Baltimore Jewish Home - 4-23-20 by Moshe Rubin

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

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Preparing Our Community Today For a Safe and Secure Tomorrow ™ The Chesed Fund Limited is dedicated in memory of Mordechai & Rebecca Kapiloff, ‫ע”ה‬, Dr. Bernard Kapiloff, ‫ע”ה‬, and Rabbi Norman & Louise Gerstenfeld, ‫ע”ה‬,. Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc. is dedicated in memory of M. Leo Storch, ‫ע”ה‬.

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Call First

APRIL 23, 2020

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM HATZALAH OF BALTIMORE Hatzalah is grateful that the community is only calling for true medical emergencies. This avails our resources to those who are truly in need. Although COVID-19 is on the forefront of all our minds, please do not hesitate to call Hatzalah for non COVID-19 emergencies. Heart attacks, strokes and other emergencies still occur, and care should not be delayed out of concern that emergency rooms are “full” of COVID-19 patients. Fortunately, due to the community compliance with social distancing and working together to be proactive, the need for COVID-19 emergency transports has been relatively low. Please continue these efforts.

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IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF e r : a c ls h t N-95 Face Masks & l ona a e si H s r e o f Face Shields F ro P The Chesed Fund and Project Ezra still has a limited free supply available.

CONTENTS COMMUNITY Around the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

Dalya Attar End of Session Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . 38

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Zvi Teichman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Rabbi Berel Wein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

PEOPLE 613 Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

LIFESTYLES World Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Israel Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Dating Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Rav Avichai Rontzki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Health and Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Mental Health Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Forgotten Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Gluten Free Recipe Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Dear Readers, Pesach might be behind us but there’s still plenty of Mitzrayim to leave. Indeed, it says “kimei tzetcha m’eretz Mitzrayim...” – with kimei in the plural. Leaving Mitzrayim wasn’t a “one and done.” We may have left the geographical territory of Egypt, but we need to escape that which it represents on a daily basis. It is for this reason we remember our departure from Egypt every day. Interestingly, as we said in the Haggadah, we will continue to recount yetzias Mitzraim even after the geulah shleimah. The simple reason is that, like with building a Lego set, at least half the thrill is in the actual building and challenges that come with it. We may be experiencing spiritual bliss in the coming redemption, but we’ll always look back longingly to the sweat and hard work we expended in keeping the Torah and mitzvos in golus. Having said that, we need Moshiach now! We are living in unprecedented times. Who would have believed a few short months ago that a virus would be able to cripple the entire world, sparing not one continent? How many of us were sure that Moshiach was coming over Pesach? How many children and adults this year had the thought in the back of their mind that this year, when opening the door during the Seder for Eliyahu, that he would be standing there to greet us? As we stand and Daven every day that this Magayfa will soon be over, it has never been clearer in recent times how desperately we need this galus to end. But we are a stiff-necked nation. Although eternally grateful for the miraculous success the Jewish people and the State of Israel has had, our eyes are still on the goal: redemption from sadness and pain, marking a time when the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d. May it come speedily in our days. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos, Shalom

Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Life Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

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NEWS Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. All opinions expressed by the journalists, contributors and/or advertisers printed and/or quoted herein are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, Internet or another medium. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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APRIL 23, 2020

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Around the Community

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

Governor Hogan Procures 500K Coronavirus Tests From South Korea For Maryland

By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

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aryland has obtained hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests from South Korea. Gubernatorial spokesman Mike Ricci tweeted at noon Monday: “After weeks of diplomatic discussions and procurement efforts, the state of Maryland has acquired *500,000* COVID-19 tests from LabGenomics in South Korea.” The New York Times reported Monday morning that a Korean Air flight touched down Saturday at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport carrying 5,000 tests kits. The Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies gave their seal of approval as the plane was landing. Hogan told the Times via tele-

phone: “I was frosted because my team was saying that the FDA approval was going to hold it up. I didn’t care and was going to get the tests anyway.” As of Monday morning, Maryland has at least 13,684 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 516 confirmed deaths. More numbers here. The governor has repeatedly said the lack of testing is Maryland’s biggest problem in the pandemic. As governor and chairman of National Governors Association, Hogan has repeatedly pushed federal officials to get more test kits and supplies to administer and process those tests. Federal officials have failed to respond, which 11 News reported from Federal Emergency Management Agency documents released by a House oversight committee a few weeks ago that shows Maryland received none of the 100,000 swabs requested.

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Free Breakfast and Lunch Meals Program Resumes By: BJLife Newsroom

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

his tremendous chesed is back in full swing. BJH on behalf of the whole community would like to thank everyone involved in making this happen and give you the ‫ ברכה‬of ‫כל‬

‫ הקדוש‬..‫מי שעוסקים בצרכי צבור‬ ‫ ויסיר מהם‬ ‫ברוך הוא ישלם שכרם‬ ‫ וישלח ברכה והצלחה‬...‫כל מחלה‬ ‫בכל מעשה ידיהם‬.

Starting this past Monday April 20th, free breakfast and lunch meals are once again being distributed at Bnos Yisroel from 12-1:30 (both

ry, we’ve got you covered! Dinner and snack (for any child 18 and under) will be distributed in the Club Center parking lot. Please use the rear Bedford Avenue entrance, and pull around to the front of Mama Leahs, and exit at side entrance at McHenry. Pickup from 11am-5pm on Monday, and Wednesday. (Monday pickup this week will include dinner for MonTues, and Wednesday pickup will include dinner for Wed-Thurs). The following week’s pickup will be 11am-5pm on Sunday (for SunMon meals) and Tues (for Tues-Thurs meals.)

Important Message From Hatzalah Of Baltimore By: BJLife Newsroom BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

atzalah is grateful that the community is only calling for true medical emergencies. This avails our resourc-

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meals will be packaged for pickup). Please leave the second row passenger seat open so the meals can be dropped into that seat via open window or sliding door. Please mark clearly on a large piece of paper the number of children’s meals requested and have the passenger hold it up or prop it on the passenger side window. Monday and Wednesday lunches will be fleishig, Tuesday and Thursday lunches will be milchig. Please access Bnos via Park Heights Southbound (then a right turn) to West Strathmore. What about dinner? Don’t wor-

es to those who are truly in need. Although COVID-19 is on the forefront of all our minds, please do not hesitate to call Hatzalah for non COVID-19 emergencies. Heart attacks, strokes and other emergencies still occur, and care should not be delayed out of concern that emergency rooms are “full”

of COVID-19 patients. Fortunately, due to the community compliance with social distancing and working together to be proactive, the need for COVID-19 emergency transports has been relatively low. Please continue these efforts.

Monday- Parve, Tuesday & Thursday are Milchig, and Wednesday is Fleishig. Please leave the second row passenger seat open so the meals can be dropped into that seat via open window or sliding door, or open trunk. Please mark clearly on a large piece of paper the number of children’s meals requested and have the passenger hold it up or prop it on the passenger side window.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

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Around the Community

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

26 Nisan 5780 April 20, 2020 To the members of our Baltimore Community, Notwithstanding recent public discussion about the loosening of social distancing restrictions, the Vaad HaRabbonim reiterates its strongly held belief and mandate that all previously announced social distancing protocols must continue in full force. We want to specifically reinforce the prohibition on the creation of minyanim (in private homes, porches and backyards) and hosting out of town company. We urge our community to adhere to the guidelines limiting social contact to the people within your home. We know that current conditions have been very difficult. But, please take comfort in the fact that Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ezras Hashem, your efforts and sacrifices have made a dramatic difference and have saved lives. We encourage all of those who Bâ&#x20AC;?H will be celebrating weddings in the coming weeks and months to contact weddings@jcovid.com. We have a team of rabbonim and infectious disease experts who will gladly work with the baalei simcha to develop halachically and medicallyappropriate wedding arrangements. Please continue to do your part. We daven that the merit of our collective actions should bring forth the Ribbono Shel Olam's refuah (healing) and yeshua (deliverance) for our Baltimore community, for Klal Yisrael, and for all members of our global society.

for the whole family.

Please check your Tzedaka boxes...

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keep busy, here is a wonderful Mitzvah and Chinuch opportunity

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With Covid-19 keeping us indoors, and our children trying to

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at Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

EVERY PENNY COUNTS

APRIL 23, 2020

Have the kids open your Ahavas Yisrael Tzedakah box and count the money. After counting any money - change or bills - be sure to scrub your hands well! Mail a check to:

Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund 115 Sudbrook Lane, Suite E Baltimore Maryland 21208

Or go to:

www.AhavasYisrael.org

and donate the amount of the contents of your box, plus a 3% processing fee under general tzedaka

Local Rabbonim have suggested that since people are not presently in shul, they should put one dollar a day in their Pushka at home and then send it to Ahavas Yisrael

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

...and we need it now!

Around the Community

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

Hogan Announces Factors Maryland Must Meet In Order To Consider Reopening By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

or weeks now, the state-mandated stay-home order has nearly shutdown Maryland, and to see the state reopen, Gov. Larry Hogan said three factors must be met. According to Hogan, those three factors involve numbers on hospitalizations, ICU patients and deaths related to the coronavirus. If those numbers stay down for two weeks, Hogan said officials could consider re-opening the state. At Golden West Cafe on The Avenue in Hampden, curbside service is booming as no one is allowed inside

of the restaurant since the governor enacted a stay-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak. “I’m a manager, I’m a server and, right now, we’re the COVID crew of the window,” Morgan Cawley said. The long lines at the Golden West Cafe have dwindled as the mandate hit restaurants and other store’s bottom lines. “We don’t nearly have the sales that we used to have with having people dine in, but it’s actually really humbling, too, because people come here, they want to support us. They’re super kind to us. We’ve done a virtual tip jar for all of our employees,” Cawley said. “We are beginning to see some

hopeful and encouraging signs,” Hogan said. Hogan announced new steps that must be taken, he said, in order to consider lifting restrictions.

“You have to have 14 days of numbers going down on hospitalization rates, on ICU beds, and on deaths,” he said. Hogan added a new plan called Maryland’s Roadmap to Recovery. It has four parts that have to be in place: More coronavirus testing, more hospital space, more personal protective equipment and in-depth contact tracing. “Our incredible team has been making significant progress on every one of these criteria,” Hogan said. That progress for workers is what many are left holding on to, yet remaining hopeful, to see the end of the shutdown.

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Thank you to every member of our wonderful community who have joined together in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. For over 40 years, Ahavas Yisrael has been there for members of our community in times of crises. Likewise, members of our community have been there for Ahavas Yisrael, helping us in fulfilling our mission to help those in need.

"Thank you for helping your neighbors. Thank you helping us save lives."

If you have not yet contributed to Ahavas Yisrael's campaign, please do so at: www.AYCovidResponse.com

C VID-19 AHAVAS YISRAEL

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

To date, over 3000 individual donors have contributed to our COVID-19 Emergency Response Campaign. To each and every one of you, we say,

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

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Heshie Klein cers as they come and go off various shifts.

since 1993. What do you love most about the Baltimore Jewish community? Its cohesiveness. people from all walks of life really care for one another. We are a beautiful mosaic of life.

Tell us about yourself. My name is Heshie Klein. I am happily married B’H, for 23 years to my amazing wife Tanya. We have 8 children and over 10 grandchildren, Bli ayin horah. I attended Ner Israel, then moved to New York for a few years. I’ve been back in Baltimore

Is Shomrim operating during this pandemic? Shomrim is definitely operating during this pandemic. What is Shomrim doing to keep people safe during this time? As usual, we are doing whatever is needed to keep our community safe. We have an initiative to deploy enhanced mobile security cameras

What do you do for a living? I am a title abstractor (title searcher) by trade. in strategic locations, available to us through a company called “Vision Detection Systems,” with whom we have a great and warm relationship. We are also helping with operational logistics and traffic control for various food programs throughout our community. We maintain direct communication with both Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police, to ensure we continue having effective partnerships. We have also provided the Northwest Police District with meals for the offi-

What do you enjoy most about that work? I enjoy that it allows me to make my own schedule in order to spend time with my family and to continue doing my volunteer work. Anything else you would like to share with our 10,000+ readers? I feel totally blessed and would like to publicly thank Hashem for his tremendous good that He bestows upon me and my family. Thank you.

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What local organizations are you involved with? I am involved with the Glen Neighborhood Improvement Assn., where I am now a board member. I am also a founding member of Baltimore Shomrim and the current vice President.

How could one donate to Shomrim to show their appreciation? To donate, one can go to our website www.shomrim.net and choose one of the options there.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

The Week In News

Gantz and Netanyahu ink unity deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz agreed on Monday evening to establish a unity government, ending more than a year of political deadlock. The agreement was announced minutes before the Yom Hashoah Holocaust Memorial Day began and

came following weeks of negotiations. However, the deal is not final, with major differences needed to be ironed out between the two sides before the government is slated to be sworn in next week. In a statement, Gantz and Netanyahu said that the agreement was to form “an emergency coronavirus government” for the next sixth months in order to tackle the pandemic. As such, both the Likud and Kahol Lavan will refrain from tabling controversial legislation that would risk toppling the coalition and send Israelis back to the polls for the fourth time. However, this clause does not include the annexation of the Jordan Valley in Judea and Samaria. A controversial proposal that Netanyahu seeks to ram through the Knesset before July

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1st, Gantz had initially opposed such a move before backing down at the last second. According to the wording of the agreement, Netanyahu is merely required to “consult with his coalition partners” before moving ahead with annexation.

ister while fellow party member Itzik Shmuli is tapped to head the Welfare Ministry. The haredi parties would retain control over the powerful Knesset Finance Committee as well as the Interior, Health, and Religious Affairs Ministry. At this stage, it is unclear if the Religious-Zionist Yamina party will agree to join the coalition. Netanyahu has offered Yamina Chairman Naftali Bennett the low-status Education Ministry while giving the leftist Kahol Lavan highly influential ministries, leading Yamina to declare that it has “no place in a clearly left-wing government”. "I promised the State of Israel a In an attempt to head off criticism national emergency government. To from his right-wing base, Netanyahu work to save the lives and livelihoods promised that he would continue to of Israeli citizens” said Netanyahu. advance right-wing legislation even Minutes earlier, Gantz tweeted that without Yamina in the government. “We prevented a fourth election. We “The prime minister said that the eswill maintain [Israel’s} democracy. tablishment of a unity government in We are fighting the coronavirus and the face of the coronavirus pandemic taking care of all Israeli citizens.” is a national imperative,” said the LiThe government will be Israel’s kud in a statement. first in 484 days, following political . “The prime minister pledged that deadlock that resulted in an unprec- he will continue to uphold the prinedented three elections over the past ciples of the national camp and the year. The coalition would include 72 right-wing bloc within the unity govlawmakers from the Likud, Kahol La- ernment.” van, Labor, and the haredi Shas and UTJ factions. NEt The emerging coalition deal would see Netanyahu remain as prime minister for the next 18 months until he would be replaced by Gantz. Should Netanyahu dissolve the Knesset and announce new elections during this time, Gantz would automatically beUnited Hatzala President Eli Beer come prime minister. In addition, new elections would returned to Israel on Monday evening automatically be called should Israel’s after spending weeks in life-threatenHigh Court prevent Netanyahu from ing conditions due to contracting the serving as prime minister due to the coronavirus. Beer was transported back to Isramultiple criminal incidents against him. Netanyahu is scheduled to begin el on a private plane belonging to cahis criminal trial on May 24th in Je- sino mogul Sheldon Adelson. He was rusalem regarding allegations of brib- seen off by a parade of wellwishers, ery, fraud, and breach of trust, leading friends, and local community officials. to speculation that the justices would prevent him from serving as Israel’s highest elected official. The government would feature 36 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, making it the largest in the country’s history. Kahol Lavan would control the powerful Foreign, Defense and Justice Education Ministries, while Likud would retain the Finance Min“I’m so happy to have spoken istry. Meanwhile, Labor head Amir Peretz would become Economy Min- to Eli BEertonight, who is recover-

Benjamin Jessurun 410-443-0771 bjessurun@allstate.com

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United Hatzala head Eli Beer recovers from coronavirus

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The Week In News ing nicely, from a serious fight with COVID-19, which he is now winning” tweeted Bel Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman. He is upbeat, grateful, and looking forward to getting back home to his family in Israel soon!” Beer had contracted the virus while fundraising in the United States last month. The Hatzalah head was reportedly on his deathbed and spent three weeks in the University of Miami hospital, at one point being put on a ventilator after falling into a coma. However, Beer slowly began to recover and was finally declared disease-free earlier this week. United Hatzalah, a free ambulance and medical services organization in Israel, hailed its president’s “miraculous” recovery from the deadly virus. In a statement, Chairman Eli Pollack called Beer’s return a “medical miracle in merit of the prayers and wishes as well as his saving lives and doing good deeds”. “The family is very excited! Our feeling is indescribable,” added Beer’s daughter in an interview to Ki-

kar Shabbat. “Just a week ago doctors said he is in very serious condition and now they are releasing him. We don’t stop seeing miracles in the merit of the prayers of this wonderful nation.” “He is also excited to come home, as its been four and a half months since he was here. However, he can’t come to our apartment unfortunately as we live on the fourth floor without an elevator and he is still very weak.”

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps continues to harass US Navy Tensions between the US and Iran continued to escalate after boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) almost collided with US Navy warships in the Persian Gulf. According to a US Navy statement last Wednesday, the Iranian vessels

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approached the American warships at high speed, adding that only sudden evasive action by the US captain avoided a collision. One of the IRGC speedboats reportedly was only 30 feet away from the cutter Maui before turning around. The American vessels eventually scared off the Iranian ships by blasting powerful air horns and long-range

acoustic noises. “The US crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-tobridge radio, five short blasts from the ships’ horns and long-range acoustic noise maker devices, but received no response from the IRGCN,” said the Pentagon. “After approximately one hour, the IRGCN vessels responded to the bridge-to-bridge radio queries, then maneuvered away from the US ships and opened distance between them,” it added. “The IRGCN’s dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, [and] were not in accordance with the internationally recognized Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.” Iran denied the allegations, calling the US Navy’s version of events “an incorrect and agenda-fuelled narrative of this encounter”. In a statement, the IRGC said that it was merely protecting Iranian shipping after US forces prevented ships from leaving the port of Bandar Abbas earlier this month while engaging in “dangerous behavior while ignoring warnings”. While the US and Iran have been at odds for decades, tensions have increased ever since Quds Force Commander Qassem Solumeini was killed in a drone strike earlier this year. Ever since Iran has threatened to retaliate and has already fired a volley of missiles at US positions in Iraq.

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J Street endorses

Joe Biden J Street, a radical Israeli and Palestinian advocacy group, endorsed Joe Biden in his effort to replace President Donald Trump as America’s commander in chief. The endorsement was the first time the liberal group formally threw its weight behind a US presidential candidate. J Street had committed earlier this year to back the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. Biden accepted the endorsement, saying in a statement that he was “honored” to accept the organization’s first-ever presidential endorsement. “J Street has been a powerful voice to advance social justice here at home, and to advocate for a two-state solution that advances Middle East Peace,” said Biden. “I share with J Street’s membership an unyielding dedication to the

survival and security of Israel, and an equal commitment to creating a future of peace and opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian children alike,” Biden continued. “That’s what we have to keep working toward — and what I’ll do as President with J Street’s support.” However, Biden was slammed by more centrist Jewish organizations and commentators who said that he should not have been accepted the endorsement of what many Jews view as an anti-Israel group. ‘The Democratic Party has officially become an anti-Israeli party,” tweeted journalist Caroline Glick. Calling itself “Pro Israel and Pro Peace”, J Street was founded in 2007 to be a left-wing alternative to AIPAC. Ever since the group has infuriated many Israel supporters for its far-left stances on many issues and its support of anti-Israel politicians. In its 13 years of existence, J Street has supported some aspects of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), has lobbied

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The Week In News against anti-BDS legislation, and promoted the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It also endorsed the Goldstone Report accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, leading it to be rejected in its quest to obtain membership in the Council of American Jewish Organizations. Boasting a solid pro-Israel record over his four decades in politics, Biden has been seen as one of the Democratic Party’s friendliest candidate to the Jewish State. Earlier this year, Biden hit back at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ call to restrict military to Israel, calling it “unfathomable” that the aid would be used as pressure to end the country’s settlement policies. “I have been on the record from very early on opposing the settlements, and I think it’s a mistake,” said Biden. “But the idea that we would draw military assistance from Israel, on the condition that they change a specific policy, I find to be absolutely outrageous.”

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Biden nabs Obama endorsement Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden, giving his former Vice President’s campaign a major boost. In a lengthy 11 minute video released last Wednesday, Obama said that Biden’s four decades in politics gave him the experience to tackle challenges such as the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Obama also took aim the Republican Party, accusing the GOP of being interested solely in amassing power at the expense of ordinary citizens. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great

crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be restricted to

our homes, or our workplaces, or our neighborhoods, or our houses of worship,” said Obama. “It also has to be reflected in our national government.” “The kind of leadership that’s guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace -- that kind of leadership doesn’t just belong in our state capitols and mayors offices. It belongs in the White House,” continued Obama. “And that’s why I’m so proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States.” Obama also praised Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and urged the socialist’s young and activist base to support Biden despite fears of the latter’s insufficient progressive platform. Calling Sanders an “American original”, Obama lauded him for pushing the country “in a direction of progress and hope”. However, Obama cautioned that “We have to look to the future. Bernie understands that and Joe understands that,” he added. “It’s one of the reasons Joe already has what is the most progressive platform of any major-party nominee in history.” Pointing out that Biden edged out a historic 25 person field to become the Democratic Party’s nominee, Obama said that the former Vice President had proven his ability to defeat formidable candidates such as Trump. “Now Joe will be a better candidate for having run the gauntlet of primaries and caucuses alongside one of the most impressive Democratic fields ever. Each of our candidates were talented and decent, with a track record of accomplishment, smart ideas, and serious visions for the future,” Obama contended. “Democrats may not always agree on every detail of the best ways to bring about each and every one of these changes, but we do agree that they’re needed,” Obama said. “And that only happens if we win this election.” Winning over Sanders’ supporters has been a major imperative for Biden, who would likely struggle to defeat Trump without the support of the millions of disappointed followers of the aging Vermont socialist. Despite struggling in the early primaries, Biden has been the presumptive nominee ever since Sanders bowed out of the race earlier this month. Obama’s endorsement has

been the first time the ex-president has publically thrown his race behind a candidate since leaving office in 2017.

Will MLB move all games to Arizona? With the regular season suspended ever since the coronavirus outbreak, Major League Baseball (MLB) is examing a slew of ambitious plans that would drastically alter America’s Pastime. While the location of each aforementioned initiatives would vary,

all include resuming the season in a largely virus-free part of the United States. As per the ‘Arizona Plan’, all 30 baseball franchises move to the sun-baked state and utilize their spring training facilities there to resume the season under full quarantine. Alternatively, the teams could relocate to Texas or Florida, which has an abundance of currently-empty spring training and minor league facilities. With each facility located only a three-hour drive apart from each other, the proposal would enable the league to facilitate a full 162 game season. “Ballparks in St. Petersburg (Florida), Phoenix (Arizona), and Arlington (Texas) each have roofs, retractable or otherwise, that would safeguard against rainouts and other extreme weather, allowing for multiple games to be hosted at those sites per day,” reported CBS Sports. “Theoretically, MLB could also ask teams stationed in Florida and Texas to drive three-plus hours to other MLB parks (Houston’s Minute Maid Park and Miami’s Marlins Park).” In order to protect athletes from coronavirus outbreaks, players would be prevented from leaving the facilities and the games would be played

without fans. According to reports, MLB executives are debating cutting the games to 7 innings from the usual 9 in order to enable more games to occur without exhausting team’ pitching staffs. While refusing to comment on individual reports, MLB Commissioner Ron Manfred confirmed last week that executives were debating how to bring baseball back despite the devastating virus. “From our perspective, we don’t have a plan, we have lots of ideas,” Manfred said in an interview with Fox Business “What ideas come to fruition depends on what the restrictions are, what the public health situation is, but we are intent on the idea of making baseball a part of the economic recovery and sort of a milestone on the return to normalcy.”

Forbes ranks Israel as world’s safest country during coronavirus A study published by the prestigious Forbes financial magazine ranked Israel as the world’s safest place to be during the coronavirus outbreak. With less than 200 deaths and around 13,000 total infections, Israel

topped the index that examined how 60 different countries were reacting to the deadly pandemic. The study, which was carried out by the Deep Knowledge Group think tank, ranked countries according to a variety of factors including safety, risk, and overall treatment. After Israel was Germany, followed by South Korea and Australia. China came in fifth place, despite the virus first originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan back in Decem-

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ber. Meanwhile, Italy was listed as the most dangerous country to be in, ahead of the United States, Britain, Spain and France. Health Minister Yaacov Litzman hailed Israel’s high ranking, saying in a statement that “This is a great opportunity to praise the medical staff working around the clock in simple conditions for Israeli citizens”. Israel has been widely lauded for being one of the first countries to shut down incoming flights and to implement ‘social distancing’ policies that were key to keeping its death toll under 200 people. However, the list caused a minor controversy to erupt in Israel after Prime Minister Netanyahu used the ranking as proof of what he said was his excellent job of managing the coronavirus. Posting a picture of the aforementioned article to his Facebook page, Netanyahu told his 53,000 followers that “Forbes also publishes: Israel is the safest place in the world in the fight against the coronavirus.” Later, Netanyahu tweeted that “The international magazine Forbes ranks Israel as the safest country in the world in the fight against the coronavirus”. After a Netanyahu used the article as evidence of his managerial acumen, a slew of Israeli journalists accused him of misleading the public by passing off a private study by the Deep Knowledge Group as authentic Forbes material. “Who is Deep Knowledge Group?” tweeted Israeli commentator Neri Zilber. “No one quite knows.”

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Arab doctors help Charedi Jews study Torah An Arab doctor employed at Bnei Brak’s Ma’ayeni HaYeshua hospital went viral after he was filmed bringing in a Torah scroll to patients suffering from the coronavirus. Dr. Abed Zahalka, a Muslim physician hailing from Kfar Kara, has worked at the largely haredi hospital for many years. Last week, he went viral after he was photographed bringing in a Torah scroll to patients quarantined after contracting the coronavirus. Wanting to pray but lacking the necessary scroll, the patients as Za-

halka if he would bring one in from outside the compound so that they could have their daily prayer quorum on Shabbat. Zalahka obliged, turning him into a household name. In a television interview, Zahalka related how the haredi community in

Bnei Brak would always treat him with the utmost respect. Invoking his own religious faith, the doctor stressed that belief in a higher power could go a long way to assisting one’s recovery. “I am often hosted by families around the city and feel part of them. I even know Jewish law pretty well by now,” said Zalahka, adding that he was proud of the role in played in enabling his patients to pray with a Torah scroll. “I felt that I was strengthening my bond, that I am part of the place, the people, the tradition,” he said. “I am a believing man and I see lots of believers and rabbis in Bnei Brak. I also think that there is a connection between faith and success in treatment. One sees people who just give up and others in a very difficult state who deal marvelously with the disease and recover.” In a similar story, two Muslim nurses at a Tel Aviv nursing home were filmed assisting an elderly haredi coronavirus patient put on Tefillin during his morning prayers. In the video, Umm El-Fahm residents Kahlil Gazawi and his brother Ahmed can be seen helping the elderly man put on his Tefliilin after first looking up online how to do it properly.

Funeral home mix-up: The funeral of Holocaust survivor Moshe Grunwald earlier this month was only permitted to have a few attendees because of restrictions due to the coronavirus. As tehillim and the “el male ra-

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The Week In News chamim” prayer were being recited, a funeral home staff member came to announce that they had the wrong body - the proceedings were being conducted over a complete stranger, according to a Facebook post written by Grunwald’s granddaughter Chaya Maimon. The family promptly held a funeral with their grandfather’s body pres-

ent, but they were shaken. “I have to admit I was so upset that this had happened to my Zaidy,” wrote Maimon. “The man who was loved by all. Who deserved so much kavod, who had to die alone due to a pandemic, who had to have this embarrassment of a funeral, who couldn’t have a befitting burial, or shiva. This was the final insult. I was so upset, I started to laugh and cry simultaneously. I couldn’t believe I was living in a time where there are so many bodies, that they mixed them up.” The mix-up was also likely due to the fact that the older members of the community who typically performed the ritual cleansing of the body were

all out sick, replaced by young men mostly unfamiliar with members of the community like Grunwald. It was soon discovered that the body of the stranger had been someone with no family to bury him, a true “meit mitzvah”. It had taken four days after he died alone in his apartment for his body to be discovered. “It is our families’ belief that this meit mitzvah was a special person, clearly deserving of this special honor... Through a weird twist of fate, he ended up with a beautiful funeral, a minyan, something under normal circumstances he would not have had,” said Maimon, describing her grandfather as a modest man who never sought recognition. “Even in death [our grandfather] gave his kavod for someone else. This is the most Zaidy like thing to ever happen.”

Consumer Brands Association CEO Geoff Freeman describes food industry’s “New Normal” In an interview with the Associated Press, Consumer Brands Association CEO Geoff Freeman spoke about how companies are aiming to get products into stores faster while still protecting their workers on the front lines of the coronavirus. Freeman stated that a pandemic of

this sort is presenting new challenges to the industry’s supply chain: “I’m not sure that any of us would have been prepared for something we have never seen in our lifetimes, frankly our grandparents didn’t see in their lifetimes. It isn’t much a playbook to dust off as there is a put your head down, rise to the occasion and do everything you can do, and this industry has done just that.” He described the transition to a “new normal”, in which the demand

for food as well as consumer packaged goods is higher than usual. “There isn’t that much happening in the food service environment, the restaurant environment and the eating-awayfrom-home environment. So the industry is having to produce more for people to eat within their own homes. They’re doing that by increasing the productivity of their lines. They’re also taking food service products or lines that were focused on food service and reorienting them more to inhome consumption.” The workforce still needs greater

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assistance, he said, describing how the federal government could be more helpful. “When people test positive for COVID-19, we would like to see greater clarity from the federal government, particularly the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on exactly what should be done. That’s why the industry is producing its own protocols that we would like to see manufacturing facilities abide by.... Another area is when it comes to personal protective equipment. A lot of the personal protective equipment is also necessary in manufacturing facilities.” In regards to testing at the manufacturing facilities, “It’s something that we’re in the process of asking our government for, which is prioritizing these locations for testing as a means of both identifying people at risk and getting confidence to those in the workforce.” In order to keep production lines running as quickly as possible, Freeman reported that there is a focus on limiting the number of varieties of any given product. “...Whether that is a peanut butter company that’s reducing its focus on chunky, now chunky is only going to come in one size, and that is what you get. What consumers are going to find in the next few months is that there’s plenty of food, plenty of consumer packaged products to be had. It may not be the variety you’re used to, every flavor you ever imagined, even the size you ever imagined.”

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Baby in Aisle 4 Most people heading into Walmart end up walking out with bags filled with paper towels or Kleenex. One woman, though, ended up leaving the supermarket with a brand new baby. Last week, a pregnant woman shopping in the toilet paper aisle in a Walmart in Missouri realized that her baby was coming. A nurse, who happened to be in the store, helped the surprised mom with the delivery, while a store manager worked to ensure that the woman’s privacy was maintained. Firefighters arrived on the scene to help with the delivery. It took 45 minutes for the brand new baby to bounce into the world. Customers who were in the store cheered when the mom and baby were taken by ambulance to the hospital. “You know a feel-good moment, everybody’s going through so much, and with a baby it’s like everything comes full circle,” the store manager said. The circle of life.

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Balcony Marathon

Think you’re exempt from exercising because you’re stuck at home? Think again. Last week, Elisha Nochomovitz ran a marathon – on his 23-foot-long balcony. Nochomovitz lives in the French city of Balma and was on leave from his job as a restaurant worker. He de-

cided to do something productive with his extra time stuck at home and completed the 26.2 miles in six hours and 48 minutes, a personal record nearly double that of his previous finish time. “My only pleasure is running, no matter what the time,” Nochomovitz, 32, said. He dedicated his run to medical staff working through this pandemic, who he feels are “doing an extraordinary job.” Although Nochomovitz has run 36 marathons, he said his balcony marathon was the most challenging. Due to the short length of the balcony, Nochomovitz was unable to gain any momentum or speed as he had to constantly turn back and forth. He said he ran about 3,000 laps. Throughout his run, his friend handed him M&Ms and Coca Cola to give him energy, so apparently his run wasn’t too healthy.

Fishing for Jewels One smart thief in Melbourne, Australia, knows that sometimes you need to wait until you can hook something big. Last week, police in Melbourne said that they are searching for a burglar who used a fishing rod to remove a Versace necklace off a mannequin in a high-end fashion store. After waiting around for a while to ensure that no one was on the street in the early morning hours, he made a hole in the glass window, slid the fishing rod into the store to lift the necklace from the mannequin, and then made off quietly with his loot. “It appears that the burglar was fishing for about three hours before landing his catch,” said police in the statement. Steven Adigrati, the owner of the store, is incredulous about the thief’s ingenuity. “I couldn’t believe it,” Adigrati said. “Three and a half hours, with two rods, trying to get this necklace, was amazing. Hook, line, and sinker, I guess. He did it.” So far, the police have not nabbed the burglar but he left behind a clue: the hook from his fishing line. Hopefully the police will be able to hook this crook.

Mayor’s Race Was a Real Dog Fight

Fair Haven, Vermont, has a new mayor that packs a big bark. After all, the mayor is a dog named Murfee. The top dog won’t get involved in matters pertaining to the day-to-day running of the town, but will be a figurehead who will appear at town events over the next year. Five hundred people voted in the recent elections which was administered by eighth graders at the local public school. Before the election results were announced, the school’s principal reminded the students, “If your candidate loses, you may feel sad, but that’s OK, but then we will move forward and be happy for the candidate that won.” Murfee, who is a therapy dog, beat out the incumbent goat, Mayor Mara Lincoln, and K-9 Sammy, a town police dog. If you are wondering how Fair Haven elected a dog as mayor, they have a history of electing pretty interesting mayors in Vermont – they even once elected presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as mayor.

Arrested Development North Carolina resident Ruth Bryant was smack in the middle of celebrating her birthday when a police officer busted in and asked her, “Are you Miss Bryant?” “It all depends on what you want!” the birthday girl replied. “Here’s what I want. I want you!” replied the police officer before promptly arresting her. Her crime? Well, the truth is that Ms. Bryant, age 100, didn’t commit a crime. In honor of her one-century-on-earth birthday party her family arranged for her to cross off something that has been on her bucket list for a while: being arrested. Bryant, who was in on the gag, was handcuffed to her walker, paraded out of her assisted living home, and placed in a patrol car. Pretending to put up a fight, she playfully kicked officers. “Don’t kick me; I’ve got a bad knee!”

said one deputy, to which Bryant replied, “I’ve got two bad knees!” Bryant was taken off to the county prison where she gleefully declared. “I’m in the jailhouse now! I finally got here!” She was then brought back home to cut her birthday cake. Bryant’s daughter Marian Oakley did not know what to make of the events unfolding. “I know that she is a hundred years old, but I didn’t know that they’d be going this far.” Something tells me that this is not the first time Ms. Bryant’s daughter was a little embarrassed by mom.

Llama? Llama Lo While taking a road trip with his seventeen-year-old sister, Riva, in 2015, Mendl Weinstock, who is one year younger than his sister, kind of got fed up with her talking about her wedding. Why? Because she didn’t even have any plans of getting engaged or married anytime soon; she was just being a teenage girl talking about her wedding. (Know anyone like that?) So, Mendl – being a teenage boy who gets easily annoyed with his teenage sister (know anyone like that?) – made a promise to her right then and there: When you get married, I will bring a llama to the wedding. Riva, annoyed by her teenage brother’s odd promise, said that, in fact, she hopes that he will bring a llama to her eventual wedding. And so the sibling bickering went. Well, it turns out that, after getting engaged in October, Riva got married last Sunday. Want to take a guess who was included on the guest list? Easy – you knew Mendl would do it (especially with a name like Mendl!). Mendl rented a llama for a whole day for $400, persuaded a co-worker to sew a tuxedo for the llama with a yarmulke to match, and showed up at the wedding with it. “Ever since that day I have promised her I would bring a llama,” Mendl told the USA Today. “I fulfilled that promise.” The llama hung out in front of the wedding hall (you know that area where the chosson’s single friends usually hang out while talking on their cell phones) and took pictures with guests. “She was shocked at first but more impressed that I kept my promise from five years ago,” Mendl said. “When my brother puts his mind to something, he gets it done. So at some point I had to accept it and decide that it was easier to get in on the joke than to fight it,” Riva said. “I’ve definitely started planning my revenge,” Riva said. “He should sleep with one eye open.” Hey, groom, whoever you are – buckle up, it’s gonna be a crazy ride!

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Moment of Silence By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

We read this week the laws that pertain to tzaraas as it affects the body, garments and houses, as well as the laws regarding discharges from the human body, both of which contaminate and require a process of purification and the possible bringing of offerings. In the introduction to these laws the Torah states how “Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying...” This very same description: “Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying...” precedes the laws defining kosher animals, fowl and fish, and the laws of contamination as it pertains to them as outlined in last week’s portion. There are only thirteen references in Chumash to Torah being transmitted through Moshe and Aharon together. Rashi notes how the laws of kashrus were taught immediately following the tragic episode of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, adding, “that when Aharon and his surviving children remained silent Hashem made them all [namely Moshe, Aharon, his children Elazar, and Isamar] equal messengers for relaying the following words, because they all equally remained silent, accepting the Omnipresent’s decree [to put Nadav and Avihu to death] with love.” The Bartenura suggests that evidently the additional portions of tzaraas and the impurity of emissions, were also exceptional in that they were instructed to the nation through the agency of Aharon and his surviving children as well. Is this simply a reward for their devotion or might there be something integral between one’s ability to remain silent in times of great travail and the facility to teach Torah effectively.

The Talmud teaches that when a child is in the womb of his mother an angel teaches him the entire Torah. His mouth ‘remains closed’. At the moment of birth the angel slaps him on his mouth causing him to forget all that he learned. There seems to be an emphasis on his mouth being shut while he studied with the angel as well as being slapped specifically on that mouth that causes it all to be forgotten. Wouldn’t it had been more symbolic for the angel to tap him on his head, where the knowledge is stored, causing his learning to be lost? Why the mouth? The Maharal explains that the mouth represents the juncture where the physical body and the spiritual soul bond. It is the physical mouthpiece of the body that permits the ethereal soul to express its most exquisite pining. The mouth symbolizes man’s ability to direct his spiritual strivings to penetrate his physical barrier of his earthly matter, utilizing that very mortal material as a vehicle to bond with eternity - the Torah and Hashem. The word used to signify Aharon and his children’s talent to remain quiet is ‫םדיו‬, from the word ‫המד‬, which doesn’t mean silence as much as it means resemble or equal. It indicates not a stifling silence but a choice to be ‘even’ with the situation at hand and at inner peace without an urge to blurt out one’s frustrations or feelings. (‫־ירי‬ ‫)המלש תוע‬ The venerable ethicist and teacher, Rav Chaim Zeitchik writes so poetically of this extraordinary quality to innocently perceive Hashem’s clasping hand at any given moment in life as he describes the joy of an innocent child: A screen of materialism darkens the eternal light that exists within this temporal world, the ‘world to come’

is wrapped and enveloped in the shell of ‘this world’. When we remove the layer a light penetrates, shining with clarity. He gazed in His Torah and created a world, however, due its physicality man’s eyes are darkened, his heart is plugged from seeing within the radiant light that is found within nature. When a small child is calmed from his cries by giving him a toy to play with, we attribute his happiness to his small-mindedness and limited intelligence. The child is pacified with a pebble, piece of paper or sand that occupies his mind fully, filling him with joy. To think this is due to his inferior understanding is an absolute error. The child sees in a small rock, magnificent towers, a multi-colored world and is mesmerized by creation itself. It is utterly wrong to think that this stems from his meekness of mind, on the contrary, specifically because he is yet young and hasn’t had the opportunity to sully himself with the pleasures of this world; precisely because his delicate senses haven’t been corrupted by the pull of material desire; exactly because it is easier for him to see the beauty of the world and creation, the handwork of Hashem in all its magnificence, seeing through the veil that separates the beauty of this world and the heavenly light that illuminates it, that he is joyous. This tyke sees in a small stone and the granules of sand he plays with, a revelation of the secret of creation and the radiance that shines from the upper spheres. The light, the wisdom, and the understanding he was privy to in his mother’s womb, which is concealed from eyes worn by the distractions of this world, are able to be fathomed by eyes that have not yet become muddied by the forces of ‘earthly’ gravitational pull. (‫)שדח רוא‬ Aharon and his children preserved this remarkable quality never allow-

ing themselves to be pulled into the embrace of the temptations of this physical world, whether it be the pull of passion, indulgence, or recognition and honor. When one succeeds in maintaining that purity of vision, the Torah embedded within us by the angel in the womb is rediscovered and radiates naturally outward. It was precisely these laws that reflect on, in the case of kashrus how permissive we are in consuming the pleasures of indulgent eating; in regards to the ‘narrowed eye’ metzora, leper, whose jealousy fueled gossip engulfs his body with self-destruction; in the laws that relate to the contamination that stems from a deficiency in our carnal desires that affect discharges from within our impure body that require purification, that can only be taught by those who have staved off the drag of physical drives and preserved their ability be silent of self-expression and need, and are able to calmly sense Hashem’s love at all times. We live in a world that prevents us from discovering our inner peace. In a frenzied race to discover new tastes, fresh experiences, information and news desperately seeking delusional and meaningless ‘likes’ and validation in forums of emptiness and purposelessness, we are doomed to become blind to the greatness and happiness inherent within us. In these days of quarantine, we were divinely given an opportunity to reflect on who we really are, void of many of the distractions that usually stifle our ability to see reality for what it is. We must take advantage of these moments of silence and solitude to rediscover the magnificent world we were privileged to experience in our mother’s womb that is waiting to be found right at our doors.

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Torah Thought

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APRIL 23, 2020

Parshas Tazria-Metzora By Rabbi Berel Wein

he human body is subject to all sorts of pressures that affect its health and wellbeing. Modern medicine has shown how mental moods, stress and psychic disturbances can adversely affect physical health and appearance. As modern technology has exploded in our time, in spite of all of its advantages, and there are many, our lives have become more stressful and, unfortunately, psychological disorders abound.

This is especially true here in Israel where the stress level is always high and the pressure of being part of the actual rebuilding process of the Jewish people is felt daily and in myriad ways. To this empiric lesson of societal life, the Torah adds another dimension of activity, which can and did have physical effects at the beginning of our history as a nation. The plagues that are described in this week’s Torah reading and their

physical manifestations defy any easy and rational explanation. The rabbis of the Talmud ascribed these ills as being caused by slanderous speech and evil social behavior. Just as driving in traffic – especially Jerusalem traffic these days – will raise one’s blood pressure significantly, so to, speaking ill of other people also has a physical manifestation and not only a spiritual sin attached to it. The Torah spends a great deal of space and detail to outline this physical manifestation and the necessity for purification of the body and the mind in order to arrest and cure the disease. I do not know how this physical and

eased person out of his misery. There is a period of isolation and quarantine that becomes part of the process of healing. This is to allow for the introspection and self-analysis that is a necessary component of all psychological and mental healing. A disease that is caused by spiritual failure as much as by physical malfunction must be cured by repairing the spiritual breach that originally caused it. And that can be accomplished only by a realistic and honest appraisal of one’s self... of one’s spiritual strengths and weaknesses. Because of this truth, it is the spiritual priest, the descendant of Aharon, who

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This is to allow for the introspection and self-analysis that is a necessary component of all psychological and mental healing.

spiritual connection does occur, but I do not know why mental stress and traffic jams should raise one’s blood pressure either. Apparently, our Creator has wired us so that this is the case. And so it is with the disease and plagues described in this week’s Torah reading. The priest who was involved in the diagnosis and healing process for this plague is not seen or described as a medical expert. He is rather what we would call today a mental therapist, a spiritual and psychological guide who becomes G-d’s agent to lift the dis-

becomes the key catalyst in the process of recovery and rehabilitation. The Torah is the true practitioner of holistic medicine. It aims to cure not only the mind or the body but rather the soul and the spirit of the human being as well. And this is an important lesson for all of us even in our time. The plague described in this week’s Torah reading may not actually be identifiable to us, but its moral lesson and spiritual value remains eternal and constructive in our time as well. Shabbat shalom.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

A Fulfilled L fe

Counting from the Harvest Up By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

he immediate, desperate reaction from many Jews worldwide in the aftermath of Pesach was Cookie Monster-esque. After eight days (not including pre-Pesach) of going leaven-free, the appeal of “chametz!” was most enticing. (Not sure if anyone broke into the “C is for chametz” refrain, but it wouldn’t shock me if they did.) Lest the reader think that I am some cave-dwelling hermit that subsists on potato starch and macaroons all year ‘round, allow me to share that I also love a good slice of pizza, particularly when I have been fed a wide range of matzah-based concoctions for eight consecutive days. So I get the fact that chametz is tastier and a much sought-after post-Pesach treat. But do we really need to ingest a double-k’zayis of leaven within minutes of havdalah? While sitting upright, no less? Think about it. You just spent the past month or more readying for and then experiencing Pesach. Countless hours of preparation were invested to ensure that we spend a week or more in a leaven-free (and, as most of our wives would have it, dust-free and gunk-free) environment. We celebrated a holiday of freedom by underscoring the importance of controlling our impulses and deflating our egos, as symbolized by Hebraic alacrity in the face of Hashem’s swift and complete victory over Pharaoh. And within but a few moments we are ready to throw it all away?

That’s one reason as to why Hashem gave us the mitzvah of sefirah. You see, Pesach does not really end with that final havdalah. In fact, our sages teach us that Pesach is just the beginning of a spiritual odyssey that culminates with Shavuos. It is then, following weeks of counting and (hopefully) growing that we stand before our Maker ready to receive His Torah anew. As Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch points out, we begin count from the day that we offer the korban omer (which marks the first barley harvest) to underscore the fact that

and meadows, at the stage where others cease to strive further and to count, there Israel first begins to count, both days and weeks. And it goes on counting up to the day when it celebrates the bestowal of (the Torah). (Collected Writings Volume I, Feldheim, p. 114) Sefirah presents a paradigm shift, one that strikes at the core of national identification and achievement. For the other nations, a booming harvest is alone a reason to rejoice. Farmers invest much time and effort into its success, and entire nations rely on it

Sefirah presents a paradigm shift, one that strikes at the core of national identification and achievement.

material goals are not ends to themselves but the start of a nobler quest. You can have your cake (or pizza) and eat it too, so long as you make sure to recite the proper blessings with fervor. When Israel has already reached the point which for other peoples represents the ultimate goal of nationalist endeavor, when it already has freedom and independence, land and soil, fruit and grain on its own fields

for their collective sustenance. But the Torah, in instructing us to count from the day of the harvest, reminds us that it is just the beginning, the means through which we can begin to focus on our loftier purpose, receiving the Torah. This is the deeper connection between sefirah and the period that links Pesach to Shavuos. Rav Hirsch writes in Horeb (pp.84-90) that each of the festivals represents a different

aspect within the development of the Jewish nation. On Pesach our nation experienced its physical birth; for the first time we began to develop as an independent nation. Shavuos, on the other hand, represents our nation’s spiritual birth. Only with the acceptance of the Torah could we recognize our true, spiritual essence, fundamentally separating ourselves from all other nations. The true fulfillment of Pesach occurs through its Atzeres, Shavuos. It is then that we infuse deeper meaning to our national identity, well beyond the limitations of physicality and material bounty. But we cannot simply “arrive” at this level of sanctity. It takes continuous work and effort, a step by step approach that elevates us from the spiritual dregs of Egypt to the loftiness of Sinai. That’s where the upward counting of sefirah comes in. May we merit utilizing the sefirah period properly, to focus ourselves on our true purpose, a spiritual climb that will bring us, be”H, to the loftiest levels of sanctity and holiness.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is an executive coach and President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting. Please see his webiste, ImpactfulCoaching.com. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call (212) 470-6139 or email nhoff@impactfulcoaching.com. Check out his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss,” on Amazon and on the book site, BecomingtheNewBoss.com.

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END OF SESSION 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends & Neighbors, During the Civil War in 1861, members of the Maryland General Assembly were arrested forcing the Maryland General Assembly to end session early. On March 17, 2020, members of the Maryland General Assembly were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, once again forcing the Maryland General Assembly to end session early. Although the 441st legislative session became the second time in our history that session ended early, we still worked on and passed many important pieces of legislation. This session was also the first time after 441 years that we have the first female and first African American Speaker of the House! Speaker Adrienne Jones has been a great leader and a true inspiration.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Speaker Adrienne Jones

has been a great leader and a true inspiration.â&#x20AC;?

www.dalyaattar.com @Delegate Dalya Attar

Dalya.Attar@house.state.md.us @dalyaattar41 Dalya Attar

@delegate_dalya_attar End of Session Newsletter 2020

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Town Hall, District 41 Night & Baltimore City Night in Annapolis

APRIL 23, 2020

Having the opportunity to speak with my constituents and hear your concerns is extremely important. I had the pleasure of doing so during session at a local Town Hall for the 41st District the first week of session, at District 41 night in Annapolis and at Baltimore City night in Annapolis. Thank you all for taking the time to attend these events. You helped make them a success!

Bond Bills

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were successful in having over $1.2 million awarded to many of these programs and organizations in District 41.â&#x20AC;? Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

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Throughout the year I meet with constituents on a regular basis and I have the opportunity to hear how everyone is contributing in such a positive way to the District. Many constituents volunteer their time to run organizations that are crucial to enhancing our communities. I am therefore so grateful that my 41st District colleagues, Senator Jill P. Carter, Delegate Sandy Rosenberg, Delegate Tony Bridges & I had the opportunity to sponsor and testify in support of bond bills that support these organizations. As a result, we were successful in having over $1.2 million awarded to many of these programs and organizations in District 41.

APRIL 23, 2020

P.R.O.T.E.C.T Act

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Reducing Crime

Reducing crime has been, and continues to be, my top priority. One thing I continuously say is that there is not just one solution to reducing crime. As a prosecutor in Baltimore City who has incarcerated many people, I believe more must be done.

I hear from constituents throughout my district nearly every day about the horrifying increase in crime. We deserve to be safe; our children deserve to be safe. The level of violent crime in our City and the State of Maryland is unacceptable.

I therefore sponsored in the House and Senator Antonio Hayes sponsored in the Senate the Public Resources Organizing to End Crime Together bill – AKA The PROTECT Act. This bill is established to maximize the use of State, local, and community resources to combat neighborhood decline in Baltimore City and throughout the State, support comprehensive strategies to reduce crime and fear in those communities, and ensure that Baltimore City Police Department sworn officers are utilized in direct public safety roles.

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The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services will select 10 highcrime micro-zones within the State and create, as a civilian position, a coordinator who lives in the neighborhood and will work with state agencies to support that community and better prepare returning citizens for re-entry and a life that is not reliant on crime. The bill expands the jurisdiction of the State Police to include enforcing the motor vehicle laws of the State in Baltimore City if acting in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding. It would specifically allow State law enforcement agencies and the Baltimore Police Department to have concurrent jurisdiction over I-83 and I-295 in Baltimore City pursuant to the Memorandum. In an additional effort to free up sworn officers, the Baltimore Pretrial Complex must be staffed by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, and BPD sworn officers may not be used to staff the Baltimore Pretrial Complex. I am extremely pleased that after many long months working on this piece of legislation, it passed in both the House and Senate.

Strengthening Witness Intimidation Laws Witness intimidation is a serious crime that prevents many criminal cases from moving forward against violent offenders. As a prosecutor, I have experienced this first-hand. I therefore supported House Bill 40, which lowers the standard of proof from clear and convincing to preponderance of the evidence in criminal cases when it’s believed there has been witness intimidation. This gives prosecutors another tool in the toolbox when dealing with organized crime or gun cases where members of the community may be afraid to come forward and help with a case.

Gun Crimes There are too many illegal guns in the possession of those committing crimes in our streets every day. I have spent years prosecuting gun crimes and I truly believe more must be done to reduce gun violence. I therefore supported House Bill 1629 which requires a statewide audit of gun crimes to pinpoint where the breakdown exists in the criminal justice system, from 911 call to disposition. The better we can track this information, the better law enforcement will have the ability to allocate resources where communities need them.

Hate Crimes Love - Hate. Polar opposites, yet a thin line apart. This year we have experienced too many attacks fueled by hatred towards our brothers and sisters. Attacks on African Americans, simply because they’re African American; Attacks on the LGBTQ community, simply because they’re LGBTQ; Attacks on Jews, simply because they’re Jews; Attacks on Muslims, simply because they’re Muslim, and the list goes on and on. Enough is enough. The hate needs to end. Hate and bias incidents have no place in our communities, but these incidents continue to occur around the state. I therefore co-sponsored HB 541, Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission - Training Requirements - Hate Crimes, which passed in the House and Senate. This bill requires the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to require entrance-level and in-service police training conducted by the State and each county Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

and municipal police training school to include in their curriculum training relating to the criminal laws concerning recognition of, reporting of, and response to hate crimes.

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I also co-sponsored HB 488, Crimes – Mitigation – Race, Color, National Origin, Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation, which passed the House but did not make it out of the Senate timely. This bill prohibits the discovery or perception of, or belief about, another person’s race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, whether accurate or not, as legally adequate provocation to mitigate murder to manslaughter or assault in the first degree to assault in the second degree or another lesser offense. In addition to the above two bills, I also supported House Bill 5, Increasing Penalties for Hate Crimes. This bill makes it a crime to place or inscribe an item or a symbol, including an actual or depicted noose or swastika, on any person or property, public or private, without the permission of the owner or specific persons, with the intent to threaten or intimidate any person or group of persons. Violators are guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for up to three years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Funding to protect against hate crimes

APRIL 23, 2020

We have unfortunately seen religious institutions being the target of hate crimes this year. Guaranteeing our children and religious institutions remain safe is crucial. I therefore am extremely pleased that after significant advocacy, were successful in having the budget fund $5 million for security for schools, child care centers and places of worship at risk of hate crimes.

Preakness at Pimlico It has been a long and difficult fight for our district, but it was worth every moment.

My colleagues in the 41st District and I have ensured that keeping the Preakness at Pimlico is on everyone’s minds and agendas the entire session in Annapolis. And the result: we were successful in keeping the Preakness at Pimlico! Despite session ending early, we were able to pass this important bill!

Maryland has been at a competitive disadvantage to its surrounding states who already have sports betting as part of their gaming offerings. I therefore supported Senate Bill 4, Sports Betting Referendum, which passed both the House and Senate. This bill gives Maryland voters the opportunity to decide whether or not sports betting should be allowed at the November 2020 general election. If approved, Maryland would become the 15th state to legalize sports betting.

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

The Racing and Community Development Act preserves the historic Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore City for generations to come and enhances year-round, sustainable thoroughbred racing at Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County. The legislation authorizes the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue bonds to revitalize the aging infrastructure at Pimlico and Laurel that are over 100 years old.

Sports Betting

Under the bill, Pimlico becomes a year-round community asset with athletic fields, spaces for community meetings, and parcels for mixeduse development. The bill also creates future opportunities for community use of the 100 acre Bowie Training Center in Prince George’s County, including recreational purposes with Bowie State University. This is just a reminder that no matter how difficult something seems, don’t give up. If it’s the right thing, it will work out as long as you remain persistent.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

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APRIL 23, 2020

Ensuring a Proper Education for All Students: Education is one of the most important cornerstones of our society. One thing I’ve learned about education is that every child is different; every child has different learning needs and abilities. Education is most definitely not “one size fits all,” and I am so glad we have a variety of educational options available to children. As a parent of two elementary students, I am extremely proud to have been involved in the process of making our schools the best they can be.

Blueprint for Maryland’s Future The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, House Bill 1300, is a policy blueprint based on the recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Kirwan Commission) that will transform the State’s early childhood, primary and secondary education system into a world–class system. This bill passed both the House and Senate.

The Blueprint is a transformational plan that makes 5 key investments, implemented over 10 years:

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

• Expanding full-day prekindergarten for low-income 3 and 4 year olds and provides more family support centers in high-poverty areas;

• Hiring and keeping high-quality, diverse teachers by paying teachers a salary comparable to other fields, providing more rigorous teacher preparation programs and implementing career ladders to provide more opportunities for career advancement; • Raising the standards for college and career readiness so students can compete with their international peers; • Providing more resources for the students who need them most;

• Implementing an accountability board to monitor progress and ensure tax-payer funds are being used effectively.

The Blueprint is a once in a generation plan to revolutionize education in Maryland. It’s built on the principle that every child deserves the best education regardless of their zip code. Every child deserves a great school, so they have a chance to compete for the jobs of the future.

Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today - BOOST The Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program provides scholarships for students who are eligible for the free or reduced–price lunch program to attend nonpublic schools. This session we passed the state budget for fiscal year 2021 which, after significant advocacy, allocates $7.5 million for the Maryland BOOST Scholarship Program for the coming school year.

Built to Learn Act The Built to Learn Act is the largest one-time school construction investment in Maryland history. This historic bill invests an additional $2.2B into school construction, on top of current school construction program funding ($400M per year) and helps counties across the state build new schools and jumpstart much needed maintenance projects. It prioritizes schools with the oldest buildings in the system with significant facility deficiencies, schools with high concentrations of students eligible for free and reduced price meals, and schools with a high number of relocatable classrooms.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities House Bill 1260 resolves the 13-year ongoing litigation around Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities. It establishes a special fund and dedicates $577 million over 10 years to the state’s four historically black colleges and universities, if the case is settled by December 1 of this year. This critical funding will help eliminate the vestiges of program duplication and put Maryland’s HBCUs on par with the other universities. Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

State Operating Budget The General Assembly passed a balanced budget with bipartisan support that eliminated the structural deficit for next year and left over $1 billion in cash reserves to guard against an economic downturn.

As part of the effort to reduce crime, funding will also be provided to support more resources for targeted prosecutions of the most violent offenders, particularly gun offenders, and increase monitoring of the Port of Baltimore for guns and illegal drugs. On the last day of session, the House and Senate amended the budget to allow the Governor to access up to $100 million extra in funding to support small business and re-open hospitals in the COVID-19 crisis.

In response to the COVID-19 public health threat, Governor Hogan declared a state of emergency to mobilize all resources necessary to respond to the threat. As part of the response, we passed legislation that allows the Governor to take specific actions to address the public health emergency. HB 1661 is an emergency bill that allows the Governor to transfer up to $50 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to mobilize the necessary resources to address the COVID-19 outbreak. The funds provided will be used toward activities such as COVID-19 testing and research, coordination with various state agencies and local governments to develop preparedness plans and outreach to vulnerable communities to limit the spread of infection.

APRIL 23, 2020

The budget fully funds education and continues investment in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The budget also includes funding for a staffing plan and vacancy elimination in Parole & Probation, Juvenile Services and Corrections to provide more resources that prevent recidivism. These departments need the resources to do their jobs to stop crime.

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COVID-19 Emergency Bills

HB 1663 is an emergency bill that allows the Governor to take several actions to expand healthcare coverage, unemployment benefits and consumer protections throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. The legislation changes the definition of a work week to allow state hospital nurses to work more hours to care for COVID-19 identified patients and be eligible to receive full-time benefits. Co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs for COVID–19 testing and immunization will be eliminated. The Maryland Department of Health will cover the costs of COVID–19 testing and any associated costs not paid for by insurance or another third party so anyone who needs a test will be able to afford it.

Unpaid Vehicle Citations Leading to Incarceration B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M

All too often I have seen individuals going to jail as a result of unpaid vehicle citations since their driver’s license is subsequently suspended. Many of these individuals lose their jobs as a result of being incarcerated and at that point are even less likely to have the ability to pay the citation. I therefore co-sponsored HB 280 Vehicle Laws - Suspension of Driver's License or Registration - Unpaid Citations or Judgments, which passed in the House and Senate.

This bill repeals the authority of the Motor Vehicle Administration to suspend a driver’s license for nonpayment of a traffic citation or judgment and rather allows the Administration to pursue a civil judgment against a defendant in the amount of the fine.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

Reducing Recidivism

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APRIL 23, 2020

Prerelease for Women In the State of Maryland we currently have prerelease units for men. These units assist in several ways, including preparing these individuals to properly reenter society and obtain employment. We do not have any prerelease units for women. Why is it necessary to ensure men are being given these opportunities while women are not? This is unacceptable. I therefore supported Senate Bill 684 which requires the Commissioner of the Division of Correction to provide a comprehensive rehabilitative prerelease facility for female inmates. This bill fortunately passed both the House and Senate.

Incentives for Businesses Hiring Returning Citizens As a prosecutor who has incarcerated many violent criminals, I continue to believe that we cannot drastically reduce crime by just throwing everyone in jail. We must do more. One step is reducing recidivism rates. When a person is released from jail or prison and cannot find a job, many times that person resorts to crime again. I have spoken over the years to many businesses in an effort to increase hiring of returning citizens. I have found the unfortunate trend is that businesses feel that the training is costly, and they don’t see the benefit on their end to hire returning citizens. I then did significant research to determine what, if any, incentives there are for businesses to hire returning citizens. I discovered that there are many; however, it’s difficult for people who don’t have lawyers and lobbyists on their payroll (like many small and mid-sized businesses in my district) to know what is out there. I therefore sponsored House Bill 835 “Labor and Employment - Incentive Programs for Hiring and Retraining - List”, which passed both the House and Senate. This bill would require the Department of Labor to develop a list that is made available on the main page of the Department’s website that names any federal or State incentive programs available to an employer who hires and trains formerly incarcerated individuals.

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

I look forward to continuing the fight in reducing crime one step at a time.

Supporting Maryland Businesses Our businesses in Baltimore and the entire State are vital for our sustainability. Businesses not only provide us with what we need, they also create jobs. I have and continue to be a strong advocate for all our businesses in Maryland. I therefore supported Senate Bill 493, Small Business Development Center Network Fund, which passed the House and Senate. This bill increases the required minimum appropriation for the Small Business Development Center Network Fund from $950,000 to $1,050,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021. This network provides free business consulting services to new and existing small businesses. I also supported House Bill 514, Maryland Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Incentive Program, which also passed both the House and Senate. This bill establishes the Maryland Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Incentive Program to foster job creation and economic development in the State by promoting commercialization of research, facilitating technology transfer, and encouraging small business participation.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

Healthcare

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Maryland has been committed to protecting the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), regardless of the outcome of the Texas vs. United States lawsuit. House Bill 959 aims to expand access to quality healthcare for Maryland residents by making state law consistent with the federal law. The bill codifies key provisions of the federal law including: • Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26; • Eliminating co-pays for certain preventive services; • Prohibiting health insurance companies from limiting how much they would pay for any individual’s medical bills over a lifetime; • Expanding coverage for individuals with “pre-existing conditions”; and, • Providing base level healthcare plans.

We also passed House Bill 1150, which requires the Department of Budget and Management to use a “reverse auction” to select a pharmacy benefits manager for the Maryland Rx Program under the State Employee and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program. Now, companies who wish to supply vital prescription medications will be required to bid against each other and ultimately drive down drug prices. This bipartisan legislation will save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars in prescription drug costs.

Protecting the Blind Community Sensitivity toward the handicapped or differently-abled is unfortunately not always on the forefront of our minds throughout our busy days, but it should be.

APRIL 23, 2020

Reverse Auctions

I was visited by several blind constituents who explained that the haphazard parking methods of motor scooters is detrimental to pedestrians, and especially those with disabilities. The scooters block curb cuts, wheelchair ramps, bus stops, sidewalks and entrances to buildings. Blind individuals can be severely impacted as the scooters that are left all over the place pose a dangerous tripping hazard.

Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder “This won’t happen to me.” “Impossible.” “I come from a good family and a good community, so this is irrelevant.”

I therefore supported House Bill 1121 which establishes an online, statewide registry system for healthcare workers to track and share patient information and available resources. Hospitals have been experiencing a shortage of beds for patients needing substance abuse and mental health treatment; patients can wait in the emergency room for days before receiving a hospital bed. The registry will help healthcare workers have an accurate count of the available beds, get real-time updates and connect patients with resources.

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

Words like these have been said by many; Words like these have been proven to be inaccurate; Words like these have helped lead to families experiencing the ultimate suffering. The opioid epidemic and suffering with one’s mental health does not discriminate.

I therefore introduced House Bill 557: Motor Scooter and Electric Low Speed Scooter Sharing Companies – Nonvisual Access, which passed both the House and Senate. This bill requires scooter companies to have labels with tactile contact information on the scooters and websites with non-visual access, consistent with federal standards. This gives blind individuals the ability to read the contact information on the scooters and either call the companies or have access to their websites. I am hopeful that this new legislation will increase sensitivity and awareness toward all the citizens of this great state while decreasing the chances of scooterrelated injuries to the blind population. Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

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

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APRIL 23, 2020

Protecting the Autistic Community 1 in 59 children falls on the autism spectrum, and boys are four times as likely to be diagnosed. An estimated 500,000 individuals with autism will become adults this decade. Current services end with the public school system and pediatric healthcare, but autistic adults need career services, higher education or vocational training and adult healthcare. (Statistics from www.autismspeaks.org.)

I therefore co-sponsored HB 84 - State Coordinator for Autism Strategy and Advisory Stakeholder Group on AutismRelated Needs, which passed both the House and Senate. This bill establishes the State Coordinator for Autism Strategy in the Department of Disabilities and the Advisory Stakeholder Group on AutismRelated Needs.

Environment Zero Emission As a mother of a child who has severe asthma, I have seen the extreme negative effects neglecting our environment can have on us. We must do more to protect our environment. I therefore supported House Bill 232, Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, which passed the House and Senate. This bill extends, from June 30, 2020, to June 30, 2026, the termination date for the Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council and establishes new interim and final reporting deadlines.

Ensuring Rental Properties are Properly Registered & Inspected In Baltimore City, all landlords are required to register their rental properties and in order to get a registration, the landlords must inspect the properties, including lead paint inspection. The problem we see all too often in the city is landlords are not registering their properties and properly inspecting them, yet they are evicting tenants. I therefore sponsored House Bill 768, Baltimore City - Repossession for Failure to Pay Rent - Registration and License Information. This bill does not allow a Judge to issue a warrant for eviction if the landlord does not have their proper license. This bill is very simply requiring bad actors to do what they are supposed to do. If the landlord is properly licensed and the tenant is not doing what he or she is supposed to be doing, the judge can issue a warrant for eviction and the tenant can be evicted. This bill has the support of the Baltimore City Administration, Baltimore City Sheriff, Public Justice Center and the Maryland Multi-Housing Association. It passed unanimously in the House of Delegates but did not have sufficient time to pass in the Senate since session ended early. I intend to refile this bill in the 2021 session with the hopes it will pass both houses and become law in Baltimore City.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

Transportation

Ensuring the safety of all those on our roads is crucial. Regardless of the form of transportation, all riders must be kept safe.

Improving our public transportation in Maryland is critical. Many people, including myself for several years, rely on public transit for basic needs like going to work. Unfortunately, we are just not there in Maryland. I therefore co-sponsored House Bill 368, the Transit Safety and Investment Act which would help address improving public transit by making public transit in Maryland safer and more reliable. This bill passed the House but unfortunately did not make it out of the Senate timely.

APRIL 23, 2020

I therefore co-sponsored HB 230 Vehicle Laws - Overtaking and Passing Bicycles, which passed both the House and Senate. This bill authorizes the driver of a vehicle to drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone to overtake and pass at a safe distance a bicycle traveling in the same direction.

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Maryland Transit Administration Funding

Sharing the Road & Protecting Bicyclists

Animal Cruelty Many of us have seen commercials for animals who were so brutally abused and it is heartbreaking. But what we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always realize is that animal abuse comes in many forms and sometimes happens right in front of our eyes. We must do everything in our power to put an end to any form of animal abuse. I therefore co-sponsored HB 406 Crimes - Unattended Dogs in Extreme Weather Conditions. This bill prohibits a person from leaving a dog outside and unattended for longer than 30 minutes without access to continuous suitable shelter during extreme weather conditions.

Ensuring Proper Compliance with Campaign Finance Laws

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

I, Dalya Attar, do affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States; and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland, and support the Constitution and Laws thereof; and that I will, to the best of my skill and judgment, diligently and faithfully, without partiality or prejudice, execute the office of the Maryland General Assembly, according to the Constitution and Laws of this State, and that I will not directly or indirectly, receive the profits or any part of the profits of any other office during the term of my acting as a member of the House of Delegates. (originally Article I, sec. 6, renumbered by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified Nov. 7, 1978). This is the oath my colleagues and I took when we were sworn into office to represent the citizens of Maryland. Holding elected officials to this standard is absolutely necessary. I therefore supported House Bill 1222 which creates two new positions at the State Board of Elections to help audit, investigate, and enforce campaign finance laws. Additional State Board of Elections staff will give candidates more compliance support when working to submit accurate, up-to-date campaign finance reports. This bill fortunately passed both the House and Senate. I also supported House Bill 437 which allows state regulators to create an internal system to audit and investigate campaign contributions made by businesses against State Department of Assessment and Taxation. This bill passed the House but did not pass the Senate before session ended. Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman Maryland-born abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas are the epitome of “reach[ing] for the stars to change the world”. I had the honor to be a part of a Joint Legislative Session dedicating statues of these two inspirational individuals in the Maryland Old House Chamber - the exact place where slavery was abolished in Maryland in 1864. We should all continue to learn from their examples and “reach for the stars to change the world."

Scholarships I am honored to award Delegate Scholarships every year to students in the 41st District for college or graduate school. To confirm that you are a resident, please visit http://www.mdelect.net and enter your address to find out if you reside in District 41.

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

Applications are now available for the 2020-2021 scholarships. Please visit https://www.dalyaattar.com/scholarship.html for a copy of the application and more information.

Applications are due by April 30, 2020. Scholarship funds will be applied to the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.

2020 CENSUS The response to the 2020 census is key to ensuring that our communities will receive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding. I filled out the census to ensure my family is counted. Please do not forget to fill it out so you and your family can be counted as well!

Visit https://2020census.gov/.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME APRIL 23, 2020

Together with lawmakers throughout Maryland, I worked very hard to represent my constituents, and I am thankful for a very productive and successful session for all Marylanders. It truly is my honor to serve you in the Maryland House of Delegates. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you! Please stay in touch!

Delegate Dalya Attar

6 Bladen Street, Room 317 Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-841-3268

Dalya.Attar@house.state.md.us @Delegate Dalya Attar @dalyaattar41 @delegate_dalya_attar

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

Annapolis Office:

www.dalyaattar.com

District Office:

1501 Sulgrave Avenue, Suite 105 Baltimore, MD 21209 443-388-8681

By Authority of: Dalya Attar for Baltimore, Sara Goldfeiz, Treas.

Dalya Attar

End of Session Newsletter 2020

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APRIL 23, 2020

TJH

Centerfold

Riddle me this? Two people wish to cross a river. The only way to get to the other side is by boat, but that boat can only take one person at a time. The boat cannot return on its own, there are no ropes or similar tricks, yet both people manage to cross using the boat. How? See answer on the other page

That’s Wright The best of comedian Steven Wright Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

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

There’s a fine between fishing and just I ran out of toiletline paper and had to start using old newspapers. Timeslike are an rough. standing on the shore idiot. I was walking down the street wearing glasses when the prescription ran out.

Cross-country skiing is great if you live in a small country. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. Everyone hastell a yourself photographic Some What do you when memory. you wake up late just for work realize you have a fever? Self, I so late. don’t haveand film. Half the people you know are below average. How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink? I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met. I hate itjust when my foot falls asleep Finland closed its borders. Youduring know the day because that means it’s going to be up what that means. No one will be crossing the finish line. all night. I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes. I I’ll used work in a fire hydrant factory. You tell to you a coronavirus joke now, but you’ll have to wait two weeks to see if you got it. couldn’t park anywhere near the place. I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, “Hey, the sign says you’re open 24 hours.” He said, “Yes, but not in a row.” I Why wentdon’t to a chefs general store. They wouldn’t let me buy find coronavirus jokes funny? They’re in bad taste. anything specific. If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving definitely isn’t for you.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

The gene pool is that Whyproblem do they with call it the the novel coronavirus? there no story. lifeguard. It’s a is long

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect.

Why is it a penny for your thoughts but you have to put your two cents in? Somebody’s making a penny.

I What wenttypes to a of restaurant serves “breakfast at any jokes arethat allowed during quarantine? time”. I ordered French toast during the RenaisInsideSo jokes! sance. Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. Borrow – they don’t Did you money hear thefrom jokepessimists about the germ? expectmind, it back. Never I don’t want to spread it around.

IfSo you think nobody cares about you, try missmany coronavirus jokes out there, it’s a pundemic. ing a couple of payments. If you were going to shoot a mime, would you use a silencer? when I was a fetus I used to sneak Me: ThisI remember show is boring. out at night my mother was sleeping. Boss: Again, thiswhile is a Zoom meeting. Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

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1. How many colors are there in a rainbow? a. 4 b. 5 c. 7 d. 8

a. 42 b. 64 c. 76 d. 90 3. How many points does a compass have? a. 32 b. 49 c. 56

b. 140

4. How many feet are there in a mile?

7. What percentage of people in the world are left-handed?

b. 3,465 c. 4,760

a. 11%

d. 5,280

b. 22% 5. What comes after a trillion? a. Quintillion b. Quadrillion c. Sextillion d. Septillion

d. 2 million times 10. For how long can a snail sleep without getting up?

c. 35%

a. 7 days

d. 48%

b. 2 months

8. How many dimples does the average golf ball have?

c. 13 months d. 3 years

a. 42

c. 336 d. 1,075 9. The sun is how many

 Answers 9) C 8) C 7) A 6) C 5) B 4) D 3) A

0-3 correct: Hmm...let’s try this: how many days are there in a week? (Baby steps...)

c. 330,330 times

b. 164 6. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world. How many stories does it have?

10) D

4-7 correct: Not bad, but you have to wake up! Your 3 years of sleeping are up.

a. 4 times

You gotta be kidding Yankel walks into his boss’s office. “Sir, I’ll be straight with you, I know the economy isn’t great, but I have over three companies after me, and I would like to respectfully ask for a raise.” After a few minutes of haggling the boss finally agrees to a 5% raise, and Yankel happily gets up to leave. “By the way,” asks the boss as Yankel is getting up, “which three companies are after you?” Yankel replies, “The electric company, water company, and phone company!”

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

8-10 correct: You are great at numbers! But if you’re counting the dimples on a golf ball, you certainly have other problems.

d. 210

b. 1,750 time

a. 2,370

a. 120

 Wisdom Key

c. 160

times larger than the Earth?

APRIL 23, 2020

2. How many squares are there on a chess board?

d. 81

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Numbers Trivia

2) B 1) C

Answer to Riddle Me This: Who said they were on the same side? They both started off on opposite sides of the river.

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MAY 2, 2019 | The Home Home OCTOBER 29, 2015Jewish | The Jewish

World

Builders

APRIL 23, 2020

It Is All Worth It

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

By Lahav Peled

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

y name is Lahav Peled and I’ve been a volunteer with United Hatzalah for a bit more than a year. I live in Kiryat Tivon, a town near Haifa, in northern Israel. My family and I were visiting my wife’s parents in Qatzrin over the intermediate days of Pesach and while we were sitting down to eat, my bluebird device alerted me that there was a man choking near my location. I dropped my fork onto the table, made my apologies for leaving, and rushed out of the room. I got into my car and drove to the address listed on the location indicator on the map that had popped up on my phone. Qatzrin, while being the capital of the Golan region, is not a big city, and I arrived at the scene fairly quickly. When I walked in the door, I found a grown man trying to care for his elderly father of 84 years. The older man’s lips were blue, and I saw that there was a food tray nearby. I asked the son what had happened. He explained to me that he lives alone with

his father and that he has no other family on this earth. His father is everything to him and that he cares for him by himself. He was very agitated, I could tell. The father didn’t seem to be breathing but still had a pulse. I asked the

his throat. I picked the man up from his chair and performed the Heimlich maneuver. A piece of food shot out of his mouth on the fourth squeeze. The father began to cough and breathe once more. The son began to thank me profusely. As we waited for the

“Had I not been around to help this man, it is very likely that he would not have finished the holiday.”

son if his father had eaten anything, and he replied in the affirmative and said that he had stopped speaking a few moments ago and started turning blue. I checked the older man’s airway and indeed he was not breathing and some of the food was lodged in

ambulance to arrive, I looked after the father, provided him with oxygen, and calmed down the son. The danger was over. HIs father needed to still go to the hospital to receive further care, but for now, he was stable. The Golan Heights, and the city

of Qatzrin, in specific are relatively far from any hospital. It took about 15 minutes for the first ambulance to arrive. Had I not been around to help this man, it is very likely that he would not have finished the holiday. This was the first time that I had ever performed the Heimlich maneuver on someone. I’ve saved lives before, via CPR and other instances, but this was the first time I saved a life by myself. It is the greatest feeling in the world to know that I have saved a person’s life with my hands. I’m a police officer in my day-to-day job so I am accustomed to emergencies but saving someone’s life with my bare hands is still a relatively new feeling. This is what I joined United Hatzalah for, and I can say without a doubt in my mind, that as of today, every call I have ever responded to, all of the hours of training I’ve undergone to get here, they are all worth it to know that this man is alive and his son will not be in mourning today.

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APRIL 17, 2019 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Israel Today

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KIBBUTZ HANITA A Story of a Pioneering Nation and a Young Life Cut Short

APRIL 23, 2020

By Rafi Sackville

Yosef Rotblat. Photo from the Yizkor.org website

That leadership quality can be traced to his father, Aharon Rotblat, who traveled throughout the Ukraine giving speeches in synagogues and towns encouraging his listeners to make aliyah. Along with a few family members, he made the arduous trip himself in 1891. The burden of responsibility for their care fell on his shoulders. Behind them they had left their family and the everyday joys of the ritual of life. They also left behind the constant persecution by Ukrainian police in search of Zionist propaganda, whose anti-Semitic goading and false rumors precipitated angst and fear amongst the Jews. Aharon Rotblat landed in Haifa. It was there the bitterness of the olives first passed his lips and where he tasted the sweetness of vegetables like eggplant, fondly known as meat without bones. It was also the first time in his life that he had seen electricity. At first, he wondered how the stars could descend to the ground. He and his brother,

Boaz, eventually moved to Kfar Tabor in the Jezreel Valley in 1901. They married, and each of them had one son, both named Yosef after their grandfather. Yosef was a bright student, who might have continued his schooling were it not for his great sense of family obligation. He was willing to forgo his studies to support them. He dropped out of school to work in the construction industry. An ambitious young man, Yosef Rotblat was known for his integrity, modesty, his love of others, and his love for painting and swimming. The Hagana appointed him commander in charge of signals. He was sent to the new settlement of Hanita (today a short drive East of Rosh Hanikra) in March 1938. He arrived there before Pesach that year. His stay was tragically short.

Rolling Hills The Western Galil’s history is intrinsically tied to Yosef Rotblat and

what motivated the Jewish leadership at the time to send so many brave young people to its northernmost borders. This is especially true of Kibbutz Hanita, the place Rotblat had come to establish and defend. The Galil is one verdant valley after another vying for attention. There Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai found his eternal rest on the side of that hill, there a battle was fought during the War of Independence, and it was there that Kibbutz Hanita was raised in two days in 1938. The drive to Hanita is a half an hour from our home. We found Gilad Argaman at the picnic grounds halfway up the hill. He was walking around, filling a large bag with discarded trash. It’s not his job; he’s a full-time teacher. He was collecting garbage because he is proud of his place of birth. He likes it looking pristine. The centerpiece of the grounds is a recreated tower and stockade that came to define the settlements that arose around Israel before the Second World War. Across from the tower is a rect-

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he photograph of Yosef Rotblat on the Yizkor. org.il website for fallen Israeli soldiers was taken close to the year of his death in 1938. His is the face of a young man who has left his teenage years behind and is firmly on the track to a manhood he will never realize. His pursed lips sit above a square, determined jaw. The mouth is enigmatic and difficult to interpret; is it a serious look he is conveying or is that the thinnest of what will become a smile? Maybe the photographer caught him on the cusp of a joke for which he’s awaiting the punchline? The light shines from his left, shadowing the right side of his face. One is drawn upwards from his chin to his prominent forehead but instinctively returns to focus on his eyes. They are piercing, but kind, controlled but compassionate. You can see why the Hagana chose him for a prominent position. He has the look of a leader.

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APRIL 23, 2020

Ezer and Gilad Argaman

A memorial to those who gave their lives for their country

Purchasing the land for Kibbutz Hanita

angular plaque commemorating the ten soldiers who lost their lives there in 1938. Gilad is a distant relative of Yosef Rotblat, who was one of the fallen. When Gilad’s father, Ezer, was at school in the early 1950s, one of his teachers began calling him argaman, or scarlet, in Hebrew. Rotblat in Russian means red leaves. The name stuck. Before taking us to meet his father, Gilad showed us the border fence. The rolling hills of Lebanon lay before us like a gentle wave held in suspension. The incongruity between the tranquility on the one hand and the Iranian-backed menace that threatens us further north on the other struck a nerve. This incongruity is amplified by the cows that populate the no man’s land between the fences; they graze serenely and worry-free. When asked if the army has discovered any Hezbollah tunnels in the area, Gilad vaguely mentioned some activity a kilometer away, but said little more. Walking back to his car, he picked and ate some edible flowers indicating we should follow suit. One yellow flower carried a faint, garlic taste. It was a comfort to know that in times of crisis the supermarket is not the only avenue to staving off hunger. I chewed a few petals while gazing towards the west at the Mediterranean Sea that glistened in the afternoon sun. The building which now houses the museum existed when the first settlers arrived on March 21,1938. It was built in the middle of the 19th century by the Ottomans. Gilad’s father was waiting for us

inside the museum, towing his small granddaughter, Maya behind him. Into his 70s, Ezer Argaman retains the vigor of youthful enthusiasm. He’s a quiet man with a sense of humor. He has lived a full life. Conscripted in 1965 into the Navy Seals, he then joined the Golani Brigade, where he was among the soldiers who freed the Golan and Shechem in 1967. As we shake hands, I notice a glint in his eye. By way of introduction we are led to a display case where he points to a three-legged Primus stove and asks what we think the third leg stands for. Without waiting for an answer, he tells the story of his parents, Yoska (Yosef) and Bat Sheva Rotblat, who were living on Kibbutz Sdot Yam, near Caesaria, in the early 1950s. A young Hannah Senesh had recently made aliyah alone from Hungary. Adopted by the Rotblats, she shared sleeping quarters with them...in their tent! “Sometimes they would ask Hannah to step outside while they spent some ‘quality’ time together,” he chuckles. “Hannah was the third leg of the Primus stove.” Ezer moved away from the display case and sat on a bench while Maya took out her coloring pencils and began to draw. He explained his parents’ move north from Sdot Yam, near Caesarea, in 1951. “There was turmoil in the kibbutz movement at the time,” he said. “Mapam and Labour, the two parties representing the kibbutzim, became

ideologically opposed. “My mother wanted to move to a nearby kibbutz, but my father was adamant they head to the very place his cousin, also named Yosef Rotblat, had been killed in 1938. That was 13 years after Hanita was founded. I was 5 years old at the time.”

Responding to the Peel Report During the early 1930s there was a constant flow of Jewish immigrants pouring into the country. The Arabs protested. Matters rose to a head in 1936, with what came to be known as the Arab Revolt. At the beginning of the First Aliyah in 1882 there were at most 25,000 Jews living in Israel, most of them in Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias and Safed. By the time of the Arab Revolt some 375,000 Jews had made Israel their home. This represented a growth rate of more than 400%. In comparison, the Arab growth rate was less than 100%. In the eyes of the Arabs this was something to fear. They felt we were stealing their land. What had begun with a general strike against the British morphed into violent protests and attacks. The British had trouble quelling the unrest. In search of a solution to the growing problem, they formed a commission led by the politician Lord William Robert Peel. His findings in 1937, known as the Peel Commission Report, called for a partition between the Jewish population and the Arabs. The Arabs imme-

diately opposed any notion of a Jewish State. While not completely dismissing Peel’s recommendation for a need for distinctive frontiers, the Zionist Congress expressed a desire to further study the proposal. They foreshadowed that, if implemented, the partition would lead to a Palestine that would be overwhelmingly Arab by the late 1940s. Written 83 years ago, some of the wording of Peel’s report wouldn’t be out of place in today’s political climate. Calling the conflict between the two sides “irresponsible,” it also noted “there is no common ground between them.” Peel’s plan would have placed the current border further south. It would have meant ceding the high ground to the enemy. At the time, the Western Galil was completely Arab. The Jewish leadership, led by Moshe Sharet, Ben Gurion and Yosef Weitz, the head of the Jewish National Fund, concluded that the area needed to be occupied as there was no Jewish presence north of Nahariya (founded in 1934). They acted with lightning speed. Fifty-two settlements, which came to be known as “Tower and Stockade,” were established between 1936 and 1939. Not before or since has there been a such growth in Jewish settlements. This was a program of national importance. The leadership imagined a scenario where, were the country to be blanketed in darkness and only the lights above the towers of each settlement lit, the outline of the borders

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Settling a Settlement Hanita was the Yishuv’s northern most settlement. Its creation was considered the epitome of the tower and stockade settlements. Cut off from

roads leading to it, the closest town was Nahariya, but it was only accessible via Arab villages. Today the entire mountainside is covered in trees planted over the last 80 years. With so many hills in the region lying exposed, it is not hard to imagine the tasks that lay ahead for the founders of Hanita. As if marauding Arabs weren’t enough of a worry, territorial panthers roamed the hills posing a threat to farmers. Hanging on the wall of the muse-

populate it. The plan was that people like Yosef Rotblat would sit there for a few months, and only then would the “first” settlers arrive. Trucks and mules carried the provisions, tents, building materials, water, and, most importantly, the prefabricated sections of the tower and stockade. When the road came to an end, the volunteers portered the materials up by hand in an operation run by both men and women. The area is abundant with streams, and they were able to tap into one of the

Despite the proximity to the border and the Iranian saber rattling, it is a place of intense beauty and quietude.

um is a large panther skin surrounded by newspaper accounts of the last known attack. A shepherd had been attacked and only saved his life by thrusting his right fist down the panther’s throat and drawing a pistol with his left hand. The victim was photographed in Nahariya Hospital smiling, but less two digits. The difficulty of the terrain led to the establishment of Hanita in two stages. The first was halfway up the hill, where we had met Gilad; the second where it stands today. The actual founders of Hanita were not among those who came to

local springs for refreshing water. The public was kept informed. The official opening was an exciting event with reporters and photographers flocking north. A new Torah was brought up to celebrate the occasion. Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Sadeh and Yigal Alon were photographed together. Ben Gurion visited, as did Chaim Weizmann and his wife, Vera. Hanita was on its way. Its growth and development have continued for over 80 years. Despite the proximity to the border and the Iranian saber rattling, it is a place of intense beauty

and quietude, which makes it hard to comprehend the terrible loss of life in the year it was established.

A Short but Impactful Life Over 80 years have passed since the death of Yosef Rotblat. He arrived in Hanita in March 1938. A little less than a month later, Pesach was celebrated. The Arabs had a misconception about the Jewish seder. They believed that four cups of wine was enough to give anyone a hangover. They figured the soldiers on guard duty the following morning would be suffering the aftereffects of drunkenness. That morning, Rotblat was given the command to report to another location. The guard at the stockade told him that information had been received that it was too dangerous to travel. He drove away from his post and was ambushed. The attack on his vehicle killed him and two of his companions. He was brought to rest in the old cemetery in Haifa. Rotblat’s fragment of life, a tree cut off in its prime, was lived with vigor and bravery. The only physical evidence of that battle is a plaque we had seen when we met Gilad. Were it not for his death, Erez Argaman and his son, Gilad, would not have spent their lives in Hanita. The pain of his loss still lingers today. Yosef’s sister, Dahlia, is well into her 80s. She recalls her brother’s warmth and the incredible respect he had for his parents. She is keen to mention how, despite the 14

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throughout the country could hypothetically be seen north of Be’er Sheva. Tower and stockade settlements used easily transportable and prefabricated structures. Once an area for settlement was chosen a tower would be erected with a spotlight on top, which gave an uninterrupted view of the surrounding area. Around it a stockade would be constructed; in essence, a structure built of two walls filled with gravel for protection against gunfire. Being swift and efficient, they were erected in hours. Peel’s recommendations were published in the summer of 1937. The leadership had to act quickly if they were to incorporate the Galil into the area partitioned for the Jewish State. Deals to buy Arab land began. As a result, several thousand acres were purchased in the Western Galil. A fascinating letter, written by Moshe Sharett to the prime minister of Lebanon, survives in which he advised that a small group of Jews were moving to Hanita to establish an agricultural settlement. He pointed out the intentions of the group to turn the area into an agricultural paradise and that the British would take care of defending the settlement. Relations with neighboring Lebanon were good. Within two days the prime minister replied to Sharett granting his government’s permission to the deal.

The settlement of Hanita. Note the tower in the background

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Chaim Weizmann and his wife Vera arriving for the official opening of Hanita

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APRIL 23, 2020

A view of Hanita in 1938

years difference between them, he would care for her. She says her father took his son’s loss very hard. After all, it was he who had instilled a sense of Zionist pride and obligation that had spurred Yosef to contribute to the new Yishuv. It was he who encour-

aged him to go into the Hagana’s signal corps. Aharon Rotblat spent the remainder of his life blaming himself for his son’s death. The fact that he had opposed Yosef’s traveling to Hanita for Pesach did little to mitigate the blame he bore. Talking to Dahlia’s daughter,

Yosef with his father, Aharon

Yosef with his sister, Dahlia

Yael, about her uncle’s death is like recounting a recent terrorist attack. Over 80 years have passed, but the turmoil her family lived through left a stain that has yet to be erased. Jewish history’s relevance and immediacy transcends generations. Yosef Rotblat’s life and death, which

occurred a year before the start of World War II, is symbolic of the pioneering spirit and courage that has come to define our small, wonderful country. Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

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Dating Dialogue

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME APRIL 23, 2020

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

Dear Navidaters, My husband has always been a controlling person. Some people might call him a control freak. He has to be involved with everything and his way always has to be the best way to approach every situation. He is very successful in life, and I guess has reason to believe in himself.

I see that my husband is commandeering this part of our lives, like he does everything else. I feel this is finally something that should be my job. I don’t mind him being involved, but for once, I believe I should spearhead this important state of our son’s life. He thinks otherwise. How do I get him out of the picture, so that our son has the best chance of meeting his bashert? I know in my heart I can and will do a much better job at this.

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.

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Our oldest son is starting to date. I’ve been looking forward to this period of his life for a while now and am very excited about being an important part of the process. I feel that, as a mother, I am much more tuned into our son’s emotional needs and of course, as a woman, I understand women better than any man would.

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APRIL 23, 2020

The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. aking charge now when your son is dating is not going to be easy because of the longstanding pattern in your marriage. Just because you are the mother and you think you will do better at checking references, investigating girls and dealing with shadchanim doesn’t mean that you can take charge in this area. Logic, people skills and feminine intuition about your skills in this area of Jewish life will not help you if you have been passive in your relationship with your controlling husband. Needless to say, it sounds like your son has not seen a healthy marriage. He has witnessed control rather than shared responsibilities in running a family. This is not healthy for him nor for either of you two. Therefore, I would suggest that you go into therapy with a skilled couples therapist. Don’t wait for your husband to go with you. Get started on the extensive work it takes to repair an unhealthy relationship and begin building a healthy one. This will entail examining yourself and why you have allowed your husband to be controlling. It will entail learning new patterns of communication, behavior, and responses. It will be hard but you will have support if you stay the course and stay in therapy. Hopefully, your husband will join you in therapy at some point. But even if he doesn’t, you can still reclaim your voice and move toward communication and teambuilding with skilled help. You have bigger issues on your plate than being the active parent in the shidduchim parsha. You have a marriage to work on. This is the best gift you can give your dating child: observing a respectful, caring relationship between two adults with different strengths and weaknesses. Al-

though your son will not see this for a long time because it takes time, energy and help to make it happen, this will be more valuable to him long term than taking over the leading role in shidduchim right now.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. he tipping point. The time has come. It’s taken how many babies, how many anniversaries, how many birthdays, how many milestones…to finally compel you to stand up for yourself and proclaim to your husband, “You may be the boss, but I. AM. THE. MOTHER!” Congratulations; it’s high time. There’s no doubt that shidduchim, the parsha, is a challenging stage in a child’s life. Your son needs the guidance, support, and input of both his mother and father. But what if the mother has allowed the father to take full control of all aspects of running the household? Not to blame the victim, but a commander (your husband) could not function without blind allegiance from the commandee (you). So now, as you seek to re-claim your rightful duties and privileges as mother, it shouldn’t surprise you that the commander balks at sharing the keys to the kingdom. It’s time to call the rabbi (the one your husband respects, who knows your children’s names) and make him your ally. Describe the lopsided dynamics in your marriage and how it can affect your son’s dating prospects. Ask the rabbi to meet with both you and your husband; allow him to listen firsthand to your husband’s authoritarian, archaic views on shidduchim. Share with him that you are anxious to participate in the process. Perhaps the rabbi may educate and enlighten your husband regarding the significant and incomparable role a mother plays in

seeking her son’s future wife. And while your rabbi’s input may be invaluable, it may not be the sole solution to your quandary. In addition to spiritual guidance, I urge you to consult a qualified therapist. Only in therapy can you gain insight regarding the commander/ commandee nature of your marriage. In time, and with newfound therapeutic tools, you will develop the strength and confidence to become a happier, more functional, independent wife and mother. Not to mention, one terrific shvigger!

The Shadchan Michelle Mond he way you start your letter tells a story far bigger than the issue you raise as your actual conundrum. In this day and age, “controlling” is a buzz word. Knowing no details about your personal situation does not give me enough information to pass judgment on whether your husband is or is not actually controlling. However, the bottom line is: this is your husband and you have a son who is about to start dating. You ask the panel how to “get him out of the picture” but this is your husband we are talking about and your son’s father. You ask your question and are genuinely worried, and I quote, “so that our son has the best chance of meeting his bashert.” The tone of your letter bleeds an undertone of resentment and I highly suspect that this tone is present in your dayto-day interactions. If I may, I would like to redirect your focus by re-framing this situation. Use this as an opportunity to work on your relationship with your husband so that your son can be the best husband he can be to his bashert. I am sure this dynamic has impacted your son and will impact his future relationships. Perhaps go to therapy together so

It shouldn’t surprise you that the commander balks at sharing the keys to the kingdom.

you can learn communication techniques that allow both of you to feel heard and respected. Disrespect is to a man’s ego as salt is to a wound; it’s not a good mix, to say the least. In the meantime, try to show him you respect the opinions which the two of you agree on. Don’t keep the positive attributes you see in him to yourself – share those thoughts and feelings with him as they come. Try to think of one particularly thoughtful thing to do for him each day. Giving is contagious. You mention he has been successful in life, so there must be things to admire as well. Now to your main concern. As his mother, you absolutely have every right to be just as involved in your son’s dating process as your husband. It is also unsettling to a shadchan when a parent of a single comes across as harsh or commandeering, which will not help your son’s cause. Hopefully your husband has proper social etiquette and realizes this. My hope for you is that through working on yourselves and learning positive communication techniques, in addition to your newfound expressive respect, your husband will ease up a lot (you may even be able to take the reins of your son’s shidduchim). This should not only positively impact your wish to be more involved in the shidduchim department but will also set a healthier example for your son to emulate in his own marriage, iy”H.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Tova Wein learly, you’ve been unhappy with your limited feelings of control within your marriage for

some time – maybe as far back as the day you walked down the aisle. For some reason you tolerated it, but this new chapter of your life is the final straw in creating in you the proper awareness that something is very off in your marriage. And it’s time to go for help.

You deserve a voice.

and all growth that comes out of this will not only provide a happier life for you but will also create a healthier environment for your son to observe, so that he doesn’t decide to emulate his father’s behavior and look for an insecure woman who will put up with bad behavior.

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

therapy se s sion, do not go for marital therapy. If he refuses to go for marital therapy with you, which may be the case since it isn’t his idea, then by all means, please go by yourself. A little validation… You have every right to be involved in your son’s shidduchim. You’ve had every right to be involved in every aspect of your marriage, your home, your children’s lives (when appropriate), your finances all along. You and your husband are equals, partners. Your voice is just as important as his. Trying to change this years-long pattern will not be easy. It is going to take a lot of digging and heavy lifting to begin to shift it. And the work will start with what you decide you no longer are willing to tolerate. “I’ve given this more thought, and I’ve decided that I am going to be involved in Moishy’s shidduchim.” Notice how you are being polite and respectful and at the same time are not asking for permission. You are creating a boundary. This can feel scary because you’ve quite possibly never done this before and/or you don’t know how he will react. Will he dig his commandeering heels in further or will he soften when he

ly abused. It isn’t as easy to detect as physical abuse. Dear author, it is my deep hope that you and your husband will be able to make great changes to your marriage. You deserve a voice. All the best, Jennifer Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

Hi Readers! Receiving your enthusiastic emails wanting to participate in the Reader’s Respond section has been wonderful! Just a reminder about how Reader Response works. Email thenavidaters@gmail. com with the subject line “Reader Response.” We will then ask you, in the order we receive your email, if you would like to respond to the coming week’s email. If you would like to respond to an already printed Navidaters Panel, please submit your answer to the editor at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. You can also join us on our FB page @thenavidaters on Sunday evenings to post your response to the week’s column. Interacting with you has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of your feedback. Esther and Jennifer

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f course, your letter is only a glimpse into your marriage and there may be lots of missing parts that would shed more light on the current situation and on the dynamics of your relationship. With that being said, what you did provide in the letter alludes to an unbalanced and unhealthy dynamic between you and your husband. You refer to him as “controlling” and “commandeering.” And asking how to completely rid him from the picture while your son is dating speaks to something. It seems as though it feels impossible for you take the reins, as well as to do anything together, as a team. The advice from the panelists is excellent, in my opinion. Please go into therapy. In marital therapy, the therapist will try to help shift this unhealthy pattern in the marriage. In individual therapy, the work will be exclusively focused on you. How did you get here? What role did you play, if any, in creating this controller/controllee relationship? Why and how have you tolerated this? Which route you take depends on your level of comfort in being vulnerable around your husband. Only you know your husband. If there is abuse in this marriage, and you fear there will be repercussions after a

realizes that you mean business? A word about control and commandeering to the author of the letter and the readership. Sometimes a controlling spouse can be chalked up to some “meshugas,” mild to moderate anxiety or OCD and/or a spouse who has allowed the other to take the reins because it was easier to do so, for a myriad of reasons. Such a controlling person can often be worked with, gain new insights and awareness, and is quite capable of great change! Sometimes, though, control and commandeering is abusive. I’ve worked with enough people to recognize the potential language around abuse. Sometimes people know it is happening, and other times people have no idea they are being psychologically or emotional-

APRIL 23, 2020

Pulling It All Together

You need therapy to finally understand why it is that you allowed someone (albeit a very successful man) to call all the shots. What’s up with that? Healthy women don’t tolerate that and it’s time for you to become healthy. Once you take care of that, it may be time for some serious couples therapy, assuming your husband is willing to join you. Good luck with that. Meanwhile, any

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The Single

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Rav Avichai Rontzki The Rabbi You Wished You Knew By Doni Cohen

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y rabbi, one of the most incredible men of our generation, died earlier this month, yet you probably haven’t ever even heard of him. Let me tell you a bit about him. Rav Avichai Nissan ben Chaya Rontzki was born into an irreligious family living in Haifa in 1951. Like any other Israeli, he enlisted into the army when the time came. He wanted to get to the best unit possible, passed the tests, and later trained to be a member of “Shayetet 13,” one of, if not the most, elite unit in the Israel Defense Forces. He got injured and was forced to leave the unit a year and a half in, settling to be a commander in the paratroopers. He then became an officer and rose through the ranks of the paratroopers, eventually serving as a commander in “Sayeret Shaked” during the Yom Kippur War, leading his soldiers to victory in battle against an elite Egyptian commando unit. During his time leading elite units, he met his wife, a secretary for the unit, and they went through the process of becoming religious Jews together and got married. After the war, he rose in rank once again to become the head of the Samarian Territorial Brigade. Upon retiring from the army, the first thing Rav Rontzki did was take a few months off to hike the Israel Na-

tional Trail with his wife, only stopping his journey along the land of Israel’s length once his father became ill. He then started his next job, working with troubled children on the streets of Jerusalem, coaching them through their both physical and mental hardships one by one. He then spent some time learning in the prestigious “Mercaz HaRav” yeshiva in Jerusalem. Rabbi Rontzki had children of his own and adopted children with severe physical disabilities so that he could care for them. He once adopted a oneyear-old baby boy in the hospital he had seen after visiting a wounded soldier commenting that he didn’t understand how a new baby boy could just lie in a hospital alone for a year without getting a warm hug from a parent. In 1980, he turned to education and settling the land of Israel. He was one of the founders of the first Jewish community in Samaria in many years, Elon Moreh, where he was also a partner in founding the yeshiva. He taught there, as well as at the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. However, he wasn’t done. Just a few years later, he became a partner in founding the neighboring Samaritan community of Itamar, served as the rabbi of the community, was a partner in the creation of the high school for boys there called Chitzim, and was the

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in their living rooms, and his constant phone calls and texts asking them how they are doing. The amount of people he touched is simply enormous. His work did not end there. Rav Rontzki then started the political party “The Israelis” with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, which eventually morphed into the modern day “Jewish Home” party. Rav Rontzki ran in the primaries of the party in 2014, receiving the 13th spot on the party’s list. However, the party only got eight seats in the elections, and he did not become a member of Knesset.

Torah classes to those interested who were fighting within the Gaza Strip. He also made it a habit of his to go to military jails and give Torah classes to soldiers who needed some inspiration.

Providing Comfort and Growth in Itamar After his term ended as chief rabbi, he went back to his home in Itamar, and continued on his path of education

father, mother, and three of the children of the Shabo family. Just a few months afterwards, another break-in resulted in two adults being stabbed, as the attacker continued on to the empty beds of the eight children who were away visiting their grandparents, stabbing each bed with his bloody knife. Besides for these attacks, seven more Itamar residents lost their lives from terror attacks through shootings, kid-

Almost none of the young Israeli travelers knew who this man with a long white beard wearing sandals and a simple white undershirt was. nappings and stabbings. Rav Rontzki’s response each time was to strengthen the community by expanding the educational institutions and bringing more and more families to make Itamar their home. Throughout his life Rav Rontzki made it a habit of his to visit every single injured soldier or victim of terror he could, and connected with thousands of families that had lost loved ones protecting the State of Israel. He was in constant contact with these families, almost never going a Shabbos without either staying by one of them or hosting them at his home in Itamar. Tens of thousands of people in Israel who have lost loved ones in terrorism or military operations know Rav Rontzki personally from his meetings with them sitting

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and building up the land of Israel. He went through unfathomable hard times with his community, after the community suffered incredibly tragic terrorist attacks, including the Fogel Family massacre on a Sabbath eve in 2011. He attended many funerals for victims of terror, many of whom he knew personally, but continued to be the rock upon which his community relied on, personally recruiting new families to join the community at a time when many were thinking of leaving out of fear. He continued to build his community both physically and spiritually even after a student in the high school that he founded was shot dead on campus by an Arab terrorist. Less than a month later, an Arab terrorist broke into a family home, brutally murdering the

Rav Rontzki then decided with his wife to self-appoint themselves to go on shlichut, setting up what he called a “Jewish House” in India near the border with Nepal, a popular trekking spot for recently released Israeli soldiers looking for some time off and inspiration. He spent almost a half a year there, coming into contact with thousands of Israelis. He spent his days talking with all of the young Israelis that wanted a place to rest, eat or sleep, about any topic, no matter their beliefs, religious observance or interests, trying to offer them a warm feeling of Israeli culture so far from home and to inspire them to be better people. Almost none of the young Israeli travelers knew who this man with a long white beard wearing sandals and a simple white undershirt was, until it came up in conversation. When he came back from India, Rav Rontzki decided to go for one of his lifelong dreams: to donate a kidney. He was told by the organization through which he wished to donate a kidney that the next man on the list was an Arab man from a local village, and after checking into the family’s background, he gladly agreed to take this opportunity to make a massive sanctification of G-d’s name by a rabbi from “the settlements” saving a local Arab man’s life. He approached many doctors, and although almost all of them refused to let him go through with it because of his age, he persisted until he found a doctor that would agree to operate on him. When the doctors asked him why he was so incredibly stubborn in his mission, he responded: “What did G-d give me two kidneys for? I’m healthy, I can run, I have energy. I can

APRIL 23, 2020

Giving – Literally – of Himself

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founder of Yeshivat Itamar. During his time as the head of the yeshiva, he published four volumes of letters between his students serving in the army and himself, dealing with questions that arise in the army regarding Jewish law and how to respond. He was then recruited back into the army in 2006 and was appointed as the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. While in the position, Rav Rontzki revolutionized nearly everything about the Military Chief Rabbinate, creating a new department to inspire soldiers in the field and increase their morale through learning more about their Jewish identity and the incredible opportunity they have to defend their nation. He also headed a new department that focused on making sure that healthy working relationships were kept between male and female soldiers, reducing sexual harassment, and increasing awareness of the issue in the army. Both of these departments made an indelible mark on the army and still influence it today. He, a Brigadier general, personally interviewed every new enlistee that would serve as a rabbi or religious needs coordinator in the entire army, making sure they understood the incredible weight they would carry on their shoulders. He also forced all military rabbis to go through officers’ school, saying that a rabbi cannot fully understand what a combat soldier goes through if they were not one themselves and could not relate to their commanders. In 2008, tension broke out on the Gaza border, and Rav Rontzki left his office in the military rabbinate headquarters and, under a barrage of heavy criticism, donned his vest and gear and went into Gaza with his soldiers leading them into battle. He gave an order that all rabbis of the units in Gaza must be in battle with their soldiers, to accompany them in war, provide their physical and psychological needs, and, if G-d forbid need be, deal with soldiers who have fallen. He saw the role of a military rabbi as one that is fully in combat, always with his soldiers in their time of need. He even returned to his former unit, leading the 890th Paratroopers Brigade into battle where the unit performed excellently. Throughout the war, he went from unit to unit, encouraging the tired soldiers, giving them words of strength, and even giving

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Giving shiur to some of the boys in yeshiva

live with one. He gave me the second one to give to someone else.” He was filled with joy at the chance to give a physical part of him to someone and save another person’s life, and during the last check before the surgery, a cancerous tumor was found in his colon, saving his life. He underwent surgery to remove it, and although the cancer returned and he needed to go through chemotherapy, he continued to teach in his community and yeshivot and go on with regular life. On the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach, Rav Rontzki left this world. He was 67 years old.

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My Rabbi, My Role Model I didn’t know who Rav Rontzki was until 2013. It was my first year after my family had moved to Israel on aliyah, and I was searching for something on Google Images. A picture came up on my screen that caught my attention. A photo of a man, in an Israeli army uniform, with a long white beard, a big knitted kippa, piercing eyes, a gun slung over his shoulder, high ranks on his shoulders and the figure of a mighty warrior stared me back in the face. The first thing that came to my mind was the idea of a modern day Yehoshua Bin Nun or King David, incredible Torah scholars who led their nation spiritually, but also led them physically, on the battlefield, fighting for their nation’s survival. I researched more who this impressive figure was, and that was the first time I knew who Rav Rontzki was. I then visited his community on Sukkot, as the community was dedicating a new synagogue in memory of all the terror victims over the years from Itamar. I remembered the terrible Fogel massacre from when I heard

Rav Rontzki with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked of Bayit Yehudi

about it living in the United States, and looked at these people around me, many of them young couples with children, dancing their hearts out with their Torah scrolls hoisted in the air and their young children on their shoulders, singing with pure joy in their eyes, showing the world that terrorism will never break them and that their spirit lives on. I was swept up in the emotion of the moment and joined in, immediately falling in love with the place, impressed by the warmth, dedi-

thoughts and his view on life, and was completely drawn into his ideology. In the army, I joined his former unit, serving as a religious needs coordinator on various bases, and eventually teaching the professions of the military rabbinate to newly enlisted soldiers, who would try to inspire the next generation of Israel’s bravest. As a commander, I slept three and a half hours a night while giving over courses, dealing with my soldiers’ many issues until the wee hours of the morning and then getting

When the doctors asked him why he was so incredibly stubborn in his mission, he responded: “What did G-d give me two kidneys for? I’m healthy, I can run, I have energy. I can live with one. He gave me the second one to give to someone else.”

cation, and strong-willed values of the people of which I was surrounded. I came back from that evening inspired, and started learning more about their educational systems, and their community, all started and led by their leader, Rav Rontzki. I discovered that it was no coincidence that they were such incredible people when they had such a righteous leader at the helm of their communal lives. I had the pleasure of meeting Rav Rontzki in 2014 as I voted for him in the “Jewish Home” party primaries, exchanging with him just a few words and taking a picture. However, I started listening to interviews with him, his Torah lessons, reading his articles, his

up before sunrise, but I barely let a few days go by where I did not pick up one of Rav Rontzki’s books, a collection of letters between him and his students, in which he gave advice to them in their time of need. I was inspired by these letters, and it help me overcome many challenges that I had myself during my service in the army. After I finished my army service and my studies in yeshiva, I decided to go on shlichut partly because of Rav Rontzki and his ideology, of going far away to help a fellow Jew in need of inspiration or even just in need of a listening ear. Forty days ago, still working here in Melbourne, Australia, on shlichut for

the year, trying to encourage Religious Zionist values within the community, I felt the need to speak to Rav Rontzki about various topics relating to my year here as well as my future. I emailed the secretary of his yeshiva and, after explaining my situation and why I couldn’t meet with him personally or write a letter to send in the mail, she gave me his email address to write him a letter. I wrote a long, detailed letter, explaining my background and where I came from, asking for his advice in multiple areas, and sent it, doubting that a dying man suffering from cancer for almost two years and undergoing many complicated treatments would respond at all. But I was wrong. I got an email from him within 24 hours, and woke up at four in the morning to speak to him on the phone. He didn’t want to write back to me, he wanted to speak to me and hear my voice. I called him, my hands trembling from speaking to someone one-on-one who I regarded so highly, and after he answered and asked how I was, he said, “Tov Daniel, ani mak’shiv. Okay, Doni, I’m listening.” He listened intently without interrupting for a long time, as I asked him for his advice on multiple things that I had on my mind. Only after I finished, did he respond, speaking to me in the soft, calm tone that showed his demeanor, speaking with care. I didn’t feel as if I was speaking to a Brigadier General, I felt as if I was speaking to a longtime friend. He answered my questions, gave me advice on many different things, and ended the conversation by encouraging me to please meet with him when I come back to Israel and asking if I wouldn’t mind coming to him for Shabbat, so that he could

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Rabbi Avichai Rontzki was an incredible figure not just because of how much he did and accomplished during his life, but the way in which he did everything. He was incredibly strong in his beliefs, but never let that get in the way of his humbleness and the way he related to any other human being. Whenever he was called up to the Torah in his yeshiva, he refused to be called up with any titles and would get angry at anyone who disobeyed his request. He called his students “my friends” no matter their age or who they were. He wore simple colored, button down shirts, untucked, like any other of his students would. When the yeshiva was renovated, he made sure that every classroom had round tables because, according to him, there really was no head of the class – everyone learned from each other, student and teacher alike. He was always running away from people who started to praise him, refusing awards for his work in all the different fields as much as possible. When he spoke, in front of the yeshiva, many times he prefixed his words with the phrase, “I, the small one, think” before stating his opinion. When he taught in his Chitzim high school, where the students live in dormitories, his students remember him quietly opening their doors in the morning and saying, “Boker tov, good morning,” softly, as not to startle them from their sleep. He never addressed himself as a rabbi or as any other title, not even using his full name, but merely just signing his letters as simply “Avi.” His life’s motto was derech eretz kadma l’Torah, proper behavior precedes the Torah as is written in Tractate Avot. He believed that every single person, no matter their beliefs or ideas, was to be respected, as human beings, as children of G-d and as individuals. He related to every single person individually. The injured soldier, the mother who lost her son to terrorism, the security guard on guard duty outside of a supermarket, the street sweep-

Doni Cohen made aliyah from Bergenfield, NJ, to Efrat in July 2013. He did hesder in Yeshivat HaKotel, serving in Tzahal as a commander in the Military Rabbinate, and is now on shlichut through Torah MiTzion for the year in Melbourne, Australia. He will be studying political science, Middle Eastern studies, Islam and Arabic next year in Hebrew University. He has written for and has been featured in various tristate area papers and can be contacted at arbel67@gmail.com.

The author with Rav Rontzki

er or the high school student. No one was underneath him, he was above nobody, and everyone deserved his undivided attention. When he spoke, his humbleness showed, many times speaking in a low voice or voicing his opinions in almost a questioning tone, looking to see if his audience disagreed with him. The sweetness with which he spoke to every single person he met, even if it was just a wish of “shalom,” was palpable in every word that left his lips. In his books, he published many

thinking of the family of a fallen soldier and how he may need to be disrespectful by leaving early to go have his life saved. All of his books have been written in a way of conversation that is two-sided. His experiences in India, in his hospital bed, his journey along the Israel National Trail and even during the period where he became religious are all written in now-published personal diaries made up of conversations that he had with other people,

“You walked into the elevator? Smile at the people. To say ‘good morning’ to light up people’s faces, to help. Israeli society would look completely different if that was a part of our lives... Be good to all.” piercing criticisms of himself, from all different facets of his life, many of which were written to even embarrass him, saying that it could be that those who criticized him knew better or were more qualified opinions. He never focused on himself, commenting in an interview a year ago just a few hours before a life-threatening surgery that he was worried about having to possibly leave early from a yearly remembrance ceremony for a fallen soldier that he had been invited to by the family that he was in touch with because of the time of his scheduled surgery that afternoon. He was going into a surgery that could have ended with him dying on the operating table,

as well as his series of books that are made up of letters between himself and his students serving as soldiers.

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I may not have been a physical student of Rav Rontzki, and I may have spoken to him just once or twice, but he was my rabbi. I identified with his words, his ideology, his teachings, his work, and his behavior. I learned from his actions and who he was, how he lived, more than probably years of listening to his Torah classes could have taught me. His attitude, demeanor, and his interpersonal behavior were the true meaning of the Hebrew word tzaddik for me. It’s why his picture hangs on

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“Be Good to All”

my wall and his picture is the opening screen on my phone. I want to walk in his footsteps of living the right way and accomplishing so much in this world. He symbolized for me and will continue to symbolize the perfect fusion of Torah, the land of Israel, and the Nation of Israel. They were not separate things to him. They were one, together. And if you valued one, you must value all. In an interview he gave a short while ago they asked him for a final message to the Nation of Israel; if he was given a few minutes to live, what would he want to say? He didn’t hesitate for a second, and I think his answer is the absolute best conclusion possible to summarize what kind of person he was. “There’s a very strong feeling that I want to cry out and say from every possible place: To be better people. If I was two to three minutes before I close my eyes [for good] and they told me, ‘Say something,’ then in my opinion, that’s the most important thing. Without biblical verses. To smile, how to say hello. I’m not speaking about donating a kidney where there are hundreds of people suffering, rather something much more simple. You walked into the elevator? Smile at the people. To say ‘good morning’ to light up people’s faces, to help. Israeli society would look completely different if that was a part of our lives. And not just between Jews and Jews. I saw a logo, ‘A Jew loves a Jew.’ That’s not a Jewish sentence. Be good to all. The words of wise men are listened to when they are said pleasantly. And when they are pleasant, they are listened to.” Rav Rontzki leaves behind six children, twenty-six grandchildren, and a nation that will long for someone of his stature for a very long time. May his memory be blessed. Yehi zichro baruch.

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really get to know me well. I thanked him in an email the following day, sending him the picture which we had taken together, to which he responded that he enjoyed speaking to me, and was hoping to see me when I returned.

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MAY 9, 2019 | The Home Home OCTOBER 29, 2015Jewish | The Jewish

Health & F tness

H2O: The Way to Go By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

pring is officially upon us. The trees are blossoming, the tulips are growing, and the kids are able to run around and play outside. Spring is a season loved by all. We can finally escape our hibernation from the winter and see people again. Many enjoy a morning jog outside, a walk in the park, or going

outside to simply inhale the fresh air. And who doesn’t enjoy watching the kids run around freely outside? They get their energy out, get some physical activity, and most importantly, they are not trapped inside making a mess and fighting with each other. There is nothing better for kids than playing outside. Every kid can

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use physical activity. However, along with running around outside in the heat comes thirst. The absolute best drink for anyone, especially kids, is water. Our bodies are made up of 70% water. Water has important functions in the body such as regulating your body’s temperature and digesting food. Water is not only essential for bodily functions, it serves as the best hydration. Many kids tend to get constipated often, either from lack of water intake, lack of fiber intake, or an irregular diet. Giving your kids water to drink will help ease digestion and relieve constipation. Additionally, by drinking water instead of sugary beverages, you will be decreasing your child’s sugar and caloric consumption. You might not even realize how much sugar is in the drinks you are voluntarily giving to your kids. A 20 oz. bottle of Coca Cola contains 65 grams of sugar. With Pepsi, it’s even worse, containing 69 grams of sugar. A 15 oz. bottle of apple juice contains 49 grams of sugar. Even a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade contains 56 grams of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that the diets of children over age 2 should be limited to 25 grams of added sugar each day and says that children should not drink more than one 8-ounce sugary drink per week. By cutting out sugar, you are not only reducing your child’s caloric intake but his/her risk of developing dental cavities as well. Sugar-sweetened beverages are a big contributor

to dental cavities in children. If your child insists on juice, dilute the beverage halfway with water. This way you are reducing the amount of juice, while providing additional water. How much water should your child be drinking? There is no set amount of water that kids need to drink every day. The amount kids need depends on their age, body size, health, and activity level, plus the weather. Obviously, give your kids water when they are thirsty and with all meals and snacks. As mentioned above, when it’s warm out, or when they are physically active, you’ll need to give them more. And of course, when they are sick. Kids don’t always know when they are thirsty or in need of a drink, so don’t rely on them to ask. Give them water way before they show signs of dehydration. Signs of dehydration include headaches, poor concentration, cracked lips, dry mouth, constipation, lethargy, dark urine, and crankiness. Remember: this spring and summer, it’s important to drink up! And there’s nothing better than a cold glass of water. Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com.

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Mental Health Corner

COVID-19 and Anxiety

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By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman We are living through a fascinating and unprecedented time. When in history has the entire human population joined together to try to stop a virus from spreading from person to person? The connectivity that is interwoven into our lives on so many levels is now manifesting itself in how we confront this new illness. This is also very triggering for individuals who have a predisposition for anxiety. Additionally, people who have never before suffered from anxiety are finding this situation extremely triggering. This is therefore an opportune time to review some of the fundamentals of managing anxiety. Bear in mind, that this is just a general overview of some principles and should not be considered actual advice or guidance for your personal situation. Anxiety Skews Risk Assessment – When we are faced with a danger,

we need to assess the level of risk that we are facing in order to determine a plan of action. Since anxiety is an emotion and a feeling, it can skew our ability to properly assess our personal risk. Being aware of this internal bias is therefore very critical in getting through this period. The Future vs. The Here and Now – Anxiety tries to look into the unknown future and project what one imagines about the future into the present. Since the future has not happened yet, the brain can come up with all kinds of doomsday scenarios and then make it feel as if that is actually happening. This is where mindfulness skills are critical. They help the person remain grounded in the present and not get swept up by the unknown future. Individuals who have sought mental health treatment for anxiety in the past are probably familiar with

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some of the mindfulness practices that can be helpful for anxiety. Tolerating Uncertainty – Anxiety and worry, in appropriate measure, can be important motivators for staying out of danger. However, when something is completely out of your hands, there is no benefit of feeling anxious about it. Yes, it is possible that a meteor will come from outer space and kill you, but there is nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. With COVID-19, once you have taking the recommended precautions, there is nothing to be gained from feeling anxious about it. With all of your efforts, you still might catch the virus. Do your due diligence, and then let go of the feeling of anxiety. In mental health treatment for anxiety, the skill of tolerating uncertainty is one of the cornerstones of an effective intervention. Anxiety Has Its Own Rules – There are two separate set of rules for combating COVID-19. One is from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and one is from your anxiety. Anxiety creates its own set of rules that are certainly not science-based! Feeling Safe vs. Being Safe – Sometimes, as much as you have taking the necessary precautions, you still might feel unsafe. There is a huge difference between being safe and feeling safe. If you are seeking to feel safe, you might be like a dog chasing its own tail. The goal might seem very attainable, but the more you chase it, the more it runs away. Your goal should be to be as safe as you can be based on science-based recommendations. Feeling in Control – For some individuals with anxiety, feeling in control of a situation helps them assuage their fears. For example, with the seasonal flu, you can get a flu shot and if you feel symptoms you can use Tamiflu. With COVID-19, there is an acute sense of lack of control. The virus came out of nowhere, it is spreading throughout the world, and is merely being slowed by our best efforts. We are not in control! This can be a scary feeling for someone with anxiety.

Reassurance Seeking – When one is plagued with feelings of anxiety, it is a common strategy to seek reassurance from others. This often only provides very short-term relief, and can create an endless cycle of using reassurance seeking as a constant crutch at the expense of friends and family who have to constantly provide that reassurance. With COVID-19, this is especially problematic as there are so many unknowns that seeking reassurance will offer very little relief at all. Checking, Checking, Checking – One of the often-ineffective strategies that is often utilized for diminishing anxiety is checking. If my fear is that the door is unlocked, then constantly checking the door can become a compulsive and repetitive act. With COVID-19, the checking often manifest itself as checking the news all day long for any developments. All this ultimately leads to is a sense of hypervigilance which only exacerbates whatever anxious feelings you already have. Checking the news once a day from a reliable source is all one needs to remain current. It is an oft-quoted adage in many Sefarim that the greatest joy in the world is the resolution of doubt. COVID-19 is creating so much doubt that many of us feel a certain uneasiness whether we suffer from anxiety or not. We hope and pray that this will pass quickly. But until that point in time, if you feel that your anxiety is affecting your ability to properly function, it would be advisable to seek the services of a psychotherapist who is trained and experienced in the treatment of anxiety. Until then, keep on following the CDC’s recommendations! Printed with Permission from Yated Ne’eman 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

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The Red Sea During World War II By Avi Heiligman

March 1940 was sent to the Red Sea. In June she had sunk a Norwegian tanker and a few days later spotted a Yugoslavian ship. She shot at the ship but then proceeded to let the steamer pass since it was from a neutral country. An anti-submarine British ship heard the shots and sounded a warning. An RAF then plane attacked and that night it then received a depth charge attack by the HMS Moonstone. The submarine surfaced, and the two ships prepared for battle. The Galileo was hit and suffered severe damage to her deck guns. Another British ship appeared on scene, and the Italian sub stopped shooting and surrendered. The submarine was then towed to a British port and was commissioned into the Royal Navy. One of the submarines that was sunk was the Torricelli. It was spotted near her base and was the subject of an intense search and destroy operation by the Royal Navy. The HMS Shoreham spotted her again on June 23, 1940, and the Italian submarine initiated action. Four other Allied ships including three destroyers entered the battle but the sub managed to hit the Shoreham. At first they tried to capture the submarine but it was too damaged to salvage and she was sunk. Italy tried six times in 1940 to stop British convoys from making the Red Sea journey but failed every time. These ships kept the British forces in Egypt and North Africa supplies as the Mediterranean was too dangerous. By late 1940, the Italian ships were in desperate need of repair and morale was low. Despite sinking

a few merchant ships in the winter, the Italians were pushed back. All five of the motor torpedo boats of the squadron were either sunk or scuttled. On April 6, 1941, the light cruiser HMS Capetown was torpedoed and crippled by a torpedo boat off Massawa but this was one of only a tiny few setbacks the British suffered in the Red Sea. Great Britain started convoying merchant ships through the Red Sea at the end of June as they only had a few Italian destroyers left to monitor the precious shipping lane. By April 1941 all of the Italian destroyers had been either scuttled or sunk by the British. The British had taken Massawa and one destroyer had been scuttled due to maintenance issues. Two others had been discovered by the RAF and were subsequently sunk by Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. The remaining Italian troops in Ethiopia surrendered in May, and the British finally had their first land victory of the war. Throughout the next three years, the British, Americans and the rest of the Allies fought the Italians and the Germans in North Africa. The Allies were able to keep their troops supplied through Red Sea shipping lanes and eventually the Axis countries were driven out of Africa altogether.

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.

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victory and kicked the Italians out of Central Africa. Italian forces began arriving in the region as early as 1936 in preparation for attacking British and French colonies in Africa. Prominent in the Italian defenses was their Red Sea Flotilla based at Massawa. In total, they had seven destroyers in two squadrons, five motor torpedo boats and eight submarines. Although the flotilla did not pose a significant threat to the larger and more equipped British fleet, it still threatened the important shipping route through the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. This was an important shipping lane because control of the Red Sea meant control of the shipping through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. The route was used to transport goods and weapons to Britain colonies in the east, India, Africa, Britain itself and to the war zones in the Middle East and the Western Desert. Once the Red Sea became a conflict zone in 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt put a stop to American merchant vessels operating in the area even though the U.S. was neutral at the time. This lasted until April 1941, at which point the Red Sea Fleet was destroyed. Three of the eight Italian submarines were lost by June 1940. Four managed to sail to France after surviving the onslaught of British ships and planes. The Galileo Galilei was a formidable submarine with eight torpedo tubes and two 4-inch deck guns. Built in 1934, she had seen service during the Spanish Civil War and in

APRIL 23, 2020

he Red Sea on a map is a large seawater inlet that flows into the Indian Ocean from south of the Arabian Sea. The northern section of the Red Sea is the Gulf of Suez which borders the Sinai Peninsula. Rabbi Saadia Gaon (882 - 942) identifies the area of Kriyas Yam Suf in the Gulf of Suez. In modern times, there have been a few military excursions and missions in the Red Sea. It should be noted that the Suez Canal was completed in 1869 which connected the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean and beyond. In a recent article we discussed a Yom Kippur War naval battle in the Suez in which the Israeli Navy defeated Egyptian commandoes preparing to attack IDF bases. During World War II, the Italians stationed a fleet in the Red Sea as the body of water became a combat zone in which both sides vied for control of the region. Fighting in North Africa became famous because of the eventual defeat of Rommelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Afrika Korps. This stopped the Germans from reaching Eretz Yisrael. There was other fighting in Africa early in the war that involved the Italians and British fighting in modern day Ethiopia. In the four years prior to World War II, the Fascist Italians brutally colonized the East African nation that had little in the way of modern weapons, tanks and aircraft. Hundreds of thousands had been killed from 1935 to 1940, and by June 1940 the Ethiopians finally found help in the British Empire and her allies. Known as the East Africa Campaign or the Abyssinian Campaign, it ended with an Allied

Gluten Free Recipe Column For questions or comments about Gluten Free Baking please email GlutenFree@BaltimoreJewishHome.com

GlutenFree@BaltimoreJewishHome.com

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 23, 2020

by Mrs. Elaine Bodenheimer

Strawberry Shortcake What You Will Need: 7 eggs- separated 1 cup sugar- divided juice of 1 lemon ½ cup potato starch

¼ cup cake meal 16 oz. Rich Whip- defrosted 1 quart strawberries, cleaned 3 Tbl. sugar Preperation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

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

2. To make cake: Beat egg whites until foamy. continue to beat until stiff. Set aside.

Add ¼ cup sugar, and

3. 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. 4. To make filling, 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. Decorate with the remaining strawberries, as shown. Enjoy!

98 66

APRIL 26, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

By Naomi Nachman

Ingredients Salad

APRIL 23, 2020

I love it when we can keep things simple when preparing recipes. This is one of those recipes which doubles up on the same ingredients and steps. When you make the recipe for the marinade as described below, you set half of it aside for the dressing, so that simplifies the process. This is a great side dish that can also serve as a standalone entrée for a light summer dinner.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Asian Steak Salad

2 lbs. oyster steak 6 cups mixed greens 2 cups snow peas 1 cup shredded carrots 1 red onion, sliced 1 container cherry tomatoes, sliced

Marinade and Dressing 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 TBS minced fresh ginger root ¾ cup olive oil 1/3 cup rice vinegar ¼ cup soy sauce 3 TBS honey ½ tsp salt

Preparation

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

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In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Pour half off of the mixture into a separate bowl and reserve remaining half. Add the oyster steak to the marinade in the bowl and marinate in the fridge for a few hours. Prepare the salad ingredients and place in a large salad bowl. After several hours of marinating the meat, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat a grill pan to high and sear the meat a few minutes on each side. (If you use a non-stick grill pan you don’t need to add oil first.) I like to do mine medium-rare. After the meat has cooked to the desired doneness, let it rest for 10 minutes for all the juices to be reabsorbed and then slice the meat and add it to the salad bowl. Add the remaining dressing that was set aside (not for marinating the meat in) and toss the salad well with the dressing.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

117 15

Money

APRIL 23, 2020

Such a Bore

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

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

veryone has a mental picture of what a tax professional or accountant looks like. Probably pretty boring, right? Dull. Predictable. Not quite smart enough to do useful work, like engineering. Definitely not slick enough for sales. Probably balding and paunchy, bleary-eyed from too many late nights at the office typing numbers into boxes on government forms. But that’s not always the case. So let’s take a look at a couple of fun stories that shatter that stereotype. First, Dorothy Steel. Dorothy spent decades working as a senior revenue officer for the IRS before retiring on December 7, 1984. But “retirement” must not have suited her as well as she expected, so at age 88, she took up a new pursuit — acting. She started at an Atlanta-area senior center, then worked her way up to TV and short-film roles. In November 2016, her agent called about a part in some “comic book” movie that would have required her to speak in an African accent. She scoffed and told her agent to pass. But then she told her grandson about the part. After he picked his jaw up off the floor, he told her that Black Panther would be

a big, big deal. “My grandson said to me, ‘You’re always talking about stepping out on faith. I either want you to man up or shut up,’” Steel told the Washington Post, laughing at the memory. So Dorothy sent in her audition tape. An hour after producers saw it, they said, “Who is that old lady?

ing. (OK, boring.) He played hockey for Western Michigan University and still plays in a local beer league. He’s also the Chicago Blackhawks’ designated “emergency goalie” — a job that usually means sitting in the press box and eating free food. On March 29, though, goaltender Anton Forsberg hurt himself during

The crowd began chanting, "FOS-TER, FOS-TER, FOS-TER," before roaring in applause at the final horn.

We want her.” The next day, she had the part. Now millions of fans across the globe have seen the former tax collector as a Tribal Elder advising Wakanda’s King T’Challa in Marvel’s newest billion-dollar grossing hit. Next, Scott Foster. Scott’s a 36-year-old accountant for Golub Capital, a private lender focused on middle-market and late-stage lend-

practice, and rookie backup Collin Delia hurt himself six minutes into the third period. That meant time for Foster’s NHL debut. Foster killed it during his time in the crease. Donning #90, he played 14 minutes and one second, and stopped all six shots he faced from the visiting Winnipeg Jets. The crowd began chanting, “FOS-TER, FOS-TER, FOS-TER,” before roar-

ing in applause at the final horn. His teammates awarded him the team belt for player of the game. Foster’s performance may even earn him a new start from the U.S. Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. “If Scott can handle itemized deductions as well as he handles a Dustin Byfuglien slap shot, he’ll be a great asset,” said Steel president Dan Lehv in a press release. “Overall, our starting accountants have been doing a good job for us. But as we all know, anything can happen in the crazy, fast-paced world of accounting. Last year’s Academy Awards are a prime example. We couldn’t see a guy like Scott Foster misplacing the Best Picture envelope. He seems like a ‘no loopholes’ kind of guy.” Dorothy Steel and Scott Foster both offer a valuable lesson: it’s never too late to start. And that applies to paying less tax, too. Make sure to have a plan when you’re ready to save. We promise the savings won’t be boring! 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.

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APRIL 26, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

up that way. First of all, we didn’t document our every second as our own personal paparazzi. Second of all, we only puckered up our lips when something was sour or when we were revving up for a kiss for Grandma. I’m not saying I’m immune to this photo-taking obsession. It’s hard to be because even if I’m not taking my own picture, some selfie stick owner or long arm is angling for a group photo. In fact, I’ve been in so many group selfies that now when I observe myself in the mirror, straight on, I don’t recognize myself. I’m too used to seeing myself only on an angle. Even so, the constant in-flow of

The phone has a way of taking over our lives...and when we see those battery bars starting to diminish, we know we are in trouble. We no longer know anyone’s phone number, not even our own. Our to-do list or daily schedule is, of course, on our phone too! We are so nervous our phone may go dead that we carry around or attach a charger to charge it should it get depleted. It could add ten pounds to our load, but we must be sure it has its juice. We don’t even take such good care of ourselves! These days, there are more charger wires crisscrossing everyone in a car than seatbelts. The first sentence anyone says when they get into a car is: do you have a spare charger? Certainly, an Uber driver gets a higher rating if he has at least one iPhone and Android charger. Who cares if he gets us where we are going? We just want to be sure that wherever he lets us out our phone is working. So, the question is: are we a bunch of phone-ys? Overly dependent on our phones? Maybe some of us more or less? For me, I see benefits and drawbacks. I don’t want my phone running my life. On the other hand, if we could teach it to cook a Shabbos meal and go to the gym for me then I’m sure I would like it a lot better! In the meantime, if it could just consolidate all my messages and alerts for me and give me a synopsis at the end of the day that would be really helpful! The good news is it hasn’t kicked me out of my house yet, so I’m going to zip my lip and appreciate the benefits it offers. Anyone know where my charger is?

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.

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

communication, messages, and updates from everyone and everything reaching out, along with the pressure to respond immediately and continuously, is a bit intrusive to some activities of daily living. For instance, maybe the person you are actually physically with deserves your attention more than the one on the screen. Or maybe walking could still be an uninterrupted activity to arrive somewhere. Or maybe sometimes your time should be allowed to be – exclusively – your time! Snapchatting, Instagramming, skyping, etc. (which I hope have not been replaced by some new apps, already, just since I started writing this sentence) are as natural to adolescents and young adults as face-to-face human interaction was a generation or two ago. But I still prefer going to a real concrete and mortar store, seeing people in person, and not documenting my every move. And, as good as I am at multitasking, I just can’t get as much done if I need to be sure you see me, and I see you, on a screen, while I’m trying to get things accomplished. It seems that every minute there’s another app produced to help your phone run your life. Did you know that now you can replace your house key or house code by locking or unlocking your home, remotely, through your phone? All day long you can let people in or out of your house to get things done, or delivered, and then change the code. My luck, I’ll show up at home and the water delivery person, the plumber, and the oven repairman will have moved in with their families and changed the code on me through their phone apps! Or if I get through the week still the sole owner of my residence, I’m nervous that on Shabbos I’ll be locked out completely. I guess then you are all invited to join me for chulent on my front lawn till after Havdalah.

APRIL 23, 2020

lerts, notifications, WhatsApps, flyers, emails, texts, calls! I’m inundated with incoming information! I don’t know about you but sometimes I just can’t figure out who I will be in trouble with next. What notifications did I miss now?! I kind of feel like I either have time to live or to follow my technology – not both. Listen, I’m aware that for the tech generation being in constant contact with their phones is not challenging. In fact, for them, taking a photo of their every moment, replete with a duck face is living! But I didn’t grow

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