Registration Now Open for September 2019!
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
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Early Childhood Center by Attentive Behavior Care Miriam Newmark, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA, Clinical Director
N PA
Social Skills
DED S E
OT
CES!
SLP
Speech-Language Pathology
Toilet Training
Behavior Reduction
Occupational Therapy
Our newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility is specifically designed for your child with ASD. We offer the finest team of Behavior Therapists and Board Certified Behavior Analysts, and we now offer SLP and OT in addition to ABA Therapy! Attentive Behavior Care – A Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, and a name you can trust for your child with autism.
Call or email today for more information Contact Esty Bodek
410.424.7000 x146 | ebodek@attentivebehavior.com
Accredited Since 2016
Language Building
Get the care your child deserves!
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NEW E X
Play Skills
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ABA Therapy
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence has awarded Attentive Behavior Care with an Award of Distinction, recognizing the organization as a top behavioral service provider in the country.
www.attentivebehavior.com | 7103-B Milford Industrial Rd.
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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
THE CHESED FUND & PROJECT EZRA PRESENT
4th Annual Father’s Day
JUNE 13, 2019
JOIN US FOR A 12-HOUR
SHREDDING MARATHON!
On-site Shredding: 5-8pm Open for Dropoffs: 8am - 8pm
Sunday, June 16th, 2019*
Large & Small Appliances
Newspapers
Restaurant Equipment
Old Files
Bikes
Electronics
Flat Screen Monitors
Printers
Other Miscellaneous
Computers
Metal Items
NO SHAIMOS ACCEPTED!
NEW! DATA DESTRUCTION AVAILABLE Hard Drives, DVDs, & CDs
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Joe Kruk of MD Junk Removal and Seven Mile Market.
*RAIN DATE –SUNDAY, JUNE 23rd, 2019 To sponsor this event or for any questions email chesedfund@gmail.com. Donations appreciated.
Project Ezra
Of Baltimore
The Chesed Fund Limited is dedicated in memory of Mordechai & Rebecca Kapiloff, ע״ה, Dr. Bernard Kapiloff, ע״ה, and Rabbi Norman & Louise Gerstenfeld, ע״ה. Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc. is dedicated in memory of M. Leo Storch, ע״ה.
staiman.com
Clean Paper Products
staiman.com
Wires & Cords
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
Medications
Plastic Items Bottles & Containers CRT Monitors & TVs Furniture & Wooden Items Hazardous Materials (e.g., paint, chemicals, light bulbs)
staiman.com
Reasonable quantities of…
staiman.com
7 Mile Market Parking Lot (next to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf)
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CONTENTS COMMUNITY Around the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
JUNE 13, 2019
HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT
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Rabbi Zvi Teichman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rabbi Berel Wein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JEWISH THOUGHT
PEOPLE 613 Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
FEATURE Lieberman VS Netanyahu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
LIFESTYLES Health and Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 A Fulfilled Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 My Israel Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Dating Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Forgotten Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Mental Health Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Political Crossfire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Gluten Free Recipe Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 In The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Dear readers, The 13th principal of faith listed by Maimonides is, “I believe that the dead will be brought back to life.” Why is it so important that those who have passed away come back to physical life? What’s more, why is it a fundamental part of our emunah without which basic Jewish faith is incomplete? The short answer is that resurrection connects to the reasons we are here in the first place. The intent wasn’t that we fulfill our mission down here and then reap the reward in some spiritual dimension (as lofty a level it might be). The purpose is to remake physicality itself by infusing it with Torah and good deeds. The results of which will be seen once completed, but the process is happening right now. For belief in Hashem to be complete, we need realize that the world itself can, and indeed will, one day be a spiritual oasis where all previous generations come back – from the highest levels of Gan Eden! – to experience G-d down here. Avraham Avinu lived a life of truth, so he will come back in person to serve Hashem. Ruth gave up everything to join the Jewish people; she too will shine when returned to this world. Victims of the Holocaust killed al kiddush Hashem as well as regular Yidden and the righteous among the nations throughout all the generations will be here in this world to experience the essence of G-d.
NEWS
May we see the revelation of all this, in the very near future.
Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 National. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Wishing you a restful and meaningful Shabbos, Shalom
The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. All opinions expressed by the journalists, contributors and/or advertisers printed and/or quoted herein are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, Internet or another medium. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.
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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
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Around the Community
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
Baltimore/Silver Spring Yeshiva Middle School and High School Students Participate in CIJE’s Maryland Innovation Day 2019 By: BJLife/ Joseph Saltzman BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn
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n June 4, 2019 over 200 students from Bais Yaakov High School, Bnos Yisroel Middle School, Bnos Yisroel High School, Talmudical Academy Middle School, Talmudical Academy High School, Torah Institute Middle School, and the Yeshiva of Greater Washington Girls’ Middle School participated in CIJE’s Maryland Innovation Day 2019 at Bnos Yisroel. CIJE is a non-profit organization that promotes STEM education in Jewish day schools. CIJE has partnered with over 200 schools in 18 states across
the country, impacting over 45,000 students annually. The high school students presented their capstone engineering projects that they have been working on this past year. The projects are based on the Arduino microcontroller platform and incorporate aspects of computer programming, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. As engineering and entrepreneurship are closely related, the students also prepared business plans for how their projects could be further developed. The projects were divided into four categories based on their subject area and the highest scoring projects won 1st and 2nd place in each category. Additionally, the highest scoring projects in the areas of business, engineering, and presentation won special awards. The winners were:
Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare o 1st place: WheelAwake by Batsheva Rosskamm, Rivka Lerner, and Tamar Singman of Bais Yaakov (10th Grade). WheelAwake is a steering wheel cover designed to combat driver exhaustion by alerting drivers who are falling asleep and waking them up. o 2nd place: Posture Perfect by Naomi Prero, Neshama Luxenberg, and Devora Koshkarman of Bnos Yisroel (10th Grade). Posture Perfect is a shirt that alerts the wearer when they have bad posture, incentivizing them to have proper posture and alleviate chronic back pain. Digital Communication and Processing o 1st place: Just In Time by Elana
to soothe the baby; it also doubles as a baby monitor, transmitting to a standard radio alarm clock so that parents can hear their baby. o 2nd place: H.C.D. © by Zechariah Zaslow, Malkiel Shmidman, Pinny Turner, Moshe Lichtman, and Yitzchak Goldstein of Talmudical Academy (9th Grade). H.C.D. ©, the Helmet Concussion Detector, uses an accelerometer to monitor when a player may have been hit on the head with enough force to cause a concussion, at which time the device notifies the referee and medical staff with the player’s data so that they can determine if the player requires further injury evaluation. Robotics and Electromechanical Devices
cha Shmidman of Bnos Yisroel (11th Grade). Stay Protexted is a school bus safety system where each child scans a personal ID card when they board the bus, and the system sends a personalized text message on a smartphone app to their respective parents, indicating that their child has now boarded the bus. o The Honorable Judge Marvin Garbis Best Technical Engineering Award: Project SR by Moshe Massre, Yoseph Seinfeld, and Nesanel Blashka of Talmudical Academy (9th Grade). Project SR is a security system where an RFID ring can be used to unlock doors and send WiFi notifications. o The Saul Zaentz Award for Best Presentation: OVER ARMOUR by Chava Rina Benyowitz, Sarah Lencz,
Openden, Tali Ohsie, and Esther Rabinowitz of Bais Yaakov (10th Grade). Just In Time is a watch with a safety button which, when pressed, sends continuously updated GPS coordinates in a text message to an emergency contact; these text messages only stop being sent when the wearer scans their fingerprint. o 2nd place: FastTrack by Menucha Rooshanshad, Sara Leeba Caplan, and Elisheva Sara Steiner of Bnos Yisroel (9th Grade). FastTrack is a tracker unit that uses RFID technology to help librarians locate misplaced books in a library. Embedded Systems o 1st place: Blinky by Esther Gholian, Maya Herman, and Raichel Oshinsky of Bais Yaakov (10th Grade). Blinky is a smart pacifier: when a baby cries it lights up so that the baby can find it and then it plays a lullaby
o 1st place: Wiper Watchers by Malka Goldblatt, Racheli Gross, and Aviva Friedman of Bnos Yisroel (10th Grade). Wiper Watchers retrofits cars with a smart system that automatically turns windshield wipers on when it is raining and off when it no longer raining; it also automatically turns on headlights when either the windshield wipers are on or when it is dark outside. o 2nd place: The Personal Shopper by Racheli Fink and Esther Kramer of Bais Yaakov (11th Grade). The Personal Shopper is a robotic shopping cart that uses computer vision to follow a specific person while using ultrasonic sensors to avoid bumping into other people or obstacles. Special Awards o Best Business Plan Award: Stay Protexted by Bracha Dixler, Tzippora Fine, Adina Monderer, and Menu-
Sarah Solomon, and Esther Stiber and Basi Glazer of Bnos Yisroel (10th Grade). OVER ARMOUR is a basketball glove that contains sensors to notify a referee of a defensive foul when an offensive player is shooting and their arm is contacted by a defensive player. For the Middle School event, students were challenged to design a car powered solely by the elastic potential energy of rubber bands. They were restricted from using pre-made wheels or car parts and were therefore encouraged to be creative in their use of materials when building the cars. The cars then competed in head to head heats along a 48-foot race track where they scored points based on how far they went. After three rounds, 1st and 2nd place winners were selected from Continued on page 8
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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
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Around the Community both the boys’ and girls’ races. The winners were: Boys’ race o 1st place: Team Mickey Mouse (Michoel Dov Heyman, Yechezkel Kirshenbaum, and Menachem Kirshenbaum of Torah Institute) o 2nd place: Team Pollack (Ephraim Hersten and Yechezkel Polek of Torah Institute) Girls’ race o 1st place: Team Bolt (Chevi Breuer, Esther Leah Paige, and Tamar Lasson of Bnos Yisroel) o 2nd place: Team M8 (Miriam Rochel Waitzman and Menucha Leah Bloch of Bnos Yisroel) A special thank you to the Honorable Judge Marvin Garbis and the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation for their generous support of CIJE programming in the Baltimore area and CIJE’s Maryland Innovation Day 2019.
CIJE would also like to thank the following volunteer judges who spent hours reviewing the projects both before and during the event: o Rachel Dziatko, Researcher at the JHU Bragg Lab for Photochemistry o Chaya Fishman, Founder of the Jewish Woman Entrepreneur o Judge Marvin Garbis, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland o Angela Groszos, Engineer at the JHU chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space o Samuel Hamermesh, JHU Mechanical Engineering Student o Mariah Harris, President of Women of Mechanical Engineering Network at JHU o Chana Honick, Researcher at the JHU Bragg Lab for Photochemistry o Niel Leon, Senior Engineer at
JHU WSE Manufacturing o Brian Silverman, Engineer at Ready Set STEM o Judy Weiss, Director of Financial Analysis at The Shelter Group
o Isaac Wolman, CEO of Make It Real Congratulations to all of the participants on their impressive projects!
JCC Park Heights Announces Closing of Eden Café
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fter 15 delicious years of serving JCC Members and Guests, our friends at the Eden Café have decided it’s time to
close up shop. Their last day of serving meals was Friday June 7th. We thank them for being a great culinary partner for the entire JCC of Greater
Baltimore. Plans are in the works for a new vendor to take their place. Stay tuned for future announcements on this front.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
Residents, Officials Weigh In On Future Of Harborplace By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn
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ccording to a Baltimore Circuit Court filing, the owner of Harborplace is now being forced to sell the property after defaulting on its loan with Deutsche Bank, opening the door to new possibilities for the Inner Harbor. At one time, the Inner Harbor was an economic and cultural jewel for the city, but recently things have changed. Its latest owner is accused of neglecting the property and more and more stores have left. The question now can a new owner turn this place around? Baltimore’s Harborplace is getting ready to celebrate its 40th birthday
next year, but there may not be much to celebrate. According to court filings, the Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corporation has defaulted on its almost $80 million loan, so Harborplace has been placed in receivership. “They did mention that they were going to be in receivership, however they would still have control over what goes there,” Mayor Jack Young said. Young said the owners had assured him prior to the receivership that everything was fine. Now he’d like to see it demolished. “I would like to see it really torn down and redone. That would be my preference,” Young said. “Whenever something goes into
receivership, there’s always uncertainty because you don’t know what the ultimate outcome is going to be,” Donald Fry, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, said. Fry said he’s disappointed, but this could be a great opportunity. “Hopefully, the trustee will find a new owner that wants to invest and wants to turn it into the attraction that it is been for many years,” Fry said.
That sentiment is echoed by City Council President Brandon Scott. “I look at it as an opportunity for us to find someone who truly understands Baltimore to be the owner of that property,” Scott said. As for Baltimore residents, feelings are mixed. “I think they should redo it because this is where everybody goes and have fun and chill and everything,” resident, Destiny Freeman, said. “I think it’s OK to use a little redoing but the harbor is the harbor,” resident Jonette Smith said. There is no timeline in place, but the receiver, who is working in the best interest of the bank, will decide if it will continue to manage Harborplace or put it up for sale.
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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
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Around the Community
More Than Half Of City Employees Have E-mail Services Back After Cyber-Attack By: Staff Reporter
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn
B
altimore City officials have given an update on their efforts to make repairs after the cyber-attack on the city computer system five weeks ago.
The Mayor’s office says more than half of the city employees now have their email working once again. Water bills still cannot be sent out or paid online. The backlog of real estate transactions has been cleared, according to the Mayor. Staff have been doing those transactions by hand since the
ransomware attack. The city says it should have most of the employees’ emails back up and running by the end of next week. The City of Baltimore experienced the cyber-attack on May 7th. Full information on Baltimore City services can be found here.
Miami Beach Police Chief Heading to Baltimore By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn
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iami Beach Police Chief Dan Oates who announced his retirement from law enforcement in April, is heading to Baltimore. Oates will be heading a Department of Justice team as a consultant to advise the Maryland city under a new Public Safety Partnership grant, according to Miami Beach police
spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez. In his new role, Oates, 64, will be working with Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison and his staff to coordinate federal resources to reduce crime there. According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, the program provides a “framework for enhancing federal support of state and local law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved
in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.”
The Justice Department created the program in response to President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. Oates arrived in Miami Beach in June 2014 after serving as the police chief in Aurora, Colorado for nine years. He was the chief during the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre that left 12 people dead. He also served with the New York police department for 21 years.
Great New T itles A complete culinary collection for all your kosher cooking by Rivky Kleiman
More emunah for your children! by Rabbi David Ashear adapted by Leah Sutton illustrated by Sarah Zee The Living Emunah series has changed — improved, transformed — the lives of countless people. Living Emunah for Children will delight our children as they enjoy the fun stories and pictures and gently learn lessons of emunah.
Validation and professional advice… for when they’re needed most
On My Own… But Not Alone is a book for single women, widows, divorcees; indeed, for any woman dealing with the challenges of being alone. It is also for anyone who wants to be sensitive to their needs.
From Corporate LA to Arachim seminars: More of the amazing story of Rabbi Yossi Wallis by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer Incredible! 2 is filled with more fascinating stories, more adventures, more inspiring personalities from Rabbi Wallis’s dynamic life. The story is as incredible… as Incredible!
The remarkable life of a Torah builder Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz Gaon in Torah, Hatzalah legend, and Torah builder by Avrohom Birnbaum • He was a builder — and, later, a rebuilder — of Torah life, in Europe and the United States. • He enabled the students of the entire Mirrer Yeshivah to reach the safety of Shanghai. • In his own Mirrer Yeshivah in New York, he was like a father to all the talmidim. This is his story.
Popular author C. B. Weinfeld does it again! More stories of people who light up our world by C.B. Weinfeld She has a marvelous talent for finding greatness in the most unexpected places, sharing true stories that sometimes bring a tear to our eye and sometimes make us laugh. And always, always, they strengthen our belief in others and in our own potential for greatness.
Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)
Fallstaff Shopping Center 6830 Reisterstown Rd Baltimore Maryland 21215 Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com ¥ 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724) Phone:(410) 358-2200
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
Practical advice and personal stories by Ahava Ehrenpreis
The most INCREDIBLE! story continues
JUNE 13, 2019
Simply Gourmet — the title says it all. Open this magnificent cookbook and prepare to be transported to the wonderful world of Rivky Kleiman’s SIMPLE to prepare yet GOURMET in flavor recipes.
from THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
From the co-author of the Bais Yaakov Cookbook
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Around the Community
Measles Found In Two More States As Outbreak Grows To 1,022 Cases By: The Hill
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn
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he country’s worst measles outbreak in over 25 years has spread to two more states in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 41 new cases of measles in the past week, bringing the total to 1,022 cases as of June 6. For the first time in the current outbreak, cases of measles were confirmed in Virginia and Idaho. There are now confirmed cases in 28 states across the country.
The current outbreak through the first five months of this year is already the worst since 1992, and federal health officials have warned the country is at risk of losing its measles elimination status after the measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but this year’s outbreaks have been worsened by anti-vaccine groups that spread misinformation among vulnerable groups. Officials have been urging parents to vaccinate their children in an effort to combat the misinformation. “We cannot say this enough: Vaccines are a safe and highly effective
public health tool that can prevent this disease and end the current outbreak. The measles vaccine is among the most-studied medical products we have and is given safely to millions of children and adults each year,” Department
Shabbaton for Jews who are Both Deaf and Blind
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uring the weekend of June 14-16, 18 adults who are both Deaf and blind will experience a fully-accessible traditional Shabbat at the Pearlstone Center in Reisterstown, MD. Participants, who hail from across America (from Washington state to Washington, DC), Canada, and Israel, share the experience of living with a dual sensory disability and often miss out on Jewish experiences due to
lack of awareness, access, and accommodations. Sponsored by the Macks Center for Jewish Education, 55 very dedicated Deaf and hearing volunteers will create a Deafblind-friendly Shabbaton. Deafblind individuals will participate in Deafblind-centered Shabbat services with access via one-to-one interpreters and prayer books in Braille and large print, celebrate a Deafblind man’s Bar Mitzvah, enjoy hands-on sensory expe-
riences like making hamantashen, and participate in many traditional Jewish rituals. The weekend will also feature a HANDS-ON-HOLIDAY EXHIBIT with stations depicting various Jewish holidays. Deafblind guests, accompanied by interpreter-guides, will be greeted individually by knowledgeable docents at each holiday station, and will be able to don period costumes, touch 3-D panels depicting the history or meaning of each holiday, touch authentic Judaic artifacts
of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last week. Most of the measles cases are concentrated in New York, where two outbreaks have been raging in Rockland County as well as in Brooklyn and Queens. Most of these cases have involved members of the Orthodox Jewish community. As of June 10, there have been 262 confirmed reported cases of measles in Rockland County. As of June 3, the latest update, there have been 566 confirmed cases in New York City since the outbreak began in September.
used for celebrating each holiday, and taste foods and smell scents unique to each holiday. Deafblind participants are expected to leave the weekend with new knowledge about Jewish holidays and a closer connections to their Deafblind Jewish community. This is the sixth biannual Deafblind Shabbaton hosted by the Macks Center for Jewish Education. For more information, contact Yael Zelinger, yzelinger@cjebaltimore.org.
Renovations Additions New Construction
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JUNE 13, 2019
KOSHER SPRINGS MOUNTAINTOP RETREAT
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
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AU G 1 2 SEP 8
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BACK BECAUSE YOU LOVED IT!
Join us for another exhilarating vacation geared towards heimishe families at an adventure resort in Pennsylvania’s spectacular Laurel Highlands. ON-SITE ATTRACTIONS
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ALPINE SLIDES • MULTI-LEVEL MOUNTAIN BIKING • PADDLE BOATING • MINI GOLF • HYDROBIKES S E G WAY TO U R S • H O R S E BAC K R I D I N G • P O N Y & WAG O N R I D E S • F LY F I S H I N G • S U M M E R T U B I N G SHOOTING RANGE • HIKING • WORLD-CLASS ZIPLINE TOURS • ROCKWALL • PAINTBALL • SCENIC
B E AU T I F U L C O N D O S 1 - 4 B E D R O O M S , L / R , D / R , F U L L K I TC H E N STARTING AT JUST $1450 PER WEEK INCLUDING TAXES & FEES 3 NIGHT MINIMUM
Only 4.75 hours from Lakewood, 3 hours from Baltimore & Cleveland, 5.5 hrs from Monsey & 5.25 hrs from Brooklyn!
FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE RESORT // DAILY MINYANIM & BAIS MEDRASH OPTIONAL SHABBOS MEALS, DINNER & GROCERIES DELIVERED DAILY // SEPARATE SWIMMING HOURS
For more information and to see photos, menus, and feedback from our guests visit our website at www.koshersprings.com
W W W . K O S H E R S P R I N G S . C O M // RESERVE NOW FOR FIRST CHOICE OF DATES! 7 3 2 . 9 9 3 . 5 5 7 7 • i n f o @ k o s h e r s p r i n g s . c o m
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
CHAIRLIFT • BASKETBALL BOWLING • TENNIS COURTS • ARCADES • PLAYGROUNDS
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Around the Community
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
The Jewish Community Softball League (JCSL) by “Shimz Cars” Kicks Off Inaugural Season
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n Sunday, May 26th, on a beautifully sunny morning, the JCSL by Shimz Cars kicked off their inaugural season. All 8 teams who were scheduled to play, arrived promptly to the fields at Pikesville Middle School, ready to partake in this “adapted” take on our national pastime. Prior to the opening week, the league’s 108 players were divided between nine different teams via a draft system, ensuring parity in competition. The nine teams are each named for their individual team sponsors: AMUZE, Columbia Group, Fired Up Promotions, LBSI, Levin & Gann, Seven Seas Sushi, Stutman Chiropractic, The Kitchen Spot, and Uri Arnson Wedding Photography, Following the draft, teams were provided with their team jerseys, designed and manufactured by “Fired Up Promotions.” The jerseys, with their vibrant colors and impeccably dapper designs, have been well received. But as Dovid Addi (Mr. Fired Up himself) has stated again and again, “That’s the kind of results you can expect when you work with Fired Up Promotions.” All nine teams will compete for eight regular season games, with the top four teams facing off in a round of playoffs. The playoffs winners will then battle each other in the Computer Cure, MD championship.
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Week 1 Fired Up Promotions Stutman Chiropractics
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This match up looked like it was going to be a blow-out as Fired Up Promotions jumped to an early lead, scoring 6 in the 1st, while holding Stutman Chiropractics scoreless. But as chiropractors are wont to do, Stutman adjusted. After a scoreless second in which SC’s SS Hillel Stutman turned a nifty double play, the “Back Crackers” scored 2 in the 3rd and 6 in the 4th, ultimately taking a 9-8 lead in the 5th. That seemed to light a fire under Fired-Up Promotions who went on to score 5 in the 7th and 5
more in the 8th while only allowing 3 runs in the final 5 innings.
Tuchman and Katz swallowed everything hit towards them in the OF.
BJH publisher Moshe Rubin got the win, pitching all 9 innings for the Promoters. Fired Up CEO Dovid Addi was one of 3 players on his team with 4 hits. Uri Arnson Wedding Photography
Columbia Group
Fired Up Promotions Columbia Group
While Fired-up Promotions jumped out to an early lead, they had trouble holding it.
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Columbia Goup’s Moshe Abramson may speak softly but he carries a big stick as he homered in his first season action after missing game one, to help fuel the comeback. Josh Zaslow continued his potent hitting for Fired Up with a HR of his own to keep them within striking distance.
Uri Arnson Wedding Photography started off the season on the right foot by taking an early 12-0 lead into the 2nd, led by Moshe Tuchman and Yehuda Abedon. Columbia Group did a valiant job of keeping it close, narrowing the gap to 12-7 by mid-game. But UAWP quashed any plans for a comeback and finished it off in the 9th inning. Richard Buck was sharp in his pitching debut with 3 strikeouts and the defense was relentless, including “The Ageless One” Tali Strum showing off his quick reflexes, and Akiva Katz playing impressively in the outfield. UAWP players, Eitan Crystal, Shlomo Rosenstien, and Co-Captain Menshe Minkin all had solid performances as well.
Levin & Gann AMUZE
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Levin & Gann began the season in mid-season form with a strong showing in all 3 phases of the game. Captain, Yaakov Rappaport, pitched 9 innings giving up only 6 runs while striking out 2 and walking none. The defense shined with solid performances from all position players. On the hitting side, L&G exploded for 19 runs, at one point scoring 13 unanswered runs, thanks in part to 2 home runs and a triple by David “The Incredible and Inimical Hulk” Pensak. L&G tacked on 6 more runs to win via the mercy rule after 8 innings.
LBSI The Kitchen Spot
15 9
10 8
The Kitchen Spot started off hot, playing near perfect sofball for the first 5 innings of the game. TKS scored all 9 runs in those first 5 innings, and played errorless defense in those innings (including a memorable, one-handed grab by fleet-footed LF Yoni Strauss.) But in the 6th, the “Spotters” began to show their age, as 5 players experienced pulled muscles and had difficulty running the bases and playing their regular positions. LBSI played a complete game from start to finish, slowly chipping away at the lead and eventually, taking a lead they would not relinquish. Week 2 Uri Arnson Wedding Photography
AMUZE
26 5
The water continues to flow from the fountain of youth for team Uri Arnson Wedding Photography. Hurler Richard Buck had the AMUZE batters guessing at what to hit every pitch. On the hitting side, Tali Strum was a star, Menashe Minkin swung the bat well, Chaim Glazer got on base 5 times, and Russian Rookie sensation Leon Sheynman (called up that morning from the Ukrainian Independent League) slugged his first hit in the JCSL. The defense once again was superb with the “6-3” connection of Eitan Crystal and Shlomo Rosenstein. Yehuda Abedon made some tough plays at 3rd, and
Columbia was leading 8-6 after 7 as pitchers Aryeh Gross and Moshe Rubin kept this a low scoring affair. However in the bottom of the 8th, Fired-Up finally ignited. Josh Zaslow knocked in Shimon Siegelman to make it a one run game and then with two outs and two on, Yitzy Statman sent a rocket to right field which scored the tying and winning runs. FUP added one more before closing it out with a scoreless 9th for a final of 10-8. In the end, the much anticipated “Statman Bowl” saw big brother Yitzy come out on top as the hero while little brother Yanky will have to bide his time until Round 2.
Levin & Gann Seven Seas Sushi
14 2
Once again Levin & Gann took advantage of the mercy rule, winning 14-2 in 5 innings. L&G erupted for 6 runs in the 1st and 5 in the 2nd. Flashy defense less by Akiva Slepoy and David Pensak and solid hitting led by Shalom “The Beast who will Feast” Rybak proved too much for Seven Seas.
LBSI Stutman Chiropractic
20 6
Both teams played hard but ultimately, LBSI took the win.
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Family Coordinator Volunteer for Jewish Caring Network so far beyond any one thing that JCN provides, to an overall feeling of being cared for and making people really feel like they are not alone. I saw the impact they had on lives and I wanted to be a part of it on an ongoing basis
How Did You Get Started Volunteering for Jewish Caring Network? As a transplant to Baltimore it took me a while to learn about the wonderful local organizations. A few years ago my friend’s wife was sick and JCN got involved. As a friend I started doing small things for them with the guidance of JCN on how to be truly helpful. This experience really hit home for me as I saw JCN essentially surround a family in an embrace of caring. I saw how it goes
What Motivates You as a JCN Volunteer? JCN is at the core of what makes Baltimore a special connected community; they provide support to so many families. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have a hands-on positive impact on the lives of families undergoing illness. No matter how small the request, like delivering a recliner to a post-surgery patient, showing up lets people know that they are not alone. It is very meaningful to see firsthand how appreciative families are for the smallest thing because it means so much more to them to not shoulder the burden alone. Being involved in JCN gives me the opportunity to connect with other people who care deeply about our community and be inspired by them. It sounds
What Are the Other Benefits to Volunteering? As a parent it’s important to me to try and give over a sense of responsibility to the community. Children don’t necessarily see when their parents give financially to their community. Actively volunteering is very visible to them and promotes a culture of volunteering. When I run a quick errand, if appropriate I take my kids with me. The best way I can teach my kids is by showing themnot telling them- caring for others in our community is a priority. How Do You Fit Volunteering into Your Schedule? There is a lot of flexibility because there are so many different needs. Sometimes life is busier and I do less and sometimes I’m able to do more. For me JCN provides the infrastructure for me to effectively channel whatever amount of time I have available. When I first started, Stacey expressed that volunteers are the heart and soul of the Jewish Caring Network. The time they devote can change the experience of illness for a family. I want to be part of that so I make it a priority. How Can Other Men Volunteer? JCN has so many amazing volun-
teers but they need more men to get involved. Become a Big Brother, visit men in the hospital or at home, sing, play an instrument, enjoy a good game of chess. Learning with the patient or perhaps with a teen or young adult in the family who may need some extra attention if dad or mom is not well, escort and translate during medical appointments, deliver packages or nutritious meals to JCN and Tikva House families, become a family coordinator, adopt a Tikva House family – take them to Target, visit them during their Tikva House stay, tutoring hospitalized or recuperating children and/or their siblings. Why Are You Running in the JCN 5K? JCN looks out for and is there for my friends, neighbors and extended community when they need support. Fundraising is a way of showing I care and accepting what I see as my personal responsibility as a member of the community to look out for one another. The post run BBQ isn’t too shabby either! As a volunteer, I see firsthand the impact JCN has on families and I see tough choices JCN has to make. Every dollar I raise running will enable JCN to say YES to the many needs of JCN families. To Find Out More About JCN, Volunteering or To Donate: 410.602.6075, |info@jewishcaringnetwork.org |www. jewishcaringnetwork.org
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
How Did You End Up in Baltimore? I grew up in Far Rockaway NY and came down to Baltimore for an internship 11 years ago. I met my wife Lisa who was visiting from Northern Virginia at a Shabbos table. When we got married Baltimore was the perfect compromise in so many ways beyond just geography.
How Does JCN Help Families? Illness can have a devastating effect on families, both emotionally & financially. With this in mind, the Jewish Caring Network’s mission is to find ways to bring joy to the lives of families when a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious illness through various programs, activities and services.
cliché but spending time with my JCN families I have truly gotten so much more than I have given.
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The Week In News
Israel Ex-General Suddenly Quits Politics
Major General Tal Russo announced on Monday that he is quitting politics for good, only four months after joining the Labor party. Russo had been installed as number two on Labor’s list and was sworn into the Knesset following the elections in April. With the Knesset voting to dissolve itself earlier this month, Russo said this week that he decided not to return to his spot on the party’s slate. Announcing the news on Facebook, Russo he had agreed to join politics after a long military career but was discouraged by the internal strife that plagues the Labor party. “I entered politics about four months ago with major plans for change in the Labor Party and no less, for the State of Israel,” Russo wrote. “The reality we have encountered – early elections and the election of a party chairman in such a short period of time – does not allow me to do the things that I had hoped. I do not want to be a partner in the succession battles and therefore I am removing my candidacy for the position of chairman and from the list for the 22nd Knesset.” Labor leader Avi Gabbay responded by thanking Russo for the contributions he made to the party in the short time he spent in the Knesset. “I had the privilege of knowing Tal and to be with him before and after the elections,” said Gabbay. “From the
moment that he joined [Labor], Tal worked without stopping. He got to every place that he could influence things and speak with the public,” Gabbay continued, adding that Russo was motivated purely “by values and hard work.” Russo was seen as a senior Gabbay ally and his selection to such a high spot on Labor’s Knesset list was meant to beef up the slate with military experience. However, Labor only won six seats in the April elections, a historic low, and Gabbay is facing an internal revolt by lawmakers who blame him for the poor electoral showing. With Labor holding new elections for party leader next month, Gabbay is not expected to stay in the party – his political career appears to be over.
U.S. Amb.: Israel Has Right to Annex the West Bank
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman caused a furor after saying that Israel “has a right” to annex some parts of Judea and Samaria. Friedman’s comments came during an interview with The New York Times. After being asked how Washington would respond to a move by Israel to annex some parts of the disputed territories, Friedman said said that under certain circumstances, “Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank.” “We really don’t have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves,” added Friedman. “These are all things that we’d want to understand, and I don’t want to prejudge.”
Friedman’s comments mark a drastic change from U.S. policy, which traditionally discouraged settlement building and vehemently opposed any annexation move. However, another US official told Reuters that Friedman’s remarks did not mark any change in America’s position and said that “no plan for unilateral annexation by Israel of any portion of the West Bank has been presented by Israel to the U.S.” Friedman’s statements enraged Palestinians, who said that his statements “showed Friedman’s true face” as a non-partial arbitrator in peace negotiations between the two sides. “Their vision is about annexation of occupied territory, a war crime under international law,” fumed Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. Mustafa Barghouti, a senior Palestinian Authority official, derided Friedman as a “spokesman for the settlers.” The Palestinian Authority also said on Sunday that it was considering filing a complaint against Friedman with the International Court of Justice for his comments, which it said violated international law. “In what logic does Friedman think that Israel has the right to annex parts of the West Bank?” queried the Palestinian Authority in a statement. “On what reality did he base his conviction? On international law prohibiting the annexation of territory by force? Or the reality imposed by the occupation authorities?”
Leader of LeftWing NGO Becomes Aide to Israeli-Arab Leg.
Dean Issacharoff, a prominent member of the controversial Israeli left-wing NGO Breaking the Silence,
was appointed as the parliamentary aide to anti-Zionist legislator MK Ayman Oden. Breaking the Silence is a group that opposes Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria. Comprised of former IDF combat soldiers who were once deployed in the region, the group regales audiences around the world with tales of war crimes and atrocities they claim to have committed against defenseless Palestinians. The group is widely reviled by Israelis across the political spectrum, who view their activities as treason and question the veracity of their claims. Issacharoff, the group’s speaker since 2016, has come under fire for making false claims and is widely seen as the face of the organization. On Monday, Issacharoff announced that he was leaving Breaking the Silence to become an aide to MK Ayman Odeh, the leader of the anti-Israel Arab party Hadash. In his new position, the left-wing activist will be in charge of Odeh’s legislative agenda and will be his spokesperson vis-a-vis the media. Announcing his decision on Facebook, Issacharoff praised his former employers as “one of the leading organizations in the struggle against the occupation” that would continue to highlight the fact “that we have no right to deny the rights of millions of other people.” Issacharoff concluded by calling on Israelis everywhere to join the group in order to force Israel to leave the disputed territories. “Break the Silence,” Issacharoff wrote. “Speak about it. For our Palestinian victims, so that more Israelis will not need to do what we did there, and also for yourselves.” The son of Israel’s current ambassador to Germany, Issacharoff served as an officer in the IDF’s Nahal Brigade and was deployed in Hevron for over a year. After his discharge, Issacharoff joined Breaking the Silence and served as its spokesperson since 2016. The former officer made headlines in 2017 after he publicly claimed to have assaulted a blameless Palestinian while making an arrest in Chevron. After he reiterated his role in the alleged beating at a conference, then-Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked ordered the State Prosecutor to open a
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The Week In News probe into Issacharoff for war crimes. Following an investigation, the State Prosecutor concluded that the assault never happened and said that Issacharoff fabricated the event.
No More Cartoons in NYT Int’l Edition Just weeks after apologizing for publishing a caricature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that caused an uproar for its apparent anti-Semitism, The New York Times has announced that it will no longer include daily political cartoons in its international edition starting July 1. The original cartoon, published in April, depicted Netanyahu as a guide dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a blind U.S. President Donald Trump who was wearing a yarmulke. Editor James Bennet said the paper had planned for a year to cease running political cartoons in the international print version of the Times, in
line with the U.S. edition. Patrick Chappatte, one of the paper’s leading cartoonists, said the decision was directly related to the Netanyahu cartoon. He condemned the publication of the caricature at the center of the controversy but said he was concerned that media outlets were increasingly buckling under political pressure and criticism from “moralistic mobs” on social media. “Over the last years, some of the very best cartoonists… lost their positions because their publishers found their work too critical of Trump. Maybe we should start worrying,” Chappatte wrote on his personal website. New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger announced in May that the editor who published the cartoon would be disciplined.
UK Accuses Israel of Human Rights Violations The United Kingdom has accused
Israel of being responsible for continuous violations of Palestinian human rights as well as international law in a report spotlighting democracy around the world.
The findings were part of a 78page document the UK released entitled “Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Human Rights & Democracy Report.” The UK says that the report “provides an assessment of global human rights developments in 2018 and reports on the human rights situation in the 30 human rights priority countries.” In the document, the British government alleged that the violence Palestinians suffer at the hands of Israelis living in Judea and Samaria has reached a five-year high and expressed concerns regarding Israel’s treatment of Arab demonstrators. Ac-
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cusing Israel of denying Palestinian minors their legal rights, the report highlighted the efforts undertaken by the British government to assist Arabs detained by the IDF. “We continued to seek improvements in the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention, with a particular focus on minors, of whom 203 were detained at the end of December, the lowest monthly figure in two years,” the report continued. “UK ministers and officials made repeated representations to the Israeli government about detention practices. We continued to fund projects providing legal aid to minors and capacity building to local lawyers,” it said. Israel was also singled out for its policies vis-a-vis the Gaza Strip, with condemnations for its decision “to impose strict movement and access restrictions” in the Hamas-controlled territory. In addition, the report blasted Israel’s policy of building in Judea and Samaria, calling “Israel’s systematic policy of settlement expansion, a breach of international humanitarian law.” The UK also criticized the “Na-
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The Week In News tionality Law” Israel passed last year to legally anchor its status as a Jewish State. According to the report, the legislation is undemocratic and is detrimental to Israel’s Arab minority. In addition to Israel, other nations accused in the report of widespread human rights violations included Bangladesh, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Russia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
Collaboration to Save the Coral Reefs
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Israel will cooperate with a slew of
hostile Arab nations in an international program aimed at saving the Red Sea’s coral reefs. Led by Prof. Maoz Fine from Bar Ilan University, the new Red Sea Transnational Research Center will be comprised of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Israel, and Djibouti. The Center will be led and organized by Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), which aims to act as a “neutral umbrella” between the disparate nations. As Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen do not recognize Israel, the new initiative is a rare moment of cooperation between the Jewish State and its Arab neighbors. Fine has noted that the research center will enable countries to avoid working directly with their regional neighbors should they desire in order to mitigate tensions. “If countries don’t want to work together, they can work only in their own country,” said Fine. The effort aims to save one of the
world’s last coral reefs in the Red Sea and will include researchers from various fields, such as oceanographers, biologists, geneticists, ecologists, geologists and experts from natural and environmental sciences. Currently, coral reefs all over the world are in danger due to pollution, illegal fishing, fluctuations in temperature, and sea changes. But while coral reefs in the world are becoming extinct, there is one place in the world where they are resistant to climate change – the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea. A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that the Red Sea’s coral reefs exhibit resistance to rising seawater temperature. The study, which was conducted by researchers from Bar-Ilan University led by Professor Fine, found that the reef is almost unaffected by the bleaching effects resulting from global warming that has devastated coral reefs worldwide. “In the last 30 years we have lost
50% of the coral around the world,” said Fine. “The most important thing to do is to lower the CO2 emissions … and also deal with local pollutants that lower the resilience of the reefs.”
Justice Minister Criticizes the Supreme Ct Israel’s newly-appointed Justice Minister Amir Ohana came out swinging against the nation’s highest court in his first speech since being nominated to the prestigious position. Ohana had been chosen by Prime Minister Netanyahu to replace Ayelet Shaked as Justice Minister late last week after he fired her and Naftali Bennett from their positions a few days prior. Under Israeli law, ministers do not need to be Knesset members, and the two had kept their jobs despite their New Right party failing
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to cross the electoral threshold in the April elections.
The appointment of Ohana had enraged National Union faction leader MK Bezalel Smotrich, who contended that Netanyahu had promised the job to him in a deal before the elections. Smotrich, a far-right lawmaker, had wanted the job in order to rein in the widespread judicial overreach by Israel’s Supreme Court. Ohana harshly criticized Israel’s highest court in his inaugural address since taking the position, alleging that the Supreme Court needed to be told it had no business intervening in governmental decisions and legislations. While acknowledging that “Israel’s judicial branch is one of the cor-
nerstones of any free and democratic state,” Ohana stressed that it was not above criticism. “There is no such thing as it being forbidden to criticize [the Judicial Branch],” Ohana told a crowd of newly-minted attorneys at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center. “Just like criticizing the Knesset is crucial, criticizing the judicial system is essential to advancing the values of freedom and democracy,” Ohana continued. “Those who want a just and powerful justice system should be prepared to criticize it and to correct and change it. “There is no statement that criticism of the judicial system is not allowed; it’s essential for democracy. There is a claim that anyone who would dare reform the justice system wishes to destroy it. Anyone who wants a just justice system must be willing to criticize it. Fixing it won’t come if we give in to hysterical cries over the end of democracy,” added Ohana. “Isn’t there critical importance to a multiplicity of opinions? Is the legal system transparent enough? Those
who feel the need for justice and the search for truth should ask these questions. The judiciary is the least democratic of the other authorities.” Many Israelis have long protested the Supreme Court’s judicial overreach due to its tendency to weigh in on government matters outside of its purview. In recent years, Israel’s rightwing parties have made the Supreme Court’s powers as its most important issue, leading to charges from the left that such a move would turn the country into an undemocratic state.
Tragedy at West Point Christopher J. Morgan from West Orange, New Jersey, has been identified as the West Point cadet killed in a training accident last week. He was 22.
Morgan was killed after the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) he was riding in overturned on the way to a land navigation drill at the U.S. military academy. Paramedics rushed to the site but were forced to declare him dead at the scene. Another 22 cadets were wounded in the accident, with the injuries ranging from face abrasions to a broken arm. In a statement on Friday, West Point
announced that Morgan “died due to injuries sustained from a military vehicle accident at a training area.” Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, called Morgan “a valued member of the Corps of Cadets” and added that “he will be missed by all.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with
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The Week In News the Morgan family,” he said. Morgan was part of the class of 2020, as were all of the wounded. A Law and Legal Studies major, he was a star athlete at his West Orange high school and a starter on the Army’s wrestling team. He came from a family with a strong military tradition, with multiple relatives serving in the armed forces. President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences from Europe soon after the accident, where he was marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day along with other world leaders. “So sorry to hear about the terrible accident involving our GREAT West Point Cadets. We mourn the loss of life and pray for the injured. G-d Bless them ALL!” the president wrote.
Researchers: Dodgeball Causes Oppression Calling it “miseducative,” a team of Canadian researchers says that dodgeball is oppressive and recom-
mends that the game be outlawed in schools. The findings were the results of research carried out by a trio of academics and presented last week at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education conference in Vancouver. The study posits that dodgeball is inherently violent as it remains the only sport in which participants are directly encouraged to target their opponents with physical force. After years of playing dodgeball, children may become used to regularly hurting others, the researchers say. This can result in bullying and other negative tendencies in society, all started by a middle school gym sport. In addition, researchers noticed while studying middle school dodgeball games that more athletic and authoritative students in the class decided the rules and practices without asking others, leading them to dominate their peers socially. This, concluded the study, leads to the five faces of oppression as defined in a famous academic study, including marginalization, powerlessness, and helplessness of those perceived as weaker
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individuals through the exercise of violence and dominance by those who are considered more powerful. University of British Columbia
professor Joy Butler, who led the study, called on schools to begin banning dodgeball due to the “violent nature” of the classic children’s game in order to avoid instilling oppressive tendencies in children. “When you’re setting up the environment for students to learn, and you introduce the idea that it’s OK to slam the ball at whomever you like, even if it’s with a soft ball, the intention is there,” Butler told The Washington Post. “Physical education class should be an arena where teachers are helping students control their aggression and move on instead of expressing themselves through anger.” She added, “When students think it’s OK because they’re being told it’s OK to do that, what do they learn? People say dodgeball is being used as an outlet for aggression or catharsis. I suspect that this is where they’re learning that.”
are nearly 59,000 homeless individuals across Los Angeles County, a 12% increase over the prior year, and 36,300 people on the streets within the city limits of LA, a 16% increase since last year. There are many contributing factors to the issue, among them a shortage of affordable housing and rising rent costs. Furthermore, for thousands of people living with mental health problems, addictions, and/or criminal history, there is no cohesive safety net to keep them from living on the streets. “It is the height of contradiction that in the midst of great prosperity across the Golden State, we are also seeing unprecedented increases in homelessness,” lamented Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “This is a state that is the wealthiest in the nation, and, at the same time, it is the most impoverished.”
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On Monday, the normally calm skies of New York City were disrupted when a helicopter crashed into a Manhattan skyscraper. Several floors of the midtown building shook as the helicopter crash-landed on the roof just 11 minutes after it took off. The pilot, Tim McCormack, died in the crash. The helicopter took off from the 34th Street heliport about 1:32 p.m., NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said, and it crashed about 11 minutes later. During the incident, moderate to heavy rain was falling in the city. Visibility was very low and winds were coming from the east at 9 mph. Police say that Tim was waiting out the bad weather but then decided to proceed despite the rainy conditions. He flew around Battery Park and then up the West Side before crashing.
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The Week In News Residents in the building on 7th Avenue were told to evacuate when the crash occurred. Understandably, New Yorkers were shaken by the chaos, as echoes of 9/11 reverberated in many people’s minds. McCormack flew for American Continental Properties, the company that owns the helicopter, for the past five years, according to a company statement. Nearly five years ago, in October 2014, McCormack was flying a different helicopter over the Hudson River with six tourists on board when a bird struck and broke part of the windshield. McCormack had been forced to make an emergency landing at the West 30th Street heliport. No one was injured in that incident. At the time, McCormack said that it was “pretty much like an explosion going off in your cockpit.” McCormack had volunteered with the East Clinton Volunteer Fire Department since 1994 and served as the department chief for 10 years. He had also volunteered with the LaGrange Fire Department.
Trump administration three months ago, the injunction no longer holds. The ruling is a significant victory for the Trump administration, which has put increased emphasis on supporting the energy sector from environmentalists. The pipeline, which brings oil from Canada all the way down to Texas, has become a major lightning rod for environmentalists, who have mobilized to fight it ever since construction was started in 2010. The White House had said after President Trump decided to issue a new permit that the action “dispels any uncertainty” that the pipeline would move forward. “Specifically, this permit reinforces, as should have been clear all along, that the Presidential Permit is indeed an exercise of Presidential authority that is not subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act,” said a spokesperson.
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The Keystone Pipeline received a major boost last week after an appeals court ruled in their favor, ending a decade-long battle with environmentalists. On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a ruling by a lower court blocking Calgary-based energy behemoth TC Energy from starting construction on the 830,000-barrels-per-day pipeline. In the decision, Judge Edward Leavy ruled that an injunction filed by the court in January based on the pipeline’s permit didn’t apply. As the original permit was replaced by the
On Sunday, United Technologies and Raytheon announced that they are joining forces to create an aerospace and defense powerhouse. It is one of the biggest corporate mergers of 2019. The two companies said that they have agreed to combine in an all-stock deal they termed a “merger of equals.” The new company would have annual revenue of about $74 billion. Together, UTC and Raytheon are worth about $166 billion in market value now. UTC makes up the lion’s share of that. Under the terms of the deal, United Technologies shareholders would own 57% of the combined company, with Raytheon shareholders owning the rest. “The combination of United Technologies and Raytheon will define the
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The Week In News future of aerospace and defense,” Greg Hayes, United Technologies chairman and CEO, said in a news release. UTC is an industrial conglomerate, and makes everything from jet engines to elevators. It owns the Pratt & Whitney engine maker as well as Collins Aerospace. Raytheon is rooted in defense and produces missile defense systems and cybersecurity solutions. The companies supply the likes of Airbus and Boeing. The combined company will be named Raytheon Technologies Corporation, according to a statement from the companies. It will offer “expanded technology and R&D capabilities to deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions aligned with customer priorities and the national defense strategies of the U.S. and its allies and friends.”
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Man Arrested for Planning Times Square Attack A 22-year-old Muslim man was arrested by the FBI last week for planning a grenade attack on New York’s bustling Times Square. Ashiqul Alam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, remains in custody after he was denied bail. He was arrested on a weapons charge after a long sting operation by agents. According to authorities, Alam told an undercover FBI agent that he aimed to commit a terror attack in Times Square by way of a shooting spree with a suicide vest.
As part of his preparations for the attack, Alam scouted out the area on several different occasions with the undercover agent and told him that an attack with high casualties would make them into “legends.” Alam, a devout Muslim, was a fervent supporter of ISIS as well as Osama Bin Laden and constantly spoke
of the need to commit additional terror attacks against non-Muslims. “He did what he is supposed to do,” said Alam, referring to the 9/11 attacks. “Now it’s up to us.” He was eventually taken on after attempting to buy a pair of Glocks with their serial numbers scratched off in a sting operation led by New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Known as the JTTF, the unit is a multi-law enforcement agency that includes NYPD detectives and FBI special agents who investigate terrorism in the New York City metropolitan area and around the world. Authorities stressed that Alam’s plans were “aspirational,” with his plans never reaching a stage in which they could have become an actual threat to the public. However, a senior FBI official told the Associated Press that “there is more to this case than just talk and the desire to carry out a terrorist attack.” “Individuals who believe in the distorted and deadly propaganda of terrorist organizations and work toward acting on those deadly impulses are incredibly dangerous and unpredictable,” noted William Sweeney, who serves as the assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office.
Locked and Loaded For almost 30 years a 2,000-pound black metal safe has been tucked away in the basement of a museum in Canada. No one has been able to open up the huge safe, although museum officials have tried many times. They had locksmiths attempt to open it; have reached out to the former owners; and have even called the manufacturer of the safe – but to no avail. It seemed like the safe was fated to be sealed forever. Until last month. That’s when Stephen Mills and his family decided to visit the small muse-
um. It took the 36-year-old a mere 30 seconds and a few flicks of the wrist and then it was “open sesame.” “I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor,” Stephen, a resident of Fort McMurray in Alberta, said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’” The safe was originally owned by the Brunswick Hotel, a local establishment that closed in the 1970s. It was donated to the museum in the 1990s. Stephen attempted to open the safe as a joke for his kids. “I was like, I gotta get down and try this for a laugh,” he said. “I was doing it as a joke for the kids, trying to be like in the movies, more or less.” He noticed that the numbers on the safe’s dial went from zero to 60, so he went with the numbers 20-40-60. “I took the numbers out of thin air, like right out of my head,” he said. “20 three times to the right, 40 two times to the left and 60 one time to the right, and tried the door and it cracked open.” The museum staff were astounded. “Right away, I stood up, and I was like, ‘I’m buying a lottery ticket tonight,’” Stephen recalled. So what was being hidden all this time in the huge safe? Unfortunately it wasn’t gold or silver or even jewels. Instead, a few scraps of paper and a pile of dust were left for the museum-goers to see. The papers, which were all dated from 1977 or 1978, included part of a waitress’s pad that had an order for a mushroom burger and a pay slip for a hotel employee who received a “total payout of $9 and some cents,” a museum docent said. Sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination.
Cookie Contest Charles W. Jackson Jr. has a fortune cookie to thank for his good fortune. Recently, the North Carolinian stopped in the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters to claim $344.6 million. He had used the numbers he found on the paper in a fortune cookie his stepson’s daughter gave him a few years ago to buy his lotto. He always plays those same five num-
bers. Jackson initially thought he had won just $50,000 and was heading to Raleigh to collect his prize but then looked again and saw he’d won a lot more. “I said, ‘Dang, I got them all,’” he
said at the news conference. Jackson doesn’t watch the news on TV. Instead, he found the jackpot winning numbers online. Once he saw his numbers match up, he told his wife, “You ain’t going to believe this – I got it all.” This was the largest jackpot ever won in the North Carolina lottery by a single ticket. Jackson chose the $223 million lump sum payment and said he would donate some of it to several charities. He also gave $1 million to his brother to make good on a deal they made – that if any of them won the lottery, they’d give the other $1 million. “I called him when I got here and said, ‘Are you ready to be a millionaire?’” Jackson said. His brother initially wondered if Jackson was kidding, but had a quick response after realizing he was serious. “He said, ’But I’m your only brother, can’t you give me $2 million?” Jackson recalled. Hoping that the massive amount sitting in his bank account won’t change him, he told those at the news conference, “I’m pretty happy with the way things are,” he said, adding, “I’m still going to wear my jeans – maybe newer ones.” Oh, and while you’re at it, maybe buy a new shirt or two.
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Torah Thought
JUNE 13, 2019
Where is the Ring?
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ויהי ביום כלות משה להקים את המ־ )שכן (במדבר ז א, It was on the day that Moshe finished erecting the Tabernacle... The word used to indicate ‘finishing’, ּכַלֹות, is similar to the word we use for a bride, ַּכלָה, teaching us that on the day the Tabernacle was erected the Jewish nation was like a bride entering under the חופה, a bridal canopy. )(רשי בשם התנחומא This notion of our marriage to G-d was first expressed at Mount Sinai where the Torah describes how, ויוצא
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משה את העם לקראת האלקים (שמות יט )יז, Moshe brought forth the people from the camp toward G-d, implying that the שכינה, the Divine Presence, came out toward them like a bridegroom greeting his bride. (רש"י בשם )המכילתא Nachmanides reiterates in several places that the Tabernacle was a replica of the experience at Mount Sinai, where we come under the canopy of the Divine Presence. Rav Shimshon ben Zadok, the devoted disciple of the famed 13th cen-
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tury rabbinic figure and Tosafist, Rav Meir of Rottenberg, (the Maharam), in his seminal work, Tashbatz, records in the name of his famed teacher that many of the traditions associated with the marriage ceremony are patterned on the marriage between G-d and His nation at Mount Sinai. The etching of G-d’s words onto the Two Tablets is reminiscent of the Kesuba, the marriage contract. The ten men required to be in attendance at the blessings under the canopy correspond to the Ten Commandments. The candles remind us of the lightning and fire that was present during the revelation at Sinai. The very expression a groom says to his bride: )הרי את מקודשת לי (בטבעת זו כדת משה וישראל, Behold you are consecrated unto me (with this ring) in accordance with the law of Moshe and [the People of] Israel, accentuates this parallel between the union of every Jewish couple and our nation’s ‘marriage’ to G-d at Mount Sinai. (תשב"ץ )תסה-אות תסד Others suggest that the חופה, the bridal canopy, is modeled after Mount Sinai itself that G-d ‘suspended over them like an inverted basin’ that served as the bridal canopy for His marriage to His beloved nation. (שיטה ):מקובצת בשם גליון תוס' כתובות ז So at Mount Sinai we had a bride and groom, a marriage contract, a bridal canopy, and candles. But where is the ring? This most vital component, the object that effect the betrothal is missing! • In a small town somewhere in Eastern Europe a young girl lived a happy existence. Her brother caught fish from the local pond for Shabbos. Her father, a merchant, traveled far and wide providing for his family, bringing home not only his earnings but small magical gifts from distance places for his children who so longed for his return. The house filled each Friday with the sweet aroma of challah and the special scent called ‘Shabbos’. But then the world turned upside
down. Jews would be isolated in ghettos, nevertheless opening their hearts and homes to make room for refugees seeking shelter, sharing generously whatever meager offerings they could scrape together. With her Aryan looks she would be ‘safely’ dispatched by her father beyond the confines of the ghetto to stealthily barter whatever contraband they still had that could be bartered so that they might survive another day. Feigning sleep on the train to avoid conversation with her fellow travelers lest her identity be discovered, her mind focused on the challah she would soon bake for Shabbos with her mother upon her safe return. She quietly removed a gold ring she had received as a gift from a beloved friend from her finger in anticipation of her kneading the dough and placed it in her travel bag together with the day’s earnings. Rushing home and after breathing a deep sigh of relief she eagerly went to work preparing the dough. A bit later when her father asked for the profits of her day’s efforts, she discovered her bag was nowhere to be found. She inquired high and low from the many ‘guests’ who they sheltered if they had seen her bag, suddenly remembering that her ring she had placed in it was now missing too, painfully blurting out, “where is my ring?” She began to suspect one of the strangers. Her father sensing her suspicion, gently admonished her to never cast any doubt on a fellow Jew. She acquiesced but couldn’t get over the loss of her cherished ring that was her last connection to the warm memories of her past. Soon the pain over the loss of a piece of jewelry paled in significance as she now feared for her very life. The deportations, selections and crematoria left her orphaned from her brothers, sisters and parents, facing grueling living and working conditions and wondering whether she could ever physically survive this incomprehensible hell. She longed for the day when she could begin to build her life anew.
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Torah Thought After liberation, she found herself on a boat together with other very fortunate survivors, heading to the Promised Land, Eretz Yisroel. One of her friends introduced her to an eligible young man who had gone through similar upheaval. They took to each other and right there on the boat they announced their engagement. Shortly thereafter upon reaching the shores of Israel she stood under the chuppa as her new husband presented her a ring accompanied by the comforting words of ‘Harei at mekudeshes li b’tabaas zu k’das Moshe v’Yisroel. One can only imagine the heightened emotions of the moment. Aware of the tradition that the ancestors’ souls are present at a simcha, she sensed the strong bonds of love from her parents and siblings that had strengthened her through so many difficult days now rejoicing with her as she headed towards rebuilding their legacy. She glanced lovingly at the ring and suddenly gasped. It was the exact ring that she had lost many years back in those trying times. She excitedly turned to her groom curious to discover how he came upon it. He retold how during a food distribution one day in his concentration camp they served an excuse for soup laced with thin strands of meat barely floating in it. Although the circumstances of the time permitted the eating of ‘treif’, since their very lives were always precariously hanging by a thread, nevertheless he had made a personal commitment never to eat treif, non-kosher, even at near risk to life. He desperately sought out someone who might be willing to exchange their ration of stale bread for this mea-
sly offering. As there was no bread to be had he forfeited his portion, offering the soup to the first taker. One of the inmates came forward to accept it, but with a remnant of self-dignity that he managed to preserve amidst so much inhumanity, he insisted that he give in exchange a gold ring that was still in his possession. The groom conveyed how after accepting the ring he held tightly onto it throughout his entire internment letting it serve as his personal symbol of hope in the despairing darkness of that terrible place, that he would one day yet merit to marry and establish a family. Not only did he realize his own dream, but little did he know that he would be fulfilling the mitzva of returning a lost object to its rightful owner as well! • A ring is an object that surrounds the bride’s finger. It may be worth barely a perutah, the minimum amount necessary to affect a transaction, but it serves for the bride as an eternal reminder of the groom’s protective love and commitment to always be there for his beloved. )(ספר החינוך מצוה תקנב G-d constantly ‘surrounds’ us with His presence. He is attentive, devoted, loving and guiding. The Sefer Tanya discusses the concept of the Ohr Makif, a transcendent encompassing light, that frames our reality. These are the supra-natural, supra-rational manifestations of divine light. We call these miracles, existential mysteries, and mind-blowing experiences; we cannot understand them or assimilate them, only accept them and submit to them. This is not to say that the encompassing light is
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something that is outside of our being. In the words of the Tanya, ‘it penetrates our reality from head to foot, to its innerness and the inside of its innerness’. Even as it suffuses our being, it remains aloof from us and beyond us, holding us in its embrace while eluding our attempts to grasp it and define it. The Torah describes how G-d discovers His people ‘in a desert land, in desolation, a howling wilderness; יס־ בבנהו, He encircled them, יבוננהו, He granted them understanding, יצרנהו כאישון עינו, He preserved them like the pupil oh His eye. Rashi quoting the Sifrei teaches us that this ‘encircling’ refers to His having surrounded them beneath Mount Sinai as an inverted tub, our bridal canopy. Alternately, he says, it refers to the Clouds of Glory that protectively encompassed them. The ‘missing ring’ may not readily be visible, but it is always there. The Ohr Makif is the proverbial ring that represents His devotion and commitment to, and protection of, His beloved bride, the Jewish nation, that effected for all of eternity his betrothal to them. My dear friend Rav Dani Kermaier suggests that the verse in Hoshea that describes G-d betrothing His beloved nation indicates this as well. וארשתיך לי באמונה וידעת את ד' (הושע ב )כב, I will betroth you to Me with fidelity, and you shall know G-d. It is precisely that faithfulness that is the all-encompassing ring of marriage that G-d offers his bride. May I add that the emphasis we place on the ring when we state “Behold you are consecrated unto me,
בטבעת זו, ‘with this ring’..., is numerically equivalent to the very next expression that follows in this verse: וידעת, and you shall know, the very essence of what the ring represents: an awareness of His encircling us fully with His embrace. (490 = וידעת/ 496 = בטבעת זו+ its 5 letters + 1 for the entire word itself 496 = ))(הכולל • The young survivor never lost that most valuable of rings, the sense of the all-encompassing Ohr Makif, the marriage band we carry each moment of our lives, that instills within us the faith that the ultimate groom, the Almighty, will protect, provide, and rescue us from our plight. She felt it each time she arrived safely home from her missions. She sensed it when she accepted her father’s lesson in generosity towards others. She perceived it, oh so clearly, when her groom presented her with the ring, he received in reward for his placing himself within G-d’s protective embrace, unwilling to compromise His will, even under the most trying of circumstances. She knew as she stared at her beloved ring, that brought her a rush of warm memories of times past, that He would be there for her, forever tending lovingly to His most cherished bride. • May we always be cognizant of our marriage to G-d, remaining faithful and dutiful, peering through the clouds of darkness that often obscure our vision to see and cherish the reality of His protective ‘ring’ that is always there in loving devotion and guidance.
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Tamuz 2
8:18 PM
Tamuz 9
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22
13
6
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TA NextLevel Shabbos
Sivan 18
Tamuz 10
9:18 PM
Tamuz 3
9:19 PM
Sivan 26
9:19 PM
Sivan 19
9:17 PM
Sivan 12
Saturday
Community Calendar
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5
28
21
14
Sivan/Tamuz 5779
Thursday Sivan 10
Sivan 24
Sivan 17
Bnos Yisroel High School Graduation
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27
Mega Blowout Bella Wig Sale @6006 Berkeley Ave see page 5 Next BJH Issue
Tamuz 1
Tamuz 8
4 Sivan 30
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3
Tamuz 7
Ayesha Fashions; Hong Kong Tailor @Doubletree by Hilton see page 55
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Ayesha Fashions; Hong Kong Tailor @Doubletree by Hilton see page 55
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TA High School Graduation
Tamuz 6
Sivan 29
Sivan 22
Bnos Yisroel SN & K Graduation
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June July 10
17 Yad L’Achim Women Event @BJSZ 7:30pm seepage 57 & Back Cover Bnos Yisroel 8th Grade Graduation
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9:16 PM
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16 SHRED Day @7Mile Parking Lot 8am-8pm see page 3 JCN 5K Womens Run @Baltimore Zoo 7am-12pm
Sivan 21
24
Sivan 20
23 TA NextLevel Celebration @Martin’s West 5:30-10pm
Sivan 28
Tamuz 5
Shidduch Center Annual Dinner 6:15-10pm
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Kol Torah Annual Dinner @Beth Tfiloh 6:45-10pm
8:16 PM
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Tamuz 4
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6th Annual Community Safety & Service Award 10am-12pm
Sivan 27
Raise the Steaks 5:30-8pm see page 9
30 Mega Blowout Bella Wig Sale @6006 Berkeley Ave see page 5
7
JCN Men’s 5k @MD State Fairgrounds 6:30pm see Front Cover
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3
Torah Thought
Parshas Naso By Rabbi Berel Wein
T
he Torah reading this week begins with a commandment to Moshe to count the Levites, especially the family of Gershon. The Hebrew words that are used to make this count, literally translated, mean “raise the head” of the family of Gershon, who are an important section of the tribe of the Levites.
There are many different interpretations as to why the Torah chose to use this formulation of words to indicate a count of that family. The Torah certainly could have used a simpler and more direct verb to indicate to Moshe that he was to take a census of that family of the Levites. I remember that when I attend-
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ed law school long ago, we students had to prepare the cases that would be discussed in the lecture of the professor for that day. The professor had a very prickly personality and oftentimes was even slightly inebriated when teaching the class. His methodology was to call upon a student to read and discuss a case at first before expounding upon what principle of law that case illustrated. The professor was very short-tempered and usually skewered the hapless student attempting to read and explain the case. Because of this, no one in our class ever wanted to volunteer to read the case and lead the discussion about it. So, at the beginning of every
tasks in the service of the Temple and the Tabernacle. It is a privilege to be a Levite, to be in the service of the G-d of Israel and the people of Israel. It is a matter of pride and accomplishment and not to be viewed as a burden or something to be minimized. One has to volunteer enthusiastically for the work in the service of G-d in Israel. If one is proud and enthusiastic about one’s role within the Jewish community and sees one’s self in the perspective of generations and tradition as doing holy work and contributing to eternal projects one can really feel the pride and joy of being a Levite…and in fact, of being a Jew. The Torah abhors slackers. Those
Only by raising one’s head and, in effect, saying count me in, can one expect blessings of eternity.
class, all of us had our heads lowered and refused to make any eye contact nor any other apparent physical connection with the professor. He was, hands down, a terrible person and we put our heads down to avoid having to deal with him. Perhaps this is the reason why the Torah use this phrase of “raising the head” when discussing the role of the Levites in Jewish public life and their
who attempt to escape or avoid the necessary commitment and effort to be Jewish and to serve the cause of Jewish survival and success eventually are not destined to remain part of the eternal people. Jewish history testifies to this basic fact of Jewish life. Only by raising one’s head and, in effect, saying count me in, can one expect the blessings of eternity. Shabbat shalom.
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—Libby P.
TO aspire
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Health & F tness
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Sneaky Calories How You’re Consuming More than You Think By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN
S
o you’ve been doing everything a good, dutiful dieter should do. You’ve been Pinteresting every healthy sheet pan dinner, snacking on pepper slices, and even working out a couple of times a week, yet you still can’t lose those stubborn pounds. The truth is, despite your best efforts to rid your house of Lay’s potato chips and Pirate’s Booty, sneaky calories tend to make their way into diets if you’re not careful. This sort of calorie intake does not fall under the slice of birthday cake or extra portion of kugel category. Extra calories from unsuspecting sources represent a large portion of weight gain even in people who are trying to maintain a healthy diet or lifestyle. People who count calories often don’t account for things like actual amount of dressing or sugar in coffee and end up undercounting their calories consumed. So, even if you’re not counting, you may not be gauging your intake accurately. For example, a free sample at Costco could be 100 calories while nabbing some French fries from your spouse’s plate could cost you upwards of 200. While these may seem a little more obvious, some are not! Here are a few sneaky calorie culprits and how to stop them: • Dips, Condiments, and Sauces – No one really thinks about the mayonnaise in their tuna sandwich or the garlic dip they smother on their challah. One tablespoon of a classic Shabbos dip has about 93 calories. It’s safe to say people rarely stop at one tablespoon. Even if you’re ordering a healthy sandwich, there’s no way to really know
if they are slathering the bread, albeit whole grain, with butter. Healthier dip options, such as hummus, can also pack a lot of fat in one serving, so if you’re trying to lose weight, limit that as well. If you need a good dunk, matbucha, the Mediterranean tomato-based dip, or roasted eggplant contain less calories than the aforementioned options. If you want to liven up a sandwich, swap out mayo for Dijon mustard. It’s not the same but it’ll trim off at least 100-150 calories off your meal. • The Juice Bar – Juice seems to be the health conscious beverage of choice these days. However, if you’ve been spending heaps of money on green power juices, you may want to think twice. It turns out some juices,
celery or kale, so it’s likely that you’re downing a lot of fruit juice. Naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables is still sugar and with the fiber stripped away, you won’t feel as full. Don’t misinterpret this and start eliminating fruits and vegetables from your diet! As an alternative, eat the real fruits and veggies. A bag of carrots provides many more nutrients than a bottle of carrot juice and nothing beats a refreshing, whole fruit. • Salad Toppings – You’ve made the tough choice of ordering the Greek salad over the pulled beef brisket sandwich only to layer on croutons and douse it in Caesar dressing. Salads can be an amazing source of healthy fats, fresh vegetables, and lean proteins.
When dressed up with frothy milk and caramel sauce, that latte could be sabotaging your diet.
despite containing only natural fruits and vegetables, can have as much sugar as a can of Coke. A study from Harvard University found that drinking one or more servings of fruit juices like grapefruit, apple, orange, among others, can actually increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%. Most green juices don’t only contain
Many menus, however, have been sneaking in all sorts of tantalizing goodies that drastically increase the calorie count of salads. Candied nuts, full fat cheeses, and those creamy dressings can quickly add about 600 calories to an otherwise low-cal meal. With the addition of half an avocado at 160 calories, a salad can easily reach up
to 900 calories. More times than not, a salad is the better option but why toss those benefits out with unhealthy toppings and add-ins? Stick to mostly vegetables in your salad, very minimal non-sugar-coated nuts or no more than ¼ of an avocado, and a lean protein like turkey, grilled chicken, egg whites, or fish. Instead of the creamy high-fat dressings, try using a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. • Granola – For years, we all assumed granola was just a better tasting way to consume oats, which in part is true, but most people are unaware of the excess sugar and fat that comes with it. Granola, whether in the form of bars or breakfast cereal, is often marketed as a health food to consumers. A Nature Valley granola bar has 11 grams of sugar, 7 grams of fat, and not much else in the nutrient department that would justify those numbers. If you want to curb your calorie intake, make a low-sugar homemade granola instead of purchasing a store-brought variety or get your oat fix from plain oatmeal topped with fruit and a little almond butter. Companies have the authority to sneak in a lot more sugar and fat than they let on so homemade is always better. • Marinade Mania – Most prepared sauces/marinades contain enormous amounts of sugar and calories. Drowning your chicken and meats in these sauces will contribute significantly to your calorie intake for that meal. Two tablespoons of Jack Daniel’s Barbeque sauce have 60 calories and 13 grams of sugar! Use a little
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and focus on compassionate care, women know that their concerns and comfort will
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42 olive oil, spices and herbs to marinate your chicken and grill or roast them – never fry. • Hiding Fat – Roasted vegetables have fat? If you’re pouring olive oil over your broccoli, that may be the reason why you’re not losing weight. The concept is similar to dressings and dips. People often don’t count add-ins as calories when, in reality, they’re the main source. Grilled vegetables absorb a lot of the oil brushed on pre-grilling so take caution before you slather. To control the amount of fat in a dish, fill a spray bottle with olive oil and use it to coat your food. This method helps control the amount and allows for a more even distribution so you’ll find yourself using less as a result. If you’re buying already grilled veggies, use a paper towel to pat them down and absorb excess oil. • Morning Coffee – Don’t worry, I’m not taking away your AM Joe! A plain cup of coffee has roughly 5 calories and zero fat. However, when dressed up with frothy milk and cara-
mel sauce, that latte could be sabotaging your diet. People end up drinking way more calories than they think especially if they are buying coffee as opposed to making it at home. According to research done by University of Illinois and University of California, more than half of coffee drinkers have milk, sugar, whipped cream, and other calorie-heavy add-ins in the coffee. It’s OK to dress up your java to your lik-
ing but the crucial part is to factor that in as calorie consumption. When you are ignoring crucial sugar intake daily, those amounts add up and could result in weight gain. Plus, most coffee shops add syrups and cream to improve the flavor. Wean yourself off of cream and sugar gradually, use a little less everyday, and experiment with unsweetened almond milk instead. It has much less calories and no sugar when compared
to skim milk. There are nutritional implications to everything we eat. This isn’t to say you should cut out all of the above mentioned foods. Rather, you should monitor and be mindful of what you’re actually consuming. There is no reason to eliminate nut butter from your daily routine, but if you’re heaping a few tablespoons onto your Greek yogurt, the fat content could really add up. A better option would be to use no more than one tablespoon or switch to a low-fat powdered nut butter like PB2. Making small changes like these can trim several hundred calories a week from your typical consumption, and this will lead to significant changes to your scale and general health. Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian 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 can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.
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חבר ון Experience
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
A Fulfilled L fe
Coach Your Workplace to Success By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff
O
ne of the biggest challenges for leaders is to create and maintain the proper conditions for worker engagement and productivity. We know that if we are to maintain high levels of workplace output and morale we need to ensure that our employees feel valued and challenged. We also recognize that if we want to be able to respond to, if not stay in front of, marketplace change we need to develop workers who are comfortable thinking independently and contributing to the collective brain trust. Too many leaders and managers, however, fail to achieve this because they do not understand how to motivate today’s workers or how to empower them to think and act independently and more positively. In generations past, people would be told what they needed to do from their earliest years. Parents would instruct children on how to behave at home and teachers would demand student compliance in school. Failure to obey would result in corporal punishment or other heavy-handed responses. In the workplace, employees would be given orders and were required to dutifully implement them if they wanted to hold onto their positions for any meaningful duration. But times have changed. As younger workers make their way into the workplace, they expect to play by a different set of rules. They want to be given the freedom to experiment, a voice with which to weigh in at staff meetings and the ability to pursue what they view as meaningful, engaging work. Anything
less they view as limiting, which spells dissatisfaction, and, for the most part, underperformance (if not outside job seeking). Leaders also would be wise to guide their teams in a way that offers them the sense that they figured things out on their own. Not only does this build deeper connections to the work, but it develops resiliency and fortitude. (While this may not be feasible at the beginning of an onboarding or job transition process, it should become the normative assumption once folks have had opportunity to get themselves settled.)
coaching tend to adopt a far more optimistic view of their people. Instead of strictly measuring performance, leaders who coach are likelier to look beyond what people have done to what they can do and become. Let’s look at an example. John has been working at the company for the past six years. During that entire time, he is tasked with jobs that fall into a tight range of responsibility. It is simply assumed, by John’s superiors and by John as well, that he is not able to complete tasks that are more complex and demanding or require different skills than what he has been doing un-
As younger workers make their way into the workplace, they expect to play by a different set of rules.
One of the best ways to achieve these goals is through coaching. The goal of coaching is to help people bring out their own abilities and find solutions that already lie within them. The coach achieves this through a series of questions that help the coachee to get beyond their mental blocks and limiting beliefs to achieve things that they may not otherwise have seen as possible or desirable. Moreover, organizations that use
til now. Not surprisingly, John is never promoted and fails to live up to his potential. But say, instead of accepting John’s limitations at face value, John’s superior were to give him a “growth exercise” and ask him to go beyond what he’s done in the past. Perhaps John would resist at the beginning and default to his own set of perceived limitations. However, with a healthy dose of encouragement and some coaching
aimed at helping John succeed, the likelihood of him making a concerted effort to achieve the task would be greatly increased. Coaching helps higher up the ladder as well. For example, let’s say that Jane, an experienced programmer, was having difficulty completing an order. Her manager could jump right in and offer a solution. What if, instead, she says something like this? “I will be over to assist you in a bit. See if you can identify where the problem is so that we can jump right into it when I arrive.” I think that we would agree that such an approach is likelier to achieve a breakthrough than would the former approach. Building a coaching workplace encourages everyone to see opportunities rather than obstacles and to view each person as a source of limitless potential rather than possessing finite capacity. Leaders who train themselves and their leadership teams in the art of coaching will open up new opportunities, build resilience, increase engagement, and raise morale, all while maximizing effort and impact throughout their organizations. Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is an executive and business coach and president of Impactful Coaching & Consulting. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call 212-470-6139 or email info@impactfulcoaching.com. Check out his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss,” on Amazon. Download his free eBook for understaffed leaders at ImpactfulCoaching. com/EPIC.
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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My Israel Home
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By Gedaliah Borvick
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
How to Properly Budget
JUNE 13, 2019
T
his is the next installment in the series of “how to” articles that focuses on various aspects of purchasing a home in Israel. We will discuss how to identify all potential costs when determining your total budget. Please note that the numbers are approximate.
Contract Signing
Renovations If one purchases an older apartment that requires work, the cost for a complete gut renovation, including finishes and furnishings, will cost you minimally $2,000 per sqm.
Buying on Paper When buying “on paper” in a new project under construction, there will be additional costs to finish your apartment.
In most projects, the standard kitchen provided by the developer does not cut it for most clients. You should expect to spend another $10,000 to $20,000 to upgrade the kitchen cabinets, plus you will need to buy kitchen appliances and a washing machine and dryer, which will add another $10,000 or more. Sometimes, clients want to add extra electrical outlets or an alarm system and possibly upgrade the central air conditioning system. Depending on how much or how little work you do, and the level of upgrades, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000. In most projects, you will need to install light fixtures throughout the unit and recessed lighting in the kitchen, hallways and salon (living and dining room). Figure you will pay $2,000 to $5,000 for this work. In Israel, most bedrooms do not have walk-in closets. Therefore, you will need to build wall closets in all the bedrooms. The cost for each bedroom is from $800 for standard closets to $3,000 for custom-built closets. Many clients hire designers to help them plan the apartment, including moving walls and choosing
finishes. Using a designer will cost you anywhere from a few thousand dollars and up, depending on the scope of work that the person will be doing on your behalf. If you are purchasing the apartment to rent out, we recommend not doing any upgrades; rather, take the standard developer finishes, as the tenant brings in their own appliances, closets, and furniture. The final cost is to hook up the electric, gas, and water meters. The total cost is under 1,000 NIS or $280. Keep in mind that we have not discussed furniture. In Israel, you have a wide spectrum of options, from Ikea to the most expensive Italian custom furniture. Figure furnishing a three-bedroom apartment will cost $10,000 and up, depending on the level of quality that you want.
Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@gmail. com.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
When buying an apartment, overseas purchasers will have associated expenses that can add almost 15% above the purchase price to the final tally. These costs include: (1) Acquisition tax for overseas buyers and Israelis buying an investment property is 8% for the first 5,100,000 NIS ($1.4m), and then rises to 10% for the portion of the price above. For Israeli residents buying a primary residence, the tax is 0% for the first 1,650,000 ($455,000), 3% for the next 300,000 NIS ($83,000) and then 5% above. Generally, the tax must be paid within 60 days of contract execution. (2) Attorney: usually 1% plus 17% value added tax, known as VAT, bringing the total cost to 1.17%. (3) Real estate agent fee: 2%+VAT. The attorney’s and agent’s fees are paid upon contract signing.
(4) If you obtain a mortgage in Israel, mortgage brokers charge approximately 1% to 1.25%+VAT, depending on the mortgage size. In addition, banks usually charge a .25% application fee. (5) Cost to convert foreign currency to shekels – reputable forex companies charge .5%. (6) When buying on paper, there is a 5,000 NIS+VAT ($1,400) fee for the developer’s attorney to register the apartment in your name. (7) When buying on paper, the unpaid portion of the purchase price will be subject to the building construction index, which is akin to the CPI index and has fluctuated over the past half-decade from as low as under .5% to about 2% per annum.
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 13, 2019
46
TJH A Horse is a Horse, Of COurse, Of Course
Centerfold You gotta be kidding Jimbo was in the finals of the state spelling bee. “Okay, your word is ‘farm,’” the moderator said to him. Jimbo sat there for a few minutes with a puzzled look on his face. “Um... Can I have a definition, please?” “Sure,” the moderator said. “It is a plot of agricultural land, used for the raising of crops and livestock.” “Uhhh...” Jimbo sat there for several more minutes, continuing to ask for alternative pronunciations, word origins, etc. The moderator began to get frustrated. Finally, the Jimbo asked, “Uh, can you use it in a sentence?” “Old MacDonald had a FARM!” the moderator shouted. “Oh!” said Jimbo. “E-I-E-I-O!”
The Real Champs Are... Who of the following was not one of the winners (that’s right there were multiple winners this year – they are just smarter than the dictionary) of the 2019 Scripps Spelling Bee?
Omaha Beach
Alwaysmining
Game Winner
Long Range Toddy
Roadster
Country House
Improbable
Gray Magician
Maximum Security
Bourbon War
Code of Honor
Anothertwistafate
Senderfolda Sommishioner
Cutting Humor
Warrior’s Charge
Shruthika Padhy
By My Standards
Laughing Fox
Win Win Win
Market King
War of Will
Center Fuld Commish
Rishik Gandhasri Abhijay Kodali
Rohan Raja Sohum Sukhatankar Saketh Sundar
Answer to The Real Champs Are: Senderfoda Sommishoiner (Sensing a pattern yet?)
Answer to A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course: Uhhh… Center Fuld Commish.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
Which of the following is not the name of a horse that ran in any of the three legs of the Triple Crown this year?
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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These words were used in the final rounds of the 2019 Scripps Spelling Bee and none of the contestants left were stumped by them. Can you match these unusual words to their definition?
1. Auslaut
B. An ornament on some military and naval uniforms, consisting of braided loops hanging from the shoulder and on dress uniforms ending in points
3. Palama
C. The webbing on the feet of aquatic birds
4. Aiguillette
D. A disease caused by a bacterial infection
5. Odylic
E. Bending or hanging downward
6. Cernuous
F. An ornamental climbing plant that is widely cultivated in the tropics
7. Pendeloque
G. A force or natural power formerly held by some to reside in certain individuals and things and to underlie hypnotism and magnetism and some other phenomena
8. Bougainvillea
JUNE 13, 2019
2. Erysipelas
A. A diamond or other gemstone cut in the form of a pear
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Words Wars
H. Final sound in a word or syllabus
8. F
Wisdom Key 6-8 correct: You are a pendeloque who has an odylic touch! You should wear an aiguillette.
7. A 6. E 5. C 4. B 3. C 2. D
3-5 correct: Don’t be cernuous, these are hard words.
1. H
0-2 correct: You are normal!
A horse is tied to a fifteen-foot rope and there is a bale of hay 35 feet away from him. The horse, however, is still able to eat from the hay. How is this possible? See answer below
Answer to Riddle Me This: The rope isn’t tied to anything other than the horse.
Answers
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Riddle me this?
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Notable Quotes
JUNE 13, 2019
“Say What?!”
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first!
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- Cryptic tweet by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, along with several photos of himself participating in minicamp last week
John’s been a loser for a long time. We know that. I think he was disbarred, and he went to prison. Other than that, he’s doing a great job. - President Trump talking about John Dean, who was Nixon’s counsel before turning on him, after Dean was brought into a Congressional hearing to say that President Trump is worse than Nixon
I said, “Dang, I got them all.” - Charles W. Jackson, Jr. of North Carolina at a press conference last week recalling what happened when he went online to check the winning lotto numbers and realized that he won the $344.6 million Powerball
I don’t know what to do with it. I hope it won’t change me a lot. I’m still going to wear my jeans – maybe newer ones. B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
- Ibid.
If you want to be an entrepreneur, the most important thing is to be customer obsessed. Don’t satisfy your customers – figure out to how to absolutely delight them. That is the number one thing, whoever your customers are. - Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos at the ReMARS conference last week in Las Vegas
It’s really clear that forces of white supremacy have been unleashed. A lot of folks used to be told it was unacceptable to be anti-Semitic, it was unacceptable to be racist, and now they’re getting more permission. - NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio talking about numerous recent attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn this year and blaming them on white supremacy, even though most of the perpetrators of those attacks have been non-whites
Climate change is one of the main drivers of our public health. So the difference between, say, 1.5 degrees of warming – which is the least that folks think that we can get – to 2, you are talking about 150 million deaths. That’s 25 holocausts, right? So how is that not a health issue? How is that not about health care? - Rhiana Gunn-Wright (age 29 and not a scientist) who drafted the Green New Deal, on MSNBC making a completely baseless claim which even global warming advocates disagree with
We know that people, especially people of color, are dying daily from fossil fuel pollution. - Ibid.
Fish are sentient individuals who feel pain. – Tweet by PETA last Friday, urging people not to eat fish
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I don’t want to see him impeached; I want to see him in prison.
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- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a meeting with senior Democrats over whether to begin impeachment hearings into President Trump
What’s important for people to know, first of all, I travel all the time in the country. Do you know most people think that impeachment means you’re out of office? Did you ever get that feeling that you’re just in the bubble here? They think that if you get impeached, you’re gone. And that is completely not true. So when you’re impeaching somebody, you want to make sure you have the strongest possible indictment because it’s not the means to the end people think. All you do, vote to impeach, byebye, birdie. It isn’t that. It’s an indictment, so you have the best possible indictment, go through the legal process in a way that shows accommodation that we need to get the courts to rule in our favor because we’ve done it correctly and the rest. -Ibid., at a press conference trying to temper the calls by her base to impeach President Trump by trying to educate them about what impeachment is and what it is not
I don’t think you can overestimate how much people have been choking on political correctness and hate it…. No one likes to be living on eggshells. - Bill Maher, HBO
It boils down to that phrase, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” - A senior member of the BBC explaining to the Daily Mail why the BBC will no longer use the word “terror”
I’ve lived here, I really enjoyed the people and their passion and excitement for not only the game, but just when you come into town they just enjoy life and they’re nice people. Very confused around that reaction. It’s not my experience with the people of this city. - Warriors basketball player Steph Curry after game 5 of the NBA Finals when asked about Toronto Raptor fans cheering when the Warriors’ Kevin Durant injured himself in the second quarter of the game
I don’t know him. I don’t care to know him. He showed his true colors at the time. And you show what you’re really about in that time and at that moment. – Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry after Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens pushed him when he fell into the stands during game 3 of the NBA finals
They were hitmen from Colombia who weren’t very bright. They were looking for someone else. Faye Resnick was a heavy cocaine user with a heavy debt. She was living in the house until the day before, and a decision was made to kill her… But when the boys went to do it, they found Nicole, and they had an argument with her on the street corner, and they drove away and went around to the back of the house and came in and cut her up with a knife. Ron Goldman was just very unfortunate. - F. Lee Bailey, who was on the OJ Simpson defense team, in a recent interview with the Huffington Post, putting forth his theory of who killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994
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It’s hard to imagine a complete break of the United States from China or of China from the United States. We are not interested in this, and our American partners are not interested in this. President Trump is my friend and I am convinced he is also not interested in this. - Chinese President Xi Jinping, while speaking at an economic forum in Russia last Friday
- Explanation given to police by a 46-year-old woman in Florida as to why she stabbed herself with a kitchen knife
It went perfect, perfect jump. I feel great. I’d go up and do it all again. - U.S. World War II D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97, from California, after parachuting into a field in Normandy, France, to commemorate D-Day
We have to make sure that housing is being legislated as a human right. What does that mean? What it means is that our access and our ability and our guarantee to having a home comes before someone else’s privilege to earn a profit.
JUNE 13, 2019
I’m tired of living in Trump’s country; I’m tired of Trump being president.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Socialist/Democrat-NY) at a recent townhall meeting espousing pure socialism
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Dating
Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
My neighbor is a very nice woman, and I’ve always enjoyed talking to her. We’ve enjoyed a warm and friendly relationship for many years. Ever since I started dating, she has wanted very badly to make my shidduch. Somehow, it seems as though she wants to be the hero of my story. Anyway, though I’m pursuing the usual routes of speaking to shadchanim and people I know, I have allowed my neighbor to set me up twice already.
Each of these dates was a disaster. It’s like she picks a random name out of a box and tells me that this man is the most amazing person for me. The first time I went out with one of her “ideas,” it was awful, but I figured she somehow messed up. I know that she knows me well and so it’s so confusing that she would talk about some random guy with such excitement when really there was nothing to be excited about. After I went out with the second person she suggested, I realized that something was really wrong here and I wouldn’t put myself through going out with one of her “ideas” ever again. The problem is that I know she is constantly talking to people about me and calling me about prospects. How do I get her off my case? I know her intentions are good but apparently she is either clueless about putting two people together or she thinks it’s a random hit or miss. I don’t want to be rude to her and I am grateful, but I refuse to suffer through one more of these ridiculous encounters. Of course, my parents think it would be rude to say anything and that I should humor her and go out, because…hey, you never know.
Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions.
Our intention is not to offer any definitive
conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. ake the bull by the horns and communicate effectively with your neighbor. Thank her for her friendship, interest, and ongoing efforts on your behalf, and tell her that you have recently begun a new practice of only dating people who are suggested by someone who knows them. While it is kind that concerned friends, relatives and acquaintances try to fix you up, often these dates are truly blind dates. It is helpful when people who know the other person and know you fix you up. Otherwise, it’s just a pair of pants that you are set up with. Appreciate her efforts again and talk about how you value your longstanding relationship. You can tell her again that you know she wants you to marry the best guy around and is trying to make it happen. In other words, use the sandwich method of bracketing your direct talk with positive words of thanks and recognition of the caring she is showing. You may need to do this a few more times in different variations of this themed sandwich. Keep at it. This is the policy you have decided on for many reasons. Articulating a policy works. Others can’t argue with it. A policy is firm by its very nature. Going out randomly is a waste of time and very frustrating. Don’t do it just because you never know. The person must be in the ballpark of your general needs and wants. That’s why shadchanim and others insist on meeting people before they suggest a date. There needs to be an alignment of personality, goals, hashkafa, professional interests and more. You understand this. Act on it. Your characterization of your neighbor shows insight. Turn the lens on yourself. Why are you afraid of being assertive and clear with your neighbor? Think about the answers to this question and dig deep. You will grow in understanding of yourself.
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The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. n this one, I’ll have to side with the New York Lottery and your parents…because in the area of shidduchim, you never really know where the shidduch will come from, or, more to the point, who Hashem will designate as His shaliach, the shadchan. You may not value your neighbor’s dabbling in your dating life, but kol hakavod! Kudos to her and all the neighbors, classmates, cousins and shul friends who care and respect you enough to suggest a shidduch. That does not absolve you and your parents from performing your due diligence and checking out each and every prospective match. And if the suggestion doesn’t sound suitable, you can always decline with a sincere, humble and heartfelt, “Thank you, Mrs. Schwartz, for thinking of me but not at this time.” And to all the Mrs. Sterns, Friedmans, Cohens out there: even if you’ve never redt a shidduch, even if the last match you set up blew up in your face, keep trying! It doesn’t take a license to be a shadchan…just two singles and a dream.
O
Next time your neighbor approaches you with the perfect match, give her a big hug and thank her for thinking of you. Then you may look into the idea further to see if it sounds somewhat appropriate for you. If, after looking into it, the idea sounds like a dud, there are a plethora of excuses you can give without sounding ungrateful. Here are a few suggestions to pull out of the same hat she takes her shidduch ideas from. “He sounds great, but after looking into him, it seems he is looking for a different type of girl. We really appreciate the thought!” “Thank you *Yenta, we have this idea on the back burner because we received a few suggestions right before this one. I will keep you posted!” “He sounds like such a nice boy! However, after doing research he doesn’t sound right for me. I may have a friend who he sounds more shayach for.” “I just gave
As the famous quote by Michael Corleone goes, “Keep your friends close and the neighborhood yentas closer.” a ‘yes’ to another idea but thank you so much for thinking of me.” Or a simple “Thank you so much for thinking of ideas for me. I’ll get back to you if I think he sounds right for me” should
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The Shadchan Michelle Mond hh, the stereotypical yenta; don’t worry, everybody has one of those! I will tell you something that might come as a surprise, but it is undoubtedly true. Hashem can make your shidduch come from anywhere! While you should surely vet all future ideas from the neighborhood matchmaker to make sure the idea is somewhat on target, don’t shut the door on her completely. As you said yourself, people love to call the block yenta for the inside scoop on people. As the famous quote by Michael Corleone goes (and I have taken the liberty to change): “Keep your friends close and the neighborhood yentas closer.”
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do the trick. The name of the game here is to be friendly and appreciative no matter what answer you give. It could be one of her ideas will eventually be a good one – you never know. I hope that the right shaliach sends your bashert very soon!
The Single Tova Wein e’ve all heard wonderful stores about matches that worked out
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beautifully, despite having been made from the most unlikely of sources. Sometimes, it’s a complete accident or even a miracle. Crazy stories! It does sound as though your neighbor is not putting a lot of thought into her actions and is just very anxious to be the one to make your shidduch, which is actually kind of sweet. But every single woman and man who has gone out with enough “duds” knows how painful these set-ups can be and how a person would rather go to the dentist than sit through another totally off-the-mark date. Therefore, rather
Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists
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M
y question is: how do we get your neighbor on everyone’s case? A person who is constantly thinking of you and talking about you in the highest regard is a gift that most single men and women do not have. I understand that the first two guys she set you up with weren’t for you. I am curious if they weren’t for you because your values, life vision and hashkafas were out of whack, or if their personalities/looks were not in line with what you find attractive. If your neighbor got it right in the arena of life goals and values, then she’s a pretty good shadchan. If you are, however, say clearly Modern Orthodox and she set you up with a chassidishe man, that would raise an eyebrow. As the other panelists suggested, keep this woman in your corner. I wouldn’t say anything that would offend her in the slightest. If you haven’t already had a sit-down with her to discuss what you’re looking for, call her and ask her if there might be a good time to do so. Bring a bouquet of flowers or her favorite treat to show your gratitude for her care and effort. I wonder if you hemmed and hawed
a bit when you spoke w ith your well-meaning neighbor the first time. This time, be very clear about your Top 5 Priority List. Your Top 5 are your non-negotiables. (An example of a meaningful and helpful Top 5 might be hashkafah, easygoing, plans to make aliyah, will earn a living and lives an active, healthy lifestyle. Everyone’s Top 5 is different. Sometimes there is some flexibility to be found, but these are your fundamental guides to help create a healthy filtration system for finding your husband.) The next time she suggests a young man for you, give her a big “thank you!” Now is the time for you (and your parents) to do your work. If you don’t see a reason to go out with him, call your neighbor, and let her know that you won’t be going out with him. The panelists gave wonderful suggestions as to how to approach this conversation. Unfortunately, I find that shidduch dating leaves many people jaded and fatigued – understandably so. However, I have worked with enough people and heard enough inspirational stories
than dismiss her, I would be more invested in checking out any name that she brings to you. If somehow, by accident, the prospect sounds great (not according to your neighbor but according to outside sources), obviously, go for it. But if your research uncovers the fact that he is a bad fit for you (for instance you clearly told your neighbor that you are looking for someone with a professional career trajectory, and the man she suggested barely got through high school), you should honestly explain to her specifically why he is not right for you. Hopefully, as a result, she will learn that she has to finetune her search because you
to tell you and the readership, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that one should never shut down an avenue because of one blocked off street. We simply don’t know whom Hashem will use to send you your husband or wife. For anyone who finds dating stressful (which is most people) or anyone experiencing any kind of stress at all (which is most people, self included) I recommend starting a regimen of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the here and now and deeply experiencing the moment, as opposed to doing what our brains do in their natural setting…ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. Dating can be ripe with anxiety and regret but neither are helpful. Mindfulness can help daters move into a state of curiosity and hopefulness. The beauty
Never shut down an avenue because of one blocked off street.
aren’t going to just go on any random date without first checking off the necessary boxes. As she continues to come up with unlikely matches, she will learn more and more about your needs and hopefully stop wasting her time and your time as well! And, as you yourself said, you never know!
of mindfulness is that you can use it anywhere… especially on a date to increase your presence and maybe even have some fun! Google “mindfulness” for helpful visualizations, mantras, exercises and meditations. Sincerely, Jennifer Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. Jennifer is looking forward to teaching a psychology course at Touro College in the fall. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.
Hi Readers! Receiving your enthusiastic emails wanting to participate in the Reader’s Respond section has been wonderful! Just a reminder about how Reader Response works. Email thenavidaters@gmail. com with the subject line “Reader Response.” We will then ask you, in the order we receive your email, if you would like to respond to the coming week’s email. If you would like to respond to an already printed Navidaters Panel, please submit your answer to the editor at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. You can also join us on our FB page @thenavidaters on Sunday evenings to post your response to the week’s column. Interacting with you has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of your feedback. Esther and Jennifer
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Aliza, a rescued woman who was trapped for many years, to tell her story of how Yad L’Achim rescued her and her children. By Rebbetzin Neger attendees stayed until the very end of the event. The women were spellbound after hearing Aliza and she brought the audience to their feet in applause. At the conclusion of the events, special videos were shown including “David’s Bar-Mitzvah” a boy who was rescued from an Arab village, and incredible story of transformation. Jewish women are routinely subject to depraved violence and abuse at the hands of the men they hoped would be their Prince Charming as well as from the rest of their in-laws. Their children are raised as Arab Muslims and taught to hate Jews while at the same time often bullied and spit upon as dirty Jews. “It’s almost impossible for a Westerner to imagine how totally trapped they are,” says Yossi Eliav, Director of
urs! o t g n i t spr a e r g r w fo call no
Special Projects, organizer of the tour. “Some live like prisoners, without access to a phone or even the freedom to go outside.” “One woman did not have access to a phone for 32 years and no way to call for help,” says R’ Nesanel Gantz, Director of Yad L’Achim in North America. Yad L’Achim, founded in the 1950s, has rescued thousands of these imprisoned women and their children. The operations are conducted with the utmost secrecy, as the lives of the women, their children, and all operatives are at high risk. Once free, Yad L’Achim provides safe shelter for these women and their children and supports their reintegration into Jewish society. The number of Jewish women and children trapped in such conditions today numbers in the
thousands. “People aren’t aware how many hundreds of girls are drawn into these nightmare scenarios each year,” says Gantz. “Our mission is to show their plight to the world and save as many lives as we can.” Women, don’t miss this historic, inspiring event. You will leave inspired, uplifted and amazed. BALTIMORE EVENT Monday, June 17, 7:30 pm Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation 6600 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215 For more information including schedule, visit www.2019ustour.com Or call: 1-866-923-5224
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“He said to me, ‘If you leave, there will be nothing left to find.’ ” Aliza was trapped for many years and now she is free and telling her story for the very first time in a series of events in Lakewood, NJ, Baltimore, MD & Staten Island, NY. This will be the first time Aliza has ever told her personal life story in a public setting in Baltimore. (This Monday June 17th @7:30 in Shaarei Zion) Aliza will talk about her harrowing decade-plus living a life of fear and her story of rescue. Her husband was a criminal and Aliza’s dedication to her children—despite her suffering—will inspire and amaze you. The first few events, for women only, have already taken place in Los Angeles, Florida and New York and all
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THIS WEEK! Rescued Woman to Speak In Baltimore For The First Time
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Forgotten Her es
Giora Romm Conquering the Skies By Avi Heiligman
F
ive kills for a fighter pilot is considered elite status, and with it, he or she is given the title of ace. A kill is downing an enemy aircraft – whether it is a fighter, bomber, cargo, observation plane or any other type of
manned vehicle that flies (The author is not sure about the status of drones, though.) Pilots in the Israeli Air Force have been respected for their tenacity and ingenuity in air battles. Dozens have achieved the distinction of be-
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coming an ace. The first of Israel’s jet aces and the first to kill five enemy planes while fighting for the IAF was Giora Romm. He accomplished the feat during the Six Day War and went on to become one of the IAF’s most respected pilots in history. Romm’s parents emigrated from Poland and resettled in Israel. He was born in Kiryat Motzkin in 1945 while the country was still under British Mandate. When Romm was just 17 he joined the Israeli Air Force after graduating from the Military School of Command near Haifa. During training he flew French-built Dassault Ouragan and Mystère. After graduating, he was the youngest pilot flying the frontline fighter the Mirage. In June 1967, he was just 22 when the Six Day War took place. He was assigned to the 119th Squadron. The 119th Squadron was a vital part of the attack and only a few of their battle-tested Mirage IIIs weren’t tasked to bomb land targets on June 5, 1967. Romm and his wingman Eitan Karmi were circling an Egyptian base searching for any enemy planes that escaped the bombing. Sure enough, they saw several MiG 21 fighters and each downed two and then went back to base to refuel. In his second mission of the day, Romm’s wingman was Asher Snir. Romm called over the radio, “Two MiGs, 12 o’clock high.” Snir positioned himself behind one and shot him down. However, the second was on the tail of
Romm and fired a missile which failed to lock on the Mirage. Frustrated, the MiG-21 pilot shot cannon fire at Romm but his aim was off. Finally, Romm was able turn the tables on him and shot the enemy out of the sky. On June 6, Romm was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Although he was injured, Romm was safe in friendly hands. The next day, he was back flying and shot down two MiG-17s. These were Romm’s fourth and fifth kills, which made him an ace. After the Six Day War, Romm served as an instructor at the flight school. Before the squadron was able to switch to the newly arrived American F-4 Phantoms, they were called to fight during the War of Attrition. On September 9, 1969, the IDF launched Operation Raviv, sometimes referred to as the Ten Hour War. Two days later, Romm’s squadron of Mirage fighters had to scramble to respond to a largescale Egyptian counter-attack. Romm was going after MiG-21s when another one came up behind him at 20,000 feet. The Mirage was hit by a missile, although Romm was able to eject. On the way out, his arm and elbow were injured but he managed to reach the ground safely. Landing in the Nile Delta region of Egypt, he was held in harsh conditions in a prison near Cairo. During his incarceration, was beaten, tortured, and held in solitary confinement. On December 7, 1969, Romm was released in a prisoner exchange. Another pilot, Nissim Ashkenazi, and
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“Only three pilots in the entire history dared to go on a combat sortie in an aircraft they never flown before. I am about to become fourth…. The jet responds well to me, and Kochva [the flight leader] assists with weaponry controls. Fi-
dive towards ‘Budapest.’ I spot the bright yellow light of SAM-2 missile launched in my direction from Port-Said. What a negative day. I complete the attack and join the formation. ‘4, your missiles did not deploy.’”
nally, we lower down and prepare to attack the outer perimeter of the ‘Budapest’ post. ‘3 pull out,’ the leader says, and I pullout following the jet ahead of me. I roll over and
Romm continued to command the 115th Squadron until 1976. In 1974 he led them on an attack on Syrian positions in the Golan Heights. Later on, he served as the commander of the Ramon
JUNE 13, 2019
The very next day, on October 6, the Yom Kippur War broke out suddenly, and all available units scrambled to react to the surprise attack.
Air Base and then the Tel Nof Air Base. While stationed at Tel Nof, he flew one of the ten F-15 Eagles that attacked PLO strongholds in Tunisia. After serving at Tel Nof, he held a few other positions including becoming deputy to the IAF commander. By this time, he was a major general and played a role during the Gulf War in 1991. Before retiring in 1996 he served as Israel’s military attaché to the U.S. and Canada. Giora Romm spent 34 years in the Israeli Air Force and wrote an autobiography detailing his time as a pilot. Becoming an ace is no small task and rarely do the public get to hear their stories. Romm may not have won all of his air battles but he did make life very difficult for Israel’s enemies – and conquered the skies while doing so.
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two Israeli male passengers who were kidnapped on a plane in Damascus were also part of the prisoner exchange. It took months of rehabilitation but Romm was able to gradually return to flying. In 1972, Romm was appointed deputy commander of the 113th Squadron that was flying Neshers. On October 3, 1973, the 115th Squadron lost their commander in a training accident. Two days later, Romm was asked to take over the squadron despite having no experience at all in the American A-4 Skyhawk. The very next day, on October 6, the Yom Kippur War broke out suddenly, and all available units scrambled to react to the surprise attack. The versatile pilot familiarized himself with the A-4 Skyhawk on the way to his very first mission as squadron commander. It was the first of dozens of sorties that he led against the Egyptians during the war. Their target for the first mission was codenamed “Budapest” on the Suez Canal, and he was the number four plane in the formation. He later said about the mission:
Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@ gmail.com.
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Mental Health Corner
JUNE 13, 2019
Group Therapy and Support Groups
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By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman
David Flamm 410-616-9186
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Many people who suffer from mental health disorders find tremendous benefit from attending groups as an adjunct to individual therapy. The experience of sitting in a room with other people who share your experiences can help you feel understood in ways that are impossible in other settings. Additionally, you can receive support and direction from other members of the group. However, many people are hesitant to attend groups since they do not understand the nature of groups and what they have to offer. Therefore, in this article we will attempt to demystify groups and provide a basic overview of the different types of group and their benefits. Psychoeducational groups – A psychoeducational group educates the participants about a specific topic. The education includes both information about their condition and skills that will help them manage it. The sessions tend to be very structured and the group discussions are focused on the topic that is being discussed. They are usually based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skill groups are included in this category. Process-Oriented groups – A process-oriented group focuses on the group experience as being the vehicle for healing. One example of this is when participants are encouraged to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the group setting with the goal of having this be a healing process. This kind of group is usually based on the principles of psychodynamic therapy. Expressive Therapy groups
– Very often therapy groups are focused around a form of expressive therapy such as art therapy, dance therapy, or music therapy. Support Groups – In a support group, people who are dealing with the same issue come together to share strategies, get a sense of community, experience sympathetic understanding, and support each other. Unlike a therapy group, the dynamic of the group is on the support and not on the therapy. Nonetheless, attendees often find the experience very therapeutic. An additional difference between a support group and a therapy group is that a therapy group is typically led by a licensed clinician whereas a support group is frequently led by a member of the group. It must be mentioned that even if your group is facilitated by a licensed clinician, there are some issues that can arise in group therapy. They include a risk of confidentiality being breached, inability of the facilitator to deal with each attendee individually, and the possibility of one of the group members being disruptive or inappropriate. Sometimes, you need to attend a group for a few weeks to see if it is right for you. If the group is not a good match, do not be discouraged since there might be other groups that would be a good fit for you. This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-448-8356 or at yslansky@reliefhelp.org
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LIEBERMAN
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THE STUDENT STRIKES BACK AT THE MASTER BY TZV I LEV hu broadcasts confidence and appears to be at the top of his game. The year is 1993 and Lieberman is serving as the Likud’s director-general, a powerful position that makes him the de-facto head of Israel’s largest rightwing party. He was appointed to the post by Netanyahu, who came out of nowhere a year earlier to become the Likud’s leader and candidate for prime minister. Despite facing a formidable slate of opponents who had waited years for the chance to contend for the job, Netanyahu stormed to the top thanks to his political acumen as well as a bevy of media tactics he had picked in the United States. Now, the young and charismatic Netanyahu appears unstoppable. Swept up in his success is Lieber-
man. Born and raised in Moldova, the boisterous political operative experienced relentless anti-Semitism from his neighbors before immigrating to Israel in 1978. Enrolling in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, the hefty Lieberman worked as a security guard at a nightclub in order to get by. His interest in political activism would soon send his career in a totally different direction. Catching the eye of local Likud leaders, Lieberman quickly became a senior figure in the ruling party. An ideologue blessed with considerable oratorical skills, Lieberman became well-known among the estimated 1 million Russians who flooded Israel after the Soviet Union’s collapse. As the years went by, Lieberman and Netanyahu became inseparable.
The Moldovan immigrant led Netanyahu’s campaign in the Likud’s primaries ahead of the 1992 Knesset election as well as his successful race for party leadership a year later. Lieberman’s stock rose even higher in 1996. Following Netanyahu’s shock victory over Shimon Peres to become prime minister, Lieberman was appointed director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office. Many expected Lieberman to continue in Netanyahu’s footsteps and dominate Israeli politics as a senior Likud minister.
A Falling-Out Yet something happened between them. In 1997, Lieberman suddenly resigned as the director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office. While the official reason was the corruption inves-
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Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to be having fun. In the old and grainy photograph that has rocketed around Israel throughout the past week, the-now veteran politicos are enjoying each other’s company outside of the former’s home in Gush Etzion. Wearing a green turtleneck shirt and a wide smile that splits his bearded face, Lieberman seems calm and relaxed. Next to him stands a much-younger Netanyahu. Decked out in mirrored aviator sunglasses, the future prime minister is returning from reserve duty as can be seen from the Uzi submachine gun he grips under his left arm. Dressed a black button-down shirt and sporting an expensive watch, Netanya-
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tigation police opened against Lieberman, many spoke of an argument that quickly deteriorated into a falling-out between him and Netanyahu. Lieberman would eventually return to politics following a brief business career but relations between him and Netanyahu have never been the same. After launching the Yisrael Beytenu party that caters to Russian immigrants, Lieberman indeed rose to become a senior power player on Israel’s political scene. Reaching a high of 15 seats in the 2009 elections, Lieberman has served in a slew of influential posts including stints as Defense Minister and Foreign Minister. Throughout this period, Lieberman and Netanyahu maintained an uneasy relationship. Despite a merger between the Likud and Yisrael Beytenu ahead of the 2013 elections, the two are not considered particularly close. On the contrary – Lieberman has lashed out frequently against his former boss, memorably calling him a “lying, cheating scoundrel” back in 2016. The relationship arc between the two is not unique to Lieberman. Frayed relationships with former allies practically define Netanyahu; the lead-
Holding on for Dear Life Israel’s government is based off the parliamentary system. Following elections for the Knesset, Israel’s president entrusts the leader of the largest party with a mandate to establish a government. To be sworn in, a coalition needs the support of at least 61 out of 120 lawmakers. Should the politician tasked with forming a government fail to win enough support, the president is entitled to give other factions the chance to establish a government. If there is no headway, Israel then goes back to the
LIEBERMAN HAS LASHED OUT FREQUENT LY AGAINST HIS FORMER BOSS, MEMORABLY CALLING HIM A “LY ING, CHEATING SCOUNDREL” BACK IN 2016. ers of almost every current rival rightwing party, including Naftali Bennett, Moshe Kahlon, and Ayelet Shaked, once worked for Israel’s long-serving leader before leaving in a huff. Yet, unlike the other aforementioned politicians, Lieberman may finally succeed in torpedoing Netanyahu’s seemingly endless political career.
polls again, something that has never happened in the country’s 71-year history. Israel’s confusing political system seems tailormade for dysfunction, with instability a recurring theme. With a multitude of political parties, the public has never entrusted any faction with the 61 seats needed to win the elections
outright. As a result, the various parties commonly enter into weeks of horse trading and bare-knuckle negotiations in an attempt to squeeze as many goodies as possible for their constituents in exchange for their acquiescence to join the coalition. Netanyahu is coming off what many call the greatest election victory of his career. The prime minister is fighting considerable legal challenges. Under indictment in three separate corruption probes titled Case 1000, 2000, and 4000, Netanyahu is doing everything in his power not to end up behind bars. When elections were called for April 9, many assumed that his political life was over. For one, only a hearing before Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit prevents Bibi from becoming Israel’s first-ever serving leader to serve while awaiting trial. When previous prime ministers such as Ehud Olmert were indicted, they commonly resigned from office. Before the election, the expectation was that Israelis would be loath to cast a ballot for a possibly-corrupt Netanyahu who is up to his ears in legal problems. In addition, Netanyahu faced formidable competition this time around. No less than three former IDF chief of staffs joined together in an attempt to oust him from office, including Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon, Gabi Ashkenazi, and Benny Gantz. With the generals running on a joint ticket known as the Kahol Lavan party, Netanyahu was squaring off against a bevy of popular military officers whose political positions are well within Israel’s consensus. To paraphrase the famous author Mark Twain, the rumors of Netanyahu’s political death were greatly exag-
gerated. As the final results rolled in on April 10, the wily prime minister’s monumental feat became clear. Not only did his Likud party not suffer from Netanyahu’s myriad legal issues, it shot up to 35 seats, the most it has garnered since 2003. Riding high from his historic victory, Netanyahu assumed that establishing a government would be easy street. While Kahol Lavan earned an identical 35 seats, Gantz and party co-leader Benny Gantz had no way of forming a coalition. The right-wing parties possessed a clear majority; the haredi UTJ and Shas parties along with Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu and the Religious-Zionist Union of Right Wing Parties (URWP) combined for 65 seats. No one thought that Israel’s 35th government would be headed by anyone else than Netanyahu. No one, that is, except Lieberman. The first signs of trouble emerged in early May after Netanyahu asked President Reuven Rivlin for a twoweek extension for his coalition negotiations. While this is not the first time a party leader has requested an extension to the 28-day period needed to shore up a majority, such requests are common when no ideological bloc has a clear victory. It shouldn’t have taken Netanyahu so long to hammer out an agreement with potential partners. As the May 30th deadline approached, it was clear that there was a problem: Lieberman. Rather than agree to join the coalition in exchange for the usual mix of ministerial portfolios, Netanyahu’s former political ally started to make impossible demands. It’s important to mention that Lieberman was always expected to drive a hard bargain; with his five Knesset seats, Netanyahu had no way of getting the support of the 61 lawmakers needed to establish his fourth consecutive coalition without Lieberman’s help. But as time went on, Lieberman’s demands seemed increasingly detached from reality. Despite his faction’s small size, Lieberman demanded that Netanyahu appoint three of his legislators as ministers and grant Yisrael Beytenu five ministerial portfolios overall, an unheard-of political price. Lieberman’s ministerial demands notwithstanding, the most contentious issue was the legislation designed to forcibly draft charedim into the IDF.
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The Charedim Issue Ever since Israel’s establishment in 1948, ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students have received deferments from the country’s mandatory military draft in order to enable them to study Torah full-time. Originally the result of an agreement between Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and the venerable Chazon Ish, the number of charedim exempted from army service ballooned from the original 446 in 1950 to 42,004 today. Ever since, the charedi enlistment saga has become a major political issue, with the blanket draft deferments constantly under fire from critics who contend that the policy constitutes discrimination against secular Israeli Jews. Matters came to a head in 2017 when Israel’s Supreme Court decided that a previous law exempting yeshiva students from the IDF draft was unconstitutional. While the court struck
Kahol Lavan seems to be courting Arab leaders
mainly Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, refused to vote for any law that extends the customary draft deferments. With the final deadline creeping up, the charedi Shas and UTJ parties view the issue as their highest priority and have refused to join any coalition that does
W ITH THEIR CAMPAIGN SLOGAN CLAIMING THAT “ THERE IS NO RIGHT OR LEFT AN YMORE,” KAHOL LAVAN’S ENTIRE STRATEGY HINGED ON PU LLING A FAST ONE OVER CENTER-RIGHT VOTERS. down the legislation, it also granted the government a year to pass a new law that would mandate at least some yeshiva students to enlist in the military. Should the government fail to do so, it ruled, then every ultra-Orthodox male over the age of 18 would instantly be required to do a full military service like his secular counterparts. Since then, the deadline has been extended several times as bickering factions in previous governments,
not commit to passing the Draft Law as soon as possible. Enter Lieberman. Adopting the issue as his calling card, the gruff former defense minister announced that he would refuse to support any bill that protected the draft deferment program for yeshiva students. As the period for forming a government ticked down, the charedi parties compromised again and again, willing to accept stands seen as previously unacceptable in order for
the government to be sworn in. But it was not to be. Rebuffing offers by Shas and UTJ time after time, Lieberman announced that he would not join any government with the charedim, whom he accused of seeking to create “a halachic theocratic government.” “Since the destruction of the Second Temple there has not been a leader who has given more to the ultra-Orthodox than Netanyahu, so the time has come that something be demanded of them in return for once,” Lieberman blustered.
A Worsening Economy With time running out, and the once-unthinkable specter of new elections becoming a reality, Netanyahu went into panic mode. Desperately needing to build a coalition in order to pass snap legislation protecting him from criminal prosecution, Netanyahu sent representatives to the left-wing Labor party offering them a plethora of ministries should they agree to join his government. While embattled Labor leader Avi Gabbay was inclined to agree to join a Netanyahu-led government, he faced a rebellion among the party’s ranks and file who abhorred the very idea. With only an hour to go until the deadline, the Knesset voted to disperse itself in order to prevent President Rivlin from giving Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz a chance to establish a coalition. May 30 was a historic night in Israel; for the first time in the country’s history, no government was formed following a Knesset election and the country will now return to the ballot
box on September 17. A visibly infuriated Netanyahu announced following the Knesset vote that Lieberman “is now part of the Left.” Despite winning 35 seats in one of the ugliest election campaigns Israel has ever known, Netanyahu was forced to watch helplessly as his government and possibly his political career went up in flames. The aforementioned political dysfunction has thrust Israel into uncharted waters. As this is the first time the country has ever experienced such a scenario, no one can predict with any honesty how things can turn out. One thing is clear, though: Lieberman could not have picked a worse time to send Israelis back to the ballot box. Already, economists are warning that the elections-redo is liable to cause the economy to take a massive hit. Currently, Israel is suffering from an astonishing NIS 18 billion budget deficit due to former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon’s handouts. The OECD and the international rating agencies are already demanding answers to how the Bank of Israel plans on dealing with it and are threatening to downgrade Israel’s credit rating should it fail to provide anything convincing. In such a situation, the government normally begins by cutting services, laying off civil employees, and raising taxes. However, the austerity measures needed to balance the budget are now complicated by elections; with all the solutions mentioned above deeply unpopular among the citizenry, implementing them would constitute political suicide. In addition, the Finance Ministry says that a new round of elections will cost Israel more than NIS 5 billion and maintains that it has no way of paying for it. With the odds of an expensive war with Hezbollah in the summer remaining extremely high, Israel’s economy may be entering into a dark period.
Possible Boon for Charedim Another likely result from the snap election is that the charedi parties are expected to substantially increase their representation in the Knesset. Why? The reason is simple. In virtually every country in Europe that returned to the polls after parliament failed to establish a gov-
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While the charedim may be the biggest beneficiaries of Lieberman’s stubbornness, we may be witnessing significant tectonic shifts in Israel’s political area. Early signs suggest that the Left may turn to post-Zionism in a bid to return to power for the first time in almost two decades. Last week, Ayman Odeh, who
hol Lavan pulled out all the stops in a desperate effort to milk the Likud. Constantly denying that he headed a left-wing party, Benny Gantz even refused to commit to establishing a Palestinian State in order not to repel centrist Israelis. With their campaign slogan claiming that “There is No Right or Left Anymore,” Kahol Lavan’s entire strategy hinged on pulling a fast one over center-right voters.
Gantz’s Hosen L’Yisrael, and Ya’alon’s Telem party resulted from the belief that three generals united on one slate joined by the popular Lapid could boot Netanyahu from power. The assumption was based on a series of polls that showed the star-studded list consistently beating out the Likud, with the gap occasionally rising to as high as five seats. Yet their dreams were shattered
It didn’t work. Not only did Kahol Lavan fail to convince right-wingers to vote for them, Netanyahu led the Likud to their highest total in 15 years. Now, the party appears to be pulling out Plan B: gunning for the votes of Israel’s 2 million Arabs. As such, cooperating with terror supporters such as Odeh is likely only the beginning stage in Kahol Lavan’s far-left campaign.
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Infighting Finally, numerous questions abound as to whether the Kahol Lavan party will stick together. The alliance between Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, Benny
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heads the anti-Zionist Hadash party, joined the Gantz-Ashkenazi-Ya’alonLapid quartet on stage at an anti-Netanyahu rally in Tel Aviv. Why, one might ask, was a proud hater of Israel headlining the evening’s entertainment with those who dedicated their lives to protecting Israel? The answer is a result of basic electoral math. As there are more rightwing Israelis than leftist, the Left knows that it needs to do one of two things in order to return to power: either break Right and peel voters off the Likud, or break Left and partner with the Arabs. During the previous elections, Ka-
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NOW, THE PARTY APPEARS TO BE PU LLING OUT PLAN B: GUNN ING FOR THE VOTES OF ISRAEL’S 2 MI LLION ARABS.
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A Post-Zionism Era?
Small fissures are forming in the Kahol Lavan party
on election night. Despite facing a jail sentence, Netanyahu managed to get 35 seats, dispatching the generals’ dreams of leading Israel into the realm of science fiction. Since the election ended, the alliance has been rife with dysfunction and infighting. According to numerous reports, Lapid views Gantz as a political lightweight and has been making it abundantly clear that he blames him for their failure to out Bibi from office. Lapid and Gantz have been careful to broadcast a message of “business as usual.” Soon after new elections were called for September 17, Lapid announced that there would be no changes in the party’s lineup and reiterated that “Benny Gantz will be the head of Blue and White and will be our candidate for prime minister.” Yet others remain unconvinced. With Ya’alon’s right-wing lawmakers Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel catching flak from fellow legislators for their right-wing views, we may yet witness a scenario in which Kahol Lavan falls apart.
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ernment, the voter turnout was always significantly lower than the first time around. People justifiably feel disgusted by the partisan gridlock and don’t bother showing up at the polls on election day. This phenomenon would likely hold true in Israel as well. The charedim, however, have the best get-out-the-vote effort in Israel and would likely have an equal, if not higher, voting turnout than the elections in March. Being that Knesset seats are distributed on a proportional basis according to total vote turnout, the second round of elections could see them surge to as many as 20 seats.
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Political Crossfire
America is at War, in Cyberspace By David Ignatius
O
ne of the least-discussed but perhaps most consequential comments by special counsel Robert Mueller in his appearance before reporters last week was his blunt counterintelligence assessment: “Russian intelligence officers, who are part of the Russian military, launched a concerted attack on our political system.” Here’s why this judgment is so important: The U.S. military, backed by Mueller’s findings and those of the intelligence community, has responded by developing a tough new doctrine to counter cyberattacks by Russia and other rivals. The premise is that our adversaries are engaged in constant cyber-assaults against us and that America should adopt a strategy of “persistent engagement.” What this means, basically, is that the United States is now in a low-level state of cyberwar, constantly. This military response to cyber-meddling is entirely independent of the usual headline-grabbing issues that surround Mueller’s report, or Trump’s angry tweets about it, or whether the House of Representatives will launch an impeachment investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice. Those political debates will continue, but meanwhile, the military is taking the offensive in dealing with the threat that surfaced so dramatically in the 2016 presidential election. Driving this new strategy is U.S. Cyber Command, the nexus of the military’s efforts to combat and deter adversaries, from terrorist groups to Russia and China. It keeps a low profile, but it’s worth examining some of its
basic policy statements to get a clearer picture of a conflict that most Americans don’t understand, even after more than two years of media fixation on issues surrounding Russian meddling. Cyber Command initially stated its new strategy in a 2018 directive that had the classically opaque title “Achieve and Maintain Cyberspace Superiority.” The central theme was that the military cyberwarriors would take the fight into enemy networks (and
adversaries are doing.” The new doctrine was debated at a May 10 Cyberspace Strategy Symposium convened by Cyber Command at the National Defense University in Washington. The ground rules of the debate prohibit quoting any of the speakers by name, but various experts discussed the rules of the new, ongoing war in cyberspace and whether this continuous, invisible struggle will produce stability and deterrence or not.
They’re closer to James Angleton’s “wilderness of mirrors” than Herman Kahn’s “escalation ladder.”
the gray zones in between): “We have learned we must stop attacks before they penetrate our cyber defenses or impair our military forces.” Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of Cyber Command, added more detail in an interview with Joint Force Quarterly early this year. He explained the challenge of “defending forward” in the new state of persistent engagement: “How do we warn, how do we influence our adversaries, how do we position ourselves in case we have to achieve outcomes in the future? Acting is the concept of operating outside our borders, being outside our networks, to ensure that we understand what our
A senior U.S. military officer told the group that cyberwar means deploying U.S. teams abroad, sharing tradecraft, and helping allies build resilience. He described persistent engagement as watching and stalking: “Never let your adversary have a moment to hide, breathe, stop.” As with any military operation, the goal would be “imposing cost,” he said. “Adversaries, until checked, will keep advancing.” These are big, untested ideas, and a much-needed public discussion is just beginning about how these norms of persistent conflict will work. Michael Fischerkeller and Richard Harknett
argued on April 15 on Lawfare that what has emerged in cyberspace isn’t deterrence, but “agreed competition,” with “a tacit agreement among states that they will actively pursue national interests through cyber operations… while carefully avoiding the equivalence of armed attack.” James Miller and Neal Pollard countered on Lawfare that deterrence might work in this new domain, as a kind of “adaptive learning.” They cited published reports that Cyber Command disrupted Russian cyberwarriors before the 2018 midterm elections. They concluded: “Risks to the U.S… appear to have been reduced, with no apparent blowback or other immediate downsides.” The bottom line, Miller and Pollard argued, is that “effective signaling through military actions ... should ultimately reduce the risk for dangerous escalation.” Reviewing this strategic debate, my worry is that Russian actions in cyberspace look more like intelligence operations than strategic military activities. They exist in a semi-deniable, hard-to-attribute gray zone. They’re closer to James Angleton’s “wilderness of mirrors” than Herman Kahn’s “escalation ladder.” If so, a military approach may not fit. Of all Trump’s responses to the Mueller investigation, the most damaging may be the way he downplayed Russian covert meddling in our elections and accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims of innocence. Fortunately, Cyber Command isn’t making the same mistake. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group
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Political Crossfire
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The Brave New World of Trading Blocs By Robert J. Samuelson
JUNE 13, 2019
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the main architect of the postwar trading system, and it supported MFN. The traditional American view has been that trade liberalization (fewer tariffs and quotas) benefits all countries – importers and exporters alike. Trade is not a zero-sum game, where one party’s gain is inevitably the other’s loss. Now this crude consensus seems to be crumbling under the weight of two events: China’s emergence as an economic superpower and Trump’s election as president. For slightly different reasons, the United States and China each believes that it could do better with a system that gives more weight to its disproportionate economic power. Instead of a multilateral trading system, where gains are negotiated and shared by all, the United States and China each prefers a system built on a series of bilateral or country-to-country negotiations. The Trump administration has argued that it could do better under this sort of system because providing access to the massive U.S. marketplace would enhance its negotiating leverage. The point would be simple: if you don’t give us what we want, you can’t play in our market. Meanwhile, China nominally supports a multilateral trading system, regulated by the World Trade Organization (WTO), while – in
practice – it does exactly what it pleases. That is, it subsidizes critical industries, discriminates against foreign firms, and forces disclosure of technical secrets as the price for staying in China. Like Americans, the Chinese believe they have superior bargaining power, based on the draw of their huge market. Until World War I, free trade flourished in Europe. From 1815 to 1913, “world exports increased roughly by a factor of 50 in real [inflation-adjusted] terms,” note economists Jacks and Novy. (Their study was recently published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Jacks teaches at the Simon Fraser University in Canada and Novy at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.) But the 1930s Depression changed the context. Wages and prices fell sharply; unemployment rose dramatically. Desperate for relief, governments resorted to tariffs as a way to reduce imports and halt the downward spiral of wages and prices. In 1932, Great Britain ditched its historic defense of free trade at the Imperial Economic Conference in Ottawa. It negotiated bilateral agreements with Australia, Canada, India, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. Trade was deliberately diverted to Commonwealth countries.
Later in the decade, Germany formed a bloc (the Reichsmark bloc), whose members included Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Romania. The U.S. part in this surging protectionism was the well-known Smoot-Hawley tariff legislation signed by President Hoover in 1930. “At the moment, we have not witnessed a wholesale collapse of the modern trading system,” say Jacks and Novy. But we seem to be headed that way, they indicate. It’s certainly not an ideal destination, notes economist Douglas Irwin of Dartmouth College. Trading blocs suffer from two significant drawbacks, he says. First, they sacrifice some economic benefits; decisions of where to buy and sell are determined by political considerations, not economic efficiency. This is a serious, but manageable, flaw. The larger defect is that trade blocs become a source of international conflict. Rather than trading for mutual benefit, countries increasingly view trade as a way to punish their adversaries and reward their friends. That seems to be Trump’s belief, reflected in his threat to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports. We should be questioning whether this is where we want to go, and if not, how do we stop the drift? (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group
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e may be on the cusp of an upheaval in global trade. Since World War II, the international trading system has operated on the premise of “most favored nation (MFN),” meaning that concessions granted to one country must be extended to all countries in the system. The trade standoff between the United States and China suggests that this approach is giving way to the emergence of rival economic blocs that, increasingly, control international trade and investment. In a fascinating new paper, economists David Jacks and Dennis Novy argue that today’s contentious trade disputes recall what happened during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Led by Great Britain and Germany, competing trading blocs governed large portions of global commerce. Something similar is happening now. Witness President Trump’s threat to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports as a way of reducing illegal immigration. “The trade wars of the present day [may lead] … to a reorientation of world trade around China- and U.S.-centric trade blocs,” they write. To be sure, MFN was not always followed with religious fervor. Exceptions occurred. Practical politics often collided with economic principle. Still, the United States was the world’s major economic power and
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amazing chocolate chip (adapted from mishpacha’s cookies pesach issue 2019)
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
what you will need: ½ cup oil ¼ cup potato starch ¾ cup brown sugar 1/3 tsp salt ¼ cup white sugar chocolate chips 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix ( 3.5 oz) 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup gluten-free cake meal
preparation: 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In mixer, cream oil and sugars. Add eggs, pudding mix, and vanilla. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well, with the chocolate chips going in last. 3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of cookie dough at a time onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. They harden as they cool. Enjoy!
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
In The K
tchen
By Naomi Nachman
JUNE 13, 2019
This salad screams summer. Now is the perfect time to serve this salad for a light spring or summer dinner. Tomatoes and basil make a great marriage of flavors, which synthesize beautifully with the cheese and balsamic glaze. It’s a winning recipe that’s easy to make.
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
Caprese Summer Salad
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Ingredients
Preparation Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
3 vine-ripe tomatoes, ¼-inch thick slices 1 pound fresh mozzarella, ¼-inch thick slices 15 to 20 basil leaves Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Toscanini balsamic reduction Coarse salt and pepper
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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Your
15
Money
JUNE 13, 2019
Tax-Free Smarts THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
By Allan Rolnick, CPA
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
G
raduation season is here, and grads of all ages are excited to move on! Kindergartners are celebrating mastery of letters, shapes, and not eating crayons. Awkward eighth graders just want to finish getting through finals. High schoolers are looking forward to careers, college, and moving out of their parents’ nests. College grads are looking forward to crushing student debt and moving back in to those nests. And some panicky grad students (you know who you are) are searching desperately for one last degree to avoid joining the rest of us in the real world. Most graduations are pretty pedestrian affairs. The same Pomp and Circumstance, the same gowns, caps, and tassels, and the same trite, inspirational speeches filled with dad jokes and lame puns. But every so often, a graduation makes real headlines. This year, it came on May 18, at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, a private, historically-black men’s college. Robert F. Smith founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm investing in software companies. Smith is one of the best in that particularly challenging business – he’s built a $5 billion fortune and made himself the richest Afri-
can-American in the country. (Take that, Oprah!) This year, Morehouse granted Smith an honorary degree and invited him to deliver the commencement address. Smith, who has been a generous supporter of educational causes, pledged $1.5 million to the school. So far pretty typical, right? But Smith saved his real news for the ceremony itself, without even
are concerned, is that Smith’s extraordinary gift is tax-free. Recipients never owe tax on gifts. As for Smith, givers can give up to $15,000 per year to as many recipients as they like, or $30,000 for joint gifts with their spouse. And givers can pay any amount for medical or educational purposes so long as they stroke the check directly to the institution providing those services.
You don’t build a $5 billion fortune without minimizing interference from the IRS.
announcing it to administrators ahead of time. He told the audience of 396 graduates: “We’re going to put a little fuel in your bus…. This is my class, 2019, and my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.” While the exact figure is still unknown, recent classes have graduated with roughly $10 million in debt. The best part, as far as students
Givers don’t owe actual tax until their total lifetime gifts above those “annual exclusion amounts” top $11.4 million per person. But Smith shouldn’t even face those gift tax consequences. That’s because, as he announced at the ceremony, he’s making a “grant” to nuke the loans. Doing it through the school should qualify it as a deductible charitable contribution, mean-
ing Uncle Sam will cover up to 37% of that cost. Smith is no stranger to deductible gifts. He’s given $50 million to his own alma mater, Cornell, which named their school of chemical and biomolecular engineering for him. (Who knew you could slice and dice engineering schools like that?) He’s supported the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African-American History and Culture. And last year, he bought two houses – where the Rev. Martin Luther King was born, and where he lived with his family – and donated them to the National Park Service. Smith is obviously smart as well as generous. And one thing he seems to know is you don’t build a $5 billion fortune without minimizing interference from the IRS. Would you love to be able to make some sort of grand, generous gesture at the next graduation you attend? Make sure you have a plan to pay less tax, and let’s see how generous you will eventually be!
Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.
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Must stop by the store to enter
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
GRILL
JUNE 13, 2019
WIN A IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!
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See pg pg 24
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