing along snacks will help you have more energy, which is needed if you’re going to be out all day. Some snacks that are easy to prepare and pack are hardboiled eggs, string cheese sticks, avocado, fresh fruit, and sliced vegetables like carrots and cucumbers.

Meal prep ahead of time so it’s not too overwhelming. You can prepare tuna ahead of time for sandwiches, wash and check the lettuce for salads (or buy prechecked), boil hardboiled eggs and keep them in the fridge. Prepping ahead of time

will make your life much less stressful.

Remember, balanced meals are key. Some filling lunch ideas are salmon with roasted vegetables and a baked sweet potato, a salad with hardboiled eggs topped with quinoa, vegetable tuna on a slice of whole wheat matzah or crackers, and chicken or turkey salad.

Be Active

During any holiday, it can be easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle, spending hours sitting at the table or relaxing with family and friends. However, staying active is important for both your physical and mental health. Try to incorporate some physical activity into your day. Take a walk after your meals; walk to a friend, and try to get some fresh air, which is both healthy mentally and physically.

If you are traveling to a warm place, then you should definitely be taking advantage of the weather! Go for a swim, bike, or move your workouts outdoors.

Exercise has endless health benefits from weight loss to reducing the risk of certain diseases; being physically active is key. Especially after eating so many meals and sitting around, physical activity is so important for your mental health. Exercise helps reduce anxiety, stress, and enhances your overall mood. If you are feeling overwhelmed over the long holiday, get outside!

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated in general is always imperative but especially over Pesach, and with the weather warming up. Drinking plenty of water can help you boost your metabolism and keep your energy levels up. There is a lot more food being served, most with higher sodium content than usual, so be extra mindful to hydrate.

Start drinking as soon as you wake up. Don’t wait until the end of the day to take your first sip. Drinking enough water also helps improve your mood and sleep quality. Try aiming for at least eight cups of water daily.

Don’t Stress

While it’s important to stay on track with your health goals over Pesach, it’s also important to practice moderation. Don’t restrict yourself too much. Telling yourself that something is completely off limits will only make you want it more. Allow yourself to have some of your favorite food or treats – but in moderation. One or two pieces won’t ruin your progress. Try to stick to a healthy balance of nutritious foods and listen to your body’s hunger cues. Try to get in exercise, even if it means you can only do a little bit. A little bit is better than nothing. Exercise is an incredibly healthy outlet that does wonders for you mentally, so whatever you can do, do it.

As I always say, the most important thing is to remember to be present. Yom tov comes and goes so quickly so it’s important to just enjoy all the wonderful moments.

Have a beautiful Shabbos and Pesach!

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

Parenting Pearls

Self-Care

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Iknow that discussing self-care may sound like a terrible topic for this time period. Grocery shopping feels competitive – it’s bumper cars with the carts. We’ve declared war on errant Cheerios and a sudden affection for potato starch. The house looks like it was turned upside down, yet we call this huge mess “cleaning.” This is all despite the fact that the house need not be clean, just free of chometz. This is the busiest time of the year, yet here is an article on self-care.

Yes, exactly when we are experiencing the greatest upheaval is when we need to prioritize a little time for ourselves. The more stress we are experiencing, the more we need to prioritize our emotional health. Parents who don’t make time to relax and reorient themselves are likely to scream at their children, or worse. Now, more than ever, we need to practice self-care.

We are creating lifelong memories for our children. Thinking back to their childhood, we want our children to have smiles as they think of fun, togetherness, and laughter. Memories of being silly, taking trips, and eating food that tastes like Pesach should dominate their consciousness. Yelling, screaming, and feeling tread upon should not.

As adults, our children will not think fondly of organized drawers if all they remember is raised voices. They won’t care if we spent more or less time preparing the meal nor will they think wistfully, “We always had three new salads per meal” if they’d been treated harshly.

They will remember Pesach fondly if we blast the music a bit, take a detour to the park, or even just eat pizza huddled on the porch – if we’re doing it together cheerfully. We want them to reminisce about smiles, laughter, and good times. Only a calm parent – one who has maintained their own sanity – can provide this. Even if all we do is not yell as much, we’ve made significant progress.

Prioritizing

We tend to not prioritize our own needs, which is natural when we have kids and so

many other tasks vying for our attention. Younger kids and infants, in particular, are a full-time job that doesn’t even offer bathroom breaks. It’s not uncommon to find parents forgetting to eat. Showering involves careful planning, and basic errands require advanced strategies. Time to “relax” – if we even still understand the word – takes a backseat.

We take our job as parents seriously, and we want to do it well. We will obviously put our child’s needs first and tend to all they require. This is true, and we do need to prioritize our children. But, part of prioritizing our children is taking care of ourselves and ensuring we can be the best parent we can be.

We can only give from what we have, and if we deplete our energy stores, we are left with little left to give to our precious children. Our children deserve emotionally strong parents, and it’s up to us to maintain that strength.

When we recognize the importance of putting our emotional health first, we will work harder to fit it into our schedule. Even the busiest parent takes breaks for basic human needs, and we should put our selfcare in that category.

Easy Ideas

Taking care of ourselves doesn’t need to be complicated. We may picture grandiose ideas but never get to them. Often, it’s the small things that we can do with ease that add up to meaningful time for ourselves. Take something you can do easily, and make it happen. Consistency is important, too.

Each person is unique, and the key is to find what works for each individual. Some people enjoy being home, curled up with a new book; others enjoy being outdoors breathing fresh air.

While I like to include ideas, this is truly an area where we need to pick and choose what does and doesn’t work. For example, many women find a manicure to be incredibly relaxing. Making time for a mani is the perfect way for them to prioritize themselves. Personally, I don’t find it soothing

to get my nails done and shouldn’t choose that as my “me time.”

Whatever you choose doesn’t need to be fancy. Truthfully, the easier it is to work into a busy schedule, the more likely we are to do it. The simple time we make is better than the grandiose plans we can’t accomplish. It can be strolling on the boardwalk and watching the ocean, exercising, or taking a pottery class. It can be formal or informal. Even time for a relaxing hobby can be sufficient.

Creating Time

Many of our readers are likely to argue they don’t have the time; this author will agree with you. Between all the extra preparations in the house, shopping for food, purchasing clothing and other yom tov essentials, there isn’t time for the regular maintenance that every home requires. It’s hard enough to make Pesach while maintaining the regular daily tasks; who can think of finding extra time?

Time can be used more efficiently or serve two jobs simultaneously. This can also be called “making something from nothing.” We can take tasks we’re already doing and breathe some calm into them. The key is to find what soothes our unique selves and make that happen. This may mean a hot beverage being slowly sipped while creating a menu or reading The Jewish Home. A shower can be extended or turned into a bath. You need to eat at some point, and lunch can be eaten out with a friend or even by yourself. The body requires continuous breathing; relaxation breathing techniques can be a wonderful way to calm the body. Take a brief walk between errands or when shopping. Shop alone or with friends, whichever gives you a feeling of calm. Add music you enjoy or even a few minutes of reading. Just focus-

ing on ourselves and relaxing the mind can turn a regular task into feeling a bit more indulgent.

We can also reframe the time we do have and use it more meaningfully. I used to get frustrated when I had to stop my Pesach preparations for a nursing baby. I could be almost done with a major job, but when the baby got hungry, the world had to stop. Eventually, I was able to look at the situation very differently. Yes, it was annoying to be interrupted in the middle of something important, but it also gave me an opportunity to put my feet up and relax with my little one. Truthfully, while the house needs to get done, providing nutrition to my little one was no less important and could even be viewed as a little vacation when I set my mind in that direction.

Keep Preparations Simple

There is so much we do that isn’t necessary. Prioritizing our time also means choosing which tasks are truly important. Now may not be the best time to organize a child’s closet or remove their winter wardrobe. When we stick to halacha and what’s absolutely necessary, we can keep ourselves focused where we really need to be. Clarify the halachic requirements, as needed, to ensure your limited, precious time is being utilized optimally.

We can add some fun and take the insanity a little less seriously. Making time for ourselves is one way we can uplift this yom tov, not only for ourselves but for our entire family. We, too, came out of Mitzrayim and deserve to feel some geulah.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at Rayvych Homeschool@gmail.com.

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Considering how much Americans think about retirement, it’s sometimes hard to realize what a new concept that phase of life really is. It wasn’t too long ago that you worked right up until you died. Or, if you were lucky, you took good care of your kids at the beginning of their lives – then you sent them off to work in the coal mine or bobbin factory at age eight and hoped they would return the favor for a couple of years at the end of yours.

Today, Americans who want to spend retirement playing in the Florida sun instead of clipping supermarket coupons face a decades-long challenge. How do you cobble together an adequate income from the three-legged stool of social security, employer-sponsored pensions, and personal savings? Some succeed; others fail. Most manage to somehow muddle through. (As the Greek philosopher Mediocrates once said, “Ehhhh . . . that’s good enough.”)

Americans aren’t alone in struggling with how to support our seniors after their working years. Right now, France is torn over pension benefits, and taxes play a big part in that debate.

France currently has 42 different retirement systems tied to different companies, unions, and professions. What they

Your Money Quelle Horreur!

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

all have in common are pay-as-you-go financing and generous benefits, with an average “replacement ratio” of 74%. (Social Security pays 51%.) It’s expensive –France spends 14% of its gross domestic product on pensions. (It’s 6.4% here.) And the statutory retirement age is just 62, which leaves retirees with decades to en-

sleight-of-hand to push it through without a vote. Protestors flooded the Place de la Concorde, where Marie Antoinette said, “Let them have their cake and eat it, too,” before she lost her head. French police have made hundreds of arrests, and Macron’s polling numbers have dropped below Pepe LePew’s, oops.

to go higher. In fact, French tax collectors have started using artificial intelligence to scan open-source satellite images to catch homeowners who don’t pay property taxes on backyard pools – which sounds like the tax collector’s equivalent of scrounging cushions for spare change.

Back here in the U.S., taxes play a huge role in retirement planning. Should you stuff your savings into tax-deferred accounts and hope you’ll be paying less when you take them out decades from now? Or should you choose a Roth alternative and pay now to avoid a bigger hit later? Will this year’s choice still be right next year? How optimistic are you that the next pandemic won’t turn us all into zombies and make the whole question moot?

joy le Beaujolais nouveau and les croque monsieurs. They’ve even got pickleball!

Here’s the problem. The population in France, like populations everywhere, is getting older. In 2020, there were 1.7 workers paying into the system for every retiree getting benefits; by 2070, there will be only 1.2 paying in. President Emmanuel Macron has long favored raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Last week, he used some constitutional

French unions seem open to simplifying the system so long as benefits don’t take a hit. They would rather see the government raise the social charges that finance pensions or income taxes on wealthy households. Right now, the social charge is 9.7% on salaries and 17.2% on investments. And the top tax rate is 45% on income over €157,807, or roughly $168,000. Those rates are already high enough that Macron’s party is reluctant

This time of year, millions of Americans put more planning into their March Madness brackets than they do into their retirement. If you’re one of them, call us before your #1 seed, “retiring in style,” gets upset! We promise not to judge.

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

The statutory retirement age is just 62, which leaves retirees with decades to enjoy le Beaujolais nouveau and les croque monsieurs . They’ve even got pickleball!