Center Spirit Tishrei Issue 2021

‫תשפ"ב‬‎ ‫ תשרי‬- SEPT 2021 TIPS FOR BEFORE AND AFTER A FAST

BY ESTI ASHER, MS, RDN, LD

NEUTRAL TABLESCAPES

BY CHARNIE KOHN SETTING THE YOMTOV TABLE WITH GRACE

BY RAIZY FRIED

BEHIND THE SCENES AT BORO PARK CENTER A RABBI WITH HEART

A IS FOR ANXIETY

BY PENINA PULTMAN PA-C

ROSH HASHANA SIMANIM AND HEALTH POWERS THEY POSSESS

BY SURI SPREI, HHP, NC

FEATURED INTERVIEW

Rabbi Yehiel Kalish

Center Spirit Magazine talks to Yehiel Kalish, CEO of Chevra Hatzalah, about his passion, dedication and uncommon energy for his extensive askanus.

HAIR AND MAKEUP TIPS AND TRICKS BY HAIR + BLUSH

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, A RELATIONSHIP

BY MIRIAM WEISER

A PROJECT OF

HELLO, ALL!

RAIZY PAVLOV DIRECTOR OF RECREATION

EDITOR'S DESK

Although I do have a way with words, when it comes to putting it on paper I somehow get stuck. Being that I am by no means a “writer”, I always save this part of the Center Spirit Publication for last. Now that the months of planning this mega Yom Tov issue (which include brainstorming the content, contacting writers and content creators, editing and proofreading, working on the graphics and more….!) have finally been submitted for layout and design, I sit back at my desk and get out of my comfort zone.

Here goes!

Reflecting on the past year, I, like most others, know with certainty that the Geulah is near, and we are living in turbulent times. With the loss of so many Yidden in various catastrophic accidents, new variants of Covid rearing their ugly heads, and antisemitism being rampant in today's time, we know that it is definitely ‫עקבתא דמשיחא‬. I know that for myself, I want to be prepared, I want to do better, I want to BE better. And then I realize how privileged I am to be employed at Boro Park Center, where the Administration, along with the BPC rav, Rabbi Waijsfeld, share the same goal. Featured in this issues “Behind the Scenes” we see how those employed at Boro Park Center, particularly Rabbi Waijsfeld, change lives every day through their work and beyond. I know for myself, a smile to a lonely resident or bringing home-baked goods for another can mean the world. For you, dear reader, it can be suggesting a shidduch, checking in with a lonely senior, cooking dinner for a new mom, or visiting the sick. Changing lives takes so little, and the more you give, the more you get.

Because of us, Mashiach is coming. Let's be prepared!

In this issue, its back to school, back to yom tov, and yep- back to reality!

We are fortunate to have Rabbi Yechiel Kalisch, the CEO of Hatzalah as our cover story. His story is a fascinating one. I won’t divulge more- read it and you’ll see!

How to tackle the back-to-school jitters? Psychiatric PA Penina Pultman shares insightful tips and in another feature, teachers and principals weigh in on school scenarios you always wondered about. Then there’s the yom tov section!

Raizy Fried (IG- Raizys Cookin) wows us again with her creativity and offers the secrets to Rosh Hashana tablescapes on a budget. Suri Sprei is a genius who knows the healing benefits of the foods we eat (or SHOULD eat!) and enlightens us with her knowledge of the simanim and all the health benefits they possess. Nutritionist Esti Asher shared tips for staying hydrated in our last issue and this time her informative article provides tips on easy fasting for Yom Kippur.

When I contacted Charnie Kohn (IG- The Seasoned Palate) to give us recipes and tablescape inspo for Sukkos, I knew she wouldn’t disappoint. There’s so much more in this issue that I barely brushed upon, but If you read, you’ll know it was worth it.

And I just survived the writing of another Editor's Letter.

Best wishes for a ‫כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬,

OUR MISSION:

PUTTING YOU FRONT AND CENTER

At Boro Park Center, we practice a completely home-based approach to out-of-home rehabilitation and nursing care. Home means family, and our Center was founded on the ideal that residents and their families should never be far apart. Come on in, Live HappyTM, and enjoy an environment made possible by compassionate caregivers, therapy specialists, and most importantly, friends and family.

Project by: gcnymarketing●com

Your comments and feedback are important to us so that we can continue to serve you as best as possible.

Please email your comments to rpavlov@boroparkcenter.net

Raizy Pavlov

4915 10th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219 718-851-3700 www.BoroParkCenter.net

TABLE OF CONTENTS Back to School Section

Teachers and Students, a Relationship.........................................................................6 A is for Anxiety.....................................................................................................................11 6 DIY Duct Tape Crafts to Style Your School Supplies.............................................14

Rosh Hashana Section

Rosh Hashana Simanim and Health Powers They Possess.....................................18 Setting the Yom Tov Table with Grace by Raizy Fried.............................................22 20 Fun Apple Facts............................................................................................................26 Just One Blast......................................................................................................................28

Yom Kippur Section

Tips for Before and After a Fast......................................................................................30

Rosh Hashana Section with Raizy Fried 22

Succos Section

Understanding Hilchos Chol Hamoed.........................................................................33 Neutral Tablescape by Charnie Kohn...........................................................................34 Simchas Torah in the Nazi Labor Camp.......................................................................38

Feature Center

Rabbi Yehiel Kalish.............................................................................................................40

Story Center

A Spark of Sacrifice............................................................................................................48

History Center

September 11......................................................................................................................52

Behind the Scenes at Boro Park Center

Feature Rabbi Yehiel Kalish

40

8 Incredible Thrift Store Finds

62

A Rabbi With Heart............................................................................................................56 8 Incredible Thrift Store Finds.........................................................................................62 Photo Center........................................................................................................................64

Hair & Makeup Center

Yom Tov Tips........................................................................................................................66

Home & Food Center

How to Organize Your Fridge.........................................................................................68 Recipes..................................................................................................................................70

Coloring Pages..............................................................................................78

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BORO PARK CENTER SHABBOS AND YOM TOV SCHEDULES

‫פרשת כי תבא‬

Erev Shabbos / August 27 Candle Lighting.........................7:17 PM Mincha...........................................7:00 PM Shabbos / August 28 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................7:46 PM Maariv............................................8:35 PM Havdalah.......................................8:46 PM

‫פרשת נצבים‬

Erev Shabbos / Sept 3 Candle Lighting.........................7:06 PM Mincha...........................................7:00 PM Shabbos / Sept 4 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................7:35 PM Maariv............................................8:25 PM Havdalah.......................................8:35 PM

‫סליחות‬

Aug 29 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:00 AM Aug 30 - Sept 5 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:30 AM Erev Rosh Hashana / Sept 6 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:00 AM Hatoras Nedarim after Shachris

‫ראש השנה‬

Erev Rosh Hashana / Sept 6 Candle Lighting.........................7:01 PM Mincha...........................................715 PM 1st day / Sept 7 Shachris.........................................8:30 AM Tekias Shofar...............................11:00 AM Minchah........................................7:15 PM Maariv............................................745 PM Candle Lighting*.......................8:23 PM 2nd day / Sept 8 Shachris.........................................8:30 AM Tekias Shofar...............................11:10 AM Mincha...........................................7:30 PM Maariv............................................8:18 PM Havdalah.......................................8:23 PM

‫צום גדליה‬

Thursday / Sept 9 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:15 AM Mincha...........................................1:45 PM Maariv............................................8:00 PM Friday / Sept 10 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:15 AM

‫פרשת וילך‬

Friday / Sept 10 Candle Lighting.........................6:54 PM Mincha...........................................7:00 PM Shabbos / Sept 11 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................7:23 PM Maariv............................................8:12 PM Havdalah.......................................8:23 PM Sunday-Tuesday / Sept 12-14 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:15 AM Mincha...........................................1:45 PM Maariv............................................8:00 PM

‫ערב יום כיפור‬

Wednesday / Sept 15 Selichos-Shachris.......................8:30 AM Mincha...........................................2:00 PM Candle Lighting.........................6:46 PM Kol Nidrei......................................7:20 PM

‫יום כיפור‬

Thursday / Sept 16 Shachris, Yizkor & Mussaf.......8:30 AM Mincha...........................................6:15 PM Neilah.............................................7:15 PM Fast Ends......................................8:15 PM

‫פרשת האזינו‬

Friday / Sept 17 Candle Lighting.........................6:42 PM Mincha...........................................7:00 PM Shabbos / Sept 18 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................7:12 PM Maariv............................................8:00 PM Havdalah.......................................8:12 PM

‫סוכות‬

Erev Succos / Sept 20 Candle Lighting.........................6:37 PM Mincha...........................................6:55 PM 1st day Succos / Sept 21 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Minchah........................................7:00 PM Maariv............................................7:35 PM Candle Lighting*.......................807pm 2nd day Succos / Sept 22 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Minchah........................................7:05 PM Maariv............................................7:55 PM Havdalah.......................................8:05 PM

‫חול המועד‬

Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................1:45 PM Maariv............................................8:00 PM

‫שבת חול המועד‬

Friday / Sept 24 Candle Lighting.........................6:31 PM Mincha...........................................6:50 PM Shabbos / Sept 25 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................7:00 PM Maariv............................................7:50 PM Havdalah.......................................8:00 PM

‫הושענה רבה‬

Monday / Sept 27 Shachris.........................................8:30 AM

‫שמחת תורה‬-‫שמיני עצרת‬

Erev Shmini Atzeres / Sept 27 Candle Lighting.........................6:26 PM Mincha, Maariv & Hakafos......6:45 PM Shmini Atzeres / Sept 28 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................6:45 PM Maariv, Hakafos..........................7:00 PM Simchas Torah / Sept 29 Shachris, Hakafos.......................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................6:55 PM Maariv............................................7:40 PM Havdalah.......................................7:53 PM

‫שבת בראשית‬

Friday / Oct 1 Candle Lighting.........................6:19 PM Mincha...........................................6:40 PM Shabbos / Oct 2 Shachris.........................................9:00 AM Mincha...........................................6:50 PM Maariv............................................7:38 PM Havdalah.......................................7:48 PM

* Candle Lighting after (not before)

4 / The Center Spirit / March 2021

It is with great pleasure that we offer our latest edition of the Center Spirit Magazine to our community. The year 5781 will be remembered for many things. So many tragedies befell our community this year. During the initial months of the pandemic, many felt a surreal disorientation and fear. Many of us were in shock and did not know what to do. Here at Boro Park Center, the exact opposite occurred. When more and more of society decided to stay home, we came “HOME.” So many of our stellar staff risked their lives for our residents each and every day, by showing up to their “home away from home.” The innovative, resilient human spirit prevailed in our home, and it was awe inspiring.

The Yomin Noraim are now upon us. These are days of personal reflection and renewal and must be looked at and cherished by all of us. These days are packed with an uplifting message to inspire us all and have even more of a significant meaning this year as we work to persevere and thrive through every life challenge we were given this past year.

On Rosh Hashanah we read from the Torah portion that discusses the Akidah. Avraham, the epitome of kindness, is summoned by HKBH to bring his beloved son Yitzchak up on Har HaMoriah and bind him as a korban. Avraham’s immediate response to this test, this extreme challenge to all he knew and believed, was one simple word: “Hineni” – I am here and ready! I can summon my deepest core strength and transcend all obstacles!" I am ready to serve you Hashem and do the ratzon of whatever you need from me. I know You are giving me a challenge, but I am ready to meet that challenge. This is how we need to respond today, just as Avraham responded back then.

The Shofar that we blow on Rosh Hashanah reminds us of Avraham’s insatiable, resounding stand and awakens that power within each of us. This test revealed Avraham’s deep resolve. So too, life’s tests can defeat us – or can unleash our greatest strengths. Like so many of us here at Boro Park center and throughout our community, we need to tap into this powerful season of reinvigoration and renewal and strive even more to do the will of our creator. It’s a special year to do even more, to dive into the holiday and holiday spirit, heart and soul; to respond like Avraham: "Hineni! We are ready!" Let’s celebrate our resilience and come together to prevail and grow through this and all our challenges. Let us all be a true source of light and goodness and take the time to recognize that Hashem may C”V throw a challenge our way, but if so – Hineini!

David Greenberg Administrator

T E AC H E R S and

S T U DE N T S A R EL AT IONSH I P By: Miriam Weiser

BACK TO SCHOOL CENTER

W

e’ve all been through the school system, yet we each possess a different perception of its experience. Some of us developed into mature and responsible adults, incorporating the myriad lessons into our lives. Others found no apparent use for the intense learning and regulations imposed within our system.

Another consortium constitutes those who unfortunately did not succeed in the school setting. These individuals matured at their own pace, seeking their own means of productivity despite the difficulties of their childhood.

At the start of every new school year, we hope and pray for it to be successful. We strive to build each child and cultivate young minds into strong and successful people. Indeed, there are many students who

6 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

luckily blossom and grow from the school environment. However, there are also many students who fall through the cracks of our rigid system. We wonder if we can determine a better method of reaching every single child. Can we leave a strong and everlasting impression on every young student so that each one will feel accomplished and satisfied at the end of the year?

There are so many different schools, bli ayin hara, where various efforts are expended in order to nurture the students’ wellbeing. Center Spirit Magazine has interviewed select teachers and principals to enlighten us about what transpires behind the scenes. We hope this will provide important insight and food for thought for both parents and students alike. Additionally, perhaps educators with less experience will be able to glean constructive ideas to implement as well.

We thank our venerated interviewees for sharing their thoughts:

Mrs. Malky Bergstein is the remarkable power house behind the Ichud high school program in Brooklyn.

Her devotion, expertise, and ingenuity as its principal are evident in the success and achievement of every student.

Mrs. Etty Herman teaches lower grade elementary and has been at this vocation for over six years.

Mrs. Fraidy Follman is a wonderful high school English teacher who has been teaching for a couple of years. She avails herself to her students and relates to them in an incredible way.

Center Spirit Magazine: What is your opinion about teachers being briefed on students by previous teachers? Is there a system in place where teachers get informed about students’ academic levels and their past behaviors?

Mrs. Herman: I never wanted to hear about the students’ behavioral or academic level from previous teachers. A new year brings the opportunity to start fresh and no student should be held to a standard presented by a previous teacher. However, there are certain issues, such as medical conditions or instances of trauma, that are especially important for a teacher to be informed of. One year, I only found out on the last day of school that a student was deaf in one of her ears. That would have been a worthy piece of information to share, as it would determine where I would seat this student in the classroom, for instance. If there would be a divorce or any sort of trauma in a family, that would also be important information to express. This way, the teachers could be sensitive during a lesson and refrain from saying anything that might hurt or embarrass them.

One year, I discovered a few months into the year that one a student was taking a specific medication. Had I known this earlier, I would have understood the child’s misbehavior differently. There’s a fine line between what is supposed to be shared and what is not.

Mrs. Bergstein: From my perspective as a principal of students with learning difficulties, I think it’s absolutely necessary to brief the new teachers of their academic level, to know where the students’ strengths and weaknesses lie. Otherwise, it would result in major loss of time trying to assess and understand each girl’s level. Compare it to a hospital situation where the doctors and nurses huddle to discuss the patients’ progress. At the same time, however, teachers have to keep in mind that summer is a time when students have growth spurts and regressions. They, therefore, need to listen to reports with an open mind, since information may have changed from back in May and June.

Mrs. Follman: Every school operates differently and uses a different approach. I personally don’t believe that teachers should be discussing students and their behaviors amongst themselves.

Of course, this could lead to blatant lashon hara, but there also isn’t much benefit in doing so. Sometimes, different personalities clash which may have triggered a child’s pattern of behavior. In that case, sharing such information would not give a student a fair chance to start anew with her incoming teacher. Instead, the child will automatically be viewed according to that negative information.

However, I do believe that it’s important to exchange any information that is necessary for the wellbeing of the student. For example, if a child faces a challenging family situation, or if he possesses a certain medical issue, then transmitting such information could help the teacher understand and help the child. A teacher must be made aware if a parent was niftar or if there is an illness in the family. If this information is withheld, it could be very harmful.

7

Center Spirit Magazine: What kind of mental and emotional preparation, besides preparing the lessons, do you make when starting a new school year? What is the main goal you set for yourself as you enter the classroom on the first day?

Mrs. Follman: I think it is growing progressively. I work on building a strong connection between the student and teacher. In my school, there is a system in place, where they try to make sure that every student is looked out for and noticed, and that nobody falls through the cracks. I find more and more that principals and administrative staff are realizing the importance of connecting to the students.

When teachers reach out and avail themselves to their students, the academic component often improves on its own, as a result. I provide my students with a chance to reach out by writing any sort of poems, essays, or songs which they hand in for extra credit. This is a way of connecting more with the students and giving them an avenue of expression and an opportunity to share something they might be dealing with.

Teachers want to be liked. They want to make sure their words are received well and in good humor. For some teachers this may be a challenge. Because of their insecurities and their fear of losing control of the class, they maintain a rigid structure in their lessons and fail to provide their students with a warm and loving atmosphere. There’s a delicate line that teachers might have difficulty establishing. This is the balance of allowing their personality to come out in the classroom, yet maintaining their position at the same time. However, students tend to absorb a lesson and perform better when a teacher loosens up and creates an inviting atmosphere.

Mrs. Herman: That my classroom will be a safe and a happy place. It should be safe between classmates and safe with the teacher. If a child is being bullied, then they must feel comfortable to tell the teacher. Academics and lessons are surely important, but they won’t have the same effect if students are afraid to discuss their problems. While a teacher needs to be careful that she doesn’t get too friendly with a student and thus lose some of her respect, it’s nevertheless important for the students to feel she is there to help them. With experience over the years, it becomes easier to determine a good balance in building proper relationships with students.

Mrs. Bergstein: Connect. My goal is to connect to the kids in any way shape or form.

Learning how to connect is the most important way of getting through to the students and imparting the lessons and hashkafah.

Center Spirit Magazine:

BACK TO SCHOOL CENTER

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Mrs. Herman: I realized that I was good with kids when in a position of authority. When I graduated from school, I couldn’t see myself as an office worker. I also found that I really enjoyed my job as a counselor and in general, in taking a leading role.

Therefore, I went for an interview at a school, where I was hired. Now, although I’ve been teaching for some time already, I still learn more each year.

8 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Mrs. Follman: The fact that I had hated school and thought I could make it better for others. I was very disenchanted with the whole education system. I disliked the rigidity and conformity. I despised the way opposition to creativity was squashed. Differences were not welcomed. This is why I wanted to be a teacher.

I disagreed on those dynamics and wished to go about fixing them, at least in my own classroom.

On the other hand, I also had a few amazing teachers who inspired me to become a teacher. Some taught me what not to be, and some taught me what I should be. We had a lot of teachers in high school. The teachers that I loved were kind and did away with the rigor and strictness. Most teachers would run to the principal every time a student asked a question they thought wasn’t on par with the hashkafah they were trying to impart. Yet, they were innocent students with innocent questions. Questions are important and kids should be encouraged, instead of discouraged, to ask questions. There are no wrong questions, only wrong answers.

Center Spirit Magazine: How do you feel about strict and rigid guidelines and and how do they affect the wellbeing and development of the students?

Mrs. Follman: I didn’t dislike the rules. I loathed the attitude towards the kids who didn’t adhere.

Ultimately, I ended up adhering to all the rules of tzniyus because I believe in living that way. But, in terms of teaching kids hashkafos, I have my beliefs. I believe in letting kids make their own choices. I think that the rules need to be broad. I’m okay with the rules, but I don’t see the benefit in focusing so much on colors and inches. It’s more about the approach in how the rules are enforced that I don’t agree with.

Schools that are more forgiving and lenient and give the students more power to make their own choices, end up having more kids who follow and listen to the rules. They are happy to comply because they feel like it’s in their control. This also teaches them responsibility. It helps their development tremendously. This works beautifully with the many different types of rules in a school setting. Students are people and they should be treated with basic respect.

Mrs. Herman: Without rules, the system would fall apart. But you can’t choose who should obey the rules and who doesn’t have to. When I was in school, we had a rule that our shoes couldn’t have two different colors. I wore a simple blue shoe with the toe area being black. I was sent home for that infraction. Meanwhile, a different girl who was a grade older and head of G.O. wore the same shoe. When the principal was asked about this, she said, “We needed one girl to be an example for the school.”

I feel that it would be better to teach the mitzvah of tzniyus as a subject, instead of throwing out a list of rules and enforcing them like a law. We want to infuse children with a love for mitzvos. I remember when I was in school, the rules were endless. I believe we should rather give over a positive feeling so that children will want to dress and act a certain way.

In certain schools, the teachers have rules as well. If these rules aren’t followed, a tzniyus lady goes around with a notebook and marks down the sin. They then deduct twenty-five dollars from her paycheck. My paycheck was basically community service, what can I say. Sometimes it’s impossible to follow every single rule. If a teacher, an adult, had a hard time following the list of rules, imagine how difficult it may be for children to abide by every guideline when it is really not the ikkur.

Another school I worked in gave me three basic rules to follow: “Please make sure your knees, neck and elbows are always covered.” This was easy to follow because, of course, I adhere to these guidelines on my own.

Mrs. Bergstein: It’s such an important question, and this would take hours to discuss.

The struggle of keeping standards up can come about in a more loving, kind, and warm way. Our ultimate goal is to generate a real connection to Hashem and imbue our students with the purpose and meaning of our lives. If we include enough of such classes into our program, and it doesn’t have to be at the expense of teaching less Navi or Chumash, then our girls will automatically be of a finer quality. We should implement more of the text-based hashkafah, not the tough-love hashkafah, which discuss fundamental aspects of our lives. Of course, we’ll always be making rules. But the question is, do we create a restrictive environment where self-expression is not allowed, or do we create a sheltered but relaxed environment that welcomes questions and self-growth and promotes the ruchniyus that we want?

Center Spirit Magazine Do you think there’s a way to change the system this way?

Mrs. Bergstein: There’s definitely a way. I believe we can do this by incorporating more lessons that focus on core values of Yiddishkeit. We should also learn certain seforim that teach us how to connect to Hashem.

9

Some parents feel like they have no say regarding what their children are learning and how things are being transmitted to the students. Therefore, I felt that it was important to get a viewpoint from some mothers as well.

Center Spirit Magazine: How do you feel about the school system in general and your experience in particular?

Mrs. Miri Wolpin: The thing that bothers me most is that parents are left out of the decision-making process.

There are so many things I would change if I was given the opportunity. On the other hand, however, I find it miraculous how all these little children enter school knowing nothing, and come out reading, writing and doing so much more.

Mrs. Yitty Lowy: I usually feel vulnerable towards the system and I realize that this is a mistake. Truthfully, every child is different, and every child needs something else. I feel that there are lots of things that they’re teaching our children which shouldn’t be taught and lots of things that they should be teaching which are not taught. My kids are mostly out of the school system. But for those that are still in it, I wonder if anything could be done to change it.

Center Spirit Magazine: What other thoughts about the school system would you add?

BACK TO SCHOOL CENTER

Mrs. Lowy: What we really need is for us to inject happiness and humor into the lessons instead of strict rigidity, pressure and many regulations.

If a kid is happy, then anything goes.

10 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Mrs. Wolpin: I always read about how baalei teshuvos are so much more in touch with their Yiddishkeit than those who are “frum from birth.” If we could try to emulate their method more of teaching with love, patience and joy, then our children will also come to greater levels of enthusiasm in their Yiddishkeit.

Mrs. Lowy- We have to be mekareiv, bring closer, our own family, students, and moreover ourselves.

If we merely do things by rote, and respond with ‘because that’s just how it is,’ or ‘that’s how we do it,’ then we cannot give it over to our kids/ students in the right way.

They try. And the subject is constantly on the table. Our communities are growing exponentially. Do we accept that only a percentage of total students every year get to say they had a productive year?

As of now, though, as we start the new year with honest intentions and great enthusiasm, let us all try to make it a good one, a better year than before. Every neshama entering his or her school building made of brick and mortar will feel special and safe, exiting at the end of the year with a feeling of strength and accomplishment.

By Penina Pultman, PA-C

A IS FOR ANXIETY: Help for the Back-to-School Jitters

It’s the night before the first day of school. Neatly packed briefcases are lined up at the front door. Tomorrow’s lunches are prepped in the fridge. The house is finally quiet. It’s been a long day. You make one last round of the house, check that the front door is locked, and look in on the kids sleeping peacefully in their beds. You linger at your daughter’s room, smiling at the freshly pressed uniform draped over the chair and the brandnew school shoes lined up under the dresser. She’s so excited to start first grade. You’re about to gently close the door and head to bed yourself when you hear it. The quietest of whimpers.

Followed by a sob. And suddenly, you’re on high alert, all tiredness gone. As you murmur words of reassurance and stroke your daughter’s hair, you wonder, are all first graders this anxious about starting school or is your daughter’s fear a sign of something more serious?

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, either.

The increased heart rate and breathing an adult feels before an important meeting or a student feels before an exam is the body’s way of entering a 'fight or flight' mode; the resulting heightened awareness can help the individual ace the interview or motivate the student to study for the test. However, when anxiety is intense, excessive, and persistent enough to interfere with one’s daily functioning, it becomes a problem. An anxiety disorder can take the form of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attacks, social anxiety, selective mutism, separation anxiety, and other fears.

ty may also develop because of stressful life experiences or health conditions Approximately 7.1% of school-age children aged 3-17

While there is no single factor that causes an anxiety disorder, children who are perfectionists, shy, reluctant to take risks, lack self-esteem or need to feel in control, sometimes develop anxiety during childhood, adolescence or as adults. Anxie-

11

years have been diagnosed with anxiety; school anxiety, specifically refusing to go to school, affects 2 to 5% of children. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic since remote learning and reduced social interaction has made acclimating to in-person instruction even more challenging for many children.

BACK TO SCHOOL CENTER

It’s three weeks into the school year, and already you’re worn out by the daily battle to drag your daughter, kicking and screaming, onto the school bus.

Some days you relent and let her stay home, but that only seems to fuel her anxiety. Later that day, you tell your husband about the phone call from her teacher.

She’s concerned that your daughter isn’t socializing with the other girls during recess. She is also restless and not paying attention in class. Your conversation is interrupted by your four-year-old crying because his big sister shoved him. Your husband points out that your daughter’s behavior at home has also deteriorated.

While both adults and children are affected by anxiety, children find it harder to articulate what they are feeling and to realize that their fears are irrational.

Additionally, symptoms of anxiety in children, unlike in adults, often present as frequent nightmares and disturbed sleep, restlessness, falling asleep in school, difficulty concentrating, irritability, crying, and tantrums.

Children suffering from anxiety might also be disruptive or act aggressive when they feel overwhelmed by uncomfortable feelings.

If you suspect that your child might have difficulty adjusting to school, there are some things you can do to alleviate his or her fears. It’s important, however, to be upbeat and positive about

12 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

school and avoid projecting your own worries onto the child. For preschool children, visiting the classroom before school starts, role-playing at home, and having playdates with future classmates might be helpful. Older children will appreciate an opportunity to discuss their concerns about school and have their feelings validated. You might want to tell the teacher about your child’s anxiety, so that he or she will be supportive and understanding of your child’s struggles.

You read books, seek parenting advice. You try talking her through it, validating her concerns, encouraging her to set small goals. With the teacher’s cooperation, you institute a chart system. But even the promise of a new bike doesn’t seem to hold much allure. She refuses to go on the class trip to the zoo.

She stops talking in class. Her fears are spiraling out of control.

You meet with the school social worker. The good news is that your daughter does not have a learning disability or ADHD. What she does have, however, is an anxiety disorder.

In most cases, school related anxiety will diminish with time and exposure. However, if your child’s anxiety worsens and begins to negatively affects his/her everyday functioning, it’s advisable to have him/her evaluated by a mental health professional.

It’s very important to treat anxiety early. If left untreated, a child’s anxiety disorder can have long ranging consequences into adulthood, affecting his/her ability to hold down a job or have healthy relationships. Thankfully, due to increased awareness, seeing a therapist does not carry the same stigma as in the past, yet the shame associated with mental health disorders often

causes parents and/or the child to avoid or delay getting the necessary help.

Treatment for an anxiety disorder often consists of both psychotherapy (talk therapy) and medication. In psychotherapy, the social worker or psychologist will usually use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help the child focus on identifying and changing the negative and irrational thought patterns and beliefs that are feeding the anxiety. If the anxiety is severe, the therapist will often recommend the child see a psychiatric provider.

On the advice of the social worker, you make an appointment with a psychiatric provider. The doctor is knowledgeable and professional, but you balk at the thought of medicating your child.

Isn’t therapy enough? Not always. In life, the doctor explains, we all ride the horses of fear, sadness, and frustration, and for the most part, we’re in control of the ride. But sometimes, inexplicably, the horse runs amok, and the rider is left hanging on for dear life, his runaway emotions wreaking havoc in his life. In this case, the doctor continues, we’d all agree that the rider needs to learn how to control his steed.

The analogy is clear. While the therapist is the trainer helping your daughter learn to rein in

her anxiety, the psychiatric provider offers the saddle, the medication, that will make the ride tolerable.

Psychiatric providers, like psychologists and therapists, also specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of emotional, mental, behavioral, and developmental issues; however, unlike therapists and psychologists, the psychiatric provider is a medical doctor who will focus on chemical imbalances in the brain and can assess both the mental and physical effects of a disorder. A psychiatric provider can prescribe medication, and while they may provide some counseling, a collaboration between the therapist and psychiatric provider is usually the best way to ensure the patient’s needs are met.

When looking for a psychiatric provider, referrals from your pediatrician, therapist, or community-based mental health referral service are a good place to start.

Aside from practicalities such as insurance and area of expertise, it’s important that the psychiatric provider be someone who can relate to and understand your perspective, and that you and your child feel comfortable talking to him/her. It may be beneficial to find a psychiatric provider who has worked with

other people with a background similar to your own. The ideal psychiatric provider is a team player, who works together with the family and therapist, and who individualizes treatment by welcoming feedback and making appropriate adjustments.

The initial visit is an opportunity for the psychiatric provider and your child to get acquainted. The doctor will want to know about your concerns. They will also ask you about the symptoms your child is exhibiting, your child’s medical history, family history, and if there are any previous mental health issues.

The psychiatric provider will probably also want to meet with your child separately. At the end of the visit, the psychiatric provider will evaluate the case and make recommendations such as prescribing a natural regimen of diet, exercise, vitamins, and supplements. If these are not entirely successful, low dose, light, and short-term medication may be added for additional relief.

A follow-up visit will probably be scheduled for 1 week, at which point the efficacy of the treatment will be assessed. Additional visits are usually scheduled at the 3-week and 6-week marks, and generally every 3 months thereafter as long as the patient is stable and doing well. Depending on the complexity of the case, a patient might need see a doctor for as little as a few weeks or for as long as several years.

If medication is prescribed for your child’s anxiety, note that most anxiety medications require a few weeks for the full effect to be experienced.

However, there are faster acting medications that can be prescribed short-term for the interim period, if necessary.

You should, however, see some signs of improvement within

two to six weeks. Most anxiety drugs used to treat childhood anxiety are considered safe and typically have mild side effects.

If the medication isn’t effective or well-tolerated, the psychiatric provider will tweak the dosage or find an alternative medication.

Starting a child on anxiety medication is not a life sentence.

The best outcome, however, happens when medication is used in conjunction with therapy. Anxiety medication takes the edge off the symptoms so that the child, is able to engage in therapy and gain the tools to manage the anxiety on his/her own. Generally, the treatment for a childhood anxiety disorder will continues for about one year, and, with a supportive environment, many times the medication can be tapered off and discontinued.

As you wait with your daughter at the bus stop, you reflect on the past few months. Dealing with a child’s anxiety disorder has been a difficult and overwhelming journey for all of you. Baruch Hashem, she’s made tremendous progress since that fateful first day of school. The school bus pulls up to the curb, and your daughter bounces up the steps and waves goodbye. As the doors close behind her, you wave back and don’t stop even as the bus recedes into the distance. You are so proud of your little girl who conquered her fears, and you are forever grateful to the wonderful team of mental health professionals who helped her break free of the anxiety that held her captive.

Penina Pultman is a psychiatric physician associate with a private practice in Brooklyn, NY. She is affiliated with Weill Cornell psychiatry professor Rabbi Richard Louis Price, M.D. To schedule a consultation, call 917 275 7878 or email info@ healthsjourney.com.

13

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14 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

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15

‫ראש‬ ‫השנה‬ SECTION

Just One Blast

By Hirshel Tzig - Chabad.Org

This heartwarming yet chilling story was told by Rabbi Baruch Rabinovitch of Munkacs, father of the present Munkacser Rebbe, about his late father-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira (1871-1937), known as the "Minchas Elazar."

On Rosh Hashanah, the custom in Munkacs was that the Rebbe spoke before blowing the shofar. That year, the Rebbe went up before the ark, opened it and said: "Ribono Shel Oilam, I have to repent. It's written that on the day before Rosh Hashanah one mustn't blow shofar, yet I did."

For a period of time, Reb Baruch and his wife lived in Warsaw. Later, when the Minchas Elazar became ill, he begged them to come back to Munkacs, in Czechoslovakia, which they did.

He began to sob uncontrollably and called out: "Ribono Shel Oilam, do you know why I transgressed this custom? It was because my young grandchild lay on the floor begging and crying that I should only blow one blast of the shofar for him. My heart melted, I couldn't bear to watch him cry like that, so I blew once for him, though I shouldn't have.

Rabbi Baruch had a son named Tzvi Nosson Dovid. Baruch would often recall that his father-in-law loved this boy—the Minchas Elazar's dear grandchild—in an "exaggerated way," in part due to the fact that they had waited a long time to have that first child. He would play with and "spoil" the child, and Tzvi would sit on his grandfather's lap at the Shabbos gatherings.

In the final year of his life, the Minchas Elazar took the shofar on the first day of the month of Elul and tested it to see whether it was in good condition. Tzvi was in the room and was visibly excited by the shofar and its sounds.

He asked his zeide for one more blast, and his zeide gladly obliged. From then on, for the remainder of the month, this became a ritual; the Rebbe blowing the shofar once each day for little Tzvi. On the day before Rosh Hashanah, Tzvi was there, awaiting his daily blast, but he was disappointed.

"Tatte, how can you stand by and see how millions of Your children are down on the floor, and crying out to You, 'Tatte, just one blast! Sound the blast of the great shofar which will herald the final Redemption!'? Even if the time is not right for it yet, even if the time for Moshiach has yet to arrive, Your children cry out to You: how can You stand by idly?!"

Rabbi Baruch cried as he recounted the story, and recalled how at that time the entire crowd cried along with the Rebbe. The sounding of the shofar was delayed, and for a long time.

"They could not regain their composure... loud wailing was heard throughout the shul..."

"Today is the day before Rosh Hashanah," his grandfather explained. "Today we do not blow the shofar. Tomorrow morning, we will blow the shofar in the shul."

The child did not comprehend the reasons. He knew no reason. He kicked and screamed, "Just one blast! Just one blast!"

After a while, the grandfather softened at the sound of his favorite grandchild crying, and he took the shofar and blew one blast.

17

ROSH HASHANA SIMANIM and the

HE A LTH POWERS THEY POSSESS

ROSH HASHANAH CENTER

By: Suri Sprei, HHP, NC

18 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Rosh Hashana, the awe- inspiring start of the New Year is upon us once again.

It’s a yom tov in which Am Yisroel expresses its heartfelt desires for a sweet new year filled with all the blessings of health and success. It is customary to have a variety of simanim at the seuda to symbolize each desire and its linked meaning.

We dip the apple into honey, we have figs, dates, pomegranate and carrots.

Did you know that each of these ancient customary simanim have a long list of incredible health benefits that have helped humankind throughout the centuries to combat disease and restore harmony in the body? While sitting around the yom tov table, recite the tefilos for each one of the simanim and try to have in mind the healing powers they possess and what a gift from Hashem they truly are.

APPLES An apple a day keeps the doctor away is not some common street phrase with no basis to its claims.

Apples are often underestimated, but don’t be misled-this miracle of a fruit’s powers are astounding. Apples are rich in the flavonoids quercetin and rutin, both of which are phytochemicals that have the strength to pull radiation out of the body and detox heavy metals like aluminum and lead. Quercetin became popular now because of how powerful it is against Covid19 so increasing your apple intake can truly boost your immune system. Apples have a compound called pectin that is an incredible colon cleanser. As it passes through the gut, it sweeps out viruses, mold and bacteria. When apples were discovered, they were toted to be the constipation medicine because of how helpful they were for that condition. The red skin in apples contain the most health benefits and their phytochemicals strengthen neurotransmitters.

Eating apples after a heavy meal can aide in the digestive process and can also stave away nausea. When you dip the apple into the honey on Rosh Hashana eve remember how much apples can do for you.

HONEY When honey is consumed in its raw and unpasteurized state its highly medicinal. This is different than the processed honey that’s typically found on your local grocery shelf.

The sugar in raw honey is nothing like processed white sugar as it's loaded with over 200,000 phytochemical compounds and agents which are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and even anti cancerous. Raw honey can actually stop cancer in it's tracks and can repair damaged cells. Raw honey is anti-inflammatory and is a secret weapon for any infectious illness you are up against. It is also chock full of minerals such as selenium, zinc, potassium and calcium. Honey has the power to draw out skin infections such as staph and the antibiotic resistant MRSA. Honey is truly medicine that should be cherished and treasured. Honey has saved previous generations in times of famine, when food was scarce and hard to come by. Enjoy eating your apples dipped in this magical sweet syrup at your table and thank Hashem for this gift to humanity.

19

FIGS

ROSH HASHANAH CENTER

POMEGR ANATE

20 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

This beautiful majestic fruit that’s part of our holy shivas haminim is a powerful superfruit in its own right.

The ruby red fruit is an incredible blood builder because it strengthens white and red blood counts. Pomegranate is exceptionally antioxidant rich and can actually dissolve kidney and gallbladder stones. It contains anti-tumor properties and is highly beneficial for PCOS due to its hormone regulating power. Pomegranate can also stabilize blood sugar metabolism while the sugars in pomegranate can assist in brain focus and concentration. Pomegranate can even stop ear wax production and assist the body is ridding itself of it.

Another shivas haminim super star, figs are delectable and heavenly fresh off a fig tree but wait until you see what figs' health benefits are!

The skin of figs are an antiseptic, and the white milky liquid that you get when you pick it straight off the tree can rid the body of warts.

As if that’s not enough, the fibers in figs massage the intestinal track lining and can help with any type of indigestion or bloating. It can help with gut disorders like constipation, appendix inflammation, diverticulitis and inflamed colon. Figs are loaded with vitamins and minerals and specifically B vitamins which are critical for the nervous system to properly function. The beautiful purple and green skin on figs contains compounds that increase probiotics colonies in the gut by feeding the good bacteria while the seeds go deep into the pockets of the intestines and clear it of harmful microbes. Enjoy figs fresh or dry as they are both extremely valuable.

DATES Dates are another fruit that is part of our holy Shivas Haminim and it’s no surprise. Besides for being natures candy they are chockful of incredible health benefits. Dates come in a few different varieties each one being different levels of sweetness and textures. The varieties are Medjool Dates, Piarom Dates, Deglet Noor Dates. Mazafati Dates,Barhi Dates, Rabbi Dates, .Thoory Dates and Sayer Dates. Medjool dates are a favorite and Israel boasts one of the best in this variety and its famous world-wide. Dates are rich in nearly 70 bioactive minerals that support the body in times of stress. Lactic acid is that well known Charlie horse feeling in the muscles that occurs when the body has been pumping excess adrenaline. Dates will rid the body of lactic acid effectively. Dates are one of the best travel friendly foods and can be a great pick me up snack that quickly balances blood sugar levels. The fibers in dates can greatly aide in relieving constipation and Irritable bowel Syndrome. Interestingly, Israel is the land of Milk and Honey and it is believed that the honey is actually date honey and not from honey bees.

CARROTS Carrots are a root vegetable that’s pulled out of the soil and is incredibly mineral rich. They come in a few different colors and each color has different antioxidant levels. Carrots are loaded with vitamin A which can improve eye sight and notice when you slice a carrot is actually looks like an eye! Carrots are wonderful both cooked and raw however when its consumed raw they have glucose that feeds the liver. Carrots are high in cancer preventative compounds and are well known to be juiced for incredible health benefits. If you consume too many carrots don’t be alarmed if your skin turns an orange shade. That color is from the beta carotene in the carrot which is a top antioxidant for overall health and wellbeing. Carrots are great for bone health too as they have high levels of phosphorus and vitamin K. Eat plenty of carrots if you have brittle bones to help improve bone density.

Wishing you a kesiva vchasima tova! May you be blessed with all the incredible health benefits that these simamin boast and all the blessings you desire.

21

g n i t et S v o t m o Y e l b Ta e c a r G the

with

ROSH HASHANAH CENTER

BY: RAIZY FRIED

What’s the problem with setting a beautiful table for Shabbos?”

I remember questioning a friend who claimed I was overdoing my Shabbos tablescapes.

“If you make your table so nice every week, what will you do when you want something special for a simcha or for yom tov?”

Firstly, I don’t know of extravagant Shabbos preparations ever being “too much”.

There’s no such concept of “overdoing” kavod Shabbos!

I was raised that when it comes to honoring the Shabbos Queen, the more the merrier.

Secondly and practically speaking, I’ve been doing this for years and I don’t struggle with running dry. Creativity

is endless. Hashem’s creative gift is fascinating. Let’s explore some of the endless and magical creative possibilities with you.

To change up the look of your regular table setting style, you can, of course, keep on buying new tablecloths and trendy dishes, but there are so many wonderful ways to decorate a table on a budget.

e @Raizyscookin 23

ROSH HASHANAH CENTER 24 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Getting the Most from Your Flowers I often like splitting up flowers in a bunch of little vases or cups versus one big vase. Scattering around mini little flower arrangements gives you more and decorates a bigger area of the table.

Check Out Discounted Sources These napkin rings I made on my own. I bought the artificial flowers at IKEA many years ago for just $1 a piece. IKEA has many different life-like artificial flowers that remain fresh-looking and beautiful year after year. The best part is that these flowers have steel wire in the stem, which is covered with a beautiful velvety finishing. You can bend and adjust the flower any way you want because of the steel wire in the stem.

So I simply shortened the stem using cutting pliers, then twisted the stem around to form a napkin ring. As easy as that! Just one product. No hot glue. No mess.

When creating several vases, I always like to go with odd numbers. It's a basic styling rule: things arranged in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable, and effective than even-numbered groupings. Three seems to be the magic number, but 5, 7, or 9 work nicely as well. (The principle holds weight in interior design, graphic design, photography, storytelling, etc. so you know it’s really a thing. What is it about the odd numbers? When you see an odd number of things, your eye is forced to move around more, which makes for a more interesting visual experience. Close your eyes and visualize a table with two little floral arrangements in the center versus three, see what I mean?

Check out how vastly different my old cranberry colored napkin ring looks when paired with rich gold and a candle lit mood versus a morning mood with silver tones.

Always remember the Dollar Tree!

The Dollar Tree has beautiful vases and glassware for just $1. You can spray paint small vases gold and it will enhance the whole table!

How To:

Carnations If you take a closer look at the image with the burgundy flowers in the little gold vases, you’ll see they are carnations! Carnations are not expensive and when arranged nicely, they can look very rich!

There’s a simplicity and modern look of one color and texture, that looks so seamless! And if picking out mixed-flower arrangements makes you overwhelmed, getting a bunch of the same type of flower is a great choice that looks very pretty!

Candles Arranging votives and candles around the center of the table, between your little floral arrangements is something that can be done on Yom Tov, because we are allowed to move them on and off the table if the space is needed during the meal.

There's just something about candle centerpieces, because they’re not just elegant on the table but effect the ambiance of the entire room! They're timeless and classic, and they are an inexpensive way to upgrade any table-scape! From pillars and tapers to votives and tea lights (in all sizes and colors!), the right candles can help enhance your table's overall aesthetic. (A candelabra creates a traditional look while an abstract vessel is inherently modern, for example.) Beyond their décor purposes, candles can lend a scent as well, if you choose fragranced options.

1. Cut the stems short enough that the heads of the flowers show above the top of the vase and nothing else.

2. Divide your flowers into three or five bunches. Bundle the stems together with rubber bands.

3. Pop the flowers into a cube or cylinder vase. The massed flowers should hold each other up, and the stems should not be too long, so the flowers lean on the ledge of the vase.

25

THE APPLE TREE ORIGINATED INBEENCENTRAL ASIA. THEY HAVE GROWN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS INWERE ASIABROUGHT AND EUROPE, AND TOEUROPEAN NORTH COLONISTS. AMERICA BY BEES POLLINATE THE FLOWERS IN LATE SPRING, MOVINGTO FROM ONE TREE THE NEXT. LIFE EXPECTANCY FORIS APPLE TREE ABOUT YEARS.100

20 F APP FAC

CHINA IS BY FAR THE LARGEST APPLE PRODUCER.

ROSH HASHANAH CENTER

THE MOST EXPENSIVE APPLE IN THE WORLD IS SEKAI ICHI APPLE IT COST $21.00“WORLD’S EACH. SEKAI ICHI MEANS NUMBER ONE” IN JAPANESE.

26 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

THE MOST FAMOUS SAYING INVOLVING APPLES IS, KEEPS “AN APPLE A DAY THE DOCTOR AWAY.”

APPLE AREMOST ONE OF THE WIDELY GROWN TREE FRUIT. THE FEARIS OFKNOWN APPLES AS MALUSDOMESTICAPHOBIA.

BY THE TIME THE FRUIT IS READY TOFOR BE PICKED, THE BUDS NEXT FALL’SINFRUIT ALREADY PLACE.ARE

APPLES CAN HELP YOU IMPROVE MEMORY.YOUR

FUN PLE CTS

APPLES FLOAT IN WATER BECAUSE ARE 25%THEY AIR.

THE APPLE TREE1.8 TO GENERALLY STANDS 4.6TALLMETERS (6 TO 15 FEET) IN CULTIVATION AND UP TO IN12 METERS (39 THE WILD. FT)

A MEDIUM SIZED APPLE80 CONTAINS CALORIES.

THEREVARIETIES ARE MOREOF THAN 8,000 APPLES – THE LARGEST VARIETY OF FRUIT TO EXIST.

APPLESOFCONTAIN HIGH LEVELS BORON, WHICH STIMULATES ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF THEMENTAL BRAIN AND INCREASES ALERTNESS.

THE SOLUBLE FIBER IS CONTAINED IN APPLES CALLEDLOWER PECTIN, AND CAN HELP CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.

THE LARGEST APPLE EVER WEIGHED 1.849 KG (4 LBAND1 OZ) AND WAS GROWN PICKED

BY APPLE CHISATOFARM IWASAKI AT HIS IN HIROSAKI CITY, JAPAN OCTOBER 24 2005.

MOST OF THE ANTIOXIDANTS IN APPLES, INCLUDING QUERCETIN, ARE FOUND SKIN.IN THE

APPLE TAKE 4PRODUCE TO TREES 5 YEARS TO THEIR FIRST FRUIT. TO PRODUCE ONE APPLE, IT TAKES ENERGY FROM 50 LEAVES. 27

‫עשרת‬ ‫ימי תשובה‬

B O R O PA R K C E N T E R I N V I T E S OUR RESIDENTS TO JOIN US F O R AW E - I N S P I R I N G

EVENTS

SHABBOS SHUVA KUMZITZ with the Chavraya Choir

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH:

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH:

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14TH:

Divrei Hisorerus with Rabbi Moshe Mayer Weiss

Tashlich and Music with Don Stern

Kaparos & Divrei Hisorerus with Our Very Own Rabbi Waijsfeld

Best wishes for a

‫כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬

‫יום‬ ‫כיפור‬ ‫‪SECTION‬‬

‫‪29‬‬

Tips for Before and After a Fast By: Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

With Yom Kippur approaching, there may be many things on our mind. This beautiful and powerful day is one in which we focus on teshuva. One of the ways that we stay focused on the meaning of the day is by fasting.

The term “fasting” can have many definitions in the diet and nutrition world and is generally not recommended for weight loss purposes. However, as we all know, the purpose of religious fasts is not to lose weight.

Since our body uses food as fuel, it is especially important to be mindful of how we prepare our body for a fast, and subsequently how we break our fast.

YOM KIPPUR CENTER

While an individual can be fine fasting for Yom Kippur without following any particular pre-fast recommendations, following a few guidelines can definitely be helpful. Below are 8 tips to keep in mind when preparing for a fast and when breaking a fast.

30 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Self-Care Enthusiast on a mission to help women reach their ultimate health and wellbeing potential inside and out. She shares credible, clear and inspiring nutrition information with women via her virtual private practice. To contact Esti with feedback or inquiries regarding her nutritional services, please e-mail her at: esti@ estiashernutrition.com or visit estiashernutrition.com.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for informational purposes only. This article is not meant to be used as Medical Nutrition Therapy and thus is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health conditions. Please consult with your physician if you have specific questions regarding your health.

Before a fast:

1

Make an effort to drink extra water. Our body requires a lot of water, and that requirement increases during the hot summer months when we are generally sweating extra. When preparing for a fast, it is important to be mindful to drink more water in anticipation of the fast, when we will not be drinking at all.

3 4

2

Decrease your salt intake. This strategy will help prevent you from feeling extra thirsty the day of a fast. Our salt (sodium) intake refers to the salt that we physically add to our food and the salt that is already within the food from prior preparation and processing. It is noteworthy to mention that most of the salt that we consume comes from processed foods, including packaged foods and condiments.

Wean off of caffeine if you regularly drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages. If you drink coffee daily, then you may be familiar with the headaches that creep in when you miss your cup(s) of coffee. In anticipation of a fast day, it is recommended to slowly wean off completely (or at least decrease the amount) of caffeine that you have each day in order to help prevent or minimize the discomfort you may experience the day of a fast.

Build up your body’s energy reserves. The day before a fast it is a good idea to eat more carbohydrates in order to build up glycogen stores in your body. (In the body, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, and then glucose is stored in the form of glycogen, which is used as a source of energy.) Carbohydrate choices should ideally be complex carbohydrates such as whole grains (including whole-wheat bread, oatmeal or brown rice), fruits, and starchy vegetables. It is helpful to minimize the amount of refined carbohydrates (including white bread, cookies, cakes and candies) eaten in order to prevent the sugar crash that is associated with them.

After a fast:

1

2

Eat slowly. Especially after a fast, it is helpful to be extra kind to your digestive system.

Make sure to eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food. This may also help increase your awareness of your satiety cues. In other words, eating slowly may help you more easily recognize when you are satisfied and no longer need to be eating, as opposed to eating quickly and too much, which will ultimately leave you feeling uncomfortable and maybe even sick.

Make a plan. Plan in advance what you will be breaking your fast on. If there is no plan in place, you will most likely grab for anything and everything that you see in your kitchen.

This may make you feel uncomfortable and dissatisfied with your food choices.

4

3

Increase your awareness and appreciation. Be extra mindful of the delicious, beautiful and satisfying foods that Hashem has provided us with. Sometimes we do not appreciate something until it is no longer available to us. After a fast is a great time to re-instill the appreciation that we have for food and drinks and all that they have to offer.

Hydrate! Our body needs a lot of water. After going a long time (in this case, over 24 hours) without any water, we must make sure to drink a lot to help replenish our water levels and hydration status. This can be done by drinking water and eating soups, fruits and vegetables with a high-water content.

May we all – both individually and collectively – be inscribed and sealed for a year of tova, success, health and with the privilege to bring the geulah bekarov.

31

‫סוכות‬ SECTION

32 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Understanding Hilchos Chol Hamoed The term Chol Hamoed gives us an important insight into understanding which actions are or are not allowed- the heter and issur melachah- during those days. That term itself - Chol Hamoed- is made up of two distinct opposites.

Is it chol- weekday- everyday, or is it moed- chag-Yomtov?

The answer of course is that it's a combination of the two.

So, too, the halachos of Chol Hamoed represent this duality. Many melachos which are assur during the first days of the chag are mutar; hence the term chol. On the other hand, some melachos remain assur, hence the term moed.

What are the guidelines used in determining issur and mutar in melachos Chol Hamoed? Let's go through some of them together.

One important guideline the chachomim used in setting up for us which melachos are permitted and which are not is based on the premise that we should not be doing activities which demand a large investment of energy- tirchabecause that will take away from simchas yom tov. This being the case, even activities which don't actually contain a melacha in terms of Shabbos, will still be assur if they involve tircha. For example, moving from one dwelling to another, even if it may be within an eruv and not involving any issur of hotza'ah, since it requires a lot of physical strain, is forbidden on Chol Hamoed. It will demand a lot of tircha – exertion, hard work- and certainly take away from one's simchas yom tov.

In addition, zilzul hamoed- desecration of the yom tov- has to be taken into consideration. The classic example of this is mechavin melachto lamoed- to plan on doing something on Chol Hamoed specifically because “Well, I have off anyway so I'll do it then!” Or, “Hey, why don't I clean out the garage? This would be the perfect time!” This is a zilzul to yom tov. We don't have off on a moed to do the household chores- rather, it is a time to enjoy, pleasure and bask in our relationship with Hashem and with other Jews.

Besides being careful not to do zilzul-desecration- to the moed, our chachomim also instituted many practices especially to add kovod yom tov to a moed. We see this when looking at the issue of haircuts and nail-cutting. They specifically directed us to take haircuts and cut our nails before yom tov- not on Chol Hamoed- in order not to come into yom tov ungroomed. If someone was not careful about kovod yom tov and neglected to do this, he would not be allowed to take care of it on Chol Hamoed. However, if someone is an oneis- was forced- not to take care of these things before yom tov- either halachically because he was an avel, or if for example he was in jail- he would be permitted to take a haircut on Chol Hamoed. It is assur only if

zilzul yom tov was involved. Smilarly, the Rema says, cutting nails is assur on Chol Hamoed, since they should have been cut before. However, if a person was careful to cut his nails before yom tov but they need to be cut again before the second days, many poskim do permit it.

In this same vein of focusing on the simcha of the chag, if doing a certain melacha will prevent a davar ha'avudmeaning if one doesn't do this melacha, one will sustain a large loss- it is permitted. Since the thought of the loss of money will detract from one's simchas yom tov, doing the melachah is allowed. In other words, doing this melachah will not take away one's simchas yom tov, it will add to it!

Therefore it's muttar.

Sometimes there is more than one factor to consider. If there is a melacha which doesn't constitute zilzul hamoed, and there is davar haavud, it may be muttar even though there is a lot of tircha. For this reason for example, some poskim rule that if it is imperative to move on Chol Hamoed so as not to lose a large amount of money (i.e. double rent) to move within the same building is muttar. Why? Since this will not be very public, it will hardly cause any zilzul.

Another basic guideline to keep in mind when doing melacha on Chol Hamoed is tzorech hamoed. Even when doing melacha that is permitted, one may only do as much as is needed for yom tov. In front of our eyes must be the classic hanhaga of the Chazon Ish who used to check his pockets before he left his house on Chol Hamoed. This was not to make sure they were empty, as it's permitted to carry on Chol Hamoed letzorech hamoed, but to make sure there was nothing in his pockets he did not need for Chol Hamoed.

One more important factor that may make an action forbidden is maaseh uman- work done professionally. The poskim say that an act of sewing may be done by a housewife if it's tzorech hamoed and it is needed for the chag.

However, for a professional seamstress to fix a garment is assur, even if it is tzorech hamoed.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos (3:11) says that if someone is mevazeh es hamoados- defiles Hashem's special days- he has no cheilek in Olam Habah. Rashi defines mevazeh as doing non-permitted melachah and neglecting to eat a festive meal on Chol Hamoed. We see from here that properly honoring Chol Hamoed, meaning creating the perfect synthesis of Chol and Moed according to the guidelines laid out by our chachomim, will cause one to merit Olam Habah. May we all be zocheh to honor Chol Hamoed properly with pleasure and with joy, and to merit the geulah shleima bimhairah beyamainu.

(This compilation is based on the Shulchan Orech Orach Chaim, Hilchos Chol Hamoed, starting from Siman Taf Kuf Lamed.

It is meant to be used as a general guide and not a psak for specific situations.)

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NEUTRAL TA B L E S C A P E S

SUKKOS CENTER

C H A R N I E KO H N

@the.seasoned.palate 34 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

NEUTRALS Bring style and elegance into your sukka this year. With all the colorful sukka decorations, an understated and neutral tablescape will give your sukka a more sophisticated look!

For this tablescape, I enjoyed mixing and matching. I used disposables and real dishes. I used dried and fresh florals. Be creative and have fun with it!

Tablecloth Blossombleu 1466 Coney Island Avenue (917) 575-6666 Cutlery Cb2 Dishes Amazing Savings Cups Party Shoppe Vases Amazon Ceramic Vase Set $34.99 Florals Amazon Natural Dried Pampas Grass $23.99 Napkins Amazon - 12 Ramanta Home Cloth Dinner Napkins $21.99

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EGGPLANT BOATS Amp up the flavors and presentation with these showstopper eggplant boats!

3 small eggplants 6 tablespoons oil, divided 1.5 lbs ground beef 4 cubes frozen sautéd onions 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons red wine Cut the eggplants in half and use a sharp knife to score the flesh. Salt the eggplants and allow them to sweat for at least twenty minutes.

Wipe the excess moisture. Preheat the oven to four hundred twenty-five degrees. Rub the eggplant with three tablespoons oil and place skin side down on a baking sheet. Bake for thirty minutes.

SUKKOS CENTER

In a medium pan, heat 3 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add the frozen sautéd onions and the meat.

Use a potato masher to break apart the meat. Once the meat is no longer pink, add the seasoning and wine.

Simmer over medium low heat for twenty five minutes. Spoon the mixture over the eggplant boats. Top with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with tahini Plate it! Dip a pastry brush in tahini. Brush one side of the plate. Use a Q-tip to clean up the edges. Top with pomegranate seeds and micro greens. Place the stuffed eggplant on the other side.

36 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

STEAK BITES WITH PEA PURÉE These delicious steak bites will be a perfect appetizer to start the meal.

Alternatively, you can also add a side dish and put more slices into each plate for a composed main dish. However you choose to serve it, these perfect bites will have everyone raving!

Steak: 2 lbs New York strip steak 4 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 1/2 tablespoon onion powder 1 teaspoon chili powder PEA PURÉE: 1 cup frozen peas 1/4 cup oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Combine all the ingredients for the meat and mix well. Rub the mixture over the steak. Preheat your oven to broil hi and broil the steaks for four minutes per side. Allow the meat to rest for ten minutes before slicing.

Boil the peas according to package instructions. Add the cooked peas, oil, salt, and garlic to a good blender.

Blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Spoon the mixture into a squeeze bottle to get the most perfect results.

Plate it! Layer a couple slices of steak.

Add little dots of pea purée. Use kale florets to add more color to the plate.

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SUKKOS CENTER

Simchas Torah in the Nazi Labor Camp

38 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

By Menachem Posner

The desolate streets of the Częstochowa Ghetto in 1944.

doing something behind a large wooden plank.

Until World War II, the Polish city of Czestochowa had been a bustling center of Jewish life. Then came the bitter day when the Nazis invaded Poland. In the fall of 1939, before Rosh Hashanah, the Nazis entered Czestochowa and began persecuting the Jewish population.

Word soon spread that the shoemaker had managed to smuggle a small Torah scroll into the camp! “When Simchas Torah comes, we get to dance with an actual Sefer Torah," said the shoemaker, his eyes ablaze.

The ghetto, one of the largest in Poland, was established in April of 1941, and the first deportation started in September of 1942, on the day after Yom Kippur. The Nazis had just dispatched over a quarter million Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka. To them, the Czestochowa Ghetto, with just 50,000 Jews, was small potatoes. During the course of that year, the Nazis and their willing lackeys arranged several “aktions,” in which they rounded up the Jews for deportation and extermination. But most of the Jews were deported in that first "Great Aktion,” when they were brutally taken in cattle cars to the Treblinka extermination camp.

The Germans left several thousand Jews in the ghetto. They had to work from morning to night in the factories near Czestochowa. One factory produced metal and another made bullets. Merciless SS officers stood over the workers and did not allow them to stop working for a moment.

Unique among the Jewish workers was a shoemaker. An expert at his craft, he was assigned to repair the shoes and boots of the Nazi soldiers and officers. In order to fulfill his duties, he was granted special freedoms, and was allowed to walk between the nearly empty ghetto and the labor camp, where the surviving Jews were now confined.

His name was Aryeh Szajnert, and he was more than just a shoemaker. A native of the city, he had excellent connections and frequently used them to better the lot of the poor prisoners. It was not uncommon for him to enter the camp with packages of food and other goods.

It had happened once that Aryeh saw five girls being taken for hard labor. One of the girls, Baila Zyskind, had arrived at the camp from Majdanek crying, fearful of what lay ahead. He stepped in and apparently bribed people for the remainder of the war in order to keep her and her fellows from hard labor.

And so it was that just before Rosh Hashanah, the shoemaker arrived at the labor camp with a shofar. It was with bittersweet feelings that the Jews clustered into the shoemaker’s small workshop during the brief midday break to hear the muted shofar blasts. How did he lay his hands on the precious artifact? No one knew.

One day, during the holiday of Sukkos, rumors began to swirl.

"The shoemaker is late. He has not yet returned from the ghetto. Who knows if he is OK?" It was usual for the shoemaker to return late, after the inmates had been given their meager rations. He would go directly to the camp kitchen, where a modest meal had been reserved for him.

But this time, when he finally arrived, he did not go to the kitchen. Instead, he went to his workroom, where he was seen

Despite the badgering and questioning, the shoemaker refused to say how he got the shofar and now the Torah scroll. But word soon leaked out.

The Nazis had appropriated a large warehouse on the outskirts of the ghetto, where they collected Jewish sacred objects. The warehouse was heavily guarded, making it almost impossible to take anything out of it. Placing his life on the line, the shoemaker was able to bribe the officer in charge. And that was how he got the shofar.

In order to get the Sefer Torah, he promised the officer that he would make a pair of fancy boots for him, just like he had made for the most senior commanders. The officer let him take a Torah.

The shoemaker chose a small scroll and wrapped it around his body so that he would avoid attracting the attention of the guards.

The shoemaker had acted at the last possible moment, as the Germans were already beginning to burn the sacred objects in the warehouse.

"How can we possibly hide the Torah?" The shoemaker asked the group of young men who would meet for davening every Shabbos in a hidden corner of the barracks.

Someone had an idea, and the group set to work. They plied a plank off of one of the wooden bunks and made a space in which to put the small Torah scroll. The plank was then returned to its place.

The night of Simchas Torah arrived, and the sense of excitement rose. The inmates silently made their way to the place where the Torah scroll was hidden. They feared that the guards would find the Torah, and that their lives were in jeopardy. As a precaution, it was decided not to remove the Torah from its place. Instead, the plank was moved to the side, revealing the sacred parchment.

A survivor later testified: “On that Simchat Torah we held the traditional Hakafos dances in our barracks. But they were not done in the usual way. The Torah lay in hiding, and we danced around it humming the joyous Simchas Torah tunes under our breaths. We entered in small groups, and mutedly circled the bunk. One by one, we then bent over to kiss it before exiting."

Aryeh (who later assumed the name Arnold Steiner) survived the war. On the very day that the Russian Army freed them Jan 20, 1945, he married Baila. They made their way to the US, where they raised their family.

Miraculously, the Torah survived the war as well and was brought to Israel by Rabbi Noach Adelist. It is now housed in the Aron Kodesh of the Gerer shul in Bnei Brak.

Reprinted with permission from Chabad.org

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FEATURE CENTER 40 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

At the recent HatzalahThon Hachnosas Sefer Torah

Y Yehiel Kalish

By Chaim Blau

Rabbi Yehiel Kalish has always been all about serving the community. From his activism with Agudas Yisroel of America, to his time in the halls of the Illinois House of Representatives, to his current role as CEO of Chevra Hatzalah, Rabbi Kalish has brought passion, dedication, and uncommon energy to his extensive askanus. Although he is a very busy man, he made some time to speak to me on the phone to share his story and some details of the exciting work he is doing now.

Kalish. “They encouraged me to join the Agudah, which proved to be pivotal in my life and career.

Primarily influential were the people I got to meet and work with: Rabbi Avraham Chaim Levin, Rabbi Labish Becker, Rabbi Bloom, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel and others. I was fortunate to spend time at the feet of all these giants and absorb the mesorah of what it means to work on behalf of the community. Those experiences shaped everything I have done since.”

Rabbi Kalish’s career started earlier than most. His very first job in askanus came at the young age of nine, when he served as the local vice president of Junior NCSY. “I was always a mevakesh; I wanted to do big things for the community,” says Rabbi Kalish. After time spent learning in yeshiva in Chicago, Rabbi Kalish joined the Cincinnati Community Kollel. Soon after, he caught the eye of Rav Shmuel Bloom, the legendary Executive Vice President of Agudas Yisroel of America, who offered him a job. “At every step of my life, I have always turned to my rabbeim for guidance,” says Rabbi

Rabbi Kalish’s work with the Agudah brought him directly to the doors of government: local, state and federal. His responsibilities began with opening a legislative office in Chicago, and he was ultimately promoted to National Director of Government Affairs and Vice President for Development and State Relations. His experience dealing with government would come in very handy in the following stages of his career.

Rabbi Kalish is a real doer, and as time went on, he realized that he wanted to continue growing in

41

Visiting with Rav Aharon Leib Steinman, zt’l in 2013 on behalf of Agudath Israel.

a new direction. “I loved my work at the Agudah, but I wanted to do more,” says Rabbi Kalish. “After conferring with my rabbeim, community leaders and askanim, I decided to start my own consulting business, which focused mostly on advising businesses in the healthcare space.” At his consulting firm, The S4 Group, Rabbi Kalish became even more involved in the business of politics and started developing relationships that we eventually bring him into the halls of state government.

FEATURE CENTER

In 2019, Illinois congressman Lou Lang resigned as representative of the 16th House district. During his time at S4, Rabbi Kalish and Lang had cooperated on work related to the healthcare industry and the interests of the Chicago Jewish community, and Rabbi Kalish had made a good impression on Lang. Lang and a panel of other politicians selected Rabbi Kalish from a group of 20 candidates and appointed him to fill the empty seat.

Wading into the shark-infested waters of Illinois Democratic politics is no mean feat, certainly for an Orthodox rabbi. Rabbi Kalish was now representing an overwhelmingly liberal district, albeit one that also included a significant portion of Chicago’s frum community. As he saw it, this was an opportunity to continue the work he had done at the Agudah. “My main focus was working on behalf of the community and doing everything I could to make a Kiddush Hashem,” says Rabbi Kalish. He is particularly proud of his work on a bill designed to invest $45 billion into new infrastructure projects and that was expected to create up to 500,000 jobs. Another big accomplishment was getting crucial funding for education and transportation, which provided immense help to Chicago’s Jewish community.

42 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

However, the vagaries of the infamous Illinois Democratic machine took their toll on Rabbi Kalish. “The Democratic party used to be a big tent, with space for people in the middle of the road,” Rabbi Kalish tells me. “Increasingly, it has become a narrow ideological bubble, and there were certain progressive agendas that I simply couldn’t in good conscience be a part of.” After casting a crucial ‘present’ vote on a healthcare law, Rabbi Kalish faced the vengeful wrath of his legislative peers. Deprived of party support, Rabbi Kalish’s time in the state house came to an end after the 2020 election. Despite the failed bid for another term, Rabbi Kalish says he looks back on his stint in office with a lot of pride. “We may have lost the election, but the Kiddush Hashem we were able to create through the political work is something we are very proud of.”

Soon after his time in Illinois politics ended, Rabbi’s Kalish’s name was recommended to the Executive Board of Chevra Hatzalah. They were looking for a new CEO, and Rabbi Kalish’s combination of dedication, professionalism, and political know-how made him a perfect candidate for the job. He was hired in December 2020, assuming a lead role in one of the Jewish world’s most essential and respected organizations.

As CEO, the main focus of Rabbi Kalish’s job is protecting and developing Chevra Hatzalah’s reputation. “I am in charge of coordinating our organization, and protecting the Hatzalah name,” explains Rabbi Kalish. “A big part of this is making sure that any organization that wants to use the name Hatzalah is committed to our standards. That means providing a top-caliber level of medical care, being directed by a Vaad HaRabaanim, and only accep-

Learning with his son, Yosef Aharon.

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FEATURE CENTER 44 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

With Rav Chaim Stein, zt”l, in 2004 signing a kol korei encouraging the chareidi community to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

Speaking with Rabbi Shmuel Bloom and then Senator Joe Lieberman prior to his address to the delegates of the national Agudah convention in 2003.

ting members who are Shomrei Torah. There is a certain standard of care and reputation that people expect when they hear the name Hatzalah, and we want to keep that up. If any group wants to call themselves Hatzalah they need to abide by those rules and regulations. If they cannot, we wish their organization well, but they need to use a different name.”

Hatzalah has been around for decades and is one of the most well-known Jewish organizations. But Rabbi Kalish says there is something he wished more people understood about Hatzalah. “Just call, never hesitate to call. Our dispatchers are all very experienced, and they are the best people to advise you how to proceed in any situation. If you are in doubt, call. We will be happy to help, and we’re equipped to help. That’s what we’re here for.”

A major factor in Hatzalah’s ability to serve the community is its relationship with local law enforcement and emergency services. While there may have been conflicts in the past, Rabbi Kalish is very proud of the current level of cooperation. “Having a productive partnership with the local organizations is something that we take very seriously and invest a lot of effort into,” says Rabbi Kalish.

“Recently, we presented a plaque to the outgoing chief of the Palisades Parkway Police, who was appointed by Governor Murphy. His predecessor had been very antagonistic towards Jews, giving out an inordinate number of tickets and creating difficulties for Hatzalah. We wanted to show our appreciation for the past years, during which we were able move into a new era of cooperation and understanding.”

Another recent sign of cooperation was the August 2nd NYPD vs. Flatbush Hatzalah softball game at MCU Field, where the Democratic nomi-

nee for Mayor of NYC, Eric Adams, threw out the first pitch. Many local politicians and NYPD notables attended the game, highlighting their warm relationship with Hatzalah.

Another factor in cooperation with local authorities are the Hatzalah members who have serious cachet with these organizations. “Our medical director, Dr. Shimshi Zimmerman, does training for the FDNY, and his connections with them really help our interorganizational cooperation,” Rabbi Kalish says. “Another member of ours is Deputy Inspector Richie Taylor, who is probably the highest ranking Shomer Shabbos person in the history of the NYPD. The presence of individuals like this in the Hatzalah organization helps us elevate our reputation and maintain a good kesher with local law enforcement.”

Unfortunately, this summer has been one marked by terrible tragedies, a time when Hatzalah has to answer the call. I asked Rabbi Kalish to describe how the organization reacted to the recent incidents in Meron and Surfside. “Although American Hatzalah was not directly involved in responding to Meron, one of our Boro Park members was there and jumped into action immediately,” Rabbi Kalish tells me. “Hatzalah’s organizational focus is saving lives. In situations where, unfortunately, life-saving opportunities have passed, there is very little we can do other than try to provide some comfort. However, when it came to Surfside, even within those limitations there was an enormous amount that was done. This tragedy was very close to home; many members of the Hatzalah of South Florida knew victims who died in the towers. At the earliest stages of the disaster, Baruch Sandhaus and other members were there trying to help save anyone they could. As the operations shifted to a search for survivors and then

45

Bringing Ryan Greenberg, Director of EMS Services to the Woodmere Hatzalah Garage with local coordinators.

FEATURE CENTER

for bodies r’l, our members were mostly helping the firefighters with smoke inhalation, burns and dehydration, while also providing support for the community. We also provided a lot of material assistance to the IDF rescue crew who came in and did such great work. We did whatever we could to get the community through this terrible tragedy.”

Being CEO of such a beloved organization, who so many people feel gratitude to, is a very rewarding experience for Rabbi Kalish. What he’s most proud of are the Hatzalah members themselves.

“Our people are so incredible, so dedicated and professional. We have over 1600 members and paramedics, and each and every one of them is a hero.” Rabbi Kalish tells me a story to illustrate the level of commitment Hatzalah members have for their work. “I was recently at a shiva house of a family member who passed away r’l. Hatzalah had been there trying to save him at the end. When I walked in, the reaction I got from the Yesomim and the Almana was incredible. They were thanking me profusely and telling me how hard the Hatzalah members had worked to resuscitate, and everything else they had done to try to help.

In this family’s moment of sorrow and loss, they were still so grateful for the incredible work that Hatzalah had done. I’m so proud that our members are out there going above and beyond on behalf of the community.”

Another perk of the job is the constant stream of inspiration that Rabbi Kalish gets from his work with Hatzalah. He tells me another story about the daily miracles that Hatzalah’s members’ encounter. “There was a call where two medics ended up on an ambulance, even though it wasn’t really necessary to have them both there. The patient was

46 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

stable and doing fine, he just needed transport to the hospital. On the way, the ambulance happened to pass a spot where unfortunately a child had been struck by a vehicle. And one of the medics on the ambulance happened to be someone who specializes in pediatric emergencies. They were able to help save this child’s life. Seeing that incredible Hashgacha Pratis, Hashem orchestrating all the details of this entire scenario, is incredibly inspiring in my Yiddishkeit” Although the job is very rewarding, it isn’t without its challenges. When I ask Rabbi Kalish what the biggest challenge is, he gives me a simple answer: “That there are only 24 hours in the day! The responsibilities of this job are enormous, and there is so much work that we want to do. At the same time, there needs to be time for all the other important areas of my life: being there for my family, davening, learning, and maintaining my physical health. For me, the challenge is making sure I can balance all of the other facets of life with leading the organization as CEO.” One of those facets is Rabbi Kalish’s role as a chazzan on Yomin Noraim. “I’ve been the Shliach Tzibur at Shaarei Tzedek in Chicago for the last 18 years, and I haven’t missed a year,” says Rabbi Kalish “the highlight is Kol Nidrei and Neilah. I like to use Eitan Katz’s Elul nigun, and it brings an incredible energy to everyone there. Especially last year, with everyone coming out of Covid, the passion in shul was something special.” It’s safe to say that the crowd at Shaarei Tzedek is not just feeding off the nigunim, but also Rabbi Kalish’s energy, dedication, and love for the tzibbur, the same things that make him shine in his role as CEO of Chevra Hatzalah.

With Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker in 2019 on the House Floor in Springfield, IL.

47

A Spark of Sacrifice

F

riday, dusk. The sun is a crimson orb in the sky as I bentch my Shabbos licht and cover my eyes. My lips and heart are one as I retrieve my innermost thoughts that have lain suppressed throughout the week.

And then I gaze at the flickering lights, as I’ve done for the past thirty-five years.

But this time it is different.

Tonight the flames leap and dance with a life of their own, willing me to soar higher and transcend my own nature—yet again.

Time stands respectfully still; I am transfixed by the ethereal glow that radiates from these candles, by the wondrous twist of events that has redefined my entire focus.

STORY CENTER

I am fired with purpose, for I have seen how sealed doors are flung open wide for those who come to purify…

48 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

As an energetic, young-at-heart bubby, I always took my good health in stride. My schedule was crammed to the overflow with family and work commitments, simchos, and shiurim.

My grandkids were constantly popping in for a visit (or for some babka).

Life was hectic and happy.

And then one day I went for my yearly mammogram.

As was often the case, I was told to do a sonogram for a better view. I thought nothing of it; this was all par for the course and so I dutifully squeezed some time in a week before Pesach to do this sonogram and be over with it.

That night I had a most disturbing dream. My recently departed mother-in-law, with whom I’d been especially close, approached me and said,

“Light a candle for those with cancer.” Then she turned to some invisible person at her side and said, “Am I allowed to tell her?”

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart hammering in a macabre staccato. My mother-in-law’s foreboding words kept echoing in my head. What, exactly, was I meant to be told?

Now, I am a very down-to-earth person, not given to flights of fantasy or delusions. But this had been so vivid and stark, I could recall every detail.

My husband, Chaim, didn’t know what to make of it either. We didn’t want to articulate what the dream could possibly portend.

I immersed myself in Pesach cleaning, grateful for the all-encompassing task. I was in the midst of bleaching the underside of my pantry shelves when the call came.

“Hello, am I speaking to Shaindel Daskal?” The voice sounded professional yet concerned.

“Yes,” I replied somewhat breathlessly, hoping my cell wouldn’t slide down my shoulder into the pail of water.

“I’m Dr. Soclof at the radiology department of the Center for Women’s Health. I wanted to touch base with you regarding your sonogram results.” There was a leaden pause.

I gripped my phone. “Okay…?”

to make an appointment as soon as possible.

Chaim came home to find me sitting at the kitchen table, shmattes abandoned. In a flat voice, I briefed him in and watched his face crumple.

The joyful anticipation for the upcoming Yom Tov had all but dissipated, leaving a heavy cloud of gloom in its wake.

Within an hour, my regular GP was on the phone.

“Mrs. Daskal, I just received the report from radiology. I want to reinforce what the doctor told you— please make an appointment immediately to see the surgeon.” Now I was really frightened. My doctor was far from an alarmist—in the two decades I’d been his patient, he’d always been so laid back about so many matters, always reassuring me that I had nothing to worry about. If he’d taken the time to call me a few days before Pesach, it must have been really bad.

“I’m Dr. Soclof at the radiology department of the Center for Women’s Health. I wanted to touch base with you regarding your sonogram results.”

“Unfortunately, Mrs. Daskal, the images show some significant abnormalities.

We’re seeing a lot of changes as compared to last year’s results.” She coughed. “It is critical that you see a surgeon at once so you can get a biopsy done, and then we’ll know, uh, what we’re dealing with exactly.”

I felt as though I would choke on the bleach fumes.

Significant abnormalities? Biopsies? What was she talking about?!

She continued speaking, but my mind was awhirl with a thousand black thoughts, each one more horrifying than the next. Like an automaton, I scribbled down the name and number of a top surgeon.

Dr. Soclof ended the call with the firm instruction

But as soon as I hung up, I knew with absolute clarity that I would not allow this dismal report to ruin our entire Yom Tov. “There will be a long haul ahead of us,” I told Chaim.

“Let’s just enjoy Pesach, enjoy the kids, and as soon as Yom Tov is over, we’ll deal with everything.”

Chaim was skeptical but I was adamant. In retrospect, I don’t know why I defied medical orders—definitely not recommended—but I couldn’t face the thought of spending Pesach in a hospital setting undergoing tests.

Chaim and I did not tell our children anything; we continued to prepare for Yom Tov with all the simchah we could muster, determined not to cast any shadows over the festive atmosphere.

On Shabbos Hagadol, I went to hear a drashah given by Harav Moshe Weinberger. In his stirring speech, he relayed a moving story about a woman in a shtetl whose daughter had left the fold to join one of the political groups of the day. The distraught mother went to consult with the rav, to ask what she could possibly do to help her daughter embrace Yiddishkeit once again. The rav asked

Taken with permission from "Life Unwrapped" by Rochel Braverman (As told to the author by Sarah Taub) 49

her if there was one mitzvah that her daughter still kept. The mother replied that despite everything, her daughter had remained a tzanua.

Be honest with yourself. Whom are you fooling?

Is this piece of material so much more precious to you than your values?

“Here’s what I want you to do,” the rav advised.

“Take an old garment of hers and pull out some threads. Twist them into wicks and light your Shabbos licht with them. Perhaps by evoking the zechus of her tznius, she will merit to return home.”

And so it was.

With almost physical effort, I swept aside all my defenses and stared the truth in the eye. There was no way around it: this skirt did not cover my knees adequately while sitting. And no, I wasn’t always going to have a towel on hand to cover the gap.

I left the drashah uplifted, glad I’d made the time for some much-needed inspiration. The Sedarim were especially poignant, as I reveled in the sight of our large family sitting around the table, singing Hallel in unison.

On Chol Hamoed, as I was preparing to go on a trip with the whole crew, I suddenly took notice of my skirt. It was a beautiful, flattering piece—one of my favorite ones. It had been quite costly, but when I’d found an elegant top for it I decided it was well worth the price.

But it doesn’t really cover your knees when you sit, a little voice at the edge of my consciousness spoke up.

Oh—I had no time for this! Well, it covers my knees perfectly well when I’m standing. It’s four inches below my knees! And when I sit I have to tug a bit, but it’s basically fine.

STORY CENTER

The voice was relentless. Basically? What does that mean? Does it cover—or not?!

No, no, no. I was not ready to give up this gorgeous skirt. I busied myself with slicing fruit for the trip in an attempt to distract myself from the intensity of my inner debate. I’ll think about this later. Just not now, please. It’s only a skirt, for crying out loud.

Let’s see, how many bars of chocolate should I pack? Lady fingers?

50 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

I really liked the skirt.

I really did not want to trash it.

But I really couldn’t wear it. Not if I really cared about ratzon Hashem.

Before my decision could lose its momentum, I walked to the bedroom in search of a better alter-

native. Then I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the skirt so it would not be an option for me anymore.

Suddenly, Harav Weinberger’s story rose to mind. And before I could grasp what I was truly doing, I pulled out the threads from the seams, twisted them into a single strand, and placed it near my Shabbos leichter.

As I lit my candles on Erev Shabbos Chol Hamoed, I lingered for a long time over the wick that I’d created, the victory flag of my silent battle.

images were obtained, the surgeon met me in her office. I sat there, staring unseeingly at the pictures on her desk, waiting for the dreaded prognosis that would change my life.

The surgeon held up her hands.

“I don’t know.

But as far as I can see, there is nothing there. So you can go home, no worries, and bring out the champagne.”

Please, Hashem, I cried. Accept my little korban with love. It was just a skirt but only You know what it meant for me. And please grant me more years and opportunities to come closer to You so I can bring You nachas ruach.

And at that surreal moment, all I really wanted to do was to bring Him nachas ruach.

“Well, Mrs. Daskal.” She smiled. “You’re good to go.”

My head jerked up. “What— ?”

“I’m not sure how to explain this, but these images came out totally fine. Negative. I hereby hand you a clean bill of health. L’chaim! ” I spluttered, “B-b-but what about the significant abnormalities, the changes since last year?? They told me it was critical that I take care of this immediately.”

The surgeon held up her hands. “I don’t know. But as far as I can see, there is nothing there. So you can go home, no worries, and bring out the champagne.”

So I went home and brought out my Nishmas.

Chaim and I celebrated Hashem’s infinite chessed with tears of overwhelming gratitude.

And then I recalled the enigmatic dream I’d had with my mother-in-law a”h. She came bearing a timeless message: Yes, we are mere mortals—but we can send up offerings of the purest kind.

On Isru Chag, I went down to the surgeon’s office clutching my Tehillim like a loyal shield.

When I told Harav Weinberger this astounding story that had evolved from his drashah, he declared, “You were zocheh to a nes galui in the zechus of tznius.”

To my surprise, the nurse did not even glance at the report in my hands, saying the surgeon wanted to repeat the sonogram. As soon as the new

And I wonder, were we to fully appreciate the power inherent in every action—from the seemingly trivial to gut-wrenching sacrifice—would we not seize every chance to ignite our soul?

51

This Month in History

Whispers of 9/11 September 2001

"At least my wife knew that I was alive" Schonbrun says On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

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he impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors.

Manhattan skyline with the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

At 10:30 a.m., the north building of the twin towers collapsed. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe.

As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident.

Then, 18 minutes after the first Virginia," plane hit, a second Boeing 767— Schonbrun United Airlines Flight 175—appeasaid, "I red out of the sky, turned sharply promise I toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower will help near the 60th floor. you, and I

HISTORY CENTER

The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below.

It immediately became clear that America was under attack.

promise I won't leave you. We will get out of here.”

Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke.

The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel.

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hat morning, Ari Schonbrun, who was headed to his office at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center where he is in charge of global accounts receivable, considered a last-minute assignment from his wife to be an annoyance.

It turned out to be a miracle.

At the door of his home in suburban Long Island, Schonbrun heard his wife, Joyce, yell from upstairs, "Did you do Baruch's school order?"

Baruch is the couple's then-8-yearold son. His order form for school books and games was due that morning. Schonbrun had meant to help Baruch with it the previous night – but, working late that Monday night to make up for time he would miss during the upcoming High Holidays, he'd arrived home by the time Baruch had fallen asleep.

"You're not leaving the house

Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 (L) flies toward the World Trade Center twin towers shortly before slamming into the south tower 52 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

"That happened immediately," he says.

Overnight – from the shock of what hap pened that Tuesday morning.

Inside, Schonbrun is a different man. "I don't see my life the same way, and can no longer live it the same way I once did."

Schonbrun speaks often about what happened on 9-11 and how it changed his life. As an outgrowth of his speeches, he wrote a 9-11 autobiography, Miracles & Fate on 78, which he self-published two years ago.

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t 8:46 a.m. Ari Schonbrun was on the 78th floor when he heard the boom and smelled the smoke. He thought it was a bomb. In

until you do it," Schonbrun's wife declared.

He sat down with Baruch.

He missed his commuter train.

He got to work later than usual.

His office was located on the 101st floor of the north tower, better known as Tower One. When American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767 crashed into Tower One, he was on the 78th floor, changing elevators in the "sky lobby."

Schonbrun says his late arrival at the Twin Towers was the first of several serendipitous twists of fate, coincidences that he has come to see as miracles which saved his life. All 685 Cantor Fitzgerald employees on the 101st floor that day lost their lives.

Had he arrived on time, as usual, had he been in his office, as usual, he would have been the 686th casualty of Cantor Fitzgerald, the major global financial services firm that lost more employees on 9-11 than any other single business.

Schonbrun, now 56, thinks often about that day – more now, with the anniversary of 9-11 approaching.

"I was plucked out of a burning building and given a second chance," he says, sitting in a café on Manhattan's Upper East Side, near Cantor Fitzgerald's new corporate offices.

He has a new title, director of debt capital markets & asset management at Cantor Fitzgerald, where he has worked for two decades.

On the outside, he looks like he did before 9-11: tall, clean-shaven, casually but neatly dressed, pausing to choose the words before telling the story he has told countless times in the dozen years since the Twin Towers fell. Just one visible difference: his sideburns have turned white.

the hall, dark and filled with smoke, he saw a coworker, Virginia DiChiara, an internal auditor, who was badly burned. "Please help me!” she screamed. “I am in so much pain. Please help me and whatever you do, please don't leave me."

"Virginia," Schonbrun said, "I promise I will help you, and I promise I won't leave you. We will get out of here.”

A fire warden directed them to the "stairwell on the left." Schonbrun slowly led DiChiara, who could not be touched because her burns were so painful, down the only staircase that led directly down to the ground floor exit. The other staircases ended earlier, on floors crowded with hundreds of people also looking to escape the flames and smoke.

"You're going to make it," he reassured his colleague. "If you feel faint, Virginia, fall forward, fall on me."

DiChiara kept on walking.

At the 75th floor, Schonbrun heard his cell phone ring. It was his wife. She started crying when her husband answered. Joyce knew that a plane had hit her husband's building. "She did not know if I was still alive," he says.

"I never got reception in my office, even on a regular day," he says. On the morning of 9-11, the call went through from the stairwell. "That was one of the biggest miracles of that day. I turned to shamayim [heaven], and said 'Thank you.'"

A moment later a man in the stairwell asked to borrow the cell phone. "Of course," Schonbrun said.

"Nothing. The signal was now dead."

The second tower of the World Trade Center bursts into flames after being hit by a hijacked airplane, September 11, 2001.

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"At least my wife knew that I was alive," Schonbrun says, "and as strange as it may seem, given what was going on, that gave me great comfort.”

trying to figure out how she was going to tell our children that Daddy was killed."

At the 50th floor, DiChiara began to tire. "Virginia, you can do this," he told her. He poured some bottled water into her mouth and over her arms, to give her some relief from the pain.

To boost her spirits, he began counting down the floors they passed. He lied to her: "You look great."

It kept her going.

Finally, they reached the first floor.

A fire warden there told them they would have to walk down a few more flights and exit through the building's garage. Down two flights, out of the darkness, a voice shouted, "You can't get out through the garage." Schonbrun and DiChiara and the others with them trudged back to the first floor and walked out. Anyone in the garage when the building collapsed several minutes later would have died.

Across the street, in front of the Millennium Hotel, Schonbrun helped his colleague into an ambulance. headed for St. Vincent's Hospital. Schonbrun, knowing that DiChiara was in good hands, started to walk away.

"Ari, you're coming with us!" DiChiara insisted.

Thinking that it would probably be a good thing for her psychologically, Schonbrun acquiesced.

"This," he says, "was how I was driven away from my own, otherwise certain, death."

The Towers collapsed minutes later; few at the site survived.

Virginia, who has since recovered, "thanks me every day for saving her life," Schonbrun says.

"But I always tell her, 'Virginia, you got it all wrong.

Who saved whose life? If you hadn't insisted that I get in that ambulance, I'd be dead.'"

"Against all odds," he says, "I somehow managed to escape without a single scratch. Somebody, obviously, was watching out for me that day."

E

ventually, he left the hospital, walking north. On a borrowed phone, he called DiChia-

HISTORY CENTER

ra's parents, telling them that their daughter was badly burned but still alive.

Then he reached his wife, who was crying. "Tower One collapsed and I thought you were dead," she said.

The last time they had spoken, Schonbrun was on the 75th floor of his burning building. "When it collapsed and she hadn't heard from me again, she was convinced that I was now dead. She had been

54 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Because of the goodness of strangers and friends, Schonbrun made his way home, by subway and taxi, by early evening. He was greeted at home by 20 people, friends concerned about his fate; on his answering machine, at least 100 messages.

Ash covers a NYPD vehicle as it lies near the area known as Ground Zero after the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

"That day I learned something very important," he says. "You have no idea how many friends you really have until they all think you are dead."

He washed up, went to afternoon Mincha services at his synagogue, and recited the HaGomel prayer of thanks that is usually reserved for Torah-reading days.

Early that next morning, a radio reporter called from Israel for an interview.

Within a week, Schonbrun found himself speaking to individuals and audiences about his 9-11 experience.

"I didn't think my story was anything special," he says. But everyone else did. You survived for a reason, everyone told him, “You have a mission. What is it?"

He realized his mission: to tell about how he survived, “to describe what God did for me," and how it changed him.

People run from the collapse of World Trade Center Tower Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 in New York.

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native of New York City who moved in his teens with his family to Israel, Schonbrun has always been an observant Jew.

"But despite my daily rituals built around my devotion to God, there were times when I lost sight of what was really important," he writes in his book.

"Was I truly aware of what I was doing through of all these practices, or was I just going through the motions most of the time? Did I just do the minimum that was required and find convenient excuses not to attend one more study session or concentrate more on the words of my prayers?"

Everything changed, Schonbrun says, after 9-11.

Just as he can list the miracles that happened to him on 9-11, he can list the changes he has made in his life: No more cursing. Co-workers who use foul language "don't use foul language around Ari's desk."

"What the heck are you doing?" the driver screams.

The kid, crying, answers, "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I threw the brick because no one else would stop." His brother's wheelchair had rolled off the curb and his brother had fallen out.

"I can't lift him up!" the stone-thrower cries.

"Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?"

Take one thing that you are not doing today, that you could do to make yourself better, no matter how basic, and make the conscious decision to do better."

No more talking in shul during davening time. Previously, "I talked in shul like everyone else."

No excuses when his kids ask him to come to their school events. Earlier, he'd answer, "Daddy's got to work." Today, he'll take time off for a school play, a school trip – anything involving his children. "Now family is the most important thing in my life."

Less temper. "I don't get upset over small things."

More time for Jewish learning.

And he doesn't miss daily prayers, three times a day, with a minyan.

Formerly, when he prayed, it was to make a living. Now, he prays for his children, "that my children should be good children."

Is he a happier now? "100 percent," he says.

The changes he made more than a decade ago are still part of his life, he says, because they "happened gradually, over time." He didn't try to incorporate any sudden changes overnight.

A man standing amid the seemingly endless World Trade Center rubble, calling out for survivors.

and grabs the kid who threw the brick.

The driver helps lift the fallen boy and keeps the dent in the Jaguar's side as a reminder of the incident's message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention."

Everyone has a choice, Schonbrun says. You can listen to the whispers of life, its subtle messages.

"Or you can wait for the brick."

Now, he passes out a business card that identifies him as a "Motivational Speaker." On a background of a cloud-filled sky are the words: "Listen to the Whispers."

What about the victims, the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives on 9-11? How does he explain his survival while others perished? In other words, wasn't God looking out for them, too?

His answer: “God has a plan, and I can't explain.”

Imagine a small piece of black canvas, Schonbrun says. Beautiful?

No. Then, he says, imagine it's part of a bigger canvas, a Picasso painting. The small black patch makes sense.

"We only see part of the picture," he says.

When bad things – or things that seem bad – happen to Schonbrun, he says he understands that they're part of a grand design.

Hurricane Sandy damaged his home last year. If it had happened before 9-11, he says, "I would have asked, 'Why me?'" As he surveyed the damage, he said to himself, "God has a reason. I don't know why. We'll figure it out.”

In his book and speeches, Schonbrun offers some advice. Recognize the "hand of God" in your lives. Give to charity. Do volunteer work. Seek out role models. Be kinder.

Don't speak poorly of others. "Take one thing that you are not doing today, that you could do to make yourself better, no matter how basic, and make the conscious decision to do better."

The 12th anniversary of 9-11 is coming up. On the anniversary, many survivors and their relatives attend commemoration and memorial services.

S

"I don't need reminders," Schonbrun says. "9-11 is with me every single day."

chonbrun likes to tell the story of a "young and successful executive" who, speeding down an urban street in his new Jaguar, feels a brick smash into the side of his prized automobile. Angered, he backs up, gets out of the car,

Schonbrun goes golfing. Alone.

On that day, he doesn't want to talk about his experiences. He doesn't want to think about it nor read the newspaper on that day.

The only physical memento he carries with him, on his keychain, is the key to his office in Tower One.

55

Behind thescenes

Rav Aaron Waijsfeld is more than simply a figurehead Rabbi in the Boro Park Center. He is an active part of it and dedicates his time and energy to providing residents and staff with a warm and spiritual experience.

t r a e H h t i w i b A Rab

By Meir Segal

R BTS BORO PARK CENTER

esidents and patients at nursing homes and rehab centers have various needs. Those needs range from medical, dietary, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and psychological. But an underrated need is the spiritual one. People don't realize how crucial spiritual fulfillment can be to a person's overall health and happiness, and that need is sometimes taken care of by the facility's Rabbi.

In my limited experience with nursing homes, the title "Rabbi" is conferred upon whoever is hired to ensure that there is a minyan for the tefillos and leads the Shabbos and yom tov meals. Most of the nursing home "Rabbis" that I have met are not the most knowledgeable about Jewish law or history. Nor do they need to be. Singing zemiros, giving out aliyos, and leading the tefillos requires only some basic familiarity with halacha. However, when conversing with Rav Aaron Waijsfeld, Rabbi at the Boro Park Center, I am blown away by his knowledge in all parts of the Shulchan Aruch. Not that my opinion means anything, I am simply basing it on my previous experiences with people in the same position at other facilities.

56 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

Rav Aaron is lanky, tall, distinguished-looking, with a gray beard and round glasses, wearing a traditional long rekel. "I went to Bobover schools when I grew up," Rav Waijsfeld tells me. He went through a fascinating journey for a Bobover boy. "After going to Eretz Yisrael for a couple of years I learned in Beth Medrash Govoha and eventually landed in Emek Halacha, the Kollel of Rav Tuvia Goldstein." Rav Tuvia Goldstein was a legendary posek whom Rav Moshe Feinstein would frequently consult with when dealing with complex cases. After learning under Rav Tuvia for a number of years, Rav Waijsfeld earned the prestigious semicha from Emek Halacha. "Before this was the Boro Park Center, it was the Hebrew Home for the Aged and then it morphed into Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center. After that, it

became the BPC. It was always intended as a home for elderly Jews who were no longer able to live on their own. So it was founded over a hundred years ago, and the Rabbi was integral to the kashrus. An elderly person told me that he remembers when they salted their own meats. These days they are under a kashrus agency, so b"H, that is not something that I have to worry about."

But Rav Waijsfeld is not comfortable talking about himself and all the work he does. He wants to focus the conversation on the incredible little community they have built at the Boro Park Center. "Our shul is an extremely vibrant one. We have three minyanim a day throughout the year. The residents love to come to shul, and specially designated nurses bring those who can't make it independently. There are also volunteers who dedicate their time to come and help with this and other things such as helping to put on tefillin." But it is not solely residents of the BPC who daven in its shul, ac-

cording to Rav Waijsfeld. "We have over a hundred people by our Shabbos minyanim. People who come the first time can't believe what kind of davening we have. I am not talking about the number of people that attend. I am referring to the tefillos here, which are warm and hartzig. When the baal tefillah sings, the entire crowd joins in."

When new patients arrive, they often would not want to join the tefillos, saying they are not there for very long. "Either because they were optimistic that they are returning home or they are pessimistic that they don't have much longer to live. But after attending a Shabbos davening, they are quickly persuaded to join us all the time.

Once a chashuve Rav had a shul and was not thrilled to be here and was afraid of what the tefillos would look like, especially since he came just before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. After the Yamim Noraim, he pulled me to the side and said, 'Reb Aaron, the tefillos in the Center were nicer and more inspirational than in my shul.' we really are putting effort into our davening for two reasons. One because davening has to be special. But also to ensure that people don't feel like their quality of Jewish life has taken a hit because they have to live in a nursing home or assisted living facility."

Rav Aaron refuses to take credit for the high standard of the tefillos, but some of the staff who've been working at the BPC for a while tell me that this was not always the case. In fact, it used to look like other nursing homes, where shachris on Shabbos was finished very fast, and most baalei tefillah never really tried

57

to sing a niggun because they feared they would end up having to sing on their own. But since Rav Waijsfeld took over more than fifteen years ago, the shul is a bustling place. Minyanim are packed with residents, patients, and neighbors alike. There are shiurim and chavrusos. "The only thing missing from our little community is a mikvah," Rav Aaron jokes.

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Another thing that makes residents and guests feel heimish is the kiddush after davening. "People love their kiddush," Rav Waijsfeld laughs. "There is a joke that a Litvak asks what time davening starts, a Chasid asks what time Borchu is, a Chabadsker asks when should he be there for krias haTorah, and the non-religious ask what time the kiddush is. The kiddush is really a gratifying and unifying experience. It gives our patients a sense of normalcy aside from the davening. They reminisce about old times, and eating herring and sipping schnapps transports them back to when they davened at their corner shtibel. For those few moments, they forget their pain and ailments."

"When covid hit the BPC shul was more affected than the average shul for obvious reasons," Rav Waijsfeld tells me, the anguish evident in his facial expression. Since the Boro Park Center has a high-risk, immunocompromised population, the shul stayed closed for a much more extended period than most shuls. "Even the super careful congregations opened way before we did," Rav Aaron says with a rueful smile. Although the shul opened for residents and

58 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

patients a while back, outside people were either banned or very limited to a select few family members. "Before Covid, Friday nights, the shul was bursting at the seams. We sometimes had a hundred and fifty people. Now we average about fifty mispalelim. But we hope that soon we will be able to return to regular full capacity minyanim and tefillos."

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alking about covid, I ask Rav Waijsfeld about the seder Pesach by night and how it changed during the pandemic. "That was a most challenging transition. The threat of Covid was relatively new. It only hit around Purim time. And the realities of sedarim alone in their rooms were dehumanizing for the residents.

Typically, our seder has about one hundred and fifty people since many family members and some non-religious patients join us. But during those two sedarim, I had to go from room to room to make sure everybody had an uplifting experience." Although Rav Aaron would not tell me this about himself, an administrator told me that what Rav Waijsfeld did that night was nothing short of heroic. "He went around from room to room, patient to patient, and made sure they had an uplifting and spiritual seder. He was here until extremely late at night, and his family was also a part of this unbelievable sacrifice. He went way above and beyond his duties," the administrator said. What Rav Aaron also won't tell anyone is his exceptional dedication to

me this," Rav Aaron laughs. "But I always insist on giving everybody an aliyah as soon as they come. Numerous times a patient would walk up to the Sefer Torah, make the bracha, and burst into tears. Just recently, it happened because the patient hadn't had an aliyah since before Covid. Other times it's because these people daven in a shul, have been neglected, don't get any recognition, and haven't had an aliyah in literally ten years. It is regrettable."

But Rav Waijsfeld doesn't convince people to come to davening. "People end up coming, even the non-religious, especially once they hear about the kiddush," Rav Aaron says with a grin.

e ach and every patient. There are five hundred patients in one building, and he makes sure to make his rounds and spend time with each one. "He also learns with many of them and also spends time learning with staff members, making sure that their spiritual needs are not neglected.

B

eing a Rabbi in a nursing home has given Rav Waijsfeld a unique vantage point and experience. "We had two brothers who, thirty years ago, had gotten into a machlokes and had not seen or spoken to each other since, and then they ran into each other when they both came to live in the Boro Park Center. Someone who knew about this told me the history, and we were expecting a blowup. Surprisingly they caught up as if nothing happened." Rav Aaron attributes to the reality of life that sometimes people are hit with when they are admitted into an assisted living facility. "Priorities come into focus, and people realize that many things that they treasured when they were younger were shallow and superficial."

Rav Waijsfeld also gets to see Jews from all sorts of backgrounds. "We once had a Marine who fought in the Pacific during World War Two. He told me that his unit was entrenched in a foxhole for so long that they lost track of time, and nobody knew what day of the week it was. Knowing halacha, he started counting the week from that day as Sunday and put on tefillin. He later found out that it really was Shabbos. Nowadays, with the advances in technology and with the way fighting wars have evolved, it is almost impossible not to know what day of the week it is."

A different time a new resident told him that he is an atheist and doesn't believe in G-d. "One time, he tells me, 'I'm a murderer, I'm a murderer.' I asked him what he meant by that. He then told me that

A different time there was a Yid who was afraid to go to shul because he saw his former landlord and did not want to bump into him. "He was still traumatized and thought he might get evicted."

Rav Waijsfeld also tells me that most men who come say that they don't want an aliyah.

"If I had a dime for every time someone told

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he emigrated to the United States from Germany when he was a very young boy, and was fluent in German. Therefore, during world war two, he served as a translator as a military police officer. 'A few times after we captured a Nazi, instead of putting him with the other prisoners of war, we took him to a secluded area and executed him." Rav Aaron is skeptical of some of the stories he's heard over the years. He feels that some may either be misremembering or they are enjoying that they finally have someone listening to them after years of loneliness and are afraid that if they don't have a good yarn to spin, they will lose their captive audience. A couple of patients have told me that Rav Waijsfeld spends an inordinate amount of time listening to them talking about their children, and does so patiently, and shows a genuine interest in whatever they want to talk about.

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"Another fascinating story was an elderly gentleman who told me that he grew up frum but went off the derech. He tried to antagonize and provoke me when I asked him if he is coming to shul. He would say, 'I will come but without a yarmulke.' I wasn't going to take the bait and told him that he was welcome to attend shul however and whenever he wanted. B"H we became very friendly. I learned Mishnayos with him. He was thrilled when we learned shnayim ochzim, a perek in Bava Metziah. It was something he remembered from his youth. Eventually, he told me about his painful childhood and

60 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

how he attended Torah Vodaath, Telz, Chaim Berlin, and many other prestigious American institutions. He was asked to leave by many of them and became bitter."

Rav Waijsfeld has more of such stories but is afraid to tell me some more because he may unintentionally disclose some personal details that our readers might recognize.

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s we continue talking, I realize that the Boro Par center has a very diverse clientele because when I mention that I have relatives from Argentina, he grills me about their names and shows a knowledge of the community there. At first, I was skeptical about him knowing anyone, but he quickly proved me wrong. Rav Waijsfeld explains that "we get people here from all over the world. After talking to them a bunch of times, I become familiar with their community without having visited there." Although Rav Aaron doesn't say so, I believe that this shows again how caring and interested he is in the patients. He doesn't just talk to them.

He listens, shows interest, and remembers what they speak about. I can't help but think that I would want my elderly relative to be in his care.

As we are about to end our conversation Rav Aaron, off the cuff, makes some interesting points about the different people he has observed over the years. "It is very curious that sometimes when a patient comes in without any family and is totally alone in the world. Somehow nurses pick up on it and go beyond their duty to

make sure he is taken care of. The will to help others is what brought them into the nursing profession in the first place. There is also a lot of hashgacha pratis with such petients. We soetimes have people who offer to pay for funeral expenses of complete strangers. Recently a non-Jew came and said that he knows one of our patients since they lived in the same building. 'Mr. Klein (name changed for privacy) always greeted me, asked about my day, and when my mother died, he came to console me and pay his respects,' the man said. He offered to pay for anything the patient needed over the course of his stay.

He spoke to the Doctors and became his advocate. He hired an aide and ended up paying for the levaya and burial. And he always ensured that everything must be done according to Jewish law because he 'knew Mr. Klein to be a devout Jew.' Some random volunteers come in and take

care of strangers more than many children take care of their parents. But, sadly, there are also other stories.

Some people don't come visit their parents. They live out of town or lead busy lives and don't realize how much their parents suffer. Sometimes people live their entire lives as pious Jews, but after they pass away, their non-religious relatives insist on having them cremated. Even a will doesn't always hold up. If a patient's next of kin are not religious, I would suggest consulting with a lawyer to ensure that the will is legally binding."

As to what other advice Rav Waijsfeld has, he says, "You can hire the best nurses and aides; nothing replaces the feeling people get when their children visit. Nurses also respond to what they observe.

If they see you showing interest in your parents, they do more than just their job. Also, it is human nature that if you see the family around you'll take more care to get everything right. If they know family is constantly around to see. Also, a compliment here and there goes a long way for them to feel good. It is simply human nature."

As I get up to leave, a resident comes for his daily chavrusashaft with Rav Waijsfeld and can't help but think that at least on a spiritual needs basis, the Boro Park Center is the best place for person to rehab and live in a nursing home. Rav Aaron Waijsfeld will ensure that no matter the need, one's intellectual and spiritual needs will always be fulfilled.

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8

e l b i d e r Inc e r o t S t f i Thr Finds ft em at a thri ted to an it ac tr at e f av el h urs Maybe you Ever find yo sure why? ot an m re to u' ur way store, but yo d are on yo for value an arket find!

-m a good eye ea fl believable n u t ex n e king th millions ds or even th thousan or w s every s op re u sh d Treas secondhan at ill up rn ing at Goodw of dollars tu that spend ew kn ho W t? so often. investmen ch a smart could be su

1. Ansel Adams rarities (or not.)

At a garage sale in 2000, a Fresno, California, house painter noticed images of Yosemite National Park on glass plates of old photo negatives. After some negotiation, Rick Norsigian bought the lot for $45.

The teapot is only the seve nth example of Bartlam porc elain to have been rediscovered. The other six pieces are all in the US, held in both private collections and museums.

62 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

He had a hunch the images were by the iconic nature photographer Ansel Adams, so Norsigian asked some experts. They told him he was right — and that his find could be worth more than $200 million.

4. The gag gift worth money.

2. The greatest good luck charm.

In 2016, the fisherman walked into a tourism office in the city of Puerto Princesa, carrying what he had always thought was just a large rock. He explained that he'd been holding it under his bed for good luck.

That was indeed his lucky day, because the man would learn that his "rock" was the largest pearl in the world: 2 feet long, weighing 75 pounds and worth $100 million.

3. The seriously golden egg.

A scrap metal dealer got an amazing bargain when he paid $14,000 for an ornate golden egg at a flea market.

He planned to have it melted down, and hoped to net a small profit. But he did some Googling first, and found a 2011 article describing the hunt for a long-lost Faberge egg made for Russian royalty in the late 1800s.

The scrap dealer took his egg to a Faberge expert and antiques dealer in London, who confirmed it was the real deal. The egg was later sold, for an undisclosed amount.

Estimates put its value at $33 million.

Teri Horton bought what she thought was a huge, ugly painting for $5 as a gag gift to cheer up a friend in 1992. The friend found the thrift-shop find hilarious but had no room for it, so Horton took it back home. When she tried to unload it at a garage sale, an art teacher told her that she should check it out to make sure it wasn't a Jackson Pollock.

Horton hired a forensic specialist, who found a fingerprint from the famed splatter-painter on the piece and traced the paint to his studio. Horton has been offered $9 million for the painting, but she wants $50 million.

5. Not your ordinary teapot.

A bargain hunter who picked up a $20 teapot in an online auction was shocked to find out that it was no run-ofthe-mill piece of porcelain.

What the buyer had was one of the first pieces of porcelain created in America. It was the work of British potter John Bartlam, who was a highly regarded artisan nearly 250 years ago.

Though broken, the teapot sold at at a 2018 auction for about $806,000.

6. The handbag.

In 2012, John Richard from Oxfam went to a charity store in the U.K. and spotted the face of Elvis Presley staring back at him from the side of a handbag. He was intrigued, and bought it for around $30.

Months later Richard took it to a Philip Treacy shop in London to learn more. It turned out the celebrity design was by pop artist Andy Warhol. Richard was told the bag was one of only 10 ever made, and that it was worth 350,000 pounds — more than $450,000.

8. Precious parchment.

7. Billy the Kid's photobomb.

Randy Guijarro was looking through boxes at a Fresno, California, curio shop in 2010 when he discovered old tintype photographs that he bought for $1 apiece. The more he looked at one of them, the more he recognized one of the figures.

Upon doing some research, Guijarro discovered his hunch was correct and that the figure playing croquet was indeed the famous outlaw Billy the Kid. The other men in the photo were members of Billy's gang.

When Michael Sparks was browsing at a thrift shop in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006, he found what he assumed was a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. The copy seemed incredibly well done, so he purchased it for $2.48.

After doing a bit of research, Sparks discovered that he had no ordinary copy of the historic document. It was, in fact, one of 200 official copies commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820, and only the 36th every discovered.

Sparks sold the parchment for a price that should help in his personal pursuit of happiness: $477,650.

One of the only two authenticated pictures of Billy the Kid in existence, it's been appraised for $5 million.

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Cookie g tin Decora hop Works

Music with th e Simply Tzfat Band

Weekly F Shabbos lowers for Worksho p

Summer Garden Craft

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&

Hair Makeup Tips and Tricks by

E

veryone’s wish is to have their makeup stay on for an entire YomTov. Here are some tips on how to do that!

2, Eye shadow: For eye shadow i like to use a cream shadow and then set it with a powder eyeshadow.

IE M CA

1, Always start with a freshly cleansed face.

Now the Eyes!

1, First use a concealer or primer to prime the eye lids.

3, Eye liner.

When using eye liner I like to S E T S, S use a waterproof gel eyeliner MA TI KEUP AR (3) and of course, a waterproof 3, Use a primer. I like Mac Prep (1) and mascara (4.) prime primer for most skin types.

2, Moisturize using your favorite moisturizer.

S

HAIR & MAKEUP CENTER

4, Next is to go in with foundation. I like to use a natural looking foundation that is not heavy. The reason for this is because if you use something heavy it will look cakey and oily the next day.

The trick to long lasting makeup is to use very lightweight products that won’t cake up the next day.

If you use these tips and tricks you will have makeup that will last through the Yomim Tovim!

6, When using blush I like to use a cream blush first and then a powder blush (2) on top.

Xoxo, Cami

66 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

2

Next set the skin using a setting spray (5.)

5, Use a lightweight concealer under the eyes & set with a powder, use a translucent powder to set the skin and under the eyes.

Good s Trick

1

3

Good Luck!!

The trick to long lasting makeup is to use very lightweight products that won’t cake up the next day. I like to use a natural looking foundation that is not heavy.

The reason for this is because if you use something heavy it will look cakey and oily the next day. If you use these tips and tricks you will have makeup that will last through the Yomim Tovim!

4

5

AI

RS

2. Styling: Do not over work your hair when styling it,so you avoid adding grease.

We recommend doing your curls/waves slightly tighter than you normally would. This way, it will have good strong lasting power.

If on day 2 or 3 of Yom Tov your hair becomes greasy, you can reapply some dry shampoo and maybe pin

2

S S some of your hair back. You O R YO can use the regular bobby pin, a CHEVED G more elaborate bobby pin, or even a

3. Products: Use dry shampoo (1) at the roots. After styling, to absorb any excess oils on the scalp. This will maintain a dry looking head. For brunettes use a brunette-colored dry shampoo (2.) For blondes use any other one.

Do not put in any oils on the bottom of your hair.

Unless your hair is very thick and more of a dry texture.

Good s Trick

1

TYLIST

1. Hair preparation: This is very important.

Make sure to wash your hair thoroughly. Shampoo twice. Condition once.

4. Sleeping with hair styled: Before going to bed, flip your hair forward and make a pony. Make it on the top of your head as closest to the hair line as possible. Use a scrunchy (3) to tie it up and sleep with it up that way. This way, when you get up in the morning and let your hair down it will be full and beautiful.

,H

H

ere’s how to get your hair to last you for a 3-day Yom Tov.

small soft scrunchy to create a top knot.

Pinning it back will add some personality to your hair that can be super cute and fun, all while keeping it out of your face and minimizing the grease buildup that can happen from excess makeup and sweat.

3

I hope you find these tips helpful.

Have a beautiful Yom Tov

Xoxo Yocheved

Make sure to wash your hair thoroughly. Shampoo twice. Condition once.

When shampooing your hair, it’s very important that your entire head get washed with the shampoo and not just coat the top layer. I recommend scratching your head and massaging with the shampoo in it to really get a thorough cleanse. For those those who have a hard time doing this method, I find that it also helps to use a brush in the shower to help circulate the shampoo properly.

There are many different kinds of hair textures, and they each require different shampoos, and sometimes different washing methods; for example, a girl with thinner/oily hair should not be using heavy shampoos and conditioners. In fact, she shouldn’t be using conditioner at all. There are softer shampoos available, such as Garnier Fructise (4) or Herbal Essences (5).

A person with thicker/heavier hair can use stronger shampoos and conditioner, like Tresame (6) or Pantene (7).

4

5

6

7

67

How to organize your fridge Do you know the optimum place to store raw food, where not to keep fresh stuff and the ideal fridge temperature? Read on...

HOME & FOOD CENTER

A well-organized fridge is vital for safe storage to prevent any bacteria infiltrating your food and making you ill. Maintaining a cool temperature in your fridge is vital for this, too, with The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommending the ideal temperature of your fridge should be between 3-5°C.

68 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

But, storing food correctly will also help you minimise food wastage.

According to WRAP, UK households waste 7 million tonnes of it every year, 5 million of which is edible.

Organizing your fridge properly will help reduce waste, your chances of getting food poisoning and your weekly shopping bill. Just use our handy guide, put together with expert advice from our cookery team, to help you get the most out of your fridge, and to keep your food fresher for longer.

Upper Shelves Foods that don’t need cooking, such as deli meats and leftovers.

Lower/Middle Shelves Dairy such as milks, cheeses, yogurt and butter.

Bottom Shelf This is the coldest part of your fridge, and where wrapped raw meat and fish should be kept. Placing raw food on the bottom shelf also minimises the risk of cross-contamination.

Drawers

Vegetables, salads and fruit should be stored in their original packaging in the salad drawer where they will be enclosed. This is also a good place to store herbs, as they can’t get frozen to the back of the fridge.

Door Shelves This is the warmest area of the fridge and most susceptible to temperature fluctuations. Store foods that have natural preservatives here, such as condiments, jams and juice.

69

Salad m o o r h s u Warm M N DURATIO es 20 Minut

n Ingredie

ts:

HOME & FOOD CENTER

such as olive oil, in g ir v - Extra Colavita d thinly ots, slice - 2 shall ooms, ini mushr m e r c d n - ½ po u cloth and a damp h it w d e wip quarters sliced in , shrooms iitake mu h s d n u o - ½ p ped sely chop r a o c , ly caps on ced clove, min - 1 garlic vinegar balsamic - ¼ cup arugula - 3 cups salt - Kosher k pepper und blac o r g ly h s - Fre

ME PREP TI es 10 Minut

ME COOK TI es 10 Minut

S SERVING 6

tion: Prepara e pan, rge saut la a in s shallot , over 1. Sauté with evoo d e t a o c t ly s are jus generous the edge il t n u , t en hea turn gold medium d n a e z li e to caram beginning brown. ooking, ontinue c c d n a s ushroom s ushroom 2. Add m y until m ll a n io s a y o cc ave crisp stirring wn and h o r b n e gold are deep inutes. out 10 m b a , s e g ed other r just an fo ir t s arlic and . Add 3. Add g rlic a bit a g n e t f . o so shrooms minute t coat mu o t ir t s an d , balsamic 6 plates en 5 to e w t e b arugula zle 4. Divide and driz shrooms u m m r a w top with juices. with pan

azelnuts, oasted h t : g in d d Asiago by a Notes: esan and a WOW m o r t a P in d d e sala es, shav delicious d tomato ie r d Turn the n u s , e nuts s, or pin pistachio als) dairy me r o (f s e chees

70 / The Center Spirit / July 2021

O ELLER.C JAMIEG

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Warm Mushr o

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71

isp Apple Cr N DURATIO es 55 Minut

ME PREP TI es 10 Minut

ME COOK TI es 45 Minut

S SERVING 8

tion: Prepara nts: Ingredie Filling:

y Smith of Grann ix (m s - 6 apple s best) les work p p a d n la and Cort n zest ons lemo o p s a e t - 1-2 e mon juic spoon le le b a t 1 gar brown su - ¼ cup

flour - ⅛ cup meg poon n ut - ⅛ teas am on oon cinn - 1 teasp ract anilla ext v e r u p oon - 1 teasp

HOME & FOOD CENTER

Crisp:

Filling:

50°F. ven to 3 o t a e h e 1. Pr d chop. pples an 2. Peel a wn juice, bro n o m le , t on zes 3. Mix lem mon, and eg, cinna m t u n , r u sugar, flo s. ith apple vanilla w g dish or ble bakin a t o t n in ove ividual 4. Place an or ind p g in k a -inch b a 9- x 13 . ramekins

argarine 1 stick m r o p u c - ½ gar brown su - ¼ cup ar white sug - ½ cup our - 1 cup fl ional) mon (opt a n in c n poo - ½ teas

Crisp:

ite sugar, wh n w o r b , rgarine e crisp.

1. Mix ma on for th m a n in c ur, and sugar, flo nd bake e crisp a h t h it w pples dividual 2. Top a es for in t u in m 5 for 2 for a 9at 350°F minutes 5 4 o t o r 40 ramekins ish. baking d x 13-inch

d set crisp an e h t o t s s brightne ream. juice add n o Notes: m illa ice c n le a v d n h a it t w on zes it warm ion of lem ps. Serve is r c le The addit p ndard ap from sta t r a p a it

72 / The Center Spirit / July 2021

O ELLER.C JAMIEG

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Apple

Crisp

73

up Leek So N DURATIO es 30 Minut

nts: Ingredie anola oil spoons c - 2 table chopped , coarsely n io n o m - 1 mediu chopped coarsely , s t o ll a h - 2 s insed, thwise, r g n le d e , halv - 2 leeks d and slice icken or broth, ch x o b ) e c un - 1 (32-o vegetable aves thyme le h s e fr s spoon - 2 table ried spoons d or 2 tea led and tato, pee o p e g r - 1 la chopped coarsely er salt oon kosh p s a e t 1 d black hly groun s e fr n o o - 1 teasp

ME PREP TI s 6 Minute

ME COOK TI es 24 Minut

S SERVING 4

tion: Prepara il over t, heat o o p t r a u - to 6-q llots, 1. In a 4 ions, sha n o d d A . high heat minutes. mediumook for 5 c d n a , s. Stir e; cover and leek and thym h t o r b hicken Stir in c oil. g to a b and brin pper; mix , an d pe lt a s , s e o otat 2. Add p inutes. for 20 m k o o c d well an blender mersion im n a h it soup w soning, 3. Purée djust sea A . r o s s e od proc or in a fo . if needed

HOME & FOOD CENTER

pepper

water with cold m e h t g in nd cover a bowl a in m Notes: e h placing t e using. es befor otatoes, o p t g a t n li o e p e After p ing. Drain om oxidiz fr m e h t will keep

74 / The Center Spirit / July 2021

O ELLER.C JAMIEG

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75

Community News

By Cathy Greenberg

Image: After

Brooklyn’s Largest, Most Advanced Rehabilitation Gym is About to Open Boro Park Center continues to be a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation, providing advanced technologies and treatment plans for the heimish community.

Image: Before

76 / The Center Spirit / September 2021

B

oro Park Center has a reputation for being the premier rehabilitation facility in the country, with successful outcomes that improve their patients’ lives and get them home faster.

most innovative rehab gym and that is what we are doing. We are gutting our old gym and expanding to make it bigger and better.” stated Jeff Grzybowski, Director of Rehabilitation at Boro Park Center.

Now, their state-of-the-art gym will be taking rehab into the future...today.

COVID-19 has taken its toll, leaving many with long term side effects and in need of restorative physical treatment, so Boro Park Center is answering the call.

More than simply a room filled with exercise equipment, the leadership at Boro Park Center is building a leading edge facility, using the latest technology and innovative techniques. According to Grzybowski, “We met with world experts in the field of rehabilitative medicine and therapy and researched the best equipment. We met with designers and builders, everything down to the design and lighting has been carefully thought out and engineered to promote wellness.”

“We could see what this pandemic was doing and what it was going to do and we knew we had to act on behalf of the people in the communities we serve, so we started planning. We set out to build the best,

Image: After

Image: After

The gym will be outfitted with Jintronix, a comprehensive webbased virtual rehabilitation system.

This revolutionary method of recovery provides immersive virtual activities that motivate patients to push harder and exercise longer.

The program offers an array of engaging activities designed to help its users achieve more successful outcomes.

The gym will also have several SCIFIT machines, arm bikes, treadmills and universal weight machines in addition to a variety of other hi-tech equipment and feature racketball, basketball and outdoor space. “Every piece of equipment and technology has been carefully chosen by our experts to provide maximum recovery as quickly as possible. Our track record for expedient and successful outcomes is why people come to our facility and it’s why we’re doing this,” stated Grzybowski. The expansion will accommodate twice as many patients as before.

Patients coming to Boro Park Center’s new rehab gym will receive individualized and personalized care from a team of carefully curated experts in their respective fields. From dieticians, to therapists to medical personnel, a patient’s care team will create a holistic plan tailored to their specific needs, offering therapy seven days a week.

The heimish environment that Boro Park Center was built on will continue to shine with this new addition, catering to more than just the therapy needs of its patients.

“Our goal is to make our patients feel as comfortable as possible. We know it isn’t home, but we make it feel that way,” stated Raizy Pavlov, Recreation Director at Boro Park Center.

The new gym is slated to open in a few months.

“We could see what this pandemic was doing and what it was going to do and we knew we had to act on behalf of the people in the communities we serve, so we started planning. We set out to build the best, most innovative rehab gym and that is what we are doing. We are gutting our old gym and expanding to make it bigger and better.”

Jeff Grzybowski, Director of Rehabilitation at Boro Park Center.

4915 10th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219 718-851-3700 www.BoroParkCenter.net

77

Win a valuable prize!

1. Color me!

2. Hang me in your sukkah.

3. Email a photo of your artwork hanging in your sukkah!

Email a photo of your artwork hanging in your Sukkah to rpavlov@boroparkcenter.net Please include your name, age, school, phone number, home address and email address.

B O R O PA R K C E N T E R I N V I T E S O U R R E S I D E N T S T O J O I N U S F O R A 3 - DAY

SUKKOS A Z N A G A EXTRAV MEGA MUSICAL CONCERT

REPTILE SHOW

BALLOON SCULPTING

with Chaim Blumenfeld and Tantzers

with Eric the Animal Guy

with Yossi Balloons

HOSHANA RABAH KUMZITZ with Shia Fried

Please refer to your floor calendars for dates and times!

For Boro Park Center residents and accompanying family members only.