Five Towns Jewish Home 09.30.22

Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel Visits the Community

High Honors for HALB Principal Mr. Richard Altabe

f you peek into the men’s section in shul on Yom Kippur, you glimpse a sea of white. With the men donning kittels, white yarmulkes, and talleism, there is an ethereal feeling to the crowds that gather together on that day, a group of angels beseeching their Creator for a good year.

On the Yomim Noraim, we specifical ly note that we are judged “k’vnei Ma ron.” There are numerous explanations to that phrase, but they all mean one thing: that we are judged as individuals. We pass before Hashem alone, with all of our flaws and foibles highlighted on these days.

And yet, when we gather together in shul, we physically come before Hash em as a group, hoping to blend with one another and merge our tefillos with our brothers’ and sisters’ prayers as they soar upwards to the One Above.

Regardless of the shul you daven in on Yom Kippur, there is a comfort in know ing that our tefillos are mingling with those of our fellow Jews. And there’s a certain dread in knowing that our ac

tions are being scrutinized and our er rors are being highlighted one by one.

It’s a sobering reminder. How many of us can withstand Hashem’s all-know ing magnifying glass? How many of us can survive when the Omnipotent reminds us of all our past misdeeds?

So perhaps, in our own way, as we don the snowy kittel on Yom Kippur, it is our way of trying to become one with the klal, hoping that when we are judged as one, Hashem will “overlook” our per sonal transgressions. We each look like the other; our physical appearances are covered in a white, clean slate. Our dif ferences are hidden, and only our pure ness of heart and our desire to be good are revealed. We come to Him together, as a nation, and beg Him for mercy. And we are showing Him that we are united, and that, too, is a zechus in and of itself.

May this Yom Kippur be a meaning ful day in which we unite to beg Hashem for a sh’nas chaim for us and for all of klal Yisroel.

Gmar chasima tova, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Contents

Aperture

The Divine

Popinsanity

Delving

PEOPLE

The

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HEALTH

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LIFESTYLES

Moshe

Daniel

Dear Editor,

Those attending the United Nations General Assembly could lead by exam ple, when it comes to global warming and climate change. Hundreds of heads of state, ambassadors, military attaches, and security personnel can give up lim ousines taking them to and from their embassy, hotel, or residency to the UN. These motorcades contribute to traffic gridlock and increase air pollution. Join several million New Yorkers by riding the subway or bus. Enjoy some fresh air and walk several blocks from any nearby subway or bus stop. Mingle with ordi nary citizens to develop a better under standing of America and its people. If Congestion Pricing kicks in next year, they should not be exempt. This includes any police, FBI or other law enforcement escorts whose vehicles should be billed to whomever they have been assigned to protect.

Sincerely, Larry Penner, Great Neck, NY

Dear Editor,

As the new year is here, I think that it is the right time for people to start with a new slate. It is said that if we let go of our grievances and our anger, then Hashem will show us mercy.

comment to you. Most of these slights are not intentional. And even if they were, it is time to come clean and release all that anger that you have towards one another.

Let us make this year a year of sha lom. If you have someone who you feel slighted you in some way, make them a cake, bring it over to them, and wish them a good yom tov. You’ll automatical ly feel better towards them – and you will be showing the Ribbono Shel Olam that you can go above and beyond your anger and hurt and rise above it.

In that zechus, Hashem should bring shalom and happiness and only good things to you and to our entire commu nity!

A Five Towns Resident

Dear Editor,

I read Rabbi Sebrow’s article “G-dBased Morals Bucket List” and can’t agree with him more.

Nowadays, when the world seems to have gone mad, it’s so comforting to have a moral compass that we know will nev er change or deviate or one day say that what used to be considered immoral is now “moral.”

When the world gets crazy, I become more and more certain and happy with the life that we live.

Jewel-Tone Farro 98

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 86

Many times, when we live in a com munity or on a block, there are times that misunderstandings or miscommunica tions can come up and people will feel slighted from one another. Yes, it’s hurt ful that you weren’t invited to a celebra tion or a meal or if someone made a snide

That’s an important lesson for the Yo mim Noraim: we should be proud of our way of life and be proud of the opportu nity we were given to be a Light Unto the Nations.

Rivka Herman

Page 108 in our Rosh Hashana issue may have contained a word of shaimos. Please consult with your rav to determine how to properly dispose of this page. We regret the inconvenience.

Hungry

by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 119

HUMOR

Centerfold 64

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE

Notable Quotes 102

What If the United States Loses the AI Race Against China? by David Ignatius 109

Biden Should Study the Cuban Missile Crisis by David Ignatius 108

Biden Reset U.S. Policy on Defending Taiwan by Marc A. Thiessen 110

If the Pandemic Is “Over” by Marc A. Thiessen 106

CLASSIFIEDS

Dear Editor, Chani Sussman is right. In her letter this week, she writes that “parents need to close the purse.”

This is a good lesson for parents with children of all ages. Don’t think that if you give and give and give material items you are a better parent. A good parent gives to their children in many ways – materi ally but also emotionally. And they give of

their time and their understanding.

With younger children and with older children, parents can be giving in many, different ways and can also know when to step back and let their children fend for themselves.

If parents step back with confidence, then the parents will be happy and their children will become more self-suffi cient, confident people.

Tamara Gooden

Western Nations Tackle Migrant Issue

U.S. officials and representatives of more than a dozen countries in the Western Hemisphere gathered at the White House this week amid concerns over mass migration in the region.

Monday’s meeting was a follow up to the Summit of the Americas in June when 21 Western Hemisphere nations signed onto an agreement, dubbed the Los Angeles Declaration.

Under the declaration, govern ments are expected to commit to ex panding temporary worker programs, bolstering legal pathways like refugee resettlement and family reunification, providing support to countries hosting large migrant populations, and crack ing down on human smuggling net works.

National security adviser Jake Sul livan and homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, among other White House officials, met with the representatives of 19 countries at the White House to iron out the implemen tation of that declaration and appoint a special coordinator for each country, according to the senior administration official.

“This was another building block,” the senior administration official said. “We agreed collectively on a set of what we’re calling action packages, or plans of action, that focus on specific priori ties such as labor mobility, refugee re settlement, return and reintegration, working with financial institutions on stabilization, temporary protected sta tus and regularization.”

Ecuador is one country that has seemed to follow through with its com mitments, setting up a process for Vene zuelans who have moved to the country.

Canada also has followed through, announcing efforts to support dis placed people and their host countries, along with Guatemala, which disman tled a transnational human smuggling organization.

There is a definite need for West ern Hemisphere nations to work to gether to stem the overwhelming flow of migrants in the hemisphere. The U.S.-Mexico border has seen a sharp rise in migrants coming from Vene zuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, marking a shift from previous years where of ficials mostly encountered migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Sal vador.

Officials on Monday spoke about the move of Venezuelans within the hemisphere.

Shinzo Abe State Funeral

In July, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan was assassinated during a campaign speech. This week, the country bid farewell to their leader in an elaborate state funeral.

More than 4,300 guests attend ed the service at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, including foreign dig nitaries such as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Abe’s ashes were carried into the venue, where the government played a video tribute honoring his life and career. Prime Minister Fumio Kishi da then delivered a memorial address, praising Abe’s “courage” and dedica tion.

Other ceremonial rites on the pro gram include an honor guard, gun sa lute, and musical performances, before a government reception for visiting foreign dignitaries.

Thousands lined the streets to pay respects to Abe. Still, many others pro tested in the streets throughout Tokyo. The protests grew tense at times, with several loud confrontations and scuf fles between demonstrators and police.

Abe’s state funeral comes as the coun try grapples with rising inflation and an ger stemming from revelations that half of Japan’s ruling party members had ties with the controversial Unification Church, which has faced backlash over fundraising practices.

Some critics have also pointed to Abe’s more unpopular policies while in office as a reason for the shift in mood and questioned why so much taxpay

er money is going to the state funeral –which will cost some $12 million (1.66 billion yen) – at a time of acute economic strain.

Abe held office for two separate terms, during which he transformed Japan’s se curity posture, raising questions over the country’s status as a pacifist nation, and passed a major security legislation in 2015 that expanded what Japan could do militarily to support the U.S.

He also was a prominent figure on the world stage.

Abe’s suspected killer, Tetsuya Ya magami, had targeted the former prime minister because he believed Abe’s grandfather – another former Japanese leader – had helped the expansion of a religious group he held a grudge against. Since then, discontent has grown against the Unification Church.

More Catholics Than Protestants in N. Ireland

For the first time, Catholics outnum ber Protestants in Northern Ireland, cen sus figures released on Thursday show — confirmation of a long-anticipated but still striking shift with implications for the region’s future.

The result could intensify debate, at an already politically fraught moment, about the region seceding from the Unit ed Kingdom and reunifying Ireland, but experts have also cautioned against equating religion with political affilia tion.

“With Catholics coming out now in the plurality, that really is quite signif icant because of the grounds on which Northern Ireland was created to begin with,” said Katy Hayward, a professor of politics at Queen’s University, Belfast. “But I would immediately point to the dangers of reading political opinions on top of that.”

According to the census numbers, some 45.7% of Northern Ireland’s pop ulation is or was raised Catholic, while 43.5% are Protestant or raised in another Christian religion. Since the formation of Northern Ireland — which remained part of the United Kingdom when the island was partitioned in 1921, while the larger part of the island became an independent Irish state — Protestants have outnum bered Catholics.

Those who identified as currently reli gious were lower, with Catholics making up 42.3% of the population, Protestants making up 37.3%, other religions 1.3%, and 17.4% indicating “no religion,” point ing to an increasingly secular population.

“It changes the balance, more than a hundred years after Northern Ireland was engineered deliberately to have a Protestant majority,” said Theresa Reidy, a professor of political scientist at Uni versity College Cork. “It probably moves the conversation on Irish unity a little bit closer, but there is still a good deal that would need to change.”

The Good Friday Agreement, a key

1998 peace accord between the Brit ish and Irish governments and political parties in Northern Ireland, does have provisions for a referendum to potential ly reunify the island, though it does not detail how that would work.

But the shifting demographics do ex istentially undermine the rationale be hind Northern Ireland’s creation a cen tury ago, when religion was considered a reliable indicator of support for either continued British rule or for a united, independent Ireland. (© The New York Times Company)

Italy’s Far-Right Leader

leader will be leading the most far-right government since the fascist era of Benito Mussolini.

Addressing the media and supporters in the early hours of Monday morning, Meloni said it was “a night of pride for many and a night of redemption.”

“It’s a victory I want to dedicate to everyone who is no longer with us and wanted this night,” she said. “Starting tomorrow we have to show our value … Italians chose us, and we will not betray it, as we never have,” she said.

Preliminary results put an alliance of far-right parties, led by Meloni’s ul traconservative Brothers of Italy party, on track to win at least 44% of the vote, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.

Meloni entered Italy’s crowded polit ical scene in 2006 and co-founded the Brothers of Italy in 2012, a party whose agenda is rooted in Euroskepticism and anti-immigration policies.

In the last election in 2018, the party won just 4.5% of the vote, but its popular ity has soared in recent years.

been steadfast in her support for defend ing Ukraine.

Sunday’s snap national election was triggered by party infighting that saw the collapse of Prime Minister Mario Dra ghi’s government in July.

School Shooting in Russia

On Monday, a gunman opened fire in a school in central Russia, killing 17 peo ple and wounding 24 others before kill ing himself.

The shooting took place in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow in the Udmurtia region.

The gunman was identified as 34-year-old Artyom Kazantsev, a gradu ate of the school. Authorities say he was wearing a black t-shirt bearing “Nazi symbols.” He had been a patient at a psy chiatric facility.

registered with the authorities.

A criminal probe into the incident has been launched on charges of multi ple murder and illegal possession of fire arms.

Izhevsk, a city of 640,000, is located west of the Ural mountains in central Russia.

Canada Easing Covid Restrictions

Giorgia Meloni is now Italy’s first fe male prime minister. But that’s not her only distinction. The Brothers of Italy

Meloni differs from her coalition partner leaders on the issue of Ukraine. Whereas her two other partners have both said they would like to review sanc tions against Russia because of their im pact on the Italian economy, Meloni has

Of those killed in the attack eleven were children. Twenty-two other chil dren were wounded.

Russia’s National Guard said Kazant sev used two non-lethal handguns adapt ed to fire real bullets. The guns were not

As of October 1, Canada will be eas ing certain Covid restrictions. As of Sat urday, it will no longer be required by the Canadian government to wear masks on planes.

The nation is also dropping the vac cine requirement for people entering the country at the end of the month.

Fully vaccinated international trav

18 elers had been allowed to enter Canada since September 7, 2021. Unvaccinated citizens and permanent residents were permitted to enter the country but had to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The news comes at a time when many other places, including Japan and Hong Kong, are lifting travel restrictions. The United Arab Emirates is dropping mask requirements in public places, with the exception of medical facilities, mosques and public transportation, according to a Monday report from the official Emirates News Agency.

Dubai’s airport, the world’s busi est for international travel, was forced to ground all passenger flights when it, along with other U.A.E. airports, closed for eight weeks at the start of the pan demic in 2020. Unlike the capital city of Abu Dhabi, however, Dubai reopened to travelers soon after and did not require proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter most places, which landed it on the “do not travel” lists of the U.K., U.S., and many other countries for much of last year.

The global tally of confirmed cases of Covid-19 topped 615.6 million on Mon day, while the death toll rose above 6.53 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads the world with 96.1 million cases and 1,056,862 fatalities.

Canadian officials gave Canada’s high vaccination rate as the reason the Covid restrictions are being eased. More than 85% of Canadians have received two vac cine doses.

Putin’s Draft Order

Lines by the border are hundreds of cars long. Thousands of vehicles slowly edge towards the exit, with able-bodied men hoping to leave the country with their lives.

Putin’s mobilization order last week shocked millions of Russians who’d previously been largely shielded from the realities of the Kremlin’s seven-monthlong war in Ukraine. While Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said it would affect only 300,000 out of 25 million reservists, the call-up sparked a rush to leave the country as reports piled up of men being drafted who were officially exempt.

for flights Thursday from Moscow to Ar menia’s capital, Yerevan, and Georgia’s Tbilisi. Tickets to Moscow from Yerevan were going for about $240.

The panic intensified as rumors swirled that the Kremlin may close the borders for conscription-age men af ter annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine following staged referendums that ended Tuesday. Authorities in Moscow won’t issue passports to men who’ve received call-up papers, a government information portal reported on Wednesday.

President Vladimir Putin’s draft or der last week has led to at least 200,000 Russians fleeing the country to evade mobilization in the army.

While Russia hasn’t released official data, statistics from Georgia, Kazakh stan and the European Union showed the scale of the departures. The total is likely an underestimate as other nearby coun tries popular with Russians including Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey haven’t disclosed arrival figures.

Data from police and border officials showed 98,000 Russians entered Ka zakhstan and 53,000 crossed into Geor gia since September 21, when Putin an nounced the call-up, while about 100,000 left the two countries for other destina tions. The European Union reported last Tuesday that 66,000 Russians entered the bloc in the past week, up 30% on a week earlier, with most crossing the land borders into Finland and Estonia. About 41,000 Russian nationals left the EU for Russia in the same period.

For those who want to fly out of Rus sia, it’s costly. Travel websites were of fering economy tickets for about $3,000

Countries bearing the brunt of the refugees are feeling overwhelmed. Oppo sition groups in Kazakhstan and Georgia railed against the influx of people fleeing Russia, denouncing Russians as former colonizers who represented a potential security risk. In Georgia, many drew comparisons on social media between columns of Russian tanks that crossed the border in the 2008 war, which result ed in Moscow’s troops remaining in two breakaway territories, and the current rush of men seeking to avoid conscription into that army. Georgia, like Ukraine, as pires to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a move Russia opposes.

According to Ukraine, more than 57,000 Russians have been killed in the

Deadly Cholera Outbreak in Syria

control in 2013, reported 16 additional deaths. Aid officials said thousands of others are believed to have contracted cholera in the country’s first major out break in years.

“The outbreak of cholera threatens more misery for hundreds of thousands of Syrians already at risk from hunger, conflict and the coming winter,” said Tanya Evans, Syria director for the Inter national Rescue Committee. “A decade of conflict has left the health care system in Syria extremely fragile and severely un der-resourced, making it much harder to mobilize a response to any potential epidemics.”

by feces or by eating food grown or pre pared with contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, which, if left untreated, can result in fatal dehy dration.

Years of drought in Syria coupled with extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure have left millions of Syr ians short of clean water and lacking ac cess to basic health care.

Skytrax, a UK-based airline and air port review and ranking site, conducted more than 14 million customer surveys in more than 100 countries between Sep tember 2021 to August 2022 to find out the world’s current favorite airline.

A deadly cholera outbreak has been spreading in northern Syria over the past two weeks in areas where millions of people displaced by the country’s long civil war are suffering from a lack of clean water and health care, according to aid organizations that have warned of another potential humanitarian crisis.

Save the Children said data provided by the Syrian government indicated there had been 23 cholera-related deaths this week. Health authorities in the auton omous region of northeast Syria, which broke away from Syrian government

After 11 years of war, roughly 7 mil lion Syrians are internally displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid. The United Nations has said it expects almost two-thirds of the Syrian population to face food shortages this year, partly be cause of increased prices linked to the war in Ukraine and a drop in funding for Syrian aid operations.

The humanitarian aid department of the European Commission warned this week of a high risk that the disease could spread further through displaced per sons camps in northern Syria.

Cholera is highly contagious and caused by drinking water contaminated

The Syrian Health Ministry two weeks ago declared a cholera outbreak in the northern province of Aleppo after reporting nine deaths throughout the country, most of them in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Deir el-Zour. It said more than 900 cases of severe acute diarrhea had been reported. (© The New York Times Company)

Qatar Airways is King

Want to know which airline rules the skies?

Qatar Airways once again takes the cake as the top airline in the world.

On Friday, industry leaders gathered in London for the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022.

This year’s winner was no stranger to the podium. The newly crowned Qatar Airways has won the top prize a total of seven times since the awards were intro duced in 1999. The Qatari flag-carrier also scooped up eight more gongs on Fri day, including Best Business Class, Best Business Class Seat, and Best Business Class Lounge Dining. That’s going to be a lot to bring back through hand luggage.

Just two months ago, the carrier took the No.1 slot in AirlineRatings.com’s ranking of the world’s best airlines.

Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, thanked his “incredible employees” for “their continued dedi cation and drive” and said that “to win

these awards in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary is even more rewarding.”

What’s the service to Qatar’s nev er-ending winning streak? According to Al Baker, “Consistent service, consistent product, consistent attention to passen gers, and absolute dedication from every one that works in the airline.”

Singapore Airlines, the world’s new No. 2 carrier according to Skytrax’s sur vey, also won nine awards, including Best Cabin Staff, Best First Class, Best First Class Seat, and Best First Class Catering.

UAE flag-carrier Emirates nabbed third place and was also awarded for Best Inflight Entertainment, Best Economy Class, Best Economy Class Catering, and Best Premium Economy Class Seat.

Japan’s ANA (All Nippon Airways) came in at No. 4 and was also named World’s Cleanest Airline in addition to four other awards.

Australian airline Qantas came in fifth in the survey of more than 350 airlines, conducted in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese languages.

Delta Air Lines was the top U.S. air line, while Turkish Airlines was the top carrier in Europe, taking home four awards including the highly competitive Best Airline in Europe title.

Ryanair surprised most people by tri umphing for the first time this year; the Irish airline claimed the crown for the Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe.

Russia to Supply Food to Taliban

She added, “This is another example of the failed sanctions policy pursued by the Biden Administration. The sanctions have not changed Putin’s behavior in nine years; they never will.”

Russia will send Afghanistan two million tons of wheat, a million tons of gasoline and diesel, and 500,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas annually at a discount compared to global commodity prices, according to a Reuters report this week.

The deal represents the first major international agreement the Taliban has struck since regaining power in Afghan istan last year, with most governments around the world refusing to offer the group official recognition until the coun try improves its record on human rights.

Russia does not officially recog nize the Taliban government but is one of the few countries that kept its embassy in Kabul open after U.S. forces left and Tal iban forces swept across the country and retook its capital.

The agreement comes at a time of economic crisis for both countries, with Russia facing a limited market of buyers for its energy exports amid American and Western sanctions in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Afghanistan’s economy has deterio rated significantly since the Taliban take over, with most of the country’s popula tion living below the poverty line while the Taliban government struggles with sanctions and the lack of development aid the country enjoyed under its West ern-supported government.

“Afghans are in great need,” acting Afghan Commerce and Industry Minis ter Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters. “Whatever we do, we do it based on na tional interest and the people’s benefit.”

Russia will now be supplying the Tal iban with gas, diesel, and wheat, selling the products to the leaders of Afghani stan at a discounted rate.

“The deal will provide Russia with additional export earnings, undermining Washington’s efforts to weaken Russian economy, in false hopes to compel Putin to stop his war on Ukraine,” Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and the author of “Putin’s Playbook: Rus sia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America,” told Fox News Digital.

The Soviet-Afghan War, which took place from 1979 until 1989, resulted in the victory of the Mujahideen against the military occupation of the Soviet Union. The United States had supported the Mu jahideen against the Soviets in a byprod uct of the Cold War. In the aftermath, a civil war in Afghanistan eventually re sulted in the Taliban’s first takeover of the country in 1996.

Iranian Drone Hits Kurds in Iraq

At least nine people were killed and 32 others were wounded when an Irani an drone bombing campaign targeted the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq on Wednesday.

The strikes took place as demonstra tions continued to engulf the Islamic Re public after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality po lice. She died in police custody. Protests have been taking place accross 46 cities in Iran. At least 41 protesters have been killed by police so far.

teer force, were injured by “machete and knife” in the unrest. Hasanzadeh also said rioters broke the skull of one of the Basij members. He added that five Basijis are hospitalized in intensive care.

In Baghdad, three Katyusha rockets landed in the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday as legislators gathered in parliament, the Iraqi mili tary said in a statement.

Earlier, legislators voted to renew their confidence in Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi, rejecting his res ignation request. Halbousi was originally elected a candidate by parliamentarians backed by populist Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr’s 73 lawmakers resigned last June to protest a political deadlock.

tinely, and with impunity, violate its sov ereignty.”

“Rocket diplomacy is a reckless act with devastating consequences,” the U.N. agency said.

Nord Stream Pipeline Breaks Look Deliberate

were already caught up in the conflict over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, send ing swirling streams of methane to the surface of waters off Denmark and Swe den. Top Polish and Ukrainian leaders blamed Moscow, while Russian state me dia suggested U.S. or Ukrainian involve ment.

“It’s hard to imagine that it’s acciden tal,” Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, told reporters while on a trip to Poland to open a new undersea pipeline that will carry Norwegian gas –a judgment echoed by officials in several countries.

Iran’s attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers (35 miles) east of Irbil, said Soran Nuri, a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. The group, known by the acronym KDPI, is a leftist armed opposition force banned in Iran.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and broadcaster said the country’s Rev olutionary Guard targeted bases of a sep aratist group in the north of Iraq with “precision missiles” and “suicide drones.”

Gen. Hasan Hasanzadeh of the Revo lutionary Guard said 185 Basijis, a volun

It was the first time lawmakers met after al-Sadr’s followers stormed the parliament building in July, effectively delaying the government formation pro cess.

The zone, also home to the U.S. Em bassy in Iraq, is a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks that the United States blames on Iran-backed Iraqi mili tia groups.

The United Nations Assistance Mis sion for Iraq said in a tweet that the country cannot be treated as “the re gion’s “backyard” where neighbors rou

Explosions under the Baltic Sea and the rupture of major natural gas pipe lines from Russia to Germany appeared to be a deliberate attack, officials across Europe said Tuesday, deepening uncer tainty about European energy security amid soaring prices and fears of running short of fuel over the winter.

Three separate leaks erupted from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which

On Tuesday evening, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, called the incident “apparent sabotage” in a tweet, only hours after the White House press secretary had de clined to say whether the United States thought the pressure loss was deliberate or accidental.

Sullivan wrote that he spoke to his “counterpart Jean-Charles Eller mann-Kingombe of Denmark about the apparent sabotage of Nord Stream pipe lines.”

“The U.S. is supporting efforts to in vestigate, and we will continue our work to safeguard Europe’s energy security,” he wrote.

Swedish seismologists reported de tecting the underwater explosions Mon day, and pipeline monitors registered a swift drop in the conduits’ pressure. Lat er, patches of sea surface in the same ar eas as the explosions began roiling with dangerously combustible gas, forcing shipping to steer clear. Several countries said they were investigating the cause.

The apparent attack had no immedi ate effect on European energy supplies; Nord Stream 2 has never gone into ser vice, and Nord Stream 1 has been shut down since August. But it raises the stakes — and European jitters — in a simmering energy war between Russia and the West prompted by the invasion of Ukraine. Repairs could take up to several months, experts say.

The CIA delivered a vague warning in June to several European nations, in cluding Germany, that the Nord Stream pipelines could be attacked, according to several senior U.S. officials. They de clined to say whether that warning iden tified Russia as a possible attacker and said they had reached no conclusion about who was responsible for the inci dents Monday. (© The New York Times Company)

who carried out a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv earlier this year, and Mu hammed Alownah.

Israeli troops had surrounded the home belonging to the family of Ra’ad Hazem, the terrorist who opened fire on April 7 on patrons at the Ilka bar on Diz engoff street in Tel Aviv, killing three.

The gunmen hiding in the building set off a large bomb as troops attempted to enter the home.

“Hazem and Alownah were killed in the exchange of fire,” police said, adding that troops seized an assault rifle from one of the gunmen.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry said another two people were killed in the clashes, and 44 others were hurt, including several listed in serious condition.

A local wing of the Palestinian Islam ic Jihad terror group said its members opened fire at troops near the Hazem family home.

Wednesday’s raid came amid rising violence in the West Bank, particularly in its north.

Firefighters Battle Large Fires

Deadly Raid in Jenin

Firefighters were battling several large fires on Wednesday that broke out in northern Israel and just outside Jeru salem.

A raid this week in Jenin targeted two terrorists who had been responsible for a series of shooting attacks in the past few months, including one that target ed a Defense Ministry engineering ve hicle working along the northern West Bank security barrier earlier this month. The duo had been planning more attacks in the near future.

During the raid on Wednesday morn ing, four Palestinians were killed as po lice attempted to capture Abd al-Rah man Hazem, the brother of a terrorist

More than thirty teams and an aerial firefighter were dispatched to the Upper Galilee as fires broke out near Kibbutz Manara and the city of Kiryat Shmona, according to a statement issued by the Fire and Rescue Authority.

According to the Fire and Rescue Authority, the firefighting teams were concentrating their efforts on preventing the “large-scale” blazes from reaching populated areas in Manara and Kiryat Shmona.

Firefighters were also called to the site of a blaze just outside Jerusalem.

A brushfire broke out near Mesilat Zion, not far from Latrun, outside Jeru salem, the authority said in a statement.

While the blaze was still not under

control as of Wednesday afternoon, there was no danger of the flames reach ing nearby towns, the authority said.

Last month, a large wildfire broke in the Ben Shemen forest, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Two days later, a forest fire outside the city of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusa lem, prompted the evacuation of homes in a nearby agricultural community.

Israel experiences long, hot, and dry summers, with conditions ripe for wild fires.

In Europe, a summer heatwave trig gered devastating forest fires across southwest Europe during July, including in France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece, forcing mass evacuations in several ar eas.

Shaked to Expel Terrorist’s Family

accordance with the Law on Entry into Israel.

According to Shaked, “While these things apply to any illegal resident, in this case it is particularly important to remove them immediately in order to achieve the purpose of the decision and the verdict – to deter potential terrorists from committing similar acts.”

Free Trade Between Israel and S. Korea

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked wants to expel the family of a terrorist from their home in Jerusalem. She is sued an official notice this week to the family members of the terrorist who murdered four soldiers in the Armon Hanatziv, saying that their status has been revoked and they must leave their home in Jerusalem in the coming week. The terrorist had rammed his vehicle into a crowd in 2017; he was killed by security forces during the attack. Seven teen others were injured in the ramming.

Shaked also informed Public Secu rity Minister Omer Barlev that police forces must be prepared to enforce the deportation by force if the terrorist’s rel atives do not leave on their own by Octo ber 6, 2022.

“As long as those in question do not comply with this obligation, the Israel Police will act to implement the decision in accordance with the provisions of the law, priorities and operational needs,” Barlev clarified.

The seven members of the family whose status was revoked have no legal reason to stay in Israel, and as long as they remain in Israeli territory, they are staying illegally and must be deported in

A free-trade agreement between Is rael and South Korea is set to take effect on December 1, after the parliament in Seoul gave it final approval on Tuesday.

“This is significant good news for Israel’s relations with South Korea, one of the leading economies in the world and an important trade partner for Is rael,” Economy Minister Orna Barbi vay noted.

The Economy Ministry estimates that the value of the agreement to the Israeli market will be NIS 500 million each year and that it will lower the price of Kia and Hyundai cars, food products, toys, video-game consoles and more.

“Israeli exporters will enjoy easier conditions and a competitive advantage, and I expect that additional importers will recognize the potential and increase imports to Israel in quantity and variety of products,” Barbivay said.

The free-trade agreement will be Israel’s first with a country in East Asia. South Korea has 18 free-trade agreements, including with the U.S., EU, India, and China.

Jerusalem and Seoul finished negoti ating the agreement in May 2021.

The agreement will exempt more than 95% of Israeli exports to South Korea from duty, making Israel more competitive in the Korean market in areas such as electronic equipment, machines, fertilizers, medical supplies, cosmetics, plastic products, metals, fruit juices, wine and more.

Trade between Israel and South Ko rea reached $3.5 billion in 2021, a 35% increase from the previous year.

EHK Calls for Freeze of NIS 30M Transfer to Reform

Diaspora and the Panim organization to establish a so-called “Office of Jewish Renewal,” which was approved from coalition funds of the Labor Party.

As readers may recall, several weeks ago, an in-depth investigation was conducted by journalist Kalman Libeskind in the Ma’ariv newspaper, revealing that the procedure for establishing the Office of Jewish Renewal in collaboration with the Panim organization was carried out in an improper manner, raising suspicion of improprieties. Libeskind highlighted the involvement of MK Gilad Kariv in the project, raising serious questions about the approval of the project.

that was signed when the Labor faction entered the government. MK Kariv, who previously served as the chairman of the Reform movement in Israel, promoted the introduction of the clause and took an active role in its approval in the state budget for 2022. However, it has emerged that the money was allocated to the Panim organization, in which MK Kariv was involved as an executive committee member.

MK Kariv’s connections with Panim did not prevent him from dealing with the budget, as illegal as that is.

that the project be frozen. After the ombudsman’s response was not forthcoming, Rabbi Lerner, on behalf of Eretz HaKodesh, appealed to the Supreme Court, asking for a freeze on the project and for there to be an emergency session to examine the disturbing revelations related to this project.

The chairman of the Eretz Hako desh movement, Rabbi Pesach Lern er, called upon the Israeli Supreme Court to place an immediate hold on the transfer of NIS 30 million to the Re form movement.

Rabbi Lerner, on behalf of the Eretz HaKodesh organization, recently filed an urgent petition to the Israeli Supreme Court for an immediate freeze of the transfer of funds to a joint venture of the Ministry of

The Ma’ariv investigation enumerated questions surrounding the transfer of NIS 30 million to the Panim organization, of which MK Kariv served as a member, and the fact that the Diaspora Ministry did not hesitate in any way to transfer tens of millions of shekels without a bidding process as required by law, without criteria, to an entity that has no serious financial management or organizational experience.

The establishment of the Office of Jewish Renewal and the budgeting of the project are the implementation of a clause in the coalition agreement

A few days after the publication of the investigation, Libeskind revealed that even before the Ministry of Diaspora approved the project, the deputy legal counsel to the Ministry of Justice forwarded to the ombudsman of Knesset a statement highlighting the legal difficulty of carrying out the project without governmental approval for the Ministry of Diaspora to proceed. The ombudsman clarified that as the project’s budget increases, there is even greater difficulty providing legal basis for the decision.

Following these disturbing findings, a number of Knesset members, along with Rabbi Lerner, appealed to the ombudsman, demanding

Rabbi Lerner’s petition explains the concern over the attempt to distribute public coalition funds, in the tens of millions of shekel, transferring them in a circular way to a private association that is connected to a Knesset member, who actually dictated the distribution of said funds.

This is corrupt, dishonest, and contrary to the law, averred Rabbi Lerner.

Rabbi Lerner further stated in the explanatory notes of his petition that Eretz HaKodesh, as an international movement that works to strengthen the Jewish identity of Jews around the world, considers itself a worthy candidate to participate in activities that are carried out in the field of Jewish renewal, including the activities that fall under the umbrella of the Office of Jewish Renewal established by the Ministry of

Diaspora and the Panim organization.

“In light of all this,” concluded Rabbi Lerner, “we are asking for an immediate freezing of the transfer of funds.”

As of this moment, the Israeli Su preme Court has given those involved in the transfer of those funds ten days to re spond to the complaint.

– no small ask in a state with a large elderly population, some of whom have to be moved from long-term care cen ters.

Florida has around 6 million resi dents over the age of 60, according to the state’s Department of Elder Affairs – nearly 30% of its total population.

Schools, supermarkets, theme parks, hospitals and airports have an nounced closures. The Navy moved its ships, and the Coast Guard has shut down ports.

Hurricane Ian Threatens FL

LinkedIn Ran Social Experiments On 20 Million Users

Hurricane Ian, now an “extremely dangerous” storm that is threatening to inflict “catastrophic winds and rain” onto southwestern Florida, has already been pummeling the state with winds of 155 mph.

The storm is expected to make land fall near Fort Myers on Wednesday afternoon. Experts are predicting an “historic” storm surge of up to 16 feet that could even flatten coastal homes. Electricity is expected to be lost in cer tain areas.

In places where it’s not safe to evac uate, officials are telling residents to move to upper floors to escape rising waters.

“It’s no longer possible to safely evacuate” from Collier County up to Sarasota County, Gov. Ron DeSantis said around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, as key paths out, including the Skyway Bridge from Manatee to Pinellas counties, were closing.

“It’s time to hunker down and pre pare for this storm,” he said. “This is a powerful storm that should be treat ed like you would treat” a tornado ap proaching your home.

After pummeling Cuba on Tuesday, leaving at least two dead and an islandwide blackout, Ian set its sights on Flor ida. More than 2.5 million people were advised to flee, including 1.75 million under mandatory evacuation orders

LinkedIn ran experiments on more than 20 million users over five years that, while intended to improve how the plat form worked for members, could have af fected some people’s livelihoods, accord ing to a new study.

In experiments conducted around the world from 2015 to 2019, LinkedIn ran domly varied the proportion of weak and strong contacts suggested by its “People You May Know” algorithm — the compa ny’s automated system for recommend ing new connections to its users. The tests were detailed in a study published this month in the journal Science and co-authored by researchers at LinkedIn, the Massachusetts Institute of Technol ogy, Stanford University, and Harvard Business School.

LinkedIn’s algorithmic experiments may come as a surprise to millions of people because the company did not in form users that the tests were underway.

Experts who study the societal ef fects of computing said conducting long, large-scale experiments on people that could affect their job prospects, in ways that are invisible to them, raised ques tions about industry transparency and research oversight.

“The findings suggest that some users had better access to job opportunities or a meaningful difference in access to job opportunities,” said Michael Zimmer, an

associate professor of computer science and the director of the Center for Data, Ethics and Society at Marquette Univer sity.

The study in Science tested an in fluential theory in sociology called “the strength of weak ties,” which main tains that people are more likely to gain employment and other opportunities through arms-length acquaintances than through close friends.

The researchers analyzed how Linke dIn’s algorithmic changes had affect ed users’ job mobility. They found that relatively weak social ties on LinkedIn proved twice as effective in securing em ployment as stronger social ties.

In a statement, LinkedIn said that during the study it had “acted consistent ly with” the company’s user agreement, privacy policy and member settings. The privacy policy notes that LinkedIn uses members’ personal data for research purposes. The statement added that the company used the latest, “noninvasive” social science techniques to answer im portant research questions “without any experimentation on members.”

The goal of the research was to “help people at scale,” said Karthik Rajkumar, an applied research scientist at Linke dIn who was one of the study’s co-au

thors. “No one was put at a disadvantage to find a job.” (© The New York Times Company)

What Is Healthy?

cific limits for certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. For example, a cereal would need to con tain three-quarters of an ounce of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of satu rated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, and 2.5 grams of added sugars per serving for a food manufacturer to use the word “healthy” on the label.

The proposed rule would align the definition of the “healthy” claim with current nutrition science, the updated Nutrition Facts label, and the current Dietary Guidelines for Ameri cans, the FDA said. It is designed to help consumers make better food choices when shopping.

Americans need to start eating healthier. Six in 10 American adults have chronic lifestyle-related diseases, often stemming from obesity and poor diet, ac cording to the Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention. The CDC says these diseases are the leading cause of death and disability and a leading driver in the nation’s $4.1 trillion of annual healthcare costs.

According to the Food and Drug Ad ministration, there is a new definition of “healthy.”

The government agency announced new rules this week for nutrition labels that can go on the front of food packages to indicate that they are “healthy.”

Under the proposal, manufactur ers can label their products “healthy” if they contain a meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruit, vegetable, or dairy) recommended by the dietary guidelines. They must also adhere to spe

The agency also is developing a sym bol that companies can voluntarily use to label food products that meet federal guidelines for the term “healthy.”

The announcement came ahead of Wednesday’s White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. The conference is the first of its kind since 1969, when a summit hosted by the ad ministration of President Richard M. Nixon led to major expansions of food stamps, school lunches, and other pro grams that have been credited with re ducing hunger nationally and providing a critical safety net during the pandemic.

Studies show that obesity, especially among children, rose significantly during the pandemic, with the greatest change among children ages 5 to 11, who gained an average of more than five pounds. Before the pandemic, about 36 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds were considered overweight or obese; during the pandemic, that increased to 45.7 percent.

What is considered healthy has dif fered over the years. Now, newer guide lines put an emphasis on eating a plantbased diet, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They maintain a hard line about limiting your intake of salt and saturated fat, but they state simply that cholesterol is “not a nutrient of concern,” doing away with the long-standing 300-milligram-per-day limit.

Student Loan Forgiveness Could Cost About $400B

to President Biden’s historic decision to cancel student debt.”

Still, critics have accused the Biden administration of hiding the plan’s true cost.

Marc Goldwein, the senior vice presi dent for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said that the CBO score did not take into account a significant part of the administration’s loan relief program: a plan to reduce payments for future borrowers who go on to earn low incomes after college, which outside an alysts say could host hundreds of billions of dollars more. (© The New York Times Company)

President Joe Biden’s plan to erase significant amounts of student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans could cost about $400 billion, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a re port Monday, making it one of the cost liest programs in the president’s agenda.

The CBO said the price tag might rise even higher because of Biden’s decision to extend a pause on federal student loan repayments through the end of the year, which could end up costing some $20 billion. The report gauged the cost over a period of 30 years, though the bulk of the effects to the economy would be felt over the next decade.

Although the office called the figures “uncertain,” they are generally in line with those that economists put forth after Biden announced the program in August. The report is certain to revive the political debate over student loan for giveness just weeks before the midterm elections. Critics have cast the plan as a costly giveaway that could exacerbate in flation, while the administration argues that it will help millions of low- and mid dle-income Americans get their footing in a volatile economy.

Biden’s plan cancels $10,000 in debt for those earning less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 for those who had received Pell grants for low-income families. In its report, the CBO said that of the 37 million borrowers with direct loans from the federal government, 90% who are eligible could be expected to take advantage of debt forgiveness once it be comes available. (White House officials have suggested that a far smaller share of eligible borrowers are likely to opt into the program than the budget office pre dicts, which would reduce its cost.)

In a joint statement, Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, the major ity leader, and Elizabeth Warren of Mas sachusetts said the CBO estimate “makes clear that millions of middle-class Amer icans have more breathing room thanks

Back From Extinction

The Greenback cutthroat trout is back. Colorado’s state fish had been near ly extinct for almost 100 years. It had been decimated in the 1930s by mining pollution and over-fishing. Last week, bi ologists from Colorado Parks and Wild life (CPW) said that the fish is naturally reproducing, marking the official recov ery of the once-extinct species.

“This is huge,” CPW said in a state ment, after more than a decade of “inten sive efforts” to rescue the species from the brink of extinction.

The naturally reproducing fish were found in Herman Gulch, in Clear Creek County, Colorado, one of the first places in which CPW stocked the fish.

“The long-term survival and natural reproduction of the greenbacks discov ered is a major milestone for our recov ery efforts and a huge win for conserva tion,” the CPW statement read.

Several endangered populations were found in 1957, 1965, and the 1970s, but it was discovered that they weren’t purebred trout but rather a type of subspecies.

The only pure population of the spe cies was discovered in 2012, near Bear Creek, central Colorado. Biologists be gan making the trek there every spring to collect samples from the population of fish in the region.

A small population of the species were kept in a hatchery to enable breeding and

to establish new populations. Biologists then gradually implemented the species in several places, including the Herman Gulch in 2016.

Now, six years later, that population has been recorded thriving and populat ing without their help.

Arrests at Southwestern Border Exceed 2M

The number of arrests at the border increased slightly from July to August, with a total of more than 2.1 million for the first 11 months of the 2022 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

In an unusual step, Biden administra tion officials gave some reporters a back ground briefing Monday before Customs and Border Protection’s routine monthly release of data. Officials noted that the number of removals over the past year — more than 1.3 million — was more than any previous year.

The administration in recent months has tried to steer clear of immigration is sues as the midterm elections approach and Republicans campaign on the mes sage that the border is unsecured. Last week, two Republican governors paid for dozens of immigrants who were released from government custody to be trans ported to Massachusetts and Washing ton, D.C.

caught crossing the southwestern border was nearly the same as the number of im migrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Gua temala, and Honduras, marking a stark shift in the nationalities of people coming to the United States compared with pre vious years. The number of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras is down 43% from August 2021; the num ber of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezu elans is up 175%.

Because the United States lacks dip lomatic relations with those three coun tries, officials cannot repatriate the mi grants as they do with people from other countries.

A Purple Tomato

For the first time, the number of ar rests of immigrants along the southwest ern border of the United States exceeded 2 million in one year, according to newly released government data, continuing a historic pace of immigrants coming to the country without legal permission.

The immigrants sent to those loca tions crossed the southwestern border without documentation and underwent security screenings by border officials before they were released into the coun try temporarily to face removal proceed ings.

In August, the number of immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela

Since President Joe Biden’s first days in office, more than 1 million people have been released by border authorities to face removal proceedings, according to data submitted in monthly status update filings in legal challenges to this admin istration’s immigration policies.

Many of the immigrants who have been crossing the southwestern border are seeking asylum, a legal right that was significantly restricted through sev eral policies during the Trump admin istration when there was also a spike in migration. (© The New York Times Company)

If you want to add a little pop to your salad, add a tomato – a purple tomato.

Researchers have genetically mod ified tomatoes to make them better for you. And along with those benefits comes a great color.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service approved the new tomato from Norfolk Plant Sciences. The tomato has an extended shelf life and is better nutri tionally.

40 “From a plant pest risk perspec tive, this plant may be safely grown and used in breeding in the United States,” the agency says in a news release dated September 7.

30,

Norfolk Plant Sciences responded to the USDA’s approval by announcing that it would clear the way for the company to make the seeds for its “nutritionally enhanced high-anthrocyanin purple to mato” available for purchase by U.S. in 2023.

While purple tomatoes already exist, this new purple tomato has been devel oped to “produce the highest levels of an thocyanins, which are antioxidant com pounds with widely recognized health benefits,” Norfolk Plant Sciences says on its website. According to the company, the anthocyanins in the new tomatoes exist at similar levels to those in anti oxidant superfoods like blueberries. In addition to their anti-inflammatory qualities, the tomatoes reduce waste due to their longer shelf life, make good onthe-go snacks, also “taste great,” and are “beautiful in special dishes.”

Norfolk Plant Sciences co-founder Martin Jones called the USDA’s approval “a red-letter day for crop improvement.”

Umm, doesn’t he mean purple?

Alice in the Air

The Alice uses a battery similar to those in electric vehicles and requires 30 minutes of charging for a one-hour ride. You won’t be moving too fast, though. Alice can go up to speeds of 287 miles per hour. Compare that to a Boeing 737, which has a max cruise speed of 588 miles per hour, and you’ll be slowly cruis ing the skies.

The full missal was once owned by William Randolph Hearst, the newspa per publisher, before being sold in the 1940s and was divvied up into individual pages.

Despite the money he can make sell ing the document, Sideri said he has no intention of selling it.

Flying to your Sukkos destination? Soon, you may be able to take flight in an all-electric aircraft.

This week, Israeli company Evia tion Aircraft successfully launched the world’s first all-electric passenger air craft. Dubbed “Alice,” the zero-emissions plane traveled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for its eight-minute inaugural flight.

“This is history,” Gregory Davis, Evi ation’s president and CEO, told CNN Business. “We have not seen the propul sion technology change on the aircraft since we went from the piston engine to the turbine engine. It was the 1950s that was the last time you saw an entirely new technology like this come together.”

Eviation was founded in 2015. This week’s flight will help engineers gar ner information needed for upcoming flights. They hope to be working on developing an FAA-certified aircraft through 2025, followed by a year or two of flight testing before it can deliver Al ices to customers.

Even when it comes to an airport near you, Alice may not be big enough for your family and all their Sukkos luggage. The commuter configuration of the Alice holds nine passengers and two pilots, as well as 850 pounds of cargo. The execu tive design has six passenger seats for a more spacious flight, and the cargo plane holds 450 cubic feet of volume.

If your wife is going to be taking all her shoes for yom tov, you may want to take all three planes.

What a Find

He likes the history and beauty of the parchment — and the story of how he stumbled upon it.

“This is something at the end of the day that I know is cool,” he said. “I didn’t buy this expecting to sell it.”

389 Years Old

A bargain hunter who went to an es tate sale in Maine to find a KitchenAid mixer, a bookshelf, or vintage clothing walked away with a 700-year-old trea sure.

Instead of a kitchen appliance, Will Sideri stumbled upon a framed docu ment hanging on a wall. It had elaborate script in Latin, along with musical notes and gold flourishes. A sticker said 1285 AD. Based on what he’d seen in a man uscripts class at Colby College, the docu ment looked downright medieval.

And it was a bargain at $75.

Sideri was lucky to buy the paper at that price. Academics have confirmed that the parchment was from a prayer book, used in the Beauvais Cathedral in France, and dated to the late 13th cen tury. It was used about 700 years ago in Catholic churches. Now, it’s worth around $10,000.

Well, they’re no youngsters.

A quartet of Wisconsin-native sis ters with a combined age of 389 years have been awarded the Guinness World Record for highest combined age of four living siblings.

Arlowene Johnson Overskei, 101; Marcene Johnson Scully, 99; Doris John son Gaudineer, 96; and Jewell Johnson Beck, 93, were awarded the title when Guinness World Records verified their combined age of 389 years and 197 days as of August 22.

The sisters nabbed the record from the Goebel family, who were verified as having a combined age of more than 383 years earlier this year.

“We are still living, and that’s some thing to celebrate,” Gaudineer told the Madison Daily Leader while being inter viewed for the honor.

The four of them are close, but they don’t live near each other. Overskei, who was born on October 6, 1921, lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Scully, who was born on May 6, 1923, lives in Sioux Falls. Gaudineer and Beck, born in 1926 and 1929 respectively, both in California.

Beck noted that the four sisters aren’t just sisters – they share a special bond.

“We like people being aware that we are the four Johnson singing sisters – the quartet. We loved singing together,” she said.

And that’s something to sing about.

Around the Community

JCCRP Rosh Hashana Food Distribution

This past week, the JCCRP had its annual Rosh Hashana food distri bution. The JCCRP arranged for a beautiful variety of food items including roasts, chicken, fish and eggs, star fruit and pomegranates, a variety of cookies, candies, sauces and so much more to be distributed to those in need in our com munity.

The week began with volunteers of all ages and walks of life coming together eager to do chessed for their neighbors in need. They bagged produce, unpacked deliveries, and organized the many pack ages for pick up. Among the volunteers was a local retired couple that came to give back to our community. “We are more than happy to be able to help our community ahead of yom tov. It is really our pleasure to do this chessed and help JCCRP make it all happen.”

Hundreds of clients came to pick up their robust holiday orders on Sun day, September 18, receiving numerous boxes of essential items ahead of yuntiv. With music playing on the speakers, the atmosphere was lively, upbeat, and consistent with the theme of the day. Everyone was happy to give back to the community in a most dignified and re spectful way.

Many prominent volunteers joined in the distribution efforts! Assembly

woman Stacey Pheffer Amato (23rd As sembly District, Queens) took time out of her extremely busy schedule to help out. Others who rolled up their sleeves to help include: Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson (31st District); Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-31st district); Jose Reina, representing the office of Congressman Gregory M. Meeks (NY-5); Pesach Osina, representing the office of Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, NYC Coun cil; Pinny Hikind, representing the office of the New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; and Aaron Cyperstein, Manag ing Director of Legal & External Affairs at Met Council.

We are grateful to our wonderful volunteers from Yeshiva of South Shore, HALB, DRS, HAFTR, and Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim. They all took time out of their busy learning schedules to help us pack hundreds of boxes. We are truly grateful the local schools instill a strong sense of chessed from the beginning of the school year! The JCCRP and its Kosher Digital Food Pantry are able to do this kind of distribution in large part due to their on going support.

We are truly thankful for our local partners, RNSP and the local 101st Pre cinct. The entire event was smooth and calm in large part due to their continu ous assistance during the distribution

directing traffic and maintaining an at mosphere of order and security.

Mrs. Deal, executive director of the JCCRP, expressed her praise of this amazing collective effort, “The goal of this distribution was to have the most dignified distribution for our communi ty. With the assistance of all of our com munity partners and friends we worked tirelessly together to procure a vast array of food for our neighbors, friends, and colleagues in need. Students starting their school year, retirees and local elect ed officials all came together to volunteer and help those in need. Additionally, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of our partners: UJA Federation of NY, Met Council, City

Harvest and Food Bank for NYC.”

Chany*, a resident of Far Rockaway, expressed her gratitude, “This pick-up was the best, most practical food pick-up ever! It was such an amazing box, I can use everything in it! You included Dun can Hines mix, sweet chili sauce, pas tas… it was the most amazing food pick up ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The JCCRP is a proud affiliate of Met Council and a beneficiary agency of UJA Federation of NY. The JCCRP provides a range of services for any community members who need assistance. For more information on JCCRP services, or to sign up to volunteer, please email info@ jccrp.org.

Assemblyman Brown Honors Local Entrepreneur

Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst) recently presented an official Assembly Proclamation to Five Towns resident and Sephardic Jewish Community liaison Michael Edery to recognize his vast ac complishments and philanthropic efforts on Long Island.

A proud member of the Sephardic Jewish community, Michael emigrat ed from England in 1990. After quickly becoming a popular lecturer in Talmud and Jewish theology at the young age of 25, Michael began a career in commer cial real estate, founding the Paradigm Funding Group in 1999. He continues to hold lectures on various topics of Jewish theology and Talmud and often gener ously donates his time and resources to causes that strike a chord with him, in cluding at-risk teens, organ donation and special needs children.

“Michael has led a truly extraordi nary life, and it is my honor to recognize all he has done for the local Jewish com

munity, academia, the real estate indus try and our neighbors on Long Island,” Brown said. “Michael has had a positive impact on all those around him, and his charitable and altruistic endeavors are a shining example of the generosity and compassion we should all strive to share with others. I am proud to call him a friend and a colleague.”

CAHAL Opens Two Brand-New First Grade Classes

All beginnings are exciting, but first grade brings its own particu lar excitement. First grade is not only the start of elementary school, but also the children’s first real experience in the world of academics. As our students embark on this journey, we are thrilled to have opened up two brand-new first grade classrooms this year: a boys’ class at Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island (YKLI) and a girls’ class at Torah Academy for Girls (TAG). Both classes have profes sional and experienced state-certified Special Education teachers. Morah Keren Englard (TAG, General Studies) excitedly says, “The girls are acclimating beautifully to our classroom and learn ing how to be first graders!” Students are learning the mainstream curriculum in both Limudei Kodesh and General Stud ies in a supportive, nurturing, and warm environment. The small class sizes and 4:1 student to teacher ratio give each stu dent the attention they need to grow and flourish.

“We are learning foundational skills which will help us reach our bigger goals,” says Mrs. Esther Parnes (YKLI,

General Studies). This includes phono logical awareness, decoding skills, and understanding the value of numbers in General Studies. In Limudei Kodesh, stu dents focus on yahadus, kriah, kesiva, and concepts for pre-Chumash skills.

Character development is funda mental for students of any age and is reinforced in first grade in a fun and meaningful way. Rabbi Avraham Russ (YKLI, Limudei Kodesh) shares that his talmidim are “learning to find the hidden treasure within us.” To quote journalist Bob Talbert, “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” Mrs. Parnes couldn’t agree more: “We are learning that being a good friend counts, manners count, that trying our best counts, and that middos tovos count.” Morah Deena Schwartz (TAG, Limudei Kodesh) comments, “First grade is not only the time to imbue the girls with a love of Yiddishkeit, but also to model proper middos and social skills.”

Middos are taught through lessons and by modeling, and with such won derful teachers, these lessons are easily learned.

The HALB PTA Back to School Carnival was a huge success. Students and parents had a great time!

Central’s Kickoff Challah Bake

On Tuesday, September 20, Cen tral held its annual Great Round Challah Bake. The Challah Bake is an event that many at Central have come to eagerly anticipate – a chance for students, faculty, and staff to bake, bond, and prepare for the upcoming holiday.

Over 200 members of the Central community attended, and the crowds of mothers, aunts, daughters, sisters, alum nae, and even incoming eighth graders made for a bustling, dynamic evening. The night began with a dinner sponsored by NCSY 4G. The meal was followed by a special guest speaker, Mrs. Mirlana Mor ris, the mother of Donny Morris, a”h, who was lost in the 2021 Meron tragedy. Mrs. Morris spoke movingly about draw ing strength from the Jewish community in the wake of her loss, making an impact on all who attended.

“Our first event of the semester, and it was such a significant way to start a year of 75th-anniversary celebrations for Cen tral,” said Central Dean of Students, Mrs. Aliza Gewirtz.

Junior Talia Frankel, a member of Central’s Cooking Club, agreed: “The Challah Bake was both fun and meaning ful,” she said. “We got to have extra bond ing time with our families and friends, baking challah to bring in the Chagim. We also got the privilege of hearing from Mrs. Morris about the tragedy that oc curred to her son, which put a more in spirational turn to the event, teaching us about emunah.”

This event was made possible with the assistance of Central’s Cooking Club and the Central programming team. Many thanks to them, and hearty thanks to Mrs. Gewirtz, whose leadership and coordination made the evening a success with over 250 people in attendance!

CHAZAQ Israel Experience for Public School Teens

For many teens, the last thing on their summer wish list is to be part of a learning program. After all, school is out, so let’s enjoy some time in the sun. However, this year, summer vacation took on a higher meaning for 17 public school students who were inspired to expand on their spiritual journey by spending time in the Holy Land of Eretz Yisroel.

After an intense and exciting semes ter at CHAZAQ’s JWave fellowship pro gram in conjunction with Olami, Rabbis Avrohom Walkin and David Delman, re nowned for their dedication in youth out reach, gave their students an experience of a lifetime.

From daily learning at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach to visiting all the historic and holy sites of Jerusalem and Chevron, to camel back riding and hiking in the Ju dean desert, the trip truly was one of the most meaningful and memorable experi ences for all the attendees.

For one student, however, the trip was extra special. Daniel Yusupov’s moth er tragically passed away several years ago, and he had not yet merited visiting her gravesite in Jerusalem. Although he is only 16 years old and didn’t officially qualify for the Chazaq trip, Chazaq Di rector Rabbi Ilan Meirov made an excep tion and granted him permission to join due to his dedication in attending daily Chazaq Jwave programs.

At a visit to the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem, the Chazaq staff were able to track down his mother’s grave, and Daniel prayed fervently by her resting place, a moment he will cherish forever. He then spoke to his peers and implored them to honor their parents while they have the opportunity and to never take them for granted. Everyone was truly moved by this special moment of connection.

As the boys returned from their Is

rael trip, Daniel transferred from public school to Yeshiva Ezra Academy, as he now embarked on a new journey in his young life.

On the girls’ end, 15 CHAZAQ fellow ship students enjoyed trips to upstate New York and Miami Florida. Mrs. Amit Yaghoubi, head of the Girls fellowship program, built a special connection with all her students and helped introduce them to many new concepts in Judaism while enjoying many beautiful attrac tions. As the summer came to a close, seven of the Chazaq fellowship students completed their senior year in public school and transferred to seminary in Eretz Yisroel. These seven students join the over 1,200 public school students of all ages who have transferred from pub lic school to Yeshiva since Chazaq started their “No child left behind” initiative pri or to the 2017 school year.

“We are blessed to have a staff that is fully dedicated to our afterschool pro grams,” says Chazaq CEO Rabbi Yaniv Meirov. “And they work tirelessly to guide these students and their families to explore the option of yeshiva education.

“Baruch Hashem, we have had tre mendous success but it’s only the begin ning.”

To register to one of CHAZAQ’s 13 Sun day school locations for children, or daily programs for teens, please contact Chazaq or visit www.chazaq.org.

A Deserving Honor

Congratulations to Mr. Richard Alt abe, Lower School Principal at HALB, for being appointed to the NYSED Graduation Measures Blue Ribbon Commission!

Commission members will undertake a thoughtful and inclusive process to explore what a state diploma should signify and en sure educational excellence and equity for every student in New York State. The 64 members represent a diverse group of edu cators, administrators, researchers, school counselors and other professionals. Thank you, Mr. Altabe, for your dedication to edu cation and excellence!

Shulamith Students are Inventing and Creating

Shulalmith sixth graders Sophie Tuchman, Ayala Kupfer and Meira Grushko were determined to find out how a pen is made and researched and demonstrated to the class a proto type of a pen made out of household ma terials. We were all amazed at the incred ible use of intellectual curiosity and the scientific method.

Republicans Call Out State Ed. Dept for Targeting Yeshivas

On Friday, a group of Nassau County Republican elected of ficials and candidates took aim at the New York State Department of Ed ucation for what they characterized as the institution’s thinly veiled and hostile attack on religious education, especially the yeshiva community of schools across New York State. Standing alongside Jewish community leaders on the steps of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB), the officials decried the unwar ranted attack on freedom of religion and educational liberty in the Empire State, which has been presented by the New York State Board of Education under the wholesome sounding pseudonym of “substantial equivalency.”

At the press conference were Assem blymen Ed Ra and Ari Brown, Republican Assembly candidate Jake Blumencranz, as well as Patricia Canzoneri-Fitpatrick, the Republican Senate Candidate in the 9th District, James Coll, the GOP’s choice in the 6th Senate District, and Jack Martins, the Republican candidate in the 7 th Senate District. The officials represent and are running to represent communities that are home to yeshivas, including the communi ties of West Hempstead, Great Neck and the Five Towns. Also present at the press briefing were Rabbi Mordechai Kame netzky of Yeshiva of South Shore, Richard Altabe, the Lower School Principal and Ex ecutive President of Institutional Advance ment at Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, and Jonathan Katz, the Chairman of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach Political Awareness Council.

“We stand here today in defense of re ligious and educational freedom, which has come under attack by the New York State Department of Education,” stated

Ra. “The State Education Department has led a mean-spirited and ugly cam paign to stamp out religious education, not to mention all private education. We won’t stand for it.”

Under the State Education Depart ment’s “substantial equivalency” man date, nonpublic schools must either select a “pathway” or allow a local pub lic-school authority to review its cur riculum for “substantial equivalency.”

Private schools must make that decision by December 1, 2023. The “pathway” includes offering regent’s diplomas, of fering tests provided by the State, or sub mitting to other Education Department imposed criteria for State accredita tion. In the alternative to the “pathway” choice, the public-school review option would subject religious and other private schools to reviews by local public-school districts, as well as votes by local pub lic-school boards on whether the private schools meet the standards of the local public-school boards.

“The State Education Department is being heavy-handed, demonstrating a secular superiority over the education of local religious schools, especially our yeshiva community of schools,” said Brown. “This authoritarian maneuver is a slap in the face of democratic prin ciples, religious freedom and educational liberty. It has to stop now.”

The officials, candidates and religious leaders noted that local yeshiva and other private school students have attained the highest level of academic achievement, garnering many independent awards from the corporate, educational and scientif ic community. Additionally, the student body of the Long Island yeshivas have achieved tremendous success, boasting a

very high rate of acceptance into the finest colleges and universities, completion of rigorous areas of college-level study, and succeeding in the most academically de manding career fields.

“This is nothing more than religious harassment,” said Canzoneri-Fitzpat rick. “As the parent of four children who attended religious schools, I am offend ed by this overreach by the State’s De partment of Education, and I will fight against this unwarranted attack on pri vate schools, especially our yeshivas, in the State Senate.”

“I am a retired police officer,” stated Coll. “Protection of people’s freedoms

and liberties was at the core of my career in public service. I will fight this assault on our way of life and freedom of choice when it comes to education.”

“Providing a high-quality secular ed ucation is critically important to what we do here at Hebrew Academy of Long Beach,” noted Richard Altabe of HALB. “As religious Jewish Americans, we sin cerely appreciate the freedom to raise our families in the traditions of our faith, and our educational institutions provide the foundation for those values. We can not relinquish control of our curricula or selection of our teaching staff to any gov ernment agency.”

The Jewish Home | SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 50 Around the Community Preparing for Yomim Noraim at Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim

5 Towns Flag Football Update

This past Friday was week 3 of FM Home Loans 5 Towns Flag Foot ball. We had an excellent, intense, and competitive week of games.

In the Pre 1A division, under the direc tion of Rabbi Jeremy Fine, the boys prac ticed their offensive skills, and they truly are on the road to being superstars.

In the 1st grade division, the Broncos defeated the Patriots. And the Jets defeat ed the Giants with Eliyah Mayer’s all-star touchdown.

In the 2nd grade division, the Giants tied with the Eagles with amazing catching and communication by Judah Farkas. The Jets defeated the Patriots. And the Vikings tied with the Broncos.

The talmidim of Yeshiva Ateres

Eitz Chaim learned about the minhag and deeper meaning of Tashlich followed by saying the tefillos at the ocean. Incredibly, the ocean water is one of the things we can connect to that

was created from Maaseh Bereishis – the beginning of Creation. Talmidim then learned the secrets behind the minhag of Kapparos during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. Some talmidim used live chick ens, while others opted to use money.

In the 3rd and 4th grade division, the Broncos defeated the Jets. The Saints de feated the Vikings with an amazing inter ception that led to a touchdown, by Caleb Small. The Falcons defeated the Steelers. The Commanders defeated the Packers. The Eagles tied with the Seahawks. The Gi ants and Texans tied. The Raiders defeated the Patriots. And the Dolphins defeated the Panthers with Ari Laufer’s amazing TDP.

In the 5th and 6th grade division, the Patriots defeated the Seahawks. The Pack ers tied with the Dolphins. The Jets defeat ed the Steelers with Daren Stern’s amazing short catches. The Broncos defeated the Giants. The Saints defeated the Panthers with Ari Feldman’s amazing consistent flag pulls. The Falcons defeated the Vikings. And the Eagles defeated the Raiders.

In the 7th and 8th grade division, the Eagles defeated the Giants. The Com manders defeated the Texans. The Patriots defeated the Vikings with Judah Israel’s insane back-to-back touchdowns. And the Broncos defeated the Jets with Yehuda Shi lo’s amazing short catches and flag pulls.

SKA’s Day of Inspiration

By: Rosie Ash and Arielle Rosman

There was a visible air of excite ment on Sunday, September 18, as students, mothers and alumnae of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls family boarded the bus for SKA’s all-day event, Elul Day Of Inspiration: A Teshuva Journey. The trip emphasized the opportunity to “see Hashem in all places and at all times” and certainly lived up to its promise.

Chaperoned by Mrs. Elisheva Ka minetsky, SKA’s Principal, Jewish Stud ies, Mrs. Shira Englander, Dean of Stu dents, Rabbi Isaac Rice, Torah She’baal Peh Department Chair, Mrs. Paghit Ral bag, limudei chodesh teacher and Israel Guidance, and Ms. Sydney Daitch, lim udei kodesh teacher and Student Coun

cil advisor, the day began with a trip to a beautiful shul modeled after the Baal Shem Tov’s shul in Europe. There, the world-renowned Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson inspired the crowd by comparing the To rah to song while incorporating the idea of Teshuva. After a delicious lunch from Hava Java, the group was so fortunate to have the meaningful experience of visit ing the Kever of the Ribnitzer Rebbe. Af ter learning a bit about his life, including his unwavering love for all types of Rus sian Jews and the reason so many Jews come to his kever, all those present got the zechut to daven at the kever.

The inspiration continued in Teaneck where the group went to hear from the mother of Dani Morris, a”h, who died in the Meron tragedy. Mrs. Mirlana Mor ris, who spoke in the Beis Medrash that

is currently being renovated in memory of her son, explained to the group how she was able to “move forward” after the tragedy that she suffered. Mrs. Morris in spired the group while saying that tefill ah and emunah were and continue to be the impetus for her getting up and out of bed each morning.

The final stop of the day was Yad Leah. While there, the SKA students, faculty, alumnae and parents were so fortunate as to hear what Yad Leah does on a daily basis and to receive a tour of the Yad Leah warehouse. Following the tour, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser gave over a phenomenal speech where he explained the importance of tzedakah for both the person giving the charity and the one who is receiving it.

To end off the moving and inspira

Shalom Task Force’s Legal Services Now at the Queens Family Justice Center

STF has been serving victims of do mestic violence in the Jewish com munity for almost thirty years. STF is excited and proud to expand its work and partner with the Queens Fam ily Justice Center (QFJC)! At the QFJC, survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and their children can connect to organizations that provide case man agement, housing and benefits assis tance, economic empowerment, counsel ing, civil and criminal legal assistance. Bringing together professionals from all areas creates a collaborative approach making it easier for survivors to get help from wherever they need it and provide

“one-stop” services and support to survi vors. All are welcome regardless of lan guage, income, gender identity, or immi gration status.

Together with other civil legal service agencies, STF will offer remote civil legal services on divorce, custody/visitation, and child and spousal support twice monthly at the QFJC. An experienced attorney will be available to give counsel and advice, brief services and full repre sentation for qualified survivors of do mestic and gender-based violence.

Shalom Task Force’s Legal Depart ment provides free, confidential legal ser vices to victim-survivors of domestic and

dating abuse, specializing in the Jewish community. Sarah’s Voice empowers vic tim-survivors through comprehensive, culturally responsive, compassionate and effective legal assistance. They pro vide ongoing case assistance, extensive safety planning and referrals for social services, mental health, public benefits, tax support, housing and immigration. Attorneys also assist clients through the Beit Din Jewish court system. Partner ship with the QFJC allows STF to expand its reach to the Jewish community in Queens.

The NYC Family Justice Center, Queens, is located at 126-02 82nd Av

tional day, the group went to Mrs. Ka minetsky’s home for dinner. Everyone who joined SKA on this meaningful Teshuva Journey received Pathway to Prayer: A Translation and Explanation of all the Amidah prayers of Rosh Ha shanah and Yom Kippur. This siddur will assist all those who joined to continue to be inspired throughout the Yamim Nor aim.

Thank you to all those who made this phenomenal day happen!

enue and can be reached at 718-5754545. To reach STF Legal Department (aka Sarah’s Voice) directly, call or text: 212.742.1110 for an intake, or email le galintake@shalomtaskforce.org.

STF is grateful to its Queen’s based elected officials for their ongoing sup port that makes STF’s services possi ble including: Assemblymember Stacey Pfeffer Amato, Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal, Assemblymember Nily Rozic, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, As semblymember Weprin, Senator Addab bo, Senator Savisky, and Councilmember Gennaro.

YOSS ECC learned all about the postal system, as they mailed their Shana Tova card and interviewed Al, the mailman.

Pouring Joy

By Gabriel Geller –Royal Wine/Kedem

Sukkos and Simchas Torah are fast approaching, and once again, it is time to stock up on the best and most delicious wines to rejoice over the yo mim tovim properly. Let’s get ready to celebrate about 20 meals, most of which in the sukkah with our honored guests.

Follow, dare I say, some wise advice, and try mak ing kiddush on sparkling wine. Rosé wine is always a refreshing way to start a special meal. Unless you live in Alaska, this past summer was scorching hot. A lot of rosé wines are gone from the stores’ shelves, yet some are still available, including the Château Roubine Lion & Dragon 2020, a classed growth from the world-re nown Côtes de Provence region in France. You read the vintage right – 2020. Many rosé wines are better en joyed as young as possible, but exceptions exist. This wine is one of them. Fermented and aged in French oak barrels to add structure and complexity, this supremely elegant wine boasts fragrant aromas and flavors of sum mer fruits such as peaches and apricots, as well as notes of red cherries and strawberries. Its well-integrated acidity makes it a refined match to some starters such as lox or fried eggplants with tahini.

Sukkos is often a challenging time since the weath er is somewhat unpredictable. This year, at least on the east coast of the USA, it is reasonable to predict that most nights will be somewhat chilly. Not everyone lives on the east coast, and those celebrating yom tov in Florida, Eretz Yisroel, or even Dubai would probably prefer to stick with refreshing white or rosé wines. However, my advice here is to choose wines that will be both tasty and easy to en joy with the food, regardless of the weather.

A fine example of white wine to enjoy this year is the Psâgot Chardonnay 2021, a refined Israeli white wine made from grapes grown in the Jerusalem Moun tains. A wine with many surprises, combining delicate flavors of golden apples and lemon with refreshing acidi

ty and a creamy, nutty finish. It will considerably enhance the meal if served cold, with some baked salmon, or just slightly chilled if sipped alongside a veal neck roast.

The wines of Bordeaux are well-known and recog nized for their understated elegance. The wines hailing from the Saint Julien appellation on the left bank of the Gironde River are no exception. The sommeliers and Masters of Wine characterize them as fragrant, firm, and sophisticated. Pavillon de Léoville Poy ferré 2020 is the second wine of the famous Château Léoville Poyferré. Unlike its “big brother,” which re quires lots of patience to reach its optimal drinking maturity, the Pavillon is supple while approachable rel atively young, drinking well in the first years following its release. However, it is certainly capable of aging for about a decade. This wine has a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel with a silky texture; its black and blueberry aromas and earthy undertones will make it the star of the evening.

Mediterranean wines can pair with a large array of dishes and can be served in any weather. Please wel come and discover a prestigious estate from Tuscany to the kosher wine scene, which just released its first kosher wine, a Super Tuscan, which is quite adequate for a meal in the Suk kah or on Simchas To rah. The Villa Mangi acane Magnificus 2017 is an Italian blend made with estategrown Sangiovese and Merlot grapes and was aged 12 months in oak barrels. The winery wanted to wait until the wine would be ready to

drink. Therefore, the winery aged it in its cellars before releasing it just in time for Yom Tov. Sipped throughout a chilly evening with an osso bucco or with lunch on a mild afternoon with a charcuterie platter, this is a wine that keeps opening up, revealing layers of eye-opening, delicately fruity, and savory flavors and aromas.

Northern California is not a Mediterranean coun try, although it is true that some of its subregions have a similar climate to parts of Italy, Spain, and Israel. The Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area) is where Herzog Wine Cellars sources their outstanding ripe and lush Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Winemaker Alicia Wil bur ferments the must of those grapes to craft the juicy, flavor-packed Herzog Variations Be-leaf Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, a CCOF-certified organic wine with no added sulfites. Serve it very slightly chilled if it’s a bit warm out. If the weather is cooler, serve it at standard red wine drinking temperature (60-65°F). Let the celebrations begin.

Chag Sameach! L’chaim!

Around the Community

Partial 6-Month Moratorium for TOH Development

On Tuesday, September 20, hun dreds of people gathered in Hempstead Town Hall for a hearing on the proposed transit-orient ed developments in North Lawrence and in Inwood. The main room, as well as a side room and a tent, were filled with res idents for the hearing.

The town hall meeting was led by TOH Supervisor Donald X. Clavin, who noted that the large turnout was indic ative of the importance of the issue for Town residents. He was amazed that so many people came out in opposition to these developments. When asked who was in favor of the proposed develop ments, only two people – out of the hun dreds who attended – raised their hands.

Clavin noted that the zoning was put into effect by the previous supervisor. As such, he put together the town hall to hear from residents. Other elected officials came to the meeting as well, in cluding Leg. Howard Kopel, Leg. Denise Ford, Village of Lawrence Mayor Alex Edelman, Village of Lawrence Trustee Paris Popack, Village of Lawrence Trust ee Eli Kutner, and the Deputy Mayor of Woodsburgh.

Town residents spoke from their hearts when given the opportunity to address the assemblage. One resident spoke of how traffic is at its peak in the Five Towns. She witnessed numerous cars driving on sidewalks to escape the traffic build-up on Broadway and make

room for emergency vehicles. One person said that his five-year-old son was hit by a car trying to avoid the traffic. Another resident spoke of seeing car doors being shorn off by drivers. Others mentioned the difficulties of getting out of their driveways during the busy hours of the day – they end up missing crucial ap pointments and their children come late to school.

More importantly, the roads leading out of town are choked with cars, requir ing drivers to sit in cars for far too long just to leave town. In case of emergency, people are essentially trapped.

For two hours, residents spoke pas sionately about their concerns. Traffic and safety were foremost on their minds,

but many mentioned that the infrastruc ture of the area cannot possibly meet the needs of hundreds more residents in such a small area. Residents noted that they receive notices from the water com pany and electric company to limit usage. There is a lack of coordination between the different villages in the area in terms of development; as such, the suburban feel of the community is beginning to erode.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Clavin announced that there will be a sixmonth moratorium on the new develop ments. Worryingly, the moratorium does not include the Townhouse/Rowhouse Overlay District, which is 30 acres.

the Pacific Ocean are known

typhoons.

Bonding on Trips at YCQ

The beginning of the school year is a wonderful time for students and teachers to connect and bond in all different types of ways. Grades 1-5 had their first class trips this past week and had the opportunity to connect with one another through fun and exciting outings. Grades 4 and 5 had their fall trip last Tuesday at Adventures Park Long Island. The students had a full day of climbing, zip lining, hiking, and bonding with friends and teachers. They tested their physical strength, overcame fears, and cheered on their classmates.

“I was scared at first,” said Mia Akilov, grade 5. “But I am glad I pushed myself and did not take an early exit. I had a lot of fun with my friends, and I hope I can do it again someday.”

The trip was a great reminder for both students and faculty as we begin a new school year, that when you put your mind to something, you can achieve greatness.

On Wednesday, grades 1-3 got really prepared for Rosh Hashana with an ad venture to an apple orchard. The students traveled to Apple Rich Orchards for a great

day of hayrides, petting and feeding farm animals, and of course…apple picking!

Each student came home with their own big bag of apples and even bigger smiles on their faces. Thank you to Mrs. Shirley Pourad-Kaikov for organizing and managing the trips and to all the teachers and chaperones for helping to give our stu dents a great day.

The Kosher Chef Alliance

Sunday, September 18, marked a very special occasion. For the first time ever, The Kosher Chef Alli ance held its Inaugural Reunion in Lake wood, NJ.

The Kosher Chef Alliance (KCA) was created in March 2018 by Naph tali and Mordy Sobel, FarRockaway natives. The Sobel brothers, who are dynamic kosher chefs, saw the need to create a very important resource amongst the kosher chef community. The mission of the KCA is a network ing tool for trade professionals to share recipes and ideas, offer and receive ad vice, share kashrus and halachic infor mation, post employment opportuni ties, and so much more. Presently, KCA boasts more than 270 chefs around the world, whose passion for cooking is boundless! The positions held by the men and women of the KCA include schools, camps, Passover programs, private chefs, caterers and restaurants, as well as health and medical facilities. Over 70 members of the Alliance at tended the Inaugural event, which took place at the Lakewood Firehouse on New Hampshire Avenue. Hosted by Yosef Mutterperl of Lakewood, NJ, and Beth Kaplan of Brooklyn, NY, the Reunion Committee planned and pre pared an absolutely delicious event!

The Committee included Mordy So bel, Naphtali Sobel, Elliott Bookman, Yitzy Drebin, Shimi Ehrenthal, Nachi

Elbaum, Yudi Kranz, Yisroel Reznik, Yacov Tatosky, and Chaim Yanofsky. One of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to network with leading vendors in the kosher food are na. We were joined by Abe and Shneur Stephansky of Kosherline/Fishing line, Moshe and Yossie Bineth and Avrumy Schweitzer of Crusters, and Yiddy Lederman of Devash Milk. A special thank you to the vendors who provided us with boundless samples!

As heard many times from Mordy Sobel, The Kosher Chef Alliance is “a force to be reckoned with!” We look forward to a KCA website and more events in the future.

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato spoke with the captain of the 101st Precinct and local security officials to discuss heightened security for the Jewish community in regard to the upcoming Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur have in years past had a clear and present police presence, and this year will be no different.

Elul and Tishrei at SKA

The month of Elul has been a very busy one academically and spir itually at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls. Classes are in full swing, and there’s been much prom inence given to the upcoming chagim with immersive shiurim, workshops and activities. The programs offered are var ied in content and medium so that each student can choose what speaks to her, giving unique opportunities to enrich one’s Yom Tov and Aseret Yemei Teshu vah experience.

One of the earliest programs, SKA’s Elul Day of Inspiration: a Teshuva Jour ney, held on Sunday, September 18, was a moving and inspirational start to the Yomim Tovim.

Underscoring the power of the Yo mim Noraim, SKA’s LEV initiative (Liv ing Enhanced By Values) for this year was launched on Tuesday, September 20, on the beautiful grounds of the school. The five components of the initiative, which are so fitting at this time of year – MACS (Modesty Awareness Committee by Stu dents, TTYL (Turning Tefillah Into Your

Life), PAUSE (Pausing and Understanding Speech’s Effects), SPARKS (Sparks of To rah Lishmah) and LIVING WITH CODE (promoting acdut and respect) – were once again introduced to the SKA students.

The 9th Grade Simanim Cooking Demo, the 10th Grade Tisch, the 11th Grade Rosh Hashana Round Table, and the 12th Grade Oneg and Shiur, each a part of the Pre-Rosh Hashana Grade-Wide eve ning program held in students’ and facul ty members’ homes on Thursday evening, September 23, ensured that every SKA student had a notable experience before the chag. Even the 9th and 12th Grade Big Sister-Little Sister event held earlier that day contributed to the bein adam l’chavero emphasis felt in the school.

Due to its increasing popularity, this year’s SKA’s emotional Tefillah on the Beach had to be held on two days, Thurs day and Friday, September 29 and 30, rather than the usual one. The SKA stu dents shared their reflections on tefillah at the breakfast enjoyed after davening. Teshuvah workshops, a heartfelt pre-Ro sh Hashanah address from Rabbi Gideon

Black, head of NCSY New York, Hatarat Nedarim with a tzedakah campaign for Renewal kidney donations and a mean ingful fast event on Tzom Gedalia with a shiur and volunteer food package prepa ration were among some of the outstand ing programs offered. Ongoing shiurim and workshops on shemirat halashon and Yom Tov tefillot were held through out the school weeks.

A special Shabbat Shuva inspira tion with multiple shiurim for students, alumnae and mothers on Shabbat, Oc tober 1, at HALB elementary school and satellite locations in Brooklyn, Queens,

West Hempstead and Great Neck, gave insight to the potency of teshuvah.

“Understanding the Machzor,” SKA’s growing library of short screencasts and au dio files created by Rabbi Isaac Rice, Torah She’baal Peh Department Chair, has contin ued to elevate the HALB community’s un derstanding of the tefillot for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The new informative mini sessions added each year have certainly en hanced our yom tov experience.

SKA wishes students, faculty and and administration together with klal Yis roel, a gmar chasima tova and a wonder ful chag Sukkot!

At the SKA Big Sister-Little Sister event

YCQ Students Attend NYPD Annual High Holiday Briefing

It is never too early to instill in children the importance of being civic-minded. On September 21, alongside hundreds of police officers, politicians, journalists, community li aisons and representatives, ten grade 8 students represented their yeshiva with maturity and poise. Each year, mem bers of the NYPD hold a “High Holiday” briefing on precautionary and addition al safety measures for the Jewish com munity. This year, Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell and Mayor Eric Ad ams hosted a briefing to discuss the con nection between the NYPD and the NYC Jewish communities on safety issues in the multitude of Jewish communities, es pecially the safety issues present during the Yomiim Noraim. The students and chaperones were afforded the opportuni ty to speak for a few minutes with Coun cilmember Lynn Shulman, who rep resents Forest Hills and Rego Park where a large percentage of YCQ students and their families reside.

The briefing was led off as Hon. Keechant L. Sewell, police commissioner,

discussed the increase in police presence and patrols in Jewish neighborhoods, es pecially during this time of the year.

The commissioner was followed by words of encouragement, wisdom, and a bit of humor from Rabbi Dr. Al vin Kass, NYPD Chief Chaplain. He discussed how people have distorted perspectives on life. If we consider the past few years, it is understandable. The students connected to this as they, too, have lived through and been affect ed by a deadly pandemic, ongoing pub lic health issues, social upheaval, and economic inflation.

Mayor Eric Adams spoke for a few moments acknowledging that NYC has the largest number of Jewish residents outside Israel. He coined New York City the Tel Aviv of America. He spoke on how he understands the importance of these holidays and NYC is preparing to keep NYC safe. He asked that communities need to be vigilant. “If you see some thing, say something, so we can partner to be safe.”

The students then got to hear from

Deputy Inspector Andrew Arias, the commanding officer of the hate crimes task force, who noted some startling statistics that put in perspective for the students and all in attendance the impor tance of lockdown drills and police noti fication of suspicious activity, including antisemitic graffiti and postings on social media including Tik Toks.

The program closed with an intelli

gence briefing by Kelli Foy, intelligence research specialist, NYPD Intelligence Bureau.

When grade 8 student Akiva Stein man was asked if he thought the NYPD High Holiday briefing was important, he said, “This was so meaningful. I liked how the NYPD showed how they really care about us and will do what they can to protect us and keep us safe.”

HANC Sophomore Annual Breakfast

On Tuesday, September 13, the sophomore class at HANC High School participated in a mean ingful breakfast and program. Students were privileged to hear from Rabbi Yitzy Haber, popular speaker and owner of Camp Machaneh Yisroel, hosted at Ye shiva of South Shore.

Rabbi Haber shared his personal journey through life in a thought-pro voking and entertaining lecture. Rabbi Haber’s perseverance, good humor, and emunah and bitachon in Hashem were

certainly inspiring, and left students with an uplifting message of hope and gratitude. A lively question and answer session followed, with enthusiastic stu dent participation.

In conjunction with Rabbi Haber’s pre sentation, the sophomores were treated to a delicious breakfast, prepared by Benny’s Food Court, which was enjoyed by all.

Thank you to mechanchim, Rabbi Shimon Chrein and Morah Leigh He noch, for organizing this meaningful program.

Stepped up Public Safety Patrols Around Jewish Houses of Worship in Advance of High Holy Days

As members of the Jewish faith around the world and across Hempstead Town prepare for the High Holy Days, Hempstead Town Super visor Don Clavin, Councilman Anthony D’Esposito and Councilwoman Melissa Miller announced stepped up public safe ty patrols in the vicinity of Jewish hous es of worship. The patrols, consisting of staff from the township’s Department of Public Safety, will serve as a palpable display of Hempstead Town’s zero-toler ance policy for hatred or prejudice in any form, even as anti-Semitic incidents con tinue to occur in greater numbers across the United States.

“The Town of Hempstead will not sit idly by while incidents of anti-Semitism continue to occur with greater frequen cy across all corners of the country,” said Clavin. “We are staying in close contact with Jewish faith leaders as we enter this special period of religious observance, and we will work diligently to ensure that Jew ish neighbors are able to celebrate the High Holy Days in peace here in our hometown.”

The stepped-up patrols build on the Town of Hempstead’s existing public safety infrastructure that sees houses of worship and other community places of importance kept watch by the township’s patrol teams. The increased Town of Hempstead public safety deployment comes on the heels of multiple anti-Semitic incidents that struck the township, including the anonymous distribution of conspiracy-laden, anti-Jew ish flyers and hateful rhetoric spray paint

ed on signage at Hempstead Town Hall – attacks made to challenge the peaceful coexistence of peoples long known as a hallmark of Hempstead Town.

“These stepped-up public safety patrols are the latest chapter in the Town of Hemp stead’s battle against anti-Semitism,” said D’Esposito. “Those who wish ill on oth ers, especially during this period of High Holy Days, should know that the Town of Hempstead is working day and night to thwart their diabolical plots, and we will work tirelessly to safeguard our Jewish neighbors so they may observe this time in peace.”

“As a member of the Jewish faith my self, I am acutely aware of the importance of guarding against those who seek to dis rupt our observance of these sacred holy days,” said Miller. “I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure the safety of the Jewish community, so that they may observe their faith and raise their families peacefully here in the Town of Hempstead.”

It has been widely acknowledged that anti-Semitic incidents are increasing in both their numbers and ferocity in recent times. Indeed, members of the Jewish faith continue to be subjected to a dis turbing number of hate-filled attacks. By proportion of the population, Jews are the number one target for hate crimes in the United States. What’s more, these attacks are on the rise. More than 2,715 instanc es of Jew-hatred, including assaults, were reported in 2021 – constituting a 34% in crease from 2020.

An Uplifting End to 5782

Shulamith High School ended 5782 on a high, as the Rosh Hashana Yom Iyun last Erev Shabbos left the girls uplifted for the approaching Yamim Noraim. The final day of school was devoted entirely to Rosh Hashana inspiration, with a program that bal anced the exhilaration of our mission to be mamlich Hashem, with the serious ness and somber tone of the Yom Hadin. The program began following dav ening, with words of encouragement by Principal Munk, emphasizing the oppor tunity and joy of connecting to Hashem through tefillah, as opposed to the heavi ness and fear it often accompanies. She then led the students in the recitation of hataras nedarim, performed in front of a beis din comprised of three neighbor hood rabbanim and esteemed SHS reb beim, Rabbi Berlin, Rabbi Blumstein, and Rabbi Muskat.

In order to gain a deeper apprecia tion of our unique Rosh Hashana dav ening, the students were split into small groups, each of which enjoyed four ses

sions during the Machzor Round Robin, gaining insight into various aspects of tefillah from an assortment of teachers. Mrs. Mirlana Morris, mother of one of the kedoshei Meron, Donny Morris, poi gnantly spoke of the emunah to which she clings as a lifeline, navigating the challenge of balancing grief with growth and simcha.

Inspired by her powerful message, the students then joined in singing Ani Maamin and various songs that set the tone for yom tov in a backyard kumsitz. Finally, the program shifted gears, as the whole SHS joyously prepared for Shabbos with dancing and a challah bake. Mrs. Charlene Aminoff stressed the importance of the mitzvah of taking challah, sharing her personal journey through which she acquired this mitz vah and the foundational role it has played in her family life for almost two decades.

The Yom Iyun ended on a note of exal tation, with all participants ready to be gin the new year in the right headspace.

Students and Survivors Reunite

Shulamith eighth graders Abby Eisenberg, Evie Miller, Rache li Kupfer, Chana Rubin, Kayli Madowicz, and Bella Klein joined the Chaverim group of Holocaust survi vors for a pre-Rosh Hashana gathering at the JCC. They helped serve lunch,

danced and schmoozed with the se niors. It was the first time our stu dents were able to visit since Covid-19, and the girls were really excited to reunite with Holocaust survivors on Erev Rosh Hashana. What a beautiful way to bring in the chag!

Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel, Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom, visited Yeshiva Darchei Torah

Photos by Yoel Hecht

If You’ve Been Asked To Serve As Trustee, Here’s What You Should Know

By Monet Binder, Esq.

If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as trustee for their trust either during their life, or upon their death, it’s a big honor— this means they consider you among the most honest, reliable, and responsible people they know.

That said, serving as a trustee is not only a great honor, but it is also a major responsibility, and the role is definite ly not for everyone. Serving as a trustee entails a broad array of duties, and you are both ethically and legally required to properly perform those duties or you could face liability for not doing so.

In the end, your responsibility as a trustee will vary greatly depending on the size of the estate, the type of assets in a trust, how many beneficiaries there are, and document terms. Although you don’t have to take the job, you might actually enjoy the opportunity to serve, so long as you understand what’s expected of you.

A Trustee’s Primary Duties

Although every trust is different, serving as trustee comes with a few core

requirements. These duties primari ly involve accounting for, managing, and distributing the trust’s assets to its named beneficiaries as a fiduciary. Be ing a fiduciary means you act on behalf of the trust’s creator and beneficiaries, always putting their interests above your own. You have a legal obligation to act in a trustworthy and honest manner, while providing the highest standard of care in executing your duties. If you fail to abide by your duties as a fiduciary, you could face legal liability.

Some of your key responsibilities as trustee include:

• Identifying and protecting the trust assets

• Following trust’s terms for manage ment and distribution of the assets

• Hiring and overseeing an account ing firm to file income and estate taxes for the trust

• Communicating regularly with ben eficiaries

• Bringing in the right investment man agement team to manage the trust assets

• Being scrupulously honest, highly organized, and keeping detailed records of all transactions

• Closing the trust and distributing the assets when the trust terms specify

Experience NOT Required

It’s important to point out that be ing a trustee does NOT require you to be an expert in law, finance, taxes, or any other field related to trust admin istration. In fact, trustees are not only allowed to seek outside support from professionals in these areas, they are strongly encouraged to do so, and the trust estate will pay for you to hire the support you need.

So, even though serving as a trustee may seem like a daunting proposition, you won’t have to handle the job alone. And you can be paid to serve as trustee of a trust should you choose to accept the role. That said, many trustees, particu larly close family members, often choose to forgo any payment beyond what’s re quired to cover the trust expenses, if that’s possible. Compensation as a trust ee will depend on your personal circum stances, your relationship with the trust creator and beneficiaries, as well as the nature of the assets in the trust.

A High-Tech Career in Israel – Less Than a Year Away

Aliyah is an amazing, life chang ing venture. Employment when making Aliyah doesn’t have to be an obstacle. Success is dependent on a career path that allows opportunities for growth and promotion. The Israeli high-tech industry provides rewarding, interesting and lucrative employment with plenty of room for upward mobility.

As the start-up nation, Israel is a global leader in innovation and hightech. The most prestigious and wellknown multinational technology compa nies have either been established in, or have divisions in, Israel. There are over 6,000 start-ups – the most startups per capita worldwide outside the U.S. Cur rently, over 320,000 people in Israel are employed in the high-tech industry and the demand is only growing.

Infinity Labs R&D is Israel’s premier software research and development cen ter trailblazing the science of learning and development of collaborative plat forms. Now, in partnership with the Jew ish Agency, Infinity Labs R&D is paving

the way for career empowerment for new immigrants (Olim).

The Aliyah High-Tech Program pro vides Olim with collaborative, autodi dactic technology skills and dream job placement in just 8 months. The first four months of the journey take place in the U.S., followed by an additional four months in vibrant, greater Tel Aviv with parallel Hebrew language (Ulpan) stud ies, and competitive placement in a hightech company.

The program is open to college gradu ates and professionals with a background in Computer Science, STEM, or those with an analytical mindset. Applicants undergo an extensive interview and as sessment process to determine suitabil ity. All participants are eligible for a full scholarship because Infinity Labs R&D invests in their future partners.

A Life-Changing Opportunity

Infinity Labs R&D’s disruptive meth odology has revolutionized entry into Israel’s high-tech industry. In less than

a year, participants of the intensive pro gram receive cutting-edge, high-impact skills with the hands-on experience need ed to successfully compete in the real world. The secret sauce to their graduates’ continued success is in the Infinity Labs R&D’s Mentored Social Learning meth odology. Graduates have the unique capa bility to master new technologies and lan guages quickly, along with the soft skills needed to accelerate their career.

Nathan, an accomplished full stack developer, came to Infinity Labs R&D with a BA and MA in psychology. “At my age and with a small baby at home, I wasn’t in a position to complete another degree,” he shared. “Infinity Labs R&D gave me the opportunity to become a software developer in a relatively short time, but without sacrificing the depth of the material and understanding the foundation of the profession. Today, after being accepted to a cutting-edge posi tion at an international communications company, I realize how much the knowl edge and methods I acquired at Infinity

We’re Here To Help

Because serving as a trustee is such a serious responsibility, you should meet with us for help deciding whether or not to accept the role. We will offer you a clear, unbiased assessment of what’s re quired of you based on the specific trust’s terms, assets, and beneficiaries.

And if you do choose to serve, it’s even more important that you have someone who can assist you with the trust’s ad ministration. We will guide you stepby-step throughout the entire process, ensuring you properly fulfill all of the trust creator’s wishes without exposing the beneficiaries—or yourself—to any unnecessary risks. Contact us today at 718.514.7575 to learn more.

Monet Binder, Esq., has her practice in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to protecting families, their legacies and values. All halachic docu ments are approved by the Bais Havaad Halacha Center in Lakewood, under the direction of Rabbi Dovid Grossman and the guidance of Harav Shmuel Ka minetsky, shlita, as well as other leading halachic authorities.

Labs R&D benefited me in learning new technologies.”

Mia is a software developer at Am azon. “As a new immigrant, I really feel like Infinity Labs R&D opened a new page in my life. I felt far more confident after taking the program at Infinity Labs R&D, and the proof? Now I have a great profession with a high salary, in a re nowned company. I highly recommend Infinity Labs R&D. It changed my life.”

Infinity Labs R&D’s network of con nections in Israel’s high-tech market al lows participants to enjoy a wide range of exciting employment opportunities and continued support throughout their careers.

This exclusive program is now open for registration, with the next group slat ed to begin in November. For a limited time only, you can refer a friend to the program and win a free trip to Israel. For more information on the program, registration, or to refer a friend, visit https://lp.infinitylabs.co.il/ aliyah-high-tech-program

Around the Community

Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Succos

Published by ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications

By Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Shteinman

In the Kanievsky home, preparations for Succos started literally right af ter Pesach, as Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky put the leftover matzah on the side, to be ground into flour that would be used when she baked challah for Succos. An esrog was chosen two months before the holiday, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky himself would go to pick the s’chach. Then, as the Yom Tov started, the lofty levels of rejoicing and dveikus began.

We can no longer see Rav Chaim’s radiant face as he sat, surrounded by his succah walls, but we can feel the happi ness and the kedushah through his writ ings about the Yom Tov, and, of course, through stories that capture his total immersion in the mitzvos of Succos. Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Succos is a brandnew volume written by Rav Avraham Ye shaya Shteinman, grandson of both Rav Chaim and Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman. It includes:

• Rav Chaim’s halachic rulings and his customs on Succos, the arba min im, Chol Hamoed, Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah and Sefer Koheles.

• Insights on many aspects of the Yom Tov, including the Succos tefillos, the “mitzvah” of joy, and dozens of other topics related to the holiday, perfect to be shared with family and friends in your succah

• Warm and personal stories of the

Chazon Ish, the Steipler Gaon, Rav Chaim and the Rebbetzin, Rav Shach, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Michel Yehudah Lef kowitz and other luminaries.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Succos will enhance your Yom Tov – and increase your joy in this “time of our rejoicing.”

The following is a brief excerpt from the new book, a fascinating segment about the bracha of Leisheiv BaSuccah

•

Leisheiv BaSuccah

• The Vilna Gaon’s custom: Rav Chaim Kanievsky followed the custom of the Vilna Gaon to recite leisheiv ba succah even when merely sitting in the succah without eating, but as an added precaution, it is proper to eat something, so that the berachah can be recited ac cording to all opinions.

• Leaving to daven: Rav Chaim said that when he leaves the succah to daven Minchah or Maariv, he does not recite a new berachah upon returning to the succah, since those are brief prayers, and he does not go far from the house. Shacharis, however, is a lengthy prayer, so after returning from Shacharis, he does recite a new berachah. He added that the Chazon Ish, too, did not recite a new berachah after leaving the succah to daven, except when it was for an extend ed period. Rav Chaim followed the same practice. However, Rav Chaim davened in the Lederman Shul near his house,

whereas the Chazon Ish davened with a minyan inside his house.

• Mezonos second: Rav Chaim said that if one eats mezonos in the succah, and does not follow the custom of the Vil na Gaon to recite the blessing of leisheiv basuccah merely over sitting in the succah, he should recite the berachah of leisheiv basuccah first and the berachah of borei minei mezonos second.

Rav Eliyahu Mann related that he once recited the berachah of borei minei mezonos in Rav Chaim’s succah and only then recited leisheiv basuccah, prompt ing Rav Chaim to note that his own cus tom was to say leisheiv basuccah before borei minei mezonos, since some hold that one does not recite leisheiv basuccah over mezonos, and reciting it after the be rachah would therefore be considered an interruption (Mishnah Berurah 639:16).

• The Havdalah quandary: Rav

Chaim said that one who enters the succah only to recite Havdalah faces a halachic quandary of whether to recite leisheiv basuccah, and it is therefore proper to eat something afterward, in which case he may recite leisheiv ba succah when he makes Havdalah.

TJH Centerfold

Seen on…

 Plumber’s truck: “I repair what your husband fixed.”

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Pizza shop: “Buy my pizza. I knead the dough.”

Optometrist’s office: “If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.”

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Podiatrist’s office: “Time wounds all heels.”

 Restaurant window: “Don’t stand there and be hungry. Come on in and get fed up.”

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Funeral home: “Drive carefully. I’ll wait.”

Towing company: “We don’t charge an arm and a leg; we want toes.””

On a septic tank truck: “Yesterday’s Meals on Wheels.”

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

I found myself pretty depressed lately and thought maybe if I made a few new friends that might help.

In considering how to do that I thought I would use the Facebook approach.

So now, every day, I go down the street and tell the passersby what I have eaten, how I feel, what I have done or where we had dinner the night before, and what I will be doing today.

I give them pictures of my family, my dog, videos of me staring at my computer screen or napping, and of course, the picture of me on my bike at the finish line.

I also listen to their conversations, and I tell them how much I like them.

It’s really working out – I already have five people following me: three police officers and two psychiatrists.

Riddle Me This

A king has a treasure in a safe. He says to one of his advisors, “If you figure out which key unlocks the safe in five minutes or less, you can have the treasure.”

The king then lays five colored keys in a row. One of them is a key to the safe. Using the clues, can you determine the order of the keys and which is the right key?

Red: This key is somewhere to the left of the key to the safe.

Blue: This key is not at one of the ends.

Green: This key is three spaces away from the key to the safe (two between).

Yellow: This key is next to the key to the safe.

Orange: This key is in the middle.

Orange,Blue,Yellow.Thebluekeyisthekeytothesafe.

Answer:Theorder(fromlefttoright)isGreen,Red,

October Crossword Puzzle

Down

2. This hero once again becomes prime minister of England for a second time.

3. This inventor figures out how to keep an electric incandescent lamp lit for over 13 hours.

4. Couldn’t pick a better month to discover the Bahamas.

7. Brooklyn loses its pride and joy.

8. Egyptian president assassinated.

9. Fall classic.

11. Born in Malaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881, he became a world-renowned artist.

12. A legendary NY Jets plays his last game in the NFL as QB.

Across

1. Chico and Harpo’s brother celebrated his birthday in this month.

5. The cow kicked over Ms. O’Leary’s lantern causing this fire in October.

6. Founded after WWII as a replacement for the League of Nations.

10. “If it don’t fit, you must _______.”

13. The Terminator elected governor of California (good luck spelling his name).

14. Presidential rocks.

15. This baseball great makes his final pitching appearance, and true to his name, also hits a home run in the game.

BabeRuth

MountRushmore

Arnold

Acquit

UnitedNations

GreatChicagoFire

GrouchoMarx

Torah Thought

Parshas Vayelech

By Rabbi Berel Wein

The parsha of Vayelech is the par sha that contains the smallest number of verses – only thirty –of any other parsha in the Torah. It also is the parsha that usually coincides with Shabbat Shuva, the holy Shabbat between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The words of the parsha are part of the last testament of Moshe uttered on the day of his passing from this earth.

As is his want, Moshe minces no words regarding the fate of the Jewish

people in its future story. Thus the short est parsha of the Torah is also one of the most powerful of all of the parshiyot of the Torah. In effect, Moshe warns his people that the L-rd will hold them ac countable to the terms of the covenant of Sinai and that that covenant is irrevers ible and unbreakable.

It will take a long time and much twisting and turning by the Jewish peo ple before they accept that reality of cov enantal responsibility. But Moshe assures

them that eventually the message will set in and that this will be the basis for the Jewish return to G-d and His Torah. This is the essence of the parsha’s content, and the brevity of the parsha only serves to enhance the power of its message.

There are certain self-evident truths that need no extra words, explanations, or language. This parsha especially gains in power and relevance as Jewish histo ry unfolds over thousands of years. Every deviation from the covenant of Sinai has

nant of Sinai under such circumstances?

Our short parsha seems to indicate that it will be a process and not a sudden epiphany. The prophet in the Haftorah indicates that such a process will be in complete without the recognition that the false gods and temporarily popular ideals all have led nowhere. He echoes Moshe’s words in our parsha – that return and repentance in a national sense can only occur if there is a realization how badly we have gone astray.

eventually brought with it angst and pain, if not even disaster. Just look around at the Jewish world and its history. Moshe’s words are clearly vindicated by circum stances and events.

Personal repentance and return is far easier to achieve than is national repen tance and return. The Jewish people, or at least a significant part of it, has strayed very far away from the covenant of Sinai. The situation here in Israel is far better than it is in the Diaspora where inter marriage, ignorance, alienation, and false gods have eroded Jewish faith, family, self-identity and values. How is it possible to hope for a national return to the cove

The great challenge of the modern culture upon us is how pervasive it is in every facet of our lives. The confusion that this engenders in the Jewish people prevents clear thinking, accurate judg ment, and honest assessments of true Jewish values versus current faddish correctness.

Our parsha is short, but our way back is long and rigorous. In this good and blessed year that has just begun, let us start – and continue – that journey that leads back to Sinai and forwards to com plete national redemption.

Shabbat shalom and gmar chatima tova.

The shortest parsha of the Torah is also one of the most powerful of all of the parshiyot of the Torah.

From the Fire

Yom Kippur Neilah Aperture to the Al-mighty

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

The last Mishna in Yuma (8:9) con cludes with the teaching from Rabi Akiva: “Fortunate are you Israel! Before whom are you purified and who purifies you? Your father in Heav en! As it says [homiletically]… ‘G-d is the mikvah of Israel.’ Just as a mikvah purifies the impure, so, too, the Holy One Blessed is He purifies Israel!”

We are taught that the forty days between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Yom Kippur correspond to the forty se’ah (a measure of volume) of water constitut ing a kosher mikvah. And the 960 hours during this forty-day period correspond to the 960 lug which are the equivalent of forty se’ah . We are so fortunate that Hashem has given us this period, cul minating with Yom Kippur, which cul minates with Neilah, through which He cleanses us of all our impurities.

The Bor Hashakah

In addition to Yom Kippur, which is a mikvah in time, we have a physical mik vah right here in the building. But there

are actually two mikva’os in this shul. We can see one of them. It has beauti ful tiles, and we immerse in it. But most people here have never seen the other one, the bor hashakah That one stands behind closed doors. Thirteen years ago, when we finished building this shul, we prepared a container to receive rainwa ter on the roof. One windy day after it had rained, I went with Rav Bik, the rav hamachshir of the mikvah, to release the rainwater into the bor hashakah. That is the real mikvah. The water in the mik vah we immerse in every day is mayim she’uvim, water drawn from a faucet or hose, which cannot be used as a kosher mikvah.

So how is our mikvah kosher? Be cause there is a hole that connects the two mikva’os . By connecting the mik vah in which we immerse to the bor hashakah , we connect to the purifying rainwater which came straight from Hashem – untouched by human hands. The word “hashakah” comes from the word “neshikah, kiss,” because the wa

ters of the two mikva’os “kiss” through the hole between them. When we im merse in the mikvah, we are connecting to a source of purification straight from Heaven because of the hole connecting our mikvah to the bor hashakah, which was originally filled with rainwater.

The Lodz Mikvah

During the Holocaust, the Nazis, may their names be blotted out, turned the Jewish quarter of the city of Lodz into a ghetto into which they interned the Jews. Jews were forbidden to immerse in the mikvah, and the Nazis cemented shut every mikvah in the Ghetto. But one group of Jews in the basement of a build ing adjacent to a mikvah used whatever tools they could find – spoons, knives, forks, and their own fingernails – to dig a hole in the wall between their building and the mikvah next door. Finally, they succeeded and dug a hole in the wall just wide enough for one person at a time to squeeze through to reach the mikvah.

Late on the night before erev Yom

Kippur, long after curfew when no one was out, lest they be shot, a bochur reached the house in which the Rebbe from Radishitz was hiding. Knowing that any visitor must have risked his life, the Rebbe was very interested to see what their visitor had come about. The bochur told the Rebbe about the house with the hole in the basement leading to the mik vah. He assured the Rebbe that he had only been sent to tell certain rebbes and roshei yeshiva so there would be almost no one there. Even though the Rebbe knew that he could be killed if he was caught outside at night, there was no question that he would attempt to make the trip, given that it was almost Yom Kippur.

The Rebbe and his shammesh, atten dant, who later retold this story, snuck through the back streets of the Ghetto till they finally entered the home the bochur had told them about. But in stead of being virtually empty, there were hundreds of Jews crowded in the house, each of whom had risked his life

for the chance to use the mikvah just once before Yom Kippur. One Jew was helping each person through the hole in the wall and someone on the other side caught them. They warned every visitor to go “Schnell! Schnell! Quickly! Quickly!” so the next person could come in. The Rebbe of Radishitz commented to his shammesh, “Look what Jews are willing to do to come closer to their Fa ther in Heaven! They are starving and oppressed, but all they can think of is going to the mikvah!”

Those Jews in the Lodz Ghetto con nected to the source of life by climbing through a little hole, a little opening, through which they reached purifica tion, their bor hashakah . But what is our opening? How can we connect with the pure water of Heaven on Yom Kip pur? How is our Yom Kippur an im mersion in the pure waters of Hashem’s Presence? We also need a little opening through which we can access the cleans ing bor hashakah. Chazal teach us (Shir Hashirim Raba 1:2), “Open up for Me like an opening the size of the eye of a needle, and I will open up for you like the open ing of a great hall.” What is our opening to holiness?

A Special Commitment for Neilah

All we need to do as we prepare to daven Neilah is come to Hashem with one new commitment for the coming year. But like Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, zy”a, says, although our opening need only be the size of the eye of a nee dle, it must go “through and through.” It is not called an opening if it only goes partway through the metal of the needle.

Many of us are frustrated with our selves because we have taken on commit ments on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur in previous years but have not stuck to them. We made big plans for ourselves, but as soon as Sukkos was over, or per haps even right after Yom Kippur, we slid back into our old routines, into the “C Minor of life,” as E.M. Forster called it. Why do we find ourselves back in the same rut again and again?

We are fortunate to have a collection of the commitments the Alter of Slabod ka, zt”l , made before Yom Kippur each year. They are notable in the fact that each one was very modest. He did not attempt to turn over his entire life with each commitment. Three examples of the Alter’s commitments during various years were: to concentrate more during the first paragraph of Shemonah Esreh, to talk with his wife more after he comes

home from the beis medrash at night, and to concentrate more on the words during Modim.

Zeroing in on the Alter’s third com mitment, what was so special about Modim? Perhaps one reason is the fact that we thank Hashem in Modim “for our lives which are given over into Your hands and for our souls which are in Your care.”

We failed to live up to our ambitious commitments from previous years’ Yom Kippurs because we felt we were in con trol of our own lives and that we would

the Jewish people and to our Shepherd, Hashem.

One such lost sheep was a Jew whom we will call Tzvika, an Israeli Jew who grew up on a secular kibbutz. For anyone who is familiar with the secular kibbut zim of yesteryear, they were devoutly secular, strictly prohibiting the obser vance of any mitzvah or even the men tion of G-d’s name. The residents of this kibbutz were the children of Holocaust survivors from Hungary. At one point, a number of men and women from the kib butz went to take a tour of Hungary with

on the front cover! That is why he called out. Everyone agreed that it was a re markable coincidence – very interesting.

Tzvika began to flip through the pag es of the machzor, something he had nev er done with a siddur in his life before, and when he came to the pages of the Hallel prayer, which is recited on Sukkos and other days, he found a branch from a hadas – a myrtle. Not only that, but the hadas was still alive! While it was brown on the edges, it was still green in the middle. It had been preserved in the machzor all of those decades. Tzvika began to cry when he realized that his grandfather had davened with that ha das decades and decades before.

live forever. We generally did not think of the day of death, so we did not make se rious commitments. We always thought there would be time later.

But when one reads Modim with con centration, he remembers that “our lives are given over into Your hands.” Life is not guaranteed, and no one knows when he will leave the world. Our lives are not in our own hands. So if we want to change, we must make very small com mitments which we can stick to “through and through.” But those commitments should be the kind of things that help us change our perspective on life, like the Alter of Slabodka’s commitment to say Modim with special concentration.

Sheep Who Have Lost Everything

We feel so lost. All we want is to return to Hashem. We say, as Dovid Hamelech did (Tehillim 119:176), “I went astray like a lost lamb.” But there is an irregularity in this pasuk . If it meant “lost lamb,” it should have used the word “ne’evad, lost.” Instead, it used the word “oved, losing,” implying that the lambs are the ones losing something – not that that they are lost by someone else. And the truth is that this makes sense. When a lamb is lost, the shepherd and flock “only” lose one sheep. But when a lamb goes astray, it loses everything. It loses its entire flock and its shepherd. So when we say we have gone astray and want to return to Hashem, we’re saying we have lost everything – our connection with

a tour guide in order to learn about their families’ history. They visited a number of the villages and towns in which the parents of the kibbutz residents grew up.

The group arrived in one very small town where Tzvika’s parents grew up. There was not much to see so they asked the guide if there was an old shul in town. He said that there was and took them there. But when they arrived, they saw that it had been turned into a barn. Animals were walking in and out, and the entire shul smelled of animal waste. They could still see where the aron ko desh had been. As they looked around, the men put napkins or their own hands over their heads out of respect. Everyone listened to the tour guide speaking about the history of the area, when suddenly they heard a scream from upstairs. They went to see what the commotion was about and found Tzvika upstairs in the old ezras nashim – women’s section.

Tzvika explained that while the guide was speaking, he went upstairs to explore and found a complete mess. But by one wall, he saw several stacks of boxes lined up. He opened one of the boxes and saw a set of machzorim for Shalosh Regalim – special siddurim for the holidays. It seems that before the Nazis took over, the Jews had begun attempting to pack up their machzorim in the shul, perhaps to hide them or move them somewhere. Tzvika told them that he opened up the first machzor, he found and saw the name of his own grandfather, who had been killed in the Holocaust, inscribed

One Yid from a little town in Hungary who gave his life for G-d sent his grand son a message. Why had Tzvika first picked up his grandfather’s machzor? Why had his grandfather’s hadas stayed alive for him to find so long after he had died sanctifying G-d’s name? Although his friends could not understand his wonderment, Tzvika told them, “I have been disconnected my entire life from Judaism – from G-d. But G-d made sure that I would find my grandfather’s machzor so that I would know that even where I am, as disconnected as I am, I am still my holy grandfather’s grand son. And He arranged that I would find my grandfather’s living hadas so that I would know that no matter how long I have been separated from the source of my life, that I still have a spark of G-d inside me.”

We often feel so disconnected – lost. We feel like a little lamb who is out on its own in the world, without a Shepherd or flock. But every year at Neilah, Hashem shows us a small opening, a hole through which we can climb to reach the source of life. We can grasp that little hadas , that little spark of life still left inside us after all of these years. We can con nect to that spark, that bor hashakah , by keeping in mind some small commit ment during Neilah which has the power to reconnect us to the source of life.

May Hashem accept all of our tefilos this Neilah with mercy and love, and may we all merit to celebrate our recon nection with Hashem next Yom Kippur in Yerushalayim with the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash and the arrival of Moshiach, may he come right away!

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the found ing Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Ko desh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

Every year at Neilah, Hashem shows us a small opening, a hole through which we can climb to reach the source of life.

The Divine Purity of the Name of Hashem That Manifests as Yom Kippur

bY Rabbi Da N iel GlaT sTei N

Parshas Acharei Mos begins with the Torah’s instructions to be delivered to Aharon regard ing his Avodah on Yom Kippur. However, the pesukim omit a crucial detail. In discussing the various korbanos and other aspects of the Service , the Torah does not mention that this Avodah is to be performed on the tenth of Tishrei! It is only at the very end of the parsha that the Torah finally states the date:

“This shall remain for you an eternal decree: In the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall af flict yourselves and you shall not do any work, neither the native nor the proselyte who dwells among you. For on this day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you; from all your sins before Hashem shall you be cleansed” (Vayikra 16: 29-30).

This is the one yom tov for which the Torah first provides the instructions for the Avodah of the festival, and only later relates when to do it This anomaly is pointed out by the Bnei Yissaschar, who asks why the Torah departs from its normal practice of discussing a Yom Tov after telling us when it is to be celebrated . It seems that the Torah telling us the date of Yom Kippur is an afterthought .

Rabbeinu Sherira Gaon authored a historical com pendium of events , with a special focus on the lives of the Geonim who preceded him He writes that Rav Achai b’rei d’ Raba bar Avuha — namely, Rav Achai Gaon — passed away on Yom Kippur at a time of anger, followed four years later by the petirah of Rav Tachna

and Mar Zutra ben Rav Chinana . This addition — that Rav Achai Gaon passed away at a time of anger — is a deviation from his standard writing style When re cording the passing of the other Gaonim , he merely states the dates without commenting that they were “ times of anger.” Why does he add this description to the passing of Rav Achai Gaon?

In years gone by, observes the Bnei Yissaschar, chassidim and anshei maaseh, pious individuals, re ferred to Yom Kippur by the title Yom HaKadosh , the holy day Why, asks the Bnei Yissaschar, wasn’t it sim ply referred to by its proper name , Yom HaKippurim? Furthermore, he asks, the masechtos that deal with our holy days are titled Shabbos , Rosh Hashana , Succah , Pesachim Why isn’t there a Maseches Yom HaKippu rim? The masechta that discusses Yom Kippur is called Yoma, the Day.

The Physical Manifestation of the s hem HaMeforash

The Bnei Yissaschar advances a dramatic idea Yom Kippur is a day that comes from a hidden realm; it is, in fact, the Name of Hashem materializing and crystal lizing as a day of the year. It is the Shem Hashem that manifests as a day There is a Divine energy and pow er inherent in Yom Kippur. The essence of the day, is kadosh and powerful, so much so that we dare not utter its name , which is a manifestation of the Shem Hash

em. Therefore , we even call the masechta discussing Yom Kippur by the name Yoma It is from a different realm altogether, as if it were beyond the Torah itself, and therefore the date is not mentioned in the Torah until the very end of the parsha

Hashem allows His Name to become a day — and therefore we are reluctant even to verbalize the name of the day — because it is tantamount to saying the Name of Hashem Out of respect we refer to Yom Kippur by a pseudonym: Yom HaKadosh. From here, we see that there is a supernatural quality to the day of Yom Kippur itself; it is the manifestation of the Name of Hashem.

The sefer Az Yashir, written by a dear friend and noted talmid chacham, Rav Moshe Schwerd , cites Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik , who advances the same con cept . He quotes the Bnei Yissaschar as he expands the idea further. During the Avodah of Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol says the Vidui , Confession, three times First , he recites the Vidui for himself and his house hold Next, he says Vidui for all of the Kohanim Third, he recites Vidui for all of Klal Yisrael.

The Mishnah describes the procedure as the Ko hen Gadol recites Vidui for himself and his family, in which he says, “Ani u ’ beisi, I and my household .” The text that the Kohen Gadol recites includes two sen tences that both begin with the words, “Ana Hashem, please, Hashem”: First, “Ana Hashem, we have sinned,” followed by “Ana Hashem , forgive us.” The Mishnah subsequently describes the Vidui recited by the Kohen

72 Gadol for himself, for his family, and for all the Ko hanim. The same two sentences are recited , and both sentences begin with Ana Hashem However, the third iteration of the Vidui , the one for all of Klal Yisrael, is slightly different The second sentence begins with the words, Ana BaShem.

The Tosafos Yom Tov makes note of this, wondering why the language has changed and if, in fact , the ver sion recorded is correct He concludes that the correct text is actually for all three iterations to begin the sec ond sentence with “Ana BaShem.”

Rav Soloveitchik addresses this question of the Tosafos Yom Tov The relationship that Klal Yisrael enjoys with Hashem is unique and multifaceted . On the night of Yom Kippur, our relationship with Hashem is especially distinctive. On that night , Hashem serves as our Mother The kittel we wear is comparable to a mother who swaddles her child in white. When an in fant soils his garments , the mother cleans him and changes his clothing.

On the night of Yom Kippur, we are like the soiled infant, with aveiros sullying our pure neshamos. Hash em, our Mother, yearns to help us He cleanses us, He swaddles us, and He dresses us in white. It is not be neath Hashem’s dignity for Him to personally clean up our mess.

The process Hashem utilizes to cleanse us , as it were , is to take the Shem Hashem and manifest it as a day : the day of Yom Kippur

We know that Hashem stands where there are three dayanim , where a beis din is being convened At the onset of Yom Kippur, we want to bring the Shechinah to us , so we convene a beis din This beis din does much more than just annul the vows in the form of Kol Nidrei; it serves as the conduit through which the Shechinah can come to forgive our sins. When the beis din is in place , the Shechinah comes down from the seventh Raki’a, the loftiest level of Shamayim. Hashem approaches each and every one of us to cleanse the filth that has polluted our neshamos.

Hashem accomplishes the cleansing process with the Yom , the Day, which is the manifestation of the Shem Hashem, the Name of Hashem Therefore, says Rav Soloveitchik , the Tosafos Yom Tov is correct: The kapparah we seek — for the Kohen Gadol, for the Ko hanim, and for Klal Yisrael — is the kapparah that is brought about BaShem , with the Name of Hashem That is why we say, “Ana BaShem, kapper na, please , with Your Name, atone for me.”

The tefillah should be read as follows: Ana, Please , BaShem, with Your Name , kapper na, please atone! (And not as it is commonly read – Ana BaShem, Please, Hashem , kapper na ….) We are asking that through the power of the Shem of Hashem, He should cleanse us of all sin

The source of the kedushah of Yom Kippur and the power of the kapparah of Yom Kippur are fueled by its manifestation as the Shem Hashem, by the Name of Hashem descending to us and concretizing as the day of Yom Kippur. Uttering the name Yom Kippur is considered to be akin to stating the Shem HaMeforash, the Name of Hashem. Therefore, it was customary not to refer to Yom Kippur by name but rather to call it Yom HaKadosh, the holy day.

During the final moments of Yom Kippur, we re peat the phrase “Hashem Hu HaElokim” seven times, thereby affirming that Hashem, He is G d What is the significance of these words and why do we say them as Yom Kippur is drawing to a close?

When Yom Kippur is over, the Shechinah departs, so to speak , and Hashem re ascends the Seven Rakios We recite , “Hashem Hu HaElokim,” seven times to es cort, so to speak , the Shechinah to the highest heavens Hashem is mechapper our aveiros with His Name. As the Name of Hashem ascends the Seven Rakios, so too, the Day slips away.

“Ki ba’yom hazeh yichaper al’eichem l’taher eschem mi’kol chatoseichem lifnei Hashem titaharu.”

This pasuk is only one of six places in Tanach where the word “bayom” is vocalized with a patach under the beis rather than a shva In fact , in this context , the word should really be b’yom , not baYom . B ’ yom means “during the day,” and baYom means “ with the

er of the day of Yom Kippur itself However, it would seem that this is not our halachic conclusion, because if someone fasts for the entire duration of Yom Kip pur, but he does not do teshuvah, his Yom Kippur has accomplished nothing for him We rule as the Cha chamim do: Ein Yom Kippur mechapper bli teshuvah, Yom Kippur does not atone unless it is accompanied by repentance. Rebbe , however, differs with the Cha chamim; he maintains that the very essence of Yom Kippur serves to atone for one ’ s aveiros, and this atone ment is affected even if one does not do teshuvah Thus, “the very essence of the day [inherently]atones ” refers to this concept

Despite the fact that we do not pasken according to Rebbe , the Rambam employs the expression, “Itzumo shel Yom mechapper.” This shows that this terminology does have halachic standing The Rambam is teaching us that although Yom Kippur alone is not mechapper, and one must also do teshuvah to achieve atonement , nevertheless, the atonement does not come solely from one ’ s teshuvah Rather, once one does teshuvah, then the itzumo shel Yom can, in fact , be mechapper. The process of teshuvah activates the power inherent in the day of Yom Kippur that allows one to be forgiven for his wrongdoings However, it is interesting to note , as we shall present below, that there are some instances where we seem to pasken, like Rebbe, that itzumo shel Yom is mechapper.

day.” It would seem more logical for the verse to state , “In the course of this day, Hashem will atone for you.”

The shva seems to fit the meaning of the pasuk much better than the patach. B’yom implies that the kappa rah takes place on the day of Yom Kippur; baYom, on the other hand , implies that the Day itself is the tool with which the kapparah is affected BaYom, it is with the Day, utilizing the Day, that the kapparah happens. In light of what we have learned , we can explain this vocalization. The word baYom is employed to indicate that the atonement does not merely transpire during the course of the day, but Itzumo shel Yom mechapper, the very essence of the day inherently atones BaYom, with the day itself, which is the manifestation of the Name of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, Hashem atones for our sins.

Parenthetically, the words “Ki ba ’ yom hazeh yichaper ” contain a remez to an important avodah of Yom Kippur The roshei teivos of these words , when rearranged , spell the word bechiya, crying, conveying the importance of shedding tears on Yom Kippur The roshei teivos of the words “mi’ kol chatoseichem lifnei Hashem titaharu” when rearranged , form the word chamalti, I was merciful. Rav Chaim Palagi writes that if a person cries, shedding tears on Yom Kippur, he will merit mercy and forgiveness for his sins.

Does Yom Kippur Need Teshuvah?

From the above, we see the unique atonement pow

The full and proper name of this yom tov is Yom HaKippurim. Why use the plural form? Why not use the singular, as we usually refer to it, Yom Kippur? The Darchei Moshe explains that not only is Yom Kippur a day of kapparah for those who are alive, it is also a day of atonement for those who have passed away. The plu ral form refers to the atonement of these two groups

How can the day be a kapparah for those who already have passed away? As mentioned above , we pasken like the C hachamim that ein Yom Kippur mechapper bli teshuvah , and one who is no longer among the living cannot do teshuvah. So how can Yom Kippur effect kapparah for the deceased? If they can not do teshuvah , then Yom Kippur cannot atone for them

Rav Yaakov Orenstein , the Baal Yeshuos Yaakov, explains that most people do not pass away immedi ately after Yom Kippur, but rather some time during the course of the year In that case , how do those people achieve atonement and forgiveness? Any sin that may have been committed between the previous Yom Kip pur and the day he was niftar will not have been privy to the awesome forgiving power of Yom Kippur How is atonement for these final months achieved? The answer is in the name Yom Kippurim The Yom Kippur follow ing one ’ s demise is mechapper for aveiros committed during the final months of one ’ s life, from the day after Yom Kippur until the day of petirah. This unique kap parah is effective even without teshuvah

When we rule that the essence of Yom Kippur is not mechapper without teshuvah, that ruling applies only to one who is able to do teshuvah. If one is unable to do teshuvah, then the essence of the day can be mechap per, and the next Yom Kippur will affect a kapparah for the sins that may have been committed between the prior Yom Kippur until the petirah. Thus, for someone

When Yom Kippur begins, it is as if Olam Haba itself is coming down to This World.

who cannot do teshuvah, we do pasken that itzumo shel Yom is mechapper.

Guaranteed Olam Haba

There is another illustration of the concept that it zumo shel Yom is manifest The Gemara relates that at the time that Rebbe was niftar, a Heavenly voice pro claimed that anyone who had attended the levayah of Rebbe is mezuman, prepared , for chayei Olam Haba, life in the World to Come A launderer had missed the levayah, and when he heard what was declared from Heaven, he jumped off the roof in despair A Bas Kol then declared that he , too, merited Olam Haba even though he had not attended the funeral

What was so unique about Rebbe’s levayah that anyone who attended was mezuman l ’chayei Olam Haba? Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spector gives an in credible answer

Why do we read about the Asarah Harugei Malchus during the tefillos that we recite during Mussaf on Yom Kippur?

Chazal ask why the death of Miriam is juxtaposed to the instructions about the Parah Adumah . They answer that it is to teach us that just as the Parah Ad umah is mechapper, so too the death of the righteous also provides kapparah Miriam’s passing away was mechapper for the Bnei Yisrael. That is why we read about the Asarah Harugei Malchus on Yom Kippur: Their deaths provided kapparah for the Jewish people.

We stated earlier that Rebbe and the Rabbanan disagreed about whether or not Yom Kippur itself is mechapper or if one must do teshuvah in order to ac tivate the kapparah of Yom Kippur. Rebbe held that itzumo shel Yom, the essence of the day, is itself enough to provide atonement . The Rabbanan disagreed and maintained that it is only with teshuvah that Yom Kip pur can provide atonement .

Extrapolating based on this machlokes , advanc es Reb Yitzchak Elchanan, Rebbe and the Rabbanan would also disagree whether the death of a tzaddik on its own can provide atonement even without teshuvah. Rebbe maintained that it does , while the Rabbanan stated that the passing of a tzaddik can atone only if the person also did teshuvah and repented

There is a mystical concept that on the day of an eminent sage ’ s petirah, we pasken in accordance with his opinions in halacha . Thus, on the day that Rebbe passed away, we paskened as he did: One need not do teshuvah in order to acquire the atonement that can be achieved with the passing of tzaddikim Therefore, a message was received from Shamayim stating just that Today, in accord with Rebbe’s shitah, opinion, all in attendance receive automat ic atonement through his pass ing, even without having done teshuvah In honor of Rebbe , on the day he passed away, the

halacha was that itzumo shel Yom was mechapper, and all in attendance were mezuman l’chayei Olam Haba.

Even though we must do teshuvah to activate the kapparah, the day itself has great power to be mechap per: ki baYom hazeh yechaper, because with this day, Hashem forgives us.

When Does the Kapparah Happen?

We have begun to uncover the extraordinary power inherent in the day of Yom Kippur itself The Gemara says that if one passes away on Erev Yom Kippur, it is an evil portent because he lost out on the atonement of Yom Kippur. However, if he passes away on Motza’ei Yom Kippur, the Gemara states that it is a good siman that his sins were all completely forgiven. What about someone who passes away on Yom Kippur itself ? Is that a good or evil omen?

in the honor of Rav Achai Gaon Therefore, to explain why Rav Achai Gaon did not live to the conclusion of Yom Kippur, Rav Sherira Gaon wrote that it was “a time of anger ” to convey the message that the petirah of Rav Achai Gaon was prompted by Hashem’s anger toward the entire generation , rather than , chas v’shalom , a negative judgment that did not allow Rav Achai Gaon to achieve the kapparah of Yom Kippur.

This same idea can also be applied to the petirah of Rabbi Akiva , who, we are taught by Yalkut Shimo ni , was killed on Yom Kippur In fact , it is suggested that we even recite a hidden hesped for Rabbi Akiva on Yom Kippur On the night of Yom Kippur, our dav ening begins with Kol Nidrei , which starts with the phrase , “Ohr zarua latzaddik u ’ l’yishrei leiv simcha, Light is sown for the righteous; and for the upright of heart , gladness” ( Tehillim 97:11). Why do we begin the davening on the Yom HaKadosh with this sentence from Tehillim?

It is suggested that the reason we start this way is because the pasuk , “Ohr zarua latzaddik u ’ l’yishrei leiv simcha” spells, with its sofei teivos, “Rabbi Akiva.” Just as Rav Elchanon explained regarding Rav Achai Gaon, the death of Rabbi Akiva was not a siman ra, negative portent; rather, it was also a time of anger, as evidenced by the harsh decrees the Roman promulgat ed against us

There is an inherent power of Divine atonement in the day of Yom Kippur Bnei Yissaschar writes that the day of Yom Kippur and the concept of teshuvah come from a special, remote , and hidden place

This question really hinges on whether the atone ment of Yom Kippur takes place incrementally as the day progresses, or does it atone only at its conclusion? If it takes place incrementally, one who passes away on Yom Kippur at least achieved a degree of atonement However, if the atonement is achieved only upon its conclusion, it would be a bad sign to pass away on Yom Kippur. Rav Elchanan Wasserman explains that Rav Sherira Gaon clearly held that Yom Kippur does not atone until the day is over, which would make it a bad sign to pass away on Yom Kippur

Therefore , when he recorded the passing of Rav Achai Gaon, which happened on Yom Kippur, he was afraid that it would reflect poorly on Rav Achai Gaon, for he was niftar before the conclusion of Yom Kippur, and he had not yet been granted the kapparah that Yom Kippur would have afforded him had he lived an other few hours. This would have led to a p ’ gam, defect,

The Yalkut Shimoni teaches that Hashem asked Chochmah ( Wisdom) what should happen to one who sins. Chochmah responded that the offender deserves the death penalty The Neviim (prophets) were asked the same question, and they offered the same response. Hashem asked the malachim , and once again the re sponse was that the offenders deserve to be punished by death Even when the Torah was asked , the only suggestion given was to bring an offering to gain atone ment , but the possibility of teshuvah was not offered

Only HaKadosh Baruch Hu could conceive the idea of teshuvah It was beyond the scope of Chochmah, the neviim, and the malachim to comprehend that a sinner could be given a second chance

The day of Yom Kippur comes from Olam Haba , from the hidden World to Come When Yom Kippur begins, it is as if Olam Haba itself is coming down to This World As in Olam Haba , Yom Kippur is a day, without eating or drinking, and we conduct ourselves like the Heavenly angels And since it comes from a hidden source , the date of the Yom Tov is hidden until the very end of the Torah’s discussion about it , when it is finally revealed so we will know when to observe it .

May we always be zoche to taste the Divine quality of this day that emanates from Olam Haba and may we return to Hashem with teshuva sheleimah and merit a chasimah tovah.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the Mara D’asra of Kehilas Tiferes Mordechai in Cedarhurst, NY, and author of numerous seforim in Lashon Hakodesh and in English for ArtScroll. He is an international lecturer and maggid shiur. His thousands of recorded shiurim are available on Torahanytime.com, podcast, his website rabbidg. com, and other venues.

This article has been reprinted with permission from The Mystery and The Majesty by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, published by Artscroll.

The process of teshuvah activates the power inherent in the day of Yom Kippur that allows one to be forgiven for his wrongdoings.

On the topic of relying on Hashem and not on others, the Chovos HaLevavos quotes the following pasuk: “Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, then Hashem is his security” (Yirmiyah 17:7).

This pasuk is seemingly redun dant. If you are relying on G-d, doesn’t that clearly imply He’s your security? The answer is that there are various levels of relying on Hashem. On one level, you can rely on G-d, but you also rely on others, such as for business and for other matters.

On a higher level, you can choose to rely solely on G-d and on nothing else — so that all things will happen through G-d.

Jewish Thought

Popinsanity and the Power of “H”

By Rabbi David Sutton

Mr. Yaakov Goldenthal started his career as a musician in Monsey, New York. To increase his livelihood, he de cided to open a cafe there. After all the preparation, time, effort, and invest ment, the cafe was abruptly shut down. He took a big loss and tried to recoup some of his investment by selling off as much of the equipment as possible. Ul timately, he was left with a $300 pop corn machine that sat collecting dust in his basement. Sometime lat er, when he and his wife were throw ing a party for their daugh ter, he rented a cotton candy

machine and brought up the popcorn machine as well. His wife, tired of seeing it in the house, said that after the party it would have to be placed on the curb.

At the party, one of the girls request ed sweet popcorn. Yaakov decided to ex periment and mixed some of the cotton candy ingredients with his popcorn. The

company grew, but there were plenty of bumps in the road.

Then, suddenly, in November 2018, came his big break: television star Oprah Winfrey listed the popcorn, called Popinsanity, on her annual list of “Oprah’s favorite gifts.” Suddenly busi ness quadrupled! The company’s staff

People pay well for advice on how to reach Oprah with their products, but his “lucky break” came due to a “chance” en counter with an Oprah staffer at a trade show.

Could anyone have planned this? “Hmmm, let’s take this kosher popcorn from Monsey and get some of it over to Oprah to taste. Get it on her list; it’ll be great! We’ll sell it for $18 a bag.” No. No one could plan that out.

Yaakov Goldenthal’s unlikely success story illustrates that while we have to work and try to earn a living, whether our efforts are crowned with success is entirely in the realm of hashgachah pratis. He could have pursued Oprah’s endorsement relentlessly and come up empty-handed. Instead, he made him self available for blessing, and it rained down upon him.

guests all loved it!

After the party, he got a phone call from the girl’s parents, asking if they could buy more of the sweet popcorn. Word spread and he, with his friend and partner Aaron Zutler, started selling the flavored popcorn. Slowly, the popcorn

started putting in 16-hour days. They were selling 10,000 pounds of popcorn per week — at $18 per bag! “Artisanal Popcorn,” they called it. The media said it was propelled by the “power of O,” but Yaakov says it was the Power of H — the Power of Hashem.

When we try to analyze the story, it really is insanity. A business gone bad and a leftover popcorn machine became a large, successful business.

Rabbi Moshe Malka, a”h, head of Mosdos Ohel Moshe in Bnei Brak and Elad, once said that G-d has a special spray called “Charm Spray.” When He sprays it on a product, it flies off the shelves.

We must realize that our success in business and in life does not rely on the middlemen: the executives, the promoters, the buyers, the bosses, the neighbors, etc. We have to “make the popcorn,” but only Hashem can turn it into a shower of blessing.

Delving into the Daf

The Accidental Aveirah

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

Unfortunately, there was recently a restaurant that was found to be serving treif under the guise of kosher. Rav Moshe, zt”l, ruled that if an individual had a halachic basis to believe a restaurant was kosher and it turned out it wasn’t, then it is considered an aveira b’oines.

There were two butcher shops servic ing an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. The proprietor of one was a clean-shaven indi vidual. The other butcher shop was run by a Yid with long peyos and a beard. Unfor tunately, it turned out that this latter store was selling treif meat. The question was posed to Rav Moshe, zt”l: do the consumers who ate the treif meat need to do teshuva for an accidental aveirah? Perhaps it should be viewed as an oneis, an unavoidable sin beyond one’s control. Rav Moshe, zt”l, an swered that it depends. For those consum ers who frequented both butcher shops, the sin was unavoidable. They did exactly what Hashem wanted of them, namely to rely on the concept of aid echad neeman b’issurin In matters of kashrus, we are allowed to rely on the assurances of a lone Jew that the food is kosher. However, those who only purchased by the second store because the proprietor appeared to be “frummer” are not considered oneis. In fact, their sin is considered a little intentional.

Yet, Rav Moshe, zt”l, seemed to answer

differently when questioned about a ruling of the Chofetz Chaim. The halacha is that if one person relates derogatory informa tion about a third party, the listener may not believe it. He possibly should not have listened to the lashon hara to begin with, but he is certainly not allowed to believe it under all circumstances. He may be per mitted to believe that there is a possibility the information may be true (depends on the circumstances), but he may definitely not accept it as fact. Yet, there is one excep tion to this rule mentioned by the Chofetz Chaim. This is in a situation where the per son who related the negative information is considered so trustworthy by the listener that he believes whatever the speaker says as if two witnesses said it. In that scenar io, the listener may accept the information as fact. If the negative information was so awful that it renders the target of the neg ative speech a rasha, the listener may even hate that individual. However, this is only in the rare circumstance that the speaker is believed by the listener as if he was two witnesses. (In fact, such an exemplary in dividual may no longer exist.)

What happens if the negative informa tion related by the hitherto trustworthy individual turns out to be false? Is the sin of believing the lashon hara and the sin of baseless hatred considered an oines, be yond his control, or shogeg, accidental?

Rav Moshe, zt”l, answered it is consid ered oines.

Rav Reuvein Feinstein, shlit”a, ques tioned his father about the two rulings that appear contradictory. At the butcher shop, where the buyer wrongly assumes the proprietor is a pious individual, we consid er the sin of eating non-kosher accidental and a little intentional. Yet, by the lashon hara situation, when the listener wrongly assumed that the speaker was absolutely trustworthy, we consider the sin of believ ing the lashon hara an oines. What’s the difference? In both situations, there were mistaken assumptions made about the in dividual. In both situations the person re lied on an individual based on assumptions not firmly grounded in halacha.

Rav Moshe, zt”l, explained that the ruling of the butcher shop is understood correctly, but the lashon hara case is mis understood. The Gemara in Kesubos (85a) relates that Rava was judging a monetary case and was about to order the defendant to swear to free herself of the claim against her. However, Rava’s wife informed him that she was familiar with the defendant. The defendant had no qualms about lying and swearing falsely. Rava then decided that he would not let the defendant swear and exempt herself from paying since she may swear falsely. Instead, he ordered that the plaintiff swear and subsequently collect

the debt. The information of his wife affect ed the outcome of the case.

Rav Papa, a saintly Amora, who was later to become a Rosh HaYeshiva, was once likewise observing his Rebbe, Rava, judging a case. Rav Papa informed Rava that he knows for a fact that the loan about which the case resolved was already repaid. Rava then asked Rav Papa if there was any one else who could corroborate his infor mation. When Rav Papa demurred, Rava dismissed Rav Papa’s information as being unacceptable in a Jewish court. After all, in monetary matters we usually require two witnesses. Rav Papa’s information was just supplied by him alone. Rav Ada Bar Mas na asked Rava incredulously, “You accept ed information that was supplied solely by your wife, and you won’t accept informa tion affirmed by the great sage Rav Papa?” Rava explained that he was familiar with his wife but not with Rav Papa. The simple understanding of this Gemara is that Rava was not really sure if Rav Papa was righ teous. He was sure, though, that his wife was a tzadekes and would therefore not lie.

Rav Moshe, zt”l, said that this simple understanding of the Gemara is certain ly incorrect. Rava surely knew that Rav Papa was a tremendous tzaddik and would never lie. Yet, that fact doesn’t change the halacha that two witnesses are required in monetary cases. Even if Moshe Rabbe

inu himself would testify in court as a sole witness, we would not believe him in mon etary matters. Moreover, every Jew has a chazaka that he is righteous and wouldn’t lie (chezkas kashrus). What would be the reasoning to believe Rav Papa more than any Jew? Should we suggest that “all Jews are created equal, but some are more equal than others”?

Rav Moshe, zt”l says, that it actually does not have anything to do with righ teousness. Rav Papa could, in fact, have been more righteous than Rava’s wife. But Rava knew with firsthand knowledge through all those years of marriage that his wife never lied. There were times that it would have been expedient for his wife to lie about some issues, yet she never did. So Rava’s knowledge about his wife’s integrity does not have to do with righteousness per se, but the fact that she was tried and test ed. It wasn’t based on a presumed chezkas kashrus but on firsthand knowledge. Cer tainly, Rava could assume that Rav Papa was equally as honest as well, but Rava didn’t know that firsthand. It would just be an assumption, albeit an excellent one. Rava could not say that he knew that Rav Papa was tried and tested in honesty the way his wife was.

According to Rav Moshe, zt”l, that is an

alternative element to being believed. The usual one is chezkas kashrus. The alterna tive one is knowing firsthand that someone never lied. Rav Moshe, zt”l ,was so sure of this alternative believability logic that he had ruled leniently in certain matters em ploying it. In fact, he ruled about an invalid witness who may be still be believed in cer tain circumstances. For example, it is pos sible that a child who doesn’t keep kosher

he assumes the speaker is righteous but because he knows that he never lies and would not lie to him. If it turns out that the individual did lie, the listener is an oines. The halacha is that one is allowed to be lieve such an individual. If it turns out he lied, one cannot be faulted for following the dictates of halacha.

Back to the butcher shops! According to halacha both proprietors have a chezkas

deed be an oines. But, someone who just purchased there based on appearances?

Rav Moshe, zt”l, wonders how can he be considered oneis when he relied on his own logic which turned out to be faulty.

may in certain circumstances be believed to tell his parents that the food is kosher. This would be true if the child would never lie to his parents. This alternative form of believability is what is intended by our Ge mara in Kesubos. That is what the Chofetz Chaim intended as well. If someone is so close with someone and is certain that he never lied to him throughout their long re lationship, he may believe beneficial lashon hara from that individual. It’s not because

kashrus. One who relied on that halacha cannot be faulted for doing exactly what the Torah wanted of him. However, if one con sumer only frequented the “frummer” look ing butcher because he looked frummer, he was not relying on chezkas kashrus. He was relying on chezkas peyos! If he knew the butcher personally and had a long re lationship with the butcher and knew that the butcher was tried and tested and never deviated from the truth, then it would in

The following is a loose translation of this last point in the Igros Moshe (OC 1:53): “And what I said that if an individual at tempts to be pious and doesn’t rely on the normal chezkas kashrus like the law of the Torah but rather relies on some individu als that he chose himself not because he knows and recognizes them with certainty, but rather for the sake of weak reasons that make them appear to be more trustworthy, and it turns out that they tricked him, this is considered a little like willful sin. Since he doesn’t actually know them but rather it just seems to him that they are more pi ous… And he didn’t rely on the law of the Torah, can he be considered oines for rely ing on his own logic.”

Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hemp stead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@ gmail.com.

Do the consumers who ate the treif meat need to do teshuva for an accidental aveirah?

My Israel Home

Keeping Their Legacy Alive

By Gedaliah Borvick

My articles often focus on names of streets in Israel. Street names cover the full gamut of people connected to the Jewish nation, including biblical characters, scholars, poets, scien tists, political leaders, and friends of Israel throughout the millennia.

Sometimes, streets are named for fall en heroes of the Israel Defense Forces. However, it is more common for soldiers to be commemorated by connecting their names to places that were dear to them. For example, while recently visiting beau tiful Rosh Pina, I saw lookouts, babbling brooks, hiking trails, and synagogues named in memory of Israel’s holy soldiers.

Parenthetically, the term “holy sol diers” always reminds me of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach’s famous response to a student who requested to take time off from yeshiva to visit the graves of tzaddi kim (righteous people): “In order to pray at the graves of tzaddikim, one doesn’t have to travel up to the Galilee. Whenever I feel the need to pray at the graves of tzaddik im, I go to Mount Herzl [Jerusalem’s cem etery for fallen soldiers], to the graves of the soldiers who fell ‘Al Kiddush Hashem’ [for the sanctification of G-d].”

Over the past year, I have frequently

visited Jerusalem’s delightful Givat Chan anya neighborhood. In this landmarked village situated across the street from the First Station (Tachana Rishona), we mar keted the charming Aminadav project. While walking around the rustic neigh borhood, we often wondered about Beit Nechemia Youth Center, an old 1-story building that housed what appeared to be

activities of the institutions bearing their names.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are unfortunately hundreds of men and women who died in military opera tions before and during the creation of the State of Israel, whose history is in complete. Most of these soldiers were Eu ropean refugees, often the last remaining

unearth the history of the anonymous Holocaust survivors who gave their lives in battle. The efforts of the volunteer re searchers to memorialize these unknown heroes is truly a chesed shel emet, which is considered one of the highest forms of kindness, owing to the volunteers’ altru istic intentions.

an educational institute or museum.

Over time, we learned that Beit Nech emia provides educational programs for teenagers and is named in memory of Nechemia Cohen, the highest-decorated soldier in Israel’s history, who was killed during the Six Day War. Other similar centers exist across the country, and the fallen soldiers’ values live on through the

members of their families, who escaped the long arm of Nazi terror only to be killed fighting for the Jewish nation. Un fortunately, upon their death, no relatives existed to provide basic information, such as parents’ names, date and place of birth, and marital status.

“Giving a Face to the Fallen” is a notfor-profit organization whose goal is to

With the early-August IDF Gaza op eration codenamed Operation Breaking Dawn still on my mind, coupled with the recent escalation of Palestinian Islamic Ji had, a terror proxy of Iran, I often find my self thinking about, admiring, and praying for the wonderful soldiers who valiantly defend our country. May the Al-mighty grant all of us a shana tova, a wonderful year filled with good health, happiness, peace, and fulfillment. And may we, in turn, appreciate the countless blessings –including the IDF! – that He bestows upon our families and our nation.

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gbor vick@gmail.com.

I often find myself thinking about, admiring, and praying for the wonderful soldiers who valiantly defend our country.

Beit Nechemia in Givat Chananya

The Wandering Jew Scandinavian Journeys Finland

By Hershel Lieber

The first time we were in Finland was in January of 1982. Helsinki, its capital, was the first and last leg of our trip to the Soviet Union. We were on the maiden mission on behalf of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel which would take us to the cities of Moscow, Minsk, Vilnius, Riga and Leningrad. Our activ ities in those places were focused on the fledgling baalei teshuva movement in par ticular, as well as the Jewish community, at large. I have written about these trips before and on the impact that they had and still have on our lives.

We arrived in the late morning and took a taxi to the Hotel Hozpiz in the center of the town. Our room on the fifth floor was extremely small and modest. The most im portant features to us were that the room was clean, cozy, and well-heated. We were comfortably dressed in warm clothing, and the weather was not too harsh, so we walked around the local streets.

Helsinki is not on the list of major tourist destinations, and it was evident why when we strolled around the city cen ter. It was late in the afternoon when the streets were crowded with people return

ing from work and the shops were quite busy. We picked up some fresh produce and drinks in a supermarket but were unable to make out any signs or advertise ments. Finnish has no connection to any European languages other than Estonian and somewhat to Hungarian, so we could not even guess what the words can mean. We went to a department store where we bought our three daughters skirts and vests. Nightfall was early so we headed back and did what every good Finnish cit izen does before going to bed: we went to the hot rock heated sauna, which we had

for ourselves. Alternating between the dry heat of the sauna and a pleasant show er was very relaxing for our muscles and ensured us a very soothing sleep.

The next day we still had a few hours before we would have to leave to the air port. We toured the Old Senate house and visited the indoor and outdoor food mar ket which specialized in fresh fish from the morning’s catch. We were pleasantly surprised by an exhibition of ice and snow sculptures at a nearby park which were huge and of unusual themes. We also vis ited the House of Finnish Design which

Helsinki, winter 1981

Snow sculptures, 1981

With Andrei Zweig

highlights the stark modern shapes and bold colors that are incorporated in every range of Finnish products. Furniture, ta bleware, and clothing are only some areas that exemplify the uniqueness of Finish design. After a bit of shopping, we final ly headed to the airport and our actual destination, Moscow. On our return trip, we spent a night at the posh Helsinki In tercontinental, and in the morning, Pesi bought a beautiful fox tail collar, which was a bargain. Our total stay in Finland was only two days, but it gave us an over view to the “Land of the Midnight Sun.”

In 2013, I was approached by Sheila Schwebel of Tourrific Travel about lead ing a tour to Russia. Sheila specialized in tours for women and had organized trips to many foreign countries which were rat ed “outstanding” by all participants. This would be her first venture to the former Soviet Union, and she felt that my knowl edge and our experiences would enhance this journey for the travelers. I was hon ored to be part of this expedition and readily accepted. Pesi was also excited, as she had much to add that would be of great interest to the women. I worked with Sheila to organize many aspects of the itinerary and even produced an excellent

brochure which was used as a reference guide. I also suggested that we give an additional option to the participants – a one-day stopover in Finland, which would add an extra dimension to the trip.

We arrived in Helsinki late Sunday af ternoon on August 4, after spending elev en days at the Lauder Summer Retreat in Poland. Sheila’s group would be arriving the next morning for a full day of activities that I had scheduled. I had arranged with

nally checked into the hotel, evening was fast approaching. We took a short stroll in a park and bought some fruit and drinks to supplement the sandwiches that we brought from Poland. And we went to sleep. Tomorrow would be a very full day!

Our tour group of twenty-eight wom en landed at 11:30 AM, and we boarded a tour bus that took us to all the sights on our itinerary. We toured the city and got off at Senate Square where Andrei gave

dered around the eighty-seven original buildings which are representative of rural Finland over the past four centuries. This was truly a relaxing and gratifying treat.

From there, we went to the lone syn agogue in the Finnish capital. Beside the catered, delicious lunch, we were enter tained by Andrei as he sang favorite Yid dish and Hebrew songs accompanied by his guitar. Andrei also gave us a history of this beautiful circa 1906 building. The community has about 1,200 members and boasts a small school grades K-9, a mik vah and a kosher store. We also met Chief Rabbi Simon Livson at the shul.

Andrei Zweig to lead our tours and orga nize our kosher meals in Helsinki. Andrei is a member of the small Jewish commu nity who offers guided tours specializing in Jewish Finlandia. He is also the cantor, a folk singer, and a humorist with a wealth of local knowledge. Pesi and I, as well as the group of women, would be staying at the Crown Plaza Hotel. By the time we fi

us an in-depth history of Suomi, which is Finland in Finnish. We continued on to the Holocaust Memorial which com memorates Holocaust victims in general. There, Andrei gave us a short history of the Jews of Finland. Among the many in teresting facts he shared with us was the following anomaly: no Finnish Jews died in Finland at the hand of the Nazis. In fact, as strange as it sounds, Finnish Jews fought together with Germany during World War II. The Soviet Union had at tacked Finland in 1939 and captured large swaths of land. When Nazi Germany in vaded Russia in 1941, Finland allowed the German troops to fight the Russians from Finnish territory. The Finns, including Jews, joined them in an attempt to re capture the land they had previously lost. Though they were allies in the war against the Soviets, Finland refused to persecute its Jews, and oddly enough there was a Jewish field synagogue operating in the presence of Nazi troops!

Among the other sights that we were taken to was the monument to Jean Sibel ius, the famed Finnish composer. We took a boat to Seurasaari Island where we wan

After our meal, we headed to Soumen linna, the naval fortress that was built in 1748 as a protection against Russian Czar ist expansionism. Famous for its classic star-shaped fortification, it is now a UN ESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunate ly, we did not have ample time to explore this interesting bastion and fortress. We returned to the shul where we enjoyed a hot dinner and squeezed onto a tram to return to our hotel.

Tomorrow we would be flying into St. Petersburg where I would begin giving lectures and we would be sharing thirtyyear-old memories of our travels to the Soviet Union.

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

In fact, as strange as it sounds, Finnish Jews fought together with Germany during World War II

The shul in Helsinki

Pesi at the Soumenlinna Fortress

Old Village houses on Seurasaari IslandSybelius Monument

Reporting from the Ground

Times of Israel Reporter Lazar Berman Recounts

His Experience Covering the Russian-Ukrainian War

By D. Hart

On a blustery day in early March, Israeli-American journalist La zar Berman found himself wait ing at the Polish border town of Przemy sl, a main artery for people wishing to enter or exit Ukraine. Every few hours, another train would pull up and disgorge masses of refugees fleeing the battle fields and relentless artillery strikes.

But Berman was heading in the op posite direction – into the war zone that so many sought to escape. Over 100,000 thousand Russian troops had invaded Ukraine a week earlier, causing shock waves around the world and touching off almost seven months of bloodshed.

The Russian offensive was split into four different theaters: two armored di visions snaked from Crimea into south ern Ukraine, while three tank brigades pushed into Lukhansk and Donbas in the east. Meanwhile, missile and artillery

strikes pounded the capital of Kiev as hundreds of elite paratroopers assaulted Hostomel Airport outside the city.

Now, Berman was heading into the inferno. As the diplomatic correspondent for the Times of Israel, Berman was off to report firsthand on the hostilities for readers back home.

This was his second of three visits to the war-torn country and the first since the beginning of the invasion. In an in terview with TJH, Berman recounts his experiences embedding with Ukrainian troops, dodging artillery fire, and re porting from cities under siege such as Kharkov, Izyum, Uman and Lviv.

“The purpose was to give my Times of Israel readers, you know, in Israel, across the world, an accurate view of what is going on there,” Berman told TJH. “Obviously, my focus is going to be more on the Jewish community and any

thing having to do with Israel.

“There’s plenty of that in terms of what Israel is doing to the country to get refugees out, how the Jewish communi ties are helping people, Jewish soldiers, IDF veterans that are fighting.”

Getting into Ukraine

Berman had last been in Ukraine only a few weeks prior, sent to cover the happenings as the world waited with bated breath to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin would indeed unleash to tal war. Like many, Berman had assumed that Putin’s months-long arms military buildup was a bluff.

“I was there in February, really just before the war started. I came out with the impression that there was going to be no war,” Berman said. “I left, and I came back in March to Lviv primarily.”

Then, Berman found himself in a country fighting for its life, with all of the accompanying danger.

“I’d say the most interesting thing about this trip was at the beginning of the war, things are a little bit more hairy because you didn’t know exactly what was happening. There was much more panic in the country as refugees were all over the place,” Berman recalled.

“There was a lot of panic also from Ukrainians who were trying to find Russian collaborators,” Berman add ed. “There was a concern that someone would have kind of an itchy trigger fin ger, and you know, that there was one Israeli who was actually killed that way.”

Getting into Ukraine was challeng ing.

“You can’t fly into Ukraine,” he noted. “I flew into Poland and then I took a train from Przemysl , which is a Polish border

town, and there’s no train schedule,” he said.

“You basically go to the station, ref ugees get off the train, they’re loaded up with aid and then you hop on,” Berman continued, adding that he himself was pulled off the train at the border by the Ukrainian guards for about a half hour for unknown reasons.

Jews in the Midst of War

The fate of the Jewish community in Ukraine was a major focus of Berman’s. Historically, Ukrainian Jews experienced virulent anti-Semitism, suffering from a series of pogroms such as the Chmielnic ki Cossack riots and the Babi Yar massa cre during World War II.

But prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine boasted 200,000 Jews and numerous kosher restaurants, summer camps, and synagogues. The outbreak of hostilities drew the attention of Jews around the world concerned over the wel fare of the brethren in harm’s way.

Numerous Jewish organizations on several continents ran campaigns to assist Ukrainian Jewry, from Jewish Federations in North America, Chabad, Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and the Jew ish Agency. The intensive international campaign to help Ukrainian Jews was so comprehensive that community centers were renowned as a place to find vital ser vices such as food, medicine, and shelter.

Local rabbis didn’t distinguish be tween Jews and non-Jews when offering aid. Berman recounted a surreal scene in which he shared a Shabbat meal with dozens of non-Jewish Ukrainians togeth er with Rabbi Liron Ederi, who labored to help refugees from all over the country.

“The shuls have really become, well, they always were more than just the syna gogues and community centers. They were welfare centers, schools,” Berman shared. “And that even became more obvious and apparent during the war. And certainly, beyond the Jewish community, people see that, you know, these rabbis, synagogues are places to go to be taken care of.”

He noted, “They’re very well-run. They’re effective. There’s food coming through and they’ll take care of you. So these non-Jewish refugees are eating ko sher food, having Shabbat meals, being

hosted by the Jewish community… it’s re ally something.”

Many had feared for the safety and welfare of local Jews, especially in light of the country’s history and groups such as Ukraine’s Lions of Azov Battallion – a paramilitary militia renowned for its neo-Nazi and far-right ideology. But Berman said that he never heard of any instances of Jews being targeted, stress ing that he himself never experienced any signs of anti-Semitism during his multiple trips to the country.

He did say, however, that Ukraine re peatedly attempted to spread a narrative in which Russia was attacking Jews in or der to engineer international condemna tion. A key example was Russia’s purport ed bombing of the Babi Yar memorial, an incident which earned widespread anger yet was later found to be fabricated.

buildings that took some shrapnel,” Ber man continued. “But I really think there’s no reason to believe that Jews are being targeted by the Russians and certainly not

the governing coalition argued to what extent the Jewish State should offer the multitudes shelter until it was safe to re turn home.

While left-wing factions such as Meretz and Labor demanded that Israel offer a helping hand to civilians fleeing war, rightwing parties warned that the majority of refugees allowed in would settle in Israel permanently and refuse to leave. Addition al concerns revolved around keeping Isra el’s Jewish majority in order to maintain its Jewish character.

“I think this war is not about the Jews in any way. I think, yes, there’s been ways in which it was in Ukraine’s interest to make it seem like the Russians are tar geting Jews,” he said. “So, you know, they said that the Babi Yar monument had been damaged. I think that turned out to be an exaggeration. There were Holocaust sur vivors who were killed.

“In Kharkiv, the yeshiva took some shrapnel. I think it’s a couple of Jewish

by any Ukrainian. So, thank G-d, I think that this is really not about the Jews.”

Wave of Refugees

The invasion created Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, as over 5.3 million Ukrainians flooded neighbor ing countries in a quest to escape the hor rors of war. It also sparked a raging debate in Israel, as different political parties in

The debate went all the way to Israel’s High Court of Justice, as the Ukrainian embassy sued Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked for capping the number of refugees at 25,000. Berman is a firm supporter of lending a helping hand, regretting that the government prevented more Ukrainians from reaching safe shores.

“I think they should have accepted more. Israel could have accepted more,” he declared. “I think another 10,000 or 20,000 wouldn’t have changed anything in

“There was a concern that someone would have kind of an itchy trigger finger.”

the country if they’re here for six months or two years. It doesn’t look like anything for Israel to worry about in terms of de mographics. It would be the moral thing to do.”

On the Frontlines

Being on the ground in Ukraine pro vided Berman a front-row seat to the world’s largest military conflict since the 1991 Gulf War, traveling in places such as Kharkhiv while the city remained nominally under Russian occupation. At one point, Berman was embedded with a front-line Ukrainian combat unit that took part in the effort to dislodge the east ern city of Izium from Russian control.

While admitting that “there should have been more moments of that,” Ber man says that he never felt that his life was in any imminent danger during his three trips to the battle-scarred country.

“I didn’t see any people directly shoot ing at each other. When I was there, it was before the Ukrainian counteroffensive,” Berman said, referring to the Ukrainian military’s successful offensive earlier this month.

“It was, you know, an artillery fight,” he added. “So I saw the HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System). I felt the Russian strikes in Kharkiv. I was defi nitely in the aftermath of many Russian strikes…but at the time, there was not a lot of traditional force-on-force fighting.”

A Military Background

Berman’s background made him well-suited to understand and report back the military aspects of the Rus so-Ukrainian War. Emigrating to Israel as a young adult, the ___ year-old native of Rhode Island served as an officer in the IDF’s Givati Brigade and Bedouin Recon naissance Battalion and is today a captain in the reserves.

After finishing his military service, Berman worked for years at The Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies, the IDF’s office think tank that is tasked with developing new methods of fighting for the General Staff. He is cur rently a PhD candidate in war studies at King’s College London, a highly regarded university in the United Kingdom.

“This could not be more up my alley in terms of a topic to write about,” said Berman. “And as a reserve officer in the IDF, I’m quite comfortable with this type of situation.”

Berman noted that his extensive mili tary and defense experience assisted him in covering the war in Ukraine, providing him with the necessary tactical under standing, situational awareness, and an ability to operate under difficult physical conditions.

“Just being calm, realizing when you’re in danger, when you’re not – being phys ically robust and being able to endure,” Berman stated. “You know, the first time I was there, it was below freezing. I’d be standing there at night, not knowing when a train would come. Being able to carry stuff and to do whatever it is.”

Berman recalled the multiple “sleep less nights” he underwent during the early days of the war, noting that “being physically used to the physical hardship is also important, kind of being comfortable around soldiers” was key.

In addition, Berman’s IDF experi ence resulted in him being “comfortable around guns. I kind of have a sense of when you look at a unit, how well-trained they are, how serious they look, how well equipped they are… all those things are pretty much advantages that most other reporters don’t have.”

While covering the war, Berman chanced upon a unit in the Ukrainian armed forces staffed entirely by IDF

A Never-Ending War?

Few had given Ukraine a chance in the weeks leading up to Russia’s invasion. The Russian military was widely viewed as one of the world’s premier fighting forces, boasting advanced cyber capabilities, air defense systems, a modern navy fleet, Su34 fighter jets and Iskander missiles.

With Russia outnumbering Ukraine by a significant margin, almost all West ern intelligence agencies predicted that the war would be over within a matter of weeks. So pessimistic was the Biden ad ministration of Ukraine’s survival that it offered to evacuate President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States soon after hostilities commenced.

Russian lines to retake over 2,500 square kilometers and free major cities such as Izyum and Kharkhiv.

veterans. The volunteers hoped that the combat experience from their mandatory military service in Israel could be put to good use defending Ukraine from its east ern neighbor.

“It was a unit that was kind of pieced together; friends and people who know each other. A small unit,” Berman re called. “I interviewed them. I tried to go on a mission with them, but I was not given permission. I’m still in touch with them.”

But the vaunted Russian military soon fell apart, its invasion force getting cut to pieces by Ukrainian defenders while plagued by issues such as logistics, ammu nition, and manpower. What was expect ed to be a lighting war soon turned into a prolonged slog that many say can end up lasting years.

Yet Ukrv aine may have turned the corner with its recent counteroffensive. Launched on September 6 after weeks of planning, Ukrainian forces broke through

While acknowledging that the counter offensive changes everything, Berman re mains doubtful that Ukraine will succeed in dealing Russia a decisive victory on the battlefield that would bring the seven months of fighting decisively and swiftly to an end. His sentiments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a gener al mobilization, a major escalation unseen since World War II that could call up as many as 300,000 reservists.

“If you would’ve asked me two weeks ago, I would have said yes, it will drag on for years. The success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive opens up new possibil ities for them to actually push them out militarily,” Berman predicted. “But I think that still the most likely scenario is some kind of low level on-again, off-again con flict for years,

“I don’t see Russia just raising their hands and giving up.”

“I don’t see Russia just raising their hands and giving up.”

Dating Dialogue

What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Navidaters,

Baruch Hashem, we have married off our 6 children and we are busy over Yom tov hosting and entertaining dozens of grandkids. Most of my neighbors, though, have quite a few older singles home for the chagim. We see them outside and greet each other with love and hope for a mazeldik year. Every year that goes by

I can’t help but reminisce about all the shidduchim I have tried for their singles only to have my ideas shot down rather quickly. Every year I have the same conversation with my husband: do I talk to my neighbors about it? Do I tell them I think they are being too picky with their kids? The ideas we try for their kids are fantastic people, who are not ever given a chance. I always keep quiet but am wondering if this should be the year we say something.

What do you think?

- Chavie

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

The Panel

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

This is a matter of communicating with care, respecting the relation ship you have with your neighbors with sensitivity and concern. I would have a conversation with your neighbors by opening up with something like: I really care about helping your kids toward the chuppah. What can I do to be helpful?

Don’t criticize. Show empathy and follow up with some specific questions. Is there someone specific your child is interested in dating? Maybe I know them and can help connect you with them through my own connections.

The conversation usually gets very specific afterwards. It frequently results

in phone calls and introductions you can make. Even if it doesn’t result in some specific names or ways you can help, you have verbalized your concern and caring in a helpful, sensitive manner.

This is what I do for my family members and friends who can hear this kind of comment. It is always well-re ceived. And, of course, I daven for them to find their partner. There are others who are in so much pain that I don’t even bring up the subject of their child’s sin gle status. They don’t need to be remind ed and are happy to focus on something else when we are conversing.

It is not our place to criticize and to tell people they are being too picky as parents or that their children are being too picky. Carefully offering to help with supportive words about the young peo ple is also menschlech.

Under some circumstances, such as

when a young person is traveling their own journey in shidduchim, one can carefully speak to the young person and offer to help with something specific. Or you can ask what kind of person they are seeking to date. Obviously, you have to have some kind of a relationship with the person you are speaking to.

Mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro count all the time, especially during single hood. We need to be very sensitive to other’s feelings and pain about not being married. Someone who is single or has single children is not a target for unso licited advice.

The Shadchan

which single friends of your married kids would be good for your neighbors. Then act on it. Suggest the shidduch, but remember, they have every right to po litely decline the suggestion if they do not think it’s shayach. Do your part in helping them, and if you are burnt out, take a break. It is not your place though to show them where you think they are going wrong.

Have a kesiva v’chasima tova!

Social etiquette is tricky, and your question basically boils down to it.

There are many things that can be thought of in your mind that do not have to be said. There are also many details going on in the single’s life that you have no idea about. Generally, other people do not like to be reminded of their ni syonos, even if it’s obvious. Will your conversation with your neighbors do more harm or less? Will it teach some thing they do not know? If yes, will your lesson be warmly received or hurtful? Is it possible they’ve heard that line a million times before, “Are you being too picky?”

Maybe they are being too picky. So, now what? Do you think they will respond in kind, “Wow, I have never thought about that before, thanks for the heads up!”? Or will they quickly build a fence ten feet high? What if by chance they are not being too picky, and there are a whole bunch of things which you know nothing about? (A strong possibil ity as well.)

My practical advice for you this yom tov:

When you are sitting around the liv ing room surrounded by your married daughters and sons have a mandato ry shidduch meeting. Try to figure out

The Single

Tzipora Grodko

Dear Chavie,

The most important thing that a person has is their dignity. As a single, one’s dignity is challenged in so many ca pacities. At public celebrations where they “stand out” since they haven’t reached the “social standards of success in their life stage”;, by receiving pitiful glances or brachos indicating that regardless of one’s beautiful personality, achievements, and character, none of that seems to mat ter since some individuals can only see that you’re “single” and nothing else. And my personal favorite (note the sarcasm), when your judgment is doubted, indi cating that YOU are the source of being single and that would “all change if you just listened to what other people think.”

I’m glad you asked this question as I believe it’s a topic that many people yenta about yet have no idea how much harm they are causing. I personally believe that there’s no way G-d is holding back a prospective soulmate from someone because “Chavie the neighbor from next door” didn’t share her opinion that the

Choose to build them up by talking to them about anything other than dating.

Michelle Mond

parents are being too picky. Please don’t misinterpret my words as rude but rather understand the significance behind them. People try to make sense of what they can not control. It’s frustrating and unnerving to relinquish control with positivity and peace of mind. Therefore, people are quick to believe that everyone else MUST be the issue because there’s no logical explana tion why someone should “still be single.”

G-d doesn’t work according to logic. It’s so, so important for readers to know that when you criticize, doubt, and make private or public judgment to a single or his or her family, you are stripping away their dignity – leaving them feeling em barrassed, which we know is a grave sin in Judaism. If you really care (and I can tell that you do, Chavie), daven for your neigh bors. Choose to build them up by talking to them about anything OTHER

THAN dating. Compliment them on their character, achievements, and beauty, and state that whoever ends up with them will be the luckiest guy in the world.

Question #2 – You’re at a kiddush and your friend returns from the restroom with a tissue stuck to his shoe. Do you tell him?

Answer – Yes, of course. Tell him, “There’s a tissue stuck to your shoe.”

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Here’s an etiquette quiz for our read ers:

Question #1 – You’re having lunch with a friend at a fancy restaurant and notice that she has a piece of spinach stuck between her front teeth. Do you tell her?

Answer – Yes, you should. You can simply gesture and point to your own teeth.

Question #3 – You notice that the per son you’re speaking with has terrible bad breath. Should you tell him?

Answer – Yes, but only if you’re a den tist. Otherwise, you can send a bottle of mouthwash anonymously.

Question #4 – Should Chavie tell her neighbors that they are too picky when it comes to shidduchim and are, therefore, ruining the lives of their children?

Answer – NO, NO, NO!!

You sincerely want to be helpful. But this is an extremely sensitive subject, and you should give advice only when asked. Clearly, the parents know that their chil dren are single, and, clearly, they must be in pain. They don’t need to be re minded.

fer unsolicited advice. Someday, perhaps, one of the mothers might say something like, “I wish my kids could be happily married like yours,” or “Do you have any suggestions for my single kids?”

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Chavie, you desperately wish to be helpful, but you need to wait for that perfect, opportune moment before you of

If and when that ever happens, that will be your opening. Plan ahead of time, and review in your mind what to say at that perfect moment. And then, go for it: Share your thoughts about shidduchim and dating; review the matches that you had previously suggested; give her the benefit of your experiences.

Until then, wait patiently.

Dear Chavie, Your heart is big and in the right place. The shidduch world needs more “Chavies” to roll up their sleeves, make suggestions, and get involved.

I don’t believe there is one right or wrong answer here. To be perfectly hon est, when I read your email the first time, I read it as you having one neighbor with older singles whom you are contemplat ing speaking with about her rejecting your shidduch ideas. When I reread it a second time, I understood that it is many neighbors on your block with older sin gles who are rejecting your ideas. The fact that it is multiple neighbors may (or may not) be important in your next

steps. If it was one per son, I would be more likely to think that she is picky or finicky or perhaps there is some familial dysfunction in which the moth er/father is subconsciously preventing his/her children from marrying to satis fy his/her own needs (which is rare but happens, unfortunately.) Being that it is multiple neighbors, that leads me to won der if it is something about the suggested shidduchim that perhaps you do not know about. Just some ideas and possibilities I’m throwing out there.

You want to help out of the goodness of your heart, but I think your query boils

down to you being unsure of whether or not you will be crossing a boundary. These conversations would be very personal and intimate, and you are uncertain whether or not they will be welcome. You are on the fence about it because it is indeed a risk. We cannot predict outcome, and we don’t know how your neighbors will react. Reactions may range from Who does she think she is? to I’m so glad we are hav ing this conversation (which may lead to a marriage.)

Should you decide to get involved and say something, I suggest you stay away from language like “I think you are being too picky.” That may put people on the defensive immediately. Keep it open and just reflect the reality of the situation and ask if you should keep sending resumes their way. I want to keep sending and I want to know what you are looking fo, be cause you’ve rejected all my suggestions.

Open up the conversation and see where the neighbors take it. You will figure out very quickly who is open and who is not.

Pickiness is definitely a problem in shidduchim and so many wonderful peo ple aren’t meeting because of it. Writing into the column and bringing awareness and attention to it is a great help. Maybe your neighbors will see this column.

Best of everything to you...and try to focus your efforts where they are wel come. There are so many families that would love to be flooded with shidduch resumes! You know what they say about fences and neighbors... see whose fence door is open and whose is closed and honor their boundaries. Remember, you have to live on the block after you have these chats. Keep your own comfort in mind as well.

Sincerely, Jennifer

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

You need to wait for that perfect, opportune moment before you offer unsolicited advice.

Health & F tness

Nutrition for Yom Kippur

Do’s and Don’ts

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The holiday is a time of reflection and repentance, during which individuals will fast and abstain from food and drink. While fasting for 25 hours may appear daunting, our bodies are well adapted to handle prolonged periods of time without food. Today, many of us are surrounded by food; however, humans did not evolve this way and extinction would have occurred if we were unable to endure periods of time without a constant intake. Although refraining from food consump tion is not an issue for most healthy indi viduals, abstaining from fluid intake does cause physiological stress and therefore preparing the body prior to the fast is es sential. Additionally, while most healthy individuals can tolerate a 25-hour fast, for women who are pregnant or those with health conditions, it is important to speak to your doctor and rabbi prior to fasting to mitigate potential risks.

The Body During a Fast

During a short fast, the body relies on glycogen, stored in the liver and muscles,

as its major source of fuel. Carbohydrates supply the body with energy from glucose. After consumption, while some of the sug ar will be utilized to immediately supply the body with energy, the remainder will be stored as glycogen. In the absence of food, we utilize glycogen, the body’s stored form of glucose, as our prime fuel source and this enables us to endure the fast with out physiological distress.

While studies have shown that a shortterm fast may be beneficial, resulting in greater insulin sensitivity, fasting for lon ger periods of time, such as a 24-48 hour period, is associated with greater metabol ic shifts that may be dangerous. Potential side effects of a longer term fast may in clude dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and fatigue. When glycogen sources are not replenished, such as during a longer fast, your body will use protein and fat for en ergy. This may be dangerous, as without glycogen your body will burn protein and fat at a higher rate which may lead to the build-up of acidic ketones in the blood and a loss of muscle mass. The potential side effects of long-term starvation are not typ ically associated with a 25-hour fast and

adequately nourishing your body prior to Yom Kippur will provide for a much easier fast.

Unlike camels, humans do not store water, and while we can live without food for long periods of time, this is not the case for water. Water is the largest component of our body weight, about 60%, and we are constantly losing it through activities such as breathing, sweating, and urine. Most in dividuals live in a state of partial dehydra tion. Therefore, adequately hydrating your body prior to Yom Kippur, when we engage in total fluid restriction, is critical.

Pre-Fast Hydration

Prior to the fast, hydration is key. Your body is largely made of water, and we are constantly losing water. Without adequate hydration, you may quickly become dehy drated, which can result in numerous side effects such as headaches, fatigue, and a lack of clarity. Additionally, when we are fasting, the pancreas will produce less insulin and insulin promotes water reten tion, so without insulin, your body will lose water more quickly.

When preparing for the fast, be sure to

adequately hydrate yourself by having lots to drink. Keeping a water bottle next to you the entire day before the fast serves as an easy reminder to make you drink. Drink at least 2 liters of water over the course of the day. Adding fruit to your water may also add flavor to water and make it easier to drink. You will know you have drunk enough when your urine is a clear liquid color.

Prior to a fast, try to avoid caffeine by avoiding coffee and other high caffeinated drinks such as Coke, as caffeine is a mild diuretic and may lead to more frequent urination. Instead, focus on herbal teas to avoid the side effects of dehydration during the fast.

A common misconception is that drink ing electrolyte water is superior to regular water, especially prior to the fast; however, this is not the case. While electrolyte wa ter may enhance the minerals in your body needed for optimal function, such as sodi um, potassium, magnesium and chloride, there is no added benefit when it comes to hydration. Additionally, these minerals can easily be obtained through a healthy and well-balanced diet. If your preference is to

drink electrolyte water, be sure to check the label to ensure there are no additional chemicals or sugar added to the beverage (like in Gatorade and Powerade). Addition ally, many of these drinks are expensive. Making your own electrolyte drink may be more beneficial and cost-effective. To make a homemade lemon-lime drink, combine Himalayan salt, lemon juice, lime juice and unsweetened coconut wa ter. Salt will help to prevent you from be coming dehydrated, and Himalayan salt, in particular, contains trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Lemon and lime will provide electrolytes, vitamin C, and potassium. Coconut water is the clear liquid inside coconuts. It is a popular drink for rehydration because it contains electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

High Carbs vs. High Protein

Consuming enough protein prior to the fast is important as this helps to promote satiety. However, most people prioritize a high protein and low carbohydrate diet, which is the opposite of what your body needs prior to a fast. Urea is produced during the breakdown of proteins, which requires water to enable your body to ex crete this toxin. However, during the fast, when people are refraining from drinking, a high-protein, low-carb meal may lead to the buildup of urea in your blood.

Instead of a high protein meal before the fast, focusing more on a well-rounded meal that includes whole grain carbohy drates. Eating both protein and carbohy drates at the meal will prevent the buildup of toxins and lead to greater glycogen stor age, which the body can utilize as energy throughout the fast.

Types of Carbs To Eat

Choose whole-grains that are higher in fiber over refined sources of carbohy drates. This will help to promote satiety and contribute to your glycogen storage instead of causing your blood sugar to immediately spike. Refined grains, such as white bread and pasta, do not contain fiber or vitamins and minerals. They are digested quickly and cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin after a meal. Be cause they are low in fiber, they are quick ly digested and may cause rapid swings in blood sugar, which may contribute to overeating, as these foods promote only short-term satiety.

Whole-grain carbohydrates, such as oats, barley, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice, contain fiber and take much longer to digest. Because whole-grains re tain all parts of the grain – the bran, germ

and endosperm – your body must digest all parts of the grain before the nutrients may be absorbed in the bloodstream. Un like refined grains, whole-grains do not cause spikes in blood sugar and will pro mote long-lasting satiety.

What To Eat Before the Fast Morning before the fast: Start the day with a breakfast full of

most of what you will be eating it will try to hoard as fat in case there is another fast in the near future. The goal is to eat a reg ular meal, not a day’s worth of food in this one meal!

Hydration

If you drink too much water too quick ly, it may cause your blood to dilute, re sulting in dizziness and confusion. It is

some scrambled eggs, tuna, or lox. A veg etable soup is a great post-fast dish. The most important thing is to reintroduce your body to food slowly to avoid gastric distress. Additionally, when we overeat post-fast, your blood sugar and insulin will instantly spike and will stress your body.

Key Takeaways

Many people make the mistake of over eating prior to or after the fast. This will negatively impact your blood sugar levels and likely result in a harder fast or a hard er post-fast recovery. Healthy people are well adapted to endure a 25-hour fast and may observe Yom Kippur without causing physiological distress. Ensuring you are adequately hydrated and consume the ap propriate foods to maximize your glycogen storage is the key to facilitating an easier fast!

whole-grains that will promote glycogen storage. Oatmeal topped with fresh fruit, cinnamon, and almond butter, or toast with scrambled egg and veggies are great choices. Remember your fluids!

Mid-morning snack ideas:

Berries with a little cottage cheese or Greek yogurt; apple with peanut butter; or a whole grain muffin, with a cup of herbal tea. Try to avoid coffee.

Lunch: Whole-wheat pasta with fish, or a sand wich with whole-wheat bread and tuna or turkey, and salad. Drink lots of water!

Pre-Fast Dinner:

Try to avoid eating lots of spices or very salty foods as they will promote thirst. Chicken soup with veggies is a good idea as this will provide additional hydration. The meal should consist of a lean protein such as chicken, roasted vegetables, and a small salad, as well as carbohydrates, such as brown rice or sweet potato. Consuming lots of salad will lead to bloating and will cause discomfort going into the fast.

Don’t overeat before the fast! It will not improve the outcome of the fast and eating a big meal will cause a rise in insulin and promote hunger sooner. Grapes and water melon are good fruits to consume before the fast since they are high in sugar and water. Try to save the dessert for after the fast!

Post-Fast

After the fast, you will be hungry and dehydrated. It is important to replenish your body with fluid and nutrients; how ever, not overdoing it is key. Keep in mind that your body is in starvation mode, and

important slowly sip on water, tea, or decaf coffee.

Eating

Begin eating slowly. Start with some fruit or bread. It is best to reintroduce your body to food slowly, and wait to have a proper meal until a little after you have broken the fast to eat more. Continue on to

Wishing all of my readers an easy fast and a gmar chasima tova!

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @ alizabeer.

Adequately hydrating your body prior to Yom Kippur, when we engage in total fluid restriction, is critical.

Teen Talk

By Rebbetzin Sori Teitelbaum

Dear Teen Talk,

I am now in eleventh grade in a local Bais Yaakov. I am a “good girl” and like going to school. This week, though, the principal came in with a list of rules that we have to follow. Now, although many of those of rules were already “on the books” for the past few years, I felt overwhelmed by all the rules that we were given. Some of them had to do with schedules (be on time for class, not hang ing out in the halls, not leaving the school for lunch period), others were about tests (no retakes allowed, etc.), and others were about tzinius rules.

Teen Talk, a new column in TJH, is geared towards the teens in our community. Answered by arotating roster of teachers, rebbeim,clinicians, and peers (!), teens will behearing answers to many questionsthey had percolating in their mindsand wished they had the answers for.

My question for you is as follows: first of all, why do we have so many “rules”? Why do they always feel like they have to make us a thick rulebook to follow? Aren’t we almost adults? Can’t we be expected to behave that way?

And secondly, I don’t see that tzinius should be about rules. The rules list the obvious tzinius rules (elbows, neck, knees) but also no nail polish, no loud knapsacks, no too-colorful shoes, no loose hair. Isn’t this too much? And I know a lot of girls who follow these tzinius “rules,” and, if you ask me, aren’t really too tzinius, meaning, they follow the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law.

I’d appreciate your insight. I know this is not something I’m comfortable asking teachers in my own school. Thank you.

T hank you so much for sending in these important questions. They highlight the importance of the Teen Talk column where teens can feel more comfortable ask ing their questions here as op posed to their teachers and/or parents. I am proud of your maturity and understand ing of right and wrong. In

deed, it must be frustrating to be told “what to do and how to do it” when it seems so natural and logical to you.

Let me address your two questions one by one. I have been in education for over 30 years and have heard over and over again the question of why do we need so many rules?!

Some even question why we need ANY rules! When seeking an answer, I always go straight to the source, and that is our Torah. There are 365 mitzvot Lo Ta’aseh in the Torah. These are the “Don’t Rules” tell ing us what we cannot and should not do. Yet there are only 248 Mitzvot Aseh in the Torah. These are the “Do Rules.” Did you ever wonder why there are more Don’t than

Are you a teen with a question?

If you have a question or problem you’d like our columnists to address, email your question or insight to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com , subject line: Teen Talk.

Do mitzvot? Did you ever wonder why in Hilchot Shabbos, Shamor (guard – a Don’t rule) comes before Zachor (remember— a Do rule)? I don’t believe it is because we are inherently bad and need the Don’t rules to stop us from being terrible people. When children are little, and their parents tell them, “Don’t touch the hot stove,” it is not a rule because they are bad but rather a rule to pro tect them. When parents tell their children, “Don’t cross the street until you have looked both ways,” they don’t say that to annoy their children and put added restrictions on them but rather, again, to protect them. When the Torah tells us we are not allowed to have a balcony on our roof without a fence, the To rah is teaching us that creating a structure like a ma’aka (fence) makes the roof safe for use instead of restricting its use.

Not everyone naturally sees right from wrong like you do. Many times, teenagers

“rules are meant to be broken.” Sometimes, the school has to take into account that the rules might be broken somewhat, and there fore they need to set forth the rule in a little more extreme manner than needs to be in order to make sure it gets followed proper ly in the end. Even adults make mistakes and need some rules and guidance. You SHOULD be expected to behave in a cer tain way, and you personally just may, but not everyone is mature enough to do that. I know these rules can seem unnecessary and overwhelming but try to remember that, ultimately ,they are for your own good and protection.

And now I would like to respond to your second question about tzinius. Firstly, I agree with both your mature observations. Tzinius should not be just about rules, and just following the letter of the law is not enough.

As far as your first observation, I be

inner sense of self and true under standing of each girl’s unique poten tial and purpose in this world, then, again, there would be no need for any “tzinius rules.”

I know you have heard the pasuk, “Kol kevuda bas melech penima ” a thousand times, but think about how true it is. We just witnessed the pomp and circumstance of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. We have read all about the dignity with which the Queen carried herself. Every Bas Yisra el is, indeed, a dignified queen in her own right. In my opinion, and I believe you agree with me, this would be the better way to “teach tzinius!” The best way for a teacher to teach tzinius is to role model what it means to dress, act, and speak in a dignified and proper way.

will deliberately choose “wrong.” It is the school’s responsibility to outline a safe path for their students and for the students to ad here to the rules set out for their protection. I had a wonderful principal once who used to always say, “It is the teachers’ responsibil ity to teach and the students’ responsibility to learn.”

Your school is doing the responsible thing by setting forth rules. The students hopefully are doing the responsible thing by following them. We all know the phrase

lieve tzinius should not be given over to the students ONLY via rules. The girls should have a chance to clearly understand the rules and the reasoning behind them. We need to teach the ever-important message that our job is to merge the physical body that Hashem has given us with the neshama that is housed within it. If we understand the beauty we possess inside, then we will understand how to present ourselves on the outside and there would be no need for any “tzinius rules.” If we could just build up the

As far as some girls dressing in a tzinius way but not really acting in a tzinius way – where it seems like they follow the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law – un fortunately, this is a problem with many adults as well. It is actually the same issue we just discussed. If someone is dressed in a tzinius manner but doesn’t understand her self-worth, her inner sense of self, her dignity, her royalty, then she doesn’t under stand the whole concept of tzinius. As we discussed, it is not only about, like you said, knees and elbows, but rather tzinius is a way of being. It is a way of life!

In Parshat Kedoshim, the Torah begins, “Kedoshim tihiyu.” The Ramban defines ke dusha as an understanding not to mar the fine line of demarcation between the letter and the spirit of the law. Don’t become a “naval bereshus haTorah.” This is our as piration and our challenge.

I hope I have helped you come to terms with these issues, and I wish you the best of luck as you continue on your spiritual jour ney through life!

Rebbetzin Sori Teitelbaum is the rebbetzin emeritus of Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. She recently retired from teaching at HAFTR middle school and high school in the Five Towns. She is a well-known speaker and is involved in all aspects of the community. Rabbi and Rebbetzin Teitelbaum recently made aliyah and live most of the year in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

If someone is dressed in a tzinius manner but doesn’t understand her self-worth, her inner sense of self, her dignity, her royalty, then she doesn’t understand the whole concept of tzinius.

School of Thought

What Kind of Adults Will They Grow to Be? That’s Up to Me (and You)

By Etti Siegel

Twice, recently, I had opportunity to notice that we adults treat children differently, often match ing insensitivity to insensitivity and toughness with toughness.

On the first occasion, I witnessed an adult I know professionally be abrupt (may I say rude) to a teenag er trying to make conversation and watched the teen compose himself with difficulty and leave the room.

I would not be surprised if he was holding back a few tears. I asked the adult, in a friendly way, what was going on, and he turned to me and said, “I said I wasn’t interested because I am not. Sometimes a kid just has to learn that the world does not revolve around them.”

His answer gave me pause and led to a DMC (teen talk for Deep Meaningful Conversation) that will probably stay with both of us for a long time, even if we never cross paths again.

I explained that teenagers, especially the one he just interacted with, sometimes struggle with social situations and that teen was attempting to make con versation. The adult had every right to indicate that it was not a good time but instead modeled rude and obnoxious behavior. (It sounded nicer when we were talking...) An amazing teaching opportunity was lost.

As a “good person” with poor social skills, the teen just took it and walked away. Meanwhile, another message was conveyed – an adult thinks he is not worth talking to, probably adding to an already distorted self-view, and was rude to him – when really it was that he did not see that the adult was overwhelmed and busy, and it had nothing to do with him at all. He would have learned more from, “Now is not a good time; can you come back later?” (“But I don’t even want to hear about

it later; it was meaningless drivel,” replied the adult in question, to which I answered, “It is meaning ful to him, but that is not the point. Convey respect, such as, ‘Sorry, now is not a great time for me to chat” and leave it at that.)

Our teens have less and less interaction with good social role models. They are surrounded by screens of all kinds and harried adults in their lives who are surrounded by screens. From where should they learn how to be responsible and kind adults if not from those of us who profess to be just that? They will want to continue to make friends, be successful in life, mar ry, have a spouse who is a confidante; how will they succeed in such social areas if they don’t have any mod els to learn from?

Not long after, I saw them both exchanging some unimportant-sounding conversation that I knew meant the world to both of them.

Another interesting exchange happened when talking to a principal. I shared that I overheard an ele mentary grade child making fun of another child of the same age, and as the adult on scene, I was told about it by the receiver of the verbal taunts.

“I am not as familiar with the child as you are,” I explained to the principal, “perhaps you want to step in

and handle the situation. I want to assure her that we will not tolerate any one making fun of her.”

“Of course, I will han dle it right away, don’t worry. I will reassure her of just that.” She winked and added, “She is a tough kid, though, and she will be fine.”

I was left pondering the situation. Tough usu ally means weak social skills. Doesn’t this child need us to model empathy even more than the average child, since she is so lacking in that area? Perhaps we can teach her, by modeling and with specific instruc tion, how to be a kinder and nicer person.

Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School, states, “An inability to function socially or emotionally is as much of a learning disability as the inability to read.” Rick Lavoie, famous for his “How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. City Workshop” and “Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of Learning Disabilities,” explains it well when he talks about how if we see a child who strug gles with math or reading, we tutor him, but if a child misbehaves, we kick him out.

“If children can do well, they will. When children can’t or don’t do well, it is because they cannot” -Ross Greene

Let’s help the children so they can do well.

Mrs. Etti Siegel holds an MS in Teaching and Learning/Educational Leadership and brings sound teaching advice to her audiences culled from her over 35 years of teaching and administrative experience. She is an Adjunct at the College of Mount Saint Vincent/Sara Shenirer. She is a coach and educational consultant for Catapult Learning, is a sought-after mentor and workshop presenter around the country, and a popular presenter for Sayan (a teacher-mentoring program), Hidden Sparks, and the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools. She is a frequent contributor to Hamechanech Magazine and The Journal for Jewish Day School leaders. She will be answering your education-based questions and writing articles weekly for The Jewish Home. Mrs. Siegel can be reached at ettisiegel@gmail.com.

“If children can do well, they will. When children can’t or don’t do well, it is because they cannot.”

Parenting Pearls

Yom Kippur at Home

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Last week’s article discussed the important topic of bringing chil dren to shul. This week, I’d like to focus on being home with children over the upcoming yom tov. To be honest, most young families will need to have a parent at home on Yom Kippur as young children can’t sit for the very long Yom Kippur tefillos. The shofar is not blown during the day, so even that won’t draw in the little ones. Additionally, nursing, pregnant, and postpartum women will often stay home and rest to optimize their strength and ability to fast.

A major part of Yom Kippur is the soul-stirring tefillos. Many can’t even imagine the holy day without them – it’s like picturing a matzah-free Pesach. It becomes a major source of frustration for the stay-at-home parent to be home instead of hearing Mussaf, saying the 13 Middos, and murmuring the timeless prayers sung to traditional tunes.

We associate so much of the Yom Kippur experience with davening – and

for good reason. But, even those unable to attend shul can still have a beauti ful yom tov full of meaning. Teshuva and tefilla can take place at home, and Hashem certainly wants us to take care of these precious children we have been gifted.

Yom Kippur offers another unique challenge, and that is fasting while chasing little ones. In addition to cre ating a mood that is the polar opposite of the solemnity of the day, it’s hard to fast while running around and taking care of the needs of demanding cuties.

Attitude Adjustments

It can be very frustrating to be home on Yom Kippur. We can try to dance around this truth, run circles around our living room, and duck under the couch all hoping to evade it, but we can’t escape the feeling that we really should be in shul.

Years ago, a friend – having just fin ished chemotherapy – was told by her

rav to eat on Yom Kippur according to specific shiurim. She was feeling very guilty for not fasting on the holy day and expressed those feelings to her husband. He firmly told her that she was fasting, exactly as she was meant to – by eating within the specified shiurim. Some times doing the correct thing doesn’t feel like it but we can all recognize that she wouldn’t be acting correctly if she fasted when her health was in a precar ious state.

Many people find it hard to feel spir itual while changing diapers or sense holiness while filling sippy cups. Unlike other religions that eschew the physical, we believe in elevating the world around us by living fully immersed within it. This means that, ideally, we are in tended to grow as people and fulfill our divine role while kissing boo-boos and putting babies down for their naps. It’s easy to feel spiritually elevated while swaying during prayers; it’s a greater challenge to feel Hashem’s presence

while serving snacks on a fast day.

It can help if we remove some of the guilt of where we think we should be and refocus on where we need to be now. Yes, some people will make it to shul even with an infant, but not every one can. If you are needed at home, then that’s what Hashem wants and we are here to do His will.

Let’s take this one step further. Some parents can leave their toddler with a neighbor, and they will play happily for the entire day. What if your little one in the same scenario would spend the day scared and screaming? This is a question for a rav, but I would suggest that perhaps, just because we can leave our child and go to shul, doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. It all depends on the child and the situation, but just as we ask Hashem to have rachmanus on us, we need to have rachmanus on our child.

If, in the end, the correct decision is that someone needs to be home, then

please stay home with a clear conscience and guilt-free. If you’re meant to be out of shul, then that is the way you are sup posed to spend this Day of Awe.

Davening On Demand

Being home means we need to max imize our time and catch a few minutes for tefillah, when possible. Speaking to a rav prior to yom tov can help you become familiar with the relevant hala chos – particularly which tefillos are to be prioritized. Additionally, some tefil los cannot be said without a minyan.

Keeping a machzor nearby, book marked to the spot, can help you grab a tefillah when you have a few minutes of quiet. Knowing which tefillos to prior itize means you can make use of those precious moments optimally. Aiming for when your child is otherwise occupied, such as naptime, is one strategy.

There are many seforim and book lets available that translate and explain the tefillos. I’ve personally found them extremely helpful for focusing on Vidui. Think of what will help you get emo tionally into the davening and make your prayers meaningful. Additionally, having a book about Yom Kippur that speaks to you can be a very effective way

to get into the mood of the day when you’re not davening or chasing someone.

It can be incredibly frustrating being disturbed when davening. Knowing in advance that children may interrupt can help make those inevitable disruptions a little less disappointing.

Advanced Preparation

Like most times in life, preparing in advance can make things go smoother.

an adult fasting, and it’s shocking how much kids can eat on Yom Kippur.

A new toy, if it can be arranged, can do wonders for occupying a child. Hav ing a few options to keep your little one busy can make fasting easier on you. If you’re sensitive to fasting, then please don’t continuously clean up after your child on Yom Kippur; your fast is more important than the floor.

Feel free to watch your child while

rest on fast days (and every day).

A preteen child may be too young to babysit independently but can be very effective at helping to occupy a ram bunctious child when an adult is home. Many young ladies (including those too young to fast) may not be ready for shul, but they can be very helpful for a parent that has trouble fasting. It’s im portant for children to be involved in doing chessed for others. Still, it’s my humble opinion that if you’re asking a child to watch your little one for an ex tended period of time, then they should be compensated appropriately, whether through payment or a gift. Ask a rav in advance as there are technical halachos involved in paying someone for work done over a yom tov.

Yom Kippur is an intense day full of meaning and emotion – wherever you are. May Hashem answer our tefillos wherever we say them and grant us a year full of bracha and good health.

Having simple meals arranged ahead of time and snacks ready-to-go make the day run easier. Whatever can be cut, cubed, or done before the fast should not be left till the holy day itself. It seems nothing stimulates a child’s appetite like

laying down comfortably on the couch. Try to take it easy, whenever possible, and sit or rest. Children are continuous bundles of energy, and they can deplete yours fast. Remember, pregnant, post partum, or nursing mothers need extra

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rock away. She can be contacted at RayvychHome school@gmail.com.

It’s easy to feel spiritually elevated while swaying during prayers; it’s a greater challenge to feel Hashem’s presence while serving snacks on a fast day.

In The K tchen

Jewel-Tone Farro

Pareve / Yields 8 servings

By Naomi Nachman

This farro recipe takes its name from the ruby-like pomegranate seeds and the emerald parsley. It’s a stunning side dish for your Rosh Hashana table as it features two of the simanim leeks and pomegranate. You can also exchange the farro for rice or quinoa.

◦

Ingredients

◦ 2 tablespoons canola oil

◦ 4 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced

◦ 2 teaspoons salt, divided

◦ 2 cups cooked farro, prepared according to package directions

◦ 1 teaspoon turmeric

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

◦ ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Preparation

1. In a medium fry pan over medium high heat, heat oil. Add leeks; sauté for 2 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté for a few minutes, till leeks are soft.

2. Add cooked farro, turmeric, and remaining salt; sauté for a few minutes.

3. Remove from heat, add fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds; stir to combine. Serve warm.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

Photo by M IRIAM P AS c A l

Better Business Mentoring Spadida

By Chaim Homnick MA MBA

Spadida is a new business that opened this month on Central Avenue. It is a kids’ and teen salon that features birthday parties, mini mani/pedis, haircuts, ear piercing and more. The owner, Chavi Stern, has invested a significant sum in bringing this luxury experience to the Avenue, but she is facing some early growing pains. Last week, I sat down with the owner to provide some mento ring help to try and strategize the best path forward for her nascent business venture. Below is a condensed version of that conversation.

Chaim Homnick: So, let’s start by you telling me the vision behind Spadida.

Chavi Stern: The vision behind Spa dida was to create a space for moms/ aunts/grandparents to build memories with their children. Especially since Covid, it’s really been hitting home more and more about what is important in life, and I wanted to give moms the opportunity to bond with their kids in a Disneyland-like space, almost a mini vacation in the middle of a hectic day.

My background is in working with children at all developmental stages, and so often what a child needs is some sensory input in order to feel centered and safe. We tried incorporating that idea into every part of the salon…from Orbeez and scented cream by the mini manis to swings and hammock chairs and costumes to dress up on a stage.

That’s the issue many entrepreneurs face. Turning a good idea into a good business. What are your big gest challenges right now?

I put my heart and soul into design ing the store (with a fabulous team! Thanks, team!) and the concept and perfecting everything; there’s no corner of space that wasn’t thought through.

want to take on any additional debt, but perhaps we can strategize ways to build up cash flow faster than the business would generate cash flow organically.

The way to do that is probably through something like loyalty cards. If you have a popular service, like the mini manis, then maybe sell a card that entitles the user to 5 visits at a discounted rate. The consumer gets a discount for their loyalty, and you get cash flow now as you scale the business. Likewise, a discount of 10% or 20% on people buying gift cards will also generate long-term business and future customers while getting the business a cash infusion now.

How did you project your sales? Are you meeting those projections?

Well, that’s the hard part, right? My numbers were all made up since this is a whole new concept and I didn’t real ly have a model to follow. I thought the idea was amazing and I invested way over $100,000 and 6 months of my life to bring this to reality. But only once you open up do you see what the actual expenses and income are, plus hidden expenses that I didn’t anticipate.

The experience is incredible. The customers love it. But the business isn’t where it needs to be yet. Our monthly expenses are more than we are bringing in in sales so far.

But construction costs always end up more than expected, and the sales have been slower than I’d hoped. I worry about making payroll and building the business up to be profitable.

I like both of those ideas. Honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming trying to incor porate new ideas while trying to manage the day-to-day of a new business, but I’ll definitely give it a shot.

Speaking of incorporating new ideas, my other challenge is simply educating the consumer about our service and why it is different, and more expensive, than going to a regular salon.

So let’s analyze that. When it comes to a cash flow crunch, there are two methods to solving that issue. One is simply selling more and chasing cash flow aggressively; the other is taking on debt, whether via loans or an investor. Right now, you don’t

Part of why I opened Spadida was because I used to take my daughter with me for a manicure before yom tov. But when you go to a regular salon on the Avenue, it really isn’t for kids. The wom en who aren’t there with kids don’t want other people’s kids there, the staff’s goal is to slap some nail polish on kids and get them out of there, and it’s really not as special for a kid as the experi ence could be or should be. In Spadida,

the goal is a magical experience for the girls. Whether they are coming as part of a birthday party or with their mother or on their own, we want the experience and not just the end result.

So, the price point factor is definite ly a challenge many businesses face. It is hard to pinpoint the sweet spot where customer satisfaction and suit able margins intersect. If your feed back is overwhelmingly that the price

“I thought the idea was amazing and I invested way over $100,000 and six months of my life to bring this to reality.”

is too high, then you likely need to consider that and adjust. But in terms of educating the consumer, you just need to get them in the door and the experience will speak for itself. The “value add proposition” will become clear to the customer. Consider offer ing a card with a free mani or other service to girls in the community so people get a chance to enjoy the Spa dida experience.

That’s a great idea, I love that! We’ll get right on free mani vouchers! As far as pricing, we did see some price point pushback, and I am working on bringing down prices where we can still meet our expenses. For example, our party pack age is amazing, and we booked four par ties in our first two weeks. But we also had a lot of people clamoring for a more basic party plan that would be at a lower price. So we introduced a more basic spa party package option.

That leads into the next problem, though. Sundays we are busy, but a lot of the rest of the week is slower. We will have a busy day and then a very slow day.

pivot to also offering a girls’ Motzei Shabbos program or after-school pro grams. Maybe you need to offer a Fri day afternoon Erev Shabbos Special on some of your services. You need to consider every angle that will help generate non-Sunday income.

Long-term, you can always consider offering certain popup sales in your store or subleasing a part of it to a re lated business, but those are just op tions to consider if a good fit comes along.

THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN…

What is your advice for a new store starting out on Central Avenue?

Yael Schulman, Owner of Goodnight Moon

That’s a challenge because an equiv alent non-Jewish salon would have a true Friday/Saturday/Sunday week end to maximize party income and weekend traffic. You just have Sun days as your main day. Then, on the weekdays, most kids are in school. You need to identify ways to gener ate revenue in what otherwise might be dead times.

First, within your existing business model, how can you reroute some of that Sunday traffic to weekdays? Maybe a party package discount if they have their party on a weekday after school instead? What else can you do to create new, alter nate revenue streams?

That’s a good point. I’m seeing that. And every party we’ve made so far has been on a Sunday, so it definitely would be worthwhile for us to lower the price for a weekday party. So far, we started doing women’s wigs for same day service during the week and giving high-quality low-cost women’s haircuts in our teen section. That’s been a perfect way to keep my cosmetologists busy during school hours before girls start coming in. I’m also trying to provide inexpensive lunch time hair blowouts for high school girls. What else can I do?

I think an important point in general, as your business plan has now gone from theoretical to real, is to analyze your sales and your margins. If you maximized your weekend sales and party bookings, would the money generated be sufficient to make this a viable business long-term? Because then you can keep tweaking and playing around with your weekday of ferings and find the right balance for this business to flourish long-term. But you need to really crunch those numbers. How many parties per week do you need for the business to be vi able? How many individual appoint ments? Really dive into the financial backend and work on perfecting the business model.

That’s a lot to take in at one time! But I’ll definitely review this conversation and implement piece by piece as I can. Thank you so much for your time and great informative ideas. I’m going to hit the drawing board and try to apply some of them ASAP!

Conclusion

Spadida is a great concept on paper. But every new business needs to find the right pathway to profitability and sus tainability. Since we met last week, Mrs. Stern has already begun implementing and experimenting with several of the suggestions we considered. Hopefully our discussion and the expert’s tips help her identify the best methods for maximizing her business.

“ As a local business, you need to focus on local trends. Always listen to and address the needs of the local community. Always be honest with your customers. And, make sure you surround yourself with reliable employees. ”

Yael Vogel, Owner of Yaeli Vogel Fine Art

“

For a store to be successful on Central Ave, you need to have “tunnel vision” and think only about what can make your store better and not compare yourself to other stores or try to sell what other stores are selling . Yes, there can be overlap, but a store should feel like its own world and own community. When you provide that feeling, that’s where you have success. ”

The clocks are about the change and Motzei Shabbos will be early. Maybe

Chaim Homnick is a serial entrepreneur who owns several businesses. He also mentors small business owners. If you own a business and would like to be featured, or if you have a question you want to see answered in a fu ture column, or for general feedback, email chomnick@gmail.com.

Notable Quotes

“Say What?!”

It was tough, traumatizing—Biden, a friend 20 years, not knowing details, immediately said about me, “He’s got to go.” Biden had troubles years before, and I stood by him, gave him the benefit of the doubt. It was heartbreaking to see him trash me without reading one page, making one phone call.

– Disgraced former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo in a recent podcast

Pelosi? Please— I know her 30 years. Her daughter worked for me. Obama? He’s been tough. When troubles come you like to think you’re different. You’re not. Enemies and haters accumulate. Schumer, Gillibrand, pals working in the state, friends I respected, fell like dominos.

Lose your power and heartless politicians read the tea leaves. You’re dead. Over. Pols grab another piece of meat. The phrase “political friends” is an oxymoron.

- Ibid.

Wokers are easy to recognize: They hate George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Seuss, and Mr. Potato Head. Wokers respect no one’s opinion but their own.

– Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Fox News

President Biden is the woker in chief. The people of Georgia, for example, decided that they don’t want to have an election month anymore. They want to have an election day. President Biden called them racists. The people of Florida decided they didn’t want government officials talking to their 5-year-old children about [inappropriate things]. President Biden said they’re bigots.

- Ibid.

What I told the bankers, the CEOs, was they should – if they disagree with the wokers – they should go to Amazon, buy a spine online and push back. Because they have the right to do that as Americans.

- Ibid.

The origins of self-made billionaires are often depicted as a “rags-to-riches” rise to the top fueled by nothing but personal grit and the courage to take risks — like dropping out of college or starting a business in a garage… But in reality, the origins of many billionaires aren’t so humble.

- Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, in a speech at University of California, Berkley

I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. I couldn’t even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. Where is this [garbage] coming from?

– Elon Musk, tweeting in response

These are Netanyahu’s methods, exactly like the methods of Goebbels and Stalin – to make the harshest and most absurd accusations, to repeat it a million times until the people get used to the absurdity.

- Israel’s Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman

I could tell they didn’t quite recognize me. They said, “Look, you don’t have the pass for this,” and I said, “No, I’m a player!”

-Philadelphia Eagles punt returner Britain Covey after he was forced to park a half mile from the players’ entrance last Sunday when security did not believe he was a player

I wish they had targeted the people who actually needed help… They still haven’t fixed the underwriting, and they haven’t fixed the cost of college.

- JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Diamon talking about Pres. Biden’s recent loan forgiveness program

Sir, you know what? Everybody that got relief from student loans [who] has a bank account with your bank should probably take out their account and close their account. The fact that you’re not even there to help relieve many of the folks that are in debt – extreme debt – because of student loan debt and you’re out there criticizing it.

- Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman from Michigan, addressing Diamon at a hearing

There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound…

- Stacey Abrams, who is the Democrat candidate for governor of Georgia, while advocating for abortion

I’m not sure how much it has to do with inflation, but that’s OK

- John Kerry at the International Energy Agency’s Global Clean Energy Action Forum, praising Pres. Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” while acknowledging the part that is not supposed to be said out loud.

We invested an additional $12 billion into community banks, because we know community banks are in the community and understand the needs and desires of that community as well as the talent and capacity of community.

- Vice President Kamala Harris

The line to see the queen’s coffin stretched for miles, similar to what goes on here in America when Popeye’s comes out with a new chicken sandwich.

— Jimmy Kimmel

Let me just say this: As the person that had the most access to the most intelligence — you know, in the intelligence community we talk about degrees of confidence, low degree of confidence, moderate degrees of confidence, high degrees of confidence. I had a high degree of confidence that the origins of COVID-19 were in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Now, I was the top intelligence official, and that was my opinion.

- Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on CBS News

In Real Estate, like in Politics and in Life, LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!!!

- Former President Donald Trump in response to President Joe Biden being seated in the 14th row at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, “It’s declassified,” even by thinking about it.

- Former President Donald Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity talking about the classified documents allegedly found at Mar-a-Lago

Political Crossfire

If the Pandemic Is “Over,” So is Biden’s Authority To Forgive Student Debt

By Marc A. Thiessen

President Biden declared that “the pandemic is over” and now is try ing to walk it back. Little wonder: With just a few words in a “60 Minutes” interview, Biden completely undermined his administration’s legal justification for student loan forgiveness.

The nonpartisan Penn Wharton Bud get Model estimates that Biden’s loan forgiveness plan will cost between $605 billion and $1 trillion. Congress has not authorized him to spend any of that. So where does the president get the authority to unilaterally spend up to $1 trillion? He claims to find it in the Heroes Act – a law passed after the 9/11 attacks to help those Americans called up to active military ser vice not default on their student loans. The law provides “the Secretary of Education with specific waiver authority to respond to a war or other military operation or na tional emergency.”

In an August memo explaining the legal basis for Biden’s student loan for giveness plan, Education Department general counsel Lisa Brown claimed that emergency authority includes a “national emergency, such as the present COVID-19 pandemic.” This is absurd. The Heroes Act explicitly states that it is intended to help the “hundreds of thousands of Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard reservists and members of the Na tional Guard [who] have been called to active duty or active service.” It authoriz es the secretary of education to forgive or modify their loans in response to a “na tional emergency, regardless of the loca tion at which such active duty service is performed.” There is no way to read this law as justifying debt relief for an entire class of individuals who never wore the uniform.

Biden is not even trying to conform with the intent of the law – by, for exam ple, perhaps extending loan forgiveness to first responders and front-line medical workers who risked their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. He’s driving a steam

seems to be in pretty good shape.” He said, “We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lotta work on it. But the pan demic is over.”

That means what his administration’s lawyers called a “national emergency, such

Centers for Disease Control and Preven tion declared it was “no longer necessary” since we now have “an increased availabil ity of tools to fight Covid-19” and “97.1% of the U.S. population lives in a county identified as having ‘low’ CoviD-19 Com munity Level.”

In other words, Biden effectively de clared the pandemic emergency over for illegal migrants at the border, but then a few months later invoked it to justify student loan forgiveness. Then he (again) declared the pandemic “over” – even as his administration submits an emergency request to Congress for $27 billion in pan demic spending before the end of the year.

The formal pandemic emergency dec laration expires on Oct. 13, unless Biden extends it for an additional three months. If he fails to do so, then not only will he no longer have legal justification for student debt forgiveness, but he will also lose the basis for other pandemic-justified social spending – such as the emergency Med icaid expansion, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates added to the program some 13 million Americans who would otherwise make too much money to qualify, at a cost of nearly $10 billion a month.

engine right through the plain text of the law and providing mass debt forgiveness for those who did not serve in any capacity in a national emergency – and using the pandemic as justification.

But now that Biden has declared the pandemic “over,” his justification for abusing this law has evaporated. Walking through the Detroit Auto Show, Biden told CBS correspondent Scott Pelley, “If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody

as the present Covid-19 pandemic,” is no longer “present.” And if the pandemic is no longer present, neither is the legal basis for using it to forgive student loans.

Of course, consistency has never been Biden’s strong suit. In the spring, his ad ministration announced it was lifting Title 42 – the Trump-era public health order that allows border officials to turn away illegal migrants in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 – because Biden’s

So, in all likelihood, Biden will follow his declaration that the pandemic is “over” by soon extending the pandemic emergen cy declaration. Because if Republicans re gain the majority in just one house in No vember, the ability to pass Democrats-only spending bills will evaporate – which means the pandemic emergency will be all Democrats have left to continue their miasma of fiscal profligacy.

He’s driving a steam engine right through the plain text of the law.

Political Crossfire

To Confront Putin, Biden Should Study the Cuban Missile Crisis

By David Ignatius

As Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to salvage his failing invasion of Ukraine, there is a small but growing chance that he will use nuclear weapons. Historians will wonder how this war could have veered toward such insan ity, but it’s now inescapably part of the landscape.

“In the event of a threat to the territori al integrity of our country…we will certain ly make use of all weapons systems avail able to us. This is not a bluff,” Putin said in a speech broadcast Wednesday morning. His nuclear umbrella appears to include Ukrainian territory that Russia has seized or plans to annex.

How should President Biden and other world leaders respond to this outrageous blackmail? The answer cannot be to capit ulate. That would scar the global future as horribly as this war has already damaged Ukraine. As Biden said Wednesday: “Rus sia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter.”

Leaders must think now with the same combination of toughness and creativity that President John F. Kennedy showed during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Because that’s the only parallel within most of our lifetimes. That means drawing a firm line – Kennedy never wavered on his de mand that Soviet missiles be removed from Cuba – but it also means looking for ways to de-escalate.

Let’s start with the need for firmness from the West. The outcome in Ukraine will set the rules for the 21st century. If Pu tin’s extortion succeeds, China will surely see it as a precedent for Taiwan. If Chinese leaders see that the United States and its allies can be cowed by a nuclear threat, they will act with greater boldness. That’s the hidden danger of this “little” war in Ukraine: It could set the stage for a big war with China down the road.

The Pentagon has undoubtedly present

ed Biden with a menu of options for how to respond if Putin, say, uses a tactical nuclear weapon to block further Ukrainian advanc es toward Crimea and the Donbas region. Biden in an interview broadcast Sunday warned Putin against using nuclear weap ons, saying: “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.”

standing your adversary.

Putin is a bully, but what makes him truly dangerous is that he has woven a nar rative of Russia’s victimization that causes him to view the Ukraine conflict almost as a holy war. He claimed Wednesday that the West’s goal in Ukraine “is to weaken, di vide and ultimately destroy our country.” That might sound mad, but Putin clearly

Putin in his Wednesday speech repeated the same claim he made at a news con ference last week in Uzbekistan – that Russia had been prepared for a “peaceful settlement” in the negotiations brokered by Turkey in Istanbul in late March, but that Ukraine and the West had balked. Okay, that’s the letter to answer.

Biden and Putin are a study in con trasts. One is an aging elected politician, the other is a famously vigorous, unelected dictator; one has near-consensus support at home for his Ukraine policy, the other is increasingly attacked in Moscow by rightwing hawks and left-wing doves; one has a unified presidential administration, the other faces growing Kremlin bickering and finger-pointing; one has solid allies across Europe, the other has increasingly wary support from China and India. Clearly, whatever the differences in age and ag gressiveness, Biden’s is the stronger hand.

Biden’s comment was more plea than threat. And it was in line with his repeated signals that he wants to avoid any direct U.S.-Russian conflict. That’s admirable restraint, but it’s also part of why Putin keeps raising the ante. Now that Putin has directly threatened use of nuclear weapons, Biden must signal more clearly that the cost would be devastating for Russian forces oc cupying Ukraine and for Russia itself.

Let’s think now about how Biden can emulate JFK’s clarity and diplomatic fi nesse. A good start, always, is by under

believes it. So, one message Biden needs to send, to Putin and the Russian people, is that the West doesn’t seek dominion. Sketching a path toward mutual postwar stability if Russia halts its aggression would be a start.

Kennedy’s genius in the Cuban missile crisis was to respond to a message from So viet leader Nikita Khrushchev that offered a path to de-escalation, rather than to more belligerent messages.

Is there a similar off-ramp with Ukraine? I doubt it. But I was struck that

Ukraine, for now, shows no interest in the sort of diplomatic process that Biden has said is necessary to end the war. The Ukrainians want to press their advantage against the retreating Russians, regaining as much territory as possible before win ter. There’s a kind of Catch-22 at work here: When the Ukrainians were losing ground last summer, they didn’t want to negotiate from weakness. Now that they’re advanc ing, they see no reason to compromise from a position of strength. Kyiv needs a real ity check about its longer-term battlefield prospects.

Kennedy succeeded in the Cuban Missile Crisis for two reasons. First, he showed that he was prepared to risk nucle ar war to stop a reckless move by Moscow. Second, through a secret back channel, he found a face-saving way to avoid the ulti mate catastrophe. Biden should study both lessons.

(c) 2022, Washington Post Writers Group

The outcome in Ukraine will set the rules for the 21st century.

Political Crossfire

What If the United States Loses the AI Race Against China?

By David Ignatius

These days, every pundit and prog nosticator is trumpeting the rev olution that’s ahead in artificial intelligence. But a new bipartisan report conveys a grim message: The United States is losing the race to develop this technology that will transform every workplace and battlefield.

“Absent targeted action, the United States is unlikely to close the growing technology gaps with China” and will fall behind in the critical AI sector, argues the report. It was issued last Monday by a group chaired by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and head of the congressionally mandated National Se curity Commission on Artificial Intelli gence, which put out its findings last year. The new report follows the commission’s work; it was privately funded by Schmidt.

The new report uses unusually stark language in describing the danger posed by China’s rapid advances in critical tech nologies such as AI, quantum comput ing, 5G communications, and synthetic biology. In a section titled, “What Does Losing Look Like?” it describes a series of significant consequences for the United States should it fail to meet the Chinese challenge. Among the catalog of horrors:

“China dominates the economy of the future and captures trillions of dol lars’ worth of value generated by the next wave of technologies.” “China uses its techno-economic advantage for political leverage. Nations – including U.S. allies – reliant on China’s tech swing into the PRC’s political orbit.” “Authoritarian re gimes sell the case that they are masters of the modern world.” “An open internet is compromised.” “The U.S. military’s technological edge erodes. The PRC an nexes Taiwan.” “The PRC cuts off the sup ply of microelectronics and other critical technology inputs.”

The report’s authors summarize the

catastrophic outcome: “In total, this pic ture amounts to the unraveling of the or der the United States and the democrat ic world built after World War II and a serious challenge to U.S. prosperity. The United States and other democracies would become economically dependent, losing their engines of prosperity and freedom of action in the world…. Even if only some of this came to pass, the world would be a darker place for the United States and democracy.”

Frightening technology scenarios like this have become increasingly common over the past decade, and they might overstate the extent of China’s advantage. Chinese economic growth is slowing; its tech sector has been shaken by poorly planned government intervention, and its deteriorating demographic position might not support the “China Dream” of dominance that President Xi Jinping has often advanced. But even so, Schmidt told me in a recent interview, China remains “focused on the deeper technologies,” such as AI, that will command the future.

The bleak report doesn’t just sum marize the costs of losing. It argues the United States will, in fact, lose this race without changes in government policy to focus attention better on the technology challenge. “The United States still has no process or person responsible for achiev ing technology advantage,” the report says. “The U.S. public-private ecosystem has vast competitive strengths, but they are un-gathered. America needs a plan for mastering the new geometry of inno vation to compete.”

William M. “Mac” Thornberry, a for mer Republican congressman from Tex as who was one of four advisers assisting Schmidt, stated the challenge bluntly in an interview: “If we continue on the cur rent path, we lose.” The report, he says, is intended to explain to Americans, “Here’s what losing looks like to you, individually.”

Essentially, the report argues for national “industrial policy” focused on technology, much like the recently passed legislation to support the semi conductor industry in the United Stud

ies. Schmidt argued that the Chips and Science Act, on its own, won’t be suffi cient to reclaim the United States’ lead in technology. “China has a Chips Act every year,” Schmidt contended, through con tinuous government funding for critical projects.

The Schmidt report is the latest wave of a campaign for greater public and pri vate funding in key technologies. Critics have argued that such directed funding for technology would subsidize already profitable companies such as Google and other tech giants. In that sense, critics contend, Schmidt and the other repre sentatives of the tech sector are advanc ing their industry’s interests, at a time when there are other powerful claims for government support.

The report counters that there’s need for investments that will benefit all Americans by sharpening the nation’s competitive edge and protecting its val ues. In the technology competition with China, the report argues, “at stake is the future of free societies, open markets, democratic government, and a world or der rooted in freedom not coercion.”

In a foreword to the report, for mer Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sounds a “Back to the Future” note. He writes that the report is modeled on a similar bipartisan project he directed in the 1950s, when the U.S. faced a Soviet Union competitive threat. The aim, back then, was to “explain the issues facing our country that may have been hard for the government to tell the American people.”

Whether America is actually losing the technology race against China is hard to say. The value of this report is that it reminds us how severe a price the Unit ed States would pay if optimism about its AI future proved to be wrong.

(c) 2022, Washington

Political Crossfire

Biden Reset U.S. Policy on Defending Taiwan, Whether Aides Like It or Not

By Marc A. Thiessen

The debate is settled. It is the policy of the United States that the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by Communist China. The policy of “strategic ambiguity” is dead – no matter what a bunch of unelected White House aides say.

Thus says the president of the United States. In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired last Sunday, correspon dent Scott Pelley asked Biden, “Would U.S. forces defend the island” of Taiwan? Biden answered unequivocally: “Yes, if, in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.” Pelley asked again: “So unlike Ukraine, to be clear, sir, U.S. forces, U.S. men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion?” Biden answered: “Yes.”

He could not have been any clearer –no hesitation, no caveats, no ambiguity. But, CBS reports, “After our interview, a White House official told us U.S. pol icy has not changed. Officially, the U.S. will not say whether American forces would defend Taiwan. But the command er-in-chief had a view of his own.”

I’m sorry, but the command er-in-chief does not have a “view of his own” that is distinct from U.S. policy. When he speaks, what he says is U.S. policy. Period. Full stop. The president sets our foreign policy – not unnamed, unelected aides. And Biden has said, in no uncertain terms, that U.S. military forces will defend Taiwan if it is attacked.

He has said it not once, not twice, not three times – but four times in the past year. In August 2021, Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, “We made a sa cred commitment to Article 5 that if, in fact, anyone were to invade or take ac

tion against our NATO allies, we would respond. Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with Taiwan.” The next day, a “senior Biden administration official” insisted to reporters that U.S. “policy with regard to Taiwan has not changed.”

Then in October, Biden said it again –even more emphatically. During a CNN town hall, when a voter asked, “Can you vow to protect Taiwan?” Biden answered, “Yes.” Host Anderson Cooper asked him to clarify: “Are you saying that the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense….” Biden interrupted Cooper midsentence and said, “Yes.” Cooper continued: “…if China attacked?” Biden repeated again: “Yes, we have a commit ment to do that.” So, this time he said it three times in less than a minute. But the next day, his White House minders again insisted that Biden had not, in fact, said what he plainly had said.

Then, in May, at a Tokyo news con

ference, Biden was asked: “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine con flict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, if it comes to that?”

Biden replied: “Yes.” The reporter asked again: “You are?” Biden was unequivocal: “That’s the commitment we made,” add ing, “The idea that [Taiwan] can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not appropriate.” But his national security team contradicted him again, insisting that “the president was clear on the fact that the policy has not changed.”

Now, Biden has said it a fourth time. It is clear he means it. At some point, we have to decide who is running the coun try – the president or his advisers? The fact is that Biden has made a clear, un equivocal commitment to defend Taiwan – and it is one of the best things he has done as president.

During the Cold War, Article 5 of the NATO Charter – declaring that an attack

on one ally is an attack on all – was a source of stability in Europe, because the Soviet Union knew that any act of aggression against a NATO ally would result in a U.S. response. Our commit ment to defend NATO allies is the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin invad ed Ukraine but not Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or Poland. Similarly, removing any ambiguity over whether the United States will defend Taiwan will have a stabilizing effect in the Pacific – sending Chinese dictator Xi Jinping a clear mes sage of deterrence.

The failure of Biden’s advisers to fall in line behind the commander-in-chief borders on insubordination. They keep telling him it’s not U.S. policy to defend Taiwan, and he keeps saying it is. Maybe they think he forgot? Or that he’s con fused? During the CBS interview, Pelley asked, “Mr. President, you are the oldest president ever…. Some people ask wheth er you are fit for the job.” Biden replied: “Watch me.”

He probably should have said, “Lis ten to me” – because that is what his own advisers refuse to do. The president keeps saying that Republicans represent a threat to the “very foundations of our republic” because they refuse to “recog nize the will of the people.” In fact, the threat from those who refuse to recog nize the will of the people comes from within. Biden won 306 electoral votes. His aides got zero. That means when he speaks definitively – four times – on a matter of U.S. policy, that is the new pol icy of our nation, and his advisers need to salute and carry out his orders.

Forgotten Her es

Lt. Jacques Michael Swaab

By Avi Heiligman

Advances in technology have to tally changed the way the bat tles and wars are fought. Before World War I, battles were either fought on land or on the surface of the ocean or sea. The invention of the airplane and submarine added the sky and below the ocean’s surface as battlefields. The earliest combat pilots were just learning the skills that would help them survive and defeat the enemy in the air. Several American pilots stand out for their brav ery while in aerial combat.

Many American airmen chose to fly with other Allied armies before the Unit ed States entered the war in 1917. Eddie Rickenbacker was the highest scoring American ace to have flown solely with the American Army’s Air Service. He had put his career as a race car driver on hold while training to become a pursuit (fight er) pilot. Together with other American pilots, he studied under a French fighter ace and entered combat in April 1918; he scored his first kill on April 28. By the end of the war, he had scored 26 aerial victories and had become the command er of the 94th Aerial Squadron.

Frank Luke was the second-highest scoring American ace with 19 aerial vic tories. He was the first American “ace in a day” and along with Rickenbacker received the Medal of Honor for actions in combat.

The only Jewish American fighter ace from World War I was Jacques Michael

Swaab. He was born in Philadelphia in 1894. When Swaab was 18, he tried to fly a homemade plane, but the plane crashed into a wall. With the help of a family em ployee, Swaab soon had the contraption back up and running and successfully flew the airplane. Two months after the U.S. declared war in 1917, Swaab volun teered to fly as a test pilot. He was ac cepted right away because there were few volunteers to become a test pilot, but Swaab felt he needed more experi ence before entering combat. After join ing the aviation corps, he was sent to Dayton, Ohio, where he learned under aviation pioneer Orville Wright. From there, Swaab was sent to train with the 22 nd Aero Squadron that was training at Kelly Field in Texas and preparing for a deployment to Europe.

The 22nd Aero Squadron was a unit in the Army Air Service that was active for two years and saw action from August 1918 until the end of the war. They tran sitioned to a fighter squadron and flew the French-built Spad S.XIII biplane. While in action, they were under the command of Capt. Raymond C. Bridgeman. Five pi lots in that squadron achieved the status of ace with at least five enemy aircraft shot down. Known as the Shooting Stars, the squadron shot down a total of 44 ene my aircraft along with 10 being attributed to Lieutenant Swaab.

Swaab first saw combat on Septem ber 8, 1918, when he shot down three

planes near Cirey-Saarburg, France. The first plane he hit was a two-seater observation plane; the next two were Fokker D.VII. He later said that on that day he was petrified, and he was shocked when the when he realized that the wind caused him to fly over a German aero drome. As he pulled around, he saw a German Fokker and shot him down with a burst of machine gunfire. As one of his guns jammed, Swaab saw that ten German planes were diving on him, and he pulled around to avoid their fire as he tried to head for the clouds. Swaab then shot down the leader of the pack but sustained three bullet wounds in the process. Finally, he made it to the cloud cover and eventually landed at a French aerodrome where he received medical attention for his wounds.

After spending a few days recuperat ing, Swaab rejoined his unit but was sent back to the rear for more rest. He soon returned to action and on September 28 was credited with his fourth aerial victo ry. The kill was shared with a squadron mate. His Distinguished Service Cross citation tells more of the story: “Lieu tenant Swaab, although himself pursued by two enemy planes, perceiving one of his comrades in distress and in danger of being shot down, dived upon the enemy plane which was directly behind that of his comrade and shot the enemy plane out of control, forcing it to withdraw. His prompt act in going to the assistance of

his comrade enabled the latter to escape.”

On October 23, Swaab shot down two more planes. One of the enemy planes had just shot down an American ob servation balloon. The enemy pilot was a skilled German ace Max Nather who was flying in a Fokker and had 26 kills to his record.

Swaab’s sixth victory was a Rumpler C reconnaissance biplane. Four days later, Swaab got two more planes while pursing two formations of enemy Fok kers along with his wingman. His last two victories were one plane each on October 29 and October 31. He earned his last victory after following the plane for twenty miles while it was trying to observe American lines. Swaab finished the war with ten confirmed and seven unconfirmed victories.

It took a lot of daring and skill to fly a plane in World War I. Swaab became a double ace in less than two months and 65 hours of combat flying. Although he never received the Medal of Honor – his superior officers tried submitting the pa perwork, but it was for naught – Swaab’s record and stories in the air make him a forgotten hero.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contribu tor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for fu ture columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

Frank Luke

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

Jacques Michael Swaab

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APT./COOP/CONDO SALE

Woodmere New to the market beautifully maintained bright and sunny 2 bedroom 1.5 bathroom co-op on the top floor in an elevator building with a private storage room.

Renovated eat -in-kitchen with granite countertops, lots of cabinets, 2 renovated bathrooms. 2 spacious bedrooms with ceiling fans and air conditioners. hardwood floors, high ceilings , close to the railroad, shopping and houses of worship. Call for a private showing.$429K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE

Totally renovated bright and sunny 1 bedroom corner unit apartment with a washer/dryer. Features quartz countertops, ss appliances, recessed lighting, bathroom with chrome fixtures, close to the railroads, shopping and houses of worship. Call for details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Classifieds

HEWLETT

Totally renovated 1 and 2 Bedroom, Apartments with washer/dryer, kitchen with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances. Recessed lighting, hardwood floors, storage in basement. Close to RR, shopping, and houses of worship. Mark Lipner

Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT

Bright and sunny 2 bedroom 2 bathroom co-op, elevator, doorman building, in ground pool storage, card room, indoor and outdoor parking, washer/dryer in the apartment, renovated kitchen with granite countertops, ss appliances, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, formal living room and dining room, close to all $479k Mark Lipner

Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE

Beautiful & Spacious 2 Bedroom Apartment Across From The Golf Course. Elevator Building, Updated Kitchen, Gas Cooking, Granite Countertops, Washer/Dryer In Unit, High Ceilings, Great Closet Space, Storage in Basement, Close To RR, Shopping & Houses Of Worship.$349K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT

Hewlett 3 bedroom 2 bath co-op with central air conditioning, terrace, wash-er/dryer, hardwood floors, recessed lighting, magnificent kitchens, ss appliances, l/r, d/r, close to the railroad, shopping, and houses of worship. $300k Mark Lipner

Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE

SALE

Move right in!! 2 Bedroom Apartment, Elevator Bldg in SD #14, Pre War Bldg, Pet Friendly, Laundry Room in Basement, Wood Floors, New Windows, Corner Apartment, Beautiful Renovated Kitchen w/SS Appliances, 3 A/C Units, Close to RR, Shopping & Houses of Worship. A must-see! $199k

CEDARHURST

1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment, elevator building, eat-in kitchen, spacious rooms throughout, laundry room on-premises, garage parking, close to all

Mark Lipner Associate Broker

Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

CEDARHURST

SALE

1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, totally renovated private entrance , central air conditioning, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, garage parking, dishwasher, recessed lighting, private playground, close to railroad, park, shopping and houses of worship. Call for more details

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457  mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODSBURGH

Magnificent 2K sq. Ft. Co-Op. 3BR/2BTH, EIK, LR, DR, W/D in Unit, GAR, 2 STOR UNITS, ELEV, NEAR ALL $775K 516-846-1032

NO BROKERS

Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT

A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experience with Excel required. Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote. Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com

MDS REGIONAL NURSE:

5 Towns area Nursing Home management office seeking a Regional/Corporate level MDS Nurse to work in our office.

Must be an RN. Regional experience preferred. 2-3 years MDS experience with good computer skills required. Position is Full Time but Part Time can be considered. Great Shomer Shabbos environment with some remote options as well. Email: officejob2019@gmail.com

HELP WANTED

EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Wanted must know how to use a MAC very well. Must know Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & Indesign. Full days Monday & Tuesday. Wednesday & Thursday are very flexible. Must come to the office in Flatbush for an interview but can work at one’s own home or office. Please email resume to: graphicdesigner613@gmail.com or call 917-701-8012

5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA

SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS

Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

A YESHIVA IN QUEENS is looking for an experienced part/ full time secretary, 2-year-old morah, kindergarten morah, kindergarten morah assistant and Pre-1A English teacher for the 2022-2023 school year. Nice and timely pay. Please email resume to mshelt613@gmail.com or call/text 718-971-9799.

ASSISTANT TEACHER

CAHAL is seeking an Assistant Teacher for KINDERGARTEN class at HANC in West Hempstead. 2 full days and every other Friday. Please send resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516295-3666

ASSISTANT TEACHER

CAHAL is seeking an afternoon secular studies Assistant Teacher in a girls’ Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway. Send resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666

SHEVACH HIGH SCHOOL SEEKS motivated and experienced teachers for AP Psychology and Intro to Psychology (Masters in Psychology or related field required), English Literature and Writing, Public Speaking (Masters in English, Communications or related field required), and creative elective courses. Please email resume to office@shevachhs.org.

SHEVACH HIGH SCHOOL SEEKS

Full time Administrative Assistant who has excellent organizational and computer skills to work directly with the Principal. Please email resume to office@shevachhs.org.

HELP WANTED

BOOKKEEPER

Excellent growth potential Frum environment

Excellent salary & benefits Email resume to: resumetfs1@gmail.com

ARBA MINIM DISTRIBUTOR

Looking for a go-getter to help run seasonal operations for 2-3 weeks. Good pay, good future potential. Starting immediately. Call 631-392-8820

SEEKING SPECIAL EDUCATION teacher to homeschool a 5 year old child. 2-3 hours per day for pre-k/k curriculum. Private pay and flexible. 5 Towns area. If interested please call 917-826-2696

MISC.

GEMACH ZICHRON YEHUDA

In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov. We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit. Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood. Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com

Your Money Billionaires Behaving… Benevolently?

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

On September 29, 1916, John D. Rockefeller became America’s first billionaire. (That was a day after crude oil prices jumped by 10 cents/barrel and Standard Oil of New Jersey stock hit $2,014/share.) Now we have almost a thousand of the Guc ci-clad fat cats buying Senate seats and monopolizing prime properties in Nan tucket and Jackson Hole. Some of them obsess over their place on the Forbes list. (Oracle’s Larry Ellison would prob ably do crazy, weird things to climb just one place higher in the rankings.) Oth ers would prefer not to appear at all.

Today’s billionaires make head lines so often that you can’t keep them straight without a scorecard. Often, it’s because they’re misbehaving in enter taining ways: Elon Musk letting loose with another stream of emoji-laden tweets, or Jeff Bezos offering to bribe a Dutch city to temporarily dismantle a bridge so that his $500 million sailboat can pass underneath. But three recent stories feature billionaires behaving generously – and all three of them offer lessons for how you can make the most

of your own giving.

Last month, news broke that the longtime conservative activist Barre Seid had donated his company, Tripp Lite, to Marble Freedom Trust, a non profit advocacy group. The trust then sold the company to Eaton Corp. for $1.65 billion. The donation isn’t tax de ductible because the trust is a 501(c)(4) social welfare group, not a more-famil iar 501(c)(3) charity. But selling through the trust avoided $450 million in tax that Seid would have paid if he had simply sold the company and donated the proceeds. And it heads off however many hundreds of millions Seid would have owed in estate tax if he had owned the company at his death.

Seid’s donation prompted grumbling in progressive circles that maybe the law shouldn’t be so generous for such overtly political gifts. Then last week, we learned that Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard is making a similar move. Chouinard, who made a fortune selling Wall Street finance bros those down-filled puffer vests they all wear until they can afford Brunello Cucinel

li, is donating his company to a pair of groups dedicated to fighting global cli mate change. Like Seid, he won’t get an up-front deduction for his gift. But the groups could someday sell the company tax-free, and the maneuver avoids estate tax for Chouinard.

The net result, in both cases, is the groups get more to dedicate to their cause. Ironically, given their opposing philosophies, they might someday find themselves loading up their super soak ers with some of that tax-advantaged cash and firing away at each other.

In another story last week, Mack enzie Bezos announced that she had donated her $55 million Beverly Hills property to the California Community Foundation. The foundation plans to use the proceeds for affordable housing projects and an immigrant integration program. Bezos and her ex-husband paid $37 million for the compound, with a 12,000-square foot main house and 4,500-square foot guest house en compassing 13 bedrooms and 14 bath rooms on 2.5 acres. Bezos will get an up-front deduction for her gift, although

she’s donated so many billions already that she’ll never be able to use it. She’ll also avoid income and estate tax on her gains.

Lessons? One: even if you’re not a billionaire, you can take advantage of some of the same charitable strategies as they do.

Two: when it comes time to give, consider using appreciated property to avoid tax on the gains and stretch your gift.

Three: if you’re including charitable bequests in your will, consider giving now to create income tax savings. (We can show you how to give now while you still keep an ongoing income or remain der for yourself.)

Finally, call us to make the most of it all!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

I’m starving!

Are you one of those people who feel that way first thing in the morn ing?

Really interesting, huh? You haven’t exerted one ounce of energy yet, and your body is already calling for reinforcements. What a demanding housing you’ve been saddled with.

Of course, you must be concerned about this upcoming fast day.

You are probably only out-tortured by the daily coffee drinkers. Unless you need both.

Coffee drinkers are not even sure they can get up for the fast day. And when they do, fighting that headache is a major added occupation of their all-day drama.

My Achilles heel happens to be eating at night. So five minutes after returning from shul on Kol Nidre night, I’m already trying to hold myself back from an all-out attack on the kitchen.

No matter what our difficulty is, all those challenges relate to our minds and bodies.

But what about our souls?

Not the soles of our shoes. Which do get a little shout-out since we cannot wear leather.

And not the other souls in our neigh

Life C ach Hungry for More

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

borhood, though, we do have an effect on them but usually indirectly.

But our very personal, perpetually with us, soul. What about the food it needs?!

This is the day we need to focus on that food plan.

It needs a very specific diet. And I don’t mean the nouveau organic or vegan or glu

chewing all that calls for and therefore forget the amazing recipes that we have built right into us.

So, even though it isn’t always easy to step out of the “feed my body” mode, Yom Kippur is that one day we get to really think about which continuous side dishes we want to carry with us throughout the

then flavor it, and clean up after it.

As opposed to the longer-term deli cious satisfaction we get from truly whole some living and giving.

G-d gives us just one complete day to work on our other menu. The one that nourishes the soul with no distractions. It doesn’t mean we don’t work on it all yearround, but this is the grand board meet ing. The one time a year when we meet and refocus and re-decide what we’ve accom plished and neglected and plan anew for the year ahead.

It’s one day! Ratio-wise, it’s amazing! We certainly must have a really strong soul appetite if we just need one day to get this figured out.

So let’s eat it up!

That should keep us full the whole day!

ten-free ones we are obsessed with.

Rather a diet of consciousness, kind ness, and commitment.

A diet of food we self-create from with in and therefore can tap into day or night so that we are never starved for it.

We should think about the menu we would like to cook up for this year to feed that part of us.

We don’t want to get distracted with the peeling, unwrapping, stirring, or

year every day to nurture our spirit while partaking in our physical food.

Because we need both to survive.

And sometimes, unfortunately, we get too distracted with the physical menu. Because it gives us an immediate sense of satisfaction and we think that’s the most terrific feeling we can have. But it does call for constant refilling. And it comes with the daily grind. We must work to afford it, then shop for it, be creative in preparing it,

And that way we’ll cook up a hearty, healthy, and fulfilling year for ourselves to get satiated on.

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.

We certainly must have a really strong soul appetite if we just need one day to get this figured out.