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Around the Community Jamie Geller Visits Masbia to Bring Joy to Those in Need

THEJEWISHHOME A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY

december 5-december 11, 2013 | Distributed WeeklyIn The Five Towns, Queens & Brooklyn

Stolen Nazi Art Whose Is It?

Page 57

Holocaust Survivor and His Rescuer Speak at Rambam Mesivta

Page 49

By Mr. Joe Bobker Record Number of Friends and Supporters Attend OHEL’s 44th Annual Gala Page 47

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Jewish All Stars Shining Bright

1, 2, 3, 4, 5…Dinner is Served

Yeshiva Har Torah Hosts Bar and Bat Mitzvah Workshops

Page 36

See Our Pesach Destination & Travel Section

Cedarhurst Resident Sarah Hofstetter Honored

Starting on Page 100

— See page 16 —

— See page 61 —

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Get Supper on the Table with Just 5 Ingredients Page 86

2 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n december 5, 2013

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Contents >>Letters to the Editor

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>>Community Readers’ Poll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Community Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

>> News Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Odd-but-True Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Cover Story: Stolen Nazi Art: Whose Is It?. . . . . . . . 74

>> Israel Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

>> People Jewish All Stars Shining Bright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Animals in Battle, Part II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 A World after This: The Story of Lola Lieber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

>>Parsha

Dear Readers, Although it is still Chanukah as I write this note, by the time most of you read this week’s issue, Chanukah will be over. For me, Chanukah this year passed by in a mountain of jelly doughnuts and a sea of chocolate coins. Every night was a different celebration—either going to a family party or enjoying time together at home. My children had a wonderful time singing and dancing after we lit the menorah, especially when we took out the microphone and my husband played the Casio for them. Who would have known that my three-year-old daughter knows the words to “Yesh Tikvah” so well? I am so happy that the chag was filled with so many special things for my children; I hope that they cherish the memories and accompanying warm feelings for a long time.

It seems that the words “Nazi” and “art” have been coming up together in the news all too often lately.

As many witnesses to the Nazi horror are getting older or even passing away, valuable pieces of art that were stolen from these individuals and their families are slowly being taken out from behind closed doors and from secret hiding places. Now, when there is almost no one left to dispute their ownership, the pillagers finally feel the security to show off the stolen artwork. But who are the true owners of these valued treasures?

This week, Mr. Joe Bobker gives readers an in-depth analysis into the subject. He recounts the glee with which the Nazis and their willing accomplices grabbed these items from their victims. Homes, furniture, clothing, dishware, furs, and of course, valued artwork were ransacked from homes just hours after their owners were forced to leave. Fights broke out among the thieves as to who deserved the stolen goods more.

But the question of who are the true owners of these items is not simple. Mr. Bobker details the differing opinions of many poskim, some of whom gave surprising answers to questions posed by Jews after the Holocaust. Take the time to read this comprehensive piece over the weekend; I am sure that there are many interesting facts that you will learn that you never knew before.

As always, we look forward to hearing from our readers. Feel free to reach out to me at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com with your questions, comments and advice.

Have a wonderful week, Shoshana

The Shmuz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

>> Jewish Thought Be a Hero, by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz . . . . . . . . . . 67

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by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

>> Food & Leisure

Friday, December 6 Parshas Vayigash Candle Lighting: 4:09 Shabbos Ends: 5:13 Rabbeinu Tam: 5:40

Recipes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…Dinner is Served. . . . . . . . . . 86

>> Lifestyles Ask the Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 To Create or Not To Create—That Is the Question,

by Rivki Rosenwald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Business Blog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Room for Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

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>> Humor Centerfold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

>> Art From My Private Art Collection: Botanical Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

>> Political Crossfire

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Notable Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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

Dear Editor, I appreciated the op-ed by Nesanel Feller that you printed in this week’s magazine.

I wholeheartedly agree that everyone should be considerate of our hardworking rabbi’s time. I, myself, have taken off work when I had a pressing matter to discuss with my rav.

Additionally, there are some rabbanim who have certain “call-in” hours and I know that although it may take time to get through to them during those hours, I understand that they are helping others who need their advice and guidance as much as I do.

May Hashem continue to give them strength to serve our community, and may He shower them with kol ha’brachos.

Sincerely, Yehoshua Rothman Dear Editor, In response to the letter to the editor submitted by Mrs. Shaindel Richter last week, I wanted to touch on some of the issues she raised and add some thoughts of my own.

Mrs. Richter brings up some important points that we as a community should at the very least consider seriously when we think about the education and hashkafas our children are being taught daily.

As we know, children learn not only from what we say but even more so perhaps from what we do. Our actions or lack thereof speak volumes to young impressionable minds.

We teach our children that money doesn’t buy happiness and that following the Torah and mitzvos is all there is…yet we pitch them to collect money for a truly good cause by offering them materialistic things “that they must have.”

There is no doubt that all our organizations need our help, and we should support them with our children’s school being up on top of the list. But if our children are collecting money with “bigger and better” prizes as their motivation what are they really learning?

What is the hashkafic collateral damage to our children when they consider that maybe, just maybe “more” and “bigger and better” … could possibly be better?! They have learned all day that only the Torah brings true happiness.

But then they see the marketing material that clearly shows them otherwise.

Can’t there be a better way?

And unfortunately, this issue or a variation of it persists well beyond our elementary school classrooms. It carries on to all of us as adults as well. Our community supports many legitimate organizations that help so many of us on a daily basis, all of which must be funded.

We market and advertise constantly to get the support our organizations so desperately need.

Again the question arises with our methods.

Some of our organizations have resorted to making bogus claims that special brochos will be bestowed upon its donors only… something other organizations presumably can’t offer.

(Thank G-d many Rabbonim have recently spoken out that this is simply an enormous lie.)

Other organizations have employed marketing companies who use call centers call homes at all hours of the day and night. Of course the callers are trained to politely use the person’s first name to address them to create the illusion that they have rapport … before kindly asking for a donation.

And of course my personal favorite.

The well-known caller ID scam where

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home.

Readers Poll Compiled by Toby Bobker

How many doughnuts did you eat (for real!) this Chanukah?

7% None 18% One or two 63% Three to five 12% More than five

Continued on page 9

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Dear Editor, My family and I love your magazine. We most appreciate the way you celebrate every yom tov, incorporating divrei Torah, recipes and family fun into every holiday. This Chanukah was no exception. My children could not stop talking about the “jello menorah” you featured and insisted I buy shot glasses so we could complete the project together. On the first night of Chanukah we worked together after the menorah was lit to create our jello menorah. It took a while (jello doesn’t gel in an instant!) but the kids loved the final results and couldn’t wait to show their friends.

What a wonderful way to get our children involved in the yom tov!

All the best, Chani L. North Woodmere

the Editor

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Letters to organizations will intentionally change their IDs to show up as individuals with familiar looking names. Obviously this tactic is used simply to cause us to answer the phone thinking this is “personal” call. Just last week I received a call from a yeshiva with the Rosh Yeshiva’s personal name on the caller ID. No rabbi preceding his name either, just his name, again creating the illusion that

this is a personal call from him; clearly it was not.

Last but certainly not least, we create Chinese auctions that are bigger and better with more extravagant gifts every year.

The common denominator in all of these instances is that we have created an environment where there are almost no limits to how far we will go in our

the Editor quest to ensure support of our mosdos.

Our intentions are certainly honorable, the questions is in the execution and what is sacrificed along the way.

Is there really no better way? Perhaps a campaign that doesn’t swap the mitzvah of tzedaka for the fundamental middos of yashrus and honesty? Can’t we put our heads together and develop a campaign that would be effective but would also allow for us to distance our children and ourselves from these “bigger and better” materialistic motivators?

Who knows…maybe if we correct this issue and its potential effects on our children, the robo calls from our new friend “Chaya” at 7pm, just when the baby falls asleep … can be corrected as well.

Peace and love, Mordechai Dornbush Dear Editor, The following line in “Our Precious Rabbis” is pretty amazing: “While many of us are enjoying a relaxing day off, a rabbi’s typical Sunday may involve attending, officiating and/ or speaking at a bris, two fundraising breakfasts, a bar mitzvah, a funeral, a cemetery unveiling, three shiva calls and a wedding or two.” That certainly sounds exhausting. Since rabbis work on Shabbos and Sunday, I know this sounds radical, but why doesn’t the whole community agree on at least one universal day off a week for our rabbis?

That means that let’s say on Monday the rabbi is off. That means he doesn’t come to shul on Monday. His phone is off. He doesn’t attend bar mitzvahs.

And if you happen to make a bris on Monday, the rabbi won’t be there. The

rabbi’s absence will not be perceived as you not being an important person in your community any more than the fact that when you don’t get any phone calls on Shabbos doesn’t mean you are not important. And, if it is important that the rabbi be at your kid’s wedding, don’t make it on Monday.

This would only work if it is shulwide, without exceptions for shul members who are “like family” to the rabbi.

In fact when a “chashiver shul member” makes an event on the rabbi’s off day, he should point out that the rabbi is not by the event because it is his off day and that he is happy that the rabbi is not there because, like everyone else, the rabbi is entitled to a day off.

If he really feels so close to the rabbi (rather than feeling that the rabbi is just another prop to show how important he is) then he would cherish the opportunity to give this message to his fellow members.

The truth is, the concept of the rabbi’s off day would work best if it was community-wide. Or if at least a bunch of shuls did it on the same day.

And one more thing: most of us work five days a week, not six. It would be best if we gave rabbis at least a day and a half off. (It would be over burdensome to the community if rabbis didn’t attend weddings on Monday and Tuesday nights, but we can say that rabbis should be off from Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon.)

This is just a humble suggestion from a guy who has seen rabbis being worn out for way too long. Like everything else, it won’t happen if we just write about it; we have to begin the process of implementing it.

A Concerned Community Member

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The Week

Global Shakeup in North Korea

On Tuesday, news came out of North Korea that Kim Jong Un’s uncle was dismissed from his powerful position.

Jang Song Thaek was an essential compenent to the rise of the North Korean leader. Jang was removed from his position as vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission and as a department head of the ruling Workers’ Party. It is obvious that these changes did not occur without Kim’s approval.

The shakeup in power will likely tip more favor to another close aide— the top political operative for the army, which could mean a symbolic victory for the 1.2-million-strong military. Choe Ryong Hae, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, has been the most prominent figure to accompany Kim at public events and is a reminder of the state’s political roots in military power.

News out of North Korea is generally murky and the rest of the world hears just bits and pieces of what is going on the Hermit Kingdom. But the NIS has confirmed the public execution of two close aides to Jang for corruption. Since then, it is believed that Jang lost his post.

Analysts believe that Jang’s removal was necessary to solidify Kim’s power.

“Jang Song Thaek is a person who at one point Kim Jong Un had to cut out as he solidifies his own power structure,” said Koh Yu-hwan of Dongguk University in Seoul, a leading expert on the North’s leadership. “I think the young elite had Kim get rid of Jang, meaning that he will rule without a guardian.”

Accordion-playing Jang, 67, is married to Kim Jong Un’s aunt, Kyong Hui, who is a daughter of the North’s founding leader and its “eternal President,” Kim Il Sung. He was widely seen as an advocate of economic reform and was purged in a power struggle in 2004 un-

In News der Kim Jong Il’s rule but was reinstated two years later.

Obviously, the removal of Jang will impact the economy as Jang was the face of economic reform in the nation.

American Students Test Below Average Internationally

According to a report released on Tuesday, Americans really need an edukay-shun. Compared to other students who participated in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), American teens scored below the international average in math and roughly average in science and reading.

Embarrassingly, Vietnamese students, who were participating for the first time, had higher average scores in math and science than American students. Students in Shanghai, China’s largest city, ranked best in the world. Additionally, students in East Asian countries came out on top, taking seven out of ten top places in all three subjects.

Roughly half a million students in 65 nations and educational systems representing 80 percent of the global economy took part in the 2012 edition of PISA, which took place last fall. It is administered every three years to 15-year-olds to gauge how students use the material they have learned inside and outside the classroom to solve problems.

Since 2000, U.S. scores have stayed relatively flat. But students in other countries, including Ireland and Poland, have demonstrated marked improvement—even surpassing American students. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated the obvious when he said that the flat scores were a “picture of educational stagnation.” “We must invest in early education, raise academic standards, make college affordable, and do more to recruit and retain top-notch educators,” he pointed out.

Jack Buckley, commissioner of the

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Around the Community National Center for Education Statistics, pointed out, “It’s hard to get excited about standing still while others around you are improving, so I don’t want to be too positive.” Duncan said the results were at “odds with our aspiration to have the best-educated, most competitive work force in the world.”

But these results will likely reopen discussions about the flaws in the American education system. Some have blamed socio-economic problems on student performances, stating that disadvantaged students generally show a lack of drive and motivation to perform.

Contrast that attitude with students living in Shanghai, where generally only students of the elite are tested because those are the ones permitted to attend municipal schools. Buckley said that he wonders what the results would show if the entire China was included in the testing.

The test is premised on a 1,000-point scale. Here’s a sampling of the leading findings: In math, the U.S. average score was 481. Average scores ranged from 368 in Peru to 613 in Shanghai. The global average was 494.

In science, the U.S. average score was 497. Average scores ranged from 373 in Peru to 580 in Shanghai. The global average was 501.

In reading, the U.S. average score was 498. Average scores ranged from 384 in Peru to 570 in Shanghai. The global average was 496.

Students from all states were tested.

For the first time, three states — Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida — elected to boost participation in PISA to get more state-specific data.

miscalculation,” he pointed out. Biden said the U.S. is coordinating closely with allies Japan, South Korea and others, adding that the U.S. has an interest in lowering tensions in the region.

The U.S. and Japan have refused to recognize China’s air defense zone above tiny islands that China and Japan both claim. The U.S. and its allies are concerned China’s move is part of a broader strategy to assert increasing authority in the region. “The prospect for miscalculation and mistake is too high,” Biden said of the air defense zone.

The zone covers more than 600 miles from north to south, above international waters separating China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. China says all aircraft entering the zone must notify Chinese authorities beforehand or face unspecified defensive measures.

Although the U.S. has joined Japan and other allies in refusing to recognize the zone, Washington has treaded carefully, wary of creating a new fault line in its relationship with China just as the U.S. is pursuing a new era of economic cooperation with Beijing. The show of unity between Biden and Abe will be closely watched by China.

On Monday, China’s ambassador to the Philippines claimed China has a sovereign right to establish a similar zone over the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines are locked in another long-running territorial dispute.

Latvia’s PM Resigns after Tragedy

U.S. Sides with Japan Against China

Standing side by side in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden showed America’s solidarity with the Asian country. He said that the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about China’s new air defense zone above a set of disputed islands.

“This action has raised regional tensions and increased the risk of accidents and

Latvia’s prime minister unexpectedly resigned last Wednesday. Valdis Dombrovskis’ resignation came just several days after a supermarket roof collapse killed 54 people and ignited public outrage.

“Considering the ... tragedy and all the related circumstances, the country needs a government that has majority support in Parliament and can solve the situation that has arisen,” Dombrovskis told journalists, choking back his tears.

Dombrovskis, Latvia’s longest serving prime minister, has been recognized

Chinese Labor Camps

by Another Name

to do work like make embroidered items in factories.

Since 1957, police have been able to detain petty criminals for up to four years without a trial. Many labor camps included drug rehab centers as well, ever since a new Anti-Drug Law came into effect in 2008. Police can sentence drug offenders without trial to two years or more of compulsory rehabilitation, which can include forced labor, according to the law.

According to Jiang Tianyong, a human rights lawyer in Beijing, Chinese officials believe they need these camps to maintain control. “This is how power in this country operates ... They can’t use re-education through labor camps to control people, so they just change the name and control people.” He added, “So long as [the authorities] feel a need to maintain stability, simply abolishing laojiao will not solve the problem.”

Louis Vuitton Blankets Red Square

What do you call labor camps that are officially not labor camps? In China, you call them drug rehabilitation centers.

Chinese labor camps have been around since the 1950’s. “Re-education through labor,” or “laojiao,” had been heavily criticized worldwide, and many inmates were held without trial and were forced to do factory work under cruel conditions. But this month, the Communist Party announced that labor camps will be abolished and many prisoners were freed from the camps.

But some were not so lucky. Those who remained were drug offenders, and they are being forced to stay in the newly called drug rehabilitation centers where inmates can be held for two years or more without a trial.

New York-based Human Rights Watch estimates more than 60 percent of the 160,000 people in labor camps at the start of the year were there for drug offenses. Those people were unlikely to see any change in their treatment, it said. Those incarcerated for drug abuse will be subjected to the same cruel conditions than other prisoners. Working 15 hour days, the prisoners are forced

a sacred place for the Russian state,” said Sergei Obukhov, a member of the Communist Party Central Committee.

“There are some symbols that cannot be trivialized or denigrated.”

Nobody has taken responsibility for approving the exhibition. Andrey Sidyakin from the ruling United Russia party said he has launched an inquiry into the installation’s approval process with Russia’s Federal Anti-monopoly Service.

The Ministry of Culture and the Presidential Property Administration have denied issuing approval for the display.

Mikhail Kusnirovich, the primary shareholder in Moscow’s GUM department store which is sponsoring the display, said, “As for the use of public space on Red Square, we turned to the federal authorities for approval.”

But just days after the suitcase was erected, workers were seen dismantling the display. The company hopes to set it up in another place in the city where all citizens will welcome the exhibition.

Toronto Man Accused of Leaking Classified Info to China

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for navigating the Baltic country away from economic disaster since taking office in 2009. However, after the tragedy at the supermarket many critics suggested that the accident was caused due to oversight by Dombrovskis’ budget-slashing government. His cuts abolished a state construction authority that may have prevented the roof from collapsing and saved lives.

The roof of Maxima supermarket in Riga, Latvia, collapsed on Saturday, November 23 and left 54 people dead and 40 people injured.

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of the tragedy.

In News

Qing Quentin Huang, 53, has been accused of giving over classified information about Canadian shipbuilding practices to China. The Toronto man was charged under the Security of Information Act with two counts of attempting to communicate information that the government of Canada protected to a foreign entity. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Continued on page 18

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We Service All Garage Doors Just a few feet away from Vladimir Lenin’s tomb, there is an enormous Louis Vuitton suitcase on display. The display in the historic Moscow landmark is several stories high and measures 100-feet-long and 30-feet-high. It is part of a temporary Louis Vuitton travel exhibition that will run from early December to mid-January. The valise represents the company’s long history of supplying Russian customers and is a giant replica of one ordered by Prince Vladimir Orlov in the early 20th century.

Lenin was the leader behind Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution. He died in 1924, but his mummified remains have been on display in a mausoleum in Red Square. The large suitcase towers over the tomb.

Many critics feel that this commercial display is disrespectful. “This is

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The Week

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On Sunday, Canadian law enforcement officials, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police, detailed circumstances that led Huang’s arrest. RCMP officials said they were informed on Thursday, November 28, that Huang, who had worked for a subcontractor involved in ship design, had attempted to pass sensitive information to authorities from the People’s Republic of China. Officials say the information relates to elements of the government of Canada National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy including patrol ships, frigates, naval auxiliary vessels, science research vessels, and ice breakers.

“In these types of cases, sharing of information may give a foreign entity a tactical, military or competitive advantage by knowing the specifications of vessels responsible for defending Canadian waters and Canadian sovereignty,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan, the Criminal Operations Officer for the Province of Ontario, said in a Sunday news briefing.

It appears to be that Huang acted alone.

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In News in April 2014. However, the Obama administration quickly denied Karzai’s accusations of the United States holding up needed supplies. Officials said that the delays in deliveries of military supplies could possibly be due to logistical problems in Pakistan.

“There has been no stoppage in the delivery of requested fuel and we continue to process all orders as soon as they are received,” the NATO-led force in Afghanistan said in a statement. If the bilateral pact is not signed, Afghanistan’s American support will be in jeopardy. This could potentially threaten the fragile economy as many will fear that without billions of dollars of aid Afghanistan will fall back into a national civil war.

American troops have fought Taliban militants for the past 12 years and helped the Afghanistan government ensure national security. The decade-long security deal would mandate the size and shape of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan once the NATO combat mission ends next year. Without it, the United States would be unable to keep troops in Afghanistan, and most other Western nations involved would be likely to withdraw theirs as well.

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Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, accused the U.S. of intentionally withholding military supplies in order to pressure him into signing a bilateral security deal that will outline the U.S. military presence after most foreign troops leave in 2014.

“The cutting of fuel supplies and support services to the Afghan army and police is being used as a means of pressure to ensure Afghanistan ... signs the Bilateral Security Agreement,” a statement from Karzai’s palace said.

The White House did say previously that unless the pact is signed, it will pull out most troops.

Last week, Karzai said that he is considering not signing the deal until after Afghanistan’s presidential election

About 40 inmates broke out of a Libyan prison in the southern city of Sabha after it was attacked by gunmen.

An unidentified security official released the news to local officials on Saturday saying that the gunmen opened fire on the prison a day earlier and assisted the prisoners in escaping after threatening prison guards. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to brief reporters.

Libya’s state news agency LANA quoted prison director Shaaban Nasr as saying that many of escapees later turned themselves in. Jailbreaks are not uncommon in Libya, where the emerging police and army forces have thus far been unable to secure the country.

Instead they rely on armed militias who fought in the 2011 civil war that overthrew dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

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Around the Russia’s Rust Belt Slowly Eroding A troubling economic phenomenon is sweeping across what has become

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known as the “rust belt” in Russia. The Kremlin has been trying to convince tens of thousands to relocate their homes in towns that are dying across the region.

Authorities are offering up to $25,000 in state support for people willing to leave 142 struggling so-called “monotowns,”

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communities depending on a single industry.

Many Russians are unhappy about being asked to leave places where several generations of their families have called home. Critics also allege the level of compensation isn’t enough and say

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it will create dozens of “ghost towns” in the nation.

One such town is Baikalsk. The town’s economy has been devastated by the recent bankruptcy of the monotown’s only major employer – a pulp and paper mill that polluted the world’s deepest lake for decades until it went bankrupt in mid-September. By December 28, the last 800 mill workers will lose their jobs, another significant blow to the Siberian town of 14,000 people. The fate of 700 other people still employed at a different part of the mill, which provides heat to all of Baikalsk, will be decided by the spring.

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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last year pledged $1 billion to transform the town on the edge of Lake Baikal into a tourist hotspot. Lake Baikal is a natural treasure that contains more water than all of the Great Lakes combined. But there has been little sign of investment in the wake of Medvedev’s visit. The town’s central square remains unpaved, hotels and cafes struggle, and local newspapers publish pages of advertisements placed by residents looking to sell their apartments in Baikalsk and move closer to Moscow or St. Petersburg.

“The Kremlin simply lied to us; they promised to first create jobs and then close the mill in 2015,” said Yuri Nabokov, the leader of the mill’s professional union. “The mill is closed and hundreds of workers have no chance to live their normal lives in their hometown with their families; authorities tell us to go to far north and work on shifts at oil fields – that makes us even angrier.”

Two years ago, the Kremlin estimated that the government would need to invest $33.8 billion to modernize Russia’s 100 most vulnerable monotowns. But the ambitious 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, have cost more than $50 billion. And prioritizing does not seem to be the Kremlin’s strongpoint.

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The Week Mexico’s Drug Cartels Branch Out

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It has long been known that the Mexican mafia and drug cartels deal in drugs, illegal gambling and weapons trafficking. Recently, it has been discovered that the Mexican cartels have been diversifying their business and are involved in many more areas of the country’s economy. This month, federal officials confirmed the cartels have entered the country’s lucrative mining industry, exporting iron ore to Chinese mills.

Such large-scale illegal mining oper-

ations were long thought to be a wild rumor, but federal officials confirmed they had known about the cartels’ involvement in mining since 2010, and that the November 4 military takeover of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico’s second-largest port, was aimed at cutting off the cartels’ export trade.

Three state detectives were wounded in an ambush earlier this week when they were traveling to investigate a mine taken over by criminals. When reinforcements arrived, those officers were also ambushed, part of a string of attacks on police that left two officers dead and about a dozen wounded.

The Knights Templar cartel and its predecessor, the La Familia drug gang, have been stealing or extorting shipments of iron ore, or illegally extracting the mineral themselves and selling it through Pacific coast ports, said mining companies and federal officials. The cartel had already imposed demands for “protection payments” on many in the state, including shopkeepers, ranchers and farmers.

But so deeply entrenched was the cartel connection to mines, mills, ports, export firms and landholders that it took

In News authorities three years to confront the phenomenon head-on. Federal officials said they are looking to crack down on other ports where drug gangs are operating. “This is the terrible thing about this process of [the cartels] taking control of and reconfiguring the state,” said Guillermo Valdes Castellanos, the former head of the country’s top domestic intelligence agency. “They managed to impose a Mafia-style control of organized crime, and the different social groups like port authorities, transnational companies and local landowners, had to get in line.”

Political Protests in Thailand A “people’s coup” has been launched by 30,000 protesters on Thailand’s government. State agencies have been engulfed in violent clashes, and the people have been able to take control of a state broadcaster and have forced the prime minister to flee a police compound.

The coup is the latest turn in a conflict pitting Bangkok’s urban middle class and royalist elite against the mostly rural poor supporters of Yingluck and her billionaire brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister ousted in a 2006 military coup.

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dorn Pattanathabutr told reporters. The protesters breached a police line, seized seven police trucks, forcing Yingluck to move to an undisclosed location from a building where she was to give media interviews.

Protesters massed in front of a police barricade outside Wat Benjamabhopit, also known as the Marble Temple. Police fired tear gas as some tried to heave aside concrete barriers. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban urged government workers to go on strike and called on all television stations to stop broadcasting state news. “We invite all Thais to join us and defend democracy,” he said in a speech televised live on almost every station, including state-owned Thai PBS which agreed to broadcast the speech after protesters swarmed into its compound.

Capping a week-long bid to topple Yingluck and end her family’s more than decade-long influence over Thai politics, Suthep had urged supporters to seize government offices, television stations, police headquarters and the prime minister’s offices in a “people’s coup.”

Yingluck, who won a 2011 election by a landslide to become Thailand’s first female prime minister, has called for talks with the protesters. Suthep has ignored her. The protest leader has called for a “people’s council” which would select “good people” to lead, effectively suspending Thailand’s democratic system. Yingluck has rejected that step as unconstitutional and has ruled out a snap election.

The demonstrators failed to breach the heavily barricaded Government House, office of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, although the number of protesters began to rise as night fell.

The area around Government House was a scene of nearly non-stop skirmishes, as police fired tear gas into the stone-throwing crowd. Protesters hurled dozens of Molotov cocktails into police positions from a college campus across a canal from Government House.

“They haven’t seized a single place,” National Security Council Chief Para-

Tensions have heightened this week between Israel and the United States government. Senior officials in the White House have said that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “is desperate and weak” in reaction to Netanyahu’s objections to the deal struck with Iran over its nuclear weapons pro-

Survey Shows Israeli Opinion Changing

A new survey taken by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University to assess Israeli opinion on Israel’s relationship with the U.S. and other potential allies found that nearly half of Israelis feel that Israel must find other allies and reduce its dependence on the United States in the international arena.

The poll was taken amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Washington over the deal the U.S. and five

other Western powers signed with Iran in Geneva on the Islamic regime’s nuclear program.

When asked whether Israel should seek new allies, 49 percent of Israeli Jews said yes. Asked whether Israel would succeed in finding new allies, 70% of Jewish Israelis said they believe Israel will not find any. Of those polled, 71% believe the U.S. is Israel’s most loyal and important ally, while 26% believe it is not.

Self-described left-wing Israeli Jews were more likely to call America Israel’s closest ally than those on the right. With regard to Israeli dependence on military, political and economic assistance, the majority of Israeli Jews (55%) believe Israel is moderately dependent on U.S. assistance, while a minority believe their country is either totally dependent (24%) on American assistance or only marginally or not dependent at all (17%).

As in other surveys, the poll found Israelis very pessimistic about the potential success of the interim deal reached in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program. Only 18% of respondents said they believe the agreement will lead to the end of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, while 77% think the deal will fail.

Asked how the agreement would affect the ongoing negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, 39% of Jewish Israelis said it will have no effect, 26% think Israel will take a tougher position and 22% said Israel will be more conciliatory.

Regarding the deal’s impact on the Palestinian Authority’s position, 40% of Jewish Israelis believe the PA will take a tougher stance, 34% believe the agreement will have no effect and 12% believe they will be more conciliatory.

When asked about the Palestinian Authority’s desire for peace, 73% of Jewish respondents said they do not believe the PA wants to reach a permanent peace settlement with Israel based on mutual compromises, while 23% believe it does. By contrast, 77% of Arab respondents think the PA wants to reach a settlement, and 19% believe it does not.

Israeli Courts Back Palestinian Workers A five-person panel has made a controversial decision concerning Israeli employment obligations. The National Labor Court has ruled that Israeli labor

laws will now apply retroactively to an Israeli employer and his West Bank Palestinian employee.

Even though the Palestinians are non-citizens or residents of the State and the work was performed in the West Bank, the ruling will still stand. The verdict has many long-reaching implications. It may affect the minimum wage for Palestinian workers as well as their vacation days, compensation for not using up sick days and for not taking off from work on official holidays, rights to reimbursement for transportation expenses and additional compensation to make up for the lack of an available pension plan for Palestinians.

While many courts have ruled in favor of Palestinian workers, this is the first that applies retroactively. Yusef Bisharat, the plaintiff, had worked for Reuven Baali as an agricultural worker from 2004 to 2008. The court rejected Baali’s argument that Israel had an interest in applying Jordanian law to the issue, stating that this was a perfect example where applying Israeli law was proper since the work relations between the parties were generally more connected with Israeli law.

Tel Aviv Bus Bomber Pleads Guilty

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Israeli news sources have quoted the officials as saying, “His pronouncements show a lack of self-confidence,” in an unusually harsh personal attack on Netanyahu. “We are not perturbed by his vocal opposition,” they said.

Netanyahu was also publicly criticized by Ehud Olmert, the man he replaced as prime minister. Olmert accused him of bringing relations with the U.S. to an “unprecedented” low point.

Despite the condemnation he has received, Netanyahu is showing no sign of stemming his campaign against the policies of the U.S. and other world powers. ”As the prime minister of Israel, I warn time and time again of the dangers that are related to the Iranian nuclear program,” he said. “When I see a danger to the citizens of Israel I will not remain silent.”

Speaking at a Chanukah candle lighting ceremony at the Great Synagogue in Rome, Netanyahu said it was “very easy to be silent, very easy to get pats on the shoulder from the international community, and to bow one’s head. I am committed to the security of my people and to the future of my state, and in contrast to periods in the past, we have a loud and clear voice among the nations and we will sound it to warn during times of danger,” the leader expounded.

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On Monday, an Israeli Arab pleaded guilty to planting a bomb on a Tel Aviv bus a year ago. The bomb denoted as the bus was driving near the Israeli defense ministry. 30 people were wounded in the attack.

The Tel Aviv District court accepted a plea deal from Mohammed Mafarja, 19, and convicted him of attempted murder, attempting to assist the enemy and assault, the ruling said. The killer will be sentenced at a later date.

In October, the IDF killed one of the terrorists behind the attack, Mohammed

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The Week Assi, when special forces arrived in the village of Naima to arrest wanted Palestinians. After exchanging fire with soldiers while being holed up in a cave, the terrorist was killed when IDF forces fired two anti-tank missiles into his hideaway.

The attack occurred on the bus line 142 on Shaul Hamelech Street in the heart of Tel Aviv. Witnesses described panic and chaos. “I ran and tried to help those who were injured as much as I could. All the windows of the bus were smashed,” a bystander recounted.

Arafat’s Cause of Death Disputed French forensic tests have concluded that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat did not die of poisoning, as had been suggested by an earlier report.

“The results of the analyses allow us to conclude that the death was not the result of poisoning,” the source told reporters, quoting from conclusions of a report by French forensic experts handed over to Arafat’s widow, Suha. Swiss

In News

forensic experts said last month that results from their tests of samples taken from Arafat’s body were consistent with polonium poisoning but were not absolute proof of the cause of death.

Arafat died in a French hospital in November 2004, four weeks after falling ill after a meal, suffering from vomiting and stomach pains. The official cause of death was a massive stroke, but French doctors said at the time they were unable to determine the origin of his illness. No autopsy was carried out.

A lawyer for Suha Arafat said her legal team would do a counter-expertise and was confident it would show that the French findings would in fact support the Swiss conclusions.

A radiation scientist who examined the Swiss and the French reports for Suha Arafat said both studies had found similar levels of polonium 210 in Arafat’s body but differed in their explanations of how it got there. The scientist, who declined to be named, said the French report concluded that some of the radioactivity could be explained by the presence of radon gas in the tomb where Arafat was buried.

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National Metro North Train Derails in the Bronx

In a tragic accident, a Metro North train headed for New York City derailed along the Hudson River early Sunday morning. Four passengers were killed in the incident and 63 were injured.

The train departed from Poughkeepsie, NY, and was en route to Grand Central Station. It derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx. Five of the seven train cars derailed, luckily none fell into the water. Investigations into the incident are currently ongoing, but it is known that the train was going 82 miles an hour in a 30 mph zone. Thankfully, the train was not filled to capacity, as more victims could have been killed and injured.

The conductor, William Rockefeller, will be questioned and authorities will confirm what he was doing the 72 hours before the incident, including how much sleep he got, how much alcohol was consumed and if he did any drugs in the hours before the accident.

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Lady Liberty not Forever

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New Prince George seems to be someone many parents want to emulate. The birth of the newest addition to the British monarchy sent the name George up ten percent for boys, landing the moniker at number 107 on the list.

Interestingly, George fell out of the top ten this year on the BabyCentre United Kingdom’s baby name list across the pond. Miley is a popular name on the list for baby girls. That name rose 3 percent in popularity to settle at number 459.

Shoshanna, the name of a character on a popular TV show, rose in popularity by 67 percent along with Lena whose name jumped 26 percent on the list.

So what are the most popular names for babies in 2013? Sophia takes the cake (or the pacifier) for girls, keeping her reign as number one this year.

Jackson became the number one name for boys this year, ending Aiden’s eightyear rule.

Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Mia came in at the next four slots for girls.

Ava, Lily, Zoe, Emily and Chloe rounded out the top ten. Interestingly, Madison was bounced out of the top ten after sitting there for over a decade. In the boys’ category, Aiden, Liam, Lucas and Noah came in the top five. Mason, Jayden, Ethan, Jacob and Jack rounded out the top ten. Joseph, Tyler and Zachary were names that slid out of the top fifty boys’ names this year.

Americans are so enamored with pop culture that they are naming their children after famous stars on the big screen. This is evident from a new report released on Tuesday listing the top 100 baby names and naming trends of 2013.

In 2011, the United States Postal Service released its famous Statue of Liberty Forever stamp. The stamp features Lady Liberty, but unbelievably does not feature the beacon of freedom standing in New York Harbor. Instead, the statue on the stamp is a picture of the statue standing outside the New YorkNew York casino hotel in Las Vegas.

Now, Robert Davidson, the sculptor who constructed that statue, is suing the postal service for copyright infringement.

But why wouldn’t the USPS want to feature a photo of the lady standing in New York Harbor? It seems that the copy in Las Vegas is more “fresh-

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The Week faced” than the original. She has more stylish hair than her New York cousin and seems to be smirking slightly. Her crown also features a plaque that reads, “This One’s For You Mom” in small letters.

Although the postal service has yet to respond to the lawsuit, it selected the photo of Lady Liberty from a photography service and did not know of the error until a stamp magazine ran an expose on the mix-up.

Black Friday a Bust

Thanksgiving weekend is about food, family and … shopping.

But Black Friday numbers this year were disappointing for brick and mortar stores despite many retailers opening stores earlier and longer than in past years. Shoppers spent $57.4 billion over the weekend, a 2.9 percent decline from last year.

It seems that customers prefer shopping on the web than grabbing deals in stores. Online retailers like Amazon and Overstock saw 19 percent growth on Black Friday. Cyber Monday sales were on track to outperform 2012 numbers by 17.5 percent. Shopping on mobile phones and tablets had grown by 43 percent and consumers buying gifts on the go were spending on average more than $100 per order. But the 141 million people who visited stores or online retailers over the weekend didn’t spend as much this year as last year— an average of $407 versus $423 per customer. Seeing the trend in online shopping, many stores have upgraded their websites to cater to those who use tablets and smartphones to shop.

Despite the numbers, consumers are not done shopping for the holidays.

There’s a few weeks of shopping frenzy left for retailers to grab market share.

In News Judge Says Hold the Hot Sauce

The company will continue to mix and bottle its sauce in the meantime. It produces over a ton of the sauce every hour during production season. The assembly line fills about 3,000 bottles an hour, 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. My calculator tells me that’s about 200 tons per week. The company sells approximately 20 million bottles a year.

Natural Wonders Proven to Inspire Recently, residents of Irwindale, California, complained about a strong spicy smell emanating from the Sriracha factory. Huy Fong Foods produces the trendy hot sauce.

After neighbors brought the dispute to court, the factory was forced to partially shut down when Judge Robert H. O’Brien said the sauce maker must discontinue any operations that may be causing the odor and make necessary changes to dull them.

The lawsuit was filed by the city on October 21. O’Brien did not specify what types of actions are required or force the factory to shut down altogether.

The judge acknowledged there was a “lack of credible evidence” linking locals’ complaints of breathing trouble and watering eyes to the factory. But he said the odor that could be “reasonably inferred to be emanating from the facility” is, for residents, “extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses warranting consideration as a public nuisance.”

The company argued that there is no reason to close the plant now because harvest season and subsequent grinding of red-hot Jalapeno peppers, the sauce’s key ingredient, has passed. That suggests that the ruling probably won’t have a major immediate effect on the company’s production.

Irwindale officials applauded the verdict. “We believe it’s a strong ruling that acknowledges and is reflective of the concerns that the community has raised about the health impacts of the odor,” City Attorney Fred Galante said.

The case could still go to trial, but Galante said that the intention is not to shut down Sriracha and ideally the city is hoping for a settlement outside court.

“We’re going to try to keep having a conversation with Huy Fong,” Galante said. He anticipates being able to find a collaborative way to “make sure the odor problems are addressed.”

Not that we needed a study to prove this but according to a new research project, amazing natural sights and phenomena such as the Grand Canyon and the Northern Lights may increase people’s belief in G-d.

Psychological scientist Doctor Piercarlo Valdesolo of Claremont McKenna College said: “Many historical accounts of religious epiphanies and revelations seem to involve the experience of being awe-struck by the beauty, strength or size of a divine being, and these experiences change the way people understand and think about the world. We wanted to test the exact opposite prediction: it’s not that the presence of the supernatural elicits awe, it’s that awe elicits the perception of the presence of the supernatural.”

Dr. Valdesolo and his colleague Jesse Graham of the University of Southern California tested the prediction by having participants watch awe-inspiring scenes from BBC’s Planet Earth documentary series or neutral video clips from a news interview. Afterwards, the participants were asked how much awe they felt while watching the video, and whether they believed that worldly events unfold according to G-d’s plan.

Overall, the participants who had watched the awe-inspiring video tended to believe more in supernatural control and were more likely to believe in G-d when compared with the news-watching group. The effect held even when awe-inspiring but impossible scenes, such as a massive waterfall through city streets, were presented.

Washington Zoo Names Panda “Boa Boa”

Little Bao Bao did not attend the ceremony. She will make her debut appearance in early January. At birth, she weighed only 10.8 pounds. Now the baby panda lives in Washington, but in four years she will travel to China to become part of a breeding program there.

Bao Bao’s mother, Mei Xiang, had five false pregnancies from 2007 to 2012 and gave birth to a stillborn twin cub on August 24. She also gave birth to a female cub in September 2012 but it died six days later from liver damage due to underdeveloped lungs.

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Rubik’s Cube Mega-Sized Years ago, Rubik’s Cubes were the hottest thing. They achieved their greatest fame in the 80’s and were featured on key chains and given as gifts to many children during the holidays. But few people are able to solve the puzzle.

Now Javier Lloret, an Austrian student, has made the mathematical toy more than life-sized. Lloret used a combination of lights and Bluetooth technology to transform an entire building in the city of Linz, Austria, into a virtual, playable Rubik’s Cube.

No, the building does not move.

But a series of lights allow the player to “solve” the puzzle. Only two sides of the building are visible, making it even more difficult for the player. How long will it take to solve this giant game?

Well, the world record for solving the cube is 5.5 seconds, held by Matt Valk of Austria. Let’s see him try his hand at this one.

Continued on page 30

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Deep thought and consideration go into the names we choose for our children. Many believe that a child’s name will shape who they become and has a deep meaning. And the zookeepers at Washington’s National Zoo share that belief when it comes to naming their animals.

On Sunday, the zoo named its prized giant panda cub Bao Bao. The words “Bao Bao” mean treasure or precious in Mandarin.

The young cub is the second bear to survive birth at the zoo since it received the giant male and female pandas in 1972. The pandas were received after then-President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China.

In true Chinese tradition, the naming ceremony took place exactly 100 days after the female’s August 23 birthday.

Assistant US Secretary of State Kerri-Ann Jones and Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai unrolled two scrolls inscribed in both English and Chinese.

Cui explained the significance of the Chinese tradition of waiting 100 days before naming a cub, saying it “represents the wish that the baby...will live as long as 100 years.” First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed Bao Bao as a “symbol of the growing connection between our two countries” in a video message.

The zoo took the public’s opinion on the name. The public was offered an opportunity to vote on the name on the zoo’s website; more than 123,000 people voted. Other considerations were Ling Hua (“darling, delicate flower”), Long Yun (“charming dragon”), Mulan (“legendary young woman” or “wood orchid”), and Zhen Bao (“treasure” or “valuable”).

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Staff and customers at a secondhand store in Vancouver are moved to tears when David Allen Welsh walks in. The fifty-year-old has been homeless since he was six but when he sits at the piano in the store, the classical melodies his numb, purple fingers play can fit a concert hall. The Iowan says he never had a piano growing up and he doesn’t know how to read notes. In fact, he says, sometimes his eyes are closed when he plays. “I don’t know how to play music, but I like what I hear in my head,” he related. “Sometimes I don’t even know what key I’m pushing. My eyes aren’t even open. I’m just letting the music play the music.”

Welsh was raised in the Dakotas and discovered his talent at an early age but because of his economic status, he was only able to play on borrowed pianos in various homeless shelters and stores.

One customer related that she first heard Welsh playing when stopping into the thrift store for coffee. “He started to play and I choked on my coffee,” Maynard, who is a longtime classical music enthusiast, said. “I had tears coming to my eyes when I saw his fingers go down one end of the piano to the other,” another customer related.

Clearly this homeless man has found something he can call home.

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On Monday, a U.S. animal rights group decided that it was not monkeying around when it filed the first lawsuit to establish the “legal personhood” of chimpanzees. The non-profit Nonhu-

In News man Rights Project asked a New York state court to declare a 26-year-old chimp named Tommy “a cognitively complex autonomous legal person with the fundamental legal right not to be imprisoned.” The lawsuit declared that Tommy’s “detention” in a “small, dank, cement cage in a cavernous dark shed” in central New York is unlawful.

Chimpanzees “possess complex cognitive abilities that are so strictly protected when they’re found in human beings,” Steven Wise, the president of Nonhuman Rights Project, told Reuters.

“There’s no reason why they should not be protected when they’re found in chimpanzees,” he added.

Believe it or not, this lawsuit is among three the group is filing for this week on behalf of four New York chimps. The other chimps they are trying to protect include Kiko, who lives in Niagara Falls, and Hercules and Leo, who are used in research at Stony Brook University on Long Island.

This is definitely worth going bananas over.

$24K Donated after Student Asks Mom for Money

Modern technology has made a college student really rich.

It used to be when they needed money, college students would be forced to work a job waitressing or calling home for the extra funds. Now, all they have to do is wave a sign and thousands of dollars will come their way.

This week on ESPN’s College GameDay, some students held up a sign that read “Hi Mom Send” and then the Bitcoin logo and a QR code. The QR code on the sign represented a bitcoin wallet and dedicated bitcoin fans managed to enhance the code from the screen on TV to identify the student’s wallet. Once identified, the wallet ad-

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The Week dress, which is 1HiMoMgBaAikFHgAt3M4YJtetp4HrnsiXu (for those of you who want to donate), made it across the front page of Reddit and that’s when the fun for the student began.

Suddenly, donations starting pouring in. The lucky pupil received 100 transactions totaling 22 bitcoins. At $1,100 per bitcoin, $24,000 was made in just a few hours. All transactions with bitcoins are public, although one can’t see who is associated with the wallet. Astonished members of the bitcoin community expressed their incredulity at the student’s ingenuity. “As a college student I know how awesome that is.

What a genius,” mikeno1 wrote. “$300 in 20 minutes, that is just insane,” another one wrote. I bet they all wished they thought of that.

Western Union, hold onto your hats.

This may just knock you out of business.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Woman Ellen Brennan may look like your typical girl next door, but she is far from

it when you hear what she does for a living. The 26-year-old New York native considers 1,000 feet in the air to be a normal place to do her work. The daredevil is certainly on top of her game as she has been named the world’s fastest flying woman.

“Most people think I’m crazy,” Brennan, who used to be a nurse, related. “Currently, this is like my full-time job.” But her place of work is far from normal. Fitted with a wingsuit, Brennan soars at speeds up to 112 miles per hour, more than 1,000 feet in the air. “It’s like this magical moment and this feeling that you get,” she explained. “The bigger the mountain, the better.”

And while she may have her head in the clouds, Brennan is no airhead. She

In News says each maneuver she makes is carefully calculated to glide between those jagged mountain sides and not into them. The rush, she says, is the ultimate high. “If I’m not jumping, I’m plotting my next jump that I want to do,” said Brennan, who moved to Sallanches, France, because that’s where the best wingsuit jumping cliffs are located.

She was the only woman to compete at this year’s World Wingsuit League Championships, and now she says she’s looking to take her career to new heights.

“It’s been a recent project of mine to go places that haven’t been jumped,” she said. “This is my new goal, my new thing that keeps me going.” The sky’s the limit for Brennan.

Reach for the clouds, wingwoman.

Man Mistakenly Receives $100K Tax Bill We all have a pit in our stomachs when we receive our tax bills in the mail.

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Knight received the letter in June from law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson, which represents the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC). The firm claimed that Knight owed the hefty amount of back taxes on three restaurants he owned. But Knight had dissolved those businesses in 2005 and he was unable to present evidence that he had paid up all his taxes; he had thrown out the records stating that he paid all the taxes he owed. His bank no longer had a copy of the records because they purge information after seven years.

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The Week “I called the OTC and they said they had changed computer systems and didn’t have access to files proving that I had paid,” he says. “Then, they sent me a second letter stating that I owed them an extra $1,000 in penalty fees, interest, sales tax, and attorney fees which totaled $112,000 more than what I originally owed,” according to Knight.

The OTC attempted to cut a deal with Knight and said if he paid $56,000 on the spot, he could avoid further penalty fees. “I was angry because this was their mistake, all because of a computer error,” he says.

Luckily, his accountant was able to track down proof of payment in a storage unit that was on the verge of being destroyed. “But the storage unit only contained half of my records so the OTC tracked down the other half in their old system,” says Knight.

Thankfully in September, Knight received a letter from the OTC confirming that his debt was paid. The letter in part read, “The tax payer account has been corrected to reflect no outstanding liability. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience this has caused.” But his battle isn’t over yet — he’s paid $865 in

lawyer fees, which he wants the OTC to refund, but he’s been unsuccessful in his attempts to collect. “A mistake like this can happen to anyone,” says Knight.

“This experience makes me very afraid to throw out anything.”

Now we know—put your hands in the air and back away slowly from the shredder.

Let it Snow Money

It’s all about being in the right place at the right time…

Mall-goers were delighted when it snowed in the Mall of America last week. But the snow was not made of icy crystals. This snow was valuable— and made of 1,000 dollar bills.

Serge Vorobyov was fined when he released the greenbacks in the mall while watching a performance of a trio

In News singing “Let it Snow.” He claims that it was his last $1,000 and he stamped each bill with the address of his YouTube page. “I thought I’d just spread some holiday cheer, be positive and pay-itforward type of thing,” he said in the video. “And make it snow money.”

Vorobyov was riding an escalator when he pulled the cash out in handfuls and tossed it over the railing. The crowd clambered to catch the falling bills.

But instead of thank you’s for his generosity, Vorobyov got a ticket for disorderly conduct. “I don’t see how holiday cheer is disorderly conduct,” Vorobyov responded.

Sarah Schmidt, spokeswoman for Mall of America, said that no such a thing has ever happened before at the mall and Vorobyov’s stunt disrupted the performance and could’ve potentially caused a serious situation.

Wish I was there.

Give-It-All-Away Saturday Everyone has heard of Black Friday, when hordes of shoppers converge on stores in the hopes of a good deal.

But many have said that it’s gotten out of hand, and one man in Chicago has turned an about-face.

In just a few hours on Saturday, Brian Bagnall, 32, managed to give away almost all of his belongings. He is moving to a furnished home in Virginia and decided that instead of selling his possessions, he will give them all away for free.

“After seeing the many videos of people acting crazy on Black Friday, we wanted to encourage some human kindness,” his Craigslist ad read. “We thought about selling it, but that just wouldn’t be in the holiday spirit.”

Of course to keep the chaos contained there were a few rules to the giveaway. He demanded that no one push, run, or shout. “This isn’t Walmart,” the ad said.

Nearly 200 people turned up at 3200 Dora Street and his three-bedroom home was empty within a few hours. People picked up couches, tools, and shelves.

“People were waiting all over the lawn and cars were lining up and down the street,” Bagnall said. “There were 40 or 50 people on the front lawn when it first opened.” The giver added, “There were a lot of smiles today. People need happiness more than ever right now and Black Friday shows it.”

Bagnall is the author of a book on

happiness and he said his “sale” was an attempt to actually live the life he preaches. He said he tries to do small acts of kindness each day to spread happiness.

He sure made a lot of people happy.

Pancake Art

by Dr. Dan

Art comes in all different shapes and sizes.

Daniel Drake makes the best kind of art—the type you can eat! He turns pancake batter into works of art at the Courtesy Diner in St. Louis, Missouri.

After four years as “Dr. Dan the Pancake Man,” he finally received national recognition thanks to a Reddit post. A friend of Drake uploaded a picture of one of his creations and the pancake painter received national acclaim.

Dan says he began creating the pancake doodles after he saw someone make a Mickey Mouse pancake. His first creation was a huge smiley face for a customer who laughed at the pancake and then left a $15 tip.

Maybe he should change his name to the Pancake Picasso.

Woman Rescued After Being Wedged Between Two Buildings Apparently this 28-year-old woman never got the “Don’t try this at home” memo…

A Southern Californian woman got trapped between two buildings while trying to jump across on Monday night.

She was on the roof of a vacant commercial building in Santa Ana when she tried to make the leap. The jump was unsuccessful and she fell and got wedged between the two structures. She was stuck about 5-feet from the ground for almost two hours.

Hey lady, only Superman is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Thief Returns Phone Contacts to Victim

Zou Bin’s iPhone was stolen when he shared a taxi last month in China. Of course he was upset but he was most disappointed that his 1,000 contacts were lost. He sent the thief several text messages saying, “I know you are the man who sat beside me. I can assure you that I will find you.” He added, “Look through the contact numbers in my mobile and you will know what trade I am in. Send me back the phone to the address below if you are sensible.”

Amazingly, the intimidating messages hit their mark. A few days later, Zou Bin received a thick envelope in the mail containing 11 pages of handwritten phone numbers with the contacts in Bin’s phone and his SIM card.

“It would take a while to write from one to one thousand, let alone names and a whole string of digits. I suppose [the thief’s] hand is swelling,” Bin reportedly said.

Well, that’s one way to pay for your crime.

where he lives.”

According to the affidavit, Barnett told the supposed hit man, “I don’t care if you have to burn his house to the ground with him in it” and to “make it look like an accident.” Barnett explained to the other male that he owed the victim a lot of money and thought that if he died he would no longer be responsible to repay it. The fateful pocket-dial also revealed that Barnett has attempted to kill the employee before but “they couldn’t get the job done.”

The intended victim immediately called police. When officers arrived at the target’s home, the phone call had been going on for an hour and half. “The conversation on the phone had already ended but the phone call was still active to Mr. Barnett’s cell phone.”

According to court documents, the victim went to the police station to fill out a criminal report and upon returning home, his home had been robbed and the gas stove had been tampered with.

Luckily, he answered the call.

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A Chinese thief stunned his victim when he mailed him a handwritten 11page note of each one of the phone numbers listed in his stolen iPhone, state media reported on Monday.

pocket-dialed his intended victim while discussing his plot.

Larry Barnett, 68, was in the process of hiring a hit man to murder his former employee when he accidently called the intended victim who overheard the details of how and why Barnett planned to kill him.

Sergeant Doug Formon said, “Basically, he overheard a conversation between that individual and another unknown male and he was giving out his personal information, his address,

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Teaching mitzvas kibud av v’eim and respect for elders: Yeshiva Ketana of Queens second grade kinderlach giving Chanuka joy at the new B’Kavod Senior Program, led by their rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Borenstein.

Yeshiva Har Torah Bar and Bat Mitzvah Workshops On two Motzaei Shabbats in November, the 6th grade girls and 7th grade boys at Yeshiva Har Torah celebrated their respective Bar/Bat Mitzvah workshops and Melava Malka. Organized and planned by Rabbi Ahron Rosenthal, director of Student Activities, both evenings were a very special opportunity of learning and fun with both parents and teachers.

During the dinner and after introductions by Rabbi Rosenthal, divrei Torah were shared by Rabbis Menchel and Silverman, followed by a special presentation from Uri Dopelt of the Safra v’Seifa Project. Uri showed a fascinating video and spoke about the unique chesed opportunity to sponsor the fixing of sifrei Torah for the IDF. This project is in memory of a great hero of the IDF, Emanuel Morenu.

At the Bat Mitzvah Workshop, the girls and their parents broke into rotating groups including meeting with Mrs. Amit Yagoubi, who spoke about the meaning of becoming a bat mitzvah, simcha dancing with Azamra DJ, and an arts and crafts project with Mrs. Feinstein. At the conclusion of the workshops, the girls, their parents and teachers gathered for one big dance together.

At the Bar Mitzvah Workshop, the boys and their parents attended rotating workshops by three presenters: Rabbi Elon Solniker of Anshei Shalom in West Hempstead, who spoke of the real meaning behind becoming a bar mitzvah, Rabbi Moshe Gantz, the Mezuzah Doctor, and Azamra DJ. The boys had a great time dancing, learning about Tefillin and delving into the deeper lessons of turning 13. At the conclusion of the

workshops, the boys, their parents and teachers gathered for one united simcha dance.

And of course, both evenings would have been incomplete without a makeyour-own ice cream sundae station!

While the students enjoyed their ice cream sundaes, the prizes, including gift cards and merchandise from our gener-

ous local sponsors, were raffled off. It was all smiles as the boys and girls left their respective evenings with a deeper understanding of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah. Special thanks to the YHT PTA for co-sponsoring the evenings.

NEWS

Community

SKA’s JUMP Team “Jumpstarts” the Year By: Leelah Paul

Is the Benefit of the Doubt the Right Thing to Do?

Read what Dr. Deb has to say on page 79

were to be a part of an orthodox community.

After the inspirational Shabbos, the JUMP team held their first community wide event – Israel Culture Night.

This event focused on reaching out to the community and teaching the importance of advocating for Israel while also highlighting its unique culture. The night began with an incredible Israeli cooking demonstration given by professional chef Naomi Nachman of Aussie Gourmet. She delighted the crowd as she demonstrated the intricacies of making chummus. After a delicious Israeli meal consisting of falafel and pita donated by Shulas Pizza Store and Israeli salad donated by Qcumbers, those present were fortunate to hear from the vice president of the One Israel Fund,

Scott Feldman. Mr. Feldman, known for being a thought provoking speaker, showed a moving video and taught the

crowd about the most effective ways to advocate for Israel. Attendees of the event received an informative booklet with 25 commonly asked questions on lobbying for Israel. To end the night, the Ariel Dance Troupe wowed everyone as they performed four expressive dances that told the story of Israeli pioneering and creative spirit. The event was a huge success and the JUMP team looks forward to creating more exciting programs in the near future.

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This past week, the SKA JUMP team successfully ran its first event of the year. Organized as a component of NCSY, JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) is a teen leadership training program which focuses on teaching Jewish high school students leadership skills, thereby empowering them to help create positive changes in their schools and communities. The event began with the SKA JUMP team hosting the Ariel Dance Troupe in Lawrence for Shabbos. The troupe, led by Dora and Masha Litvak, consists of ten Israeli dancers who attend a secular high school in Ariel, Israel. The troupe had recently arrived in the United States to begin their first international dance tour and hoped to raise awareness of both Ariel and Israeli culture at large.

The SKA JUMP team reached out to the troupe and offered to host them for what transpired to be a spiritually uplifting Shabbos. The members of the dance troupe had the opportunity to experience their first Shabbos, while they enhanced the day for the JUMP team with their enthusiasm and interest. As one of the dancers washed netilat yadayim, she exclaimed, “I’ve never felt so connected to G-d. Just saying the bracha made me feel so close to Him.” The JUMP members remarked that they had come to realize how much they took for granted in their daily lives and how lucky they

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Gedolei Yisrael Urge Participation in Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Set to Begin Chelek Vav of Mishna Berurah

By Chaim Gold As Dirshu’s popular Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program is set to embark on Chelek Vav, the last volume of Mishna Berurah, Gedolei Yisrael encompassing the entire cross-section of Torah Jewry have issued an unprecedented call to Jews the world over to bring daily halacha learning into their lives.

At the recent Dirshu Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Kiryas Melech of Bnei Brak, issued a passionate call to join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, emphasizing that it is an ideal method to invoke Divine Mercy at a time when Klal Yisrael finds itself in a difficult situation. In addition, numerous Gedolei Yisrael wrote letters of chizuk in advance of the Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah stressing the importance of the wider community participating in a daily halacha learning seder.

Setting the Stage: The Pre-Shavuos Proclamation by the Gedolei Hador In truth, however, the latest call of the Gedolei Yisrael to all Jews to undertake daily learning of halacha is a continuation of a historic proclamation made before this past Shavuos by the senior Gedolei Hador, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita; HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita; HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, shlita and HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz, shlita. In that historic Kol Korei addressed to “Acheinu Bnei Yisrael wherever they may be,” the senior gedolim wrote: It is therefore proper that every single person set aside time everyday to learn halacha, and especially halachos that are of practical relevance, every day and every Shabbos. This daily learning of practical halacha should not

be less than a half hour….

The imperative for every Jew to bring daily halacha into their lives is not a new concept. Several years ago, the Posek Hador, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, encouraged the hanhala of Dirshu to create halacha programs whereby lomdei Torah would be encouraged to learn, understand and know halacha l’maaseh, practical halacha.

The Gerrer Rebbe, shlita, too has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, urging Dirshu to embark on a program that would help all Jews bring halacha observance into their lives.

Over the course of the past six years lomdei Dirshu in both its Kinyan Halacha and Daf HaYomi B’Halacha programs have followed through on Rav Elyashiv’s guidance and have wrought a transformation in the Torah world.

Daf HaYomi B’Halacha learners will soon embark on learning Chelek Vav, the final chelek in the Mishna Berurah that covers the halachos of the Yomim Tovim. A few months ago, Dirshu released the final chelek of its trailblazing Mishna Berurah and, it has been extremely well received.

The day is not far away when Klal Yisrael will be enriched with thousands of new bekiim in all six volumes of Mishna Berurah!

Learning Halacha Daily: A Pivotal Antidote to the Religious Oppression in Eretz Yisrael HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein, shlita, in his major address at the Dirshu Shabbos stressed the imperative to learn halacha and the amazing contribution to this goal achieved

by Dirshu:

MACHZIKEI TORA H

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Honoring: Mr. and Mrs. Aron Zelig Rosenberg Machzikei Torah Award

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Mr. and Mrs. Yeruchem (Phil) Goldfeder Tzorchei Tzibbur Award

Guest Speaker

RABBI NOACH OELBAUM SHLITA MORA D’ASRA OF K’HAL NACHLAS YITZCHOK OF QUEENS NOTED AUTHOR LECTURER AND RAV

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Mishna Berurah every day and then taking test on what they have learned to ensure that they remember… In this zechus may we soon merit the geulah sheleimah.

Worldwide Availability!

There are hundreds of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha shiurim in locales throughout the world; in communities that have a large Torah observant community and in those that don’t; from Brooklyn to Portland, Oregon…from Lakewood to Providence, RI…from Kiev, Ukraine to Paris, France… Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is everywhere.

Aside from the numerous live Daf HaYomi B’Halacha shiurim the world over, Dirshu has made available numerous opportunities to hear shiurim for those unable to attend a shiur along with many other aids to learning Daf HaYomi B’Halacha: Tens of live, archived shiurim can be heard on Kol Halashon; A daily radio segment of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is broadcast thrice daily in the New York Metro Area; A daily newsletter is available via e-mail as well as a monthly Daf HaYomi glossy bulletin with all kinds of interesting shailos and insights to enrich one’s learning and knowledge. In this way, Dirshu has empowered Jews, who are interested in learning Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, to participate wherever they may be!

“It Has Elevated my Day from Mundane to Holy!”

Perhaps the words of Rabbi Mattisyahu Lazerson in explaining what the program did for him say it best. “I have been part of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program since its inception. I can’t stress enough how it has changed my life. Every second of the day, every action that I take during the week and on Shabbos, by day and by night brings to mind a halacha that I learned. Daf HaYomi B’Halacha has transformed my day from the mundane into the holy!”

If you have not done so yet, now is the time to join and implement this into your daily schedule. The bracha of such a kabala and heeding the call of our gedolim implementing this limud, can only bring about yeshuos for ourselves and Klal Yisrael.

To join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, please call 1-888-5-Dirshu or e-mail info@kolleldirshu.org.

d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

In previous generations, we merited the clear Mishna Berurah of Maran the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, who gathered in one place the rulings and decisions of the Gedolei HaPoskim in Orach Chaim, and with his great strength issued final rulings of halacha lema’aseh.

Additionally, we merited the addendum to clear halacha from the beis medrash of the Chazon Ish and all the great poskim of our times which Dirshu’s monumental undertaking compiled in its magnificent edition of the Mishna Berurah. This was done together with the undertaking and organizing of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and study of the Mishna Berurah to encourage the study of halacha lema’aseh with clarity, to know how one should live in every detail. Thousands of yungeleit in Eretz Yisrael and America participate in this sacred avodas hakodesh.

In advance of the Dirshu Shabbos, Gedolim have recently issued letters urging the daily learning of halacha while hailing Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha as an ideal way to achieve that objective. HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Scheiner, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Kamenitz Yeshiva, wrote in a letter last month: I specifically want to praise the distinguished Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program that Dirshu has instituted throughout the world, and that is now being expanded [to allow for even greater enrollment]. [This is imperative] especially now when there is such religious oppression in the Eretz Hakodesh…

The Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe of Eretz Yisrael also issued a clarion call to learn Daf HaYomi B’Halacha expressing his deep wish that as a result of the Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah the learning of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha should be further strengthened: Especially at this time when it is an eis tzarah l’Yaakov, and specifically in Eretz Hakodesh, where there are attempts to trample on the kavod haTorah and those who learn Torah…

HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, also wrote a letter in advance of the Shabbos saying: Learning halacha, learning Mishna Berurah, is something that always needs strengthening. It is an absolute obligation for every Jew and particularly for a ben Torah. It is impossible to even describe the greatness and the zechus inherent when thousands strengthen themselves by learning

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Bais Hamedrash Agudas Achim to Celebrate Chanukas Habayis The newest shul in the community, Bais Hamedrash Agudas Achim, will be holding its Chanukas Habayis on Shabbos Parshas Vayechei. Located in Lawrence and under the leadership of Rabbi Elisha Horowitz, the shul has become a makom Torah and tefillah in the three months since it opened. Located at the central axis of the neighborhood, at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Broadway, the shul has attracted a fol-

lowing of families of all ages. The warm atmosphere and serious respect for Torah make it a bais medrash where all feel welcome to worship and learn.

Davening is loud and joyous. The respect with which the mispallelim address their Maker is palpable. There is no need to quiet the congregants; they want a serious davening and maintain an atmosphere of decorum with feeling. Many come to Agudas Achim for the divrei To-

rah of the rav whose creative machshavah is his specialty.

Rabbi Elisha Horowitz, a veteran rav in the community and in Brooklyn, is the author of the two volume Bai Chiya, a sefer of Torah insights on the weekly sedra and the yamim tovim. When it was first published several years ago, it topped the popular seforim lists compiled

by Hamodia for several weeks. He was a maggid shiur for over ten years in Yeshiva Bais Meir and the rosh kollel of the Novominsker Kollel in Boro Park. Rabbi Horowitz gives a gemara iyun shiur Monday nights and a popular Chumash shiur Thursday nights which features hot cholent and kugel. He gives chaburahs before each yom tov to a select group of bnei Torah in the community.

Agudas Achim’s Shalosh Seudos is the highlight of Shabbos. Teenagers and their fathers join together in reverent zemiros and a spirit of dveykus prevails.

The rav shares a mystical dvar Torah and all participate in warm singing.

On weekday mornings, Agudas Achim hosts a morning kollel with 25 participants who learn gemara in depth

before commencing Shacharis. The young men who participate re-experience their kollel days with the intense learning in the bais medrash. Chaburahs are given by Rabbi Horowitz and Rabbi Thumim.

The Novominsker Rebbe, shlita, will spend Shabbos with the kehilla on Shabbos Parshas Vayechi, December 13 and 14. Rosh Agudas Yisroel and leader of Yeshivas Novominsk Kol Yehudah of Boro Park, the Rebbe is the father-in-law of the rav. A festive tisch with the Rebbe will take place Friday night in the shul at 200 Broadway. Shabbos morning davening begins at 9:00 am with Mincha at 4:05 and Shalosh Seudas to follow.

A melava malka in honor of the Chanukas Habayis of the shul will take place on Motzai Shabbos at Machon Basya Rochel, 137 Lawrence Avenue in Lawrence. The program will feature an address by the Novominsker Rebbe and divrei brocha from Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, shlita, rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha. A festive program is planned. Washing will be at seven thirty and benching at 9:30.

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After Push from Assemblyman Goldfeder, DDC Expedites Bayswater Sewer Project In response to Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder’s (D-Bayswater) request to expedite the Bay 32nd Street Storm Sewer Project, the NYC Department of

Design and Construction (DDC) has announced they will immediately proceed with storm protection plans for the residents of Bayswater, Queens.

“This project will help our families move forward and alleviate daily flooding that has been exacerbated by Sandy and prepare for future storms,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “I commend DDC for expediting the Bay 32nd Street Storm Sewer Project and creating a sewer infrastructure that will be stronger and more resilient for our future.”

For years, delays in the Bay 32nd Street Storm Sewer Project administered by the DDC have caused surrounding streets and homes to flood even during minimal storms—turning Bay 32nd into a hazardous roadway for drivers and pedestrians.

“While it took too long to resolve, we are pleased that this project will finally move forward and homeowners will get the relief they need,” said District Manager Jonathan Gaska of Community Board 14.

NYC Department of Design And Construction Commissioner David J.

Burney responded to Goldfeder’s letter sent earlier last month stating that DDC anticipates resuming work by December 15, 2013. They contributed the recent delays to the need to modify design plans in order to support the construction work necessary to complete the project.

The project would not only permanently repair storm sewers, but would also restore replacement water mains, sidewalks, curbs, pedestrian ramps, sanitary sewers, and clogged catch basins, noted Goldfeder.

“Our residents and families have been through enough this past year and this project now expedited will help move recovery forward without any further delays,” concluded Assemblyman Goldfeder. “I want to thank the DDC for listening to the concerns of our community and getting their work done as soon as possible.”

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Kids of Courage Celebrates Chanukah with a Magical Evening Chanukah came a day early this year for the Kids of Courage campers, volunteers and families as they converged on the Five Towns for an evening of fun, friends, and fabulous food. The White Shul opened its doors on Tuesday eve-

ning, November 26th for the Kids of Courage Annual Chanukah Extravaganza. This inspiring group of medically fragile children and young adults spent hours dancing to the beat of the great Beri Weber. The Couragers were joined

At Bais Yaakov of Queens, History Comes Alive!

Excited, chattering fifth graders skipped down the hall, putting the final touches on their colonial costumes. Mrs. Frankel’s social studies students portrayed the challenges and triumphs of early American colonists via skits and songs complete with British accents, props, and scenery. The girls felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment as they and their classmates brought history “to life.”

by over 150 volunteers who created a magical en“light”ening evening for all.

After having their faces painted, watching fantastic magic tricks, eating delicious latkes and donuts (and much more!), each child went home with a beautiful photo and festively-wrapped gift courtesy of The Mitzvah Man. Many thanks go to Dena Rogoff of D Squared and Mona Krengel for the beautiful decor, Naomi Cohen Photography, Sharmel caterers, Professional Kids Entertainment, Lev Leytzan, Junee and The Mitzvah Man Foundation.

NEWS

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Record Number of Friends and Supporters Attend OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services 44th Annual Gala bly Speaker Sheldon Silver, New York City Mayor Elect Bill de Blasio, New York State Senator Charles E. Schumer, among other elected officials, as well as OHEL Board members, friends, clients, families and volunteers.

The enthusiastic crowd, moving speeches and video presentations demonstrated tremendous commitment to the Gala’s theme: OHEL Sees the Star in Everyone. For more than 44 years, OHEL has provided critical programs and services inspired by the principle that every individual counts and deserves to be a cherished member of the community. OHEL’s Foster Care Program, Domestic Abuse Shelters, residential facilities, Camp Kaylie, programs for the siblings of children with developmental disabilities, and employment services are just a few of the ways in which OHEL has ensured that individuals of all abiliBen Englander, Jonathan Marks, Michelle Sulzberger, Jeffrey Schwartz, Izzy Kaufman ties count and have the opportunity to shine like stars.

Throughout the evening, inspiring videos showcased OHEL as well as the evening’s honorees. “Siblings: Unspoken Challenges, Unrelenting Love” is a ground breaking video where typical individuals with atypical siblings candidly shared Moishe Hellman, OHEL Co-President, Mel Zachter, OHEL Co-President, Domenick Cama, COO Investors Bank, their trials and triumphs Moshe Zakheim, Co-Chairman of the Board of complex sibling relationships and the bond that OHEL works to create in its Sibshops siblings program.

NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver introduced Governor Cuomo. In his keynote address, Governor Cuomo spoke of New York State’s commitment to Moishe Hellman, OHEL Co-President, Fred Schulman, OHEL Board people with disabilities, Member, Eugen Gluck, Honorary Gala Chairman, Jay & Chani and the important role of Kestenbaum, Guests of Honor, Mel Zachter, OHEL Co-President the new Justice Center.

Guests included the Gala honorees, Messages of support of OHEL’s work prominent members of the business were also conveyed by New York City community, New York State Governor Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and Senator Andrew Cuomo, New York State Assem- Charles Schumer.

The Guests of Honor, Chani and Jay Kestenbaum, friends of OHEL for over 20 years, have provided unrelenting support which has enabled OHEL to help countless individuals shine. Their latest contribution to OHEL will help continue to enable seven men with disabilities to live happy, successful lives, in the newly named Kestenbaum Family Residence, on Cumberland Road, in Lawrence.

Jay & Chani Kestenbaum, Guests of Honor, with NYC Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio Last year’s gala honoree, Hinda Individual by individual, the numbers Mizrahi, gave a very moving address of her three brothers who live in truly add up for OHEL. We have placed 2,500 children whose parents could not this home. care for them Domenick in loving foster A. Cama, Senior homes; proExecutive Vice vided services President & Chief to 1,150 HoloOperating Officaust Survivors cer of Investors to enable them Bank, the corto age safely porate honoree, with dignity, spoke about how comfort, and inspired he had support; counbeen after visiting sel 1,000 chilOHEL residencGovernor Andrew Cuomo, Domenick Cama, COO Investors Bank, Speaker Sheldon Silver dren, teens, and es and how the principal pillars of the bank - Character, adults every month to help them manage Commitment, Community, and Cooper- life’s challenges; provide expert care ation are values mutually embraced by 24/7 to 450 individuals with developmental and psychiatric disabilities OHEL. in OHEL Bais Ezra residences; and Also honhave provided programs, services, ored at the and resources to countless individgala were the uals and families to help them sucOHEL Golf ceed.

Committee OHEL extends profound thanks Chairs, for to everyone who attended the Gala, ten outstandmade a gift in support of OHEL’s ing years of important work, and contributed to hard work and the evening’s success. The Gala at sold out golf the Marriott Marquis in New York events.

The Malkie Rubin & Nina Bernheim City took place on one of the chilligolf committee chairs are Ben Englander, Izzy Kaufman, est November days on record, but thanks Michelle Sulzberger, Jonathan Marks, to you, the evening could not have been and Jeffrey Schwartz, all from the Five warmer for the stars—every person in the room—or more luminous. On behalf Towns in Nassau County.

Also celebrated at this year’s gala of every OHEL client who can proudly were two All Stars of Camp Kaylie, say “I feel like a star,” we express our OHEL’s premiere summer camp- Nina profound thanks and gratitude.

Bernheim, daughter of Malkie and Josh Video presentations shown at the Bernheim of Bergenfield, and Malkie Rubin, daughter of Tzivia and Yossie Gala, as well as videos of the event can Rubin of Teaneck. Malkie Berheim, Ni- be viewed at www.ohelfamily.org. To na’s mother, gave a stirring thank you support OHEL’s important work transto OHEL, specifically for the amazing forming the lives of children and famiefforts they have put into Camp Kaylie, lies, please visit www.ohelfamily.org or which has given her daughter Nina a call 718-972 9338. Every gift—of any size—counts and makes a difference. place to call home for the summer.

d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

The attendance of over 1,200 guests and high ranking elected officials stood as bold testimony to community-wide support for OHEL as a preeminent provider of critical social services that meet the ever increasing needs of individuals and families.

Co-Presidents of OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services, Moishe Hellman and Mel Zachter, warmly welcomed over 1,225 guests to OHEL’s 44th Annual Gala at the New York Marriott Marquis on Sunday, November 24th.

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Sh’or Yoshuv 47th Annual Dinner in Tribute to Prominent Alumni

By Leah Goldman On December 14th, Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv will honor three families who exemplify the values of commitment to Torah learning and community involvement that Sh’or Yoshuv strives to inculcate within its students as well as being prominent alumni: “Sh’or Yoshuv was both the inspiration and foundation for my life’s work.

The timeless lessons I gleaned from Reb Shlomo, zt”l, and his expansive outlook form the basis of the educational principles I developed and try to transmit to my students,” says Rabbi Zev Freundlich.

Rabbi and Mrs. Freundlich will be the recipients of the Reb Shlomo Freifeld Memorial Award at the upcoming 47th annual dinner, to be held on December 14th at the Sands of Atlantic.

Rabbi Freundlich was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended a yeshiva in Adelphia, NJ, for high school, the Yeshiva Gedola of Mexico, in Mexico City, and Yeshiva Bais Medrash Elyon in Monsey before marrying Yehudis Cohen of Far Rockaway.

After marrying, the Freundlichs settled in the Five Towns. As a member of the Sh’or Yoshuv Kollel for four years and a rebbe in the yeshiva for two years, Rabbi Freundlich saw that Reb Shlomo’s educational model worked. 14 years ago, he opened Mesivta Shaarei Arazim in Monsey, NY, and modeled his teaching style on the revolutionary chinuch concepts he learned in Sh’or Yoshuv.

“Reb Shlomo was able to see and celebrate all aspects of a person and inspire him to use his individual strengths to serve Hashem. It was extremely empowering. Fueled by the warmth and joy hallmarking this unique educational approach, Sh’or Yoshuv has successfully enriched the lives of thousands worldwide.”

By building the individual and infusing him with life principles and skills, Rabbi Freundlich has been blessed with much success and has seen the far-reaching effect this educational approach has.

Under his direction and guidance, the Shaarei Arazim philosophy has been adopted in yeshiva high schools throughout the country, including Lakewood and Baltimore. In fact, this week Rabbi Freundlich will be travelling to Israel to launch Yeshiva Arzei Levonon in Ra-

Mr. Marc Friedman

mat Beit Shemesh, a new yeshiva high school named after and modeled on the successful Mesivta Shaarei Arazim.

Mrs. Freundlich was born and raised in Far Rockaway and Lawrence. She attended Yeshiva of Brooklyn for high school. Mrs. Freundlich is the daughter of Aaron Dovid Cohen, z”l, one of the first students in Sh’or Yoshuv and a pillar of the Sh’or Yoshuv community. Mrs. Freundlich’s dedication to chessed and community involvement was shaped by the example she saw in her father and the Sh’or Yoshuv community. She has literally built the lives of hundreds of individuals and families through her open home policy and her complete dedication to those who turn to her.

The Freundlichs lived in the Five Towns for ten years before moving to Monsey. They are the proud parents of ten children, ranging in age from 20 to 1.

“It has been a great honor to be a talmid of the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Naftali, shlit”a, whom I consider to be my ikur rebbe,” comments Pesach Sod. “Shor Yoshuv is a great Torah resource in our community, with shiurim and learning that starts at 5 AM and continues throughout the day, evening and even late at night.”

Pesach and Matty Sod will be the recipients of the Community Service Award. ”I am pleased to be able to show my hakoras hatov to the Yeshiva by accepting this honor,” says Pesach.

“Please join me in supporting the Yeshiva at Shor Yoshuv’s annual dinner.”

Pesach grew up in suburban New Jersey. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he is an attorney whose private practice is located in Lawrence.

During law school, he became acquainted with several members of Sh’or Yoshuv’s kollel and upon graduation in 1985, he moved to Far Rockaway and

Rabbi Zev Freundlich

joined the yeshiva and its kehila. The wife of one of his friends introduced him to his eishis chayil, Matty (nee Eckhaus), who grew up in Far Rockaway and is a graduate of TAG and Brooklyn College, and they have made their home in Far Rockaway/Lawrence since then.

Pesach and Matty have 8 children ka”h. Their oldest son, Yanky, is married and lives with his wife and son in Lawrence. Their next oldest, Yossi, learns in Medrash Shmuel, Yerushalayim. Their daughter Batsheva lives in Ramat Eshkol with her husband, Rabbi Dovid Levin, and their two sons. Their daughter Baila and her husband, Eli Mann, live in Far Rockaway. Their son Rafi is the manager of a local restaurant.

Their son Zev is a pre-engineering student at Brooklyn College. Their youngest daughters, Chani and Sarah, are students in TAG’s junior high school and elementary school, respectively.

Pesach has been active in Shaaray Tefilah, where he served as gabbai of the Nusach Sefard minyan for 8 years, and is also active in Partners in Torah. Matty, despite working full-time at TAG, has been a full-time volunteer shadchan for most of their married life, and has made many successful shidduchim. Their Shabbos table is open and they have been graced by guests from all walks of life and backgrounds.

Pesach has been a talmid of the Rosh HaYeshiva, Reb Naftali Jaeger shlit”a, for the past 28 years, first in Reb Naftali’s Monday night gemara shiur and now in the Sunday Morning Kollel. He believes he is a talmid of Reb Naftali’s for more years than any other of his baal habatim talmidim. For many years, Pesach tape recorded Reb Naftali’s Monday night shiurim and then took detailed notes from the recordings. The shiur and the transcription of the shiurim tapes were the highlight of Pesach’s week.

“Sh’or Yoshuv has had an enormous

Mr. Pesach Sod

impact on myself and my family for it is the center of my life. I grew up in a home where Sh’or Yoshuv was an integral part of our lives and gained tremendously from the unique close relationship my father had with Reb Shlomo, zt”l,” says Marc Friedman.

Marc and Sharon Friedman will be the recipients of the Kesser Shem Tov Award. The Friedman family has been connected to Sh’or Yoshuv for three generations through Marc’s grandfather, his father, his uncle, and his own family. “I feel honored to be able to say that the Yeshiva literally started in the living room of my uncle and aunt, Maurice and Debby Friedman, and has flourished to become a world renowned institute of scholarly learning,” adds Marc.

Marc was born and raised in Woodmere, New York. He learned in Sh’or Yoshuv during his young adult years and continues to learn in the Yeshiva whenever he can. He works in real estate with his father, Alfred Friedman.

Sharon grew up in Riverdale, New York. She is trained as a school psychologist. She is actively involved in a number of chessed projects including volunteering for Achiezer.

After marrying, the Friedmans settled in Far Rockaway before moving to Lawrence. In fact, the Friedmans intentionally bought a house opposite the Yeshiva to be close to Sh’or Yoshuv. They are longstanding members of the kehilla and daven in Sh’or Yoshuv. In addition to Marc’s learning schedule in the Yeshiva, their son attends Avos U’Bonim and Sharon attends Shoshana Jaeger’s shiur.

The Friedmans are the proud parents of a beautiful family. They have children who attend Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, Darchei Torah and TAG and a baby who is at home.

NEWS

Community

Kulanu Academy Students Complete Their Holiday Food Drive Goal Shkolnik Food Pantry in Cedarhurst are students Isaac and Ilana from Kulanu Academy joined by Joel Block, Executive Director of the Greater Five Towns JCC, and supporter of the Food Pantry Bob Block, Executive Director of the Five Towns Community Chest. Kulanu students helped feed people in need!

Holocaust Survivor and His Rescuer Speak At Rambam Mesivta Dr. Leon Gertsen, a 78-year-old Holocaust survivor, and Czeslaw Polziec, a Polish citizen who along with his family hid Leon and his mother during the Holocaust, were reunited last week in an emotional and well-publicized get together. Mr. Polziec and his nephew, Vladimir, were flown in to spend a week in the United States by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous for the expressed purpose of reuniting them with the Gerstens and honoring them at the Foundation’s annual dinner in Manhattan. During the week, the Polziecs were hosted at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst and were honored by a gala kiddush on Shabbos.

On Tuesday, the sixth day of Chanukah, Dr. Gersten, his son and the family of his rescuers spoke to the students of Rambam Mesivta. Rambam Mesivta has a long-standing history of activism and rallying on behalf of Jewish causes in general, with specific focus on bringing Nazi criminals to justice. According to Rabbi Zev Friedman, “Just as we are obligated to demonstrate against Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Latvian murderers of our people, we are obligated to pay tribute to and recognize the heroic efforts of families like the Polziecs who risked their own lives to save those they could. Standing with us today is an individual who saved the life of Dr. Leon Gersten, enabling him to raise children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

The entire student body sat in rapt attention and heard Dr. Gersten speak about his family’s experience during the Shoah. “Our first encounter with the Nazis was on Rosh Hashanah, when they entered our village. They immediately started shooting at the Bais Medrah we were davening in and many people were killed that day. Later on they rounded up everyone in the village and separated the elderly and mothers with five children or more – that group was immediately shot. Approximately two thirds of the Jews in the village were killed that day.” Dr. Gersten explained that his mother ran to a nearby village and asked a non-Jewish Polish family if they could hide in their house. The Polziecs agreed and provided a hiding place in the attic and shared the paltry food that they possessed. At one point, the Nazis, on one of their many routine inspections, barged in on the Polziecs and suspected them of hiding Jews. Mr. Polziec was severely beaten, but nevertheless didn’t turn in the Gerstens.

Choking back emotion, Dr. Gersten turned to Mr. Czeslaw and said, “You saved my life!” Mr. Polziec, whose native tongue is Polish, spoke briefly in halting English about his family and felt that they did nothing special because they were simply doing the right thing.

Dr. Gersten’s son, Rabbi Yonatan Gersten, spoke about the moral lessons that we can learn from the actions of the Polziecs. Rabbi Gersten who serves as

Photo Courtesy: Ann Friedman Left to right: Rabbi Friedman, Vladmir and Czeslaw Polziec, Dr. Leon Gersen, Rabbi Yonathan Gersten

the mashgiach ruchani of the Cooper Yeshiva high school for boys in Memphis said, “The Polziecs are a paradigm of those courageous individuals who do not go with the flow and instead stood up to do what is right in the face of tremendous pressure and threat of physical harm. It is because of them that the Gersten family has 60 offspring as of now.

Our sages teach us that an individual who saves one life is considered to have saved an entire world.”

Rabbi Friedman presented the family with a framed certificate in English and Polish expressing the thanks of the Jewish community for their heroic efforts. The entire student body rose and gave a standing ovation to Dr. Gersten

and Mr. Polziec for an assembly that they will never forget.

Immediately thereafter, Rambam’s annual Chanukah Chagiga was held and Dr. Leon Gersten and Mr. Czeslaw Polziec were the Guests of Honor, sitting in the middle of the circle as everyone danced around them in joyous celebration to the spirited music of the one and only Mr. Gary Wallin on his keyboard and Rambam’s ninth grade Rebbe, Rabbi Ari Boiangiu, an internationally known guitarist. Even as the guests had to leave, the boys followed them out, escorted them to their car in joyous singing, dancing and expressions of thanks. It truly was a memorable Chanukah for all assembled.

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The Biggest Chanukah Ice Cream Doughnut in The World, Made by Klein’s Kosher / Ice Cream House Facts: Made from 12.3 Gallons of 3 flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee Ice Cream Weight: 124 Lb., 33 Inches in Circumference

The Kulanu Holiday Food Drive was a success!

Thanks to generous donations from our c o m m u n i t y, Kulanu Academy gathered over a hundred items of non-perishable food. Our students and faculty made a delivery to the Rina Shkolnik Food Pantry prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Presenting the food to the Rina

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The roads to healing are many…

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Bikur Cholim of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns Annual Brunch By: Rebbetzin Feigie Horowitz Visiting the homebound, bringing kosher food to hospitals, cheering nursing home patients, and accessing medical equipment are classic services of a Bikur Cholim organization. Seeking out the forgotten frail elderly, the lone widow with no local children, and the family thrown into crisis because of a diagnosis is the job of responsible caring Jews of both genders. By formal-

ly banding together, they successfully streamline systems to respond to scores of calls and cases.

Bikur Cholim of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns is that structured local organization that responds to hundreds of individuals and families in need of services. Its teams of energetic volunteers solicit drivers to transport patients to therapy and appointments, cook

meals, visit the homebound and stock hospital rooms with kosher supplies.

They have systems in place and function seamlessly without an office or a dispatcher, just with good hearts, good leadership, and good organizing skills.

Neighborhood women of all ages band together to commit time and energy to accomplish these traditional functions amidst careers, car pools, and cluttered

calendars.

But it is in its response to the challenge of contemporary health care that makes it is not just your grandmother’s Bikur Cholim. With the complexity of insurance coverage, multiple advanced therapeutic interventions available today, and the rise of specialized levels of care, our neighborhood group has risen to meet the more complex help families require when facing medical problems. Their knowledge and wraparound services have expanded exponentially as research brings new cures and costs. Cuts in coverage have driven Bikur Cholim to subsidize prescription charges, physical therapy, laboratory fees, dental work, eye care and insurance co pays.

Moreover, a significant percentage of its funds are expanded to address behavioral health issues. Parents financially drained by costs and denied reimbursement for psychiatric therapy, rehabilitation from substance abuse, and in-patient stays at eating disorder facilities turn to Bikur Cholim to assist in the long road to recovery. Its leaders are veterans as case management, negotiation, and creativity in accessing quality care and devising solutions. They have even arranged with some local mental health professionals to provide quality therapy at minimal cost.

The annual brunch of the Bikur Cholim of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns is an opportunity to support the scope and depth of this group’s commitment to our community. It will be held Sunday, December 15th beginning at 10:00 at Congregation Kneseth Israel of Far Rockaway and will salute Rabbi Daniel Coleman, chaplain at North Shore University Hospital, and Lisa Reich, CSW, a respected social worker form Lawrence. Women of all ages will join their friends over breakfast delicacies in an atmosphere of warm camaraderie while the children will be entertained by the young clowns of Lev Leytzan. Charlie Harary, the guest speaker, will inspire the audience with a dramatic Torah message.

This year’s chairladies of the brunch are Tzippy David, Esther Feigenbaum, and Marilyn Wolowitz. The organization’s tireless presidium includes Tzippy David, Esther Ruzohorsky, and Marilyn Wolowitz.

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Yachad’s flagship summer program

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Yad B’Yad Israel Experience Would like to thank the local community for its overwhelming response to Yad B’ Yad 2014!

Yad B’Yad has experienced tremendous growth and is expanding to two Israel trips. We take pride in the program’s diversity and ability to balance out the number of participants whether male or female, local or national.

At this time we are continuing to accept applications from male high school students who reside in the nY/nJ area , while closing applications for females from the NY/NJ area. National applicants of both genders are welcome to still apply.

We are accepting requests at yachadsummer@ou.org to be placed on a waitlist for Yad B’Yad. Yachad is humbled by the outpouring of support your community has shown toward our mission of inclusion.

Yachad/NJCD is dedicated to enhancing the life opportunities of individuals with disabilities, ensuring their participation in the full spectrum of Jewish life.

Yachad is an Agency of the Orthodox Union

For more information about Yachad’s inclusive summer programs: go to www.yachad.org/summerprograms, email yachadsummer@ou.org, or call our summer office at 212.613.8369.

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SKA: Chanukah is for Chesed!

The warm holiday atmosphere of Chanukah continued unabated when the students of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls returned after the Thanksgiving/Chanukah vacation.

Festive Chanukah music played in the hallways, and colorful boxes with spaces for raffle tickets were lined up in the bowling alley for the annual Chanukah auction. Chocolate gelt and candy bowls were placed around the building and decorations abounded. Plans for the rest of Chanukah include a wonderful Chagiga and the G.O.’s “Nes Café.”

What really added, however, to the Chanukah ambiance on Tuesday, December

3, was the myriad chesed opportunities for each grade!

Visitors from Otzar were treated to a joyful Chanukah party by the ninth grade, while the eleventh grade went do bikur cholim at the Nautilus Home for Adults and Mercy Hospital. Many students commented on how happy they were to do chesed and felt that the joy they brought was priceless. The seniors planned a special day for the students at Gymnasia in Queens; sharing Chanukah simcha was the theme of the day!

Bringing chesed to new heights that day, sophomores Sara Raizel Jedwab, Jordana Schwartz and Dana Schwartz-

stein launched a new organization called ACT: Ahavas Chesed Chinum.

ACT hopes to have every tenth grader participate in acts of kindness and friendship through the year. Declaring that “we ACT with love,” this new student-run program strives to inspire the girls by “paying it forward.”

Each act of kindness brings another one. After a stirring presentation in the SKA Library, the sophomores were treated to

delicious potato kugel as a special Chanukah act of kindness!

Turning a School Into a Family The Hebrew Academy of Nassau “The Gift of Shabbat,” which focused County (HANC) Plainview elementary on what Shabbat brings to the family school just held its third Family Shab- and learning to appreciate the gifts that baton at the Glen Cove Mansion.

Families checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon and were treated to a pre-Shabbat buffet. Each family was given a beautiful Shabbat gift basket, HANC Plainview Principal Rabbi Kalman Fogel engaging the students prepared with love by second grade parent Tara Stier. “I tried very G-d has given. The program included hard to make the welcome baskets pres- family Torah learning, separate parent and student games, and a family treasure hunt around the hotel. Parents enjoyed meeting and interacting with other parents from the school, and children were able to play with their peers.

After lunch “we hardly saw our kids at all because they were so busy having fun,” said Melissa Weinick, whose daughter Jordyn is in fifth grade and who attended all three Shabbatons. “This was the best Shabbaton yet,” she said. “It was so nice to just Shani Allweiss, 2nd grade Jewish studies teacher, and be able to talk and connect Malka Halpern, 4th grade Jewish studies teacher, enjoying with other HANC parents, the entertainment Saturday night with their students and to chat with the teachent a very warm, personal and thought- ers on a personal level. It was amazing ful feeling. I wanted families to start off that practically the entire Judaic Studies right from the lobby feeling very includ- staff came with their families.” ed and special,” said Stier.

Following Friday evening and SatThe theme of the Shabbaton was urday morning services, families ate and

sang zemirot together in the dining room, and were treated to divrei Torah given by some of the older elementary school students. On Friday night, families ate together; at lunchtime on Shabbat, parents ate with other parents, and children ate together by grade. There were even two tables of alumni who despite having graduated from HANC Plainview, were happy to come to the Shabbaton Malka Halpern, 4th grade Jewish Studies teacher with their younger siblings. “Once and Shabbaton organizer, with her family a part of HANC Plainview, always a part of HANC Plainview,” said Michal Fogel and his wife, Debbie, and severKaufman who is currently a freshman al families that she had met before, but at HANC High School in Uniondale, didn’t know well. “We see each other at school functions, but until now as she put her haven’t had the chance to say arm around her much more than a hello. It was fourth grade such a fun way to get to know teacher Mrs. each other.”

Malka Halpern.

The Shabbaton culminated On Friday in a melava malka party after evening, after Shabbat, where Shabbaton parShabbat-friendticipants were joined by other ly parenting HANC Plainview families Mad-libs, many who did not spend Shabbat at families and the hotel.

A performance by staff-members juggler and magician Ned Gelremained in the fars was enjoyed by all. The dining room to evening ended with a buffet play interactive dinner and singing and dancgames like Aping to the dynamic music of ples to Apples, Israeli singer and song-writSet, and Bananaer Sandy Shmuely, who is a grams. Sarah HANC Plainview staff memGross, mother ber. “I hope to be able to come of children in for the whole Shabbaton next kindergarten 4th Grade student, Ari Tuerack year,” said second grade parent and fourth grade balancing on the shoulders of Ned Suzy Bloom, who attended the and a first-time Gelfars, Juggler/Magician melava malka. “You can just Shabbaton partell that everyone had so much fun!” ticipant, played a very lively game of Taboo with principal Rabbi Kalman

NEWS

Community

Kosher Cookbook Writer Offers “Joy” to Those Who Give to Soup Kitchen

Winter 2013: Doctors are Wondering at Decrease in Patients’ Visits.

What Changed?

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offer something to the wonderful donors ber of grocery packages at Thursday’s who make their amazing work possible.” distribution. Thursday’s Thanksgiving Geller’s offer came just in time for menu included a meal of turkey and chothe holidays, a particularly difficult time lent, and kids received Hanukkah gifts for many needy New Yorkers. When donated by Rite Lite.

Masbia is desperate for donations budgets are tight to begin with, holidays now more than ever. end up squeezing families The subscription and even more. Masbia has cookbooks are great already begun its special gift options and will holiday distributions. Last help keep the soup Thursday a record number of people came to collect kitchen doors open special holiday food packand the food pantry ages at all three Masbia stocked. “We hope soup kitchens, which inpeople will take adcluded ingredients to make vantage of this gift latkes, the traditional potato opportunity and treat pancakes eaten on Chanuthemselves or send kah. their loved ones a Masbia held another truly meaningful holiday food distribution gift,” said Alexander on Thanksgiving, which inRapaport, Executive Mayor-elect Bill Deblasio at Director of Masbia. cluded holiday related food Masbia on Coney Island Ave. “Donating thirty items in addition to other grocery items such as chicken donated meals deserves a great gift and Jamie by the Food Bank of NYC. Masbia ex- Geller is glad to send you one.” pected to be flooded with volunteers in the week of Thanksgiving and was prepared to hand out a record breaking num-

Bnos Malka: Lights, Camera, Action!

One of the most enjoyable times during the school year is when the young children perform in school plays.

Parents at Bnos Malka were filled with pride as they viewed their precious little girls star in their Pre 1A Chanuka plays. The audience, armed with cell phone cameras and digital camcorders rivalling a presidential press conference, captured every delightful moment. Interspersed between the children reciting their lines, were many songs with original choreography.

One parent was quick to note, “My wife and

I went over our daughter’s lines – a lot! But I didn’t realize all the songs and dances they learned.” The children were beaming as they saw their parents and grandparents enjoy and shep nachas from them. After viewing the pictures, one of the veteran teachers shed a tear as she remarked, “Each of these girls represents a pure neshama that is a testament to the enduring flame of Jewish survival. It’s a flame, which 60 years ago, was nearly extinguished and today shines so brightly.”

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Just as needy families across the country are bracing for the holidays and beginning to feel the pinch, cookbook writer Jamie Geller and the Masbia soup kitchen network are offering people an easy way to help.

Everyone enjoys sharing with others, Jamie Geller, Shifra Klein, and Tamar Genger of the Joy of Kosher and everyone finds team at Masbia offering Joy of Kosher products to Donors comfort in good food. Geller and Masbia are giving to “Joy of Kosher.” Donors who double people the opportunity to find joy in that and will receive a subscription along with one of her cookbooks, including her both.

The popular cookbook writer and her latest, Joy of Kosher: Fast, Fresh Family Joy of Kosher team recently volunteered Recipes.

“Jamie Geller, Shifra Klein and at the soup kitchen and decided they wanted to partner with Masbia to get Tamar Genger brought their expertise to more people on board with fighting hun- the soup kitchen, preparing a gourmet ger. Geller is offering a subscription to vegetable dish for all our clients to enher cooking magazine and her books to joy,” said Ruben Diaz, chef at Masbia. anyone who makes a minimum donation “I never associated high-quality of 30 meals to the kitchen, a $180 con- cooking with a soup kitchen until I voltribution. For every $180 contribution, unteered at Masbia,” said Geller. “I am Geller will send a 12 month subscription so happy to be able to help Masbia and

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Frederica Gombo, Miriam Benkoe and Shuli Lazar of Young Israel of Oceanside Bikur Cholim met with volunteers to deliver Chanukah gifts to Jewish Patients at South Nassau Community Hospital

Fifth Annual Concert for CAHAL to be Held on December 21st The fifth annual concert benefitting CAHAL, the community-wide special education program, will be held on Motzei Shabbos, December 21st at 8:00 at Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst.

The concert will feature some of the most popular performers in Jewish entertainment today, Avraham Fried, Shloime Dachs, and Benny Friedman. The performers will be accompanied by the Shloime Dachs Orchestra and Zemiros Choir.

Shloime Dachs has helped organize and performed at each of the previous four CAHAL concerts. Other performers have included Dovid Gabay, Michoel Pruzansky, Yehuda!, Yehuda Green and Shalsheles. All four concerts have been very successful, selling out and attracting

many sponsors. The concert is CAHAL’s largest fundraising event of the year.

Since 1992, the CAHAL special education program has provided a Jewish education to hundreds of children with various learning disabilities within the local community yeshivas. Proceeds from this concert will help enable CAHAL to provide financial assistance to families who cannot afford the high cost of Special Education. Tickets can be purchased through the CAHAL office at 540-A Willow Avenue in Cedarhurst or at Judaica Plus, 445 Central Avenue in Cedarhurst.

For information about tickets or sponsorships that includes premier seating at the concert, contact Shimmie Ehrenreich at CAHAL, 516-295-3666, or e-mail Sheldon@cahal.org.

First graders in Morah Katz’s class at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School got a taste of Jewish history and made a very unusual menorah after Morah Katz told the story of her family’s “potato menorah.”

Morah Katz explained that she grew up in Transylvania, Romania, and that her family had to leave their home during WWII, and when they returned to their home after the war, they couldn’t find their menorahs. Morah Katz said that she was very sad that she didn’t have a menorah and that she couldn’t do the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles, but her father told her not to worry because he was going to figure out a way for the family to have a menorah. The family didn’t have money to buy a new menorah so Morah Katz’s father cut a testing a variety potato in half, scooped out the middle of flashlights, and poured in oil. And it worked! light-up wands, glow sticks, a Magna Tile light box station and the most popular, a Glow-inthe Dark Sensory Lab. Chanukah truly brought light to Gan Chamesh in every sense of the word.

Other activities included candle wax works, Decorate Your Own Doughnut, a Beis Hamikdash Mural where children added mitzvah bricks, and much more. The party culminated with a phenomenal music program with Mr. Gary Wallin.

Children in Chabad’s Gan Chamesh bring “Light” to a Whole New Level for Chanukah

As part of our Chanukah Fun House celebration where parents enjoyed a fun-filled Chanukah experience with their children, Gan Chamesh featured a unique Light Museum. Children explored light through various mediums,

HANC’s Potato Menorah

Morah Katz talked to the students about how important the mitzvah of lighting candles is, even if you have to use a potato and she told them that even though her family soon moved to Israel and bought a beautiful silver menorah that they lit every year. Every Chanukah she always remembers their special “potato menorah.”

After hearing Morah Katz’s story, the students made their very own potato menorahs. And they worked too! The students practiced making the brachot and sang the Chanukah songs that they learned in class.

The “potato menorah” was a beautiful lesson about loving mitzvoh and as one of the students said to Morah Katz, “A Jew can do the mitzvah of Chanukah candles at any time because Hashem makes nissim (miracles) all the time, just like He did in the Bait HaMikdash.”

Photo credit: Ira Thomas Creations

HAFTR Students Learn About Taking Challah Having challah on our tables is a valued Jewish tradition. Baking it is a bonding experience for Jewish families before Shabbat and holidays. The mitzvah lies in hafrashat challah or the “taking of the challah.� This is when you separate a portion of the dough before braiding as a tithe for the kohen.

After learning about challah and its importance within Judaism, Rabbi Glazer and his eighth grade HAFTR class took part in the taking of the challah at Cravingz and experienced the mitzvah, steeped in tradition, firsthand. This is a perfect example of HAFTR immediately applying what they teach and allowing the students to experience it in actuality.

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Tzippy Schein, a student at HALB and daughter of Eileen and Josh Schein of Woodmere, celebrated her Bat Mitzvah this past Sunday at Congregation Sons of Israel. Tzippy took a break during pictures to catch up on the news with her favorite local Jewish newspaper!

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THE CONCERT T0 BENEFIT THE CHILDREN OF

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C A H A L

AVRAHAM FRIED SHLOIME DACHS

BENNY

FRIEDMAN MOTZEI SHABBOS • DECEMBER 21, 2013 • 8 PM LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL REILLY RD & PENINSULA BLVD, CEDARHURST B E N E FAC TO R S Paul & Gila Reinstein SPONSORS

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Cover Story Tammy Mark

s r a t S l l A h s i t w e h J g i r B g n i n i Sh

Allison

Joseph photo c s & Sarah Hofs ourtesy of Vin N tetter ews

Allison

Joseph photo c s & Sarah Hofs ourtesy of Vin N tetter ews

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his past Sunday on a chilly night in New York City, the red carpet was rolled out for an evening of warmth and inspiration. Jew in the City, an outreach organization dedicated to highlighting the beauty of Orthodox Judaism, hosted its second annual Orthodox Jewish All Stars awards ceremony.

Held at the newly renovated Lincoln Square Synagogue, the Chanukah event was a celebration of ten unique and accomplished individuals, all of whom have made an impact on the secular world while holding steadfastly to their strong Jewish beliefs. The 2013 Orthodox Jewish All Stars list included professionals from a diverse range of fields including politics, entertainment, medicine and business, and also represented the many nuances of Orthodox Jews.

Amongst the notable honorees was Cedarhurst resident Sarah Hofstetter. Sarah was recently named CEO of advertising agency 360i. Originally from Lawrence, she is a Orthodox married mother of two. Starting her career out of college at IDT, Sarah was able to develop her skills and flourish at the Jewish-owned company.

When she eventually landed at 360i in 2005, the challenge of being Orthodox started to come into play. She admits that the hardest part of being Orthodox in her field is the importance of business lunches and other social events. Sarah has nonetheless managed to excel in her field while maintaining her adherence to Torah and kashrut.

Sarah has been already been named on several prestigious lists, including Ad Age’s “40 Under 40” for 2013. She has been honored as one 2012’s Female Advertising Executives of the Year at The Stevie Awards, and as a “Social Media All-Star” by the Social Media Society. Sarah knows that the Orthodox Jewish All Star award would probably bring her family the most pride.

She takes her family responsibilities as seriously as her work – with spreadsheets covering carpools, schedules and household tasks. She and her husband, Adam, are also clearly imparting the “can-do” attitude to their

children, as well as their commitment to Judaism. Their daughter raised over $15,000 for the Masbia organization in honor of her bat mitzvah.

Taking the stage at the event, Sarah represented the 2013 awardees and addressed the crowd with poise and passion. Drawing on her expertise in social media and branding, Sarah reminded the attendees that as Jews we always have to maintain the best public relations and represent our “brand” every time we walk out the door.

That is exactly what JITC founder and director Allison Josephs set out to do when she created the organization in 2007. With close to twenty videos on YouTube with over 1 million total views, Allison utilizes the power of social media and a sense of humor to ex-

Sarah with her family

plain aspects of Torah Judaism and debunk myths and misconceptions. Allison has reached Jews far and wide through her work, including her learning partner actress Mayim Bialik, and reality TV star “Survivor” Ethan Zohn who has even joined her for Shabbos dinner.

Last year’s Orthodox Jewish All Star list included high profile names such as Senator Joseph Lieberman, boxer Dmitriy Salita and recording artist Alex Clare, all showcased on video. This year’s list was chosen by the fans in an on-line vote. Allison specifically wanted to showcase equally accomplished but less public examples this year. “The all-stars, we hope, are the key to opening up the world of obser-

vance to the non-observant,” Josephs believes.

Some of the 2013 awardees in attendance were Dr. Laurel Steinherz, Director of Pediatric Cardiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering and founder of Camp Simcha, Ann Neuberger, member of the National Security Agency, and business consultant Rabbi Issamer Ginzberg. While many of the Orthodox professionals on the list would not stand out at first glance in the business world, Rabbi Ginzberg dresses in full Hasidic fashion, even while meeting with and presenting to major corporations such as Oracle, Apple and Google.

With the historic overlap of Chanukah and Thanksgiving, the evening’s message couldn’t be more poignant; we are lucky enough to live in a country where our religious freedom is a basic right. Commemorating the redemption from religious persecution of Chanukah along with Thanksgiving’s celebration of religious freedom in our great country reminds us that we have clearly been provided the opportunity to achieve the highest levels of professional success while maintaining our beliefs.

Allison reiterated to the crowd the message that the beauty of Torah needs to be publicized and promoted in the most positive way. She reminded the guests that the biggest threat to Jews in America today is not religious persecution, but Jewish apathy and ignorance. For “Thanksgivikkuh” Allison says she has one wish, “that American Jewry take advantage of the freedoms which we have been granted in this wonderful country of ours to explore a heritage so profound that our ancestors were willing to sacrifice everything for.”

The uplifting celebration and the powerful messages came together due to the tireless efforts of Allison Josephs and her devoted team at Jew in the City.

The well-deserving awardees, the collaboration of host Sarah Lasry of the Patchke Princess, the elegant catering of Legendary Destinations, and of course the supportive fans and friends, made the evening meaningful and memorable.

As Jews we always have to maintain the best public relations and represent our “brand” every time we walk out the door.

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The Shmuz

R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Parshas Vayigash

Life is Like a Video Game “And Yaakov said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty. Few and difficult were the days of my life, and they haven’t reached the length of days of my father’s life.” — Bereishis 47:9 For most of his life, Yaakov Avinu suffered tests, trials and tribulations.

Throughout his youth he endured living with his wicked brother. That period ended with his running for his life— from his brother, his sworn enemy. He then spent the next twenty years as a lackey for a deceitful father-in-law, being defrauded and duped time after time. When he escaped from that situation, he lost his beloved wife Rochel on the road. No sooner did he set up camp than his daughter was kidnapped and ransomed. Shimon and Levi rescued Dina by killing the inhabitants of Shechem, and again Yaakov was in danger, this time threatened by the surrounding nations. Then the brothers brought the news: Yosef had been killed. He mourned the loss of his most beloved son for twenty-two years. It seems that his days were spent moving from adversity to crisis. Clearly, he didn’t have it easy, and the suffering took its toll.

When Yaakov came down to Mitzrayim and appeared in the king’s court, Pharaoh was so astounded at how aged Yaakov looked that his very first utterance was, “How old are you?” The Rishonim explain that Yaakov looked older than anyone Pharaoh had ever seen.

Yaakov responded it wasn’t that he 



was that old; it was that he had a hard life. “Few and difficult were the days of my life.”

The Medrash says that when Yaakov said these words, Hashem responded, “I saved you from Eisav and Lavan, I returned Dina and Yosef to you, and you are complaining about your life?

Because of this you will lose 33 years!”

(Daas Zakainim 49:9) This Medrash is very difficult to

“Ding!” — the action starts. Jab, jab, duck, punch. Jab, jab, duck, punch.

Your opponent circles. He swings wide, you block and counter. THUD! He falls to the canvas. The count: 1, 2, 3…But no. He’s back up and now on the offensive. He throws a power right to your midsection — thud! Now, a hook to your jaw — smash! Now it’s you that’s down. The count 1, 2, 3, 4…but you’re back up, and the fight continues. Jab,

Hashem is hiding behind every scene, orchestrating the outcome.

understand. Every word that Yaakov said was true. He did live a very difficult life. He was beset with troubles and distress. He suffered for decades. The proof of this was his appearance — his suffering aged him. What possible sin did Yaakov commit by expressing the reality of his hard life?

The answer to this question can be best understood with a parable.

Virtual Boxing Game If you enter a video arcade, you might notice the boxing game. For your two dollars in tokens, you get to fight a virtual professional boxer. When you put your money in and put the gloves on, up on the screen the referee will appear to usher you and your opponent into the center of the ring. And then,





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

jab, hook. Duck. Jab, jab. Move right.

The bell rings again, signaling the end of the round.

And you are sweating. No matter what shape you are in, the pace is so fast and the simulation so real that you are putting everything into it. And then you go to spend the rest of your day with your children. No headaches, no bruises.

If you speak to someone who has been in a real boxing ring, you get a very different picture. Likely, you will hear something like, “Nothing in my life prepared me for those two minutes — the punches to the jaw, the jabs to the head, and more than anything, the fear that at any moment this beast is going to smash my brains in. . .” All of that make boxing a very different experience than the boxing arcade. It’s a whole lot less fun.

This is a very apt parable for life.

Throughout our lives, Hashem puts us through many different situations, all measured, all finely focused for our growth. Some are tests of endurance, some are tests of faith, and some are tests of patience, but each one is custom-designed for our growth. But like a video game — it’s not real. It’s a mirage, just a frightening image. When it is over, we see it for what it was — an empty threat.

The Chovos HaLevovos (Shaar HaBitachon) explains that one of the basics of our belief system is “You can’t harm me; you can’t help me.” Everything is decreed by Hashem. Every

ounce of suffering, every event that is to befall a person, is all decided, defined and directed by Hashem Himself. No human being can inflict damage to me that wasn’t already decided by Hashem.

With this cognition comes a deep understanding: the doctor isn’t the determinant of whether I live or die; the threat isn’t the failing economy; the danger isn’t man. All humans are powerless to affect my destiny. Like a simulated opponent in an arcade game, they look very menacing, but it is just smoke and mirrors. Hashem is hiding behind every scene, orchestrating the outcome.

And all along, I am always safe and sound, guarded and protected.

This seems to be the answer to the Medrash. Yaakov suffered during his lifetime, and that was the problem. For any mortal going through these events, it would have been expected and reasonable for him to have felt fear and anxiety. But this was Yaakov Avinu.

This was the man who walked with Hashem. This was the man who saw Hashem in every moment and every action. He should have recognized the fight scene as the mirage that it was — a mere illusion. If he felt fear and actually suffered, then on some level he didn’t see through the smoke and mirrors, and for Yaakov Avinu, that was unacceptable.

This concept is very applicable to us. The various life challenges that we are presented with are a significant tool in our development. As we face them, if we feel a sense of dread and anxiety, it is time for us to ask ourselves: Who runs the world? The more that we come to understand that Hashem is always present, controlling every situation, the more we feel a sense of calm security. Ultimately, our job is to be able to see the threats for what they are: mere bluffs — changing video games to challenge us to grow.

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67 Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

Aquaman. He usually was just a tagalong to the others (unless they somehow got trapped in a giant bubble at the bottom of the ocean with man-eating sharks circling them menacingly).

At the end of each episode, though, once the team had vanquished the enemies, they all met back at their head-

ple degrees and doctorates. All, that is, but one daughter who had none. However, this young woman was an amazing mother and knew how to connect with her children to a “degree” the diplomat members of her family could not.

Is this not something to be marveled at?

Just because Aquaman can’t fly

Instead of being jealous, I can take pride in their accomplishments because they are furthering the beliefs and ideals I am fighting for myself.

quarters and stood around in a circle discussing the day’s events. I guess it was intended for the benefit of the children who had watched the show so as to review what they had seen, but there was another common theme in every ending. The end of each show found someone making a punny comment about how foolish the villain was, and all the Superfriends chuckling heartily, satisfied with their day’s work.

So, even if it was due to Superman’s ability to wrap a railroad track around the bad guys or because Wonder Woman’s magic lasso compelled the villain to spill the beans about his plan, everyone laughed together because they were all on the same team.

That’s what I tell myself when faced with a writer, speaker, or thoughtful person who does what I try to do and excels at it.

I remind myself that we are all on the same team, trying to make this a better world and bring it closer to Hashem. Instead of being jealous, I can take pride in their accomplishments because they are furthering the beliefs and ideals I am fighting for myself.

Each and every one of us has a superpower, some special Divine gift that we are intended to use for the benefit of mankind. I remember hearing about a family in which every person had multi-

doesn’t mean he shouldn’t strive to use his skills and abilities for the greater good. Simply by being part of the team, he is making his contribution and needn’t feel jealous or inferior. Each of us has been given gifts, talents, and

abilities that are unique to us. Those are our superpowers. The intention is to use them for the honor of Hashem’s Name and to bring yourself and others closer to G-d, however you do it.

At the end of the day, just remind yourself that you don’t have to be a superman to be somebody’s hero.

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

For more information, or to sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English, e-mail info@JewishSpeech Writer.com and put Publication Sponsorship or Subscribe in the subject. © 2013 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

E

very so often I read a piece written by another writer and am stunned by the brilliance, simplicity, raw feeling or other method of impactfulness. At those times I become jealous.

I wish I had written this piece which made such a strong impression on people. I am tempted to belittle their efforts but know I can’t since they are truly fantastic.

Sometimes there’s a blogger, web personality, or similar cyber-mensch who has a huge following, and they can move thousands of people with a single keystroke. I will admit that I am envious of that power and it makes me want to point out whatever shortcomings I can imagine. But I don’t. I know it’s not the right thing, so I take action to appreciate their efforts instead. So, how do I calm myself and learn to enjoy the other person’s work? Here’s how: When I was a boy, I loved watching a cartoon called “Superfriends.” It was about the Justice League, a group of superheroes who worked together to battle villains (they were never criminals – always “villains,” it makes it seem more exotic) who usually sought to take over the world. For those of my readers who never saw cartoons, and don’t know what superheroes are, imagine a room full of rebbes who are miracle workers, all getting together to fight super-resha’im, the Satan’s messengers and anti-Semitic tyrants.

It struck me that in this group were such powerful heroes as Superman, who was able to fly at lightning speeds, rip trees or buildings out of the ground, stop bullets in mid-air and more, as well as Batman who, though a normal human being, possessed above average intelligence, a fortune of money, and the ability to put them together to create ingenious crime-fighting devices.

There were also less-exciting superheroes such as Aquaman, who could breathe underwater and speak to sea creatures telepathically. Since most villains weren’t perpetrating their crimes off fishing boats, I kind of felt sorry for

Be a Hero

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The Observant Jew

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You Gotta be

Kidding!

Riddle!

Yankel runs into the house huffing and puffing. His father asks him what is going on. Yankel explains, “Papa, I got out of work and just missed the bus, so I ran to the next bus stop. But I missed the bus by a second at that bus stop, so I ran to the bus stop on the next street and the same thing happened. I kept chasing the bus, but missing it. Finally, I realized that I ran all the way home.” Yankel catches his breath and continues, “Papa, isn’t it amazing, I saved money by doing this!”

Yankel’s father looks at him and says, “You should have chased a taxi--you would have saved even more money.”

What’s the best place to go shopping in the ocean?

Answer on next page

Wall To Wall Walmart Facts • Wal-Mart averages a profit of $1.8 million every hour.

• 90% of Americans live within 15 minutes of a Wal-Mart.

• 35 million people shop at Wal-Mart every day, as much as the population of Canada.

• Wal-Mart’s net sales were $466 billion in 2012—that’s more than Argentina’s GDP.

• The average Wal-Mart supercenter sells 140,000 individual items.

• Wal-Mart has 2.2 million employees, more than the population of Houston. If Walmart were an army, it would have the second largest military in the world, behind China.

• Wal-Mart opened between four and five new stores every week in 2012.

• The Walton family is worth $150 billion, about as much as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg combined.

• One of every four dollars Americans spend on groceries is spent at Walmart.

• Wal-Mart commonly receives 25 applications for every open job.

• Walmart is bigger than Home Depot, Kroger, Target, Sears, Costco, and K-Mart combined.

• Between Wal-Marts opening in 1962 and 2002, the number of single-store retailers in the U.S. declined 55%.

• If Wal-Mart were a country, it would be the 26th largest economy in the world.

• Wal-Mart accounts for 25% of Clorox’s total sales.

• In 2000, Walmart was sued 4,851 times or about once every 2 hours.

• Wal-Mart’s top-selling item in 2012 was the banana.

69 T h e J e TwH Ei sJhE W H oI SmHe HnO M Ed enc eMmAYb e2r4 5, ,2012 2013

79

Retail Shopping Trivia 1. What is the world’s largest retail store? a. Debenhams, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai b. Macy’s Herald Square, New York, USA c. Shisegae Centumdity, Busan, South Korea d. Walmart Supercenter, Amritsar, India 2. What is the oldest U.S. retail chain? a. Macy’s b. Brooks Brothers c. A&P d. Bloomingdale’s 3. Which of the following draws the most annual visitors? a. Mall of America b. Disneyland c. Grand Canyon d. Graceland 4. If you are in retail, you certainly want to attract women shoppers.

According to a GE Money study, how much time do women spend shopping throughout their lives? a. 8 months b. 2 years c. 4 years d. 8 years 5. How much money did shoppers spend during Black Friday weekend this year? a. $2 billion b. $7 billion c. $23 billion d. $57 billion 6. In 1995 Amazon had one warehouse with 400 square feet of space. How much square feet of warehouse space does Amazon currently have? a. 2 million b. 25 million c. 72 million d. 200 million

7. Why do most malls have bends and turns? a. Shoppers typically won’t walk towards something that seems more than one tenth of a mile away. b. So that more stores can claim a unique spot in the mall c. So that the mall does not look too boxy d. So that people get exercise while shopping, thus feeling good about going to the mall 8. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently announced a five year plan to quicken their delivery time by doing which of the following: a. Building a warehouse in every major city in America b. Partnering with Walmart which will all have Amazon pickup centers c. Having drone airplanes deliver products to people’s houses d. Tripling the amount of employees Answers: 1. B- Since March 2009, the world’s largest retail store is Shinsegae Centumcity Department Store, located in Busan, South Kore With 3.163 million square feet in one retail location, the Shinsegae destination flagship store in Cetumcity beat out the Herald Square Macy’s Department Store in New York City for the title of “world’s largest” by more than a million square feet.

2. B- Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818; Lord & Taylor was founded in 1826; Macy’s was founded in 1858; and Bloomingdale’s was founded in 1861 3. A- Mall of America draws 40 million visitors each year and is the number one tourist destination in the Midwest – more than Disneyland, the Grand Canyon and Graceland combine 4. D- According to the GE Money study, women make an average of 301 shopping trips per year, lasting a total of 399 hours and

46 minutes.

5. D- That’s right, last year Americans spent $59 billion on Black Friday Weekend and it was expected to surpass that this year—but Americans spent $2 billion less this year! After all that money spent, the best thing you got was free...

TJH Centerfold!!

6. B 7. A 8. C- Jeff Bezos recently stated in an interview with 60 Minutes that pending FAA approval, Amazon will start using drone airplanes to deliver packages to homes within a half hour of customers making their orders.

Wisdom Key 6-8 correct: You are a real shopaholic... you are probably working on your second 8 years of shopping already.

3-5 correct: You are not a committed shopper. Let me guess: you borrow your neighbor’s Costco card when you need to go shopping. (By the way, the security person clicking at the entrance knows its not your card, but he really doesn’t care.)

0-2 correct: You win the prize! Go wait outside, the drone will be there in a minute.

G OT FU N N Y?

Comm Let the ission er dec Send your s tuff

t

ide

o fivetow centerfold@ nsjewis hhome. com Answer to riddle: On a “sale”boat

T h e J e TwH iEsJhE W H oI m e HnO MdEe cne mMbAYe r 254,, 2013 SH 2012

88 70

Notable

Quotes

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?”

It was virtually impossible not to know what was happening.

- Bernard Madoff‘s finance chief who pleaded guilty to aiding his $17 billion fraud in Federal Court stating that he knew in 1975 that fake trades were being used in customer accounts We have declared war on the U.S. That cannot be disputed.

- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert criticizing PM Netanyahu’s handling of relations with the U.S. after the Iran nuclear talks In contrast to others, when I see that the vital security interests of Israeli citizens are at stake, I will not shut up. It is very easy to keep quiet. It is easy to receive pats on the shoulder from the international community, to bow one’s head, but I am committed to the security of my people I am committed to the future of my country, and in contrast to periods in the past, we have a loud and clear voice among the nations and we will make it heard in order to warn – in time – against dangers.

- PM Netanyahu responding to Olmert’s criticism

The traditional Thanksgiving began in what year? 1621.

And soon afterward, the Indians realized they had a failed immigration policy.

- Jay Leno In California, a 90-year-old grandmother celebrated her birthday by going skydiving.

Not intentionally. She just kind of wandered off the plane.

- Conan O’Brien

I’ve never found that to be the case. They’re as tough, they’re as strong, they’re as everything as a man is –and vice-versa.

– Vice President Biden to a Japanese audience after it was suggested that women are “kinder and gentler” in the workplace than men You know, in some countries seeing an unmanned drone means your village is about to be destroyed. In America it means you ordered Mad Men on Blu-ray.

- Jimmy Kimmel Like my dad told me, if you see something, shoot it.

Don’t wait. You might not get another chance.

- Paul Sersha, 94, who continues to hunt

The Germans did not succeed, and this was our triumph.

- Leon Gersten, 79, of Cedarhurst, gesturing to his extended family around him as he met Czeslaw Polziec, 81, whose family saved Leon during the Holocaust, when the two met last week at Kennedy Airport for the first time in 70 years

Never. Listen, for a guy who grew up mopping floors at my dad’s bar, it’s a pretty humbling experience.

- Speaker John Boehner as he welled with emotion on 60 Minutes when asked if he ever takes his job for granted A new annual report called the Youthful Cities Index has determined that Toronto is the world’s most youthful city. They judge on diversity, entertainment options, public spaces, and does your mayor smoke crack.

The world’s oldest city, the world’s least most youthful city? Metamucilton, Illinois.

- Jimmy Kimmel It was a train wreck that anyone who’s managed anything, ever, in their lives, could’ve see coming.

- Governor Chris Christie, on Nov. 27th slamming Obamacare

After the perfect Barack Obama, who’s a perfect physical specimen to many people’s eyes, does it matter? Or is actually somebody very different, someone who’s much more of a regular kind of guy who likes cheeseburgers and beer, but appears to be a straight talker, somebody perhaps more of a straight talker than it appears Barack Obama turned out to be?

- CNN’s Piers Morgan discussing the prospect of a Governor Christie 2016 run

I seriously cannot get over how much I love this blade.

It is the sharpest thing I own and cuts through everything like butter and just holding it makes me want to stab an Israeli soldier.

- Caption of a photo of a knife placed on Tumblr by the President of San Francisco State University’s General Union of Palestine Students I like him a lot.

- Bill Clinton when asked by CNN Espanol what he thinks of Joe Biden possibly running in 2016

Notes which were exchanged aboard a Thanksgiving day flight between two passengers, Diane, who was unruly and obnoxious because the flight was delayed, and Elan, who definitely has a good sense of humor. (The exchange went viral after being tweeted):

ELAN: Dear lady in 7A, it has come to my attention that today is your “Thanksgiving.”

It must be hard not to be with your family! Please accept this glass of wine. It is a gift from me to you. Hopefully, if you drink it, you won’t be able to use your mouth to talk. Love, Elan DIANE: Dear “Elan,” The wine wasn’t funny. The vodka wasn’t funny. You’re an awful person with no compassion. I am sorry for your family that they should have to deal with you. - Diane ELAN: Dear “Diane,” Thank you for your lousy note.

The person who lacks compassion is you. We all want to get home, particularly the nice men and woman who fly your lazy [body] and serve you drinks (you’re welcome!). Next time you’re in a bad mood stay home...

DIANE: “Elan” This is inappropriate beyond belief.

I will be speaking to the authorities when we land.

I absolutely don’t.

- First Lady Michelle Obama, when asked by Barbara Walters if she has any interest in being president

When President Obama was in Los Angeles, he visited the DreamWorks Studios. Now don’t confuse DreamWorks with Obamacare — that was a dream that didn’t work.

- Jay Leno

The big news this week is that the U.S. finally got Iran to agree to stop making nuclear weapons. In exchange, the U.S. has freed up $8 billion of Iran’s assets.

When asked how it plans to spend the money, Iran said, “We’re going to buy nuclear weapons.”

- Jimmy Fallon

It’s time to put that power back where it belongs.

Barack Obama should be allowed to stand for reelection just as citizens should be allowed to vote for — or against — him.

Anything less diminishes our leaders and ourselves.

- NYU Professor Jonathan Zimmerman in a Washington Post Op-ed arguing that President Obama should be able to run for a third presidential term

I wanted to do some sort of pay it forward kind of thing.

- Serge Vorobyov, explaining why he threw his last $1,000 in singles from a balcony at the Mall of America as a choir below performed “Let it Snow.”

Got a crazy Tea Party cousin? We’ll text you a Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet with the facts you need.

- Pre-Thanksgiving tweet by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Man, let me tell you something about George Bush and oil money and Obama and no money.

People want to say Obama can’t make these moves or he’s not executing. That’s because he ain’t got those connections. Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people. Black people don’t have the same connection as oil people.

- A famous rapper during an interview with a New York City rap station I don’t care if you have to burn his house to the ground with him in it; make it look like an accident. I owe the little son of a gun a bunch of money and if he’s gone, I don’t have to pay for it.

- What an unidentified Arizona man heard on the phone when his former boss accidentally dialed his number because he was sitting on his phone. After listening to his former boss’ conversation, the man realized that the boss, who has since been arrested, was arranging to have him killed.

Was first on scene to big accident, see pic of car in the house. I lifted 4 people out to safety. All ok. Thankful.

- “Humblebrag” tweet by one of Mitt Romney’s sons after he rescued four people from a car that crashed into a house on Thanksgiving

Amazon announced plans for an amazing service called Amazon Prime Air. When you order something from Amazon that weighs five pounds or less, a robot will drop your package on your doorstep. It’s all part of Amazon’s pledge to drive your dog insane.

- Jimmy Kimmel

As you spend time with loved ones this holiday season, be sure to talk with them about what health care reform can mean to them.

– First Lady Michelle Obama in a mass pre-Thanksgiving email

Researchers in Canada say they have discovered the part of the brain that is used to make decisions, and this is weird: If you’re married, it’s actually located in your wife’s brain.

- Jimmy Fallon This week, fast-food workers in 100 American cities are going on strike, a true story.

The workers behind the counter want higher wages and better conditions. The drive-thru workers? No one can understand what they want. What? What did you say?

- Conan O’Brien International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

- UN General Assembly resolution proclamation about the year 2014 , which passed with 110 votes in favor, 7 against (Australia, Canada, Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau and the United States) and 56 abstentions

89 71 wIiSsHh HHOoMmEe nn M AY d e c2e4m, b2012 e r 5 , 2013 TTHhEe JJEeW

After I killed so many civilians and (North Korean) soldiers and destroyed strategic objects in the DPRK during the Korean War, I committed indelible offensive acts against the DPRK government and Korean people...I realize that I cannot be forgiven for my offensives, but I beg for pardon on my knees by apologizing for my offensives sincerely toward the [North Korean] government and the Korean people and I want not punish me. If I go back to USA, I will tell the true features of the DPRK and the life the Korean people are leading.

- “Apology” statement read by 85-year-old Merrill Newman who fought in the Korean War and had been detained for the last month by North Korea after a nine-day trip there last month as he sat in an airplane set to leave the country

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

Cover Story

Stolen Nazi Art: Whose Is It? The largest theft in Jewish history since the Romans carted off the spoils of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D.

By Joe Bobker ThaT a criminal cannoT enjoy The fruiTs of his crime is arTiculaTed in The sTory of elijah The propheT and ahab, The king of norThern israel. ahab and his wife, jezebel, coveT Their neighbor naboT’s esTaTes and, afTer a sham Trial, have him execuTed. This injusTice ouTrages elijah who confronTs ahab, ha-raTsahTa ve-gam yarashTa? (“have you murdered and also inheriTed?”)

A

few years ago, a sefer Torah was put up for sale over the Internet for a price of $17,000, more than ten times its worth. The seller was an admitted former Nazi in his 80s from Berlin, Germany, who said he stole it in Poland during the Holocaust.

The ad went on to say that if it didn’t sell within two weeks, photos of it being burned would be posted for all to see.

The sefer Torah was purchased, the asking price paid.

There was a time not so long ago,

courtesy of Adolf Hitler, when the vast continent of Europe was one large garage sale of Judaic despoliation: longtime neighbors carted off whatever they could from candlesticks to kiddush cups to toys to blankets to furniture to pots and saucepans and even light bulbs.

The “good stuff,” such as fur coats and rare porcelain, went to Nazi dignitaries and their wives. S.S. members would submit written requests for specific items to the Wirtschafts-VerwaltungsHauptamt (“Economic Administration Head Office”) belongings to Jews gassed to death. The most popular requests?

Baby carriages and infant outfits.

Consider the Jewish community of Radzilow, a village in the Czarist province of Lomza, northeastern Poland. On July 7, 1941, they were locked into the local barn and burned to death. Many a victim was approached by a neighbor beforehand who reasoned with them, “Don’t reward your murderers; give us your possessions instead.”

Helena Klimaszewska, a Polish woman from the nearby village of Goniadz, arrived shortly after the mass homicide to claim one of the empty Jewish apartments. The locals complained that since she did not participate in the murders she wasn’t entitled.

“You needed to kill ten Jews,” a man rebuked her, “in order to get a house!”

When her mother-in-law came forward and swore that her grandson poured gasoline on the roof of the barn, the locals were placated and gave the woman a Jewish apartment.

But all this was all petty theft, trifling

in contrast to the main crime being conducted by the Reich itself.

When the Germans waltzed into Austria on March 12, 1938, they simply took over the Shiffman Brothers department stores, the Torsch family’s famous bank in Vienna, 4,000 valuable works of art from Alphonse and Louis, the Rothschild brothers, along with 26,236 Jewish businesses and thousands of homes, factories, inventory and bank accounts.

It took 2,700 trains to schlep the stolen Jewish assets out of Hamburg. In one month alone, April 1944, the keys to 2,500 apartments in Hungary were turned over to the Germans. 38,000 Jewish apartments in Paris were stripped bare by Nazi moving companies.

Thus began the Mobel Aktion, the largest plunder of Jewish assets since the Romans carted off the spoils of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., over $145 billion worth. Only about twenty percent has been returned. The rest are

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

T

he world was reminded of the extent of the Nazi theft on November 3 when a German newsmagazine published an exposé how a staggering $1.35 billion dollars of lost masterpieces, the largest trove of looted art found since World War II, had been discovered behind mountains of canned food in a shabby sixth-floor Munich apartment owned by Rolf Nikolaus Cornelius Gurlitt, an 80-year-old man of small stature, a weird loner whose blinds were permanently drawn and who spoke to his paintings at night.

As the survivors tried to start their lives again from penniless beginnings, Cornelius would just sell one of their paintings when he needed cash. He had the perfect business: the cost of the inventory was zero (stolen) and there is no income tax on the sale of paintings in Germany.

When Gurlitt’s great paternal grandmother turned 24, she decided to be baptized. His father, Hildebrand, an unscrupulous art historian and connoisseur of the avant-garde, had a gallery in Hamburg.

Hildebrand Gurlitt was a Nazi collaborator. When Joseph Goebbels, the

the money. Many starved to death and received nothing; others got a total of 10 Reichsmarks for art worth hundreds of thousands.

When the war ended, Gurlitt was a happy Holocaust profiteer. He told his daughter that he was “not one bit traumatized” by the bloody saga that killed a third of the Jewish nation.

He died nine years later in a car crash in Dusseldorf in February, 1956. His family testified that the entire collection had been destroyed during the Allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945.

They lied. As that Yiddish proverb goes, “Every thief has an alibi.”

In one month alone, April 1944, the keys to 2,500 apartments in Hungary were turned over to the Germans. cowardly Nazi propaganda minister, asked him to assist Alfred Rosenberg, the racial misfit founder of the “Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question,” crisscross Nazi-occupied territory and find art to fill Hitler’s dream of a postWW II museum in Linz, Austria, for a display of nostalgia over the art of the annihilated Jewish race, he saw his chance to become a master bandit on the side.

Unencumbered by mercy or compassion, he preyed on the terrified Jewish dealers and persecuted collectors as they desperately sought a way to get their families out of Germany. He offered them a pittance. What choices did they have? They “sold” thousands of rare and irreplaceable works at flea bargain prices to the callous Gurlitt.

When the Jews of Hamburg were rounded up and deported to the Lodz ghetto, an anteroom for the death camps, they entrusted Gurlitt with all their paintings. He promised to sell them and send

The German authorities have behaved like, well, Germans. A tip from Gurlitt’s brother-in-law led them to the hideaway more than two and a half years ago but they kept it a secret. Last month, after an uproar from survivor families, they allowed only 25 out of the 1,406 sketches, oil paintings, charcoals, lithographs and watercolors to be shown to the public. (An unremorseful Gurlitt said it was an invasion of his privacy.)

This is what lawyers call “running out the clock.” Transparency and openness is the enemy. Self-declared statutes of limitations act as partners-in-crime.

The longer the delay, the fewer claimants left alive to testify about provenance.

This successful strategy was developed by the firm of Delay, Dilly Dally, Stall & Procrastinate.

The German legal system operates in the narrowest judicial terms in order to serve its own interests (“Sorry, the

law simply prevents us from returning this”) making it nearly impossible to win victory through the courts, German or otherwise. To succeed one must come armed with the patience of Job and the resources of a mini-Rothschild.

A typical case: Immediately after World War I in 1919, Miriam Wesel from Vienna, Austria, commissioned a paroches which she left behind when running from the Germans in 1938.

Fifty-two years later, now living in the United States, she visited the Jewish Museum in Vienna and saw it hanging there. It took the Wesel (Bauer) families in Brooklyn another thirty-six years to get their paroches back.

So, who owns it all?

This dilemma of war booty and stolen Judaica was a major headache for the post-Holocaust rabbinate who searched for halachic precedent with mixed results.

When the Rambam was asked whether seforim purchased on the open market that turned out to have been stolen from a synagogue had to be returned, he replied, “If they plundered by order of the Sultan, then the sale is genuine and the law of hekdesh [consecrated articles] is void [but] if they were not plundered by order of the Sultan, let the purchaser swear how much he paid and this amount shall be returned to him and he must return the books.”

But when R’ Yosef Halevi ibn Miggash, the 12th century Spanish Talmudist and chavrusa of R’ Yitzchok al Fazi (Rif), the supreme authority on Jewish law, was asked a similar question, his responsa was conditioned not upon who the criminals were but on the basis that the original Jewish owners expected items of intrinsic Jewish value (e.g.: holy texts) to be returned if they ended up in the possession of other Jews.

In contrast, Rabbi Israel Isserlein, the most influential rav in the 15th century Austro Empire, refused to rule on ownership of Jewish books stolen in Dresden because of the uncertainty of the motives of the looters.

During World War I, Rabbi Meir

d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

still in German hands, “inherited” unabashedly by the sons and grandsons of murderers.

Today, sixty-eight years after the ovens fell silent, the residents of Mezritch Podlaski in the district of Lublin, Poland, still shudder and shutter their windows at the sight of Jewish tourists. And for good cause: after their 17,000 Jews were introduced to Treblinka and Majdanek, their ancestors took over every Jewish home, shop, and business in town.

The generational beneficiaries of this massive unparalleled crime have made out, well, like bandits. Don’t be fooled by all the tales of German financial amends that are bandied about, mostly by the German government. The fact is that it has cost the average German about $1.50 a month for fifty years in restitution. Only a third of Holocaust survivors have received something. Most were treated like my Polish parents. They heard nothing for forty years, a full generation, and were then suddenly offered a total of $1,000 as a flat settlement with full releases; by then my father had passed away and my mother wouldn’t accept “blood” money.

Consider the Hungarian government.

In 1997 they offered survivors $150 for each parent and $70 for each sibling killed during the Holocaust. A decade later, the thrifty guilt-ridden government decided to pay surviving family members in total 400,000 forints (about $1,800) for the death of a parent or sibling.

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During World War I, Rabbi Meir Arak (left), the chief rabbi of Tarnow, Poland, ruled that since all books were targeted for recycling because of a war shortage of paper the owners of seforim never expected to see them again and therefore the “end buyers” had legal title. After World War II, this was the position taken by such prominent poskim as Rabbi Efraim Oshry (center), one of the few rabbinic survivors from Lithuania. Meanwhile, Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg (right), a fellow survivor and the former rosh yeshiva of the famous Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin, Germany, would not allow a survivor to keep seforim he rescued from the seminary library but said he should be compensated for his courageous act of sparing them from near certain desecration by the Third Reich.

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When asked to rule on stolen community assets, Rav Moshe Feinstein (left) said they were to be used for the public good. In his monumental series on contemporary halacha, Rabbi J. David Bleich (center), points out that there is no such thing as a “successor institution” and that communal assets are owned in a partnership between the members of the community. In a famous beis din hearing in Jerusalem in 1954, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (right), ordered a museum to return a Torah crown to its original owner on the basis that assets taken in an environment of murder and deportation to death camps are not “spoils of war” in the traditional halachic category.

Arak, the chief rabbi of Tarnow to whom the Belzer Rebbe would send questions, faced the same query. He ruled that since all books were targeted for recycling because of a war shortage of paper the owners of seforim never expected to see them again and therefore the “end buyers” had legal title.

The assumed mental psychological state of the owners is known as ye’ush, a (rather complicated) halachic term that means “given up, despair.” In general, this frees successive ownership of stolen or lost property because the owner had given up all hope of recovery.

After World War II, several prominent poskim including Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Rappaport, Rabbi Efraim Oshry, one of the few rabbinic survivors from Lithuania, and Rabbi Yaakov Breisch (Teshuvos Chelkat Yaakov) ruled similarly: that since every Jewish book was targeted for destruction as official Reich policy no Jew ever expected recovery.

Hitler’s successful arson of 3,000,000 Jewish books in Europe caused such a shortage that Rav Oshry was forced to jot down his rulings on torn pieces of cement sack paper, Rabbi Chaim Stein from Telz scribbled his chiddushim on the back of envelopes, while Rabbi Dov Berish Weidenfeld, the chief rabbi of Tshebin, Poland, penciled his novella on frozen pieces of wood in icy Sverdelovsk.

T

he first major case on war booty arose in 1954. A Hungarian survivor stumbled across a Torah crown on display in a museum at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem that had been stolen from him during the war.

He demanded its return. The museum did not contest ownership because his parent’s initials were clearly inscribed on the crown. However, they argued that since they had bought the Judaica on the “open market” for full price, they were the true owners.

The case was adjudicated by the Jerusalem beis din with Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and Rabbi Betzalel Zolti, the Ashkenaz chief rabbi, sitting.

After agreeing that Jewish communi-

ties and individuals during the churban were convinced they would never see their possessions again and that this was tantamount to a “renouncement of ownership,” Rav Elyashiv concluded that assets taken in an environment of murder and deportation to death camps are not “spoils of war” in the traditional halachic category and that “common custom and decency [lifnim mi-shurat ha-din] require that, regardless of the Torah status of the law [i.e.: whether ownership has been legally ‘renounced’ or not], all stolen items should be given back to the original owners.”

Rav Elyashiv and Rav Zolti also discuss the differences between an ordinary theft and a systematic pillage sanctioned by governmental officials. Since the Fuhrer’s forceful pursuit of Arisierung, the “Aryanization of Jewish property,” fell in the second category, and the Torah crown was stolen by local Hungarian fascist thugs, the museum was ordered to return the Torah crown.

Another beis din, consisting of Rabbi Yaakov Levensohn and Rabbi Isaac Liebes, a renowned halachist and the former rav of Greiding and Lvov, had to decide the status of a sefer Torah bought by a Jew without knowing it had been stolen from a famous synagogue by the Nazis.

The congregation demanded its return. The owner wanted to be reimbursed.

Rav Liebes agreed on the congregant’s state-of-mind: “If they already despaired of their lives, did they not most certainly [despair] of their property [i.e.: ye’ush]?” while Rav Levensohn, after quoting the Rambam (“Theft of a kingdom is not considered law of a kingdom”) and the Ran, the 14th century R’ Nissim ben Reuven (“If a king acts not according to law it is regarded as robbery”), raised the possibility that “in this case, the buyer may perhaps not even have to return it” before urging him to “return the Scroll in the spirit of the verse, ‘You shall do the upright and the good.’”

If the buyer didn’t want to donate it to the synagogue, Rav Levensohn ruled

that “the congregation is obligated to reimburse him after he makes an oath how much he spent.”

(In 1976, a Jerusalem beis din ruled that the rabbinic concept of dina demalkhuta, “the law of the state is the law,” did not apply to Nazi rulers who not only looted synagogue libraries but also destroyed both the synagogue and its members.)

Innocent purchasers of stolen assets (“Holders of due-course,” in English law) are expected to behave according to the high standards of middos, return the item, and be reimbursed for their costs.

An example of “doing-the-rightthing” occurred a few years ago in 2008 when a valuable two-volume black, leather-clad, three-inch thick Bible from Venice (1516) appeared in a Judaica auction in New York. The seller was unaware it had been stolen during the Kristallnacht pogroms of November 1938 from a library in Vienna, Austria.

He promptly returned it to Vienna’s Jewish community as a donation.

Some time ago, I discussed whether one could buy Judaica in Poland from a gentile who admitted that his father had stolen it from their Jewish neighbors with a posek in Brooklyn. This scenario, “Buyer Beware,” is known as ganav mefursham (“[from a] notorious background”) under the circumstance. Was he, the son of the ganav, entitled to money? (Under certain conditions, the Torah allows thieves to reimburse their victim takkanas ha-shuk, by paying the “open market” value of the stolen item.)

The answer? It depends. On what?

On what the object is.

If the Judaica has an inner sanctity – such as a sefer Torah or a gemara – in contrast to a painting or some Jewish textile, there is an obligation to buy it from a non-Jew, regardless of its tainted background, in order to mitigate further desecration.

B

ut who are the heirs of stolen community assets?

Rav Moshe Feinstein ruled that community property must be re-

turned to the public for tsorkhei rabbim (“public uses”) and cannot be disbursed to private individuals even if they are needy. In his monumental series on contemporary halacha, Rabbi J. David Bleich points out that there is no such thing as a “successor institution” and that communal assets are owned in a partnership between the members of the community.

During the Holocaust, a staff member of the famous Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin, Germany, hid valuable seforim from the seminary’s library. He survived the war, settled in Haifa, Israel, and kept the books. Since the Nazis closed the seminary during Kristallnacht there was no one to return them to.

So he approached Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, a fellow survivor and the former genius rosh yeshiva of the seminary, and asked if he could keep them?

Rav Weinberg said no, but allowed him to be compensated for his courageous act of sparing them from near certain desecration by the Third Reich.

The find of the staggering art cache in Munich is the tip of the iceberg.

There are still billions of Jewish inventory and artifacts unaccounted for that lie hidden in the shadows, the colossal blood-stained spoils tucked away in the safes of private collectors, stealthy dealers, and crates of unscrupulous European auction houses.

Unlike their victims, these unworthy beneficiaries sleep well at night. Larceny in the genes? No, they all reply as if in rehearsed unison. They blame not the mouse but the hole.

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

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Ask the Attorney Michael Josephs, Esq.

Testimony as a Witness after an Auto Accident I was driving on Peninsula Blvd near Rockville Center. I was late for my doctor’s appointment. I had a green light. As I proceeded across Lakeview Avenue, a car on Lakeview ran the red light and collided with my car. It was a hard hit. Another car, not involved in the accident, pulled over and the driver came over to see if I was OK. He said he saw the accident as it happened. I had a cut on my forehead and my left knee was in pain. I couldn’t put any weight on my left leg and had trouble getting out of the car. The non-involved driver helped me out of the car and called “911” for me. The police arrived a few minutes later and spoke to me, to the other driver and to the witness driver. The other driver could not move his right arm and claimed he broke his right shoulder.

An ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. I was examined in the emergency room, told that I had a torn meniscus in my left knee and that I should go for physical therapy. My knee hurt so badly that I needed a prescription for painkillers. I missed six days of work after this accident. I began physical therapy a week later and I am still going there at this time.

I notified my insurance company soon after the accident. I just got a letter from my insurance company asking me to come to come to an “Examination Under Oath” in two weeks.

I retained an attorney to sue the other car for my injuries. I am also getting

sued by the other driver for his injuries. I was told that the Examination Under Oath does not involve the other driver. Is it OK for me to go myself or

surance carrier determining the extent, if any, of No-Fault payments they will issue to you to cover medical expenses and income lose. On one hand, your

While you know you are a decent, honest person, there have been cases where people exaggerate their injuries to get more money. should I call the lawyers who represent me against the other driver?

The Attorney Responds: Any time you are asked to testify under oath, what you say is recorded and will be printed out for you to review and sign. The record of whatever you said can be referred to, relied on or used against you in any further proceedings related to this accident. Although this testimony was requested by your own insurance company and is not part of the lawsuits between you and the other driver, and even though your own insurance company will provide attorneys to defend you in the lawsuit brought by the other driver, during the “Examination Under Oath” your insurance carrier is not necessarily on your side for the following reason: The primary purpose of the Examination Under Oath is to ascertain your medical needs and ability to work for the purpose of your in-

insurance company wants to help you cover your accident-related losses (up to your No-Fault policy limits); on the other hand, your insurance company does not want to make unnecessary, duplicative or fraudulent payments.

While you know you are a decent, honest person, there have been cases where people exaggerate their injuries to get more money. There have also been a few cases of an organized fraud scheme in which people are paid to ride in a car that causes an accident and doctors’ names are used to verify false injuries. Even in your case, while the insurance carrier’s Examination Under Oath focuses on how the accident occurred and the injuries you are claiming, the transcript of the questions and your answers can be obtained by the attorneys representing the other driver and can be used against you in the lawsuits between you and the other driver.

Since you are suing the other driver and he is also suing you, you will have two attorneys – one attorney who is suing the other driver and a second attorney, appointed by your insurance company, who is defending you in the suit brought by the other driver. Before you appear for questioning by you own insurance company at their Examination Under Oath, you should notify the attorneys who are representing you to sue the other driver (rather than the attorneys who are defending you in the lawsuit brought by the other driver) and discuss how to handle the Examination

Under Oath.

Consulting another attorney may also be important in a different situation arising out of this accident: If the lawsuit against you by the other driver seeks to recover more than the limit of your insurance policy coverage (such as where you have personal injury coverage of up to $300,000 and the lawsuit asks for $500,000), you have the right to consult an attorney not appointed by the insurance carrier to keep an eye on the proceedings run by the insurance carrier appointed attorneys in an effort to avoid getting a judgment against you above your policy limits, since you will then be personally liable. (For example, in the case of a judgment for

$500,000 where you have a policy limit of $300,000, you will be personally liability for $200,000.)

No column is a substitute for competent legal advice. Please consult with the attorney of your choice concerning specific legal questions you may have.

Michael Josephs, Esq. who has a background in appealing trial court decisions, is an attorney who works in the personal injury field, both defending people insured by certain insurance carriers, and acting as a consultant for people who want a second opinion about how to proceed. In addition, Michael handles traffic court matters throughout the City of New York, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. He can be contacted at (718) 490-9970 or at michael ijosephsacounselor@gmail.com.

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

TJH Staff

“I

don’t believe it. I don’t believe it,” Roy kept saying. He was sitting at his desk in the corner of his office, alone in the dark.

He was looking at his records and the unimpeachable truth was staring him in the face: Binyamin clearly had been doctoring the books. For years.

Roy put his hand to his heart. He was not ready to calculate the cost that this amounted to. He was dazed and remembered to try to just breathe.

Hours went by. “How had this happened?” he asked himself. Roy slowly moved his eyes off his screen and stared out the window, seeing the distant past.

He recalled the first time he met Binyamin. What a nice young man!

That was many years ago, but Roy still remembered the wonderful appearance he gave. He was so neat, so polite, so careful with his speech. So what happened? Where had things gone wrong?

There was that incident five years ago that Roy brushed off. One of the managers had come to him, a bit concerned about a shipment that he, the manager, had never ordered. There was an amount of money on the books for it – and no merchandise. The money was unaccounted for. Roy remembered clearly that incident. He waved his hand at the manger saying, “Binyamin will find it.”

And when Binyamin didn’t report anything, he actually brought the matter to his attention. Later on, Binyamin reported it had been “taken care of” but that manager – what was his name? long since gone – told him that there was no indication it had been taken care of. So Roy did what he thought was right. He did the mitzvah of dan l’chaf zchus. Was that wrong?

Now, on this cold December night, he thought that perhaps it was.

Natalie had what seemed a similar problem. She couldn’t understand why her friend Chanie did not invite her Moshe to Chanie’s son’s birthday party. Chanie explained that she most certainly did but the card must have gotten lost and Moshe was included at

the last minute.

Not two months later, Natalie heard from another mother that Ari, Chanie’s son, had friends over for an ice-skating outing – and once again, Moshe was left out. Natalie always believed in being dan l’chaf zchus, but maybe Ari really didn’t like Moshe.

being his wife was. He was crushed, broken-hearted and barely able to function. But no matter how many times he explained to his wife how wrong she was, she was adamant in her position!

“Does she have a heart at all?” he started to wonder. “Is she normal?”

We are not meant to be suspicious of those we love, those we work with, and trusted friends.

Natalie thought about it and it made sense. Just because she and Chanie were friends, why did that necessitate that Ari be Moshe’s?

Then, after Chanie’s oldest child got engaged, much to her surprise, Natalie was not invited to the wedding. “Perhaps we are not friends after all,” thought Natalie. Unlike that time she called Chanie directly about Moshe’s missing invitation, Natalie decided not to pursue it. She figured that if there really were a “lost” invitation, Chanie would eventually call her to find out if she was coming.

Chanie never did.

Then there was Dov who kept making excuses for his wife’s sarcasm and pointed remarks. For years he told his children to just ignore her because she really didn’t mean it. He was quite sure she was a person with a kind heart who just had her “moments.” That is, he held this stance until he overheard his wife lace into their son – over what he deemed a stupid reason – “I never want to see you again!”

“What?” he thought. Their son forgot a birthday card for his mother and for that she never wants to see him again? Dov couldn’t get over it.

It made no sense. Months and months went by of Dov pondering this.

It threw into question everything he had ever said to his children – or to himself – about what kind of human

And finally: “Am I guilty of having had too much dan l’chaf zchus?”

I brought this issue up before. It was in relation to my Tzom Gedaliah article. Governor Gedaliah was clearly warned not to allow into his home an emissary named Yishmael. His advisors had heard of the plan to kill him, but Gedaliah wanted to do dan l’chaf zchus. We know the rest of the story.

In that article, I raised the question as to whether Gedaliah suffered from too much dan l’chaf zchus. I argued that Gedaliah did the best a Jew should do – we ought to give the benefit of the doubt; it is part of the national character of a Jew to do so.

I raised the question in that article, so how do we stay safe? But I didn’t have an answer. Jews are not meant to be cynical or paranoid. We are not meant to be suspicious of those we love, those we work with, and trusted friends. If we were, our national character would change.

On the other hand, when it comes to interpersonal relationships, it is also important to not overlook the red flags. Roy had at least one and there were probably more. Chanie certainly did and Dov probably had dozens.

I don’t think being dan l’chaf zchus means pretending that the red flags are not there.

What I think it means is doing what Yaakov Aveinu did when Yosef

told him his dreams. The Torah says that when Yosef told his father his dreams, “His father scolded him, and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamt! Are we to come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?’ So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.”

In Hebrew, the last few words are, “V’aviv shamar es hadavar.” Yaakov guarded the thing.

Look at that: On the one hand, he dismissed it and on the other, he guarded it. Which is it? The text never returns to this; whatever Yaakov was “guarding” is not later mentioned. But perhaps that is part of the reason he could not stop grieving: something at the back of his mind bothered him.

I think the lesson for us is important in our interpersonal relationships.

Being dan l’chaf zchus does not mean overlooking things as if they never existed. It does not mean making excuses for what your eyes and ears tell you is wrong. It does mean that when there is a possibility of understanding something in a better light, it is a positive thing to do so. But it also means that you “keep the matter in mind” should you need that information in the future.

On a more cheerful note, next Thursday, December 12, at the 10 AM Food for Thought Talk Series for Women at Cravingz Café, 410 Central Avenue, Jessica Vaiselberg, an artist, will be presenting on: How to Get a Better Perspective Through Drawing.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn, a Marriage & Family Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual--Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect--Together, is proud to announce that readers of The Jewish Home will receive a $50 discount on every visit to her Woodmere office. For more information, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at drdeb.com.

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Is There a Limit to Dan L’Chaf Zchus?

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Forgotten Heroes

Avi Heiligman

Animals in Battle

A

Helping Warriors Race to Victory Part II

Horses played a major part during s the Middle Ages passed on into battles until the twentieth century. history, new weapons of war They were a major factor in the vicdictated the ways battle were tories for world powers in the Age of fought. Guns were first introduced to Expansion. Hungarian Hussars, light the West and these and heavy cavalry, firearms were able fought against the to penetrate metOttoman Empire al armor. Cannons as mercenaries for took down castles several kingdoms. with ease and better The term Hussar designs of ships had also applied to cava profound effect on alry from Serbia, war and changed the Poland, Lithuania course of history. and other EuropeExploration brought an nations. Heavy Europeans to the Hussars wore metAmericas and batal body armor but tles were fought for by the 1700s they land and territories. stopped wearing it Throughout these and became famous bitter struggles and for their light cavuntil the battles of alry charges. The The famous Lin Wang today, animals play idea of horse caa major part. Animals can run faster, varly moved west and countries like fly higher and have abilities that would Austria, France and Spain raised Husbe extraordinary for humans to pos- sar regiments. Some German Hussars sess that make them indispensible on were hired by the British to fight in the the battle battlefield.

American War of Independence. The

British cavalry units were called Dragoons with their most distinct member in history being a young Winston Churchill—the future prime minister.

Spain used Hussars throughout the 20th Century and still maintains a regiment today.

Perhaps the most famous user of light cavalry or Hussars is Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon, who rode a rose a horse named Marengo which was captured by the British, created the Hussar of legends. He was a dashing, mustached young man with a tall, feathered hat on a very fast horse swinging a sword recklessly.

There were no horses native to the Americas until the Europeans introduced the horse in the 1500s. Native Americans, who had no prior experience on the horse, quickly adapted to the change in warfare and became expert horsemen. The American Army during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) only had a few cavalry or Dragoon units but in the 1850s established cavalry regiments and they became a significant part of the Army. Cavalry units were employed on both sides of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee became a legend upon his Traveller. Lee had one of the best cavalry officers under his command, General J.E.B Stuart. Most of the Northern soldiers were city boys but the Southern troops grew up on farms and were excellent horsemen. Stuart’s objective was to be the eyes and ears of the army and to hold off the Union cavalry should they be a threat to the infantry. Stuart had an impeccable record that was marred at the crucial Battle of Gettysburg. He left the main Confederate encampment exposed and the Union cavalry under General John Buford held off a big Confederate attack until infantry support came up from the rear. After the Confederate surrender, the soldiers were allowed to keep their horses (most horses were provided by the soldiers themselves).

Another use of the horse was as a pack animal. Along with mules and oxen, these animals were able to car-

ry heavy loads over long distances in tough terrain and weather. The U.S. Army created the Mule Corps during World War II (1939-1945), and they served in North Africa, Italy and in one of the roughest theaters of war in terms of terrain and weather—Burma (Myanmar). They were great in keeping balance in mountainous regions.

Some countries still use horses and mules as a means of transportation in difficult terrain.

Elephants were used in ancient times as battle animals but the Jap-

Robert E Lee on his horse, Traveller

anese during WWII used an African elephant named Lin Wang as a pack animal. He carried cannon and other supplies throughout Burma until his capture by the Chinese in 1943. He was retired from army service in 1954 and became a celebrity in Chinese zoos until his death in 2003.

In sandy deserts, where horses aren’t as effective due to the dry climate, camels are used. Employed during the 20th century, they don’t require much drinking water and can carry heavy loads over long distances. Sometimes they were employed in battle situations like a horse and were referred to as the Camel Cavalry.

Homing pigeons can’t usually withstand a small caliber bullet let alone an attacking army but they have been credited with saving countless lives. They could be trained to carry messages in their feet and fly to a predetermined location. During World War I, the U.S. Signal Corps trained 600 of these pigeons. One named Cher Ami was the last hope for 500 men surrounded by Germans. Called

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these fluffy animals as a comfort blan- been used and the Palestinians blew ket. Dogs have accompanied many up a donkey in the West Bank near an soldiers on the IDF checkpoint in battlefield; some2003. PETA contimes with no othdemned the attack er purpose than to and no other exjust provide comploding donkeys pany and remind have been reported soldiers of home. since.

Over the years, Animals of all some dogs have shapes and sizes been bred as attack have been used dogs. The Rusthroughout history sians have several for a multitude of species that are so military purposes. ferocious that they Using capabilities could kill a human not found in huwith one bite. The mans, they perform Soviets also used amazingly well on U.S. Navy Dolphin with a dogs during WWII the battlefield. Curhigh tech camera on its fin for anti-tank purrently technology poses but the venture had mixed re- is replacing the need for these animals sults. Only a few of the dogs brought but they will always be remembered

by American soldiers on missions for the lives of their human companare for attack purposes but the Navy ions that they saved.

SEALs have used them since the Vietnam War (1965-1973). Cairo was the only member of the unit that was sent to kill Bin Laden in 2011 whose name Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comwas released to the public.

Bats were considered for battle ments and suggestions.for future columns during WWII as living bombs but the and can be reached at aviheiligman@ idea was dropped. Some animals have gmail.com. been outfitted with bombs to blow up an unsuspected enemy. Dogs have

The Jewish Home n

the Lost Battalion, they lost two of were used most frequently and evthree pigeons trying to get a message ery once in a while some Arab nation to the rear. Cher Ami was the last one claims that it has shot down an Israeli and managed to bring this message to spy bird. Most of the time the Mossad headquarters, “We are along the road and the Israeli government deny the parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery fact but there have been some docuis dropping a barrage directly on us. mented cases where they were really For Heaven’s sake, stop it.” As it was used. coming back to the American lines, the Certain sea mammals have exGermans noticed it and starting shoot- traordinary capabilities and the U.S. ing with all they Military use these had. Cher Ami to their advantage. was wounded in Dolphins have the chest, with been outfitted with one eye gone and cameras on their one foot severed fins for recon misbut survived. He sions. They use flew on twelve sonar to locate missions receiving their prey but with many awards. Aftoday’s technoloter he died, he was gy they can send mounted by a taxia message to their dermist and is now handlers if they deon display in the tect an underwater Smithsonian Instimine. Sea lions are tution in Washingalso used in this ton, D.C. manner as well as Cher Ami on display.

Before Unintercepting enemy Notice his right leg is missing manned Aerial Vedivers. They have hicles, called UAVs or drones, took to even been known to harass enemy sailthe sky for spying missions, several ors as well. On land, rats are used to animals were used. They were outfit- detect mines buried and unseen to the ted with cameras and most recently human eye. the pictures and videos would be sent According to the old phrase “a automatically to headquarters. Birds dog is man’s best friend,” humans use

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Lola's Story

Lola Lieber Schwartz

A World After This

A Memoir of Loss and Redemption Lola Lieber Schwartz is a world-renowned artist whose paintings have been exhibited in art galleries throughout the United States and are part of the Yad Vashem archives in Jerusalem. Most importantly, Lola is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to many. She has myriad friends and sees life in all its vibrancy and vitality. But life was not always easy. Lola was only sixteen-yearsold when Hitler ym”sh invaded Poland, and Lola was forced into hiding and spent years on the run with her husband, Mechel. Through six years of trying times, near

continued

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Chapter 24 Reunion

he next morning Mechel came to my bedside with my cousin, Beinish Horowitz, who had been rounded up with my family, survived and ended up in St. Ottilien with the other survivors. The two had worked out a plan.

My cousin was willing to seek out my brother. He explained to me that it was not an easy task. The young people were working toward a Jewish state and they had taken an oath of loyalty to each other and to the cause. Our approach had to be carefully orchestrated. My cousin had been in the camps with my brother and they had established a close bond.

My cousin found my beloved brother with his comrades, living in a Zionist kibbutz-like setting. My cousin decided not to take any chances on Ben being recalcitrant.

“Your sister Lola is alive and in the hospital at St. Ottilien and I am sorry to tell you that she is likely to die soon.

Please, you must come to see her to say good-bye and then you can return to your comrades. When it gets dark, please slip away and come to the hospital.”

Needless to say, my brother was in shock that I was alive and in greater shock that I was dying. He spoke to his leader about the situation with me. Out of more than 200 young people, all orphans from the war, Ben had been chosen to be a leader. Only ten others had been selected. The leader of the group said to him, “You will see your sister in Palestine. She can meet you there. Do you know how many people would give up anything to be in your position?”

The next morning, after a night of agony, but without any question about the personal sacrifice he would make, he reported to his commanding leader.

The leader ripped off the pin from Ben’s

starvation and brutality, Lola and her husband held onto their faith and values.

It was Mechel’s words of encouragement, “There will be a world after this,” that helped them cling to the hope that there will be a life of light and joy waiting for them at the end.

This is the story of Lola’s life—from her grandparents’ “enchanted garden” to meeting Eichmann ym”sh to making the Pesach seder for the Bobover Rebbe during the war—her words will take you back to a different world.

He was confronted not with the threat of the death of another family member, but with the promise of life in my pregnancy. shirt, an emblem that designated his rank within the Zionist group. Ben gave up his dream of helping to create the State of Israel in order to see his only surviving family member before she died.

My cousin met him and brought him to me. The instant he entered my room, he realized that he had been right next to me the day before and did not recognize me. We did not mention the trick my cousin had played on him. It was unnecessary. We were overcome with our love for one another. He was confronted not with the threat of the death of another family member, but with the promise of life in my pregnancy. We told each other our stories of survival.

With Ben on his convoy to Auschwitz were Hershel bacsi, his son Isaac, my aunt, and many others from Munkach. Many Hungarians were still in denial when they were loaded onto the convoys and took with them as much luxury goods and expensive food delicacies as they could carry. They tried to convince themselves they were only being resettled by the Nazis. My family and those in our circle knew the truth and they arrived with nothing. They had heard that anything you brought was left on the train platform at Auschwitz. However, they put diamonds in the soles of their shoes. This was Hershel’s idea.

They were also forewarned of the first processing in Auschwitz. Nazi doctors would examine the captive Jews quickly and make their decisions.

Some would live and work for a time, and some would die immediately. Still others would be selected for the horrors of medical experimentation, such as those conducted by the infamous Jo-

seph Mengele.

When they got off the train, Ben told us, a German officer made a tempting offer, “You have had a grueling trip. Do you wish to walk or to ride to the camp?”

Those who opted to ride were motioned to the line at the right. Ben had the intelligence and quick thinking to say in his good German, “I want to work. I am strong.” He stood on tiptoe to look taller and older than he was. He was put in the line to the left.

At the camp, those in the left line took real showers, not the false ones that led people directly into the gas chambers. Ben pretended he did not hear the order to remove his shoes. Somehow, they overlooked his shoes. He was sent to a rock quarry as a slave laborer. Uncle Hershel was too old to endure that sort of work, but with a diamond from my brother’s shoe, he was able to bribe someone to let him be a cook in the kitchen. This was a prized place in Auschwitz because it meant access to basic nourishment.

Ben survived the stone quarries but was shipped off to another labor camp.

Now, he was not just hauling rocks but had to dynamite them into smaller pieces and load the broken rocks onto wagons.

Then the prisoners hauled these heavy wagons up a hill to a construction site.

Very few survived this labor. He endured it for the better part of one year.

In the spring of 1945, when the Soviets had closed in and liberation had begun, the Nazis rounded up more than 2,000 prisoners in Ben’s group and delivered them in convoys to Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, and even deeper inside Germany.

During this trip, Ben was injured.

Someone cut his throat. He was lucky that he did not bleed to death. The car had been packed with starving and suffering people. After hours without air, water, or food, the guards threw in a few chunks of stale bread. Pandemonium broke out. It was a frenzied scene of survival and insanity. My brother caught a piece of bread but before he could share it with our uncle and our cousin, someone put the knife to his throat. My brother refused to give up the bread. He tore the bread into tiny pieces, no bigger than a walnut. He knew what would happen if they gorged themselves.

My uncle was desperate for more, but Ben held firm to his rule. They would each eat only a tiny piece a day.

All around them were those who had eaten their fill and dropped dead. Their digestive systems exploded, unable to handle food in such quantity. Ben shuddered when he told me that he saw some who insanely cut open the stomachs of the dead and took the bloody bread and ate it, only to die.

The train ride to nowhere continued.

Without warning, the Allied forces intercepted the train. With the best of intentions and displaying heartfelt generosity and compassion, the Allied soldiers opened tins of meat for the survivors to eat. Hundreds died from gorging themselves. Some of the tins were tainted and our cousin Isaac died from complications of dysentery. Ben became deathly ill from the meat as well and was barely conscious. He only remembered that a priest gathered him up in his arms and brought him to the very hospital of our reunion. It was in St. Ottilien that he saw young people outside in the courtyard singing, and they were all about his age and starting a Zionist group. He joined them when he recovered and they became a family for him.

Continued next week Lola wrote this book with the help of Alida Brill.

A World After This was published in 2010 by Devora Publishing.

83 Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

ouis Vuitton, Armani, Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, whomever it is you are trying to emulate, good luck to you!

What happens when you have a simcha on the horizon? Generally the man in your life stays on the sidelines!

There is one time when a man gets more involved than usual, but he’s usually under four-feet-tall—you got it—when it’s his bar mitzvah. That somehow seems to exhaust him for life. After that, most party planning and outfitting for any occasion seems to fall to the domain of the woman exclusively.

There is always one area a man will declare his particular expertise.

For instance: “I know my liquors, I’ll be in charge of the drinks,” or “I know music, I’ll find the right band.” Yet the one area they seem to stand completely clear of is the fashion statements; that is somehow until you are actually wearing it. It seems then they wake up and start asking questions. And honestly, men, let me give you some free advice: Now is not the point to start asking , “What exactly is that piece around your neck supposed to be?” or “Do those two colors really go together?” Just stick with “oh’s” and “ah’s” and “wow’s.” ‘Cause otherwise, you know how they say men hate to ask directions? Well, you men won’t have to, because she’ll tell you exactly where to go! If you just say, “You look amazing,” the whole event will be much more pleasant for everyone.

The way it works is from the moment an event is imminent, the man basically never gives a second thought to his wardrobe or at best he figures he already has a suit in his closet he can wear. The woman is immediately struck by the blazing thought: “What am I going to wear?” And this is where an endless, all-consuming process begins!

Find, buy, borrow, make, create…

The way some people begin is by flipping through the pages of their memory. “Wasn’t there something someone wore recently that was hands down a ‘wow?’Maybe I can save myself all the aggravation and searching, and just

have something there they’ll like, but it’s a great start. If you are not among those blessed who know just where to go, it’s important to have a friend who is, and more importantly has not experienced that common malaise, a complete memory lapse. Because no matter

You can keep working on it – adding, cutting, trimming, redoing – as long as you have the time and patience. borrow it.” Then reality slowly seeps in – can they really grow eight inches and lose thirty pounds in the next three months?!

Second idea, hit the pavement. Go to the stores that carry the exciting dresses and gowns. The more blessed people know exactly where to head. It can be a boutique, a department store, or a hidden back entrance to someone’s home. Sometimes it’s conveniently local, others times it’s a schlep to Brooklyn or Manhattan. It’s not a sure thing they

how young someone is, the process of finding their fantastically striking outfit seems to burn out so many of their brain cells that only a unique few can actually recall where they got their dress from!

OK, once you find a store that has something you like, the dilemma rather than the solution is at hand. Can it be delivered in your time span, in the right color, size, and at one third the price of the sales tag?!

So we’ve arrived at the major question: To create or not to create, that is the question. Should you just go straight to some dressmaker and work with them on your masterpiece? Basically it’s the worst of all solutions in some

respects…

The price is too high. The amount of trips you need to make for fittings are endless. It doesn’t really match the picture you had in your head, anyway.

And if it does, it doesn’t match the picture you had in your head…once it’s on you! It comes out too long, too short, too tight, or “I just can’t explain what I don’t like about it…”

So why create it at all? Because you can keep working on it—adding, cutting, trimming, redoing—as long as you have the time and patience.

And when it’s finally done, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, and Van Cleef & Arpels can all go bury their heads in the sand because you’ve got the perfect dress for you! And maybe if someone is just your size, weight, and using your color scheme, for them too!

Just remember whatever you wear to a simcha, it’s a simcha and the real glow comes from within. So create away but don’t create any real aggravation for yourself—just create a wonderful and enjoyable event!

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

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In the Kitchen

1, 2, 3, 4, 5…DINNER IS SERVED Have dinner ready for your family in a snap with just five ingredients

Chicken Caesar Salad Ingredients 1 ½ bags romaine lettuce mix 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 cup bread croutons 1 package chicken cutlets, grilled Caesar dressing or make your own Preparation Once chicken cutlets are cooled, slice on the diagonal. Divide lettuce into 4-6 bowls.

Add tomatoes and chicken cutlets slices on top. Add dressing and mix well. Top with croutons. Serve immediately.

If you want to make your own dressing, here’s a great pareve Caesar salad dressing: Combine 1 ½ tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard with 2 TBS mayonnaise. Add ¼ cup olive oil in a steady stream. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Kielbasa and Potatoes Ingredients 3 large onions, sliced thickly 2 TBS soy sauce 1½ TBS balsamic vinegar 2 lbs kielbasa, sliced 2 lbs assorted baby potatoes, sliced thinly Chopped scallions, for garnish Preparation Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion slices with a pinch or two of salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes more, and transfer to a bowl.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and add a little more olive oil, along with the kielbasa and potato slices. Cook over mediumhigh heat for a couple minutes. Cover with a lid and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the fat from the kielbasa slices render and flavor the potatoes. Cook until the kielbasa is browned and the potatoes are tender. If they are cooking too quickly, add a splash of water. Once cooked, add the onions to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with chopped scallions. Serve warm.

Honey Mustard Salmon Ingredients 5 salmon fillets 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 TBS Dijon mustard 1 TBS honey ¼ tsp salt

Preparation In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the salmon. Place the fillets on a greased baking sheet. Spoon the mixture over the salmon. Broil in the oven for 8-12 minutes until salmon is cooked through and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with steamed asparagus and green beans.

Ingredients 4 fillet steaks or steak of your choosing 1 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced 1 cup dry red wine 2 tablespoons margarine or butter substitute 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary Preparation Heat a large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper

and a little olive oil. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done to your liking.

Transfer steaks to a serving platter; keep warm.

Add mushrooms to pan. Coat mushrooms with cooking spray; sauté 3 minutes or until browned. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates. Remove pan from heat; add margarine and rosemary, stirring until margarine melts. Pour sauce over steaks.

Homemade Tomato Sauce Ingredients 1 large onion, peeled, coarsely chopped 1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped 5 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped 2 TBS tomato paste Preparation In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Sauté onions and carrots for 2-3 minutes; reduce heat to medium and then cover and sweat the vegetables for about 25 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, stir well, cover and sweat for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Blend with immersion blender and then strain through a small-holed strainer into a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with spaghetti and cheese.

Chocolate Quesadillas Ingredients 1 package flour tortillas 1 package bittersweet chocolate chips Sliced strawberries, if using Cinnamon sugar Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation Heat skillet over medium heat. Lay tortilla flat on a paper. Cover half of the tortilla with chocolate chips, strawberries if using, and then with cinnamon sugar.

Fold in half. Place tortilla in skillet and then flip after 2-3 minutes, once golden brown. Remove from pan once both sides are golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then slice into wedges with a pizza wheel.

Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and then serve warm.

T hT He EJ eJ w d eAYc e 2m4b,e 2012 r 5 , 2013 E Wi sI ShHH Ho OmMe Enn M

Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

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Business Blog Danny Kay

I

Whoever Said “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” Never Tried to Sell One

didn’t make up the title of this article. It was a favorite saying of the CEO of a publishing house at which I used to work.

It is a statement whose truth is not limited to books, but applies equally to almost every item presented for sale to the public.

We can’t help it. We human beings are shallow and superficial and we tend to judge things by their outward appearances—even really important things whose appearance has nothing whatever to do with their value or function.

So while a book’s cover may seem to be of no intrinsic value, it is the first point of contact between the public and what’s contained in the book. And in that respect it is extremely valuable. A book cover, like the outside of a box of cereal or packaging for an iPhone, should give customers an idea of what to expect when they open the cover. But it can (and perhaps should) do more than that. The book cover or product package can help shape a customer’s perception of the product.

Think of it this way. An average guy is at a party and there are two unmarked shots of scotch on the tray.

One is from a $200 bottle and one is from a $30 bottle. Certainly he can tell that they taste different.

But, without visual cues like bottles and labels, can he tell which is which?

In his book, Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy gives this exact example. He posits the question of whether the average person in a blind test could determine which is the expensive liquor and which is not. His answer?

“Don’t make me laugh.”

And that was from a man who made a fortune advertising premium brands like Rolls Royce, Schweppes, Hathaway, Viyella and many more.

In other words, people desire the more expensive bottle because they believe it to be better. It’s irrelevant if there’s any factual basis for their belief. What matters is that the perception exists. And, more than that, the conditions fostering this belief were likely manufactured by design.

There’s nothing inherently “better” or “superior” about the more expen-

in a special glass? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the wine drinking experience is enhanced with the glass. It may not really taste different, but you enjoy it more. You perceive it to be better.

And yes, people will insist that it actually tastes better, because that is how they process the enhanced experience.

Can you tell which shot of scotch is of a ‘better’ brand?

Joshua Bell was ignored when he was playing in the subway but tickets to his concert a few days earlier were sold out

sive bottle. It’s a product whose value is completely built on a perception created by years of marketing.

Consider the following true story from January 2007.

A man sat at a Metro station in Washington, DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning.

He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This was part of an experiment organized by the Washington Post.

In a concert hall, he attracted sellout crowds. And yet, with the same talent and skill that won Mr. Bell a Grammy award and using a 3.5 million dollar Stradivarius violin, when transplanted into a Metro Station, Bell was completely ignored by the masses.

The same “wine,” but the public perceived it differently because it was served in a different “glass.”

So getting back to the original question, does the wine taste different

You Can Fool Some of the People Some of the Time...

This doesn’t work for every product group. For some items, there’s a level of objectivity to the user experience that simply cannot be overcome with sheer marketing bluster. Samsung can trumpet its smartphones as the greatest and best, but when people compare them side by side with iPhones, Samsung’s claims become tough to back up.

And then there are areas that, on the surface, seem to be clearly objective.

But because of the particular product and the skillful marketing of interested parties, they have been thrown into the fog of public opinion.

For example, nowadays, there is a burgeoning industry in the sale of wine glasses – different types of glasses for red or white wine or champagne. Purveyors of these goods insist that wine actually tastes better when imbibed from the proper vessel. They even have all kinds of pseudoscientific explanations of why their particular glasses work to enhance the flavor. (Look for lots of references to oxygenation, tannic balance and similar phrases.)

And people who are invited to sample wines from these glasses tend to agree that, yes, they do enhance the flavor. I’ve read articles in which the authors were originally skeptics, but later were convinced that there was “something” to these glasses.

So is there or isn’t there?

In the Eye of the Beholder As I stated above, this can be applied to many different types of products. If something is presented as upscale, it will be received that way.

Dress someone in rags with scraggly hair and an unshaven face, and people will think he’s a vagabond. Put him in a Brooks Brothers suit with a nice haircut and a shave, and he could pass for a lawyer.

Similarly, you can take a snack food, put it in a 1oz snack-size bag and sell it in a vending machine for .50¢.

But you can also take the same snack, wrap it in a fancy holiday “gift pack” and sell a 4oz package for $3.99 in a store like TJ Maxx or Marshalls. That’s twice the price of the vending machine version just because you changed it from a snack food into a gift. It’s all about perception.

Or here’s another example. Is a baseball game better when it’s viewed from a good seat in the park with a hot dog and a soda? You could watch it at home for a lot less money! But, as any fan knows, the experience is far better when you’re in the park.

So too with the products we are promoting: it’s all about the experience. It begins with the package (or possibly before) and continues when the product is opened and used.

And that experience can be shaped and refined to alter people’s perceptions in how they see your product and your brand.

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He’s worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500. He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

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classifieds Services Keyboard Lessons by Meshulam Ross Only $25 per Session Learn by Ear/Note Reading Free Trial Session Loads of Fun! Call or Text: 917-280-4545 Email: MeshulamRoss@Gmail.com Young man available for hire in Queens for all types of personal services.

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Contact smartcounseling@gmail.com "Kosher" Yoga & Licensed Massage Therapy The Peaceful Presence Yoga & Massage Studio 436 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst NY Separate for men & women Now women's aerobic, cardio-strength training and Tai Chi. www.peacefulpresence.com 516-371-3715 Looking to design/redecorate your home?

Call Tami Rosenbaum Interiors for a free consultation!

718-734-7452 or email: tamiroseinteriors@gmail.com HOME SERVICES & MAINTENANCE Plumbing Electricity repaired- replacedrelocated.

We do asssemblies- House problems solved. so put togeter your repair to do list and call Avrohom 917.744.1962 Fivetownsrentaguy@yahoo.com Experience Math Teacher Available to Tutor All subjects, algebra, geometry, Math A, Math B, Trigonometry, Calculus etc.

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B'haskamas Rabbonim there is a hebrew-speaking playgroup now forming for the 2014-2015 school year for 3 year olds. Please call 732-664-8874 or email:hebrewplaygroup2014@gmail.com to register as there are limited slots available.

LEARN TO LEAD A BEAUTIFUL DAVENING Do you love davening for the amud? Do you sometimes wish you could lead the Tsibbur but lack the knowledge and confidence to pull it off?

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Jewish Lower East Side Walking Tours given by licensed NYC tour guide specializing in the area. Once a bustling Jewish neighborhood with struggling immigrants. Come connect to your heritage and experience the gateway to “Di Goldneh Medinah”. Private, Group, School tours booking now. Appropriate for ages 10 and up. Call 516-652-4527 Experienced Certified Life Coach for Men only Call Chaim 516 924 7694 Photos 4 your Simcha Professional Photography and Video We love what we do and it shows in our work! Competitively priced!

Check out our website & specials. www.photos4yoursimcha.com or call Yaakov 718-868-1800 Hair Course Learn how to wash and style hair and wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009 Guaranteed cheapest prices on strollers and baby gear!

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BAYSWATER House for Sale 4 bedrooms 3 baths DR LR Full basement great block must see Yochi R.E. Salesperson WinZone Re 212-470-3856 other Listings avail House for Sale by owner in Cedarhurst Immaculate, 4BR, 2 bath home Eat-In Kitchen, New appliances, CAC, Hardwood floors, fireplace, heated basement All new systems, Double garage, beautiful area, walk to all. 589k Call 516-569-1056

Real Estate For Rent BAYSWATER House for rent 4 bedrooms 3 baths D/R L/R room EIK Full basement yard wash & dryer great block 1975 month Yochi WinZone Re 212-470-3856 other rentals available

Struggling with Shalom Bayis?

The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112 Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free So far very positive results BS’D!

3 bedroom 2 full bathroom house with extra room in basement. living room, dining room, laundry room, newly done kitchen with dishwasher and 2 sinks. huge backyard and driveway. corner of Virginia and Brunswick asking $2450 per month Available either Dec1 or Jan1 for more info please call 9178033019

Yiddish Home Study Program: The new book Yiddish in 10 Lessons along with 2 CD's has just been released to easily learn to read, write and speak the Yiddish language.

Call Chaim at 516 924 7694 or www.conversationalyiddish,com You can also sign up to receive a Free Weekly Taste of Yiddish

3 Bedrooms, 2 full Bathrooms, 2 Kitchen sinks, Dishwasher Washer/dryer, 2 Balconies, 3rd floor walk-up. Friendly, heimish block $1700/month, Available immediately For more information, please call 718-327-5153.

Real Estate For Sale Residential: 3bd/2full ba.

SD#15.

Full bsmt w/ sep outside entrance.

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Call 516-633-5564.

TJH CLASSIFIEDS Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Misc.

Ads here every Thurs.

Weekly classified ads

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Email ads to:

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Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Woodmere retail and office space for rent Main street location, will sub-divide, ground floor 2,500 sq.ft. plus basement. $3,900 per month 2nd floor 3,500 sq.ft. $4,400 per month Village Plaza 516-840-5124 For Rent on Frisco Ave Near Bnos Beis Yakov 2 bedroom Apt on 2nd floor Asking $1450, Available Jan 1 Call: 516-225 4558 HOUSE FOR RENT Far Rockaway EIK, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, screened porch, laundry room.

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Job Available Challenge Early Intervention Center Receptionist , FT for Queens Office, seeking mature, energetic, organized person with good computer skills and ability to multitask.

Good Compensation pkg.

Applicant living in close proximity to office preferred.

Fax Resume 718-261-3702 Or email cara.challenge2@thejnet.com Growing marketing firm seeks a male graphic designer to join its fresh and creative team.

Email portfolio to bigideasmarketing@yahoo.com

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Challenge Early Intervention Center Service Coordinator F/T Queens Location BA in Human Services or related field.

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Please e-mail your resumes to: Irine@ExpressFineJewelry.com or call: 212-768-9050.

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Email resume to writers613@gmail.com An embroidery store in New Hyde Park is seeking a front desk operator.

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Shaitel Macher in Far Rockaway Looking for a full time/part time assistance help] Job description: Helping wash and set shaitels- answer calls & set up appointments Please call 347-524-3864 F/T Marketing/ Admissions representative for a 200+ bed Nursing Facility. Candidate must have current affiliations with nearby hospitals, Dr.'s & Medical Representatives.

Must be experienced, personable & have knowledge in medical terminology. Please email resumes to nhjobs1@gmail.com A real estate investment & development firm in Brooklyn is looking for highly motivated and aggressive individuals to seek and bring in potential investment deals.

Will train the right individual Please forward your résumé at jobs@greenbuildersnyc.com or call at 516-250-5848.

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Business for Sale Online unique baby and mommy gifts 10k FB fans, 7k customers, Gross 45k big upside Serious Inquiries only 718 471 5614 Volunteer tutors desperately needed for Zichron Etel, a tutoring gemach that provides free tutoring to those who cannot afford it. Help needed in Brooklyn & the Five Towns.

Please contact Nina@ 516-791-6676 or zichronetel@aol.com

Misc.

Love your car?…Give it life Donate it to Yeshiva Fast, Free pick-up and towing Easy donation steps Maximum charitable tax deduction Free Vacation Voucher, 2 days/3nights CALL NOW! (718) 778-4766

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Far Rockaway House for rent 3 bedroom 2 full bathroom house with extra room in basement. Living room, dining room, laundry room, newly done kitchen with dishwasher and 2 sinks. Huge backyard and driveway.

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Asking $2450 per month Available either Dec1 or Jan1 for more info please call 9178033019 Apt for Rent. New to market, available immediately, beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath. Great location, Meehan and Beach 6th St. $1950 including heat.

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Gelt Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off Storewide*

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DIFFICULTIES EARNING A LIVING?

d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

Put your career on the proper course.

Today’s difficult financial climate has placed

an enormous burden on many families.

Realizing the need in our community, The Community Center of The Rockaway Peninsula is once again offering Adult vocational classes, which has completed its fifth year to much acclaim. The curriculum is designed to assist applicants in gaining and developing the necessary tools for employment in today’s volatile workplace.

COURSES INCLUDE:

REGISTER NOW! CLASSES START SOON! NOW OPEN TO ADULTS AGE 20 AND OLDER R Our graduates are actively being placed in the workforce!

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A Community Based Continuing Education Program CLASSES ARE NOW FORMING • COURSES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AT NO CHARGE

PLEASE CALL TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION 718-868-2300 EXT. 367 OR E-MAIL: BBAIDA@DARCHEI.ORG Located on the Campus of Yeshiva Darchei Torah | 257 Beach 17th Street | Far Rockaway, New York 11691 Funded by a grant from the NYC Dept. of Youth and Community Development.

PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE • CAREER TRAINING • PERSONAL SUCCESS

94 d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

Room for Design

Naftali Landau

Choosing the Right Wood Flooring

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I am thinking about replacing my worn out floors and carpeting in some of the rooms in my house with wood floors. What are the different types of wood floors I can use?

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Whether for a special area or your whole home, the look of wood flooring presents an unrivaled aesthetic. From classic and elegant to contemporary and casual, the tremendous variety in wood species, finishes and plank sizes present attractive options for just about every style and budget. Besides its natural good looks, wood flooring is a popular choice because it is relatively low-maintenance.

But all wood flooring solutions are not the same and some aren’t actually wood at all. Below are four of the most popular wood flooring and wood floor alternatives.

The first category of wood flooring is individual vinyl wood planks which come in sizes which replicate true hardwood flooring planks. Installation is very easy as some varieties are self-adhesive or others which simply click together.

A wide variety of highly realistic wood species looks are available and the vinyl wood planks are essentially waterproof and very durable. If budget is an issue, vinyl wood planks are likely your most affordable option.

Another category which is very popular right now especially after recent storms is laminate wood flooring.

Laminate wood floors are easy to clean and very scuff/scratch resistant. Printed photographs of various wood species beneath an extremely tough surface layer provide laminate with its authentic good looks. This type of floor is also easy to install and most importantly suitable for higher moisture areas. Laminate wood floors can be found in a wide array of styles and plank sizes so matching one to your unique style is fairly easy.

The next category of wood floors is the most popular and undeniably the most appealing which is, of course, solid wood flooring. Since oak is pretty abundant and relatively hard, it has been the most common wood flooring in general but many buyers today are opting for other species, with bamboo, hickory and maple among the most popular. Price

varies by species, plank size, thickness, and the grade of the wood. The wider the plank, the more expensive it will run, and the same goes for the thickness and grade of wood you choose. When choosing this type of wood for your home it is important to consider the hardness and thickness of the wood. Harder woods wear better and are less prone to scratches and other damage; the thicker the wood the more times it can be sanded and refinished.

A popular variation of the above types of floors that is gaining popularity lately especially in kitchens is wood tile flooring. Wood tiles are imprinted with the look of wood while offering the durability and easy maintenance of ceramic and porcelain tile. Well-suited for bathrooms, laundry areas, kitchens, and other areas that experience humidity and temperature changes, the wood tiles are available in common wood plank sizes and offer realistic textures including slip-resistant finishes. Since tile can be colder to the touch, you may want to consider radiant in-floor heating to give it more of the feel of a natural wood floor. Also since you are using tile and not actual wood, it important to take special care in selecting the grout color to make sure your finished product blends perfectly.

In summary, whichever type of wood flooring you pick the aesthetic look and feel of a wood floor is unmatched and can add a beautiful look to any room in your house. Each type of wood floor gives a unique look and function. With the many different styles to choose from you will have no problem finding one to match your specific style. Good luck.

Naftali Landau is owner and chief designer of Exclusive Cabinetry and Design and has been designing kitchens for the past 13 years.

For questions or ideas for future articles, he can be reached at 917-468-7693 or at naftalilandau@gmail.com

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Your Money Allan J. Rolnick CPA FIVE TOWNS M ARRIAGE INITIATIVE — Presents — A BRAND NEW

Shalom bayis hotline beginning thursday, august 2nd and then every sunday, tuesday and thursday night phone lines open from 10-11pm all calls are anonymous

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That’s a Lot of Gravy!

ack in 1621, a group of hardy wine, and liquor are even higher than on Pilgrims sat down for a three- food. Taxes make up 33% of the total day festival of thanksgiving to cost of a bottle of wine, 44% of the total celebrate surviving plague, starvation, cost of a case of beer, and even more for cold, scurvy, Indian attack, and all the the bourbon in Uncle Harry’s old fashother obstacles that made life in the ioned. “new world” so delightful. They feasted • What Thanksgiving would be on game birds, flint corn, venison, eels, complete without traveling over the rivshellfish, and native vegetables includ- er and through the woods? Here’s where ing beans, turnips, carrots, onions, and Uncle Sam really cleans up. Gas taxes pumpkins. (No butaverage 49.5 cents ter or flour, though, per gallon. If you’re which meant no traveling farther, pumpkin pie. And the taxes on a $376 aren’t you glad we average plane tickAren’t you glad remember them et include a $28.20 we remember now for turkey infederal excise tax, stead of eels?) a $3.90 flight segthem now for 242 years later, ment tax, a $4.50 turkey instead President Abraham passenger facility Lincoln proclaimed charge, and a $10 of eels? the first “official” “September 11 SeThanksgiving — curity Fee.” (That’s a national day of before you pay “Thanksgiving and even more to check Praise to our benificent Father who your bag, board early to snag space in dwelleth in the Heavens.” Since then, an overhead bin, or claim an extra three it’s become one of America’s favorite inches of legroom!) The hotel tax on an holidays, a four-day weekend of friends average $95.61 room runs $13.12. Oh, and family. and if you’re renting a car, plan on anYou know who else loves Thanks- other 13.21% tax there. Now you know giving? Our friends at the IRS, of why the IRS says “cha-ching” when you course. That’s because they get to stuff sing “to Grandmother’s house we go!”

All told, Uncle Sam and his colleagues in state and local tax departments take in $3.6 billion in Thanksgiving taxes. That’s enough to buy 165 million turkeys — enough to feed every man, woman, and child in America, with plenty left over for sandwiches.

This Thanksgiving season, you’re probably not setting a place at the table for Uncle Sam. We can’t do much about the tax you’ll themselves with taxes on everything pay on your celebration. But accounconnected with our celebration! tants can help you with the tax you’ll • Sales taxes on turkey and trim- pay on the income you earn to pay for it. mings pile up like calories on your plate. So don’t be a turkey — make sure to get The American Farm Bureau Federation the right plan now, and next year you’ll reports that the average 16-pound turkey really have something to give thanks will cost $21.76 this year. At an average for!

7.25% combined state and local sales tax, that makes $1.58 in tax for the bird alone. Throw in some potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Aunt Edna’s special Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in green bean casserole, and the obligatory practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. pumpkin pie, and the taxes alone could He welcomes your comments and can be feed a hungry diner any other day of the reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@ aol.com. year.

• Sales and excise taxes on beer,

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Sale valid 12/05/13 thru 12/11/13. Cash & Carry only. We reserve the right to limit quanitities on sale items. Not responsible for typographical errors. While supplies last. No rain checks.

ORDERS CAN BE EMAILED, FAXED, OR CALLED IN 1913 Cornaga Ave. • Far Rockaway • T. 718.471.7555 • F. 718.471.9102 • E. Kosherworldorders@yahoo.com

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d e c e m b e r 5 , 2013

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FIRST CHILD EE!ES FR FER EXPIR

The Schechter Family Presents...

OF

From My Private Art Collection Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg

12 /31/ 13

Botanical Art and its Origin

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Join the leaders in Passover Tours for our another great Pesach at this beautiful oceanfront resort!

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Our 19th spectacular year!

Directly on the beach Oversized NEWLY RENOVATED rooms many with terraces Poolside fitness center with sauna & steam room Children’s dining room Superb day camp program Private seder rooms available Glatt kosher, strict supervision Gourmet cuisine with renowned Chef Andy Serano Cantor led or private seders Sumptuous “Tea Room” Top name entertainment Trips to major attractions Golf, tennis, watersports nearby Poolside BBQ’s Olympic-size pool + kids pool 2 min. to upscale Aventura Mall Daily services, shiurim, lectures Scholar-in-Residence Program FOR RESERVATIONS CALL CARIBBEAN KOSHER TOURS:

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A

n interest in science and botany during the period of the Italian Renaissance is what brought about what we refer to today as botanical art. During this time in history, the nobility created magnificent gardens for their villas and palaces. Some of these gardens were in Florence.

They were created with all types of unusual plants, collected from all over the world. Most of these plant species were mysterious and caused much excitement and interest. Artists would use these plants as subjects to copy.

These artists created a genre of painting, which included floral motifs and fruits. They were used to create textiles, manuscripts and panels of paintings used for numerous decorative purposes.

These same plants were used as subjects for furniture designs, mosaics and embroideries.

The creation of botanical illustrations and paintings requires a tremendous amount of skill. The designs are detailed and intricate. It takes a tremendous amount of patience to produce watercolor and pencil masterpieces. Today, there are special societies for these botanical artists. The American Society of Botanical Artists is an example of an art society specializing in this type of artwork. Some artists meet in groups to practice their art, and some do their work with instruction online. This type of art takes a tremendous

amount of concentration.

Botanical art will add an enormous amount of charm to any room.

They are usually interesting and colorful, as they are descriptive pictures of a scientific subject.

The New York Botanical Gardens offers adult education classes on the topic.

Artists have come a long way since the Italian Renaissance. There are so many magnificent motifs which have been based on this subject, for use on upholstery, draperies, carpets, clothing, tablecloths, placemats, and patterns on china dishes, pottery, etc.

The combination of using botanical art, scientific observations and art techniques has proven to be successful.

Vintage botanical art can be found online and are quite beautiful. They are used on wall hangings, wallpaper and gift cards.

I am intrigued by the study of this type of art and am happy to share my thoughts with you.

If anybody has more information to share on this topic, please feel free to email me.

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg is a professional art educator, artist and designer.

Among her known artwork is a floral sculpture presented to Tipper Gore, Blair House, Washington, D.C. Presently she is the Director of Operations at Shulamith School for Girls. Please feel free to email nherzberg@ optonline.net with questions and suggestions for future columns.

Entire Resort Kosher for Pesach • Ashkenaz and Sefard Minyanim • 5-Star Culinary Experience, Daily

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• Lake and Golf Course Views

Discount Early Bird Special Reserve by January 1st

Winter

Day Trip

TuESdaY

dEC. 31, 2O13 with Guide

Hillel Brenner

Kever Binyamin - what’s he doing here in such close proximity to Kalkilya?

El Matan hilltop in Maaleh Shomron – A mixed community with amazing views of Nachal Kana Enjoy lunch in Yeshivat Hesder Karnei Shomron where you will also meet some inspiring local people Off to Har Grizim for an overlook of Shechem and Kever Yosef and be taken on a ride through time with the rich history here Learn about the smallest ethnic group in the world, the Samaritans, and visit remnants of their temple from 2,000 years ago at the newly reopened National Park Visit a Tehina factory which has won awards for its outstanding product End the day at the Har Bracha Winery

Avrohom Fried

thursday n i ght chol - ha moed

Sruli Wulliger

THurSdaY

brate e l e C the theArboreAl ArboreAlNew NewYeAr YeAr

JaN. 16, 2O14

with Guide eve harow inin thethe Shomron Shomron

First, we will visit the Zimmerman Farm in Itamar - home grown dried fruits, a dairy and more, all in a self sustaining energy environment Up the hill to the Melet Mill for flour, oil and honey.

Eretz Yisrael is desolate no more. Peek in at the cutting edge One Israel Funded security center keeping our farmers and their children safe.

See where Gideon may have 'threshed his wheat in a grape press' at Ofra of the Judges.

Enjoy a delectable home-made dairy lunch at Savta Chana's (Rav Dudkevitch) in Yitzhar.

also coming up...

MONdaY JaNuarY 20, 2O14 TuESdaY JaNuarY 21, 2O14 Trip departs from the Liberty Bell Parking Lot promptly at 8:30am and returns approximately 6:30pm.

Cost: $70 per adult / $60 per students in Israel or children under 12 FOr rESErVaTIONS & addITIONaL INFOrMaTION

Visit WWW.ONEISraELFuNd.OrG/daYTrIpS Email to daytrips@oneisraelfund.org or contact: IN uS: Ruthie Kohn 516.239.9202 x10 IN ISraEL: Rivkah Rybak 054.803.4853

In the afternoon we will honor the holiday by planting fruit trees in Eli, planning for the future even as we partake of the bounty of the Land End the day at the Gvaot Winery in Givat Harel, where creative blending and ongoing research have brought our new old industry back to life The cherry trees of modern Ofra; we’re way beyond the seven species.

For terms and conditions, please visit the website or contact our oFFice. itinerary subject to change as determined by security and weather considerations.

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pesach 2014

• Warm Yom Tov Atmosphere

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P A SSOVER FONTAINEBLEAU 2014

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103

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