Baltimore Jewish Home 5-1-14

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BaltimoreJewishHome THE

‫ טו׳ אייר‬- ‫א׳ אייר‬

may. 1

-

may. 15 . vol

1, #6

Attorney General of Maryland, Doug Gansler Visits Tov Pizza after Yom Tov PAGE 12

From the Eyes of a Student at Yeshivas Ahavas Torah

The Dolphin Club Continues to Make its Waves Throughout the Community

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L’Chaim

4 MAY 1, 2014

COMMUNITY

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

CONTENTS

Planting a Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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

JEWISH THOUGHT Bobker on Sefira - And the Count Begins . . . . . . . 30 The Greatest Gift of All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Kosherology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

EDUCATION General Jack Jacob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Health and Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

COVER STORY Mideast Peace Talks Fall Through Again. . . . . . . . . 34

LIFESTYLES In the Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

NEWS

Dear Readers, Wow! I guess it would be fair to say I am starting to look like a matzah ball after all that Yom Tov food! I hope everyone had an amazing Pesach. I definitely did. As the month of Nissan has just ended, we can begin to look ahead to Lag Ba’Omer and eventually Shavous. I think it’s diet time until Shavous. Speaking of diets, check out the super summer salad recipe from Naomi Nachman; it can definitely help make dieting less painful.

Our cover story about peace talks in the Middle East falling through again is unfortunately nothing new, but keeps us up-to-date on what is currently happening.

The Forgotten Heroes article this week about General Jack Jacob was new to me, and quite interesting if I might add. There is a new featured writer in this issue–Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz, who wrote an article entitled “A Planted Seed.” His articles are very popular in many publications, and we hope to see more from him in our upcoming issues.

When we count sefira, we are told to make our days count. Sefira is a time of improvement; a time we are reminded to work on our middos and develop our character. It is a time when we count up to Matan Torah and work on perfecting ourselves in anticipation of receiving the Torah.

Each day we become stronger and better as we make the bracha and count the days. And we don’t count down; we count up. We want to show how much we’ve grown and how much we’ve accomplished.

This week, Mr. Joe Bobker writes about the significance of counting sefira and the history of what it meant to Klal Yisroel. He provides wonderful insight into this time of year. I hope that we can utilize this time to its fullest during the upcoming weeks.

Please feel free to drop me a line at Editor@baltimorejewishhome.com Wishing you a wonderful week. Don’t forget to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather (if it’s not raining)!

Global News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 National News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Yaakov

ISRAEL

Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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Torah Institute Pesach Learn-A-Thon for Ahavas Yisroel a Success!

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by Rabbi Daniel Skurnik, Director of Development

You’ve heard of Bike-a-thons, Bowl-a-thons, and Swim-a-thons.

What about a Learn-a-thon?

Every year, hundreds of YKY/ TI talmidim participate in a Pesach Learn-a-thon for Ahavas Yisroel.

Hundreds of hours are spent learning Chumash, Mishayos and Gemara over Pesach bein hazmanim while raising

important funds for Ahavas Yisroel.

Aside from developing in their limud haTorah, talmidim also develop an awareness and sensitivity to those in our community who need our help, as well as gain a sense of satisfaction that they are part of the help effort. “’The world stands on Torah, avodah and gemilas chasodim.’ By

participating in or supporting this program, you strengthen two of these pil-

lars,” says Rabbi Moshe Juravel, 5th grade rebbe at YKY/TI and the program’s creator and coordinator.

Since the inception of the Pesach Learn-a-thon, B”H there have been thousands of participating talmidim, thousands of hours of limud haTorah, and nearly $100,000 raised for Ahavas Yisroel!

From the Eyes of a Student at Yeshivas Ahavas Torah Dear Rabbi Belsky, Yeshivas Ahavas Torah is an amazing place. Since the first day I came here 2 years ago, I realized it would be a completely different experience from my previous school. Instead of waking up everyday dreading school, I now look forward to it. The amount of love and attention I get from my Rebbe is unlike any other school. If I get stuck on a difficult Gemara, my Rebbe takes me through every step until I master it. As a result, my love of Torah has increased exponentially.

This school’s secular pro-

gram is top notch. The teachers are amazing and explain all concepts in detail. With the low student to teacher ratio, each student gets the attention he deserves. My knowledge of all subjects has gone through the roof. This education has done more than prepare me for high school, it has prepared me for life.

Name withheld March, 2014 Enrollment is now open for 2014 2015 school year

Pesach House Makes Mitzraim Come to Life

By Bayla Markowitz

Several years ago I started collecting memorabilia related to the Jewish holidays. My purpose in doing so was to have the house decorated for each holiday in the theme of the holiday.

This year I opened my Pesach Museum to the public with items I have collected over a number of years that I found in different shops during my travels. These displays represent the Pesach Seder, Seder Plate, and the Ten Plagues, and they express my love of the holidays. I also feel they enhance the Seder experience for my children and grandchildren. People from the neighborhood as well as my grandchildren come to see my displays, and

everybody looks forward to it. The children love to play with the toys, especially the dancing Matzah Man and Jumping Frogs.

Here are some of the comments made by visitors of my museum: Tzvi Aryeh Markowitz said, “I loved the frogs that jumped.” Yosef Yaacov Markowitz said, “It means a lot to me, and I look forward to seeing it every time I come to your house.

It makes Mitzrayim come to life and it is incredible to see.” Mindy Jacobovits

said, “It is really amazing, and the variety of animals makes the makos come alive.” Chaya Jacobovits said, “The Seder display shows the spirit of Pesach.” The parents who come to see it with their children use the displays as a tool to review what was learned in school. For example, they ask their children to name each plague and point to its representation in the display. Shown in the picture is my granddaughter Aliza Leah Markowitz. In addition to my Pesach museum, I also make a Chanukah Museum around Chanukah time with artifacts that represent that holiday. Stay tuned!

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MAY 1, 2014

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Around the

Community

New Jewish Organization for Graduate Students and Young Professionals Launches Downtown Judaic Heritage, a nonprofit organization, has a mission to further Jewish education, leadership, and values. They provide a variety of growth-based opportunities–educational, social, and volunteering–for Jewish graduate students and young professionals in downtown Baltimore.

Programs take place at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) campus and elsewhere in downtown Baltimore. Besides leading its own programs, Judaic Heritage partners with other organizations and groups to better engage the downtown young adult community. In this article we hear from the founder and director of Judaic Heritage, Rabbi Ariel Fishman.

Why was Judaic Heritage created?

“Judaic Heritage was founded to further Jewish education, leadership, and values. We provide inspiring, educational, social, volunteering, and growth-based opportunities. We focus on Jewish graduate students and young professionals in downtown Baltimore, providing an open, friendly, close-tohome, and flexible environment. All participants are welcome regardless of background or affiliation. Attendees can learn about and celebrate Judaism with other young adults in an interesting and meaningful way.

We provide comprehensive Jewish programming for graduate students and young professionals in downtown Baltimore. Many of our programs take place at the UMB campus and cover most of the University of Maryland graduate schools, including law, medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, pharmacy, therapy, graduate research, and part-time business programs.

Many graduate students go on to serve as leaders in industry and community.

Eventually we hope to work with other organizations and groups to better engage a wider mix of young adults in downtown Baltimore.”

What makes Judaic Heritage unique?

“We run our programs and events downtown. We function out of universities and other locations rather than in synagogues. We offer significant and

consistent educational programming in both formal and informal settings throughout the year. We customize our programs for a diverse group of graduate students, young professionals, and young adults in the greater downtown Baltimore area. We have partnered with the Jewish Student Association (JSA) and other leaders at UMB to provide programming opportunities on campus. Our on-campus events have already achieved great success.

We provide a variety of exciting volunteer opportunities for young adults

sity of Maryland, Baltimore. Enjoy a delicious complimentary dinner and explore Jewish thought, philosophy, and values with Rabbi Ariel Fishman, Director of Judaic Heritage. Register online or by phone for any session!

2) Fellowship for Future Jewish Leaders– Are you a leader? Become a Judaic Heritage Fellow! Students apply, and upon acceptance into the Fellowship program, will attend a set number of sessions over the course of a semester. Each session is divided into three parts: 1) complimentary din-

via our Kindness Initiative. At Judaic Heritage, we hope to provide Shabbat, holiday, and other growth-based programming close to the UMB campus

ner and socializing; 2) dynamic classes on Jewish thought, philosophy, ethics, and values; and 3) engaging guest lecturers, including community lead-

and other locations downtown.”

What sort of programs and opportunities does Judaic Heritage provide for graduate students and young professionals downtown?

1) The Judaic Heritage Dinner and Discussion Series– Join our engaging Dinner and Discussion Series currently located at the Univer-

ers, successful professionals, experts, and educators. Additionally, Fellows attend two Friday night Shabbat dinners in downtown Baltimore with Judaic Heritage. Students completing the Fellowship sessions attend a graduation dinner and award ceremony at the end of the semester.

3) Shabbat Experience Down-

town– Life can get hectic. Relax and unwind with friends at Judaic Heritage’s Friday night Shabbat dinners in downtown Baltimore. Meet new people and enjoy a delicious multi-course meal.

4) Holiday and Social Events– Celebrate and be inspired at our holiday and social events. Participate in our Chanukah, Purim, Passover, and Sukkot events, social events, and more.

5) Kindness Initiative– Make a difference by joining our Kindness Initiative. The Kindness Initiative connects motivated volunteers to Judaic Heritage projects as well as other community endeavors. Learn about traditional Jewish values, help those less fortunate, give back to the community, and make an impact.

What’s New at Judaic Heritage?

“We recently launched The Judaic Heritage Dinner and Discussion Series in downtown Baltimore for graduate students, young professionals, and young adults. This series explores Jewish thought, philosophy, and values in an interesting and meaningful way. These sessions currently take place at the UMB campus. To attend, just register on our website– www.

JudaicHeritage.org. Our first Judaic Heritage event in April was a great success; participants from a variety of backgrounds and interests attended and had a great time. The session was engaging, the discussion was interesting, and the dinner was delicious.

Attendees ate, met new people, and learned about Judaism in a unique and interesting way.”

What is Judaic Heritage’s goal?

“At Judaic Heritage we try to instill a love and appreciation for the Torah values that have carried our people through the past and will continue to do so in the future.”

For more information about Judaic Heritage, visit their website at www.JudaicHeritage.org or call 443300-7525. For additional information, email Rabbi Ariel Fishman, Director of Judaic Heritage, at RabbiAFishman@JudaicHeritage.org

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Community

Ask the Career Coach

By Elly D. Lasson, Ph.D.

Q. I applied for a job a few weeks ago and have not heard back from the company—not even an acknowledgement. Is this something I should pursue? Should I contact the organization? If so, what should I say?

A. This is a common question which we get. First off, I would say that many employers are not as responsive as they should be. In an ideal world, each application should receive a response, even if it is just automated.

Be that as it may, one question is whether you objectively are a match

for the job and how much you want

to be considered. Let’s assume that s the case. There are sometimes multiple ways of applying for a job, including through third party sites like Monster and Indeed. If you applied thought one of those, you should be aware that they are not taken as seriously as a more direct channel. I therefore always recommend applying directly to the company, either through the corporate website or to a specific employee. If you are following up on an initial application, either through a third-party site or the company, you might need to do some detective work to find out who the

right person to reach out to is. You can word an email to something like “Dear ___________: I applied for the position of Account Manager with your company on 3/21/2014 through ______________. I am still interested in being considered for the position and am attaching my resume again at this time. If you have any further questions or could provide me with a status update on the process, please feel free to let me know. Thank you.”

Elly D. Lasson is the Executive Director of Joblink of Maryland.

The Dolphin Club Continues to Make its Waves Throughout the Community Credit: Jeff Cohen/Baltimore Jewish Life

Bais Yaakov Middle School Dolphin Club2 held its annual By Kidz 4 Kidz Chinese Auction this past Sunday, April 27th, to benefit Bikur Cholim. The excitement was contagious as the crowd of all ages milled around and examined the smorgasbord of prizes which included a laptop, American Girl Doll, karaoke machine, 3-foot stuffed pony, and a 24-inch Trek bike. There were over 200 prizes up for auction, along with the sale of ice cream sundaes, popcorn, pizza, and Smiley-Gram cookies. Free Catch-a-Smile giveaways

were thrown out to the crowd every 15 minutes. Two other attractions in-

cluded a Bikur Cholim blood pressure testing booth and Dave the Game Guy

from Shananigans Toy Shop teaching how to play the newest games on the market.

Mrs. Leeba Braun was so proud of the 7th grade Dolphin Club2 girls who displayed exemplary qualities of leadership and maturity while working together harmoniously for a cause greater than themselves.

The Dolphin Club2 continues to make waves throughout the community with its kids changing the world one project at a time.

Baltimore Community Women’s Health Symposium is This Sunday

By Rabbi Elchonon Oberstein

This coming Sunday, the women of our community are invited to the annual Women’s Health Symposium.

This event is co-sponsored by Sinai Hospital, N’shei Agudath Israel, and Bikur Cholim, and was conceived and organized for over 20 years by Mrs. Feiga Oberstein and Mrs. Miriam Sperling.

The event, which gives women of any age an opportunity to learn about important issues that affect their health and well-being, begins at 9:30 AM with a talk by Dr. Joel Pleeter entitled “Risky Business— Who Should Be Tested and What the Ramifications of Testing Are.”

Following Dr. Pleeter, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann will discuss the halachic issues regarding genetic testing.

At 11:00 AM two prominent doctors will discuss a variety of urological issues as they affect women.

Following an OU-certified catered lunch provided by Sinai Hospital, the program will continue at 12:30 PM with a speech by Rabbi Zvi Teichman entitled “Anxiety Disorder or Disordered: A Torah Prescription to Transform Worry into Positive Energy.”

At 1:00 PM Dr. Esther Krug and Mrs. Danielle Sarah Storch will lead a session on “Avoiding Osteoporosis From When You Are Young.”

At the same time, there will be a concurrent session by Mrs. Rivka Meiselman entitled “Yin Yoga.” Bring a towel.

The program will conclude with a talk

by Mrs. Zaka Glaser of Sovea at 2:00 PM entitled “Making Healthy Eating Choices Fun For All Ages.”

Parking is free and there is a registration fee of $25, which goes to support the vital projects of N’shei.

As the spouse of one of the organizers, I have had the opportunity to see over the years how much work and planning goes into this annual event. The level of professionalism and the wide variety of topics covered is a tribute to the high standards of

our community.

Women are invited to come for the entire program or for those parts that interest them. There will be all kinds of gifts for those who attend. A good time will be had by all while learning about vital issues affecting women’s health.

I encourage you to make time in your schedule for this very worthwhile program. It will be this Sunday, May 4th, in the Zamoiski Auditorium of Sinai Hospital. There will be free parking in the Belvedere Garage; enter via the lower level garage entrance on the left side of the building.

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MAY 1, 2014

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MAY 1, 2014

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Around the

Community

Attorney General of Maryland, Doug Gansler Visits Tov Pizza after Yom Tov Credit: Jeff Cohen/Baltimore Jewish Life

As Pesach ended last Tuesday night, Tov Pizza prepared for what has become an annual event– the selling of hundreds of pizza pies to those willing to wait in a long line for their first bite of chometz after the chag. However, this year was a bit different because the Attorney General of Maryland, Doug Gansler, was there to greet the customers as the doors opened.

Gansler, who is Jewish and running for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland, has close relationships with several members

of the Orthodox Jewish community in Baltimore stemming from his early days as Attorney General. The first pizza pie was auctioned off and the proceeds went to Shomrim. After the Attorney General handed off the first pizza to the winner, the floodgates opened and hundreds of people streamed through the doors eager to bring a pie home to their families.

Ronnie Rosenbluth, the owner of Tov Pizza, who is also running in the June 24th primary for a seat on the State Central Committee, has hosted Mr. Gansler previously, noting that

this particular politician is always a hit with the crowd. A group of T.A. high school boys began chanting, “Gans-ler, Gans-ler” as the Attorney General asked how everyone’s Pesach was and introduced the customers to his mother, who joined him for the event. One of the customers, who decided to play “Jewish Geography” with the Attorney General, ended up discovering that he davened in the same shul as Mr. Gansler’s sister in Atlanta.

The Democratic primary is June 24th.

The Week

17 Russian Companies Sanctioned

S. Korean Ferry Sinks on Live TV The entire country of South Korea was left traumatized and devastated after watching on live television the sinking of a ferry full of high school students. When the news of the sinking ship came in, cameramen rushed to the scene, and the public watched

the tragedy unfold. Students were seen flailing in the cold water, and then the boat slowly turned upside down and eventually slipped beneath the surface.

The Sewol Ferry was a nearly 7,000-ton ship with a capacity of 921 passengers. There are more than 300 people missing or dead.

“It’s not only the victims and their families, but a majority of the general public is suffering from mental shock, sadness, rage, and feeling of helpless-

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Global

nerships with ExxonMobil. Sechin was behind Putin’s scheme against the oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovskyt to wrest his company, Yukos, away in 2003. Also on the list is Sergei Chemezov, a friend of Putin who shared an apartment with him in East Germany in the 1980s.

The EU also sanctioned individuals, freezing assets and denying visas.

In News

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MAY 1, 2014

Citing what it calls are failures on Russia’s part to live up to their part of the agreement aimed at solving the dispute in Crimea, the United States has put sanctions on seventeen large Russian companies and seventeen government officials. These companies are run by close allies to Vladimir Putin’s government. While many in Moscow feared that this latest round of sanctions would be much harsher than they turned out (the Russian markets jumped one percent following the US’s announcement), President Obama said the sanctions were so that Putin should “change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he’s engaging in could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul.” An important omission on the list of sanctioned companies was banks and public companies, again a relief for Moscow.

Said Obama, “We don’t yet know if it’s going to work.”

Most of the companies that were sanctioned are owned by three people: Gennady Timchenko and brothers Boris and Arkady Rotenberg. They were all individually sanctioned in March.

Timchenko owns Stroytransgaz, which has made millions of dollars from pipeline construction contracts from state-owned Transneft.

Another Putin crony who was sanctioned is Igor Sechin, president of the state-controlled oil company, Rosneft. Rosneft shares business part-

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MAY 1, 2014

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This is the One Event You Must Attend to Help Your Friends and Neighbors in Need A n E v e n i n g o f Aw a r e n e s s & I n s p i r a t i o n

Dear Community Member, I want to let you know about a very important community event on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014. It is vital for you to be part of this evening. In its 36 years of operation here in Baltimore, Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund has never held a fundraising event. Now, to meet the challenge of the mounting financial demands of the community and a $2,000,000 annual budget, Ahavas Yisrael is undertaking this project to ensure that financial demands can be met.

Our goal is to raise the awareness of our community and to inspire the public as to the needs of this most important Tzedaka, which operates right here in Baltimore for Baltimoreans. If charity begins at home, then Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund, which helps over 450 Baltimore individuals and families with basic living needs, must be a high priority of your Tzedakah giving.

Join us in this wonderful gathering of chesed. Please reply using the enclosed pledge card or by contacting us in one of the ways below. We ask you to please respond generously. We hope to see you May 14th at 7 pm at Beth Tfiloh for an inspiring and memorable evening.

Sincerely, Nechemia Isbee, Dinner Chair Dinner Committee: Zev Wolman, Rabbi Boruch & Mrs. Chaya Esther Brull, Mrs. Aviva Isbee, Shraga Goldenhersh, Avi Bernstein, Eli W. Schlossberg, Nechemia Weinreb, Elliot Sharaby, Stuart Schabes

If we waited 36 years to have an event, you know it’s going to be one great evening!

DinnerRSVP@ahavasyisrael.org ( www.ahavasyisrael.org 410-764-6020 ( 443-621-0298 ( 410-925-5153

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MAY 1, 2014

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The Week ness,” wrote an editorial from Seoul Newspaper. “In short, it’s not an exaggeration to say that this entire nation is going through post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“Koreans are very nationalistic and they take pride in the rapid development of their country. When there’s some problem or anything that reflects poorly on the collective, on the nation or Koreans on the whole, people will get upset about it,” Daniel Pinkson, head of International Crisis Group in Seoul, pointed out.

The trauma was magnified by embarrassment over charges of criminal negligence by much of the ship’s crew, inappropriate reactions by government officials, and cruel pranks following the sinking.

Eleven members of the ferry’s crew, including the captain, have been taken into custody on suspicions of negligence and abandoning people in need. The South Korean president called them “murderous.”

Colleagues of the captain, Lee Joon-seok, who has more than 40 years’ experience at sea, called him the nicest person on the ship, but he is now being strongly condemned for delaying the evacuation and apparently abandoning the ferry. A video of Lee being treated on shore after allegedly landing on one of the first rescue boats sparked outrage.

Tragically, in the days after the ferry sank, families were tormented with hoax text messages claiming to be from students trapped in air pockets complaining that they were cold, but still alive.

Yellow ribbons in memory of victims envelop Korea’s landscape. Korean social media and the rest of the country have held countless candlelight vigils as they mourn the loss of many young lives. As hope of survivors dwindles, the country continues

to mourn.

Jewish Journalist Released after Capture in Ukraine

Last week, Simon Ostrovsky, a US-Israel reporter with Vice, was held captive for three days by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. He was captured when he stopped at a checkpoint after a pro-Russian paramilitary showed him a Russian passport which indicated that he was, in fact, not a Ukrainian citizen.

“I was held for three nights and three days,” Ostrovsky related. “They blindfolded me, tied my hands behind my back, took me down into the cellar, threw me on the floor,” Ostrovsky continued. “Two or three guys, I think, were beating me.” Despite the trauma, Ostrovsky revealed that he was comforted by the fact that they focused their blows on his midsection and were consciously avoiding his face.

“I don’t think they want to kill me, I think they just want to put a scare into me,” he said.

Throughout his ordeal, Ostrovsky said he didn’t know if anyone in the West knew he was taken captive. But people did know about his capture, and the world implored his kidnappers to release him.

Ostrovsky is known as a brave and adventurous reporter. The situation in Ukraine now is precarious and those who ask questions are in danger. Despite the danger, Ostrovsky vows he will return to the region. “I think the reason they took me is because they wanted to stop me reporting. So, I’d really like to go back to Ukraine and continue sending stories from there, because that’s what it’s all about.”

In News Nigeria’s $510B Economy

Revised data recently revealed that Nigeria has an economy worth $510 billion. The West African nation is the largest economy in Africa. Yet, 70% of its citizens live in poverty.

The new value of Nigeria’s GDP adds previously excluded industries like telecommunications, information technology, music, airlines, burgeoning online retail outlets, and Nollywood film productions that didn’t exist when the last GDP count was computed in 1990. Then, there were 300,000 landlines. Today, Nigeria has 100 million cell phone users.

Growth in agriculture and tourism since democracy was restored in 1999 also explains the increased figures.

Until now, South Africa was regarded as the biggest economy with a GDP of $353 billion.

“Nigeria’s success is a reminder that Africa is moving ahead despite its current challenges,” said investment manager Kevin Daly of UK-based Aberdeen Asset Management, which invests in Africa. He pointed out that billionaire Aliko Dangote is a Nigeriean who is building Africa’s largest privately-owned oil refinery.

Finance Minister Ngozi Ikonjo-Iweala recently said that the new data makes Nigeria the 26th largest economy in the world and raises its per capita income to $2,688, making it number 121 in the world, up from number 135.

Talks for Bergdahl Release Continue American Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was kidnapped almost five years ago in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

Recently, his captors have indicated a willingness to release him.

It still remains unclear which U.S. government officials have the authority to strike a deal for his release.

About two dozen officials at the State and Defense departments, the military’s U.S. Central Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, the CIA, and the FBI are working the case.

It seems that Bergdahl’s Taliban captors are anxious to release him, according to a defense official and a military officer, who both spoke to the Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

“Elements in all echelons — from the top of the Taliban down to the folks holding Bergdahl — are reaching out to make a deal,” the defense official said.

However, both sides have distrust issues with each other. Although Bergdahl’s abductors have indicated to the U.S. government that they want to deal, the U.S. government has not formally responded to that outreach, the military officer said.

Bergdahl, 28, from Idaho, was last seen in a “proof of life” video released in December. It is believed that he is held by members of the Haqqani network, which operates in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. The Haqqani network was designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2012 by the State Department.

Kim Jot-That-Down Kim Jong-Un apparently feels that whatever he has to say should be officially documented 24 hours a day. In a recent series of photos, note-taking officials and generals are depicted surrounding the North Korean dicta-

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The Week tor and recording his every move and word as he visits a unit of female soldiers, a fishery station, a pilot, and a renovated youth camp.

Korea expert Professor James Grayson of the University of Sheffield remarked that the photos are “part of the image of the great leader offering benevolent guidance,” a propaganda practice instituted by Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, in the 1950s. “It’s about presenting him as having broad knowledge – however, it’s ridiculous.

He can’t possibly know about all of these different things. It’s important, however, that the apparatchiks [loyal Communist subordinates] that surround him are seen to be hanging on his every word,” remarked Grayson.

Those taking the notes will be exerting extreme caution, according to Professor Steve Tsang of the University of Nottingham. “They wouldn’t want to write down anything that was, say, politically inaccurate, or it might come back to bite them.” Tsang noted that anything that might be used from the notes would first pass through the propaganda department and might wind up considerably altered from its original version.

Curious what might be written in the final draft of some of the “Dear Leader” comments? A look at the publication of Kim Il-Sung’s visit of a fishery in 1976 may be a good preview. The note reads, “Watching a truck at work, the president said that its bucket seemed to be small in comparison with its horsepower. He said the problem of carriage would be solved if the bucket was enlarged. Afterwards, the truck’s bucket capacity increased to two tons from 800 kg. As a result, 20 trucks were capable of carrying the load to be done by 50 trucks.”

Kim Jong-Un’s propaganda machine and his control of the masses

were put on display in March, when reports leaked that he had enacted a new order requiring all North Korean men to have his “Dear Leader” haircut.

Island Nation Sues Nuclear Powers

It takes a lot of gall to take on the nine nuclear armed nations of the world. It takes even more of it if you are the tiny Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands. An unprecedented lawsuit has been filed in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, demanding the United States and eight other countries to meet their obligations toward disarmament and accusing them of “flagrant violations” of international law.

The island group was used for dozens of U.S. nuclear tests after World War II. It filed a federal lawsuit against the United States in San Francisco, naming President Barack Obama, the Departments and Secretaries of Defense and Energy, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The Marshall Islands claims the nine countries are modernizing their nuclear arsenals instead of negotiating disarmament, and it estimates that they will spend $1 trillion on those arsenals over the next decade.

The countries listed in the suit include Russia, Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. The last four are not parties in the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, but the lawsuits argue that they are bound by its provisions under “customary international law.” The Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament efforts, requires good faith disarmament negotiations between countries.

In News The Marshall Islands were the site of 67 nuclear tests by the United States over a 12-year period, with lasting health and environmental impacts.

“Our people have suffered the catastrophic and irreparable damage of these weapons, and we vow to fight, so that no one else on Earth will ever again experience these atrocities,” the country’s foreign minister, Tony de Brum, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

The country is seeking action, not compensation. It wants the courts to require the nine nuclear-armed states to meet their obligations. “There hasn’t been a case where individual governments are saying to the nuclear states, ‘You are not complying with your disarmament obligations,’” John Burroughs, executive director of the New York-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, part of the international pro-bono legal team. “This is a contentious case that could result in a binding judgment.”

Shand, a one-time famous thrill-seeker, became a conservationist whose mission was to save the Asian elephant from extinction. After riding his elephant, Tara, across India, he set up a charity, Elephant Family. He had attended a fundraising event for the charity before he fell and was taken to the hospital.

Prince Charles married Camila, Duchess of Cornwall, on April 9, 2005 in a small civil ceremony at Windsor Castle. Shand was her younger brother.

Bill Gates to China’s Elite: Invest in the Poor

Royal Brotherin-Law Dies

Mark Shand, brother-in-law of Prince Charles, died suddenly at the age of 62 following a head injury.

“It is with deep sadness that we have to confirm that the Duchess of Cornwall’s brother, Mark Shand, has today passed away in New York. Mr. Shand died in hospital as a result of a serious head injury which he sustained during a fall last night,” Clarence House said in a statement. “The Duchess, The Prince of Wales, and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.

Mark Shand was a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through the Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death.”

Bill Gates’ new crusade is to harvest a culture of giving in China. The average per capita income in the Communist country is just $6,091 and rural Chinese may make less than $1,000 annually, while many of the ruling party elite are supremely wealthy.

Just days after the founders of Chinese search engine company Ali Baba announced the formation of a $3 billion charitable trust, Gates took out an editorial in the state-run Communist newspaper, The People’s Daily.

The newspaper is required reading for all government officials. “China has many successful entrepreneurs and business people. I hope that more people of insight will put their talents to work to improve the lives of poor people in China and around the world, and seek solutions for them,” Gates wrote in the editorial. “Investing for the poor requires participation from the entire community.”

Many of the Chinese wealthy, however, are reluctant to donate out of fear that it would bring unwanted attention onto them and their fortune.

The Week Gaza’s Ark “Protest Ship” Sunk

Kerry: Israel Can Become an Apartheid State

It seems hard enough to get John Kerry to keep his mouth shut in public. Now, Israel is fuming over some incendiary and small-minded comments that Kerry made behind closed doors. According to the Daily Beast, Kerry threatened Israel with more Palestinian violence if they don’t make peace. He also said that Israel would become an apartheid state.

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher blasted out this tweet in response: “Disgusting. Pres O must repudiate Kerry. Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State.’”

Tweeted Monica Crowley of Fox News, “Appalling…”

State Department official Jen Psaki tweeted in defense of Kerry: “@ JohnKerry does not think and has never said Israel is an apartheid state. 2 nations, 2 peoples living peacefully needs 2 state solution.” But the author of the report was quick to rebut: “Right he said it could become one.”

Sounds like they need some serious fire engines in Washington.

Starbucks’ Rumored Investment There was some big news this week for home-soda company, So-

Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee chain, is expected to acquire the stake at a company value of $1.1 billion, although officials have declined to comment on the rumors.

In February, Coca-Cola Company agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., which is developing a make-your-own single-serve product similar to SodaStream’s, for approximately $1.25 billion. “The announcement helped validate the do-it-yourself beverage market and fueled speculation that PepsiCo Inc., the world’s second-largest soft-drink maker after Coca-Cola, will make a bid for SodaStream,” wrote Bloomberg.

ordered at Starbucks nationwide?

Well, according to an online survey by the company Quartz, Starbucks costumers aren’t as adventurous as you might have thought; by far the most popular drink is coffee with the “plain ole latte” coming in second.

But, there do remain certain drinks that are extremely popular in specific cities: in Seattle, Starbucks’s hometown, residents prefer coffee with an added espresso shot (helps keep you awake during all those dreary, rainy days). All the wannabe movie stars in LA love their two-pump, no whip mocha lattes. In San Diego, everyone’s ordering green tea frappuccinos (hey—that’s not even coffee!). And San Franciscans are way too vegan— they shun milk and prefer soy lattes.

As for New York City, you know, the place with two Starbuckses on every street: we like good old Pike Roast coffee. A venti white chocolate skinny machiatto with espresso? Fughedaboutit!

A Chinese Big Apple?

Ever wondered where all those Chinese people prancing down Fifth Avenue came from? Well, these days they may not just be tourists; according to the top five real estate brokerages in the city, the Chinese are now the number one foreign buyers of luxury real estate in New York.

National More Than a Cup of Joe

With endless combinations and concoctions available, Starbucks presents a whole lotta choices for your latte. But have you ever wondered what is exactly the most popular drink

After the sanctions imposed on Russians from unrest in Ukraine, Russian oligarchs and millionaires have slowed down snapping up hot properties in the Big Apple, leaving room for wealthy Chinese buyers to move in. According to Pamela Liebman, CEO of the Corocoran Group, “In sheer numbers, the Chinese outspend the Russians in every segment of the market.”

According to some, these new Chinese buyers are just exploiting the relatively favorable valuations of real estate in Manhattan; in Hong Kong,

MAY 1, 2014

On Tuesday, a mysterious explosion sunk Gaza’s Ark, a “protest” boat that was preparing to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

The blast occurred in Gaza City’s port, and was preceded by an anonymous telephone call warning the guard of the ship that it was about to be blown up, organizers of the “protest” project told AFP. The ship, a large fishing vessel which was being readied to challenge Israeli naval authority in June, sustained major damage and sunk in the shallow waters of the port, leaving three-quarters of it submerged.

“An anonymous caller phoned the guard and told him to leave because they were planning to destroy the boat.

He was very afraid and ran away,” said project manager Mahfouz Kabariti, adding that the guard was unharmed.

“We blame Israel because we have had very bad experiences with them in the past when they destroyed several solidarity boats,” continued Kabariti, referring to the mysterious damaging of two boats in Greece in 2011, which similarly were planning to challenge the blockade. Kabariti added, “We are convinced Israel did it because we were preparing for a test run next week, with the main voyage planned for June 15.”

“Gaza’s Ark” was intended to challenged restrictions not allowing ships from Gaza to go beyond six nautical miles from shore. Workers have been working for over a year to outfit the boat to carry goods and more than a 100 passengers.

“Gaza’s Ark and all our partners in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition are considering our next move in response to this cowardly act of terrorism,” said anti-Israel activist David Heap. “But our position remains clear – neither this nor any other attack will stop our efforts to challenge the blockade of Gaza until it ends,” added Heap.

Fellow activist Ehab Lotayef

daStream International. Stocks of the Ma’ale Adumim-based company took their biggest leap in two years after daily newspaper Globes reported that Starbucks Corporation is negotiating a 10 percent stake in the company.

Shares of SodaStream soared 14 percent to $46 in New York, a rally that cut SodaStream’s loss this year to 7.6 percent.

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Israel

joined in, saying “Freedom Flotilla boats have been sabotaged before...

You can sink a boat but you can’t sink a movement.”

Back in October it was reported that members of Canada’s extreme left were behind a large part of the financial backing of “Gaza’s Ark.”

In News

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The Week apartments can go for up to $5,000 a square foot, while in New York they’re anywhere between $2,100 to $2,500.

The Chinese are also attracted to New York for its renowned educational institutions. Says broker Shawn Elliot, who ferries clients around in a Rolls Royce, “They’re looking for trophy properties. They’re looking for their children to be comfortable, and to be near Columbia or New York University.”

Elsewhere in the world, the Chinese are also taking over the market, becoming top buyers in Sydney, Melbourne and London.

a screen in front of them. But a new study shows that it’s the parents who are attached to their phones in an unhealthy way.

Researchers at the Boston Medical Center observed 55 different groups of parents and young children eating at fast-food restaurants. The study found that the majority pulled out their mobile devices right away, and, in turn, their kids tended to act up more in the eatery. “It’s just normal childhood behavior,” said parenting coach Toni Schutta. “If I can’t get your attention in a positive way, I’m going seek it in a negative way.”

Obama and the Robot

Ever thought President Obama looks a little stiff during speeches?

Well, this week the president got his first interaction with a real robot at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, Japan.

Obama was introduced to ASIMO, a robot who “was about the size of a 10-year-old child and was dressed in an astronaut suit,” according to a White House pool report. ASIMO then walked up to a soccer ball and said, “I can kick a soccer ball, too.” He then sailed one towards Obama, who blocked it with his foot. Said Obama, “How about that! That was pretty impressive!” “I have to say,” the president later said, “that the robots were a little scary, they were too lifelike.

They were amazing.”

I heard the White House is now thinking of replacing its teleprompter with a robot.

Too Many Parents on Too Many Smartphones Many parents complain that their children spend too much time with

Schutta says parents spend, on average, 11 hours a day using electronic devices. All that time takes away from face-to-face communication that helps kids learn behavior. “Kids in preschool and kindergarten are no longer as able to read social cues from other human beings,” Schutta said.

“That’s in part because of their own media use and it’s in part because of their parents’ media use; they’re just not getting that training.”

Too much time with technology can also leave an emotional impact on your child if you’re missing life moments for email. “We get such a limited amount of time with our kids in the day, we need meaningful conversations,” Schutta pointed out.

Suzanne Ferguson of Minneapolis said she and her husband used to be smartphone addicts, checking their emails around their kids. “We were the couple that would go out to eat at dinner and both be on our own phones,” she said. “We’re very much attached to our phones.” Once her daughter starting talking, however, it was the push she needed to kick her phone habit. “Dinner is a good time to have family time, so trying to keep the phone as much as possible away,” she

In News said.

A novel idea…

Con-Grads! 80% of High School Students Receive Diploma

US high schools have reached a milestone: they finally graduate eighty percent of students. Although the ultimate goal of a ninety percent graduation rate may seem far off— experts say 2020 at the earliest—the eighty percent success rate has been the product of an aggressive program targeting high school dropout rates for the last decade, including schools’ use of one-on=one intervention specialists. Also, increases in the African-American and Hispanic graduation rates helped boost the overall number. Fifteen percent more Hispanics and nine percent more blacks graduate now than in 2006.

Iowa, Vermont, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Texas were the states with the highest success rates: 88 to 89 percent. At the bottom of this list are high schools in Alaska, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon and Nevada, which only graduate approximately seventy percent of students.

“At a moment when everything seems so broken and seems so unfixable ... this story tells you something completely different,” said John Gomperts, president of America’s Promise Alliance, the organization that helped produce the report.

the best places for them to live. (More Texans think that you can’t mess with Texas and it’s the best state in the US, but fewer Texans think it’s one of the best compared to Montana and Alaska folk.)

Who can’t stand their state? Well, more than a quarter of Illinois residents think it’s the worst place to live.

That should make sense, judging by the fact that they also mistrust their corrupt state government most and are very resentful about its taxes.

And take that Joisey—only twenty eight percent of its residents think it’s a good place to live. (And I heard they’re all on Chris Christie’s payroll).

What makes happy residents?

According to Gallup, it takes “greater standard of living, higher trust in state government, and less resentment toward the amount they pay in state taxes.” Still, that may not always be the case; West Virginians, who rank pretty low on the US economic scale and have high stress levels, are still in the middle of the list of satisfied state residents. Go figure.

Obama: I Regret Not Spending Time with My Mother

Lovin’ the Livin’ What do farmers and Eskimos have in common? Not only are they used to freezing weather, they both love where they live. A recent Gallup poll shows that Montanans and Alaskans are both the happiest about the state they live in, saying it was one of

You may not agree with his poli-

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The Week tics, but you can’t argue with his values. While on a tour of Asia, President Obama took out an hour for an open question and answer session with high school students. He candidly spoke about his regrets about not spending more time with his mother who died in 1995, at the age of 52. “There was a stretch of time from when I was, let’s say, 20 until I was 30, where I was so busy with my own life that I didn’t always reach out and communicate with her and ask her how she was doing and tell her about things,” Obama said. “I was nice and I’d call and write once in a while. But this goes to what I was saying earlier about what you remember in the end, I think, is the people you love. I realized that I didn’t – every single day, or at least more often – just spend time with her and find out what she was thinking and what she was doing, because she had been such an important part of my life.”

On that vein, Obama asserted that family is central to his having a happy life and also “feeling as if I’ve been true to my beliefs and that I’ve lived with some integrity.”

As for what he would like his legacy to be, Obama said that fathering his daughters Malia and Sasha and being a good husband are his priorities, “because if you don’t do those things well, then everything else you’re gonna have problems with.”

That’s Odd Hair Today, Not Gone Tomorrow

Women in China’s Long-horn Miao minority have an interesting tradition. They create elaborate headdresses out of the hair of their dead an-

cestors and wear them at special occasions. Some of the hair they use dates back to hundreds of years ago.

The women save the strands of their hair that shed when they brush.

The hair is then carefully woven around horn-shaped headdresses fitted to the heads of the young women and girls. Every wig, made of hair, yarn, and twine, is passed down from mother to daughter. They are dyed and carefully maintained to preserve a shiny and healthy look. Although there are now less than 5,000 members in the Miao minority, the strong tradition carries on.

Shu Tu, 27, a Chinese expert in minority cultures, said, “The wigs are worn on all sorts of big occasions, from weddings…to feast days, and traditionally they also used to be worn by the men. But it seems as if it was, at the end of the day, too much effort for the menfolk, and they gradually dropped the tradition. But it continued among the women, and the hairdos that they have now include hair not only from the mother and grandmother but probably even the great-grandmother and even older… It’s regarded as a living way for them to honor their ancestors.

Every time a woman combs her hair, she collects it, and she hands it to her daughter when her daughter marries.”

She added, “For some people, their history is in books. However, for the Miao, their history is on their heads.”

I wonder if those wigs are more affordable than ours…

Reading our Minds to Become a Reality?

“Honey, what are you thinking about?” It’s the dream of every wife: to be able to read her husband’s (usually blank) mind. And it may not be too far off in the future. Scientists at prominent universities are making promising leads into the world of mind reading.

Marcel Just, head of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, has predictions for a future where government officials can read our thoughts, but, “I don’t think we have to worry about this in the next 5-10 years, but it’s interesting to think

In News about. What if all of our thoughts were public?” Just is working on allowing our brains to dial phone contacts or direct a cursor by just thinking. ( And you thought Google glass was too geeky?)

Recently, researchers at Yale were able to scan subjects’ brains and identify who the person was looking at just from reading the brain scan. The researchers first copied scans with their complementary faces onto a computer and then trained the computer to interpret new scans into faces. It was correct almost seventy percent of the time!

Says Marvin Chun, author of the Yale study, “This really is bringing science fiction closer to reality.”

Customer Pays for More than Just the Food

Many young adults wait tables in order to earn extra cash while they figure out their lives. Melissa Mainier from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, used to serve patrons at Peachtree Restaurant and Lounge.

One afternoon in 2010, Benjamin Olewine, a local philanthropist, dined in the restaurant. During his brief conversation with Mainier, the waitress mentioned that she was in college and attempting to slowly pay off her massive student loans. To her surprise, Olewine offered his financial support.

“He said, ‘I’d love to help you.’ I was like, help me? What is he talking about?” Mainier recalls. “He elaborated, and he said if I needed help financially, he would be happy to help.”

At first, Mainier was reluctant to accept such a tremendous favor, but eventually she agreed. She is currently a nurse at Pinnacle Health’s General Osteopathic Hospital and is work-

ing toward a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University. Olewine is paying every single expense related to her studies, from tuition to books. “[My parents] were both so shocked when I told them; they couldn’t believe it,” says Mainier, who adds that her father passed away two years ago. “My dad was so happy for me. Both my parents were just so happy for me. I’m sure they would [have wanted] to help me if they could.”

Olewine, who made his money in the food industry and has a charitable track record, hopes she continues her education and earns a master’s degree,. Of course, he is willing and glad to cover her expenses. “I’m going to continue to pay it forward,” Mainier vowed, “for the rest of my life.”

Is This Letter Better Late than Never?

Susan Heifetz got a whole lot of mail last week, except the letters from her family arrived to her former address 45 years too late.

Heifetz grew up in an apartment building in Sheepshead Bay of Brooklyn. Recently, the current tenant at that apartment received two letters for Heifetz. The Good Samaritan tracked her down about the mail that was postdated June 27, 1969.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” Heifetz recalled. “He said, ‘I have a letter for you and the only reason I’m trying to find you is because it’s postmarked 1969.”

“I said, ‘Tell me what else is on the envelope. He said to me, ‘On the back is a lipstick mark,’ and at that point I started to cry. This was my mother’s thing at the time — to always seal it

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We Book Flights We will book your airline tickets and take your points to pay for them.

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The Week with a kiss.”

The letter was a birthday card from her parents for her 19th birthday.

“Dear Susan,” the card began.

“Mazel Tov.” It was signed, “Love and kisses, Mamma Molly and Daddy Sam,” sealed with her mother’s still-pristine pink lipstick kiss. This card has tremendous sentimental value to Heifetz since her parents passed away over a decade ago.

“I always knew that my parents watched over the family,” Heifetz related. “It’s something else to get something like this. It validates everything.”

Strangely, three days later, another letter arrived dated back to 1969! This letter was from an old friend.

At this point Heifetz contacted the post office. Officials were unable to explain the delays, but they did discover a third piece of mail – a 1969 birthday card from her brother.

I guess I’ll stick with my eCards.

Message in a Bottle Found…A Century Later It was a normal day at work for Konrad Fischer, a fisherman fishing off the coast of Germany, until he discovered a message in a bottle, literally.

Last month, Fischer found the postcard that was mostly illegible aside from the name of the sender, Richard Platz. In the note, Platz requests that the message be forwarded back to him. However, it may be hard to track him down. The letter is dated from the year 1913.

Platz’s postcard is thought to be the oldest message in a bottle in the world right now. Despite its age, Fischer wanted to return the postcard to Platz and tracked down Angela Erdmann, 62, the sender’s granddaughter.

“It was very surprising,” said Erd-

In News mann. “A man stood in front of my door and told me he had post from my grandfather. He then told me that a message in a bottle was found and that the name that was on the card was that of my grandfather.”

the world’s fastest elevator was held by the elevator in the Tapei 101 building in Taiwan, which travels at 37.7 mph and reaches its top floor in just 30 seconds.

I wonder if they give out motion sickness meds on your dizzying flight to the top.

Biggest Bundle of Joy

Platz wrote the note when he was just 20 years old. Sadly, Erdmann never knew Platz, who died at age 54.

“I knew very little about my grandfather, but I found out that he was a writer who was very open-minded [and] believed in freedom and that everyone should respect each other,” she said. “He did a lot for the young and later traveled with his wife and two daughters.” She was grateful to have a tangible connection to her roots.

The postcard will go on display in a German museum. Come to think of it, postcards themselves belong in museums.

Fastest Ride to the Top Hitachi has announced that its new high-speed elevator for the Guangzhou CTF Financial Centre in China will travel at 45mph (1,200 meters per minute). Hold on to your hats. This speed will allow the elevator to reach the 95th floor in just 43 seconds.

The elevator will carry economists, officials, and guests up and down the approximately 1,700-foot skyscraper.

There will also be a double decker elevator to utilize all vertical space. The company told reporters that they will employ the latest technologies to ensure a smooth ride and to prevent vibrations and noise.

Of course, safety is on everyone’s mind as they’re plunging vertically.

But the company says that safety is guaranteed with state-of-the-art brakes that can sustain temperatures of over 300 degrees Celsius and still operate.

Until now, the record-holder for

On April 22, there was huge news in the nursery of Massachusetts General Hospital. Doctors there delivered the biggest baby in over a decade.

Baby Carissa was born in the late afternoon and weighed 14 pounds, 5 ounces.

During her pregnancy, mom Caroline Ruscak said strangers often asked her if she was expecting twins. But big babies run in the family. Both parents were born weighing approximately 10 pounds. Mom is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and Dad is 6 feet, 6 inches tall.

Their first child was born weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

“Everyone in the operating room was like, ‘Oh my G-d!’” Ruscak remembers. “All that matters is that she’s healthy,” says the new mother.

I wonder how many bottles she drinks a day.

1,000 Days of Summer

Many people considered Tomislav Perko lucky when he got a high-paying job as a stockbroker at the age of 23 in his native city of Zagreb in Croatia back in 2007. Aside from earning

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Spacious living room with built-ins & hardwood floors. Brand new gourmet kitchen with custom cabinetry, granite counters, stainless appliances & adjoining breakfast room. Main level guest BR with en-suite bath. Fabulous master suite with luxury master bath. Newly renovated baths, new gas furnace, new upgraded electric, new windows, refinished hardwood floors and much more!

Beautiful sprawling 5BR/4BA home in Dumbarton. Modern updated kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances & adj. breakfast room. Formal living room & dining room with hardwood floors. Upper level master bedroom suite with balcony and study. Lower level rec room, bedroom & bath.

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Beautiful 3BR/3.5BA contemporary home. Updated modern kitchen with granite counters & adjacent breakfast/family room. Formal living room & dining room with hardwood floors.

Lower level rec. room and additional storage.

Exceptional newly finished custom built 7BR/6FB/2HB colonial. Extraordinary attention to detail. Brazilian hardwood floors, granite counter tops & wood Anderson windows throughout. Top of the line zoned heating & air conditioning system. Dramatic 2-story foyer & living room. Custom chef’s kitchen with breakfast area & adjoining family room. Luxury 1st floor master suite. Upper level family room with wet bar. Finished lower level with additional kitchen.

$499,000

$1,440,000

Magnificent one of a kind estate home. Main house has 7BR/4.5BA. Hardwood floors, great room with beamed ceilings & built-ins, formal dining room, modern kitchen. 2-level addition has workshop, design studio & upper level in-law suite.

$699,900

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Move right into this beautiful 3BR/2.5BA brick split level at top of quiet cul de sac. New windows, new insulated doors, updated furnace/AC & more.

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Completely renovated 2BR + den unit with over 1,800 sq. ft.

New kitchen, double balcony, corner unit.

Bright & spacious 3BR/2BA unit in a full service building. Renovated kitchen with granite counters & stainless appliances. Large living & dining room with sliders to balcony.

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Beautiful light-filled 2BR/2BA unit in a full service building.

Spacious living room with sliders to balcony. Modern updated eatin kitchen. Master bedroom suite with dressing area. 2nd bedroom currently used as a den. Laundry area in unit.

Move right into this magnificent 5BR/3BA sprawling brick rancher.

Beautiful modern kitchen, cathedral ceilings and hardwood floors. Finished walk-out lower level. Huge multi-tiered deck with wooded views.

$249,900

$299,900

$99,000

$135,000

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$399,900

410.581.1000 • 1517 Reisterstown Road, Corner of Old Court Road • Baltimore, Maryland 21208

MAY 1, 2014

DUMBARTON

Avi Grunhaus Realtor 443-414-1767

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MAY 1, 2014

26

The Week $10K a month, he also loved the thrill of chasing the market.

“I had my own apartment. I bought everything I wanted, went to all the parties, all the restaurants,” Perko boasts. “I was always thinking money is what makes you successful. I thought that was what I was supposed to do my entire life.”

Of course, his quick success fed his ego, and he convinced a few family members and close friends to invest $30,000 of their life savings in the market with him. “I told them they could not lose,” Perko recalls. “In those days, you couldn’t lose.”

But then came the financial crisis of 2008. Although the recession began in the U.S., its effects extended overseas, and all of Perko’s clients’ portfolios disappeared, along with his friends’ and family’s savings.

“I couldn’t really stay there and look at red screens every day with nervous clients calling me non-stop,” Perko said. So he decided to quit in early 2009 with zero savings and over $30,000 of debt.

In News

At that time, youth unemployment rates in Croatia reached nearly 50%.

Perko was considered one of the lucky ones when he was hired to work at a juice bar and wait tables. “It was completely a change of my lifestyle,” says Perko, now 29. “That was my new beginning.”

His change of fortune radically changed his life. One day, Perko randomly met a man from France who was traveling through Europe using a website called CouchSurfing.org. The site is a global social networking platform that connects travelers with people in countries all over the world who are willing to open their doors to them free of charge. Perko offered him a place to crash, and in less than a year, he went on to host more than 150 other couch surfers from around the world.

“By listening to their stories and realizing that it is possible to travel with almost no money, I decided to try it out,” Perko relates. “I went on a 4-day trip to Bulgaria. There was no going back after that.”

Perko had studied tourism in cols’’xc

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lege and enthusiastically began planning an around-the-world trip that would take 1,000 days. He selected locations with warm climates like the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Latin America, so he wouldn’t need heavy gear and layers of clothing. Perko expected to travel frugally.

He had about $1,300 for his excursion and decided on a budget of $10 a day.

He planned to try to find work on the road and write a travel blog in the hopes of earning some cash along the way to fund the rest of his trip.

But it seems that people really liked hearing about his excursions.

Perko’s blog caught local media attention, which lead to MasterCard to offer Perko $1,000 a month to wear their logo abroad and occasionally advertise for them on his blog and Facebook page, which eventually attracted more than 25,000 fans.

The intrepid traveler named his trip “1,000 Days of Summer” and officially set out in September 2011. It took him about two weeks to hitchhike his way east to his first destination, Turkey, where he began an eight-month journey through Asia and the Middle East, including stops in Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq. From the Middle East, he ventured on to India, Nepal, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“I realized I could travel and it was cheaper than living at home in Croatia,” he says. After Asia, he planned to go to Australia, the most expensive leg of his trip. Eventually, he found an airfare deal for a $120 one-way ticket to Brisbane on Air Asia.

After Australia, his next destination was Africa, but he had to figure out a way to cross the Indian Ocean.

Perko searched for a job on FindACrew.net, a site where boat captains can find crews to help out on trips in exchange for free passage. He had zero experience on the open seas, but luckily, Perko managed to talk his way into the three-person crew of a 45-foot yacht.

Throughout his journey, he found places to stay for free, worked in exchange for rent, or set up camp by bus stops. As one could imagine, after over a year, he was exhausted. Although he was only halfway into his 1,000 day goal, he decided to return home for a break. Travelling had taken a toll on him both physically and

mentally. “In the end, I realized that this freedom I was striving for is the freedom to choose what you want to do in that moment,” he says. “If that is to go back home and cut the trip short, you do that.”

Due to the popularity of his blog and Facebook page, Perko had become quite the celebrity in Zagreb and Croatia by the time he returned. After two months, he set out for the final leg of his journey to South America.

Perko details his experiences in his book, 1,000 Days of Spring, which he is still hoping to self-publish.

Living on $10 a day has just been added to my bucket list.

Together Until the Very End “Till death do us part.” At least one couple took that quite literally. Helen, 92, and Kenneth, 91, Felumlee died within fifteen hours of each other after being married for seventy years.

The couple met as teenagers and was married in 1944, raising eight children over the years. Helen was a homemaker and Kenneth a mail carrier until his retirement a number of years ago. After retiring, the couple travelled to all fifty states by bus together. They did not sleep apart from each other until three years ago, when he had his leg amputated, and ate breakfast every day while holding each other’s hand.

“We knew when one went, the other was going to go,” daughter Linda Cody told the Zanesville Times Recorder. “We wanted them to go together, and they did. She was staying strong for Dad and he was staying strong for her, that’s what kept them going.”

They had 23 grandchildren and 43 great grandchildren.

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28

The Observant Jew

MAY 1, 2014

Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

Planting a Seed

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rowing up, I wasn’t always called Jonathan. I mean, my parents called me that, but when I was thirteen something unusual happened – I got a nickname. My camp counselor, Aharon Basch, wanted a “cool” name for me to go with the activity of the day. He called me Jonny, and the name stuck. For the rest of camp, people called me Jonny, and when I went to Yeshiva, the name followed me.

There were times I tried to change it and go by my Hebrew name of Yehonason, but it failed. Once I answered the payphone (yes, back in the days before cellphones when long-distance calls cost more money and people used phone booths), and the man on the line wanted to know to whom he was speaking. I said, “Yehonason Gewirtz.”

“Who?” came the confused reply. “Ye-

honason Gewirtz,” I repeated. Still, he didn’t recognize the name. “Who?” he asked again. “Jonny,” I said. “Oohhh!” he exclaimed as he recognized me.

“OK. Hi Jonny, it’s Moish B…can you call my son to the phone?”

Even R’ Gifter z”l, upon coming to a Melave Malka I was running greeted me with a big, “A guteh voch, Jonny!”

(I think after that the Rebbetzin told him she felt it inappropriate to call me by that name.)

Either way, I was saddled with the name I sometimes loathed and other times enjoyed for the unique identity it provided me. In my younger years, though, I had my share of annoyances,

such as classmates “innocently” counting on their fingers, “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, WHOOPS! Johnny, WHOOPS, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny…” you get the picture.

lay dormant for years and then someday take root in their souls and make an impact on them.

That’s where the seeds come in. As I spoke, I didn’t know if people were in-

I WAS PLANTING SEEDS THAT JUST MIGHT SPROUT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE’S LIFE.

Some tauntingly called me Johnny Appleseed. There was a candy called Johnny Appletreats (the name has since been changed to Appleheads, I believe) and some people called me that. That teasing stopped years ago but recently I recalled the Johnny Appleseed moniker with a sense of nostalgia, imagining it apropos at this point in my life.

Johnny Appleseed, if you will recall, was a nineteenth-century traveler (real name John Chapman) famed for walking across the Midwest, especially Pennsylvania and Ohio, scattering apple seeds as he went along. He figured that at least some would grow into trees, and indeed, Ohio is a key apple-growing state. His nickname reflected the mission he undertook while trying to be of service to others.

The truth is that he didn’t scatter the seeds randomly, but would develop nurseries, and leave them in the care of a neighbor who would tend to them and sell shares to others. In this way, he ensured their growth and continuity.

Now, I’m not big on walking cross-country, and I don’t wear a tin pan on my head as Johnny was supposed to have done. I do, however, feel it is my life’s mission to scatter seeds.

While visiting a community over Pesach, I spoke after davening most days. It was what we referred to as a “Burst of Torah,” a thought, message, or idea that could be conveyed in three minutes or less and would hopefully give people something to think about, discuss with their families, or perhaps,

terested or merely being polite by staying to listen. I didn’t think I was earning myself any great honor or accolades as the small group of twenty to thirty men were not going to sing my praises, and most of them probably didn’t even know my name.

What really gave me the impetus to continue, as well as the desire to reach out and share these thoughts, was the immeasurable response. It was the thought that I was planting seeds that just might sprout and make a difference in someone’s life. Perhaps a thought, approach, or insight would resonate with someone and guide some choice in the future.

Maybe an explanation of part of davening, of a posuk, or of a custom would make someone, even a young child, look at it differently the next time they experienced it. That was an exciting thought, and as I looked around, I imagined the seeds I might be sowing, hoping that they would bear fruit.

The article you are reading has

seeds, as I hope to implant in your mind the concept that you, too, can plant and develop nurseries and orchards in others by the way you interact with them.

It has been said that anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but it takes a wise person to count the apples in a seed. When we interact with people, we are planting seeds. Sometimes they are seeds that will bear good fruit, like when we speak nicely or offer a kind word. Sometimes the seeds will breed weeds and thorns, like when we are callous or arrogant.

If we bear this in mind as we go through our days, realizing that other people’s minds and hearts are fertile ground for what we cast into them, we can go down in history as people, like Johnny Appleseed, who were not interested in fame or fortune, but in the world being as productive as possible.

Jonathan Gewirtz is a prolific inspirational writer whose work has appeared in publications around the world. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion.

For more information, or to sign up for or sponsor the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English, e-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe or Sponsor in the subject. © 2014 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 1 , 2014

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General Jack Jacob

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Singlehandedly Defeats a Whole Army ficer of the state he stayed in politics for harm’s way.

While Niazi was contemplating the over 30 years. In the 1990s, Jacob was surrender, Jacob went outside and said a big advocate for an advanced India-IsShema Yisrael. The truth was that Jacob rael relationship. He visited Israel many had but 3,000 men some 30 miles away times and was a personal guest of forand they were up against 93,000 Paki- mer Prime Minister Rabin. Several of stani troops. He was hoping that Niazi Jacob’s personal effects were donated would focus on the previous two weeks to Israel, and his uniform hangs in the of Indian victories and didn’t want to Israeli military museum in Latrun.

Although there are some reports see any more bloodshed. The United Nations was also pushing for a ceasefire that Jack Jacob passed away last year and this would be the only chance that the many sources still maintain that he is Indians could capture Dhaka. Against alive at the age of 90 living in Delhi, India. Years ago, all odds, the bluff worked. he said about All of the Pahis time in the kistani soldiers Indian Army, in the area sur“Although I was rendered, and one of only a Jacob became few Jews in the the hero of the army, I never war. It was the came across any largest surrenanti-Semitism, der of soldiers only enthusisince WWII, asm and accepand when Niazi tance.” Howevreturned to Paer, he won’t talk General Jacob is on the far right kistan he was about his time in stripped of his rank. The war was over, the British army. and Bangladesh became an independent General Jack Jacob will be rememnation. bered as the man who convinced an enAfter 38 years in the army, Jacob tire army to surrender under incredible retired in 1978 and went into business odds thereby saving countless lives. and became the governor of Goa. He cracked down on criminals and saved Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to areas from destruction. When he left The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comoffice someone scrawled graffiti on the ments and suggestions.for future columns walls that said, “Without Jacob who and can be reached at aviheiligman@ will feed the poor?” A truly beloved of- gmail.com. 

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  

MAY 1, 2014

eroes in the military are usually and in 1963 was promoted to brigadier the ones fighting the enemy in general. Two year later Jacob comclose range combat. Very rarely manded a division during one of the do commanders meet the enemy face many wars between India and Pakistan. to face. During the Bangladeshi War of In 1969 he was a major general and was 1971, a commander went to the enemy appointed chief of staff of the Eastern and forced an entire army to surrender. Command. His job was put down insurThis incredible feat is gencies in these areas and more impressive when to keep tabs on neighboryou know that he had ing Pakistan. very few soldiers in his In 1971 the eastern command and was bluffsection of Pakistan had ing. Lieutenant General an uprising and wanted Jack Jacob of the Indian to start their own country Army was the man who called Bangladesh. The singlehandedly defeated Pakistani government an entire army. was ruthless in their retalJacob Farj Rafael Jaiation and killed upwards cob was born in 1923 in of half a million civilians.

Calcutta which was then Millions more fled to Inpart of British India. His dia who then declared family was Baghdadi war on Pakistan. GenerSephardic Jews that had al Jacob was tasked with General Jack Jacob moved there in the 1700s. drafting a war plan and They were described as deeply religious came up with the idea of drawing the in an area with few Jews. During WWII, Pakistanis into swampy lands in EastJack heard of the plight of his brethren ern Pakistan. After tiring out the enemy, in Europe and decided to join the Brit- they then would capture the capital, ish Army to fight the Nazis.

Dhaka. Jacob’s superior, Lieutenant After graduating from officer school General Sam Manekshaw, agreed to the in 1942, he was given his first assign- plan except for the capture of Dhaka. ment. Ironically, it was with the Arab Jacob realized that the capture of Legion in the British Army posted in Dhaka was more strategic than the Northern Iraq in case the Germans got small towns fortified by the Pakistani that far. Soon it became apparent that Army. The Indian Army therefore bythe main battle was in Egypt and North passed many of these defenses and Africa so Jacob was reassigned to an severed communications. Control of artillery unit to fight the Afrika Korps. East Pakistan was coming under Indian However, they arrived after the battle Army control in two weeks of war but and were sent to Burma to fight the in- Dhaka still remained to be captured. A vading imperialist Japanese Empire. He drawn out war could spell disaster for saw action there in some of the toughest the small Indian Army so Jacob came terrain fighting of the war. up with a daring plan. He went to the While in Burma (today the country heart of the enemy and gave them an is called Myanmar), Jacob met the ec- ultimatum. centric British General Orde Wingate.

Pakistani Lieutenant General Wingate was not Jewish but morally A.A.K. Niazi invited Jacob to discuss was a Zionist and had trained Jewish a ceasefire on December 16. Instead of settlers in Palestine in clandestine war- a ceasefire, Jacob wrote a declaration fare. This was Jacob’s first time meeting of surrender for the Pakistani general a Zionist and it rubbed off on him and to sign. Unarmed and accompanied by later had an effect on India’s positive only one staff officer, he flew to Dhaka. reception towards Israel.

Jacob told Niazi that he had a half an After the war, Jacob attended mil- hour to decide or the Indians would be itary schools in the U.S. and England coming to Dhaka to destroy the enemy. and joined the Indian Army when they Indian planes would bomb the 26,000 gained independence from Britain in or so Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka and an 1947. He had risen through the ranks untold number of civilians would be in

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Avi Heiligman

T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 1 , 2014

Forgotten Heroes

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MAY 1, 2014

EW S HH OH M OM M AY 2014 T HT EH EJ EJW I SI H E En nM AY 2 41, ,2012

Sefira Bobker on Sefira

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

And the Count Begins…

By Mr. Joe Bobker

D

uring the long centuries when Jews were scattered from the Holy Land, they still related, like absentee landlords and homesick relatives, to the seasons in Israel rather than to the seasons in the countries in which they lived. How did this longing gain such a powerful pull? Because our Sages infused the three main seasons with Jewish holidays: Pesach with spring, Shavuos with summer, Succos with autumn.

This consolidated both the mystic (“the air of Eretz Yisrael makes wise”) and the historic (“let My people go!”) links between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel, so poignantly described by Holocaust survivor and author Yaffa Eliach: “The first day of spring in Palestine was when the almond trees were beginning to blossom, yet in [my Polish shtetl of] Eishyshok it was the very heart of winter.

Nonetheless, the shtetl managed to believe in the reality of the Jewish calendar, not the reality before their eyes. During one Tu B’Shvat,

when a snowstorm was raging outside, the boys in cheder celebrated springtime. For the moment, they were living in a different climate zone from the one outside the cheder windows, a land of figs, dates, and carob, not that wintry landscape where large, swaddled creatures struggled against snow and ice and blustering winds” This potent tool of memory recognizes Judaism as a religion of “sacred times,” one that infuses into the Jewish calendar not just festival days off work but opportunities to honor Time itself within the context of “spiritual” harvests.

Thus even before we settle into the pleasures of Pesach, we are directed, in a brief and enigmatic Torah command (“Seven weeks shall you count…and you shall keep the Feast of Weeks”) to start “counting” (in a language which is understood) towards the next festival: Shavuos.

This “countup” is sanctified with a nightly blessing said immediately after ma’ariv, starting from the second night of Pesach (or first night if in Israel), and continuing for seven weeks.

This period, which coincides with Israel’s first spring wheat-growing season when the cold, torrential rainy season ends and the more temperate, growing season begins, is known as s’firas ha’omer, literally “counting the omer,” a reference to the omer haTenufah, “a new meal offering,” which each Jew was obligated to bring to the Temple in Jerusalem. The term is derived from us’far’tem lachem, “you shall count for yourselves.”

Immediately after the first day of Pesach, the Beis Din Gadol would go out into a pre-Pesach prepared field and watch three sickle-wielding men cut three “measures” of barley (se’ahs) which were then brought to the Temple where only one tenth (an “omer”) was needed for the offering. It was then “waved” in a ceremony (kemitzah) and burned, with the remainder going to the kohen.

It was important to harvest these fresh crops in fields as close as possible to Jerusalem for two reasons: a Torah concept known as ain ma’avirin al ha’mitzvos, wherein a mitzvah should be done sooner rather than later (thus the distances were kept short); and,

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Omer,” on the assumption that anybody can add a one to “yesterday.” So important is this daily count, that to miss a day deprived Jews of blessings equal to the balance of days.

What if one loses or gains a day by flying across international datelines? I remember the first time I flew from Israel to Sydney, Australia, with a Pesach stopover in New York which meant a full day was lost. My father, z”tl, was concerned. Since I was paying a visit to Rabbi David Twersky, the Skverer

liver a small vial of Pesach wine to the shochet in Sydney. And where else to ask about a seven-times-seven formula but at 770?

The Admor of Chabad was strict.

He told me I had to change my bookings and fly to Australia in the opposite direction, via Europe and Asia.

But I had no choice. I already had my return ticket and, being so broke that I couldn’t even pay attention, I flew straight home (Shavuos is kept together with the community one finds one-

Pilgrims, accompanied by flute musicians, arrived at the gates of Jerusalem with oxen whose horns were covered with gold and olive leaf wreaths.

Rebbe in Rockland County, for family reasons, my father told me to ask the Rebbe what I should do about counting s’fira. I confess, I didn’t ask. I was a bochur, and too nervous. I felt guilty

self in regardless of whether the s’fira count was done accurately or not).

The obvious paradox is this. Why is it a “count down?” Shouldn’t it be a count up?

The count is a very carefully worded one: instead of saying this is the eighth day, we say, “Today is one week and one day of the omer,” a methodology that the Rambam calls a mitzvas atseh, one that creates a greater anticipation and motivates us to not just count the omer but to make the omer count.

But what are we actually counting?

Days, weeks? Both, as per R’ Abaye: “It is a mitzvah to count days and it is a mitzvah to count weeks.” Nevertheless, why do we start counting from one to forty-nine and not from fortynine down to zero? I’m not sure. Perhaps by ticking off the days that have passed, we accustom ourselves to appreciate each passing day?

Counting is not so easy. It can get confusing. Remember: We do not count (lispor) the “omer” itself but keep track of the days (49) and weeks (7) between two “waves,” the start and completion of the harvest crop. And why does the spiritual spotlight shine on the number “49” when the rabbis of the Talmud had already chosen “48” as the number of ways Torah is acquired?

Jewish mystics saw this extra 24 hours akin to the “two steps forward, one step back” philosophy in that one needs an extra day of overall review, a retrospective look-back at a journey of self-improvement. Judaic numerology then “proved” that this countdown was essential for Jewish unity because the number of Hebrew letters in the names of the twelve tribes is…forty nine!

And the fiftieth day, Shavuos? This was the day that tied it all together.

The number “50” has many mystical overtones: the width of Noah’s boat was 50 cubits; 50 was the number Abraham started with in seeking the “righteous” of Sodom; there were 50 judicial arbiters chosen by Moses; the Tabernacle had 50 hooks, 50 planks of gold, 50 cubits; the Levite service stopped at the fiftieth year; 50 shekels was the value of a 20-60 year old male; and every fiftieth year was the year of Yovel, whose countdown to freedom from slavery and embracing Torah during hak’hel, a “gathering,” expresses the same idea as that of sefiras ha’omer.

Here’s a klotz kasher. Why count at all? Isn’t Mother Nature a chronological certainty? Doesn’t a spring harvest always follow a summer one!? I’m not sure. The Torah never explicitly explains why we must count nor the importance of the number “49” but we do know that whenever the Torah uses the term lochem (or lecho) it is always in the context of our own good and benefit: in this case, u’sefartem lochem,

MAY 1, 2014

and knew my father would be upset.

So when I went to visit some friends in Crown Heights the next day I asked Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

I wasn’t nervous because I had an opening. The Rebbe asked me to de-

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

you know that today is the x day of the Omer?” because that is an inadvertent fulfillment of the mitzvah without the accompanying bracha.

How then should one advise another what omer day it is? By responding that “yesterday was day x of the

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more pragmatically, the Jews were not allowed to eat from their new spring grain nor from a fruit picked from less than three-year-old trees, known as orlah, which means “closed, sealed,” until the Temple priesthood received their portion.

And so there was a desire (of hunger) to “rush” this mitzvah, in that the quicker the pilgrim-journey was made, the quicker their harvests would be “released” back to their families.

That is why, of the three “pilgrimage” festivals (aliyah le-regel), Shavuos was the most popular. Since Jewish law allowed this trek (aliya) to Jerusalem, or Shilo before the construction of the Temple in the time of the Judges, to be taken anytime between Shavuos (the beginning of summer) and Sukkos (summer’s end), the anxious Jews chose the earliest allowable date (Shavuos) to finalize their omer obligations.

They were well aware of the Talmudic truism, when food is lacking in the pantry, quarrel knocks on the door; put more bluntly by R’ Nahman ben Jacob: “Miracles are one thing – but they rarely provide food!”

This explains the incredible gaiety surrounding this mitzvah; pilgrims, accompanied by flute musicians, arrived at the gates of Jerusalem with oxen whose horns were covered with gold and olive leaf wreaths. They were met by appreciative kohanim and singing Levites who guided them to the Temple where, with further fanfare, they placed their baskets of choice fruits at the foot of the altar and recited a double thanksgiving prayer to God: for Israel’s redemption from slavery and for the bounty of the promised land.

(Remember: s’firas ha’omer has not always been a semi-melancholy, low-key mourning period. Although prevalent today, this is nowhere to be found in the Torah. The mourning wardrobe made its debut sometime in the eighth century, and even then it was so below-the-halachik-radar that when the prolific Rambam codified Jewish law some several hundred years later, he makes not a single reference to any omer lamentations.)

Meanwhile, the rabbinate forbade the residents in Jerusalem to charge the pilgrims rent during their stopover.

Why? Because the City of Jerusalem was considered a community possession.

Are there “laws” of counting? Yes. And they can have their complicated moments.

Since the very counting is the essence of the mitzvah, one is not allowed to say to a fellow Jew, “Hey, did

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32 100 74 “count for your own sakes.”

What we do know is that these seven weeks must have great significance, otherwise G-d would not have made them the most primary seasonal festival in the Jewish calendar.

Some see a psychological reason: after the Pesach pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Jews had to come back for Shavuos which was not that far away, perhaps tempting them not to make the effort a second time, especially at a busy period of the agricultural year; thus “counting” made them feel less complacent.

Meanwhile Torah linguists point out that the word sapar (to count) is similar to si-payr (to tell a tale); in other words, to count is to also recount by way of telling a story. Which was? That physical freedom (Pesach) is incomplete without spiritual direction (Shavuos, the giving of the Torah), which is why such halachists as German-Spanish R’ Jacob ben Asher (Baal Haturim) and R’ Joseph Karo (Shulchan Aruch) “attach” the laws of sefira to the laws of the Pesach seder.

The Baal Haturim also presented a pragmatic reason: Jewish farmers were so busy harvesting the fields away from home that they were concerned they would miss the beis din’s Rosh Chodesh announcements; thus in order to insure that they kept Shavuos timely they “counted” the days themselves.

This opinion, that there is no intrinsic significance to omer counting other than to know when Shavuos falls, is contested by Italian Rabbi Ovadia Sforno who argues that counting is a form of ongoing tefilla in and of itself for a successful harvest, separate and apart from Shavuos.

R’ Yeruham of Provence hedges his bets: he argues that there are two separate mitzvos; one still binding, one not: the former being the 50-day count in order to get to Shavuos, the latter being the seven week count from the offering of the omer. Meanwhile the anonymous 13th-century Spanish author of Sefer Hachinuch, which lists and elaborates on the 613 mitzvos, disagrees with them all: rejecting the pragmatic and agricultural linkage he claims that the psychology behind counting towards Shavuos was simply a reinforcement of a “desire to reach that time [of receiving the Torah]”.

But why do we still “count” today in the 21st century? Especially when there are no longer offerings, no Temple, nor any needy kohanim to support?

This is not a new question. R’ Amemar, the prominent scholar from

Babylon and the dayan of Mahuza, insisted on counting days but not weeks, and argued zecher l’Mikdash hu, that the mitzvah to count was no longer

satisfied, bless your G-d for the good land He has given you.”)

Remarkably, nothing has changed since then. Even in today’s techno-

obligatory, only commemorative, on the basis of a Talmudic adage known as noheg b’zman haBayit, “operative only in the time of the Mikdash.”

But this position fell by the wayside the moment the Rambam declared sefira counting a valid obligation “in full d’Orayta.”

R’ Mordechai Rosen, a Modzhitzer chossid, uses a classic example of discovering “hidden” messages by rearranging the three Hebrew letters that immediately precede and follow the word omer to get kales (“praise”) and nefesh (“soul”). This, he suggests,

world of supermarkets, frozen foods, and microwave ovens, at a time when it is hard for us to visualize that our ancestors spent a thousand years focused on farming, Jews still start (washing hands) and end (benching) each meal with similar Thanksgiving blessings and customs.

Consider: at the start of the wheat crop there must have been an understandable trepidation amongst our farming ancestors who faced the trauma of starvation as their families ricocheted between feast and famine.

The omer period overlapped with this

Even in today’s techno-world of supermarkets, frozen foods, and microwave ovens, Jews still start (washing hands) and end (bensching) each meal with similar Thanksgiving blessings and customs. makes the nature of the sefira bridge one of internal praise for all that the Heavens provided, which is why the “count” is done together as a group, in conscious unison as a nation.

This brings us back to the rabbinic determination to maintain a powerful bond of memory to the ancestral soul and soil of Israel. And so the count continued. As does the thanksgiving; a count-me-in campaign akin to a national “Thank You” card to the Heavens. (“When you have eaten and are

agricultural uncertainty; the tension of sudden changes of weather reflected in the Hebrew word chamsin, which describes a hot dry wind but is derived from the Arabic meaning of ‘fifty,’ indicative of how often the dryness burnt the farmer’s stalks of ripening wheat, thus threatening the entire Jewish community’s sustenance.

“All hope is lost if you are afraid,” cautioned the Torah, so perhaps counting was a way of harnessing their fears?

The Jews punctuated each day and each week with a blessing that kept one eye on a count that got higher and higher until all Jewish anxieties melted, tensions were relieved, and the ordeal of waiting for the first sight of grain, olives or grapes (the three staple crops recorded in the Torah) was over, leading to the post-offering pungent smells of burnt bread wafting in the early summer air of Jerusalem.

Which reminds me of a Yiddish saying: The Heavens rejoice when the Jews rejoice. In this case the Jews rejoiced when the wheat and fruit summer crop of the land fed them.

No wonder G-d directed that this anticipatory joy climax with the simcha of Shavuos, a rapturous yom tov replete with costumes, parades, and decorations in both the Temple, where the kohen was obviously happy with his new gifted food baskets, and at home, where the wife and children were obviously happy to see the fruits of their farmer-husband-father finally on the dining room table.

And so, on the first Shabbat of the omer, when the dates of the new month of Iyar are announced, it is a minhag to bake the challah in the shape of a house key and sprinkle sesame seeds on it; the “key” is for good luck (sustenance, parnassa, etc.) and the seeds are a reminder that the first signs of life-preservation (manna) occurred in the month of Iyar.

Writing about food has made me hungry. And reminds me of the gemara’s common-sense declaration, Im ein kemach, ein Torah, “If there is no flour then there is no Torah.”

This helps explain why each simcha seems to be obsessed with…food!

Consider: The completion of Torah study is followed by a seudas mitzvah, a “happy meal.” The very first Torah blessing is on food (manna). The only explicit blessing in the entire Torah is related to, yes, food (Birkas HaMazon).

Meanwhile R’ Huna, rosh yeshiva of Sura in Babylon, advises aspiring Torah scholars not to live in a town “where you cannot get vegetables!”

Joe Bobker, alumnus of Yeshivas HaRav Kook in Jerusalem, is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Times, author of the popular Torah With a Twist of Humor series and the 12-volume Historiography of Orthodox Jews and the Holocaust to be published next summer by Gefen Press, Jerusalem. He can be reached at jbobker@aol.com.

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s e l i M y M FREE

Yehuda Schwartz 516-967-9740 yehuda@freemymiles.com

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Cover Story Nachum Soroka

SHALOM, SHALOM, V’EIN SHALOM

Mideast Peace Talks Fall Through Once Again

W

ith last week’s unequivocal declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu that the current peace talks with Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian government are, for the time being, over after Abbas formed a unified government with the terrorist group Hamas questions abound. The two sides have been negotiating since 1993.Was there any hope that these negotiations would lead to anything more than we have seen in close to ten years? Were these talks ever any more than another overreaching attempt by the hyper-ambitious US Secretary of State John Kerry to shape foreign policy? Is Mahmoud Abbas another Yasser Arafat who has no intention of having an Arab-sanctioned Jewish State part of his legacy or is he just a fearful follower of Hamas?

One may argue that this round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was doomed from the start. For one, Kerry, the statesman who urged the sides to meet close to nine months ago, has been of the less amenable characters to Israeli interests, especially in recent months. Just two weeks ago he made headlines for dramatically testifying to the US Senate that the Israelis were derailing the peace talks with a big “poof”. That was only weeks after he warned the Israelis with threats of inter-

national boycott and a third intifada. As time goes on, it is becoming increasingly clear that Kerry’s intentions, perhaps not unlike most of his kind, but definitely more transparent than his predecessors’, are not about solving the issues, but of finally creating a legacy for his career in politics. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has quipped, “The only thing that can ‘save’ us is that John Kerry will get a Nobel Peace Prize and leave us alone.” Unfortunately, Kerry’s tact may be his worst enemy.

in the event of an impasse.

Additionally, Mahmoud Abbas himself has proven to be someone who is unwilling to be the Anwar Sadat of his day. Already, in 2008, he walked away from then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s offer of close to six percent of Israeli territory and large amounts of refugee absorption. The offer even included international control of the Temple Mount, with three of the five nations in charge of the area Arabs. Olmert said of Abbas: “From that time, I

One may argue that this round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was doomed from the start.

Kerry’s decision to hold the talks in absolute confidentiality, with only American mediator Martin Indyk and his American counterparts privy to the details and progress, has also proven to be a grave mistake that did not allow the possibility of outside, foreign help

am still waiting for his telephone call.”

Moreover, Abbas’ Fatah government has never been in control of significant Palestinian territories, such as Gaza. At 79, and with rival, more Islamist factions to contend with, Abbas is a very weak leader who is in a position where

it takes incredible amounts of courage and strength to reach a handshake with the Israelis. Indeed, last week’s pact formed with Hamas is testimony to Abbas’ standing in the Palestinian territories.

Nine months ago, at the beginning of negotiations, however, prospects of reaching a solution were somewhat promising. The Israelis promised to release over one hundred prisoners— many of them murderers—in exchange for the promise that the Palestinians would not petition members of the UN for state status. (In March, though, the Palestinian Authority reneged and signed fifteen UN conventions.) Then, on the second day of negotiations, July 29, never one to hold his cards close to his chest, Abbas boldly declared, “In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli – civilian or soldier – on our lands.”

Kerry’s stated purpose in arranging the talks was to put an end to the conflict for good. On the table and up for the discussion was the full range of issues that have concerned both sides since the beginning of the conflict: Jerusalem, borders, refugees, security, settlements, division of resources, and international status. The Israelis insisted on a completely demilitarized Palestinian state with complete Israeli control of

impossible for him to reach any agreement with Israel without becoming known as a weak and compromising leader in the Arab world. It is much eas-

Did Kerry push too hard for peace?

ier for him to reconcile with the hardline Islamist factions that control over a third of Palestinian territories and turn his focus to governing within, while paying lip service to international demands to recognize Israel and condemn terror. Even so, last week, John Kerry said, “We will never give up our hope or our commitment for the possibilities of peace. We believe it is the only way to go, but right now obviously it’s at a very difficult point, and the leaders themselves have to make decisions.” Clearly, even Kerry himself has come around to realize that this battle is harder than he once thought.

MAY 1, 2014

cial statement last week that ended the talks was carefully worded so as not to rule out the possibility of restarting dialogue even past the April 29 deadline in the event that Abbas’ new unified government is not able to form. Hamas and Fatah have given themselves only a few weeks to reach an agreement regarding the exact composition of their unified government, and if one is unable to be reached, it is very likely that there will end up being no combined government in the PA. To be clear, however, both Fatah, which has never been too powerful in the Palestinian territories, and Hamas, which has been severely weakened with the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt this year, have plenty of incentives to reach a compromise with each other in the coming weeks. It should be noted, though, that both in 2011 and 2012, reconciliations between Fatah and Hamas proved fruitless.

Whatever clarity can be gained from the past nine months, which have been loaded with uncertainty, is small. Abbas seems to be in a difficult position from where, having already walked away from a deal from Olmert which offered much more than anything a Netanyahu government will ever offer, it is almost

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new housing in parts of the West Bank.

The talks were allotted nine months, and ended on April 29. Whatever progress was being made up until last week came to a crashing halt when Mahmoud Abbas announced a new unified government between his Fatah party and the openly hostile Hamas. Following the announcement, Netanyahu’s government released a statement that it “decided unanimously that it will not negotiate with a Palestinian government that incorporates Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel.” Netanyahu also introduced new sanctions against the PA government after their announcement. Abbas, however, claims that his new government will still recognize Israel, be committed to nonviolence, and is dedicated to continuing peace talks. Yet Israel’s reaction is understandable. Avigdor Liberman, Israel’s foreign minister, said he “will not As usual, Israeli and Palestinian demands accept a [Palseem to be too far apart for reconciliation estinian] govthat refugee status for Palestinians can ernment that openly receives its authorbe inherited from generation to genera- ity from Hamas, an organization that tion while the standard refugee status clearly speaks about violence, terror that applies in other parts of the world is and doesn’t recognize our right to exnot inheritable. Abbas has recently cre- ist and doesn’t recognize our previous ated a new demand with regard to these agreements.” The US agrees. Jen Psaki, refugees, called the “individual right.” a State Department official, said last That is, the Palestinians want the right week, “It’s hard to see how Israel can be of entry into Israel to be decided by expected to sit down and negotiate with each individual it applies to. This would a group that denies its right to exist.” create a mess for Israel if it would have Does all this necessarily mean that to contend with each and every person peace for Israel will not be attained this who claims to be a refugee individually. time around? With only two and a half All this is aside from the overriding Is- years remaining for President Obama’s raeli concern that a complete absorption last term in office, it seems highly unof refugees would bear a weight on the likely that his government would atcountry and its economy that may be too much.

Perhaps the most difficult issue for the two sides to reconcile regards land swaps and potential new settlements for a Palestinian state. Martin Indyk, the mediator from the US, claimed that the negotiations were leading to an agreement that would allow over eighty percent of the contested land that is populated to When Hamas and Fatah laugh together it isn’t funny for Israel be officially recognized as Israeli while Israel would swap some tempt another round of negotiations afunpopulated land to the Palestinian ter the last grueling nine months failed state. Israel was also ready to allow the so abruptly. But, Israeli officials have Palestinians to begin construction on been quick to point out that their offi-

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airspace and radio waves. The Israelis were also to retain the right to deploy military resources into Palestinian territory and would keep forces in parts of the Shomron to protect planes from rocket attacks by Arab terrorist groups.

The reason for Israel’s rigidity should be clear: with whatever military capabilities the Palestinians have been given in the past, they have used them for terror and offensive attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.

The issue with refugees and their “right of return” has always been a thorny one for Israel. The UN definition of refugee with regard to Palestinians is different than the regular definition used for other peoples. The UN holds

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Kosherology

87 Alex Idov

Fun for the Day Travel with Kosherology

Stone Barnes Center for Agriculture On a recent trip to the Monsey/Monroe area of New York, my father and I decided to venture off to Pocantico Hills (Westchester county), home of the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Located less than an hour away from Monsey in the beautiful Hudson River Valley, the Stone Barns Center is a must-see tourist attraction for any hardcore foodie.

Figuring that I would soon be attending college with a major in culinary sustainability, we made visiting the center a high priority trip, as it paints a vivid picture of the “farm-to-table” culinary world. The Stone Barns Center is a non-profit farm that acts as an educational center which promotes the knowledge of sustainable agriculture and local farming. The beautiful farm sits on 80 acres of colorful pastures which were once home to a Rockefeller estate (I guess that explains why it’s the most beautiful barn I’ve ever seen—commissioned

by John D. Rockefeller, himself). While there you can get up close and take a good look at all of the livestock including sheep, cattle, chickens, turkeys, and pigs.

The premises also contain vegetable gardens (greenhouses) and outdoor fields, which are used to grow over 200 varieties of produce year round. Here they grow an array of vegetables, many of which are

rare varieties, by only natural means (no pesticides, etc.). The only downside about visiting Stone Barns Center is that the restaurant on the premises, which serves food that was raised and grown on their farm, is unfortunately not kosher. But don’t let that deter you from going to visit this beautiful and educational farm with the family. I’m still trying to get over the fact that this place and its surrounding towns and villages are located only 27 miles from the bustling streets of Manhattan. True it is a little cold outside, but the warm spring weather is just around the corner!

Visitors can get more information about the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture at www.stonebarnscenter.org. Located at 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills (Tarrytown) NY, 10591; (914) 366-6200.

Ben & Jerry’s Factory Summer is just around the corner....the days are growing longer and the weather is starting to get warm (hopefully!), and when the weather is warm, it’s time to break out that favorite summer treat: ice cream! Or better yet...travel to the source of one of the world’s favorite ice cream factories: Ben & Jerry’s.

The Ben & Jerry’s Factory is located in the beautiful countryside of Waterbury, Vermont, (5 ½ hours from the NY metro area) and is “must-do” summer activity for every ice cream enthusiast. The Ben & Jerry’s Factory tour is a fun and educational 30 minute guided tour around the real factory...think “Willy Wonka,” only minus the Oompa Loompas and crazy tour guide. The price for admission is $4 for an adult, $3 for senior citizens, and kids 12 and under are free...which is pretty awesome considering that the tour includes a free scoop of the day (and a scoop of ice cream alone at a B & J shop costs around the same price).

After purchasing your tickets, the tour begins with meeting your tour guide who proceeds to take you to the “Cow over the Moon” theater where you are shown a short film on what makes Ben & Jerry’s, well, Ben & Jerry’s. From there you go to a glass-enclosed mezzanine where you look down into the actual factory where all of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the U.S. is made (no pictures allowed from hereon in).

Thankfully, I was at the factory on a day that there was ice cream production scheduled, so I actually got to see them packaging the ice cream, as they had already finished mixing the batch that day. Any part of the production process is cool to watch.

Of course, the most exciting part of the tour is the final visit of the guided portion of the

tour: the flavo-room. In the flavoroom, you get to sample a fresh batch of ice cream (the flavor of the day when I went was mint chocolate chip), and if you don’t care for the featured flavor, they always have a backup option for you to sample. In the flavoroom, you also get to see a real Ben & Jerry’s food scientist and culinary artist developing new flavors for Ben & Jerry’s (talk about a cool job—literally!). The guided portion of the tour ends there, and then you are free to explore the B & J’s awesome gift shop and their famed flavor graveyard, where you can pay your respects to retired flavors (they have tombstones and all…).

Ben & Jerry’s is under the hashgacha (kosher supervision) of the Chof-K. The factory is located at 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury, VT 05676

Alex Idov is a kosher food blogger who runs the award-winning site ‘Kosherology’ and a regular contributing food columnist to The Jewish Home magazine. He is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Sustainability & Hospitality. Visit ‘Kosherology’ at www.exploretheworldofkosher.com and like ‘Kosherology’ on Facebook.

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Aliza Beer, MS, RD

P

5. Eat Dinner Before 7:00 pm: Whatever you eat from dinner and on will be converted and stored as fat, so the earlier you eat, the better. Avoid late night meals!

6.

Exercise: The weather is getting warmer (finally!); go for long walks, bike, or swim. The more you move, the more you’ll burn. Running or jogging at a pace of over 8 mph will allow you to burn at least 1,000 calories per hour. Also, swimming is amazing for your body and helps you burn calories faster, without stressing inflamed joints.

7.

Be Prepared: Never leave the house for the day without a plan.

You should either bring your meals/ snacks with you, or have a plan as to where/what you will be picking up your food.

Now is the perfect time to get a jumpstart on your diet!

The challenges of the holidays and bitter cold are in the past, leaving us at the right moment to look at our current eating lifestyles. Summer is the perfect time to make your change to a healthier life. It will be invigorating to lose all those unwanted extra pounds accumulated over the past few months. Like every challenge, a plan is needed to be successful. We all must be tenacious about our eating habits. A gezunten summer!

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a Master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show.

Aliza’s new line of prepared, healthy meals-togo are available at Gourmet Glatt. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com.

MAY 1, 2014

esach is over and it’s time for summer! The warm weather is almost here, so it’s the perfect time to come out of our winter and holiday hibernation and greet the warm season with slim, healthy bodies.

Pesach was a major challenge regarding dieting. The plethora of food and meals combined with an overall lack of exercise posed many problems for those concerned with their weight. A diligent diet and exercise program is necessary to lose those unwanted pounds.

1. Avoid White Flour: Choose multi-grain or whole grain breads, brown rice, and sweet potatoes over their white counterparts. Fiber will make you feel full, keep your GI track run smoothly, and help you lose those pounds. Quinoa is another great carb that contains some protein in it.

2. Eat Protein: Try to eat lean proteins at every meal, like egg whites, fish, chicken and turkey.

Fish will help you lose weight and also will give your body oil to maintain good skin. Just a salad without a protein at lunch is not enough to satiate you for the day and can lead to snacking on undesirable foods for a quick fix.

3. Drink Water: Try to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Drink 1 – 2 cups of water before each meal and you will find that you will eat less. Alcohol consumption is harmful to your diet since it metabolizes as fat.

4. Snack on Fruit and Veggies: Avoid snacking on cookies, cake, chips, and pretzels. Eat raw, not dried, fruits and veggies to fill you up with good nutrition.

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78

n g i S l i a m E r u o Y t Wha u o Y t u o b A s y a S Off Thx = I am hip (or too lazy to write the whole word…and some of the letters on my keyboard seem to be missing)

Take it easy = You’ll never see me again

Thanks = You are generically important to me

Enjoy the rest of your day= Hopefully it’s going better than mine

Thanks! = I hope the exclamation point means as much to you as it does to me

Have a blessed day = I am so spiritual

Many thanks = Zero thanks

Adios = I know one word of Spanish, but I hope you think I am bilingual

Thank you = I am furious with you

TTYL= OMG, we have to go for lattes some time soon

Regards = I really couldn’t care less

Respectfully = Please don’t ever ask me if I really respect you

Kind regards = I really couldn’t care less, but this is my way of appearing like I could

Enjoy your weekend = Please don’t reply to this email today; I want to get out of the office already

KR = I couldn’t even be bothered to write the full words, that’s how kind my regards are

Let me know how you want me to proceed = The last time we got into this mess you were supposed to communicate with me and you didn’t

Sincerely = Insincerely

Please confirm receipt of this email= I have zero trust in you

Cheers = Look how normal I am

:) = Please realize that I am a lovable little fuzz-ball

Bye = Go jump in a lake

;) = Please realize that I am a lovable little fuzz-ball (but not a perfectionist)

Best wishes for continued success = I would rather be writing Hallmark cards Thank you for your time = You really think you are the busiest person in the world, but please read this email

Later = I am really not formal, so let’s deal with this “coolly” Peace – In my next lifetime I want to come back as a 1960s hippie

Looking forward to hearing from you = REPLY IMMEDIATELY

Riddle!

A Texas rancher hitched up his horse and traveled to Mexico. When he was there he visited his cousins and two friends.

The whole round trip took four days. But he went on Wednesday and came back on Wednesday. How could this be?

Answer below

Answer to riddle: His horse’s name was Wednesday.

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2. What is Cinco de Mayo meant to commemorate? a. A tragic event in which 15 tons of Mexican-bound mayonnaise sunk at sea b. A historic battle c. The founding of Mexico d. A national hero 3. What does the term “Cinco de Mayo” mean in English? a. Mayan Day b. Celebration of May c. The fifth of May d. May Day 4. What is the official name of Mexico? a. United Mexican States

b. Mexico Istacoville c. Mexican Federation d. Mexico 5. Which one of the following U.S. states was never part of Mexico? a. California b. Nevada c. Utah d. Arizona e. Oregon f. New Mexico g. Colorado h. Wyoming 6. Mexico’s population is: a. 17 million b. 35 million c. 72 million d. 120 million 7. What is Mexico’s national drink, tequila, made of? a. Coconut juice

MAY 1, 2014

1. Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of which national heritage? a. Spanish b. Brazilian c. Mexican d. Venezuelan

b. Agave c. Hops d. Corn ANSWERS: 1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A (Mexico has 31 states) 5. E 6. D 7. B WISDOM KEY 6-7 correct: Great job! You deserve a nonalcoholic tequila!

3-5 correct: You are so-so—and you thought that eating burritos made you an expert on Mexico 0-2 correct: You cracked on this one like a stale taco

You Gotta be

Kidding!

Two Americans, Bob and Jeff, decide to go bungee jumping in a small village in Mexico. They carefully set up their equipment and are all ready for their adventure.

Bob jumps, bounces at the end of the cord and flies back up by the platform. Jeff isn’t able to catch his friend, but he notices that Bob has a few cuts and scratches.

Bob falls again, bounces, and comes back up. This time, he is bruised and bleeding. Again, Jeff misses pulling Bob up.

The third time it happens, Bob comes back pretty messed up; he’s got a couple of broken bones and is almost unconscious. Luckily, Jeff finally catches him and says, “Holy cow, what happened? Was the cord too long?”

“No,” says Bob. “The cord was fine, but the birthday party down there thinks I’m a piñata!”

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T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 2 4 , 2012

Cinco De Mayo Trivia

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43

A Parsha Thought

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

The Greatest Gift of All Rabbi Shmuel Silber

how we use our time. It is true – there may not be enough time to accomplish everything you want to accomplish – so choose carefully. Decide what is important and focus your energies.

We are limited in the duration of our time in this world, but have sole discretion as to how to use the time we are given. Time is the start-up capital for our greatest initiative – life. Invest it wisely.

Perhaps, this why the Torah uses the word “Lachem, for you” by both of the aforementioned commandments.

God is not simply telling us to count.

He is instructing us to “make it count for your selves.” The month is yours – decide what you are going to accomplish. The week is yours – decide what needs to get done. The day is yours – contemplate how to maximize and squeeze precious meaning and productivity from every holy moment.

As we bask in the after-glow of Pesach and feel the anticipatory excitement of re-experiencing the Sinaitic revelation of Shavuos let us use these days and weeks of the Omer to take responsibility for our time and use it wisely. w

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“And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering seven weeks; they shall be complete. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, [namely,] the fiftieth day, [on which] you shall bring a new meal offering to the Lord (Vayikra 23:15-16).”

God commanded us to count the days from Pesach leading up to Shavuos. A seemingly simple commandment aimed at linking these two experiences. We are taught that exodus was not an ends; it was a means to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. We were not taken out of Egypt simply to be free and without a human master.

We were emancipated because we had (and have) something to contribute.

Our nation has the ability to be a light unto the nations. But in order for the light to burn and illuminate there must be fuel. The Torah is our fuel, the commandments are the oil for our national wick allowing us to burn bright and dispel the darkness. We count the days from Pesach to Shavuos to remind ourselves that our freedom must be used for spiritual accomplishment.

We count the days of Omer to remind ourselves of our national mandate to make this world a better place.

There is something very interesting about the verbiage used in the

verse quoted above. The Torah does not simply tell us “to count,” rather, God instructs us, “And you shall count for yourselves, U’Sfartem Lachem.”

What is the meaning of this phrase “Lachem, for you”?

It is intriguing that a number of our initial commandments and mitzvos share a common theme – time. The first national mitzvah was Kiddush HaChodesh, sanctification of the new moon. God told Moshe, “HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem Rosh Chodashim, this month is for you the first of all months (Shemos 12:2).” Again, we see this same word “Lachem, for you.” Two of our initial commandments – both focused on time. Perhaps, God was trying to convey to us an all-important lesson for meaningful living. Kiddush HaChodesh (sanctification of the new month) reminds us that we control our months and Sefiras HaOmer (the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuos) reminds us that we control our days and our weeks. We control our time.

Time humbles all men. Influence, power and connections can get you many things. But the one thing that no amount of “protexia” can procure and acquire for you – is time. Time is a finite, non-renewable resource.

No matter how much you yearn for more – you simply can’t create it.

However, although you can’t generate additional quantities of time – you can most definitely control what you have been given. Time is the greatest treasure God bestowed upon us as a free nation. It is the currency of accomplishment and self-advancement.

Without it you can do nothing, go nowhere; with it, the sky is the limit.

People often say “if only I had more time - there are so many things I would like to do.” These mitzvos remind us that we have complete autonomy over

T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 2 4 , 2012

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MAY 1, 2014

44 90

Notable

Quotes

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?”

When I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in.

I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.

– Michael Bloomberg while talking to the New York Times about his efforts to eliminate smoking, obesity and gun violence In honor of Earth Day, Apple announced that it will recycle all of its used products for free. That’s right, they’re recycling Apple products.

And then Samsung said, “Beat you to it.”

- Jimmy Fallon Here’s the attitude: “Ohhhh, don’t make me do this.

Ohhhh, this is too hard.”

- Speaker of the House John Boehner talking about his fellow Republicans attitude on immigration reform It wasn’t mocking, listen, you all know me. You tease the ones you love.

- Ibid., after facing a backlash from Republicans

Dutch designers have created a baby’s onesie that comes with built-in Wi-Fi. That way, your child can search the web for better parents.

- Seth Myers

A two-state solution will be clearly underscored as the only real alternative. Because a unitary state winds up either being an apartheid state with second-class citizens or it ends up being a state that destroys the capacity of Israel to be a Jewish state.

– Secretary of State Kerry to a group of senior foreign policy officials

I have had the privilege of meeting literally every major world leader in the last five years.

- Vice President Joe Biden

I do not believe, nor have I ever stated, publicly or privately, that Israel is an apartheid state or that it intends to become one.

Second, I have been around long enough to also know the power of words to create a misimpression, even when unintentional, and if I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word to describe my firm belief that the only way in the long term to have a Jewish state and two nations and two peoples living side by side in peace and security is through a two-state solution.

- Ibid., after facing a fierce backlash

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is running for re-election, and he’s got a catchy campaign slogan: “Forget my first term. I was on crack.”

A zoo in China has a depressed panda so they just installed a TV in its cage to cheer it up. Then the panda said, “Or, you could just let me out of animal jail.”

- Jimmy Fallon

- David Letterman Domino’s debuted a new pizza where instead of dough, they’re using fried chicken. It’s called “Domino’s deep dish you’re all going to die.

- Conan O’Brien

Next week Google will give the public the chance to buy its $1,500 Google Glass, finally ending the stereotype that people who wear glasses are smart.

- Jimmy Fallon

I am a bully!

- The sign an Ohio judge made a 62-year-old man hold for five hours on the a street corner after he was convicted of harassing a neighbor’s disabled children

I never know what to get the Earth for Earth Day. So I just bought it an iTunes gift card and buried it.

– Jimmy Kimmel

It’s nice to meet you.

– What a robot said to President Obama when he visited the Miraikan museum, which showcases Japanese emerging science and innovation.

I can kick a soccer ball, too.

- Ibid.

OK, come on.

- President Obama in response, before playing soccer with the robot

If you look at the results of what we’ve done over the last five years, it is fair to say that our alliances are stronger.

- President Obama discussing his foreign policy with Ed Henry of Fox News

- Conan O’Brien The happy song makes me HAPPY. - A Facebook message that a 32-year-old North Carolina woman posted while she was driving. (Less than a minute later she was killed in a fatal accident) A pharmaceutical company in Canada is offering $47 billion to buy the company that makes Botox. People at Botox were pretty excited — I mean, you should’ve seen the look that wasn’t on their faces.

– Jimmy Fallon

A Kansas man on trial for first-degree murder wants to remove a tattoo across his neck reading “murder” because he’s worried it might prejudice the jury. Though he might be able to create reasonable doubt by just adding a question mark.

– Seth Myers

I absolutely would save Mr. Putin if he were drowning. If anybody is out there drowning, I would save them. I used to be a pretty good swimmer, I grew up in Hawaii.

– President Obama, at a press conference in South Korea

Yesterday Hillary Clinton admitted she is thinking about running for president.

Though it would be more shocking if she admitted to ever thinking about anything else.

– Seth Myers

Joe Biden said the U.S. will help Ukraine with financial aid as long as the leaders tackle corruption. Because if anything stops corruption, it’s bribing someone to stop corruption.

– Jimmy Fallon

A Southwest Airlines pilot who famously landed at the wrong airport has retired. He tried to retire to Florida but ended up in Alabama.

- Conan O’Brien

I’m beginning to think there’s more freedom in North Korea sometimes than there is in the United States.

We don’t carry that kind of stuff, so I sent out people to CVS to buy it.

– The owner of a high-end Manhattan restaurant explaining what he did when Warren Buffett was dining there last week and asked for a Cherry Coke and Dairy Queen

Hillary Clinton is going to be a grandmother. She’s very excited about it. She’s home right now knitting a tiny pantsuit.

- David Letterman

- Mike Huckabee at the New Hampshire Freedom Summit I think the pact with Hamas kills peace. If it moves forward it means that peace moves backward. As the State Department said yesterday, the ball is in the Palestinian court. I hope they dribble it in the right direction. Right now they are kicking it backward.

- Prime Minister Netanyahu during an MSNBC interview, after the Palestinian Authority entered a unity government with Hamas

- Words printed on the T-shirt of a Hayward, California, man, as he robbed a bank last week Mr. Snowden, you are a former agent, a spy; I used to be working for an intelligence service, so we are going to talk one professional language. We don’t have a mass system of such interception, and according to our law, it cannot exist. But we do not have a mass scale uncontrollable efforts like that, I hope we won’t do that and we don’t have as much money as they have in the States, and we don’t have these technical devices that they have in the States. Our special services, thank G-d, are strictly controlled by the society and by the law and regulated by the law.

- Vladimir Putin at a public question-and-answer session when asked by Edward Snowden (via video) whether Russia had similar surveillance programs as the United States

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, in the coming months I will be passing the baton to my friend and colleague, Sylvia Burrell.

- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (who oversaw the glitch-plagued rollout of the Obamacare website) in an email to the entire HHS Department, announcing that she is leaving her post. Her successor’s last name is actually Burwell Unfortunately, a page is missing.

- Ibid., the following day during her farewell speech at the White House, when she noticed that she was missing a portion of her speech

MAY 1, 2014

Yesterday, North Korea held its annual marathon.

Congratulations to first, second and third place winner, Kim Jong Un.

He’s a decent and brave man, he would do it.

- Ibid., when asked by a six-year-old girl during a TV appearance if the US president would come to his rescue if he were drowning

I have issues

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

Basement now! Basement now! Let’s go, now!

- A Mississippi meteorologist during a live TV broadcast when a tornado touched down abruptly

To a certain extent, trust has been lost. But we do not think we are to blame. The United States can act in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, but Russia is not allowed to defend its interests.

– Vladimir Putin

T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 2 4 , 2012

Is that somebody throwing something at me? Is that part of Cirque de Soleil? My goodness, I didn’t know that solid waste management was so controversial.

- Hillary Clinton, when someone threw a shoe at her during her address at the Scrap Recycling Industries meeting in Las Vegas

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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

MAY 1, 2014

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In the Kitchen Naomi Nachman

Super Summer Salads

D

uring the long summer Shabbat afternoons, we have a chance to enjoy a great sleep, read a book, and play with our children or grandchildren – all in one day! But once all have rested and played, the family all want to eat seuda shlishet.

People are always asking me what I serve Shabbat afternoon. Adults don’t want a yogurt, bowl of cereal, or tuna or egg salad on a challah roll. We like to eat something a little healthier and more sophisticated.

My husband and I love Greek salad. The salad described below is based on a Greek salad with a twist of the addition of the smoked salmon (lox).

When making the dressing, add fresh lemon juice as it will elevate the taste to another level.

If you prefer fresh salmon, you can season 1 pound of fresh salmon with salt, pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and two cloves of crushed garlic and bake it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 minutes at 350°. You can store the piece in the fridge until seuda shlishet and crumble it in the salad too.

I always double my dressings so I have them for during the week. They store well in a quart container in the refrigerator.

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.

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad To make this salad parve and use it as an appetizer, just leave out the cheese.

Ingredients 6 cups mesclun greens or 2 to 3 heads of romaine lettuce ½ pound smoked salmon, sliced thinly 2 medium avocados, chopped coarsely 1 medium red onion, sliced thinly ½ block of feta cheese, crumbled 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Handful of sliced black olives slices (optional) Dressing 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons honey 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil Preparation Combine greens, salmon, avocado, onion, tomato and feta in large bowl.

Whisk remaining ingredients in small bowl then pour over salad; toss gently.

Grilled Salmon with Spinach and Hearts of Palm Salad Ingredients 4 6 oz. slices of salmon 1 bag baby spinach 1 15 oz. can hearts of palm, sliced 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 avocado, cubed 1 container mushrooms, sliced ½ cup pine nuts Dressing ½ cup sugar 1 tsp salt ½ tsp mustard powder ½ tsp paprika ¾ cup canola oil

½ cup balsamic vinegar ½ cup ketchup 2 cloves garlic Preparation Using a grill pan brushed with olive oil on the stovetop, grill four 6oz. slices of salmon seasoned with salt and pepper for 20 minutes.

Toss vegetables in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a cruet or jar and shake well. Pour dressing over salad.

Place tossed, dressed vegetables on individual plates and the place a slice of salmon on top.

Mediterranean Eggplant Salad Ingredients 1 large eggplant Kosher salt Canola oil 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved ½ red onion, sliced into half-moon rings Juice of a fresh lemon 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic ½ teaspoon cumin Olive oil Preparation Slice the eggplant lengthwise into four spears, and then cut each spear across into 1 inch chunks. Arrange in a single layer on the counter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let the eggplant rest in the salt for half hour. (The salt will help get

rid of some of its bitterness.)Wash under running water and dry with paper towels.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add about 2 inches of oil. When the oil is hot (350° with an oil theremometer), fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant slices.

After the eggplant has drained, combine it with tomatoes, onion, lemon, garlic and cumin in a small bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add some salt if desired.

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