Baltimore Jewish Home - 4-8-21 by Moshe Rubin

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

va c a t I o n s 7 Bed. 4.5 Bath. Gour met Kosher Kitchen, Theater, Game Room, Fireplaces. And Much More!

s t ay c a t I o n s

guest hostIng

The Chesed Fund & Project Ezra, in conjunction with DMAC Security & Tov Pizza, present:

1 only $4

Agree to wear your helmet whenever riding a bike, scooter, or skateboard.

Receive a coupon for a FREE ice cream treat at Tov Pizza! (Coupon valid 4/25/21 - 5/31/21)

(Includes tax. Cash or Check Accepted)

APRIL 8, 2021

Pick up your CPSC certified helmet for

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Helmets with a Twist!

Next Sunday! April 18 , 2021 th

Bnos Yisroel Parking Lot 10am - 4pm Limited supply available.

Place a sign on your window with helmet size and color choice (red or blue). TODDLER SIZES:

S, M

CHILDREN SIZES:

S/M, L, XL

ADULT SIZES:

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This Hats special sale price is available one day only! to Hose will be hosting helmets for sale once again this year! Cost is $5.00 per helmet. No ice cream coupons will be available.

N95 and 3-ply Masks will also be available:

$19 for box of N95 masks (35 count)  $7 for box of 3-ply disposable masks (50 count) Price includes tax.

Checks (made out to Project Ezra) and cash will be accepted. Please have your checks prepared ahead of time.

This initiative is dedicated in loving memory of Barry Rosenbluth, ‫ע׳׳ה‬

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New this year!

CONTENTS COMMUNITY Around the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Zvi Teichman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

PEOPLE 613 Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

LIFESTYLES World Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Living Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Forgotten Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Rav Mordechai Glatstein zt”l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Wandering Jew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The Journey of the Baritone Bartender. . . . . . . . . . 48 Mind Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Dating Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Mental Health Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Gluten Free Recipe Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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

Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 National. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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

Dear Readers, This past Thursday we marked what’s come to be called the Yom Hashoah. First and foremost it’s a day that asks for our reflection on the suffering of those before us; remembering them as individuals who were persecuted, tortured and killed for being Jewish. It is also a day to reflect on the stories of superhuman heroism which took place, asking ourselves what we would do if we were faced with the same monstrous barbarism and the indifference to it by the rest of the free world. Would we still believe in the sanctity of life, of the importance of a good deed, the value of putting on Tefillin or lighting a Shabbos candle a single time? Holocaust survivors are our heroes. They saw an otherwise advanced society decay into a beastly one where the wicked took pleasure in others suffering and annihilation. They saw their loved ones, our ancestors, ripped away in broad daylight. Children were taken from parents, human beings were treated like unwanted filth. They are our heroes for having lived through this. They are our mentors for the small acts of bravery they showed in the worst of times. They help us remember all the loved ones that perished for no reason. And because they chose the heroic path of bringing up our grandparent’s generation, putting aside all their suffering and focusing on raising new families, they ensured the survival and thriving of today’s Jewish communities that nurtured us. These are sobering thoughts, but are necessary to help us keep our perspective in this modern world of plenty. As believers on days such as these, we are reminded that while we cannot fathom a reason or justification for such suffering, we are absolutely certain that all that hap-

pens comes from above and that no nation or individual decides our final fate or destiny. Let us use these times to beseech our Father in heaven that He “repay us” for all the suffering we’ve experienced as a nation and as individuals. That He gather us from the four corners of the world and that we once again become a nation in our own homeland, experiencing the fulfillment of the prophesies foretold to us a few thousand years ago including Isaiah 10;32 which we read on the final day of Pesach; “Yet today he will stand in Nob… A staff will emerge from the stump of Yishai… The spirit of Hashem will rest upon him – a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem… The wolf will live with the sheep and the leopard will lie down with the kid… They will neither injure nor destroy in all of my mountain; for the earth will be as filled with knowledge of Hashem as water covering the sea bed… He will raise a banner for the nations and assemble the castaways of Israel; and he will gather in the dispersed ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth… You will say on that day ‘I thank you, Hashem, for you were angry with me, and now your wrath has subsided and you have comforted me. Behold G-d is my salvation; I shall trust and not fear… Give thanks to Hashem, declare his name, make his acts known among the peoples… Exult and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion for the holy one of Israel is great in your midst”. May we see it’s fulfillment in the very near future. Wishing you a most blessed and enjoyable Shabbos! Shalom

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

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Around the Community

Maryland Gives Record Number Of Coronavirus Vaccine Shots By: Staff Reporter

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

aryland has set a new daily record for administering shots for the coronavirus vaccine. But the state is also seeing an uptick in new cases. Maryland health officials reported a new record of giving 78,000 shots in a 24-hour period on Saturday. Nearly 18% of the population has been fully vaccinated. And nearly 32% of people in the state are at least partially inoculated.

At the same time, Maryland health officials have reported more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus for the fourth day in a row. For much of March, the average number of new daily cases was between 700 and 900. Maryland’s 14-day average is now nearly 1,200 cases. For context, the peak in mid-January was more than 2,900 cases. As of Sunday, the state has reported 417,329 coronavirus cases so far. More than 1,000 people were reported to be hospitalized on Saturday. There have been 8,165 deaths.

Bikur Cholim and Lifebridge Health opening Vaccine Cllnic

ikur Cholim of Baltimore and Lifebridge Health are excited to announce the opening of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in our community. The clinic will open this Tuesday, April 6th at Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue located at 6214 Pimlico Road, 21209 and will continue on a regular basis after its first few days. All adults,16 and older, who meet eligibility criteria according

to state guidelines, are urged to preregister. Once you are pre-registered, you will receive a formal registration link to appointments based on eligibility requirements and available doses. No walk-in appointments available. Pre-registration forms can be found on the Baltimore Bikur Cholim website at baltimorebikurcholim. org. Your pre-registration forms will

allow us to properly gauge the need and vaccine supply amounts required each week. We welcome and appreciate volunteers. If you wish to volunteer, please register at baltimorebikercholim.org. If you have any questions, need assistance in the registration process, not certain if you meet the criteria, or cannot register online, please call 410-999-3700 x 108 or email us at vaccines@baltimorebikurcholim.org.

This partnership was made possible through the incredible support of Councilman Yitzy Schleifer,The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue, and Hatzalah of Baltimore. We look forward to serving the community and hope this clinic provides a shorter time to “return to normal.”

Yehuda Furst 410.204.5300

We Don’t Just Lease Cars, We Sell Them Too...

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APRIL 8, 2021

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Around the Community POST-PESACH STORE INFORMATION

APRIL 8, 2021

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

QUICK REFERENCE LISTS

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

CALENDAR CALENDAR

MEDICINE LIST

PERSONAL CARE LIST

USEFUL CHARTS AND CHECKLISTS

PESACHRELATED HALACHOS

ALL ABOUT OVENS/ APPLIANCES

ADDENDA: CHOMETZ LISTS

Chometz may be purchased at all STAR-K and STAR-D establishments immediately after Pesach. Chometz may be purchased immediately after Pesach 2021 at the following stores located in the altimore Metropolitan Area Baltimore When noted, chometz may be purchased only at the specified addresses. Consumers in other communities should check with their local Vaad Hakashrus for regional store information.

7-11 A-Z Savings

Royal Farms

Accents Liquor Store

Save-A-Lot Savings Center

6307 Reisterstown Road see star-k.org regarding purchasing beer

Aldi BJ’s Costco CVS Dugan’s Liquor

see star-k.org regarding purchasing beer

*Dunkin’ Donuts

1508 Reisterstown Rd. (at Old Court Rd.) 7002-A Reisterstown Rd. (near Fallstaff Rd.)

Food Lion Kosher Bite Liquor Store

see star-k.org regarding purchasing beer

Market Maven Petco Petsmart Rite-Aid

Sam's Club

4003 Seven Mile Lane

Seven Mile Market Shoppers Food Warehouse Shoprite

37 Aylesbury Road, Timonium

Trader Joe’s Village Wine & Liquors (Colonial)

see star-k.org regarding purchasing beer

Walgreens

Uninterrupted Limud ha’Torah at KT

esser Torah of Baltimore (KT) has always been devoted to instilling in its bochurim a true love for learning. An essential ingredient in achieving this goal is ensuring that its talmidim enter into Bein ha’Zmanim with a cheishek to continue their limudim even outside of the structured yeshiva schedule. As in the past, in true KT fashion, talmidim experienced a four-hour retzufos seder to cap off an unprecedented Winter Zman of growth in Limmud ha’Torah and Yiras Shamayim. Bochurim removed their watches and learned without interruptions with their chavrusas. The only break in learning was halfway through the seder when the Rosh Mesivta provided words of chizuk to the Bnei yeshiva. Following this impressive accomplishment, the entire yeshiva joined in

Walmart Wegmans Whole Foods Wine Loft

see star-k.org regarding purchasing beer

For updated information regarding stores where chometz may be purchased, please see www.star-k.org/passover.

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

INDEX

* Only these two locations of Dunkin’ Donuts are certified STAR-D. Please note that it is permissible to purchase products at these Dunkin’ Donuts on Motzei Pesach, April 4, ONLY AFTER 9:25 p.m. (This time meets the requirement of ‫)בכדי שיﬠשו‬.

34 |

STAR-K 2021 PESACH DIRECTORY

PURCHASING CHOMETZ AFTER PESACH 2021 FROM GIANT & SAFEWAY IN BALTIMORE Due to issues regarding possible Jewish owned distributors, in general, it is commendable not to purchase chometz from Giant and Safeway stores until Monday, May 3, 2021. However, A&L Foods, the distributor of kosher foods (to Giant and Safeway in Baltimore) sells their chometz through STAR-K and therefore the indicated items may be purchased immediately after Pesach. • Giant - Consumers may purchase chometz immediately after Pesach from the following designated Kosher Food Sections: Dry, Frozen, & Refrigerated. Also, consumers may purchase fresh baked breads immediately after Pesach. It is commendable not to purchase chometz from other sections until May 3. • Safeway - Consumers may purchase chometz immediately after Pesach from the following designated Kosher Food Sections: Dry, Frozen, & Refrigerated. Also, consumers may purchase fresh baked breads immediately after Pesach. It is commendable not to purchase chometz from other sections until May 3. Furthermore, all fresh-baked breads and buns with reliable kosher certification are supplied by local vendors and are acceptable even at the stores below. Some examples are H&S, Arnold, Pepperidge Farm, and in-house store brands of sandwich bread, rye bread, and hot dog and hamburger buns. We do not have information regarding these stores in other parts of the country.

WHEN CHOMETZ MAY BE PURCHASED AFTER PESACH

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

QUICK REFERENCE LISTS

CALENDAR

MEDICINE LIST

PERSONAL CARE LIST

USEFUL CHARTS AND CHECKLISTS

a banquet with music and dancing in honor of the Torah learned during the Winter Zman. Additionally, there were raffles for those who were mekabel upon themselves to learn every day over Bein ha’Zmanim. Prizes included sets of Mishna Berura and haggadahs. BH, this event succeeded in allowing the bochurim to end the zman on a high note as well as to encourage them to continue shteiging over Pesach bein Hazmanim.

Fund Would Like To Say

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Ahavas Yisrael Charity

APRIL 8, 2021

Thank you to the…

Rabbonim of Baltimore

who guide us each and every day.

Thank you to…

Executive Director

Executive Trustee

DONATE TODAY! Online: www.AhavasYisrael.org or Email: eli@ahavasyisrael.org

Mail checks to: Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund 115 Sudbrook Lane Suite E Baltimore Maryland 21208

OFFICE

410-358-2525

RABBI BORUCH BRULL 410-358-2525, x1 MRS. AVIVA ISBEE

410-764-6020

ELI SCHLOSSBERG

410-358-4464

staiman.com

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Rabbi Boruch Brull Mrs. Aviva Isbee Eli W. Schlossberg

staiman.com

for making our Matanos L’evyonim, Moas Chittim and EMERGENCY COVID-19 campaigns such great successes, and for ensuring that every family enjoyed a beautiful Yom Tov.

staiman.com

Our wonderful and generous community,

Around the Community

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

Billions Of 17-Year Cicadas Will Emerge; MD Epicenter In 2021

ummer nights in Maryland will vibrate with the mating calls of 17-year cicadas. The state will find itself at the epicenter of the 2021 emergence of Brood X, or Great Eastern Brood, cicadas. They only emerge from the ground in large numbers every 17 years, and they make a big impression when they do. The noise in the trees could be deafening from mid-May to mid-June. Count on billions of these periodical cicadas turning up in Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states. There are two species of periodical cicadas — the 17year cicadas, found in northern states, and the 13-year cicadas, found in the South. Dr. Michael Raupp, known for his Bug Guy blog and a professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Maryland, said parts of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will witness the spectacle. “Maryland is at the epicenter of the cicada emergence, so there will be

spectacular numbers of cicadas emerging very heavily, starting perhaps in early May,” Raupp told WJLA. “But the big ‘cicada-palooza’ is going to happen the last two weeks of May and into early June. So in some areas, there will be 1.5 million cicadas per acre emerging from the ground.” Once they’re above ground, the cicadas will head to the tops of trees to mate. It will all start with the male cicadas blasting a loud call to attract mates; the females lay eggs in small tree branches. The collective song of male cicadas can reach up to 100 decibels. Think of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with straight pipes constantly running outside your window. The male cicadas are the ones that make all the noise. They do it by vibrating their tymbals. As described on the Chicago Botanic Garden website, tymbals “are two rigid, drum-like membranes on the undersides of their abdomens.”

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Newly adult cicadas will live a total of three to four weeks. The females don’t have tymbals and can’t produce the same sounds. They wait quietly to do their job in perpetuating the species, which is to lay as many eggs as possible, up to 600 over their short lifetime. The females split the bark on living tree trunks, branches and twigs, burrow in and lay between 24 and 48 eggs at a time. Raupp said residents should wait until fall — and the disappearance of the cicada swarms — to plant trees in 2021. Dog owners shouldn’t let their pets eat too many of the bug’s rem-

nants. You’ll get to bear witness to what is still an unfolding scientific mystery. Scientists can’t entirely explain the synchronized emergence of periodical cicadas. It is definitely a site to see. Two interesting facts about Cicadas They’ll land on you if you’re using a power tool or lawn mower. Cicadas think the sounds made by power tools and lawn maintenance equipment are made by cicadas. They get confused and will land on the people using the equipment! Pro-tip: cut your lawn in the early morning or near dusk when the cicadas are less active. Cicadas have five eyes: Cicadas have two, obvious, large, compound eyes, and three ocelli. Ocelli are three jewel-like eyes situated between the two main, compound eyes of a cicada. We believe ocelli are used to detect light and darkness. Ocelli means little eyes in Latin.

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INSPIRING JEWS ... ONE BOOK AT A TIME

The Incredible Life of Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman of Migdal Haemek

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Rabbi Nachman Seltzer presents the “DISCO RABBI”

APRIL 8, 2021

• How did a young Meah Shearim Yerushalmi win the hearts of a gang of tough and angry non-religious teens? • How did he “tame” the local crime boss, stop a lynching, and create a Shabbos revolution in an entire city? • How did he become known as the “Disco Rabbi,” beloved by gedolei Yisrael — and secular politicians — and the Israeli public, both religious and non-religious?

WATCH an interview with the “LIVING LEGEND” Rav Yitzchok Dovid Grossman Inside

View all the interviews with your favorite authors! Visit: www.artscroll.com/insideartscroll

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The books everyone iut! talking abo

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APRIL 8, 2021

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Tzvi (Jonathan) Pensak weed-wacker operating under the name, “The Lawn King.”. Little by little, house by house, with Hashem’s help, things took off. “The Lawn King” morphed into the more grown-up sounding initial name, TLK. What those initials stand for is one of the most common questions I get asked.

What unique?

makes

your

business

I am a hands-on business owner of a company that is small enough to give you personal attention, yet large enough to handle whatever landscape projects come our way. Our service is unmatched. The fact that a majority of our residential and commercial work is within close proximity, is to everyone’s benefit. We have the trucks, equipment and workforce to take care of your commercial property needs without relying on subcontractors, as do much of the industry. Anything else you’d like to share with our 10,000+ cover to cover readers? It’s really an honor to live in a community with so many wonderful people. I am grateful for and inspired by the opportunity of seeing the chesed that takes place in it, first-hand.

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What services does your business offer? Among other services, we offer: Landscaping maintenance packages Please tell us about yourself: for residential and commercial propI was born and raised in Baltimore. erties, that include spring clean up and I graduated T.A, and married Baltimore mulching; grass cutting; seasonal flower native Tari (Atara) Adler. We have B”H, rotations; landscape bed weeding; bush a 2-year-old son, Ashie, who keeps us trimming; and, leaf removal. We also on our toes. I own and operate TLK handle one-time landscape enhanceLandscaping - a local landscaping ment projects like bush removal, lawn company that provides residential and renovations, new landscaping installacommercial landscape maintenance and tion, privacy shrubs and trees, and hardinstallation services, as well as commer- scape work. Commercial snow and ice cial snow and ice management. I joke management is another service. This that people probably know my compa- past winter, it came in handy to have a ny better than they know me from see- snow removal contract in place with a ing my TLK Landscaping trucks around reputable service provider. town. I’m a low-key person focusing on my company, doing chesed, and spearWhat do you love most about livheading tzedaka initiatives. The latter ing in Baltimore? two are close to my heart. I am mostly amazed by the achdus within the community, the Torah infraHow did you get into the business? structure in place, and the numerous As a kid I was always fascinated chesed organizations. It’s also nice to by the sound of a lawn mower. At the see a growing number of service-type age of 11, the opportunity of owning a companies with frum owners opening landscaping business came my way af- up. When I started as an 11-year-old ter my brother and a neighbor moved on business proprietor sixteen years ago, from their lawn mowing business. That this was uncommon. I am glad that peoleft the local neighborhood market wide ple are starting to realize that college open to enter. I started with an electric isn’t for everyone.

With what local organizations are you involved? I’ve been involved with many over the years, including Ahavas Yisrael, Chaverim and Menucha. Currently I’m actively involved in Hatzalah as an EMT responder. I also enjoy spearheading charitable causes which inspire others to increase their tzedaka-giving -- I recently started a whatsapp group with like minded individuals to help micro-charitable causes for people/families suffering in silence with no place to turn for help. Additionally, another group I’m working on forming, is a chomesh group. The group would consist of people who are willing to work towards giving 20% of their profits to tzedaka instead of 10% Maaser money.

APRIL 8, 2021

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The Week In News

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APRIL 8, 2021

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The Biden administration is now calling the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem “occupied territory,” reversing changes made under President Donald Trump. While the Trump administration broke longstanding tradition and deleted the phrase when referring to the aforementioned areas, the State Department’s report on international human rights violations defined the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights again as “occupied territories.” Even so, the State Department did not return to calling its chapter in the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices “Israel and the Occupied Territories,” keeping a change implemented by former U.S. Ambassador David Friedman. The envoy had waged a multi-year battle to change the name of the chapter from “Israel, Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza” to just “Israel.” In a phone call with diplomatic correspondents, State Department spokesman Ned Price stressed that the Biden administration reverted to the traditional language to define “the current status of the West Bank.” “This has been the longstanding position of previous administrations of both parties over the course of many decades,” Price asserted. “It is a historical fact that Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights after the 1967 war.” Dropping the term “occupied” from the annual State Department report was just one of many moves the Trump administration made that reversed historical anti-settlement positions traditionally held by the

U.S. Throughout his four years in the White House, Trump and his advisers repeatedly reiterated their opposition to longstanding U.S. policy that viewed the areas Israel captured during the 1967 Six Day War as occupied territory. Apart from recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also declared that West Bank settlements do not violate international law and lifted a ban on using U.S. taxpayer money for Israeli scientific research conducted in Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria.

Info on IDF MIAs

Yamina party chairman Naftali Bennett passed a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that contained detailed information regarding the burial place of troops missing in action for almost four decades. The letter in question was printed on stationary belonging to the Palestinian National Organization (PLO), a terror group that controlled large swaths of Lebanon in the 1980s. Bennett transferred the document last July after his source told him that the handwriting belonged to former PA President Yasser Arafat. The identity of the person who originally gave Bennett the letter was not disclosed and was described simply as “an entity of foreign origin.” According to reports, the document contained a handwritten map of a graveyard in Damascus, Syria, used by the PLO to bury its dead during the 1980s. The map specifies the location of three unmarked graves along with instructions how to locate them should the need arise. While it is not known who is buried in the graves, it is suspected that the map refers to the final resting place of missing IDF soldiers. Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) confirmed that it had received

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I DIDN’T KNOW IT WORKS SO QUICKLY He was a ger tzedek who had joined the Jewish community not long before. He was lucky enough to come in contact with a family who wholeheartedly cared for him and accommodated his needs with outstretched arms. They followed the dictum, “V’ahavtem es ha’ger,” to the T. In addition to providing for his physical needs, the family also tried to help him find a suitable place to learn. They wanted him to be in a yeshivah setting that was appropriate for his level and would cultivate his growth warmly. It was hard to find. The family was all-consumed by the search, phoning whomever they could. They spoke with directors of yeshivos and askanim, with no success. The ger’s language barrier made the selection much harder. The woman, an outstanding baalas chesed, did so much for the wellbeing of this family friend. At a certain point she realized, however, that they had forgotten the most important part – they had forgotten tefillah! She accepted upon herself to say more Tehillim while at the same time, giving in the name of the ger tzedek to the minyan of talmidei chachamim who recite the entire sefer Tehillim daily, as a group. Two weeks later, a phone call to Tehillim Kollel from the woman revealed the happy ending of the story.

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“I didn’t know that it works so quickly and so perfectly!” she exclaimed in amazement, her enthusiasm spilling over the wires. “But a few days after Tehillim Kollel began davening in the early morning hours, we baruch Hashem found a most fitting place for the ger to learn. He is thriving and simply enjoying every minute! We couldn’t have imagined a better solution.”

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the document from Bennett but said that it had not contained any information that was previously unknown to the country’s various intelligence agencies. The NSC added that the letter was at least 20 years old and appeared authentic. Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman have been missing in action ever since the Battle of Sultan Yakoub in 1982 during the outset of the First Lebanon War. Sent to secure the Damascus-Beirut Highway, an IDF brigade was cut off and encircled by Syrian and Lebanese troops. Following heavy fighting that lasted an entire day, 30 IDF troops were killed and five missing. One of the soldiers was later found dead while another was freed in a prisoner swap in 1984, leaving Katz, Feldman, and Zachary Baumel as the remaining MIAs. For the following three decades, Israel dedicated significant resources to uncover the whereabouts of the three, including launching a Mossad operation that resulted in the death of an undercover agent. In 2019, Russia transferred the remains of Zachary Baumel as part of a prisoner swap, leaving only Katz and Feldman unaccounted for.

Torture for Gazan with Ties to Israel

A Gazan peace activist was tortured and made to divorce his wife as punishment for meeting with a group of like-minded Israelis. Rami Aman, a Gaza-based activist, had participated in a Zoom meeting last April with Israeli coexistence groups. During the two-hour call, Aman and members of his Gaza Youth Committee NGO spoke about different ways they could collaborate to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But soon after, clips of the meeting leaked on social media. Aman was soon barraged by hundreds of messages from angry Gazans calling him a “traitor” and threatening to harm him and his family. The public anger Aman faced was nothing compared to what he suffered at the hands of the ruling Hamas terror group. A week after the meeting, Aman and his fellow activists were ordered to report to the local Internal Security branch for investigation. Upon arriving, Aman was arrested by Hamas gunmen and imprisoned in a crude torture device known as “The Bus.” For the next three weeks, Aman underwent brutal torture, was forbidden from sleeping, and was forced to sit in a tiny kindergarten-sized chair from 6 a.m. until 1 a.m. During his interrogation, his captors called him only by his prison number and accused him of “collaborating” with Israel against the Palestinian people. “They did not present any evidence against me,” Aman recalled in an interview with the Times of Israel. After 18 hours of torture, Aman’s ordeal took a bizarre turn. Escorting his wife into the interrogation room, Hamas officials ordered him to hand her a divorce. Claiming that “she doesn’t want you,” the lead investigator insisted that Aman sign the divorce papers. According to Aman, his arrest was a ploy by his wife’s father to disassociate himself and his family from his peace-activist son-in-law. A senior Hamas commander, his father-in-law feared that Aman’s actions would reflect badly on him and would damage his career. “I realized I was sent there to do time until I break up my relationship,” Aman said. Finally, he signed the divorce papers and was released a week later. By that point, his ex-wife was spirited to Egypt by a Hamas delegation, making any attempt to get back together impossible. Upon being contacted by the Associated Press, the woman confirmed that she had been forced to divorce Aman and did not want to end her marriage. According to human rights activists, the episode illustrates the lengths to which Hamas will go to prevent locals from challenging the party line.

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THE MISHNAH BERURAH

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Bibi Tapped to Form Govt On Monday, President Reuven Rivlin gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the go-ahead to attempt to form a government but noted that he was doing so reluctantly, both because no party leader appeared to have enough support to succeed at cobbling together a ruling coalition and because he had “moral and ethical” reservations given that Netanyahu is on trial for corruption. “This is not an easy decision on a moral and ethical basis, in my mind,” Rivlin said. “And I fear for my country. But I am doing what is required of me as president of the State of Israel, according to the law and to the ruling of the court, and realizing the will of the sovereign – the Israeli people.” Rivlin’s choice came a day after he held consultations with all party leaders in the Knesset to hear whom they will back to form a government. No party leader had the support of a majority of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers. “The results of the consultations, which were open to all [they were aired live], led me to believe that no candidate has a realistic chance of forming a government that will have the confidence of the Knesset,” he lamented. “In fact, if the law would allow me to do so, I would hand the decision back to the representatives of the people, to the Knesset.” However, noting that he could not do so by law, Rivlin said the principal consideration was “which candidate has the best chance of forming a government that has the confidence of the new Knesset.”

Underlining his reservations over his decision, Rivlin did not invite Netanyahu to a ceremony formally tasking him with forming a government, as is the norm when a prospective prime minister is named. Netanyahu will now have 28 days to try to muster a coalition that can win majority support in the Knesset, but, given that he only has the backing of 52 out of 120 lawmakers, it will be a challenge. Netanyahu was endorsed by his Likud party, with 30 seats; Shas, with 9; United Torah Judaism, 7; and Religious Zionism, 6. Lapid was recommended as prime minister by 45 lawmakers (Yesh Atid 17, Blue and White 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7, Labor 7, Meretz 6), and Naftali Bennett by the seven members of his own Yamina party. The three parties that made no recommendations account for the final 16 Knesset seats (New Hope 6, Joint List 6, and Ra’am 4). If Netanyahu does not succeed in forming a government, the president can either task a second person with the attempt (for another period of 28 days and a possible additional 14), or send the mandate back to the Knesset, giving the legislature 21 days to agree on a candidate supported by 61 MKs. If the president appoints a second person and that person also fails to assemble a coalition, the mandate automatically returns to the Knesset for the 21-day period. During that time, any MK is eligible to attempt forming a government. At the end of the 21-day period, if no candidate has been agreed upon by 61 MKs, the new Knesset automatically disbands and the country heads to yet another election, the fifth in under three years.

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Sudan Gives U.S. $355M in Terror Comp

The United States received $355 million from Sudan in compensation for its role in promoting terrorism attacks against American targets. “The Department of State received the $335 million in compensation agreed upon for victims of certain terrorism attacks ... from Sudan via the release of funds from an escrow account,” said a U.S. State Department spokesperson. The payment was a key part of the Abraham Accords, which saw Sudan agree to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Khartoum for promoting terrorism. Sudan first paid the funds into an escrow account in October, where it was held until Sudan’s sovereign immunities were restored. The immunities in the transfer prevent Sudan from being sued from victims of terror attacks and were a non-negotiable demand from Khartoum. In a statement, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said that the State Department “transmitted to Congress the Secretary’s certification restoring Sudan’s sovereign immunities pursuant to the Sudan Claims Resolution Act enacted last December.” The money will go to family members of those killed in the bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998, the explosion on the USS Cole ship in 2000, and the killing of American diplomat John Granville. Sudan had provided material aid and support for al-Qaeda, which was responsible for all of the aforementioned attacks and thus landed itself on the U.S. terror-supporting blacklist.

As part of the Abraham Accords, former President Donald Trump removed sanctions from the African country and signed the Sudan Claims Resolution Act into law in December. The bill returned Sudan’s immunity from lawsuits relating to its past support of terrorism with the exception of litigation concerning the 9/11 attacks. “Achieving compensation for these victims has been a top priority for the Department of State. We hope this aids them in finding some resolution for the terrible tragedies that occurred,” Blinken said.

MLB Pulls All-Star Game from GA

Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that it will relocate its AllStar Game from Atlanta as retribution for Georgia’s recent voter integrity law. In a statement last Friday, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game would be relocated from Atlanta’s Truist Park to a new city in retaliation for the Peach State’s new voting legislation. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” said Manfred. “In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States,” he added. “We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.” The Midsummer Classic had been slated to take place in Truist Field, the new home of the Atlanta Braves. Co-

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The Week In News ors Field in Denver, Colorado, is said to be the favorite to host the relocated All-Star Game, along with Wrigley Field in Chicago and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The unprecedented move came amid a massive backlash from corporate America and followed rising pressure from the MLB’s sponsors to punish Georgia for the voting bill. Signed into law last week by Governor Brian Kemp, the legislation tightens voting integrity, including mandating ID for mail-in ballots, and prohibited giving food and water to those queuing up to vote. In addition, the bill also shortened the time needed for runoff elections, criminalized ballot harvesting, and banned provisional voting after 5 PM. The legislation has triggered a widespread backlash, with major corporations such as Coca Cola and Delta Airlines accusing Georgia Republicans of voter suppression. While Republicans contend that such legislation is needed following widespread irregularities in November’s presidential elections, Dem-

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ocrats call the move an attempt at preventing African Americans from accessing the polls. Joining in the chorus of condemnation last week was President Joe Biden, who called the bill “Jim Crow on steroids” and urged the MLB to find a new host city for the All-Star Game. On Thursday, dozens of African American executives from some of the country’s largest companies, including Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault from American Express, released a public letter urging American corporations to boycott Georgia. Despite the rising backlash, Kemp has refused to reconsider and slammed industry leaders for mixing politics with business. “Secure, accessible elections are worth the threats. They are worth the boycotts as well as the lawsuits,” Kemp said on Friday. “I want to be clear – I will not be backing down from this fight. And neither are the people who are here with me today. “We are not wavering ... You can bow down to this cancel culture but I will give you a warning — if you

do, it’s never enough. It will never be enough.”

The Cicadas are Coming

Americans will need to get ready for the billions of noisy cicadas set to imminently swarm the northeastern United States. Known as Brood X, the periodical cicadas are native to the eastern seaboard and commonly spend most of their existence underground. But once every 17 years, the bugs emerge from their subterranean home for a period ranging between 4 and 6 months to lay eggs before dying off. Beginning in late April or early May, the billions of cicadas are slated to descend upon large swaths of the United States. Scientists predict that the emergence will occur in at least 15 states, including Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The cicadas are characterized by their loud sound that many liken to a lawnmower or motorcycle. With the insects giving off sounds that can clock as high as 96 decibels, the rare emergence is expected to result in a loud and ear-splitting buzzing noise.

Recognized as the world’s loudest insects, male cicadas give off the shrill sound in order to attract females. The noise varies among different breeds, with some emanating a low bass tone, while others’ noises are compared to a low-flying airplane. “These individuals will crawl out every 17 years, and they know they have only one purpose, and that is to mate and reproduce,” said Jerome Grant, an entomology expert from the University of Tennessee. “So they’re going to make a lot of noise to attract females to mate.” The “singing” occurs mainly during daylight hours, as cicadas need temperatures of at least 64 degrees for their eggs to survive. This is likely good news for residents of the aforementioned states, as the last cicada emergence in 2004 saw locals complain that the incessant cacophony led to bouts of insomnia. “Periodical cicadas do not call at night, unless it is very hot during the night,” said Chris Simon, a professor of ecology at the University of Connecticut. “Since these are spring cicadas, this is less likely.”

Biden Lifts Sanctions on ICC Prosecutor U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkan announced on Friday that the Biden administration will lift the sanctions imposed on International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fateh Bensouda. The sanctions had been imposed by the Trump administration in 2020

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The Week In News after Bensouda began probing U.S. troops for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. In a statement, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the punitive measures “ineffective” in stopping the war crimes probe and terminated the visa restrictions on Bensouda and her aides. “These decisions reflect our assessment that the measures adopted were inappropriate and ineffective,” said Blinken. Blinken said, however, that the U.S. disagreed strongly “with the ICC’s actions relating to the Afghanistan and Palestinian situations” along with its “efforts to assert jurisdiction over personnel of non-States Parties such as the United States and Israel.” “We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed through engagement with all stakeholders in the ICC process rather than through the imposition of sanctions,” said Blinken. Biden’s decision to scrap the penalties was praised by the body representing the ICC’s 120 member countries, who called the move “a sign of America’s commitment to justice” and international law. “I welcome this decision which contributes to strengthening the work of the court and, more generally, to promoting a rules-based international order,” said Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, who chairs the Association of States Parties to the ICC. “I trust this decision signals the start of a new phase of our common undertaking to fight against impunity for these crimes.” America’s top diplomat briefed Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi prior to the decision, which came de-

spite heavy lobbying by Israel to keep the sanctions on Bensouda. Israel had asked that the U.S. continue pressuring Bensouda in hope that it would dissuade her from continuing the war crimes investigation into IDF personnel. Bensouda announced earlier this year that the ICC would investigate Israel and Hamas for war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and in Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem. Israel strongly opposes the investigation, viewing it as deeply biased, and fears that it could lead to Israeli troops being arrested when traveling overseas. The Trump administration had imposed two rounds of sanctions against Bensouda for opening a probe into U.S. troops. In March 2019, Bensouda was barred from entering the U.S., while additional measures this past August froze her assets and made granting her “material support” a criminal offense.

Gun Violence Surging

Mass shootings are on the rise again as the U.S. returns to “normal,” with the country experiencing 20 mass shootings in the past two weeks

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The Week In News alone. Since the murderous spree at three Atlanta spas that killed eight in March, there have been 19 other rampages that killed four or more people. This includes the terror attack at a grocery store in Boulder that left 10 dead, the four people cut down at an office park in California, and the five family members who died in a hail of bullets in Washington, D.C. Particularly hard hit has been Virginia. The City of Virginia Beach has seen three shootings in March alone, with eight people killed and 15 injured. Analysts say that the surge in gun violence was inevitable, as Americans gather in restaurants, movie theaters, and other places following a year of lockdowns. If mass shootings dropped during the pandemic due to social distancing that made crowds a rare sight, the reopening of America has brought a return of the familiar scourge. “We can expect that these kinds of shootings will unfortunately become

more prevalent,” says Chuck Wexle from the Police Executive Research Forum. “This is what normal has come to be like in America.” As mass shootings surge, the Biden administration plans to dedicate $5 billion towards fighting gun violence. The proposal would focus on marginalized communities and fund outreach and social workers and non-government organizations involved in community rehabilitation. If approved, the initiative would commence the multi-year plan by the White House to address gun violence. In the past, such proposals were proposed by individual government agencies but never came as part of an overall holistic program. “Historically, the federal government’s approach, particularly when faced with surges in gun homicides, is to fund strategies that over-police,” said Paul Carillo, a senior director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “The Biden administration demonstrated a commitment to addressing the root causes.”

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Salmonella Outbreak

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a recent nationwide salmonella outbreak has been linked to wild songbird and bird feeders. The current outbreak began in September and has already sickened 19 people while causing eight to be hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, with the victims ranging from 2 months to 89 years of age. Out of the 19 infected, nine told CDC officials that they owned a bird feeder and two reported coming into contact with a dead bird. Another 10

said that their pets had been in the vicinity of wild birds over the past month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that it is in the midst of investigating additional suspected cases in California, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. The true number of sick people in an outbreak is expected to be significantly higher than the number reported because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak. “Do not touch or hand-feed wild birds with bare hands and always wash hands after touching wild birds, bird feeders and bird baths,” advised the CDC. “Clean and disinfect bird feeders and bird baths weekly or when they are visibly dirty.”

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Shooting at Army Base A Navy medic shot and critically wounded two people at a Maryland business park on Tuesday. He then fled to a nearby Army base where he was shot and killed. The man entered a business at the Riverside Tech Park, wounding two people and causing people inside to flee. After the shooting, the medic drove about 10 minutes to Fort Detrick, where he was shot by base personnel. The medic had been assigned to the base. Fort Detrick spokeswoman Lanessa Hill said the gunman drove through a gate at an entrance to the base before base personnel confronted him on a road. “It wasn’t that long before he came through the gate. Not even a quarter of a mile,” Hill said. She said Frederick police had given them advance notice, “so we knew that he was out there.” Fort Detrick is a U.S. Army base in Frederick that is home to the military’s flagship biological defense laboratory and several federal civilian biodefense labs.

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The U.S. State Department has declared the month of April to be Arab American Heritage Month, asserting that the group’s contributions to the U.S. “are as old as America itself,” a spokesman said. “The United States is home to more than 3.5 million Arab Americans representing a diverse array of cultures and traditions. Like their fellow citizens, Americans of Arab heritage are very much a part of the fabric of this nation,” Ned Price, a spokesman, said in a video statement on April 1.

“And Arab Americans have contributed in every field and profession, many of them, in fact, serve here at the State Department and throughout the interagency.” Advocacy groups say this is the first time the State Department has designated a particular month for Arab American Heritage Month. States that have recognized April as Arab American History Month in 2021 and years past include Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia. Arab Americans trace their origins to 22 Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Arabs began immigrating to the U.S. in the late 1800s fleeing war, persecution and economic hardships, according to the Migration Policy Institute. California, New York, Michigan, and Illinois have the largest populations of Arab American residents in the country, based on data from the 20152019 ACS Ancestry survey. While the State Department made this announcement, Arab American History Month is not officially recognized by the entire U.S. government. A bill sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, was introduced to Congress in 2019 and is still pending. While the State Department has dedicated the month of April to AAHM, Arab Americans still don’t have a racial or ethnic identifier on forms like the Census, forcing members of the community to tick “white” or “other.” The ADC and AAI have been pushing for a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) categorization, which is a geographic designation that includes ethnic and racial options, to be adopted by the U.S. government. The Biden-Harris administration drafted a “plan for partnership“ with the Arab American community prior to the 2020 election, pledging to “support the creation of a new Middle East North Africa (MENA) category.”

Border Agents Arrest 2 Terrorists In recent months, in separate incidents, U.S. border agents arrested two

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The Week In News Yemeni men on a terror watchlist as they crossed the border with Mexico illegally, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Monday. The men, arrested in January and March near a port of entry in California, were on a U.S. government watchlist for terrorism suspects and a “no-fly” list.

A CBP spokesman said in a written statement that it is “very uncommon” for border agents to encounter people suspected of terrorism at U.S. borders and that the arrests underscore the agency’s “critical” vetting efforts. The watchlist is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Terrorism Screening Center. The list contains “the identities of those who are known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities,” according to the FBI.

You Have Not Reached Your Destination

Fasten your seatbelts, folks, you are in for a wild ride. This week, an Ethiopian Airlines plane headed for Ndola, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport in Zambia did not make it to its intended destination. Instead, the cargo plane landed in Copperbelt International Airport. Unfortunately, Copperbelt is not yet open and still under construc-

tion. Although the airport is not yet open for use, the pilot, who got there by “error,” made a smooth landing. Transport ministry’s permanent secretary Misheck Lungu explained, “When he was about to land, he was communicating with the radar and they told him, ‘We can’t see you.’ “So he used his sight as he had no control and landed at an airport still under construction.” The new airport was due for completion in October 2020, according to Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL), which manages the country’s international airports. But construction was delayed because of the pandemic, with the facility due for completion this year. The new airport that the plane landed at has a runway that is fully complete, ZACL added, and, as of last month, the rest of the facility is at least 88% complete. Sounds like he landed the aircraft with flying colors.

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Fooled You Carter Kerr is a lucky baby, as he was born at 3:21 p.m. on March 21 in the 321 area code of Florida, according to Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital. The newborn baby, weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, is a first for the new parents, Charish and Justin. “Carter being born in the 321 (area code) on March 21, 2021, at 3:21 p.m. is unexpected and also amazing,” Charish said. The newborn baby’s room looks out over Florida’s Space Coast, where people can view rocket launches after the “3-2-1” countdown. Blast off!

Crime Watch It’s true that crime doesn’t sleep. This company is hoping to keep people up at night by offering $2,400 each to three people willing to watch

In an effort to show consumers their fun side, several companies came out with gag products on April 1. Velveeta, famous for its cheese, offered “V by Velveeta” skincare products including cheese-based moisturizer, renewal serum, and nourishing night cream. But it sounded cheesy to most customers. Siggi’s, famous for its line of Icelandic yogurt, announced two other Icelandic delicacies would soon be joining its line of products: Fish jerky products known as harofiskur. If it sounds fishy, you’re not wrong. The haddock and cod-flavored jerkies will not be coming to a store near you anytime soon.

Vegetable company Green Giant announced it was partnering with Peeps to bring cauliflower-flavored marshmallow candy to market. The company admitted the product was merely a gag, but asked Twitter followers: “Who still would’ve tried it out?” We’ll pass on that one. Chosen Foods, a company known best for its avocado-based products, announced the creation of “GuacPaste” – guacamole-flavored toothpaste. The company said the toothpaste is “guaranteed to brighten your smile, enlighten your tastebuds and freshen your breath with aromatic savory flavors.” Oh, and turn your teeth green. The Farmer’s Dog, a company that creates pet food from fresh ingredients, unveiled Candle No. 2, a candle bearing a “fresh, subtly stool-scented fragrance from The Farmer’s Dog.” The candle is listed as a product on the company’s website, but is marked as “not yet available.” Don’t hold your breath. Jumping on the sourdough bandwagon, fast food chain Burger King tweeted photos of a fictional line of sourdough sandwiches containing fillings such as Hershey Pie, cheesy tots, mini-shakes, chicken fries, chocolate chip cookies, French fries and onion rings. We’d rather eat matzah and cream cheese. Toy company Lego marked the day with the announcement of a product every parent might wish was real: “SmartBricks” that, when left on the floor, will scatter away from the unprotected feet of a person walking through the plastic minefield. Oh, how we wish this product was real! Bud Light, which released a line of hard seltzers in 2020, tweeted a hoax ad for a new line of pizza seltzers in flavors including pepperoni, anchovies, veggie, and extra cheese. The company later tweeted that it was “scary how many of you actually wanted to try these.” Language-learning app Duolingo unveiled a product to help users learn new languages while using the bathroom: Duolingo Roll toilet paper. The company joked the tissue-based language lessons would turn “your bathroom into a classroom.” Sounds like they’re on a roll.

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Torah Thought

A Step in the Right Direction By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

Traditionally at the end of each of the Shalosh Regalim, we conclude the marvelous Yom Tov experience with a gathering of family and friends and celebrate one “last hurrah” in what is commonly referred to as the ‫נעילת החג‬, Ne’ilas HaChag, literally translated as the “closing of the Holiday”. Alternately Ne’ila may more specifically mean to “lock”, as if to imply our sincere desire to preserve the inspiration we gained in the course of the Yom Tov, not allowing it to escape. Yet the Tikunei Zohar '‫(תיקון נ"ח ד‬ ):‫ צב‬relates this phrase: ‫נעילת החג‬, to a verse that extols the beauty of our nation as we donned our "‫"נעלים‬, “shoes” and made the thrice yearly pilgrimage, trekking to the Bais HaMikdash to celebrate the festivals there.

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How beautiful are —‫פעמיך בנע־‬ ‫ —לים‬your footsteps in sandals, O daughter of nobles. )‫(שה"ש ז ב‬, It almost seems to intimate the commemoration of our “booting” up our shoes as we prepare to make the long and arduous trip back home. Why is the end of the Yom Tov symbolized in the “sandals” we put back on? Why is the beauty of our people expressed specifically in the “footsteps” of the journey more so than in the actual celebration in Yerushalayim and the sacrificing of the many korbanos there? The very term the Torah chooses to refer to the holidays: ‫שלש רגלים‬ )‫(שמות כג יד‬, seems connected to the word ‫רגל‬, “foot”. Truthfully, Rashi translates ‫ רגלים‬as “times”, accenting

the cycles in time these days reflect, but the Talmud ).‫ (חגיגה ג‬clearly understands ‫ רגלים‬as referring to feet. It derives from the use of the root word: "‫ "רגל‬, in describing the holiday, that a person who is lame in one leg, thus deficient in the use of his ‫רגל‬, is exempt from making the pilgrimage to Yerushalayim. A few verses later the Torah describes the obligation to ascend to Yerushalayim three times a year using a different noun: Three — ‫— פעמים‬ times during the year... )‫(שם שם יז‬ Here too, the Talmud sees the relationship between the root word ‫פעם‬, as a reference to the ‫פעמיך בנעלים‬, beautiful “footsteps” in sandals as they went up to Yerushalayim, extolled earlier in the verse in Shir HaShirim. It excludes from this verse one who is stumped-legged, who can’t “step” into shoes and “pound” the pavement with his foot. )‫(חגיגה שם‬ What is truly “afoot” here? We celebrate the festivals to achieve three goals. Each Yom Tov we step back from the involvement in the physical world and dedicate ourselves to G-d anew. We reorient our perspective and objectives. In the midst of the agricultural seasons; Pesach in the spring, when the fruits begin to ripen; Shavuos in the period of harvesting; Sukkos at the time of the ingathering of the bountiful crops, we assert our allegiance to a benevolent Creator, not allowing ourselves to lapse into the delusion of personal physical success that so often deters us from adhering to His will. The festival cycles also serve as

a reference point in time by which to measure our spiritual growth. Each Yom Tov reaffirms the basic tenets of our faith; Pesach, ‫אמונה‬, faith in G-d as the Creator of the universe; Shavuos, ‫תורה מן השמים‬, acceptance of the Divine guidelines for life; Sukkos, ‫בטחון‬, trust in the system of Divine accountability, ‫שכר ועונש‬, and the joy that stems from awareness of G-d’s intimate involvement in both the good and bad that comes our way, that all is ultimately for the best. Finally the three festivals with its unique injunction to “rejoice”, ‫ושמ־‬ ‫חת בחגך‬, offer us the opportunity to infuse our souls with joy and excitement. That emotional high we experience each Yom Tov will fortify us to successfully face and overcome the challenges we face daily in our lives. It is a time to recharge our “emotional batteries”. Each of the Avos reflect one of these goals. Avraham Avinu directed the world’s attention away from their animalistic instincts, revealing before them a most benevolent Creator who inspires every facet of our lives. Drawing the masses unto his tent, Avraham emulated G-d’s kindness in the warmth he extended even to the furthest most wayfarer, introducing humanity to the Divine message of morality and nobility of spirit. Let some water be brought and wash your — ‫ — רגליכם‬feet...‫(בראשית‬ )‫יח ד‬ In the Torah’s very first reference to feet in a human context, Avraham indicates that the feet which is man’s natural and closest point of contact to temporal “earth”, must be cleansed from the dust that buries man in physical needs. If we can wash away that which sullies our clear view of the Divine, will we be inspired to a life of dignity and purpose. This is the first “leg” in our journey of the festivals. The Talmud ‫(ר"ה‬ ):‫ טז‬teaches, ‫חייב אדם לטהר עצמו ברגל‬, one must purify himself before the festival. The first goal in celebrating the "‫ "רגל‬is to remove the physical influences which weighs us down so we

may stride purposefully towards a life filled with meaning. Perhaps the word ‫ רגיל‬which means usual, habit and regular, is rooted in this idea. We must break away from that which is comfortably familiar and rise to new heights of devotion and dedication in our commitment to G-d and his Torah. When Esav rushes towards Yaakov Avinu and his family, he is overwhelmed by Yaakov’s graciousness and in turn offers to escort his brother. Yaakov responds by telling him the children are too tender and the flocks too delicate to travel at Esav’s normal hurried pace. Let my lord go ahead of his servant; I will make my way — ...‫לרגל המלאכה‬ ‫ — ולרגל הילדים‬at my slow pace according to the gait of the drove... and the gait of the children... )‫(שם לג יד‬, Spiritual success needs paced progress. Impetuousness cannot achieve meaningful and lasting growth. Esav epitomizes the here and now, hungrily getting to one’s objective as quickly as possible. No wonder in all his haste he exhausted his chance to share in the legacy of his father. Yaakov understands that only by a conscientious and contemplative paced growth, can one attain true greatness. In this context the careful, directed and measured “steps” emphasize the value of “timing” that is necessary to mature healthily. This then represents the ‫ רגלים‬as milestones of time in the journey of life. By measuring our slow but steady development that builds up each year layered upon the previous cycles of growth, as experienced in the festivals we celebrate, we are able to consistently add new levels of inspiration, not allowing ourselves to stagnate in our service. This instills within us the patience necessary for success and the resolve to avoid the dangers of a hasty and impatient quest for achievement. Indeed, ‫שלש רגלים‬, three markers

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in “time”, that assure our healthy progress in avodas Hashem. Footsteps are called ‫ּפְ עָ ִמים‬. A bell is called a ‫ּפַעַ מֹון‬. Just as a clapper that makes contact with its outer shell resonates with sound, so too does the the clap of our foot against the ground resound with a message. One can hear the purposefulness, the joy, the zeal in the “voice” of one’s footsteps. Lethargy, disinterest or depression can be quickly sensed in the slow and dragged steps that cry out its despondence. How beautiful are your — ‫פעמיך‬ ‫ — בנעלים‬footsteps in sandals G-d discerns the sounds of joy, the pining for closeness, the sense of purpose in the ring of our footsteps. The patter of our feet in our quest to bond with the Almighty in His home, the Bais HaMikdash , reverberate with a tale all its own. At the Akeidah Yitzchok strode with a confident joy alongside his father Avraham. The Torah states twice: ...‫ — וילכו שניהם‬And the two of them went together, once prior to Yitzchok becoming aware of his fate and once

again after he discovered he was to be slaughtered. The joy he experienced before and after were nevertheless identical. They went with a common joy in the knowledge they were fulfilling G-d’s will wholly. Not wanting instinct to deter him from his mission, Yitzchok requests of his father to bind him lest his reflex interfere with the ritual slaughter. ...‫ — ויעקד‬He bound Yitzchok. )‫(בראשית כב ט‬ Yitzchok in his desire to maintain the joy he sensed sought to be bound so nothing would interrupt his focus so that his joy would not wane. Rashi points out that the root ‫עקד‬ alludes to the ‫עקודים‬, the ankles, the area of the leg where an animal is bound. Once again a reference to the “foot” appears at what can perhaps be categorized as the first ‫עלייה לרגל‬, pilgrimage to Har HaMoriah, the location of the future Temple! The goal here was to perpetuate

Yitzchok’s joy in the face of his being slaughtered. The sounds of his happiness with his fate resonated from the deliberate strides he and his father took as they celebrated this magnificent opportunity. He sought to assure it would remain by asking to be bound and unable to resist. ‫ ויעקד‬is numerically equivalent to ‫ּפָעַ ם‬, to step, 190! This concludes the final goal of the festivals we celebrate ‫שלש ּפְ עָ ִמים‬, for in each one we seek to emote with enthusiasm the sounds of our “feet” dancing and “clapping” loudly, expressing our joy and satisfaction in our service to G-d! The ‫חכמי הסוד‬, the wise men who reveal the mystical teachings, explain the deeper meaning behind the prohibition to eat the ‫"מרבה רגלים" (ויקרא יא‬ )‫מב‬, numerous legs, i.e., a centipede, one of the creeping creatures that is listed among others one may not consume:

“...this alludes to those people who won’t let their legs rest, who would rather run to and fro seeking the emptiness of this world... the “numerous legs” is a sign of impurity in stark contrast to the “abider of tents” which indicates purity...” ‫(אחי המהר"ל בספר‬ )‫החיים ח"ב פ"ה‬ We place our shoes, that give us mobility in connecting to the world around us, onto our feet with a renewed sense of direction. We define the "‫"רגל‬, by the strides we have taken in the course of the festival, hopefully infusing them with a spirit, strength, and joy that will give deeper and more purposeful direction in accomplishing our noble mission as we step forward in life! We run frenziedly in a hundred directions pursuing imaginary goals. With the lessons we derived from this wondrous Pesach we are equipped to finally take a step in the right direction! You may reach the author at: Ravzt@ohelmoshebaltimore.com

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World

Builders

Being There for Those Who Are Alone By Raphael Poch

tti Perez is a 53-year-old mother of four and a grandmother of five. Two of her daughters are married – one is a nurse in Shaare Tzedek Hospital – and her husband is also a nurse. Etti is by profession a kindergarten teacher but has been on unpaid leave since the beginning of corona in the spring. She grew up in Kiryat Arba and lived through the period of the First Intifada in Kiryat Arba and was an eyewitness to many of the terror attacks that took place in Kiryat Arba and Chevron and wanted to enter into the health field in order to help others. Another incident that pushed her to become a medical first responder took place shortly after she got married and had her first daughter. Her eldest daughter, just one month old at the time, choked and stopped breathing. She was saved by Dr. Baruch Goldstein, who lived in the neighborhood and rushed to help. “We were always very thankful to him for saving her,” Etti said. “It helped inspire me to put myself in a position where I, too, can help others.” Now that her children have grown up, Etti finally has time to dedicate herself fully to helping others. She took an EMT training course three years ago and joined the Beit Shemesh Chapter of United Hatzalah. She became the first-ever woman to serve as a Shabbat volunteer in the city which has a large Ultra-Orthodox population, and, in 2019, she became the first and only woman to serve as an

EMT during the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage in the city of Uman, an annual pilgrimage which is primarily for men. In addition to rushing to any and all medical emergencies in her neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, Etti runs the chapter’s Ten Kavod – Giving Honor project that sees trained med-

shared. “United Hatzalah recognized this problem and opened up a Humanitarian Dispatch Center to respond to instances in which people required assistance that was of a non-medical nature due to the lockdown and shutdown of the country. I am proud that I took part in this and ran the logistics for the Humanitari-

“Had we waited any longer, the man’s hand would have been in serious danger of amputation.”

ical first responders visit elderly people who live on their own at least once a week to spend some time with them and alleviate feelings of loneliness while checking up on their health. The project exists in dozens of cities and municipalities across Israel. This project became even more critical during the corona time period as many of the elderly were not able to leave their homes due to them being considered high-risk patients should they contract the disease. “Many older people throughout the city, and even throughout the country, were unable to leave their homes even to go food shopping or purchase their much-needed medicines, because of the fear that they would contract the disease,” Etti

an Dispatch in responding to requests for humanitarian assistance in Beit Shemesh.” Etti volunteered in the dispatch center, but when she saw that she would be more effective in the field, running logistics for the city of Beit Shemesh and the surrounding area, she took on that role and began traveling around the city on a daily basis providing all of the elderly with what they needed. “During one of the lockdowns, we had an elderly person who a Holocaust survivor who had fallen down the stairs in his building on Friday,” she recalled. “The man’s wife helped him up and took him home and bandaged him. After the man suffered all of Shabbat and complained of

his hand hurting, the wife called the humanitarian dispatch on Sunday and asked us for help. I headed over and took one look at him, and I knew that he needed immediate medical attention. I located an open doctor’s office and took the man there. He was bleeding from numerous injuries and even had an open bleed under the bandage that his wife had put on. “Thankfully, we brought him to the doctor who told us that had we waited any longer, the man’s hand would have been in serious danger of amputation.” Etti reflected on how the coronavirus is giving us all a taste of what it feels like to be old and alone. “Over this era of the coronavirus, I think the whole world has gotten a small taste of what it means to feel alone – just a small taste of what many of these elderly people have been feeling for years. Now, during Corona, even elderly people who have many children feel a sense of loneliness as oftentimes their children don’t come to visit due to fears of risking their parents’ health. Thus, the job of these volunteers who go and check up on the elderly once a week, socialize with them, look after them, and make sure that they have everything they need has become vitally important during the past year. For some people, our volunteers are the only connection they have to the world outside their homes, aside from phone calls. It has helped so many people in a truly significant way. “I am glad to be a part of it.”

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LIVING LEGEND Excerpts from the new book BY NACHMAN SELTZER

hen he first arrived in Migdal HaEmek, Rav Yitzchak Dovid [Grossman] found out that many of the stores were open on Shabbos. It was painful to see Jews walking into coffee shops, bars, and restaurants when it was already Shabbos, and he resolved to do whatever he could to alter the status quo. In one of the shopping centers not far from his shul, there was a popular restaurant called Kima. One Erev Shabbos (Friday afternoon), on his way to shul, the young rabbi stood in the restaurant’s doorway, where he had a good view of the room filled with people sitting and enjoying themselves, even as the Shabbos Queen had arrived in the city and wandered around in search of those who were happy to welcome her. Even worse, the people in the restaurant playing the games – some even playing backgammon for money, each with a bottle of beer at his elbow – every so often would raise their mugs and call out, “Bo’i kallah!” This stemmed from an old Sefardic tradition to welcome Shabbos into one’s life by saying, “Bo’i kallah – Welcome, bride.” But the words were most decidedly not meant to be said while sitting in a smoke-filled establishment and gambling on a Friday night! As he stood there looking at the scene before him, Rav Grossman recalled a story from his youth, a story involving his rebbi, Rav Aryeh Levin. ◊◊◊

Rav Aryeh had a practice of walking through the Machaneh Yehudah shuk on erev Shabbos, his very presence reminding the store owners that it was time to close up shop before the holy day began. One Erev Shabbos, Rav Aryeh passed a store that was packed with customers. Rav Aryeh Levin could have approached the owner and given him a mussar shmuess, telling him off and shaming him for his actions He could have stood outside the store and made a protest. Instead, he took a seat inside the store and sat there quietly, observing the customers and everything else that comes along with the beauty of a thriving business. He didn’t move for twenty minutes, and his very presence was driving the owner to distraction. Finally, the owner couldn’t help himself and approached Rav Aryeh. “Kevod HaRav, honored rabbi, can I help you with anything?” “No,” Rav Aryeh replied. “I just wanted to tell you one thing. I’ve been sitting and watching the sheer volume of business that you are doing right now, on this Erev Shabbos. I’ll tell you the truth: I don’t know if I would be able to withstand the nisayon, the test you are facing, and I understand you one hundred percent because your test is so challenging.” Having said his piece, Rav Aryeh stood up, gave the man a kiss on the forehead, and left the store. The store owner came to see Rav Aryeh on Motza’ei Shabbos, just after Shabbos was over. “Kevod HaRav, I just wanted to let you know

that I closed my store this Shabbos and that I will never open my store on Shabbos again for as long as I live.” “But how were you able to do it? How were you able to withstand such a tremendous nisayon?” “I’ll tell you how,” the man replied. “I was able to close my store because you were the first person who understood me. You didn’t yell at me. You didn’t threaten me or castigate me. You empathized with me and showed me that you really understand my situation. And because you understand me and the test I am facing, I was finally able to close my shop.” ◊◊◊ Now, standing outside the restaurant, Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman reviewed his options. He could walk into the restaurant and deliver a blistering mussar shmuess, a scathing attack on the patrons within the eatery. But there was a good chance that such a shmuess would anger one or two of the already tipsy and more heavily inebriated patrons, who might react by throwing a frosty beer bottle at his head. Besides, he had learned at the feet of his rebbi that empathy and understanding is the way to go. And he wasn’t a blistering shmuess kind of rabbi in any case. That was left for other people. And so Rav Yitzchak Dovid took a different tack. He entered the restaurant and made his way to the middle of the room, where he raised his voice, as if he were the chazzan (cantor) in a Sefardic

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There was once a newly engaged chatan and kallah, groom and bride, who each lived in a different city. One day the chatan called his kallah and said, “We haven’t seen each other for a few weeks, and my family misses you. Can you hop on a train and come visit? Everyone is waiting to give you the royal treatment.” Excited at the prospect of seeing her chatan and his family, the kallah bought a ticket and settled into her seat on the train. She looked out the window and imagined how much fun they were going to have during the upcoming visit. When the train pulled into the station in her chatan’s hometown, she alighted and made her way through the station and out onto the street, confident that her chatan would be waiting for her outside. To her dismay, there was nobody there. Maybe there was a misunderstanding, and I sent him the wrong time, she thought. She found a bus stop, waited for the bus to

No one spoke a word when Rav Grossman concluded his parable. He looked around the crowded room, letting the silence grow before he spoke again. “My friends, you might feel bad for the kallah in the story, but you are treating another kallah in exactly the same fashion as the chatan who abandoned his kallah at the train station! You sit here in the restaurant every Friday night drinking your beer and playing your backgammon, but at the same time you lift your mug in the air and call out ‘Bo’i kallah!’ What does ‘bo’i kallah’ mean? It means that when Shabbos comes, you promise to treat her with love and respect. It means that you promise to take care of her and welcome her into your homes. It most certainly does not mean that you ignore her when she arrives. Otherwise, what’s the difference between you and a chatan who throws rocks at his bride? Aren’t you doing the exact same thing?” It was a truly passionate speech, one that emanated straight from Rav Grossman’s heart. Soon the restaurant was completely empty, and from that week on, Kima was closed on Shabbos.

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arrive, and then endured another long ride until eventually she reached her destination and got off the bus near her chatan’s house. She knocked on the door, her excitement at seeing her chatan returning, when suddenly she found herself being pelted with pebbles! She looked up and saw her chatan peeking his face out from the upstairs window, ready with another bombardment of stones. Shocked and upset, the kallah picked up her feet and ran as fast as she could from her chatan’s house and the nightmare she had just experienced. It goes without saying that she called off the wedding the moment she arrived home. ◊◊◊

When he saw that he had been successful at getting the Kima restaurant to close on Shabbos, Rav Grossman began paying Friday afternoon visits to other stores and culinary establishments. For the next two years of his life, Rav Grossman didn’t set foot in a shul on Friday night. Instead, he made it his business to daven every single week at a different store, restaurant, kiosk, or barber shop. Sometimes he davened in the store; sometimes he just spoke to the people or sang songs with them. Always he did his best to make a positive, friendly impression. At other times, he went to see the business owners in their homes for a more private conversation. It took time, it was a slow process, but eventually the city of Migdal HaEmek closed down on Shabbos until you couldn’t find a single business still in operation once candle lighting time had arrived. Today, if you happen to visit Migdal HaEmek and you need to fill up on gas for your car, you’ll see huge signs by both of the city’s gas stations that read, “This gas station keeps Shabbos and Yom Tov.” And it all started on a Friday night when Rav Grossman stood in the middle of a crowded restaurant, raised his voice to the heavens, and began to recite the words of Ashrei before explaining to the patrons the meaning of “Bo’i kallah” and how it applied to them and their lives.

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beit knesset, and called out, “Va’anachnu nevarech Kah mei’atah v’ad olam hallelukah…” They were the final words of Ashrei – the opening prayer of Minchah – and Rav Grossman recited them in an authentic Sefardic style and pronunciation. Without waiting for anyone to react, he immediately began the Kaddish that comes after Ashrei. “Yitgadal v’yitkadash Shemei rabbah…” Every person in the restaurant screamed out, “Amen!” He continued the Kaddish. Nobody said a word. They barely breathed, unsure what their unexpected visitor was doing. “V’yatzmach purkanei v’karev Meshichei…” “Amen!” He carried on, moments later belting out the words, “Ba’agalah u’vizman kariv v’imru amen!” And every single person in the restaurant cried out the traditional response, “Yehei Shemei rabbah…” As soon as he finished Kaddish, Rav Grossman davened Shemoneh Esrei, the main part of the Minchah prayer, with the others looking on, astonished. He began chazaras ha’shatz (the repetition of the prayer) and when it was time for Kedushah, the special part of the prayer where the congregation joins in, every person in the establishment rose to their feet and began saying it with him word for word. “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh…” Instead of the eating, joking, and gambling that normally happened at Kima on a Friday evening, suddenly there was a minyan (a gathering of at least ten men) for Minchah – a minyan in which everyone in the restaurant took part. After finishing the last Kaddish of Minchah, Rav Grossman took a long look at the men, who were beginning to turn their attention back to their beers and backgammon tables. “Chevrah,” he began, “Shabbat Kodesh! Shabbat Kodesh! Holy Shabbos, holy Shabbos!” Nobody spoke. The silence resounded throughout the room. “When I walked into the restaurant, I saw many of you lifting your glasses and bottles of beer and saying the words ‘Bo’i kallah, bo’i kallah.’ “My friends, I want to ask you a question. What exactly do the words ‘bo’i kallah’ mean? What does ‘Lecha dodi likrat kallah’ mean? What are these words, ‘Come, my beloved, to greet the bride,’ with which we welcome Shabbos, referring to? “I’ll explain with the help of a short story. What do you say? Do you have time for a story?” Everyone nodded. They would have rejected the mussar shmuess, but a story they were ready to hear. “Okay, then, listen well.”

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

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APRIL 8, 2021

Fighting the Egyptians By Avi Heiligman

Israeli soldiers in Nirim

hroughout the thousands of years of Egyptian history, their army made them a world power. The Egyptians were able to flex their military might using tactics, weapons, and machinery never seen before on the battlefield. In the past century, tanks became the new chariots, and aircraft roamed the skies where bows and arrows were once commonplace. Still, against formidable odds, Israel has been successful in battle against the Egyptians on several occasions going back to the 1940s. The Sinai Desert and Nile River defenses were once almost-impenetrable barriers to many invaders. From 1882 until 1947, Egypt had been under British influence and participated in World War I and broke ties with Germany in World War II. Despite his own advisors being against a war with the new country, Egypt’s King Farouk decided to join the other Arab nations in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. The Israelis were, ultimately, victorious. There were a few little-known battles early in the war that are worthy of being mentioned in that they were vital to Israel’s defense strategy. On the first day of the war, May 15, 1948 a few dozen Haganah soldiers and kibbutz members defeated a much larger Egyptian force of over 500 soldiers in the Battle of Nirim. Near the Israel-Egyptian border, Nirim was mainly made up of wood-

en and tin shacks with a guardhouse made out of concrete. It lay on a main road and, together with Kfar Darom, was a target for the advancing Egyptian forces. Armed with just 34 rifles and machine guns and a 52mm mortar, they would be facing armored vehicles, artillery, and aircraft from the Egyptian 6th Battalion. The battle began at 7 a.m. with an artillery bombardment from the Egyptian column that severed Israeli communication lines. Communications were soon restored. Egyptian soldiers then came out of the vehi-

Kibbutz members at a military briefing at Yad Mordechai

early on in the war gave the rest of the new country vigor to withstand other “against the odds” attacks. Another early battle in the war took place at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, located four miles south of Ashkelon near the Mediterranean Sea. The Egyptians were attacking in force, stretching the Palamch/IDF forces to the limit. On May 18, they were only able to send twenty soldiers to the area when the commander of Yad Mordechai said he expected an attack within a few hours. The Egyptians sent a force of

Unaware of the evacuation, the Egyptians continued shelling the deserted settlement for four hours.

cles, and as they got closer to the fences, the Israelis opened accurate fire. The attack was driven back, and the Egyptians lost 35 soldiers. At 12:30 p.m. the retreat began, although the kibbutz continued to receive artillery fire for two more days. Seven Israeli defenders including Holocaust survivor Rivka Salzman were killed. The victory against stacked odds

10,000 soldiers under Major General Ahmad Ali al-Mwawi, and he split his force into two detachments. One was sent towards Jerusalem, and the other worked their way up the coast in the direction of Tel Aviv. On the way, they bypassed several small kibbutzim and towns, but Yad Mordechai was just too strong to leave alone. They had been repulsed at Kfar Darom and Nirim, and so they were

better prepared for a fight when they attacked Yad Mordechai on May 19. There were 130 defenders, including twenty women with an assortment of light weapons, a medium machine gun and a British-built PIAT anti-tank weapon. They were up against 2,500 heavily armed Egyptians who had tanks, artillery and air support. Early in the morning of May 19, the Egyptians opened up on Yad Mordechai with an artillery and air barrage and then sent in the infantry. The water tower was hit. A pillbox posted at a corner of the kibbutz was the focus of the Egyptian attacks on the first day. The pillbox withstood repeated attacks but had to be evacuated after taking a direct hit. The Egyptian advance was halted as they had sustained heavy casualties. During the night, the Israeli defenders collected abandoned rifles and ammunition. For the next three days, the Egyptians had a number of attacks repulsed by the outnumbered Israelis. The Egyptians made the tactical mistake of not sending in the infantry immediately after repeated artillery barrages. This allowed the Israeli defenders to maintain a cohesive fighting unit despite suffering casualties. On May 21, the Palmach sent 30 men as reinforcements, along with another PIAT anti-tank weapon and three machine guns. Included in this contingent were six soldiers who had deserted the British Army to

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

night of May 23 and evacuated most of the wounded and women. Everyone else escaped by foot, including two stretcher-bearers carrying a wounded soldier. The three men were caught by the Egyptians and murdered. This brought the number of slain Israelis to 26. Unaware of the evacuation, the Egyptians continued shelling the deserted settlement for four hours. While they now occupied Yad Mordechai, the Egyptians lost valuable time and resources. They had lost 300-400 well trained soldiers

and had been delayed five days during which the newly formed Israeli Defense Force was able to send reinforcements. The IDF had time to form a defensive perimeter near Tel Aviv. The Israel army later recaptured Yad Mordechai during Operation Yoav. The defense of the kibbutzim in the south had sufficiently scared the Egyptian high command into not attacking the main cities and to only cut off the Negev from the rest of the country (which failed as well). These settlers were attacked

by regular armies, and most of the time they were outmanned and outgunned. Against all odds, the defenders of these towns valiantly held off Egyptian forces and helped to give the Israeli army time to protect its land.

APRIL 8, 2021

help Israel in her most critical hour. On May 23, the Egyptians launched a diversionary assault to mask a larger force attacking the main defensive perimeter. They succeeded in getting a tank behind the lines, but the IDF soon knocked it out of action. By this time, Israeli casualties included 49 wounded and 23 dead – about half of the fighting forces. The decision was made to evacuate the kibbutz under cover of darkness. A small mobile Palmach unit called the Negev Beasts managed to reach Yad Mordechai on the

Bronze figures representing the battle at Yad Mordechai

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The children in Yad Mordechai were evacuated by these improvised armored cars only hours before the Egyptian attack

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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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home

Rav Mordechai Glatstein zt”l Greatness in Three Worlds By RaBBi MeiR avnei-Tzedek

The

Navi Yechezkel writes about Noach, Iyov, and Daniel as three men who saw three worlds. Each saw a world in its glory, a world in its destruction, and a world rebuilt. Throughout the 106 years of Rav Mordechai Leib Glatstein’s illustrious life, he saw three worlds in many forms. There is hardly anyone alive who knew him during the early years of his scholarship in Warsaw when he received semicha from the Ravad of Warsaw, or as he sat together with the Piezecna Rebbe comforting broken Yidden. No one could have imagined that this quiet humble man was in the room when Rav Menachem Ziemba, Rav Shamson Stockhammer, and Rav Dovid Shapiro among others were discussing whether or not to rise up against the Nazi beast that had tortured them in the Warsaw Ghetto. Most people alive today knew Rabbi Glatstein as an iconic figure in the city of Pittsburgh. The longest-serving rav, active for more than half a century, was cherished by Yidden from every walk of life and every background. In addition to having a close relationship with the great tzaddikim, Rav Silberberg, The Pittsburgher Rebbe, and the legendary rabbonim of the Steel City, he, together with his Rebbetizin Tzina, developed relationships with doctors and psychologists and clergy of all kinds only for one reason: to lift the spirits of the brokenhearted. Over the many decades, from the time he arrived in Pittsburgh in 1951 until he left Pittsburgh just a few years back to live with his son, Reb Yossi, a prominent attorney who is one of the premier lecturers for the Discovery Kiruv organization, Rav Glatstein was one of the most cherished figures in the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. They all know him as the rabbi whose voice was a soft as velvet and whose soothing chizuk was available to anyone in need. For members of

Pittsburgh’s Kollel Bais Yitzchok, they knew him as an elderly rav who, for the last twenty years or so, sat and learned in the Kollel every day as if he was a yungermahn. For members of Pittsburgh’s lay community, he was a prominent civic figure worthy of making an official public holiday, Rabbi Mordechai and Rebbitzin Tzina Glatstein Day, to honor him and his rebbetzin upon his official retirement. Doctors and therapists knew him as the chief chaplain of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who, with superhuman strength, counseled and comforted. His humility and simplicity hid were inversely proportional to his true self-worth. Hardly anyone knew of his tremendous accomplishments, before the war, during the war, and after the war in the efforts to mend the broken spirit of a shattered people. He never spoke about himself, but with his passing, it is worthy to talk about a giant of a Jew, who was considered a formidable talmid chacham in Europe before the war, was close to gedolei Olam during the war, and who, together with famed askanim like Mike Tress and Reb Yitzchok Ziemba, helped rebuild prominent organizations like Zeirei Agudas Yisrael, after the war. His life defied all logic. He saw Mengele, Eichmann and so many other reshaim who would have wanted to ensure the doom of all of Klal Yisrael, but he lived a life that ensured that the plans of these evil men would not be realized. Rav Glastein was the most prominent survivor who spent at least six years in the Feldafing Displaced Person Camp as a representative of the United States government to ensure that every survivor would have a new home to go to and sponsors to ensure that they received the proper visa and immigration papers. “It is no wonder,” said his grandson Rav

Daniel Glatstein, a noted rav and maggid shiur, “that his levaya was filled with people from every walk of life, from chassidim to Jews barely clinging to their heritage. Each had a story of how Rabbi Glatstein helped resettle their parents.” Rav Mordechai Leib Glatstein was born on the 6th of Adar of 1916 more than one hundred years ago in the Polish city of Lipna. He was a descendant of a rabbinic family; his father was a rav, as was his zayde, a dayan in Lunchitz. As a tremendous talmid chacham, his father was chosen to marry the daughter of the rav in Lipna, a well-known tzadekes, Blima Michla Goldman. Together, they had three children, Mordechai Laib, Henoch, and Shmuel. When the oldest, Mordechai Leib, was only four years old, his father passed away suddenly from a brief illness. Their mother was left to raise the yesomim, and with tremendous mesiras nefesh she did just that. Little would she know that, despite the clouds of destruction that would wipe out her entire family, her three children would survive the war. Henoch would flee to Russia and eventually escape in the post-war years, while Mordechai Leib would take care of his brother and miraculously the two would not only survive the Holocaust but would remain steadfast with their emunah. Life was not easy for the young almanah. Her first task was to make sure that her oldest son would learn in cheder. She sent young Mordechai Leib as a child to learn in Lipna. Although other boys would come home to eat, she would bring the food to cheder so he would not have to leave yeshiva. As he outgrew the cheder, she sent him to learn in other yeshivos, first in Plotzk, where he met Rav Meir Don of Plotzk and later, as he became bar mitzvah, in Warsaw, where he forged a kesher with

the Jewish Home | OctOber 29, 2015

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matorium by a miraculous angel. He watched his brother stare down a Nazi who caught him wearing tefillin. The minute the Nazi saw the tefillin shel rosh, he shuddered and put the gun back in his holster, fulfilling the posuk, “They shall see the name of Hashem on you and fear you…” That refers to the tefillin of the head.

He saw Mengele, Eichmann and so many other reshaim who would have wanted to ensure the doom of all of Klal Yisrael, but he lived a life that ensured that the plans of these evil men would not be realized. The stories of his post-war experience are equally amazing. All his life, Rabbi Glatstein worried for the honor of the Jewish dead. He would often come to the Kollel to see if he could get yungerleit to help with a mais mitzvah. When asked where the passion came from, he replied humbly. “After the liberation, no one wanted to help bury the dead in Dachau. After all, many died from typhus and other diseases. But for some reason, it did not phase me. I was always there for the mai-

sim and will always be,” he would explain. Rabbi Glatstein’s tenure as a liaison for the Americans’ visitors and agencies was prolific. He had taught himself English in Warsaw a bochur and used his skills as an interpreter for the American troops including for the Klausenberger Rebbe’s famed discussions with General Eisenhower. He met his Aishes Chayil, Tzina, whose father was Rav Yehuda Leib Vollman, the last rav in Sochatzov, and set up a home in Feldafing, refusing to leave Europe until every one of the survivors had a place to leave. R’ Mordechai became close with Lt. Meyer Birnbaum, who worked closely with him in the rebuilding efforts. When Lt. Birnbaum came to Pittsburgh to address the community at a Kollel event, his reunion with Rabbi Glatstein was the highlight of the evening. Rabbi and Rebbetzin Glatstein leave behind a family of bnei Torah and marbitzei Torah. Their son, Reb Yosef, a practicing attorney, spent decades in the field of kiruv as a senior lecturer for Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Program. Their other son, Dr. Yitzchok Glatstein, is renown as one of the top doctors in the field of fertility, and many poskim seek out his medical expertise. Reb Yosef and Reb Yitzchok are the parents of many children and grandchildren who are marbitzei Torah. Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, a noted rav and mechaber sefarim, is a proud grandson. Rav Mordechai Glatstein, who was niftar on the first day of Pesach, leaves an unparalleled legacy of emunah, Torah, scholarship, askanus and ahavas Yisrael for all of us to cherish and learn from. He will go down in the annals of Jewish history as one of the great builders of Torah and Yiddishkeit in the 20th century.

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the rabbanim of the city among them the Av Beis Din of Warsaw, Rav Shlomo Dovid Kahana, who bestowed semicha upon him. Mordechai Leib grew in avodas Hashem tremendously and was known for his kavana in tefillah. A survivor once told his family that R’ Mordechai was once caught davening in the concentration camps, and he was beaten until he passed out. When he came to, he opened his eyes and began davening again, from the exact spot where he had left off! He turned 23 in Adar of 1939 and would have begun to look for a shidduch, but the winds of war darkened the skies of Polish Jewry, and by September, the Nazis had invaded. Together with his rabbeim, he was herded into the Ghetto where he became close with the rabbanim of the Ghetto and their families. His memories of the Warsaw Ghetto provided historians with some of the most graphic firsthand accounts. In Dos Yiddish Vort, some 25 years ago, he published an account of the death and disease that he experienced there. His mother was nifteres in the Ghetto, and he and his brother searched desperately to make a minyan to say Kaddish. Unfortunately, right after the funeral, the deportations had begun transferring the Yidden from an almost-certain death in the Ghetto to a certain death in Auschwitz. His mother had given the boys some jewelry to use as bribes, but it was to no avail. The uprising decimated what was left of the Ghetto, and R’ Mordechai served as a lookout in aiding the cause. After the Nazis burned the Ghetto to the ground, they were rounded up and brought as laborers in the brutal Bedzin camp. He forged a close relationship with R’ Yitzchok Meir and Avram Ziemba, nephews of the Gaon Rav Menachem Ziemba. It was through R’ Mordechai’s collaboration with Rav Yitzchok, R’ Avraham, and Mike Tress that Zeiri Agudath Yisrael rose from the ashes. Throughout the years, they were in five different camps each day a miracle of survival. His brother was once shot in the leg during a death march, and the Ukrainian guards wanted him to stop so they could finish him off. R’ Mordechai pushed him to move forward and miraculously the bleeding stopped and they realized it was a flesh wound. His stories include being pulled from a cre-

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The Wandering

Jew

Siyum in Lublin

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Part I By Hershel Lieber

his story actually began way before 1996. My friend, Menachem Daum, is my brother-inlaw’s brother. We became close soon after our families merged in 1972, and when we started davening together in the Gerrer Shtiebel, our relationship intensified. We had a lot in common in that we both were mesmerized with “the Old Country,” Poland, and its prewar Jewish history. I traveled there often, and Menachem made a number of trips there as well. We shared our insights and experiences, and though we may have differed on some issues, there was so much common ground that kept us comfortably unified. Menachem is a noted filmmaker whose highly acclaimed films “A Life Apart” and “Hiding and Seeking” brought him recognition beyond our immediate community. Menachem’s talent was sought after for filming weddings and other life cycle events, and I have used him often. Throughout our relationship, I was aware of Menachem’s fascination with Harav Meir Shapiro, the Lubliner Rav. He read a lot about him, researched his biographical information, pored over photographs and newspaper accounts, and filmed interviews with the Rosh Yeshiva’s talmidim, such as Rabbi Mordechai Yehuda Lubart. He was

With my friend Menachem Daum

Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin

awed by the Lubliner Rav’s multi-faceted talents and his vigorous energy that made him such an accomplished leader at a relatively young age. Menachem’s dream was to produce a documentary about Rabbi Meir Shapiro, a dream that he finally realized with the production of “Only with Joy” in 2020. In 1996, Menachem approached me with a novel idea. He proposed that I organize a trip to Poland with the centerpiece of that journey being

a siyum of a Daf Hayomi Mesechta in the original building of the famed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. He, of course, would join and film the event. Instinctively, I took on the challenge without thinking much about the logistics. When I started mapping out an outline of the trip with Menachem, I realized how much of a novice I really was and that I had to connect this project with a travel agency that specializes in travel to Poland. The most fitting person I could think of was Rabbi Nachman Elbaum of Ideal Travel, whom I have dealt with previously concerning Poland. After meeting with him, we divided the duties of organizing the journey, which was named “Return to Lublin.” I would be in charge of advertising and promoting the event, planning an itinerary, and getting the permission of the authorities to hold the siyum in the former Yeshiva building, which was, at that time, a medical college. Nachman would be in charge of airline and tour bus arrangements and the hotels that we would stay at. We both would share the responsi-

bility of the food requirements. The six-day trip was planned for August 8, and during the months preceding that date, I was quite occupied to ensure that everything would be in place and the plans well organized. That summer, Pesi and I were in Poland for the Ronald Lauder Summer Retreat. We planned to be there from August 1 for three weeks. We arranged to take off from our lecturing at the retreat for six days so I could lead the “Return to Lublin” journey. We traveled to Warsaw from the retreat, which was located in the Beskids Mountains in southern Poland. I met Rav Nachman in the Nozyk Shul, and we went to the airport to meet our group. The larger group of fourteen people arrived in the morning, and six others joined us later in the day. Among our group were a number of personalities including Rav Yaakov Finkelstein and his son Ruvain from the Yeshiva of Bayonne, Rav Lipa Margulies and Rabbi Yakov Applegrad from Yeshiva Torah Temimah, and Rabbi Chaim Fuhrer and Rabbi Yosel Schiff. Most of the men came with their wives. Rav Chaskel Besser and his son Naftali, Menachem Daum, and Avraham Horowitz from Israeli TV arrived later in the day and went directly to Lublin. Our first day consisted of a jampacked program. We traveled by coach bus, and our first stop in Warsaw was the second-largest cemetery in Poland. The bais olam has the kevarim of countless rabbanim, roshei yeshivos and admorim. We walked around with the help of Jan Jagielski, an expert on Jewish Polish history for over an hour, making many stops to be mispallel at the gravesites of so many tzaddikim. Our next stop was at the Jewish museum, where the assistant director, Grazina Pawlak, presented a short version of the account of the Warsaw Ghetto. We continued to the

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death factory. In the meantime, Pesi and I, with the help of Menachem, ran out to buy some fruit, drinks, and paper goods for the celebration after the siyum. We worked vigorously and

At the ohel of the Chadushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes

studying and davening. This is the hall where I set up a head table on the platform facing the guests. In total, I would say about one hundred people attended. The dais

It was more than fifty-five years that the sound of Torah had not been heard in this legendary building

L-R Rabbi and Reb. Margulies and their son with Rabbi Elbaum. Rabbi Finkelstein is at the rear table

was graced by Rabbis Besser, Elbaum, Finkelstein, Schiff and Schudrich. I was the master of ceremony. The siyum on Mesechta Sanhedrin was

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

Rabbi Yaakov Finkelstein and Rabbi Yosel Schiff with their wives

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swiftly to set up the snacks. The group returned a bit after noon, and a bus arrived simultaneously with participants of the Lauder Summer Retreat led by Rabbi Michael Schudrich. A small number of local Jews also participated. The yeshiva building, which was not returned to the Jewish community until 2003, was still an active medical college. The lecture hall and balcony, which were still being used by the college, was the original bais medrash of the yeshiva, which was used both for

made by Rav Chaskel Besser, who also addressed the gathering in and Yiddish and Polish. Mesechta Makos was started by Rav Yaakov Finkelstein. Rabbi Schiff spoke in Hebrew, and Rabbi Schudrich addressed the assembled in Polish. The atmosphere at this event was very festive and was followed by singing and dancing and refreshments. The entire program was filmed both by Menachem and Israeli TV. The event was truly unique, since it was more than fifty-five years that the sound of Torah had not been heard in this legendary building. On this day, the sentiments of all the participants were united with the legendary Rav Meir Shapiro as his dream was renewed.

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Umshlagplatz, from where Jews were deported to Treblinka; Mila 18, where the last of the Ghetto fighters met their death; and finally, to the monumental Ghetto Uprising memorial. From there, we went to see the Nozyk Shul, the only surviving prewar synagogue out of over four hundred, and then for dinner at the Menorah Restaurant. We continued on to Gura Kalwaria, to the shul of the Gerrer Rebbes where we davened Mincha, and then to the bais olam to the Ohel of the Chaddushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes. We still had an over three-hour ride ahead of us to Lublin. When we arrived at the Hotel Unia, we were all so tired that we davened Maariv and went to sleep immediately. The next day was the big day! After Shacharis in the hotel, I took the group to the old bais hachaim. We said Tehillim by the kevarim of the Chozeh of Lublin, the Maharshal, Rav Yaakov Pollack and Rav Sholem Schachne (father-in-law of the Rema). The group continued on to the infamous extermination camp Majdanek, just outside the city, with Reb Nachman offering the tragic narrative of this notorious

The matzeivah of the Chozeh of Lublin

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Rav Yaakov Finkelstein and Rav Nachman Elbaum in the Warsaw cemetery

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The Journey of the Baritone Bartender DAV ID BA B IN E T BY TAMMY MARK David Babinet has played several roles in his life so far, at times moving onto the next act as if prompted by a divine stage director. From singing on stage with the greatest talents in the opera world, to celebrating a farbrengen at Chabad Headquarters, to creating cocktails for fundraisers and bar mitzvahs, Babinet takes each role as seriously and passionately as the next.

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immersed in his craft at this point in his life with no “plan B.” He was part of a very elite and highly competitive group; most of his former peers are professional opera singers today. Babinet landed in Los Angeles and had incredible opportunities with the LA Opera.

impact of the ancient history of Israel more profoundly than in any of his visits to Europe. In his travels, Babinet met an eccentric “kabbalist” dressed in a robe surrounded by groupies. Though Babinet didn’t believe he was too authentic, the man shared a message that stuck with Babinet

“It was a little bit crazy. I had my life already established, my career was set up, and I just wanted to leave my life and go to yeshiva.” He performed in La Boheme on the mainstage and worked with some of the biggest opera stars, including the company’s director Placido Domingo and star Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. He embraced the rigorous schedule and the glamorous world, and his growing success enabled him to purchase a house in Los Angeles. It was around this time Babinet picked up an unrelated new hobby, which would serve him later on in his journey. He learned how to brew beer from a friend who had been brewing his own.

n 2004, Babinet applied to an opera festival in Tel Aviv to sing in a production of Falstaff. It was his first visit, and even without a strong focus on the Jewish sites of the Holy Land, Babinet felt the

and prompted his next move. “He told me, ‘Your body is your main thing and your soul is really weak and frail. You need to give your soul some nourishment and make your soul more healthy.’ “Meeting so many Jewish people and being in a Jewish country was really eye-opening. When I came back, I was like, I need more of this, I need to get into this somehow.” A visit to the Kabbalah Centre in LA upon his return fell short of expectations. Fortunately, Babinet found Chabad. “I think chassidus takes kabbalah and applies it to serving G-d in a way we can relate to and teaches us about our neshama,” he says. “I tried a bunch of different synagogues and I ended up at Chabad because that’s really what felt the most authentic

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the rest is just hard work,” he maintains. His success as an undergrad earned him acceptance into the top master’s program for opera at the University of Cincinnati. He sang in several operas in Cincinnati and gained lots of experience and advanced training, as the school typically hosts six to seven full opera productions a year plus some concerts – more than most opera companies. Babinet participated in a singing program in Italy and traveled to New York to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where he was recognized on the city streets for his performance there. After his time in Cincinnati, Babinet went on to join prestigious opera programs in Portland and Chicago. He won awards for his talents and was fully

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The instructor gave him the advice that set him on his career path and on the path to success: “You have the talent,” his teacher told him. “But the talent is just a starting point.” Babinet holds it as a universal lesson. “You need to have a little talent, like 15-20 percent, and

to me. I didn’t even know what Chabad was – I just called them and they were very friendly, and I became part of the family.” Babinet bonded quickly with Rabbi Simcha Backman of the Chabad in Glendale. The rabbi gave him a CD of Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt which inspired Babinet to devote time practicing to be a chazzan. “I thought that was amazing,” he shares. “I was really blown away – this is opera singing but it’s like singing to G-d. Opera is very beautiful, but you’re not singing to G-d. A lot of the stories are pretty silly, and this is very significant. “You have the beauty of the human voice but you also have this beautiful expression, the unique expression of talking to G-d with your beautiful voice.” By the following March, Babinet had secured an agent in New York who was a serious business partner with real contacts and connections. He informed Rabbi Backman that he was headed to New York for some opera competitions and auditions and would be there during Purim. The rabbi connected him with his friend who was the gabbai at Bais Shmuel, one of the biggest and liveliest shuls in Crown Heights. When Babinet arrived in Brooklyn for Purim, he accidentally ended up at Chabad Headquarters at 770 and was taken aback by the size and atmosphere. When he finally found the right event and introduced himself as “David,” he was mistaken for the bartender. “They put me to work at the bar – I didn’t look like I was from Crown Heights!” he quips. Fortunately, the actual bartender eventually came to the event. “Maybe it was a little bit of a prophesy,” muses Babinet. Purim 2005 was on a Thursday night, and Babinet ended up staying through Shabbos. His host connected him with Rabbi Backman’s

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abinet spent his early years in Greenwich, Connecticut, after his parents relocated the family from New York for the superior schooling shortly after he was born. Babinet describes his parents as ex-hippies, his Jewish mom originating from Queens and his father from France. The youngest of three brothers, Babinet says his family didn’t practice much religion, “Chanukah candles and Seder… sometimes.” His Judaism was never much more than a cultural identity in those days, he explains: “I’m Jewish and French, like any nationality in the United States where everyone comes from different backgrounds.” When he was 15, the family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where Babinet relished the great outdoors and activities such as skiing and rock-climbing. It was after a minor rock-climbing accident that he was forced to sit still and had time to contemplate his future. “I was sitting on my tail and thinking about my life. I decided I wanted to get into theater,” he said. “I auditioned for a play and that soon led to a musical and taking voice lessons. I was planning to study music in college, but I wanted to do it as an elective or a minor.” B a bi ne t ’s d i r e c t ion changed pretty quickly upon his arrival at the University of Colorado. “I walked into the music school and they said the only way to take any classes here is to audition – and that there was an audition going on across the hall. I just walked into it – I just so happened to have music with me since I had been taking voice lessons for a year already.” Babinet was told he was extremely talented and needed to start practicing immediately. He heeded the advice and joined the very specialized program at the music school; he ended up giving up the liberal arts path and took his music very seriously.

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father-in-law Rabbi Avrohom Lipskier, who was visiting 770, in hopes Babinet would consider learning in his yeshiva. Babinet met with him and learned a meaningful passage on hagaddah. He ended up visiting the yeshiva the following Shabbos, as the rabbi asked him to “help with the minyan.” The stage was being set for Babinet’s next act. Babinet’s enthusiastic host also convinced him it was time to have a bris; within the week arrangements were made. “I was 29 years old,” Babinet says. “It was not easy, but you know, it’s gotta be done.” The following summer, Babinet returned to the same opera program in Israel. By this time, though, he had decided to start wearing a yarmulke every day and keeping Shabbos. It was definitely a different kind of trip and the experiences left a lasting impression. “I went to Tzfat,” he recalls. “I went to Jerusalem for Shabbos at different homes. I went to the Great Synagogue and heard Cantor Naftali Hershtik – I appreciate him a lot and I was inspired by him a lot.” This was a period of growth for Babinet. “I was still 100 percent into going the observant route. I was just having a little difficulty and a bit of a hard time figuring out how it was going to work with my career but was kind of trusting the process.” After returning from Israel, Babinet went to Portland, Oregon, to perform in the opera The Elixir of Love. During his downtime, he had reached out to the rabbi there who was able to help arrange some learning. It was towards the end of summer at the time, and Babinet studied the laws of Elul and teshuvah. “The rabbi looked me in the eye and said, ‘If you’re thinking about going to learn in yeshiva, now’s the time.’ “I really wanted to go to yeshiva,” Babinet explains. “It was a little bit crazy. I had my life already established, my career was set up, and I just

At a cantorial performance in Crown Heights

wanted to leave my life and go to yeshiva. It was really weird.” Babinet left Portland that August and joined Rabbi Liskier’s Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem in Seagate, Brooklyn. He started from Aleph Bais and spent the next three years there. “I didn’t even go home. I changed my ticket from Portland to LA to Portland to New York, and I went to yeshiva. I just abandoned my house, my car, and my cat. I had a friend pack up my whole house for me, and my parents came and

tzitzis out, and I though they’re for sure going to hate me and think I’m some kind of weirdo – and then they totally loved me!” Although his agent had invested time and money and was willing to help make his career work in any way, Babinet ultimately decided to walk away from that part of his life. He explains, “When the Jews left Egypt, they ran from Egypt even though they weren’t being chased. It says in the Midrash that they were running from the tuma, they

the same two summers as Babinet in Israel. They married in 2008 at 770 in an authentic Chabad wedding and are now raising their children in Crown Heights.

ith his opera career in intermission, Babinet needed embark on his next act. He wanted to get back into brewing beer but started with brewing apple cider. He learned about the merits of making your own wine for Passover and connected with one of his hosts who had wine

“I’m the only Jewish bartender with a big beard and my persona.” took my car back to Colorado.” It took some time for Babinet’s family to be comfortable with his new path. “It was definitely hard for them – even taking into consideration that they’re very open-minded and accepting people, it was still very hard. Also, I was very extreme,” he acknowledges. “Over the years, I’ve gotten much more laid back. I don’t get to see my family much, so when I do, I’m really happy. “Part of my idea was that I was going to try to still work on my career in opera while in yeshiva. It just got difficult, and it then got less interesting to me to pursue my career. I was just immersed in Yiddishkeit. I think I did a couple of auditions. One audition I just walked in with my

were running from the Egypt in them. Even at the Red Sea, some wanted to go back. It’s like you have to run from it. For a little while, opera was like treif for me.” Babinet immersed himself in this role as in all of his others. “I wanted to be accepted; I wanted to be one of them. I got my Borsalino hat and tried to dress the part. That’s what I was interested in doing with my life.” Babinet was a full-time yeshiva student at 32 when he was recommended a potential marriage match. Although he wasn’t officially looking to date, he took the shadchan’s direction, and it was a good next move. His wife Yaakova, who was also originally from LA, had coincidentally spent

making equipment. By 2010, Babinet was en route to becoming an expert in his new field. Drawing on his determination and his French heritage, Babinet made a few batches and began honing his skills. He worked at a winery and had his first wine job pouring wine for a simcha. He started working for Royal Wine Corp. and was soon asked to bartend. Today, Babinet creates cocktails and provides full-service bars for private events, celebrations and fundraisers, catering to all levels of wine and cocktail enthusiasts. He can be found doing wine tastings on Fridays, offering samples and recommendations at kosher wine stores throughout New York and New Jersey. Luckily, Babinet enjoys

a taste of the performance factor while bartending. “It’s like a show, it’s entertaining,” he notes. “I’m the only Jewish bartender with a big beard and my persona.” Babinet enjoys the process and compares mixology to his opera work, both requiring him to be very meticulous and very detailed. “It takes a lot of preparation,” he adds. “I use like 100 different ingredients, and it all has to be ordered and prepared. When you see an opera, you’re preparing for a month, and before that you may be working on it for a year. So there’s a lot of preparation and follow through.” A few years ago, Babinet’s former passion came trickling through. “I didn’t think I was going to go back. I didn’t think about what a shame it was to waste that; only later did I realize and want to rectify the situation and return. First I did teshuva to Yiddishkeit and then I did teshuva to my singing and to my music. “Maybe about four or five years ago, I started getting back into performing. I did a lot of performances up until Covid. It was starting to be fun again,” says Babinet. “I haven’t sung an opera in 15 years but I sing opera songs. I have performances where I do a duet with another man, and a lot of concert performances. Right now, I’m doing very little and it’s a little bit painful. For anybody in music, it’s just depressing. Baruch Hashem, I’m employed and I’m making money – but when you’re a singer, when you’re an artist, you have to do it. It’s in you.” Over the years, the baritone chazzan has been sought after to lead yom tov and Shabbos prayers in various synagogues and to appear in cantorial concerts. He also gives private voice lessons. At times, he gets to combine and showcase his various talents since his repertoire includes opera, Broadway tunes, Yiddish melodies, and cantorial music. Babinet’s range and unique

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was to make a complete break because I thought there was no way I could extract myself from a certain way of thinking – and I feel like I did that.” He uses a Pesach concept to talk about his journey. “Chometz is kind of like your ego. So it’s like your personal expression. Matzah is flat. You have to be humble

and you have to take directions and follow the directions in order to grow. You can try to understand it after you accept to do it, like naaseh v’nishma, you can try to understand it after the fact, but the first thing is to be like the matzah: ‘I will do it. I respect the source and try to wrap my limited mind around it.’”

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deeper to get to my real identity.” He adds, “I neglected this craft that I really invested a lot in, but I’m really glad I did because I wouldn’t have been as serious about my observance. My observance would have been compromised a little bit. I went to yeshiva for three years. What I wanted to do

He continues, referencing the period of sefiras ha’omer and the process of refinement of the divine sefiros up until Shavuos. “During Pesach, you can’t use chometz for seven days. After you refine the first sefira, then it’s a little bit refined and you can start using the chometz again after Pesach. So then you keep refining all of your 49 sefirot until at the end on Shavuos when it’s actually a mitzvah to bring chometz on the altar – and the only time you can bring chometz on the mizbeiach.” He observes, “I had to refine myself but it took longer than 49 days. The opera I do now, I’m completely observant and I’m not breaking Shabbos to play in the opera. I have a family, and I have priorities in my life. “Once you have a Torah view, once you’ve refined yourself, then you can express yourself from that pure place.”

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background are especially appreciated by the diverse congregations at Chabad houses, where he performs and follows with a wine tasting. These days, however, it is primarily through Zoom. Babinet feels for his fellow singers during the pandemic. “It is a difficult time for performing arts,” he notes. “Many opera singers are unemployed now and the Metropolitan Opera is completely canceled for the season. I think it will come back, but it will take time to get it going again.” He also feels a disconnect from the world he left behind. “One of the things with opera singers is they’re on the road a lot so they don’t have a good family life, since it’s not conducive to having a family. They’re not happy. They’re either taking compromises in their career or taking in their family. That concerned me, that that was all there was to me and I wanted to dig a little

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Mind Y

ur Business

Allen Azoulay: “You Have to Be Focused” By Yitzchok Saftlas

his column features business insights from a recent “Mind Your Business with Yitzchok Saftlas” radio show. The weekly “Mind Your Business” show – broadcasting since 2015 – features interviews with Fortune 500 executives, business leaders and marketing gurus. Prominent guests include: John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi; Dick Schulze, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Best Buy; Beth Comstock, former Vice Chair of GE; among over 400+ senior-level executives and business celebrities. Yitzchok Saftlas, President of Bottom Line Marketing Group, hosts the weekly “Mind Your Business” show, which airs at 10pm every Sunday night on 710 WOR and throughout America on the iHeartRadio Network.

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n a recent 710 WOR “Mind Your Business” broadcast, Yitzchok Saftlas (YS) spoke with guest Allen Azoulay (AA), partner at Concrete Mortgage Capital Inc. in Toronto and Chief Investment Officer at Apex Equity Group in New Jersey.

*** YS: Here’s an important question, especially for someone young like yourself. How can someone make sure to achieve their long-term objectives? AA: I would say first, stay focused. We live in a completely distracted world today with all the social media and everything needing to be instant gratification. There are pros and cons to that, although I believe there are more cons. We’re completely distracted, but in order to achieve long-term objectives we need to utilize time management and focus and passion. It’s a combination of all those factors that’s ultimately it. By continuously following

that same pattern and being consistent, you can achieve your long-term objectives. Most people aren’t consistent – it’s hard to be consistent – but ultimately, it’s focus, it’s time management, and using all those elements together as one. You spoke about the challenge when Covid hit and being in the world of real estate. You also run major non-profits. You’ve authored books. Perhaps you could talk about challenges and how they may seem like big obstacles, but if you have the right mindset, you could just plow right through any challenge. I think you used the right word: mindset. I think the biggest challenge that I’ve ever faced is people’s negative approaches. If you have a positive mindset and keep on going, like I always say, a horse has two blinders. It allows them to be focused. Ultimately, that is what a person needs because you’re always going to have those negative people bringing you

down. It’s just the way we live. It’s the world we live in. Especially in the world of Covid, there’s more negativity. People are frustrated, and so on. You have to keep on going forward. I’ve had people tell me, you know, you should write your books this way and not that way, after I came out with the publication. Before I came out with the publication, people told me, don’t raise money because of the recession in 2008. But I still did. And every single time I did it, I prevailed. Keep thinking positively, stay consistent, and then you should be OK. Let’s talk about another favorite topic of yours, time management, especially in today’s day and age. In one respect, people have plenty of time. They have time to play with their phones, watch videos, all those things. And yet at the same time, what does everyone say? “I don’t have time for anything.” What’s your take on that?

Absolutely. It’s interesting you’re saying this because my grandfather always told my father that you can never regain your time. Never. So, when you have that mindset and your father drills it into you – which my father did to me – you’re going to appreciate and value time immeasurably. There’s also a famous saying, “Time waits for no one.” Time is essential these days. People aren’t using their time well. Their social media is absolutely the biggest distraction; it does not help. When I call people, some of my clients, they’re listening to the radio, to the TV, to music. I want to have a conversation with you. I don’t want to have a conversation with the news. I don’t want to have a conversation with your music. I don’t want to hear you typing in the background. I understand we’re in a world of multitasking. I get it. But it’s also wrong. It has to be focused. You have to be focused. And that’s how you can complete your objectives. What advice would you give to an executive on how he starts

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Allen, my next question is going to be near and dear to your heart as well. You wrote a number of books. How in the world did you have time to do it? It’s one of the hardest questions. It’s discipline. It’s motivation. It’s being passionate. When you love

it’s a passion and it’s really discipline to put things into perspective. Allen, we went through many different topics on tonight’s show. I want to try to connect them all, especially through the lens of a young entrepreneur. Perhaps you could share some tips or strategies on how to keep focus and to make sure that you do accomplish the goals that you set out to achieve. Sure. I think one of the main things, as I mentioned earlier, is the list, having that list, which is focused on that particular project that particular day. You got to get that done. You got to focus on that and not focus on a hundred other things. I have personally four computers, four monitors, in front of me.

“The passion will drive you to success.”

And I’m working on one email here, looking at one site there. It’s not productive. So that’s one. Also, be passionate, passionate about that list, passionate about your every day, passionate about your job. The passion will drive you to success. Take any passion and really apply it, you’ll be successful. Take away any negativity, keep your focus, time management, and cut off the distractions. We’re all wired that we’re comfortable in our comfort zone, and we’re afraid of going into the world of the unknown. What advice could you share with people on how they could say, You know what? Take a time out. Take a deep breath. It might be fraught with some challenges. Be ready for that. But it’s OK to think outside of your comfort zone. What could you share with the listeners of “Mind Your Business” on that?

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something, nothing stops you, and you just go and ignore all the negativity. As we mentioned earlier, it’s time management. Every hour, every morning, every evening, I did not waste. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t spend as much time with my friends, I don’t watch too many episodes on Netflix; I cut back on social media; I cut back from the distractions. Also, it’s really the individual. For example, I don’t have any notifications on my phone, I have zero notifications, so if someone really wants to contact me, they’re just going to call me like the old school way. If I’m going to get a WhatsApp or a notification on Instagram or whatever it may be, I have no time for that. I have no patience for that. When I’m at home or early in the morning or whatever, I’ll go, and I’ll check it. That’s it. And that’s the way I look at it. So, it’s all-time management and

It’s interesting you say that because there’s a few components. One is change your physical setting often. There’s a psychology behind that. When I was in Yeshiva University, one of the professors said every time you study, every few days, move your physical spot within the library. Very interesting. So, you can go to a coffee shop, you can go to this office, go to that office, work from home, whatever it may be. Ultimately, you want to get out of your comfort zone, so you could be more accomplished and get more of your day done. I just want to interject on one topic, specifically of time, which has to do with everything we spoke about more or less. There’s a famous quote from Albert Einstein: “The only reason for time is that everything doesn’t happen at once.” It’s very interesting that he says that because we live in a world where it’s completely the opposite of his words – everybody wants everything at once. And really, time is subject to just that moment. At that time, you could never regain it. So, time is of the essence for everything you do. It really puts everything into perspective. If you want to get that task done, if you want to spend that extra minute with your child, whatever it is, time is the most essential and priceless component that we have and the best commodity. And this is something that we have to take care of, appreciate and nurture, for us, for our children, and for everyone around us, but ultimately for our entire day to be successful.

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What tips could you share in structuring a nonprofit to operate efficiently and to get with the real world? Now, many, many of the nonprofits that are out there in the Jewish world are doing amazing work on the frontlines. But I’m talking about what you did here by Ezrat Achim in terms of management. What tips could you provide in terms of management? Management is a very delicate topic. It sounds simple, but it’s not. You have to know who your team is. You have to restructure it. You have to, unfortunately, fire or lay off people. You also have to be able to analyze everyone’s ability to perform. If they just can’t deliver, then you got to move on. So that’s what I did. I saw who was around me, and who was getting things done. Unfortunately for nonprofits, you always have those

one or two or three individuals out of the 20 that get their work done. Obviously, we’re in a different world today of collecting funds – it’s a lot more challenging in this world that we live in. But that shouldn’t be a reason and an excuse not to go out there. There’s enough money still to raise for non-profits or for anything for that matter. Ultimately, it’s the restructuring and analyzing of the personalities that you work with.

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his morning? What would you recommend that the first hour in the office look like for someone who’s really going to be productive and get a day’s full of work done? The first hour, make sure you focus ultimately on your To-Do list. You should have a To-Do list prepared the night before and focus on that. That To-Do list should be your entire plan for the entire day. Obviously, it changes, constantly changes. I keep my list on my phone in the notes app and I constantly change it, but I’m obsessive about it because I’m obsessive about time. But I have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday written down and I even print it out, and I place it in front of me. Also, the unique thing that I do, which I’d like to share, is that any objective I had – whether it’s coming up with a new book, raising a certain capital for a particular project, whatever it may be – I literally print it out old school style and I place it right next to my computer where I look at it every single day. It inspires me and motivates me to move forward. When you have it visually in front of you, it just gets done. You can’t hide from it.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH

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Liar, Liar Pants on Fire They may be common, but people fall for them every time E It’s a good thing you came in today. We only have two more in stock. E Five pounds is nothing on a person of your height. E You made it yourself? I never would have guessed. E You don’t look a day over 40. E Dad, I need to move out of the dorm into an apartment of my own so I can have some peace and quiet when I study. E It’s delicious, but I can’t eat another bite. E For some reason, my alarm clock just didn’t go off this morning. E I didn’t listen to my voicemails until now. E The new ownership won’t affect you. The company will remain the same.

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E The puppy won’t be any trouble, Mom. I promise I’ll take care of it myself. E Don’t worry, you’re not late...We always start our Shabbos seuda at 1:45 (especially on short Shabbosim). E Your hair looks just fine. E I’m 29. E Put away the map. I know exactly how to get there. E I’m not upset...I’m just tired. E You have my personal guarantee. E I’ll do it tomorrow.

Centerfold Riddle me This? After a bus driver came back with less money than he should have, his supervisor decided to figure out how many people had been on the bus from the beginning to the end of the route. Due to technology and record keeping, he knows that at the first stop six passengers got on. The bus then proceeded a few blocks and stopped. Two passengers got off and five got on. At the next stop, three people got off and seven came on. It continued for a few blocks and then stopped again. Four people got on and four people got off. It proceeded on its route and at the next stop, five people got on. At the next stop, 14 got on and no one got off. How many stops did the bus make? a. 21 b. 6 c. 23 d. 4 Answer on next page

You Gotta be Kidding Me! Yankel walks into a hotel and in broken English says to the clerk, “I’d like a room for tonight.” “I’m sorry, sir, but we have no vacant rooms,” the clerk answers. “Not even one room?” Yankel asks. “No, sir, we’re full tonight,” says the clerk. Yankel thinks for a moment and says, “Tell me, if the President of the United States came in and asked for a room, would you give him one?” The clerk answers, “Well, if the President of the United States asked for a room, I would find one for him!” Yankel replies, “Well, the president is not coming here tonight. So give me the room you’d give to him!”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

1. Who created the first commercial electric power plant? a. Thomas Edison b. Benjamin Franklin c. Albert Einstein d. Robert Goddard

3. What did Thomas Edison do to demonstrate how his electricity was safer than his competitor’s electricity?

5. What does a transformer do to an electrical current? a. Changes its voltage b. Adds more watts c. Turns electricity into power d. Prevents it from catching fire 6. Electrical currents are measured in “amps” which is an abbreviation for: a. Amplifier b. Ampiliospholisitismosis c. Amperes d. Ampidization

4. B- Close to 50% of electricity in the U.S. comes from coal 5. A- Transformers change the high-voltage electricity that travels through transmission lines into the low-voltage electricity you want in your house. 6. C Wisdom Key: 5-6 correct: You are a thousand watts, my friend! 3-4 correct: You are like a 60 watt light bulb—useful, good to have around, but not very exciting. 0-2 correct: When your momma told you, as a kid, not to stick your fingers in the socket, she meant it!

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Answers: 1. A-The first central power plant was built by Thomas Edison and began generating electricity on September 4, 1882. It had one generator, and it produced power for 800 electric light bulbs. Within 14 months, it had 508 subscribers and 12,732 bulbs. 2. D 3. D- Edison used his competitor’s alternative current system to publicly execute an elephant, named Topsy, which belonged to Coney Island’s Luna Park. Topsy was deemed a threat to people after she killed three men in three years, the last a drunk trainer who had fed her a lit cigar.

4. The energy source used most in the U.S. to generate electricity is: a. Natural gas b. Coal c. Nuclear power d. Petroleum

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2. One lightning bolt has enough electricity to power how many homes? a. 500 b. 1,500 c. 10,000 d. 200,000

a. He provided free fire insurance to any home that switched from his competitor’s electricity to his. b. He stuck a wet piece of metal in a 10,000 watt socket in the middle of Times Square c. He went to different towns and tried selling his competitor’s electricity. When potential customers would point out the safety flaws, he would respond, “That is why you should actually buy my product, not the inferior electricity that I have been talking about for the past hour.” d. He electrocuted an elephant.

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Know Your Voltage

Answer to riddle: B- There were six stops. It may be the supervisor’s job to figure out how many people were on the bus, but your job was simply to figure out how many stops the bus made (hardly a daunting task).

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes APRIL 8, 2021

“Say What?!”

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You know, I’m really tired of seeing them complain about the lack of pay because they’re doing themselves a disservice by just complaining. - Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in a podcast saying that he is sick of listening to female athletes complain about unequal pay

I urge everyone to get the vaccine if you think you need or want it. And then I urge everyone in America to throw away their masks, demand their schools be open, and live your lives free of more government mandates and interference. - Tweet by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

I write to ask you whether you intend to maintain your membership at Augusta National Golf Club. As you are well aware, the exclusive members-only club is located in the State of Georgia.

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- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), in an open letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who moved the 2021 All-Star game out of Atlanta, caving to the woke mob that is upset about Georgia’s integrity in voting law

Will Major League Baseball now end its engagement with nations that do not holdelections at all like China and Cuba? Will you end your lucrative financial relationship with Tencent, a company with deep ties to the Communist Party and actively helps the Chinese Government hunt down and silence political dissidents? I am, of course, under no expectation any of this will happen. Taking the All-Star gameout of Georgia is an easy way to signal virtues without significant financial fallout. I am under no illusion that Major League Baseball will sacrifice business revenue on behalf of its alleged corporate values. – Ibid.

President Biden gave his first official press conference today. He would have given one sooner, but he spent a full month deciding if he should call on reporters with a point, a finger gun, or a wink, and he landed on all three. - James Corden

There were a lot of questions today about immigration after Biden announced that Vice President Harris will be overseeing the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s similar to how Trump put Pence in charge of handling the pandemic. When the going gets tough, presidents are like, “You got this, right?” - Jimmy Fallon

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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This chaos would not open up an express lane for liberal change . The Senate would Georgia: Voter ID, 17 days of early voting. be more like a 100-car pileup, nothing moving. Colorado: Voter ID, 15 days of early voting. - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warning the Democrats to get rid of the filibuster, which is a Atlanta isnot 51% Black. procedural rule in the Senate that gives some power to the party in the minority

Denver is 9.2% Black.

The has deep in racism, The filibuster MLB is moving the roots #MLBAllStarGame out of ATL which haspermitted more day-of voting and it should not be to serve rights than CO? that function, or to create a veto for the minority. In a democracy; it’s majority rules. The Wokes are at it again, folks. - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) arguing for getting rid - Tweet by Sen Tim Scott tactic (R-SC)that Democrats supported of the filibuster, a Senate for all the years when they were the minority party in the Senate

President Biden’s handlers couldn’t even get him a note card that told him what this bill The BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs did. Somebody is lying to you. It’s not me. Act will make the big federal investments You can read the bill and prove that out. necessary to transform our country’s - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Fox News responding to transportation system, confront the racialbill Pres. Biden’s criticism of Georgia’s new voting integrity and economic inequality embedded in our fossil fuel economy, and achieve the I think most whitefor people black people ambitious targets 100%and clean energy in are great people. I really believe that in America. heart, I think our is set -my From a new but global warming bill system proposed by Rep. up Always On-Camera (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) where our politicians – whether they’re Republicans or Democrats – are designed to make us not like each other so they can I remember in my childhood, when we keep their grasp of money and power. They argued in the courtyard, we used to say: divide and conquer. It takes one to know one. And that’s not a I truly believenot in my most white coincidence, justheart a children’s saying or people and blacksee people are awesome joke. We always our own traits in other people,and but think we’rethey so stupid following people are like how weour really politicians, whether they’re Republicans or are. And as a result, we assess (a person’s) Democrats, only job is, “Hey, let’s activities andand givetheir assessments. -make Russianthese President Vladimirnot Putin responding to President people like each other. We Biden calling him a killer don’t live in their neighborhoods, we all got money, let’s make the whites and blacks As [Biden] said, we know each other not like each other, let’s make rich people personally. What would I reply to him? I and poor people not like each other, let’s would say: I wish you health. I wish you scramble the middle class.” I truly believe health. I say that without any irony or joke. that in my heart. - Ibid. – Former NBA star Charles Barkley on CBS during a March Madness broadcast

$5,000,000 will be transferred to a trust to be formed upon my During press President death tohis care forconference, my border collie Lulu.Biden said he supports changing the rulesdeceased of the 84-year filibuster to Dorris, require senatorswho to stand andto - From a will by recently old Bill of Tennessee, left millions his pet poodle speak, like it was when he was in the Senate, quote, “120 years ago.” Now, obviously, he misspoke — 120 years ago, he was still in college. Last spring, as a poorly understood virus swept the planet, - Seth Meyers something remarkable happened: Across the country, all levels of government put in place policies that just a few months earlier would have been seen by most people — not to mention most politicians — as radical and politically naïve. - From an op-ed in The New York Times celebrating how the pandemic, which has killed millions, helped “progressive pipe dreams” become a reality

There’s no room in our classrooms for things like Critical Race Theory. Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announcing that Florida schools will not teach a curriculum pushed by the left that claims that the U.S. is essentially illegitimate because it was built on slavery

It shortens life expectancies, it pollutes air, it constricts equilibrium, it devastates forests, it melts ice caps, it sparks (and funds) wars, it flattens dialects, it infests consciousnesses, and it kills people. - From a racist article in The Root talking about white people, titled “Whiteness is a Pandemic”

MORE MORE QUOTES QUOTES

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Once again, the Democrats are off to the racists. Every time they can’t explain their position on some public policy issue, they accuse Republicans and conservatives of being racist. Look no further than the state of Georgia.

The law expands early voting for primary and general elections, includes more voting on Saturdays and Sundays, and requires voter ID. Only in the world of radical liberalism can more of an opportunity to do something be “suppression”; requiring one to prove they are who they say they are as “racism”; and applying the same rules to everyone as “anti-civil rights.” - Raynard Jackson, Washington Times

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Almost two weeks ago, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 202 into law. It was an election reform bill that Democrats effectively branded as “racist,” “voter suppression” and “anti-civil rights.”

I would suggest that is one of the results of what we saw on January 6. - Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on CNN, after a Nation of Islam supporter rammed his car into a Capitol barrier last week and killed a police officer

Well, guys, after 64 days in office today, President Biden held his very first press conference. Normally, when a 78-year-old answers an hour of questions, they’re getting a physical. - Jimmy Fallon

You know, there are a lot of things that go into that. I mean, when you say that they’ve had a lot of the activity on the outside like ballgames, I’m not really quite sure. It could be they’re doing things outdoors.

Go out and ask 10 people how much they pay in federal gasoline taxes, they can’t tell you. - Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) arguing on Fox Business Channel that the gasoline tax should be increased to pay for Biden’s $2 trillion spending bill because people don’t know how much they pay in gasoline tax anyway

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- Dr. Fauci, in an MSNBC interview when asked why COVID cases are dropping in Texas after they got rid of mask mandates four weeks ago

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

Thanks for taking the time to read my question. Many things were messy during my childhood, and my parents are divorced. B”H I did not have to date during the pandemic and have been married for a few years. I saw my husband in many different situations before

we got married, and also got to know his personality more thoroughly. My sister is dating now and taking things very carefully due to Covid. She still refus-

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es to date anywhere indoors, and it gives guys little opportunity to do anything but sit and talk with her. She won’t even go outdoor dining because of Covid. I fear this will not allow her to see the true colors of a guy she’s dating. She has to see him interact with the world but she is not allowing herself the chance. Do you agree this is an issue? Emma

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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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. mma, you are raising a valid question. Seeing how a guy responds in different situations and manages his feelings, reactions, and communication were important to you as you witnessed an unsuccessful marriage that ended in divorce. There were probably other concerns that made you careful about seeing whether the two of you could navigate differences, support each other during stressful times, and communicate openly. You probably also shared a great deal about your respective personal journeys as you moved along in your relationship. You wanted to know the person well, see consistency across various relationships, and view vulnerability and personal strengths. That was smart. Your sister needs support and guidance as well as context and maturity to deal with the challenges of Covid and dating. It is unlikely, however, that she will hear you, given that she won’t hear the science of outdoor dining and has many fears. She may not have dealt with your parents’ divorce in a healthy way, too. Encourage her to get professional support from a mentor/professional and be available to discuss things with her should she bring up her fears. She may have additional issues besides what you are primarily concerned about. You may want to talk to a therapist yourself with regard to giving her support and responding to her needs as an older sister.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

hank you for writing in with this important issue. The concern for your sister is admirable. Based on your letter, it seems like you are asking a theoretical question, as you do not mention that your sister

is dating anyone seriously currently. Rather, you mention “guys” in a general sense. My perspective is, if your sister meets the right guy, someone whom she really likes and admires, she will become more lax in her Covid dating style. You are correct. Your sister should see the guys she is dating in more than just one setting, but my hunch is this Covid excuse is a farce altogether. Based on your shared background and family trauma, your sister could be putting up barriers so as to not get close to guys whom she is not impressed with. Give her time, Emma. When she finds the right one, she will likely want to spend lots of time with him, which will include meals, shopping trips, and public places. As the weather turns warm, there will be plenty of outdoor public options, so even if she is still super careful, she will have many opportunities to see the guy she’s dating’s middos. I would not worry so much about her. I would, however, ask if you have done the inner work needed to deal with the trauma of your parents’ divorce. Although your question is addressing your sister, I think there might be some personal feelings underneath the surface for you to address.

The Single Rivka Weinberg

ating throughout the pandemic has been a challenge for many people. There are various unknown factors to be considered when going on a date. Does he wear a mask? Does his family wear a mask? If he’s in yeshiva, is he now exposed to all of the other bochurim, who are also dating? So now am I technically exposed to the entire Five Towns and Far Rockaway communities? All of these concerns are extremely valid, and it’s important for each individual to do what he or she is comfortable with. I agree with you that seeing a guy

in different situations gives a more holistic view into who he is and where he comes from. The small things a guy does or does not do on a date speaks volumes about him and his middos, as for a girl as well. I once dated someone who lowered the radio when paying the toll by the Atlantic Beach Bridge and put on a mask to be sensitive to the cashier. Although that example may seem trivial, if I wasn’t in his car, I wouldn’t be aware of his sensitivity toward others to that extent. There is a tremendous amount of value in having a balance between activity dates and conversation. With that said, Emma, you have not dated during Covid and do not realize the added stress caused by the situation. Your sister needs to do what works for her and what will allow her to go on dates with her best foot forward. If I had to assume, she probably has

When she finds the right one, she will likely want to spend lots of time with him.

friends who fall within a range of more lenient to more stringent in the Covid dating process. She is aware that her method is not the only way to pursue shidduchim right now. However, it appears like that’s what she prefers. Emma, it sounds like you’re projecting your childhood wounds of your messy upbringing and parents’ divorce on your sister’s dating. This seems

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Zaidy

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters

ear Emma, Thank you for writing into The Navidaters! I can certainly understand your concern for your sister. Under normal circumstances, it is most definitely wise to spend time together with someone in different venues and situations before walking down the aisle. However, there is nothing “normal” about Covid-19 and so shidduch dating has had to adjust to our new normal. I noticed some of the words you used around your sister’s decision to date in a very Covid-friendly way. “She won’t even go outdoor dining...” “She has to see him interact

with the world but she is not allowing herself the chance.” To me, it feels like you may be viewing your sister’s actions as her choice that she could change if she wanted to change. I sometimes find it helpful to view everyone’s responses to Covid-19 as a perfectly legitimate choice that speaks to their values and safety (aside from gross negligence). Your sister is taking precaution as so many others have done. As an aside, I work with many different kinds of people, and there are many daters who have not stepped foot in a restaurant, sat

months, now it might be wise to date for 4-6 months before getting engaged. And, more than ever, it’s vital for potential couples to experience plenty of family interactions. In order to strengthen your nomination for the Big Sister of the Year Award, why not invite your sister and her date to your house for an outdoor, no food served, Shabbos afternoon schmooze? Good luck!

go on more normal dates, we would be compromising her sense of safety. What your sister can do, if she is so inclined, is speak with her doctor and express her concerns about dating during Covid-19. Another thing that I have seen daters do during this pandemic is to date at a distance, until they mutually decide to take their relationship to the next level. At that point, they invite the person into their bubble. I think that as much as we may be inclined to offer your sister advice or encourage her to go out because yes, it is far better to see someone in different settings, in my opinion it might be wisest to allow your sister to figure this one out for herself and come to peace with her decision. Sincerely, Jennifer

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

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in a car with a date, or gone any where indoors. They have essentially not dated throughout this entire pandemic. We must try to understand the reasons for their decision. Do I think that people need to see each other across a variety of settings over time? Absolutely! But I also know that there are certain things in life that are completely out of our control. Sometimes, something is so big (a pandemic...someone feeling unsafe to go indoors or even dine outdoors) that we truly can recognize how small we actually are. This is a situation where I certainly don’t have the answer. Even if we conveyed to your sister that she must

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

There are many daters who have not stepped foot in a restaurant, sat in a car with a date, or gone anywhere indoors.

APRIL 8, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey Galler ou sound like the ultimate, caring Big Sister. You helped your little sister through a “messy” childhood, and now you want to help her through the trauma of dating during Covid. I nominate you for the Big Sister of the Year Award and have three thoughts to share with you. First, no two people are identical. Some folks are extroverted and daring, while other folks are introverted and cautious. Please respect that your sister seems more cautious than you. Contemporary dating is, unfortunately, already a stressful proposition. You don’t want to pressure your sister into dating scenarios that will cause her additional stress. Second, as more people are getting vaccinated, Covid restrictions are less-

ening. And, with the weather improving, parks, walks, and backyards will be open for daters right after Pesach. A lot of smart families have put in new backyard furniture and created a private alcove (with cool firepits!) to allow their children to date close to home. (This also allows parents, siblings, and nosey neighbors to come out and say “hello.”) Further, you can remind your sister (without pressuring her!) that there are still plenty of fun activities that can be enjoyed while masked. She and her date can try: Escape the Room, ice skating, paint night, and museums. It takes a little more advanced planning, but so many venues have now reopened. Dating now isn’t as hard as it was a year ago. Third, many counselors are now recommending that, during this time of Covid, couples should date a bit longer than during previous, non-Covid times. For example, if a couple would have previously dated for 3-4

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like your baggage and your stuff that needs to be worked through, not hers. Look inside yourself and determine if your concern about her dating process stems from your genuine care for her or is masked by your scars. Although you were raised in the same home, you had different experiences and are entirely different individuals with different outlooks and approaches to life. From your question, it sounds like you have already tried to speak with your sister and believe to have had no success. To ensure that you are coming from the right place and the message is appropriately conveyed, speak to a rav or mentor, and if need be, have that person speak with your sister. Please remember that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has a plan for your sister and iy”H at the right time she will meet her zivug, whether she’s indoors or outside.

Mental Health Corner

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APRIL 8, 2021

Modeling Emotional Honesty By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

Emotional honesty is the awareness of the essence of one’s emotions and the ability to communicate them to others. As a parent, there is no real way to teach emotional honesty other than by modeling. Children are around their parents often enough to have plenty of opportunities to see how they manage their emotions and

this will likely be their template for their management of their own emotions throughout their lives. Here is an example. Shimon had a very hard day, and when he came home he was completely depleted of his energy. As he walked through the door, he tripped on his six-yearold daughter’s shoes. Before he had

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a chance to think, he immediately screamed out in an angry voice, “Rivka, why did you leave your shoes in the middle of the floor?” Here is where one’s actions will diverge based on the level of emotional honesty. If Shimon is emotionally dishonest with himself, he will stick to his knee-jerk reaction that Rivka committed a terrible offense by leaving her shoes in middle of the floor. His anger may escalate, as he projects his own personal negativity onto everyone around him. If Shimon reacts this way on a regular basis, it can have severe lifelong repercussions as Rivka develops negative feelings about herself. The path of emotional honesty would result in an entirely different response. Shimon will immediately realize that he overreacted and that his angry reaction is not a reflection of Rivka’s behavior, but rather a result of the negative emotional state that he was in after having a very hard day. He will calm himself down, approach Rivka, and try to explain to her what happened. He would tell her, “Rivka, you did nothing wrong by leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor and I am sorry for snapping at you. Tatty acted angry because Tatty had a very hard day, and people sometimes make mistakes and act angry at someone else when they are feeling bad about themselves.” Look at the number of lifelong lessons that Rivka has learned from her father modeling emotional honesty! She learned that when you feel angry at someone else, it is often just

a reflection of your own negative emotional state. She also learned that when one gets angry, there are ways to calm yourself down. Additionally, she learned how to be honest with your feelings both towards yourself and towards others. Another application of emotional honesty in parenting is how one talks to a child when a child sees a parent in a negative emotional state. For example, if a parent is sad due to a personal loss, and tells the children that everything is fine, this communicates to the child that we should suppress our emotions. A parent can instead model emotional honesty by saying, “Mommy is feeling sad today because Mommy misses Bubby. It is okay and normal to sometimes feel sad.” The child can now feel more comfortable about his or her own emotions, and also learns the skill of how to be honest and communicative about one’s emotions. One can only give what one has. Parents who are blessed with emotional honesty have the ability to impart this invaluable trait to their children, and then can then pass it on to their children. Work on your own emotional honesty and the ripples of your modeling will be enjoyed for generations to come. 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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Learn All the Halachos of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos Before the Upcoming Yom Tov Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Marches Toward World Siyum on Second Machzor By Chaim Gold

The Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, Dirshu’s daily Mishnah Berurah learning program, is already well into Chelek Vav, the last chelek of the Mishnah Berurah. That means that the siyum on the second machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is getting closer. As in all Dirshu major siyumim, the Siyum upon completion of the seven-year program to learn the entire Mishnah Berurah promises to be a special event. It is sure to be replete with chizuk haTorah and the divrei Elokim chaim delivered by the Gedolei Hador! The Divine Smile Sometimes one feels that Hashem, as it were, is showing us somewhat of a Divine Smile. This year’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha schedule is one of those times. As is well known to Daf HaYomi B’Halacha learners, the Mishnah Berurah schedule goes in order of the Mishnah Berurah. Beginning with the first siman in Chelek Aleph, a new daf is every day until more than seven years later when the last siman in Chelek Vav is learned and the entire Mishnah Berurah is completed. Sometimes, this schedule lends itself to learning hilchos Pesach around Rosh Hashanah, which may seem a bit awkward. This year, however, as Daf HaYomi B’Halacha marches toward the massive siyumim that will be held in major Jewish centers around the world, learners will have the opportunity to learn the important halachos of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos within months and days of those yomim tovim. “If there was ever a time to join the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, now is the time,” said Dirshu hanhalla member, Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein. The halachos of Rosh Hashanah are scheduled to begin this coming 30

HaRav Yeruchim Olshin signing the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Shtar Nesius

Nissan/April 12, 2021, the halachos of Yom Kippur on 20 Sivan/May 30, and finally the halachos of Sukkos will begin on 3 Av/July 12 and will extend right up until Sukkos. Thus, if someone joins the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program after Pesach, in those months preceding the three yomim tovim of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos, he will be able to gain a comprehensive knowledge of all the halachos relevant to the three upcoming yomim tovim. This includes the halachos of blowing shofar, the halachos of Yom Kippur - fasting, eating and asking mechilah followed by the comprehensive halachos of Sukkos, building a sukkah, how to choose the daled minim and the list goes on.” Dirshu Bemoans Loss of Nesius Member, HaGaon HaRav Yechezkel Roth, Zt”l The recent, sudden passing of the senior leading Posek, HaGaon HaRav Yechezkel Roth, the Karlsburger Rav, zt”l, who was a distinguished member of the Nesius and a great supporter and admirer of Dirshu’s Halacha programs, Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and Kinyan Halacha, was greatly mourned by Dirshu. At a meeting a couple of years ago, Rav Roth said, “Kol hashoneh halacha b’chol yom muvtach shehu

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe addressing a past Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Nesius event

ben Olam Haba. A person fulfills the mitzvah of Torah learning when he learns Torah regardless of what area he is learning, however, when one has a choice of learning halacha it takes precedence.” “The Sefer Hamafteach Has Solidified the Dirshu Halacha Revolution” Over the past ten years, the ability to learn comprehensive halacha l’maaseh has been tremendously enhanced by the publishing of the Dirshu edition of the Mishnah Berurah containing many thousands of piskei halacha culled from the rulings of the Gedolei Haposkim who have rendered halachic decisions on modern day scenarios that have arisen since the publication of the Mishnah Berurah. For example, when one learns the halachos of Shabbos, of shihiya and chazarah, he can also learn about hotplates, crockpots and thermostats in modern day stoves and ovens. In a recent conversation that senior hanhala members of Dirshu had with senior posek, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, shlita, Gaavad of Shaarei Horaah and Rav of Western Bnei Brak, Rav Stern commented, “When I give a shiur in Mishnah Berurah, the

Biurim and Musafim have a transformative effect on the shiur. Everyone wants to hear what the Biurim U’Musafim say and all of the modern-day scenarios to which we can apply the age old halachos. Recently, Dirshu has made the ability to access the voluminous material in the six volumes far easier with the publishing of the Dirshu Mafteiach on the Mishnah Berurah. In minutes, one can easily look up any question in the new, one-volume sefer which contains over 6,000 primary references and over 70,000 secondary references. In addition, Dirshu has included an English section for those who may not be familiar with some of the current day Hebrew terminology. Rav Stern was also tremendously enthusiastic about the Mafteach saying that it would solidify the revolution in Halacha, that Dirshu has made. With Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha continuing its march through Chelek Vav on the way to the World Siyum on the second machzor of the Mishnah Berurah, now is the best time to join and learn all the halachos of Rosh Hashnhah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos in advance of the yamim tovim. To join, please contact Dirshu at 1-888-5Dirshu or email info@kolleldirshu.org.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Salad Niçoise Pareve / Yields: 6-8 servings

By Naomi Nachman

APRIL 8, 2021

The first time I had Tuna Ni�oise Salad

was when I was in Israel for seminary, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. This is a great

seudah shlishit salad because it’s a full meal in a bowl. You can serve this on one big

platter, or individually plated as an appetizer.

Ingredients Shallot Dressing b3 tablespoons white wine vinegar b1 small shallot b1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon b¾ cup olive oil

Salad b1 head Boston, soft butter, or romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces b2 (6-ounce) cans tuna packed in oil, drained and broken into chunks b½ cup Niçoise olives, or your favorite olives b8 mini potatoes, boiled until fork tender, quartered b2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered b4 plum tomatoes, cut into four wedges b2 radishes, thinly sliced

Prepare the dressing: Place vinegar, shallot, and tarragon into the bowl of a food processor ﬁtted with the “S” blade. Process until smooth.

2. With the machine still running, slowly add oil in a slow, steady stream to incorporate it into the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. 3. Prepare the salad: Line a platter with lettuce, top with tuna, olives, and potatoes. Arrange egg and tomato wedges around platter. Drizzle with shallot dressing; top with sliced radishes. Cook’s Tip: To really elevate the salad, use fresh seared tuna instead of canned. Season a ½-inch-thick tuna steak on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear in a tablespoon of hot oil for two minutes per side; it will still be pink in the middle. Cut into slices and arrange on platter in place of the canned tuna.

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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bSalt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Gluten Free Recipe Column by Mrs. Elaine Bodenheimer

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APRIL 8, 2021

GlutenFree@BaltimoreJewishHome.com

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

Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns A Favorite in Our House!

What You Will Need: Dough 2 Tbl. margarine, softened 1 cup cornstarch ¼ cup white sugar 1 cup brown rice flour 2/3 cup rice milk, warmed ¼ tsp. baking soda 1 Tbl. yeast 2 ½ tsp. xanthan gum 1 large egg 2 tsp baking powder ¼ cup canola oil ½ tsp. salt 1/3 cup potato starch 1 tsp. vanilla

Preperation: 1. Dissolve the yeast in large mixing bowl with warmed milk. Let bubble for a few minutes. Add sugar, margarine, oil, and vanilla to milk/yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add egg and combine thoroughly. 2. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, potato starch, cornstarch, brown rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Slowly add flour mixture to mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined. (You can use an electric mixer if you like.) Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in greased container. Let rise in warm place for 45-60 minutes. Dough will be sticky.

3. Roll dough to ¼ inch thickness between 2 pieces of parchment paper, well-floured with potato starch. Remove top sheet of paper and spread softened margarine on top of dough. Combine Filling: brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon and sprinkle ¾ cup packed brown sugar over surface of greased dough. Using bottom ¼ cup raisins (opt.) sheet of parchment to assist you, roll dough into 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon a log. Carefully cut into 12 equal pieces about 1 inch wide. Place buns on parchment-lined baking 1/3 cup margarine, softened sheet, leaving about 1 inch in between to allow for rising. Let buns rise in warm oven for 40 minutes. Turn oven to 400 degrees, and bake 22 minutes until tops are golden. Check for doneness. 4. Icing can be made by mixing ½ cup confectioner’s sugar with about 1/3 tsp warm water and spreading over buns. ENJOY!

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

APRIL 8, 2021

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

Money

APRIL 8, 2021

Laboratories of Democracy 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

n 1787, the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to fix the weak Articles of Confederation and wound up adopting the first written national constitution on Earth. (“A republic, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin said. The jury’s still out.) The framers sought to achieve a perfect balance of power between federal and state governments. Among other roles, the states would become “laboratories of democracy,” free to experiment with different policies to see which worked best. We see that today with states’ varying approaches to lockdowns and masking to defeat Covid. Now those federal and state laboratories are all looking for revenue to fight the economic fallout from that pandemic. More and more, they’re eyeing wealth taxes to fill the gap. Senate Democrats have introduced legislation levying a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million, rising to 3% over $1 billion. Sponsors say it would raise $2.75 trillion over 10 years from just 75,000 families. Administering a wealth tax would be easier said than done. For starters, it means filing the equivalent of a financial colonoscopy every year. But how do you value assets like crypto-

currency that fluctuate like a fat man’s EKG? What about illiquid assets like real estate, closely-held businesses, and art? How do you value your yacht, your wine cellar, and your Swiss watches? We joke that every new tax

million on paper gains that vanish before he even files his return? Now states are becoming wealth tax-curious, too. California Assembly Bill 2088 proposed a constitutionally dubious scheme to filch 0.4% of

Senate Democrats have introduced legislation levying a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million, rising to 3% over $1 billion.

act is the “Accountants and Attorneys Full Employment Act.” But this one would be the “Appraisers Retire Filthy Rich Act.” A wealth tax poses fairness problems, too. It’s a fact of life that what goes up often comes down. Tesla founder Elon Musk saw his net worth blast off from $24.6 billion a year ago to $200 billion last month. For a hot second, he was the richest man on Earth. But now Tesla’s stock is returning to Earth as fast as his SpaceX rockets, and he’s down to his last $170 billion. How fair is it to tax him $900

global wealth over $30 million. But it would kick in after you spend just 60 days per year in the state and follow you for 10 years after you leave. The Wall Street Journal mocked it as a plan to “chase away the rich, then keep stalking them” and likened it to the Eagles’ hit “Hotel California” (“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”). Not to be outdone, New York legislators have proposed a “markto-market” tax clipping billionaires at the state’s highest 8.82% rate on their paper gains: no sale needed.

And Washington state legislators have proposed nicking %1 of assets above 1$ billion with a tax that would hit esh sentially just four people (Jeff Bezos, his ex-wife Mackenzie, Bill Gates, and Steve Ballmer). Here’s the problem with mad scientists cooking up new taxes in their state revenue labs. We have 50 of them — and residents who don’t like playing guinea pig can just pack up and leave. Right now, California loses almost 2,000 people every day. New York loses tens of thousands to Florida every year. (They call it “retiring.”) And really, who wouldn’t want to trade slushy New York winters for sunny, tax-free beaches, especially when you start getting old enough that your hips can predict the weather? We’ll finish with the usual reminder that we’re keeping an eye out here so you don’t have to. But if you’re the cautious type, you might just want to get that Napa winery tour out of the way sooner rather than later! 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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